บท 11: Hard Truth
Jon
The cool morning air blew around him as they flew high in the clouds. The air was cooler this high up and was a much appreciated respite from the humid conditions down below. The heat of Dorne however, was slowly becoming less and less of a problem for him as they travelled north, if he had to guess he would say they were back in the Reach but a part of him also thought it could be the Stormlands.
The cool air came with the necessity of staying high up in the clouds though, Kireina had already been spotted by Clarissa if her claims were true, and with the very detailed description of what she'd seen, he was inclined to believe her. They'd not been back in Westeros long and already people were noticing Kireina's existence, the last thing they needed.
Speaking of Clarissa, he was glad he'd had the opportunity to spend some time with her. He'd never met a person so interested in swordplay that had never picked a sword up at all. She reminded him of Arya a little bit, if Arya gave a rat's ass about other things a girl could enjoy. He in fact, profited from Clarissa's interest in her more ladylike hobbies when she volunteered to give his hair a trim. What he expected to be a ten, fifteen minute job turned into an hour of chit chat and experimentation. Ashara had laughed when she saw the braid and he untied it there on the spot, one look at a grinning Clarissa was all that he needed to work out it had all been a piss take.
He shook his head in the breeze, a smile playing on his lips. Clarissa, as it turned out, was somewhat of a joker, always trying to say something entertaining to get people smiling. The meal they had yesterday evening was interesting to say the least. Him, Ashara and Clarissa had a cosy meal, food and wine was consumed, laughs were had and stories were told. Some causing frowns and sadness, others causing smiles and laughter. Jon felt so welcome in their home, it was mad to think that the two homes he'd stayed in since leaving his actual home, he'd felt more at home in. Maybe at the end of the day, it wasn't Jon who was the problem, maybe it was something or somebody else.
Wouldn't that be an interesting turn of events.
Day became evening whilst they finished off their meal and Jon was finding himself being invited to stay the night instead of his original plan of leaving after he'd eaten. A nice bed to sleep on had been missed between leaving Kochi and arriving in Westeros so he easily accepted their hospitality. A room was prepared for him and a much appreciated bath was made as well.
Spare clothes had been put aside for him since Ashara almost demanded his current clothes be washed before he left. Maids filled his bath with steaming water as he perused the room they'd prepared for him, Starfall was a very clean castle he had to admit.
A small blonde haired maid asked him to take his tunic off so that they could take it to be washed whilst he bathed, instead he just took the whole lot off with his back turned to them and plopped them into her arms before darting and submerging himself into the scolding bath. After the eyeful he'd given the poor girls, the maids left him in peace to soak, not without one of them volunteering to help him wash. He was a grown man, he knew how to clean himself just fine.
Sleep came easily that night and before he knew it, he was saying his goodbyes to the two Dayne ladies. He received a hug from Clarissa and she received a promise from him that he wouldn't be a stranger and that he would come and see her again soon. According to her, there was supposed to be this big tournament at Harrenhal happening soon that she'd managed to convince her mother to let her go to and that that would be a perfect time to meet up again.
Ashara surprisingly gave him a hug as well, nothing much was said after, just a promise to stay out of trouble and to visit again soon. Even with it turning out that Ashara wasn't his mother, she still welcomed him back into her home. She was a remarkable woman and Lord Stark had well and truly fucked up in that regard.
And all that led up to now. After retrieving his swords, he set off from Starfall on foot and snuck off into the red mountains. There, he was able to meet back up with Kireina and set off whilst hopefully using the mountains themselves as cover from any keen eyed travellers. He didn't know why he was bothering though, she'd already been spotted once and probably a few other times by some random farmer or fisherman. Hopefully claims of a dragon sighting would be chalked off as madness or just plain seeing things...hopefully.
Now the pair of them where heading north...to see his other siblings...to confront his father...to get the answers he really fucking needed and deserved at this point.
They were a few hours into their journey now, a journey he told himself he wasn't delaying but in reality, he was. He was honestly scared how he'd react or how they'd react when he turned up. Just thinking about Lord Stark and his dirty secrets woke something inside him, like an ancient power being woken up from its slumber.
Probably frustration and anger...or trapped wind, who even knew anymore.
"I wonder what's happening down there?" Came a bellowing voice in his head as Kireina disturbed him from his inner turmoil.
He looked over the side of his dragon, 'his dragon' he thought with a smile, something he would never get bored of thinking. The height at which they were at never failed to amaze him, the mini heart attacks he would have when looking down from a great height had dissipated in time, thank the gods.
As he squinted at the ground below, he could just about see some activity around a great big castle. To him, even at this height, it looked freshly built, with pillars and domes making up the main aesthetic of the structure. All of it was built with a mixture of red and white slabs of brick or marble, he couldn't really tell from where he was sat at the moment. If it was indeed made out of marble then it must have cost the owner an arm and a leg to build.
