Author's note : Hey everyone! Thank you again for reading and for your support, it means a lot to me, it's very encouraging and interesting to read your comments. I hope you'll like this chapter!
« What have you said to him? » Arya asked her brother after they all witness a troubled Jon exit the castle. Her tone was a little agressive.
« The truth. » Bran replied, looking at the empty spot were Jon stood a few moments ago. Arya snapped him out of his reverie as she stood in front of him, a stern look on her face.
« What truth? » she insisted as Bran looked at her and all the persons that were present with them. This news could not be shared with everyone. Along with Arya, were Sansa, Ser Davos, The Queen and her small council composed by Tyrion Lannister, an older man and a copper skinned woman he didn't recognized. He looked at Daenerys.
« You might want to sent them away. » he told her. She frowned, unsure about what she was about to hear, what could have unsettle Jon so much? His eyes were filled with pain when he had looked at her before leaving. She looked at Tyrion, Jorah and Missandei and turned back to face Bran Stark.
« There's no need, they're my most trusted advisors. Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of them. » And Bran started talking.
« I told Jon about the truth of his birth. His real name is Aegon Targaryen, he's the son born from the secret marriage of Rhaegar Targaryen and our aunt, Lyanna Stark. » The revelation was met with a deathly silence, everyone trying to process the news. Daenerys felt her breath stuck in her throat, she was too shocked to say anything. She felt Tyrion, Missandei and Jorah eyes on her but could not take hers off of Bran. Tyrion finally voiced out what everyone understood at that moment.
« Which makes him the legitimate heir to the throne… » His voice was low, as if afraid to break the silence. This thought had crossed Daenerys' mind but it was quickly brushed away by the fact he was actually her nephew, a nephew she bedded numerous times, a nephew she fell in love with. A wave of nausea submerged her as she realized that. It seemed the Targaryen were bound to perpetuate incestuous relationships. Her brother Rhaegar had broken this wheel but she fell right back into it. She remembered the way she had felt when she was younger about marrying Viserys. It sickened her but she had grown used to the idea. Even to the point that she would have rather married her cruel brother than Khal Drogo when she first met him. She had been so afraid by the Dothrakis' ways that day that she thought her brother, as cruel and mean as he was, was a better choice. Of course, she was wrong and after a fews weeks she was relieved to be free of her brother's influence.
« … And your nephew. » Tyrion finished, his voice clearer, holding a bit of judgement in it. She threw him a dark glance. Of course he knew about them, her hand was smart and even if Jon and her were trying to be discreet, she didn't intend on hiding anything. She was pretty sure Missandei knew something was going on as well, but her friend had not asked anything yet, waiting for her to be willing to share this. Daenerys wanted to keep that for them a bit longer, it was as if they were in a sweet bubble that would explode as soon as people would know about them. The bubble had just exploded to her face. Her emotions were harder and harder to control, she remembered Tyrion saying she could be impulsive and reckless from time to time and tried her best to fight the tears and the anger that were threatening to submerge her. Bran and his sisters were studying her now. Arya's piercing gaze was the worst, it was like she was just seeing through her, reading her like an open book but it was Bran who read her the best.
« It's too late, isn't it? » Daenerys wondered if it was his abilities as the Three-Eyed Raven, abilities she did not quite understand, that helped him figure it out, or if her reaction to the news was that obvious. « You too fell in love with each other. » Her tears were hard to contain, but she didn't let them fall, fighting hard against them, trying to breathe the best she could at that moment. She wanted to scream, to tell them this was none of their business, she wanted to fly away on Drogon, to feel the fresh air, the heat of her dragon's skin and the quiet silence above, she wanted everything to stop, she wanted the bubble to wrap itself around her once again, shielding her from all the chaos outside. But the bubble was gone and she could not control anything anymore.
« I need some air… » she muttered before exiting the same way Jon did before her. She was thankful no one tried to follow her out of Winterfell surrounding walls.
Jon had stayed in the God's wood for hours, thinking, pacing, trying to process the news, what it meant and how he felt about it. He returned to Winterfell when it was already dark and the cold was starting to freeze his fingers. He was not thinking more clearly about the situation and hoped the night would help him even if he knew he would not get much sleep. As he entered Winterfell's walls he saw Arya, she obviously had been waiting for him and by the look on her face she knew. He did not speak and just put a hand on her shoulders to lead her inside the walls, where it was warmer.
