Chapter 3
The Great Hall of Winterfell was unusually full today, the air was thick and the place smelt of sweat, food and ale so instead of staying inside and drink ale, Jon decided to go outside to breathe fresh air since he felt that the mixed scent nearly had him suffocated.
Earlier today, the Royal Party arrived and Winterfell became very busy as the Starks accommodated their guests.
This was one of the few times that Jon was thankful that he was a bastard. Somehow, the arrival of the Royal Party gave him freedom and time to be alone since the responsibility of entertaining the monarchs of Westeros and their children were given to Lady Stark and his half siblings.
With these, Jon was able to escape his usual chores and the prying eyes of Lady Stark who often scowled at the sight of him. He can't blame her though; he knew that his very existence was a great insult and dishonour to her and her marriage to his Father.
There were only a few people outside, some of them were kitchen workers and some were highborn bastards that weren't given the privilege to join the feast. He walked passed by them, he first went to the kennel to free Ghost and then made his way to the training yard.
The place was almost dark but thanks to the torches hanging on some poles, the place was slightly brightened. His eye caught a practice sword lying on the ground. He picked it up and walked towards a dummy attached to a wooden pole. He started attacking the dummy and used the silence to think about his impression of the Royal Family.
For him they were just normal people privileged to be given the crown and the luxury of nobility. However he was sorely disappointed when he first saw the King.
During his younger years, his Father, Lord Stark would often tell them stories of the rebellion sixteen years ago. And whenever he talks about the champion of the Battle of the Trident, Jon would often imagine a tall, muscular and sturdy looking man.
Instead Robert Baratheon was the total opposite of what he imagined him to be. He was fat, he held himself poorly and he was somehow unruly and oafish. During his time inside the hall, Jon noticed that he wasn't even that interested in talking or eating, he was more interested with the drinks and the curvy serving girls that would pass by the ale and food.
However when Robert Baratheon seemed to look like a member of a mountain clan instead of a King, his Queen was quite what he imagined her to be. Though Jon only met a few number of beautiful women during his life, he could say that Queen Cersei was the most beautiful of all.
She was stunning and elegant in every way but unlike King Robert who seemed to be happy to be here in Winterfell, the Queen seemed to be rather bored. It was obvious that her smiles were rather forced and she looks like she wanted to get out of the North as quickly as possible.
The Crowned Prince on the other hand was as handsome as his mother; he had his mother's golden blonde hair and piercing emerald eyes. Somehow Jon had thought that the Prince resembled his Uncle Jaime.
Next were Myrcella and Tommen, the two were the youngest of all and they too had the same golden blonde hair and green eyes that their mother. Princess Myrcella, Jon thought, would grow up as fair as her mother. Tommen on the other hand did slightly resemble his Kingsguard Uncle but he was on the plumper side.
Lastly, there was Rhaelle, the Silver Princess and his father's guests for months now.
When he saw her walking towards the High Table in Robb's arms, Jon felt his world stopped spinning. The two of them had spent a lot of times together but tonight, he felt that somehow it was different.
He had always seen Rhaelle in simple garb but tonight, she looked very stunning and breath-taking. She was wearing a gown of black and gold and her dyed hair was styled into something Southern, most of her hair was braided on top of her head almost resembling like a crown while the rest of her hair cascaded on her back.
He somehow felt jealous of his half-brother. While Robb got the chance to escort her to the High Table and dance with her during the evening, he knows he can't enjoy such things. However he hurriedly shook the thoughts from his head.
Why would he be jealous of his brother? He asked himself. Was he jealous of Robb's status as a trueborn son or was he jealous because of the fact that he's never going to be good enough for the Princess?
He bit the insides of his cheek and swung his sword with more force, his arms were already aching but he doesn't want to stop. Not now when he wanted to forget what's in his mind.
A few months ago, Rhaelle had only been a friend to him. Despite his bastard status, the Princess didn't judge him and even enjoyed his company. Rhaelle would often spend a lot more time with him compared to Sansa and Arya and her ladies in waiting.