"Looks like somebody is retiring and building themselves a little summer home doesn't it?" He said to Kireina who huffed in what he hoped was her attempt at a laugh, he really hoped she was trying to laugh. It would be adorable...or disturbing, something for them to work on he thought.
"You should be spending less time coming up with jokes and more time thinking about what you're gonna say to your father. How many years has it been?" Kiriena expressed.
"Since the last time I saw him? Well I was about 14 when I left Winterfell so it's been roughly 3 years or near enough." He replied.
Fuckin hell! He hadn't realised it had been that long.
"And in those 3 years, have you come up with anything to say to the man?" She asked.
Most of the things Jon wanted to say to the him had already been said in his years living there, most of them were unanswered questions. Kireina brought up a very good point it turned out, what was he gonna say? Would he be so against threating the man? Threatening his own father?
Maybe he should just hound the Lord of Winterfell until he crumbled, one thing he did know was that he wasn't leaving Winterfell again until he had at least some answers.
Who is my mother?
Is my mother dead or alive?
Did my mother want me?
Does my mother love me?
Why are you such a cruel cunt for keeping all this from me?
The questions were endless.
At the end of the day, the past few years had changed Jon into a very persuasive person when he wanted to be and Lord Stark would find that out himself in good time.
The time for pussy footing around the situation was over, it was definitely the time to get answers now. He was ready for them even if Lord Stark said he wasn't.
"When the time is right" his father would say. Well fuck that, the time for the truth was now!
He squeezed his thighs tighter around the bulk of muscle between his legs, urging his companion into a quicker pace. He could feel it now, the anxiety of actually turning back up at his childhood home and explaining himself was slowly fading away. In its place was a brewing excitement, an excitement of what? He didn't know. Was it seeing his siblings again? Well he was already excited to see his siblings again so that couldn't have been what quenched his anxiousness.
No, he was excited to confront his father, rage at him, scream at him...maybe do other things?
He shook his head, was he bitter? The things he would do that were conjuring up in his mind must have been the thoughts of a bitter man surely?
"To be fair, you do have a right to be bitter. There is an element of cruelty keeping a child's parent from them...unless the parent in question was a monster." Kireina projected. Even she wasn't sure on the whole situation by the sounds of it.
What if his father had a genuine excuse from keeping the identity of his mother away from him? What if he was in fact, protecting him from something?
"ARRRGHH! FOR FUCK SAKE!" He screamed into the wind. He couldn't afford to be second guessing himself anymore. It didn't matter if his mother was a bread basket who ate children and drank her own piss, he needed to know himself instead of being protected from the truth. He was a big boy now for fuck sake, he could look after himself.
"Did that make you feel better?" Kireina asked him. He could hear and feel her humorous tone.
He sighed "It did, sort of." He replied.
Whatever answers he uncovered when he returned to Winterfell, he hoped and prayed he could handle them. He was preparing for the worst but hoping for the best and at the end of the day, Lord Stark's response couldn't be as bad as his gut was telling him it could be.
The answers couldn't possibly tear his relationship with his father apart or what was left of said relationship. After the revelations in Starfall and the different outlook on his father, anything at this point was possible. Hell, in some mad turn of events, he could at the end of all this, end up actually being trueborn. There could be a keep or a castle just waiting for him somewhere with his name on it and he was oblivious to it.
Surely not?
Aegon
He grabbed his waterskin and took a generous mouthful and poured the rest of its contents all over his face and head. The breeze in the air cooling his hot face after a rigorous sparring session with the Kingsguard.
"That was a rather good session today, your grace." Ser Arthur said to him as the dornishman pulled out his own waterskin.
Aegon glared at the man but there was no malice behind it, obviously Ser Arthur knew this and proceeded to grin "Good session? For you maybe. I swear you enjoy humiliating me sometimes." He said, a grin slowly forming on his face.
Ser Arthur chuckled at that "You wound me your grace. I don't humiliate you because I enjoy it, I humiliate you because it's the only way you'll learn." He said as he avoided the thrown cork of Aegon's waterskin. At forty name days old, Ser Arthur still had the reflexes and movement speed of a cat.
Aegon grumbled at him "The day somebody slaps you about in a sparring session will be declared a day of celebration around the realm, mark my words good ser." He said as he walked over to a servant and handed him his sparring sword.
Ser Arthur laughed at that "And I welcome that day with open arms your grace, sometimes being regarded as the best swordsman in the realm can get quite tiring with all the sparring sessions I'm invited to, let somebody else do them for me is what I say. This body isn't getting any younger." He said as Aegon saw the grin plastered on the man's face.
He just shook his head "Funny man." He muttered under his breath, with the chuckle he heard, Ser Arthur had heard him loud and clear.
