บท 12: Chapter 12 - The Wolf and the Dragon (III)

"Duty and love seldom go together. But for a ruler, duty must always come before sentiment." Aenar Targaryen thought as he looked at the impassive expression on Lord Stark of Winterfell, a man who had chosen duty over the love of a woman.

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Eddard watched with a blank expression as his nephew walked through the door of his manor. The boy was taller, even taller than Robb, not at all like a six year old. He also noticed that he was carrying a sword at his waist, even though he was much taller than the boy.

At the same time, the boy's beauty had begun to blossom, his face becoming more and more like the man he hated with all his might.

"Jon." Though he didn't mean to, Eddard found his voice harsher and more intimidating than he had intended.

"Lord Stark." He replied with a calm expression, his purple eyes staring at him with a quiet intensity. A look that reminded him of an enormous beast.

The boy had never called him father, no matter how many times he had told him to. As stubborn as his mother... He'd definitely inherited that trait from Lyanna.

"I hear you've been away from Winterfell for six months." Eddard spoke again, his voice even more stern and angry than before. The thought of Jon being gone for six months made him want to strangle his guards. If anything happened to his nephew, he wouldn't have the heart to look at his sister when he died.

"Wolfwood, to be exact." Jon replied with a calm, even bored expression. Something that seemed to irritate the Lord of Winterfell completely.

"You treat my concern as nothing!" He asked in a calm voice, but anyone could see that behind the impassive exterior he was completely enraged.

Six months! He could have been in any town, but he was in Wolfwood!!!

Even he, a grown man, wouldn't dare spend six months in this forest infested with beasts and wolves. Even the most experienced hunters in Winter Town couldn't claim to have spent six months in Wolfwood.

Eddard took a deep breath and tried to control himself, not to grab a belt and start beating Jon to teach him not to take unnecessary risks.

Jon remained indifferent to his uncle's words, which were comforting, but he had no intention of letting himself be forced to flee. "I think Lord Stark knows why I chose to risk becoming bear food rather than stay in Winterfell."

If he were a normal child, he would probably be working in the cold for the next six months on Catelyn's orders; whether he would survive or not, he didn't know, but it would certainly not be a pleasant experience for him. Eddard seemed to show a brief expression of helplessness and loneliness at Jon's words.

"Catelyn would never hurt you, Jon. You're just a child." He said, slumping helplessly in his chair, the look on the Lord Paramount of the North's face making one wonder what could possibly make one of the most powerful men on the continent show such a look.

Jon seemed to hear the funniest joke of his life, he looked at Eddard and said sarcastically, not hiding his dislike for the redheaded fish his uncle shared his bed with every night.

"Do you hear what you're saying, Lord Stark? She prays to her southern gods for my death every day, she makes me work in the bitter cold to make me sick, and the food I earn is less every day than the day before. The servants who want to get into Lady Stark's good graces turn me against her, thinking they will be generously rewarded."

"Tell me, Lord Paramount of the North, do you really believe what you've just said?"

Jon's every word was like a sword through Eddard's heart, and he was furious as he listened to his nephew's experience.

Crash!

Eddard had slammed his fist down on his desk, the man's face showing nothing but the purest rage one could feel. "Why didn't you tell me?" His words came from between his tightly clenched teeth and his jaw, which was marked by a strong tension.

"Tell you? And what good would that do except to make people look at me with even more contempt and caution, all of them afraid that a mere child might have the power to influence the great and majestic Lord of the North?" Jon replied, not hiding the irony of his situation.

He was probably the most powerful man in the world, not only because of Caraxes, but also because of his ability to foresee. But here he was, in the eyes of the world, a mere bastard from the North, powerless and stigmatised by everyone for a status that never belonged to him.

He looked at the boy who, despite his situation, had an indifferent expression on his face. Eddard felt ashamed, ashamed for not knowing something so important, ashamed for not keeping his promise to his sister, and even more ashamed that his own wife had brought such shame upon him.

"Lord Stark, I'm going to give you some advice, you can ignore it or take it, I don't care." Seeing the look of guilt and anger on the man's face, Jon spoke in a calm, indifferent tone. It took a lot to make him feel anger, fear or any kind of dread. Eddard looked at his nephew and waited in silence for his words.

"I advise you to bring Robb and your future children up in the ways of the North. Many lords have been angered by the fact that their lord's wife was a southerner who worshipped other gods. Especially after the construction of the church in the centre of Winterfell. If this continues, you may hear many whispers that Lord Stark can't tame his own wife."