He thought that it was only out of her kindness and non- judgemental attitude but when he got to know her more, he realized that the two of them were almost the same.
Even when his half-siblings were all nice to him, Jon still felt like an outsider in their midst. And it was the same as Rhaelle; she confessed to him that she liked her company more because she was able to understand what he felt.
It confused him, why would a princess felt that she doesn't belong? , he asked himself but Rhaelle had told him that her Targaryen features made her feel an outcast in her family especially to her Father who loathed the Targaryens because one of them had stolen the only woman he ever loved.
Since her confession their bond became even stronger until such time that Jon realized that he doesn't see the Princess as a friend anymore. He was falling in love with her.
He had tried to stop the feelings but as the days pass by it only becomes deeper and stronger. And he needed to stop it before he hurts himself. Rhaelle only sees him as a friend, someone she can connect too but he knows that she'll never see him more than that.
And even if she did feel the same, what could a bastard boy ever give her?
Their statuses were leagues away from each other, she was highborn and of royal birth while he was a baseborn and a child out of an affair. He doesn't even know if his mother was of noble birth or just a common whore.
"Is he dead yet?" A familiar voice from behind him said.
Jon stopped swinging his sword and turned around. His mouth fell open as he saw his Uncle Benjen leaning on the wall. He was smiling at him and Jon felt his eyes water. His Uncle Benjen was one of the few people who cared for him genuinely.
"Uncle Benjen!" Jon dropped his sword and walked towards his Uncle.
Benjen laughed and pulled him into a hug and patted him in the back.
When they pulled away from each other, Benjen looked at him intently.
"Look at you, last time I saw you, you looked skinny but now you've grown bigger!" The older man said and Jon beamed.
"When did you arrive?" He asked curiously. He didn't saw him in the feast so he must have arrived by now.
"Just a few minutes ago, spent a few moments inside the hall to save your father from his guests, how about you? Why aren't you in the feast?"
"Lady Stark thought that it might insult the Royal Family if I'll stay inside, the air here is far fresher than the inside." He said lightly and his Uncle fell silent before he replied.
"Well, you're always welcome to the Wall. No bastard was ever refused there." His Uncle said.
Jon somehow thought that it was an invitation for him to join the Watch. Before Rhaelle arrived in Winterfell he had decided to join the Night's Watch. There was no future waiting for him in Winterfell, especially now that his Father had accepted the King's request to become the Hand. He knew that Lady Stark will surely send him away the moment his Father goes to the South.
And it was also an escape for him, with his growing feelings for the Princess, it was best to put in to an end and probably forget her. It will be better that way, less heart break less pain. He knew that the arrival of the King and Queen here is also a sign that Rhaelle's going back to the South and with her name day, it wouldn't take long before the King chooses a husband for her.
When she'll be married she'll probably forget Ned Stark's bastard and have a happy life of her own.
"Take me with you then. Father will let me go if you'll ask him, there's no future for me here." He replied to Benjen without hesitation.
His uncle fell silent as if considering his words and placed a big hand on his shoulder.
"Jon…" Benjen said, looking straight to his eyes. "Do you understand what you're going to give up? We have no families, we'll never marry and none of us will ever father sons..."
"I don't care about that." He lied. "Take me with you." He pleaded again.
Benjen sighed and removed his hand from his shoulder. "Alright, let me think about it. Let me talk about your father. Let's talk about this later, for now, I have what you asked me to bring. Come."
Jon smiled and he let his Uncle led him towards the courtyards of Winterfell, Ghost following behind them. Since they found the direwolves, Rhaelle seemed to spend more time with them, especially with Ghost. And with her name day nearing, he thought of giving her a gift. Ever since that day, he tried to scan the wolfswood if he could find any other direwolves living, his effort was futile so he decided to ask help from his Uncle Benjen who gladly obliged to his plan.
The two of them stopped in front of a small cart. There were several sacks there and he heard a soft whining and saw one of the sacks moving. Uncle Benjen grabbed it.
"I went ranging for two weeks after I received your message. Unfortunately, I haven't seen any direwolves north of the wall but I found this instead."