« How are you feeling? » she asked after a few moments of silence.
« I don't know. » he replied earnestly.
« No matter what, you are my brother, and you always will be my brother. » Jon gave her a smile. That was the first comforting thing for him at the moment.
« I guess Sansa knows too » Jon started, wondering for how long Bran and his sisters have known the truth without telling him. Yet, it was not something to announce in a letter. Arya nodded to his assumption and as if she read his mind, she gave him the answer to his silent question.
« He told us just after you left. Everyone was wondering what had happened to you. » Jon's head quickly turned towards his sister, realizing something else.
« What do you mean everyone? Who else knows? » He feared the answer, but a part of him already knew and Arya just confirmed it.
« Davos, Tyrion Lannister, the Queen and the man and woman with her. » Jon breathed heavily, closing his eyes in the process. She knew. He wished he had been the one to break the news to her even if he didn't know if he would have succeeded in saying it out loud. « Bran and Tyrion said there is something between you and her… » Jon stayed silent, Arya wasn't asking, she just expected him to confirm which he did, silently. He was not surprised Tyrion knew but was wondering if Bran saw it in some of his visions or just guessed it. Despite what he expected, he couldn't wait for the night to give him some clarity, she knew and he needed to speak with her.
« I need to go and talk to her. » he sighed and started to walk towards the stairs but his sister's voice stopped him.
« Why? Haven't you too talked already? » He turned back to her, frowning.
« What do you mean? »
« Wasn't she with you? » Arya asked, visibly surprised. Jon's heart jumped in his chest. She didn't came after him, he hadn't seen or heard anything during the time he spent at the God's Wood.
« No! When did she left? » his tone was grave and filled with worry.
« Just after Bran told us everything » Arya explained, her voice still and calm in comparison to her brother's. « She went the same way you did, we thought she was going to look for you. » Jon left the hall in a hurry and went outside, grabbing a torch from the courtyard. Arya didn't follow him but he soon heard the familiar sound of weapons and voices filling the yard. She had warned the others and the few Dothrakis who took the boat with them were behind him in no time, along with Ser Jorah.
One of Daenerys' bloodrider, Quono maybe, he wasn't sure, was swearing out loud and Jon, even if he didn't understand a single thing the Dothraki was saying, knew he was insulting and blaming him. Of course this was his fault and he was aware of that. He shouldn't have left like this and now she was gone, who knew where she went, if she got lost or worst. The forest was dark but illuminated by all their torches as they scattered, Arya stayed closed to him as they got deeper into the forest. They searched and called for her for what seemed like hours to Jon when they heard a familiar shriek. Jorah was not far from where Jon was standing and the two men exchanged a knowing look before staring at the sky. They could not see anything because of the clouds, the sky was low and some fog was making it even more difficult to make out anything. Jon could not see them but he knew Drogon and Rhaegal were flying over them. They were finally back, just when their mother disappeared. After a long moment of uncertainty the two dragons landed in front of them a loud thud. He heard Arya gasped but was more focused on the silver-haired figure on the back of Drogon. He released a sigh of relief and started towards the dragon without thinking but was soon stopped by the beast turning his huge head towards him and growling aggressively at him. His brother also turned to him with a menacing look warning him not to get closer. Surrounded by the two dragons, Jon waited, his eyes meeting Daenerys' has she got down from Drogon, her hand gently stroking the scaled neck and head of her child. She stopped next to his mouth, her eyes staring back at Jon and both dragons flew away in a whirl of wind and snow. They could hear the rest of the searching party getting closer, having heard the dragons.
« Where were you? » he whispered, so she was the only one hearing the worry in his voice.
« I went to look for them. »
« You shouldn't have gone alone, it's dangerous out there, especially at night. »
« I wasn't alone. They found me, they were here. » They looked at each other for some time, Jon trying to read her. He had started to know her quite well, he knew when she was mad or happy, sad or amused, but her eyes were showing him something he never saw there before. Was it hurt? Shame? Or maybe regrets. Whatever it was, the weight on his heart was becoming heavier and heavier as he looked at her.
« We should go back inside. » And with that he turned away and they all followed him back to the castle.