The good nature of the whole situation soured when he caught a glimpse of his uncle at the other end of the yard.
He turned to Ser Arthur "I'm gonna head up to see my two girls, fancy escorting me there?" He said as he made his way towards the exit of the yards without even an answer from the Sword of the Morning. Based on the brisk movements from the knight to catch up with him, the answer was yes.
Ser Arthur was always a very observant man, today wasn't any different. "I saw Prince Viserys at the other end of the yard just then, with how quick you left, I'm guessing that 'little chat' he wanted with you yesterday didn't impress you." He said in a knowing tone. Everybody in the Red Keep knew what his uncle was like, everyone apart from Viserys himself.
Aegon just gave him a grim smile as they walked past a bowing servant "Well, to put it simply Ser Arthur, no it did not."
Ser Arthur just shook his head as he walked side by side with him "What's the Prince done now your grace?" He asked.
Aegon let out a humourless laugh, he couldn't believe what his uncle had been subtly proposing to him. Viserys wanted supporters for his plan but he wouldn't be finding any in between him or Rhaenys "Get this, he tried to convince me that my cousin, Prince Quentyn, is a perfect match for Daenerys. The way he was talking about it, to him it's a sure thing and all it needs is father's approval."
He shook his head "Apparently, him and Quentyn want me and Rhae to have a word with father in the hopes of convincing him of the match." He laughed "It's almost like he doesn't know father's stance on the whole arranged marriage thing, he would never agree to it." He finished, looking at the knight for his agreement.
Ser Arthur looked down and coughed, that made Aegon frown.
"He would never agree to the match, would he Ser Arthur." He said in a sterner tone in the hopes of getting an answer out of the now visibly cagey Kingsguard.
Ser Arthur cleared his throat "I wouldn't like to say, your grace." He almost muttered.
Aegon stopped walking and held his arm out in front of the knight, he looked at the man's face and squinted in suspicion "You know something, don't you?" He said.
Ser Arthur looked at him and shook his head "I'm not inclined to tell you, your grace." He said.
Aegon got slightly annoyed at that "What do you mean? If you know something about all this that I don't know then I want to know." He said in a slightly louder voice, servants walking past looked at them as they passed them in the corridor.
Ser Arthur sighed "I'm not inclined to tell you because the conversation was between your mother and father, I was just merely inside guarding. You know what the Kingsguard's vows dictate, I cannot break my King's trust by sharing his conversations and secrets with others. Even if that person does so happen to be his son and the crown prince." Ser Arthur finished.
Aegon huffed and started walking again "Fine, don't tell me. Looks like we are paying my mother a visit then doesn't it. Do you happen to know where she is at the moment." He asked. Ser Arthur didn't look happy that Aegon was snooping in his King's business.
Unfortunately for Ser Arthur, Aegon hadn't asked him anything he shouldn't be asking so begrudgingly told him his mother's whereabouts "She'll be having afternoon tea with your grandmother and some of the other ladies in court. It would be wise not to disturb them, your grace." Ser Arthur said very hesitantly.
Aegon shook his head and waved his hand "No no, it won't take long. I just want to ask her a few questions that's all. She'll be back to having her ear chewed off by Lady Olenna in no time." He japed. Ser Arthur saw no humour in it if his face was anything to go by.
It only took them a few minutes to get to where the afternoon tea was being held, even with his mother being the Queen of Westeros, his grandmother was the real alpha in these meetings, and if he was being honest, she was the real alpha in a lot of other things that went on in the Red Keep as well.
Ser Oswell and Ser Jonothor were stood outside the door to the Dowager Queen's room, both of them giving him a bow.
"I won't keep you good sers, I'm just here to have a word with the Queen." He said as Ser Oswell rose an eyebrow.
"The Queen is currently in a meeting with the Queen mother and Lady Olenna, would you like me to pass a message on, your grace?" Ser Oswell asked, almost like he couldn't believe anyone was willing to disturb the Dowager Queen when she was in her element.
"No no, it's alright. I just want a quick word with her that's all. Grandmother won't mind, I'm her favourite." He said with a grin. Ser Arthur snorted behind him and Ser Jonothor's eyes lit up with mirth.
He turned around and looked at Ser Arthur. To his credit, the knight had recovered quite quickly and he was met with a stone cold face.
He turned back around and quirked an eyebrow at Ser Oswell, the knight sighed "Very well. On your own head be it, your grace." He said and knocked on the door to announce Aegon to the room.
"Prince Aegon is here and would like to have a word with the Queen, your graces." Ser Oswell said through the gap of the door he'd stuck his head through.
"I'll be one moment ladies." He heard his mother say. Her turned around to Ser Arthur and gave him a grin.
His mother arrived at the door and looked at him "What is it Aegon? We're kind of busy in here at the moment." His mother asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Can we discuss this somewhere private?" He asked, eyeing the Kingsguard.