His uncle opened the sack and out came a small lion cub; he was as big as the direwolves when they found them. Yet, the color wasn't the usual brown of the normal lions or the mountain lions, this one was almost as white as Ghost and his eyes were greenish-grey.
Jon smiled and tried to pet the head of the cub; the cub whimpered and licked his hand while Ghost's red eyes watched it curiously from below the cart.
"It's wonderful Uncle, she'll love it." He said as he studied the little lion.
He doesn't know how Rhaelle would react but he knew that she'll love it. He thought of giving her a stag or a fawn befitting her Baratheon sigil like the direwolves did to theirs but then remembering the incident with her younger brother she accidentally shared with him, he thought that it might be better to get her an animal that's not helpless and could protect her when danger comes.
This white lion might be perfect for the job.
His Uncle Benjen chuckled.
"I don't know if the Queen and King will approve your gift but I hope that the Princess will surely like it. She should, it took me long to find one." His Uncle said and Jon blushed furiously, he never mentioned that it was for the Princess but how did his Uncle know?
"H-how?" He stuttered.
"Well, there's no other girl here that you seemed to like and obviously this isn't for Sansa or Arya for they already had their own wolves. So I guessed that it is for Princess Rhaelle, isn't it?" His Uncle asked.
"Yes." Jon answered sheepishly and Benjen chuckled again.
"Well, better present your gift soon. It's best for the cub to be trained very early; we wouldn't risk it growing wild." Benjen said and he nodded eagerly. "Well, I guess I should go back inside, your father might be looking for me."
With that his Uncle gave him one last pat and went back inside the halls leaving him alone with Ghost and the lion cub he'll be giving to Rhaelle.
As he was about to go back to the training yard, a voice suddenly grabbed his attention he turned to see a half man standing in the dark, eyeing Ghost and the cub on his hand curiously.
"What are you doing back there?" He asked but the man didn't mind his question.
"Unusual pets you Starks have." The half man answered noting Ghost and the cub.
"Ghost's mine but the lion cub isn't." He answered and the dwarf only nodded and stepped into the light, his walk was a little wobbly and on his hand was a wine skin. He took a sip before speaking again.
"I've always wanted to see the world and its wonders. I've grown up reading about dragons and direwolves, I never thought I could see one." The dwarf answered again and as Jon looked at him again, he noticed the blonde hair and mismatch eyes that were almost the same as Rhaelle's but this time, the man's was green and black.
It took him time to realize who he was talking to.
"You're Tyrion Lannister, the Queen's youngest brother." Jon announced and Tyrion shrugged.
"Greatest accomplishment of my life." Tyrion remarked and then looked up to him. "And you, you're Ned Stark's bastard."
His words made him frown and his eyes downcast. Ghost and the cub however growled at Tyrion who now eyed the two beasts warily.
"Did I offend you?" Tyrion asked again and Jon immediately shook his head.
He was used to be called bastard and there's nothing really new about it. People who first met him often remarked about his status and he knew that he should be used to it because that's what he really was, a bastard.
However, he held his head high and looked at the man. "Yes, I am. Lord Stark's my father…."
"And Lady Stark's not your mother." The dwarf finished and Jon gritted his teeth in annoyance but the imp smiled at him.
"Let me give you some advice bastard..." Tyrion said as he drank wine, he wiped his lips and spoke again. "Never forget who you are for the rest of the world will not…."
"Wear it like armour so it can never be used against you…"
The two of them both jumped when they heard another voice. From the shadows emerge Princess Rhaelle. She was smiling brightly and her hair was a little bit dishevelled, her face a little bit flushed. But Jon thought that she never looked as beautiful as she is now. Her mismatched eyes were shining in the torch light staring at the two of them curiously.
"Ah… my favorite niece, how nice of you to join us, come, Lord Snow is in need of our advice." Tyrion said as he held his hand towards Rhaelle.
The Princess obliged and moved closer to them. Jon noticed the lion on the cart again and he silently cursed Tyrion Lannister, if the man didn't disturb him he would have had time to keep the cub a secret but now it seems like he doesn't have a choice but to give it to Rhaelle. He just hopes that she won't notice it first and that it won't accidentally growl.