He spoke, his voice filled with genuine concern for Robb's situation.

He wasn't lying, Robb and Catelyn's popularity in the North was negative to say the least, not to mention the fact that his wife had never accepted the ways of the North. If Robb and the other sons of Eddard who were to come were brought up in the ways of the North, many complications could be avoided.

Eddard's brow furrowed as he heard this, but he didn't speak, pondering his nephew's words. He knew Jon was right, his wife was not well liked by the lords of the North, especially the powerful ones, who indirectly offered him their daughters to be the new Lady Stark.

To divorce Catelyn would not only stain her honour, it would also make mortal enemies of House Tully. How he could do such a thing, it didn't matter if the North was untouchable without dragons, but having too many enemies was certainly not a good thing.

With a sigh, Eddard looked at his nephew with an unreadable expression. Though he'd always known his nephew to be intelligent, Jon's previous words could not be described as simply intelligent, he was political and closed, almost like the nobles of the south who were used to plotting all day in their castles.

This made him feel even worse, Jon's maturity in his eyes was only because he was forced to mature early. Something his wife made sure of with the poor boy.

With that in mind, Eddard looked at the boy and spoke with an unquestioning tone. "This will never happen to you again, Jon. I promise you on my honour as your father and Lord of Winterfell."

Jon looked at Eddard in surprise, not expecting the man to say something so incredible and swear on his honour. It was hard for a man in such a backward world to care enough about someone to fight against his own wife. Though he didn't mean to, his lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile.

Though he hid it well, Eddard caught a brief glimpse of the smile and it brought a sense of relief to his mind.

The whole tense atmosphere became much lighter at that moment. Eddard looked at his nephew and stared curiously at the sword in its scabbard at his waist.

"Jon, where did you get this sword?" Eddard asked with a touch of curiosity and confusion, he didn't remember seeing such a sword in Winterfell and from the grip of the sword and the rubies on it, it was a real steel sword and very expensive. Something a child should not be handling at such a tender age.

"In the six months I spent in Wolfwood, I was chased by a bear one day, luckily I was small and quick enough to escape through the trees and came across a cave." Jon told the lie he had planned in case his uncle questioned him.

Eddard's face showed an expression of displeasure at the thought of his nephew being chased by a bear, but he remained silent, waiting for his next words.

"There was a sword in the cave, I took it out and it's been with me for months." Jon finished his words, looking at Eddard with a look of pride that any child would have when faced with such a thing. At his words, Jon drew the sword from its sheath with a piercing sound, revealing its beautiful milky sheen to the world.

Eddard's face changed dramatically at the sight of the blade; he couldn't help but remember the sword that had almost taken his life six years ago!

The legendary sword of House Dayne - Dawn!

Rising from his chair, Eddard quickly made his way to Jon's side. He looked at the sword and couldn't think of any noble house, great or small, that had a sword forged from a star in the sky.

With a sigh, Eddard looked at Jon with a worried expression. It was as if fate wanted Jon to be extraordinary, even if he tried to make the boy seem ordinary to everyone.

"Until you grow up, don't show that sword to anyone." Eddard warned in a serious tone, looking straight into his nephew's purple eyes.

At the same time, the Lord of Winterfell was proud that Jon had obtained this sword, showing that he was exceptional, which wasn't surprising considering he was his sister's son by the Silver Prince.

"What's the name of the sword?" Eddard asked curiously, since Jon had found the sword it was only natural that he should name it himself.

"Lady Lya." Jon replied with a smile. "In honour of Lord Stark's sister."

The smile on Eddard's face stiffened at the name of the sword, he felt his heart beat extremely fast and an impossible possibility appeared in his mind.

He knows! He knows! He knows!

He searched his nephew's face for any expression and was relieved to know that Jon had only wanted to honour Lyanna for her behaviour, as he had heard from Benjen.

Jon almost laughed when he saw the tense, panicked look on the great Eddard Stark's face. It was just as he thought, it was really amusing to see his expression when he spoke the name of the sword.

"It's a good name, Lya would be proud of you, Jon, for honouring her like that." Stroking the boy's hair, Eddard spoke with a rare gentleness and reminiscence in his gaze.

Jon didn't speak, looking down at the sword in his hand with a slightly emotional expression.

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