His mother did the same and sighed, she turned back around into the room "I won't be long ladies, discuss between yourselves." His mother said to the occupants of the room.
She then exited the room and looped her arm with Aegon's "We can go to my solar since its just down the corridor." She said and he nodded his head in agreement. Ser Oswell stayed where he was, guarding the door to his grandmother's room and Ser Jonothor fell side by side with Ser Arthur as the two monarchs strode along towards their destination.
His mother turned to him "What is this about egg? Has something happened?" She asked.
He carried on looking forward as they walked "I was hoping you could answer that for me. It may or may not have something to do with Daenerys." He said.
His mother quirked an eyebrow at that and looked over her shoulder at Ser Arthur. Aegon may have inadvertently gotten Ser Arthur into trouble when he said that.
They made it to his mother's solar in no time, he told both the knights to wait outside for them until they were done. Ser Arthur looked like he wanted to protest but one quick glare from his mother killed that idea off almost instantly.
His mother walked over to her upholstered lounger at the side of the room and sat down, she patted the empty space next to her so Aegon followed and took a seat himself.
"What's all this about then? I have a feeling Ser Arthur has been loose lipped. I'll have to have a word with him about that." His mother said as she looked at him inquisitively.
He chuckled "He might have but don't go too hard on him, he did say he was in the room when you and father were having a discussion, he didn't tell me anymore than that." He said.
She nodded and then waved a hand in front of herself "Well? What is it you want to talk about?" She said.
"Well it's about Daenerys." He said as he looked at his mother "Me and Ser Arthur were talking and the subject about marriage came up, specifically Daenerys and marriage. I said father wouldn't be forcing Dany into any sort of arrangement she didn't want and when I looked at Ser Arthur for his agreement on the matter, he just closed up...Has something happened?" He asked.
She looked down at her hands that were resting on her lap and sighed "Me and your father have been discussing not only Daenerys but also your sister's future as well." She said. "We are worried and have been worried for a few years now. We've both had a word with Dany and Rhae and gotten absolutely nowhere with the stubborn sods. It doesn't help that the Rhaella is wholeheartedly on their side of the argument." She said as she huffed out.
"Is that what you were discussing in there with her just now?" He asked with a furrowed brow.
"Pretty much. Lady Olenna was there as well but I'm pretty sure she's fishing for a betrothal between Rhae and her grandson and not to actually come up with helpful suggestions. Like the woman hasn't enough with her granddaughter being Queen one day." His mother said.
He loved both Rhae and Dany but he felt like they were being a bit too stubborn when it came to marriage. In his eyes, this ideal man that they are waiting for didn't exist and they need to lower their expectations "Did you come up with any good ideas?"
His mother let out a humourless chuckle "Not really. Rhaella came up with one idea but it sounded like wishful thinking more than anything." His mother said.
"And?" He asked.
She furrowed her brow and shook her head "She was saying that maybe the upcoming tournament at Harrenhal might help discover some hidden gems for the girls. If this is being touted as the biggest tournament in Westerosi history then surely they'll be somebody there for them to meet. All the Lords and their sons will be there, maybe one of them will crown one of the girls Queen of love and beauty, maybe not. All I know is that if nothing has changed after this tournament then Rhaegar might have to put his foot down. He's had a few lords and ladies on his back and it's going to get to a point where the excuses have to end, I'm afraid. The girls won't like it but it's not like they haven't had years to make a decision." She finished in a sad tone.
He patted her leg with his hand and stood up "Well, let's hope this tournament is fruitful then mother. I really don't want it to get messy after." He said as is mother stood with him.
"At this point, they should just marry each other and be done with it." His mother said with a chuckle. He just shook his head as they made their way to the door.
Careful what you wish for mother, Rhae and Dany would take that offer in a heartbeat if it meant getting their own way.
They always find a way.
Ned
It was late in the evening when they crested a hill and saw Hornwood in the distance, about an hour's ride from where they were. There was a fair few of them that had made the journey and they'd made very good time since setting off just before dawn. From Winterfell there was him, Robb, Theon, Ser Rodrik and a couple of house guards, from Castle Cerwyn there was Lord Cley Cerwyn and a few of his house guards and from Torrhen's Square, Ser Helman Tallhart had brought along with him 5 of his best trackers.
All together there was about 25 of them and hopefully even more of them when they arrived at Hornwood where hopefully, Lord Halys would add to the group. After a rest tonight, there should be around 30 men ready and waiting tomorrow morning to sniff out this little beast Roose Bolton calls his son.