Its location was currently a little bit covered by the sacks and the wooden board of the cart.
"I hope you didn't intimidate him Uncle. Jon's a good friend of mine." Rhaelle said as she smiled at him.
He blushed in return, his heart beating fast as he inhaled her scent.
"What are you doing out, princess?" He instead asked.
"Why, I am looking for you of course! You left the feast!" She answered with wide eyes.
She was looking for me? He seemed not to believe it first.
Then her eyes were down on the ground and he noticed the pink tinge on her face, "I was looking forward to dance with you, you know." She said.
His eyes widened at Rhaelle's words, she wants me to dance with her? He felt the air thinning around them, his eyes moved towards Tyrion who was looking at them suspiciously. He seemed to be dumbfounded by her niece's words but quickly hid his look. Then he moved towards his niece.
"I think I'll probably get some more wine." Tyrion said and his wink didn't escape Jon.
When they were finally alone Rhaelle gave out an exasperated breath.
"Sorry." She mumbled apologetically and he wanted to tell her that there was nothing she had to apologize for.
Though the idea of her speaking those words might meant something for Tyrion and he doesn't want to make the imp think that there's something going on between the two of them. He doesn't want to get himself in trouble as much as Rhaelle.
"There's nothing to forgive, princess."
Rhaelle blushed and suddenly her eyes went behind him, it was then that he noticed that the lion was scratching the woods and was looking at him with his large greenish grey eyes.
"Oh, what do you have there?" She asked curiously and before he can even say a word she was already at his side and was looking at the baby lion with wide eyes. "He's so adorable!" She exclaimed.
He scratched the back of his neck. Now, it's not a surprise. He thought and he watched her fawn over the little lion and liking the sound of her voice as she cooed it.
The lion seemed to enjoy her touch more than his because it whimpered softly and responded to Rhaelle's touches with his head and tongue. Rhaelle lifted it to her arms and started petting it.
"Oh, he's so cute Jon. Who is he for?" She asked him, her eyes hopeful and he knew that she was wishing that it was for her.
So even though his plan of surprising her won't happen, he'll be fine as long as he saw her like this, happy and smiling.
"It's yours..uh.. for your name day." His answer was almost a squeak and Rhaelle's eyes widened, her pink lips hanging open.
"Really? Thank you!" She exclaimed suddenly and with a flash of black he froze as he felt her lips on his cheek.
She pulled away almost immediately and gave him the most beautiful smile he ever saw in his life after that she turned her back, leaving him still standing there, his hand on his cheek and his grey eyes fixed on her back watching her walk away.
But before she disappeared again in the dark, he heard her say. "I shall call you Snow."
And that was the first time, Jon Snow loved his surname.
Thank you all for submitting your reviews and comments! These are my answer for your questions:
Pawelp- Thanks for your words, I didn't mean incest when I talked about forbidden but it will be forbidden because Robert won't be pleased if he'll know that his daughter is in love with the son of his enemy and his beloved. As for Jon he'll be a trueborn Targ here, since Rhaegar here is still an "honorable man" despite dishonoring his wife when he ran away with Lyanna, he stil remembered to marry her before making her pregnant. So there's still a possibility of him being able to compete for the crown.
Miko Road- Nope, I will follow the original storyline but there will be interesting twists. :3
Almighty Spartan- Actually it is possible, I researched about it and the possiblity of a child of Robert to take on the Targaryen features of her/his great-grandmother is likely but only in a small if I disappointed you in the second chap. For Jon, well, he did hate being called Snow but when Theon's line is a bit of mock, Rhaelle's were a little affectionate.I was actually not sure about the "your grace", i thought that it could be used as a form of respect for any royal born.
LostCriesofTime- Thank you for pointing it out, yes she's Cersei's trueborn child with Robert and the Baratheon's are actually related to Targaryens since Robert and Rhaegar are second cousins through their grandmothers and the line meant that Robert sees Aerys and Rhaegar in Rhaelle.
Tell me what you think... :3