He looked to his right where Robb was sat mounted on his horse, next to him was Theon who was quite clearly whispering some tasteless jape into his son's ear based off the grin that was plastered across his face. It'd been like that for a couple of hours now, Theon had been desperately trying to get a laugh or a smile out of Robb but his son was having none of it. The whole situation they found themselves in had made Robb miserable and quiet, not that he blamed him like.
"Will you just fuck off." He heard his son say in a harsh whisper towards Theon. Thankfully, nobody was close enough to the three of them to hear his outburst other than Ser Rodrik who looked down and chuckled.
"Fine! I've done nothing but try and cheer you up these past few hours but if you want to sit there and be miserable for the rest of the journey, go ahead. I thought we'd got rid of the brooding one but it seems I was mistaken." Theon growled out.
Robb looked like he'd been slapped but recovered rather quickly, anger clearly overtaking him as he lifted his left arm and curled his hand into a fist. Thankfully Ned was there to grab his arm before he caused a scene and got chins wagging around camp.
Ned glared at Theon for that comment, the young man looking rightfully admonished "Ser Rodrik, take Lord Theon here and check around the men to see if they are ready to continue." He said.
Ser Rodrik sat up straight and raised his chin before nodding to his Lord "As you wish Lord Stark." He then turned to Theon "C'mon you, you've caused enough trouble for today." He said as the pair of them made their way down the hill, Theon having one last look over his shoulder at Robb.
He leant over to talk to Robb "You want to be careful with your actions when you're around your bannermen, you shouldn't have let him get a reaction like that out of you." He said but all he got back was a frown.
"Did you not hear what he said? He's been bothering me all day with his stupid jokes and the comment about Jon was crossing the line." His son said as he looked away from Ned and looked across towards Hornwood.
Ned looked down and sighed "I didn't like what he said about Jon either but we still have to keep a lid on our emotions." He said as he looked back at Robb.
Bizarrely, Robb wistfully smiled and then chuckled "In certain situations I find myself in, I always wonder what Jon would have said or done if it was him in my shoes. His memory is a comfort in those times." He said as he looked down and shook his head "I imagine you wouldn't have had the chance to grab his arm to stop him from hitting Theon, and even if you had managed to grab hold of him, he would've still swung and probably ragged you off your horse in the process." Robb said as he let out a laugh "And after, he'd have probably even ask what you were doing on the floor." He finished.
Ned smiled at Robb's shared thoughts. He definitely hadn't forgotten who his brother was and everything he'd said Ned could see Jon doing in his mind's eye.
It beat seeing the other things he saw.
Last night he'd dreamt of a scenario he fully expected to find the group in when they inevitably discovered this Ramsay Snow. There wasn't a confirmation on whether or not he'd been working alone with his criminal activity but there'd been a few rumours about a group of men-at-arms who were very loyal to the boy.
A group of men who'd fought tooth and nail with Ned's men but had ultimately fallen.
That was the only good thing that had come out of that dream.
Ramsay Snow had never been discovered...but his trophy room had. A trophy room that contained a multitude of corpses, most of them women, most of them flayed.
Apart from one.
A body hanging from a noose and tied to a beam of the old hunting shack. Arms and legs hacked off and skin peeled back from muscle, a body completely unidentifiable if it wasn't for the raven locks and the dead silver-grey eyes of his sister staring straight at him. Eye's that were bleeding along with his nose and mouth, a mouth that was still moving, like he'd somehow survived this horrific trauma just so he could see him one last time. A whisper in the wind as the word Jon's living corpse whispered reached his ears and wrenched his heart.
"Mother?"
Ned had never moved so quick from his bed as he reached the chamber pot to wretch whatever was left in his stomach at the time. There was no Catelyn to disturb either, she was in her own room after the argument they'd had about Robb and his insistence on being involved in the hunt for this murderer.
The truly sickening thing about this dream was that it was a genuine possibility that they would find some sort of trace of Jon. When he'd left Winterfell 3 years ago, he'd left not a single trace behind and nothing had been discovered since.
What if Ramsay had managed to get hold of him? What would he do if they found evidence of Jon's demise to the hands of Roose Bolton's crazed monster?
He'd probably break down that's what. Nothing would stop Ned from doing the exact thing he'd just told Robb not to do, the lid on his emotions will be well and truly thrown into the wind.
His son broke him from his thoughts "You're thinking about him, aren't you?" Robb said as he looked at Ned.
"Not a day goes by where I don't think about your brother." He said as he looked away from Robb and looked to the horizon.
There was silence for a few minutes before Robb spoke again.
"Do you regret it?" His son said in an iron tone, determination written all over his face when Ned looked at him confused.
"Do I regret what?" He asked, almost snapping at his son. Anxiety building in his stomach.
"Do you regret your actions? What you did to him?" Robb replied as he turned to Ned and looked him straight in the eye. Ned didn't like this one bit.
"What I did to him? What are you talking about Robb?" He anxiously replied. He kept a straight face to emit a sense of calm but inside he was getting annoyed at the questioning.
Robb huffed "C'mon father, we both know the real reason Jon left, let's not act dumb now." He said exasperated.
Now he was visibly annoyed "We are not speaking about this right now, do you hear me?" He growled out. Robb was over stepping.
Robb let out a humourless chuckle "He told me that that's what you always said to him whenever he would ask about his mother." Robb shook his head "He used to come to me after he'd asked about her sometimes, we'd just talk about whatever but I was his brother, I could see it bothered him a lot more than he showed. And in the end, I think we both know the reason he felt he couldn't stay in Winterfell anymore. Knowing there was somebody in his home who had the answers to all his questions but refused to answer them for years must have been torture. And as much as I hated the fact he just left without saying goodbye properly, I couldn't for the life of me blame him for leaving." He said.
Robb turned to him, Ned just sat there and absorbed everything that was being said, receiving jab after jab to his heart with every truth Robb hit him with.
"Why couldn't you just tell him? All of this could've been avoided if you had done. Jon would be sat on a horse to your left as we speak, he would've been less miserable if he had known. Maybe take the time to notice some of the girls that had took a shine to him, he might have even married one of them and had a babe. Hell, he might be out there right now, married with his own child and we would never know about it. All because you couldn't tell him something that he had a right to know, something so fucking basic that to this day I still can't believe you let fester for so long. I'd still have a brother if it wasn't for you." Robb growled out as he looked away from his father with an almost disgusted look on his face.
Robb had never spoken to him like that before, ever. He'd clearly been holding that in ever since Jon had left all those years ago. Ned, as much as he wanted to, couldn't argue with anything Robb had said. His secrecy was definitely one of the main reasons Jon had deemed it impossible to live in Winterfell anymore. Ned had thought about this a lot but could never see how that could push him away so much. Catelyn wasn't the nicest to him sure, but even Jon would've admitted that he gave as much as he got sometimes.
Jon also loved all his siblings with a burning passion and they loved him, their reaction to Jon disappearing into the night was proof of that. Him not knowing about his mother wouldn't have pushed him to running away when he'd be leaving behind his brothers and sisters as well, would it?
Well, yes, yes it would, and Robb had explained exactly the reason why he'd left.
He was torturing him. Not physically but mentally. And there was only two ways that torture would stop, either Ned telling him about his mother or running away from it.
Ned had taken one of those choices away with his secrecy and left the lad with no choice but to leave.
Robb's explanation filled the gap he'd been trying to work out himself and the realisation of the truth was damning.
He cleared his throat, if only he could clear his conscience as easily "Robb..."
"Don't bother father, I get it, we'll talk about this some other time...when the time is right, yeah?" His son said to him and didn't give him chance to reply as he trotted back down the hill towards camp without so much as a look back.
He turned back and looked over at the horizon, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His leather gloves creaked as he gripped the reigns of his horse in an attempt to steel himself against the flood of emotions cascading towards him. At the spearhead of the onslaught was the one emotion he'd felt for longer than he could ever remember...
Guilt.
Jon
The sun was setting and the cool air of the night was drawing in, Jon pulled his cloak tighter around himself. They were making very good time, Kireina had pushed herself for nearly 12 hours straight and they were now probably somewhere in between the the Riverlands and the Vale. He only knew this because they'd flown over a city that could only be King's Landing with its sheer size and that was about 3 hours ago if he was having a guess.
He'd already told her to slow her pace down and conserve energy, he'd asked if she needed a rest but he was answered with a growl and a comment about being insulted at his lack of confidence when it came to her stamina. With him well and truly told off, he'd made the decision to keep flying through the night. The cover of night was too good to pass up on and his decent night's sleep in Starfall had given him the energy to attempt the all nighter.
"Are you sure you don't want to rest?" He said to her just to make sure.
"No! My lungs aren't small and pathetic like yours. I've made bigger journeys than this before, don't worry." She said.
And she was right, they had made bigger journeys, the flight back to Westeros coming to mind. She'd lasted almost 3 days before resting on that trip.
"Okay okay, I'll stop asking. Sheesh." He said through their bond as he rolled his shoulder and adjusted the back strap he'd fashioned out of his sword belt for his katana's. When they eventually landed, he would have to fine tune his creation in the hopes of making it a little more stable and comfortable than it already was. Even after one day he could see and feel the advantages of carrying his swords on his back instead of his waist, Kireina for one had stopped complaining about the blades tapping against her scales when they were flying.
He looked over the left side of Kireina to see what they were flying over in the hopes of seeing something identifiable. A huge river forking off into 3 smaller rivers was all there was to see at the moment.
Yep, they were in the Riverlands. What Jon was seeing had to undoubtably be The Trident. There were no other rivers like it in this area of Westeros.
He remembers the stories about the Trident, the location where some say the rebellion all but ended. He remembers the lessons from Maester Lewin about the whole ordeal, hearing stories about something that his father was present in was unusual to say the least. He also remembers how quick Lord Stark shut down any questions about the events around the Battle of the Trident as the history books were calling it, how quick he was to anger when a young Jon Snow had asked if he'd seen the battle between Ser Arthur and Robert Baratheon and even apoplectic when King Rhaegar was mentioned.
Kireina broke his thought process with a rather jarring question "This 'King Rhaegar', does he share the same blood as you?" She asked like it wouldn't shock him.
"Share blood? With the King of Westeros? No. I might have a bit of valyrian blood like you claim but it must be a thimbles amount compared to the milk jug that he would have." He said as he recovered from the heavy question.
"That city we flew over a few hours ago, I sensed a concentrated amount of dragon blood somewhere within. Is that where this 'King Rhaegar' resides?" She asked. She was being rather inquisitive at the moment.
"That's where the Royal family resides, House Targaryen is what they're called and yes, that is where the King resides, along with the rest of his family." He replied.
"Interesting." Was all she said.
"Not really but whatever floats your boat sister." He said, a deep grumble his response.
After a quick landing near the river for a piss break, him and Kireina set off again and started their cold, dark and quiet journey through the night sky of Westeros. About 6 hours into said journey, Jon had managed to rest his eyes for nearly an hour. The risk of actually falling asleep and falling from Kireina's back was worth it as he let the sweet pleasure of closing his tired eyes take over. Kireina shouting at him through their bond had eventually stopped the chance of sleep taking him and the chance of him falling to his death.
The blacks and greys of the sky were blending with the reds and oranges of the dawn. They were currently flying over a large body of water and had been for the past 2 hours. It was either the Bite that was in between the Vale and the North or his estimations were completely wrong and he had no fucking idea where they could be.
"We need to land soon Kireina, my eyes are fucking gone and I can barely see straight anymore. Just a few hours shut eye and we'll be back on the road...or in the sky." He said, most of his energy being spent keeping his eyes open.
"Fine. You can rest your little human eyes while I go hunt. There's lights ahead so you might actually find a bed to sleep in." She said, almost amused.
That made him scrunch his face up in confusion, lights?
He squinted into the distance, Kireina really did need to be a bit more considerate when spotting things, she clearly had the superior vision and had proven that on many occasions at this point. Finally, after half a minute of squinting in the wind he spotted what she'd seen.
Civilisation. A city. Mmmm, beds.
Question was, where were they? A city, on the coast of the Bite, northbound....White Harbour?
Fuckin hell, if they were in White Harbour then Kireina ha d done exceptionally well with the flying.
None of that mattered now though, there was a city, which meant there was inn's, which meant...beds.
God's he was exhausted.
"You're gonna have to land a mile or so outside the city, I'll have to walk the rest of the way." He said to Kireina. She just huffed like he'd said something stupid.
Under the cover of the very early morning sky, Kireina glided down and landed softly in a large enough opening of the woods about a mile north of White Harbour or whatever the city was called. He didn't really care at this point, he'd worry about it when he'd had a kip. He climbed off her back and brought with him his bag of clothes and his other bag with the two precious family heirlooms secured inside. He looped each bag on each of his shoulders and shrugged them to get them into a comfortable spot for his mile walk. He took a step towards Kireina's head which was currently resting on the cool ground and pressed a gloved hand on her snout.
"I won't be long, just a couple of hours to rest and get sorted and we'll be on our way again." He said to her. No need for whispered thoughts between each other's minds.
"Just call for me when you're ready, I'm going off to hunt since we are so close to the sea." She said through their bond.
"Be careful and stay out of trouble." He said as Kireina started to lift and straighten her body in preparation of taking off.
"You're more inclined to get into trouble than I am, stay safe." Was all she said as she took off into the morning sky, sending a huge gust of air into the trees surrounding him and shaking them to the roots.
It took him around 45 minutes to drag his almost comatose body to the city, a good humoured warning from one of the guards at the main gate to not cause any trouble with any of those swords on his back was the only bit of trouble he experienced on his way into the now confirmed White Harbour.
White washed stone, cobbled streets and a strong whiff of fish would be the best way to describe the city if you were to ask him. He would have described it in a bit more detail if he wasn't desperately looking for an inn to collapse in.
A quaint little inn called The Maiden's Rest caught his eye, it was hidden down one of the smaller alleys of the city and seemed perfect for his purposes.
A couple of stags lighter and he was settling in to his small but cozy room complete with a feather bed and thick furs. He'd told Kireina he wouldn't be long but as soon as he dropped his belongings on the floor and collapsed into the comfort of the mattress, he was starting to regret his promise. He took all his clothes off with the least amount of effort he could get away with and all but chucked them across the room for future Jon to worry about. Within 5 minutes of climbing under the furs and dropping his head on the pillow, he was out like a light.
A few hours later, he was woken up to the sounds of bells outside. Well, he'd like to say it was the bells that had woken him up and not the disturbing ending to his dream.
He was tied to a tree in the middle of the woods and it was dark out. He didn't know how he'd gotten there or who had tied him up, the only thing he does remember is feeling the edge of a steel blade scraping across the soft tissue of his eyeball.
That was enough to wake anybody up and blink frantically.
He stretched his arms and legs under the furs and heard the cracks of his joints as he woke up in the north for the first time in 3 years. He just laid there for 5 minutes and let the sounds of the city dull his mind.
"Good, you're awake! Hurry up!" Kireina spoke in his mind.
He grumbled as he cracked his back and sat up on the edge of the bed "For fuck sake." He mumbled. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and rummaged through his bag for a clean tunic and pair of breaches. He would have liked a bath and some grub before they got back on the road but it seemed Kireina had other plans.
"No time for any of that, I found something earlier and I think we need to investigate." Kireina said. She sounded a little anxious.
"Does it involve pork sausages and crispy bacon?" He asked.
"No..." She replied.
"Then I don't need to investigate shit." He finished as he finished dressing. He put his dirty clothes in his bag and place his two bags, his sword strap and his cloak on the messy furs of the bed before tying his dagger to his right leg and pushing his feet into his boots.
"I'm serious Jon. What I've seen reminds me of Euron all over again." She said in a steel tone.
"Cunt." Was all that came to mind.
"Jon..."
"Fine! I'm moving." He huffed as he put his cloak on and strapped his swords to his back. "Meet me where you dropped me off earlier." He finished as he shouldered each of his bags.
He left the inn but not before the plump middle aged woman who was running the place escorted him out with an arm around his waist and a friendly goodbye. He was also pretty sure she'd squeezed his bum as he made for the door but he was just too sleepy to react.
Groping aside, he made his way back to the main gate that he'd come through earlier in the day but not without buying himself an apple and a buttered roll from one of the market stalls on the way there. He'd demolished both of them by the time he'd got to the main gate and he was washing it down with the warm water that was left in his skin.
Thankfully, the exit from the city was trouble free and he was half an hour into his journey before he sensed Kireina close by, he could really sense her anxiety now.
He picked up his pace and was in the clearing 10 minutes later, Kireina was already laid there waiting for him.
"Hurry up!" She growled.
"Hello to you too." He said as he tied his bags to her back. He received a growl in response.
"Alright alright, I'm hurrying up. Gods, what's got you in a rush anyway?" He asked as he positioned himself on her back and settled in.
"Bad people." Was all she muttered as she took off into the air, disturbing a large murder of crows from the trees.
"Should have just killed em if they were bothering you so much." He said as he scratched his beard. He should've asked Clarissa to trim his beard while she was messing with his hair.
"There's innocents there as well, I couldn't risk it." She said as they seemed to veer to their right.
This annoyed him a little "Where are you going? We're supposed to be going north not east." He said but was growled at in response.
"Have you not been listening? We need to go help these people, I just hope we aren't too late." She said as she started to really pick the pace up.
So she was serious then.
What the fuck had spooked her so much?
She said that what she'd found had reminded her of Euron so by the sounds of it, they were dealing with a nutjob who kept prisoners and did unspeakable things to them.
Brilliant, that's all he needed shortly after waking up. And he was pretty sure he had a headache coming on as well. Lovely.
They'd flown for about an hour before Kireina said anything else.
"There, do you see it?" She said.
No. He did not see it. They were so high in the clouds the ground was just a blur of green.
"See what?" He said in a rather annoyed tone.
"The smoke." She replied.
He looked down and surprisingly enough, he could see the smoke.
"Yeah I do. But you do know it's probably just somebody cooking their dinner, you know that right?" He said. Had she really dragged them this far off their path to Winterfell for this?
"From what I can see, they're doing more than just cooking dinner." She muttered.
He sighed "And what can you see?" He asked.
"Prisoners." Was all she said.
He shook his head, as much as he wished he could, he couldn't in good conscience ignore this. Not after everything that had happened to Euron's prisoners. The faint sound of barks and howls could be heard down below.
He patted Kireina on her flank "Set us down near them but not too close. If what I'm hearing is what I think it is, they've got dogs with them." He said as he hardened his resolve and made his decision.
There could be a fair few people down there and coupled with the fact they had dogs well, Jon wasn't stupid enough to take them all on himself.
He took a deep breath and released it as he came to a decision that he hopefully wouldn't regret.
Today would be the day Kireina would be officially introduced to the northern people.
The gods won't be able to help them where they'll be going.
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