Well, to day I am kind of bored and I must get all these plot ideas out of my head. So.. a new chapter.
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It can not be any thing but divine retribution, Jon thought as he scowled at the book in front of him.
His father learned that he is reading through book of laws, directed him to learn all the sigils before he thought to read book of laws.
Jon clearly remembered himself sitting in front of Robb and playing with his sword, ball and any thing he could get hands on while Robb was stuck learning boring sigils. It remained Robb's pet peeve that Jon need not have those boring classes. Robb's annoyance increased when his mother, who always took opposing argument against Jon took Jon's side in this matter.
To make matters worse, Bran is learning about sigils now, so Bran has the sigil chart, while Jon is supposed to learn his sigils from this boring book called lineages and histories of great houses of seven. Robb and Theon took to practicing their sword play where Jon could see when ever they can, even if they are getting scolded by Ser Rodrick later on. Master Luwin rapped his wooden scale against Jon's head as he turned to look out of window once again.
Robb smiled widely as he saw Master Luwin hit Jon on head. He is most probably going to be scolded both by Ser Rodrick and his mother and what he is doing is as childish as arya, but he couldn't help him self. Who ever said revenge tasted sweet couldn't be more correct.
"I say by the time we are done, Snow will be sporting a snow pile on his head." Theon said as he swung his sword against Robb in a manner that made most sound rather than a proper parry.
Robb laughed louder than needed at the comment.
Jon turned to look at them again.
Maester luwin hit harder on Jon's head.
Robb and Theon both howled with laughter, took of running before any one can find they escaped from their duties.
They were in the library tower again, Freya took to having Arya or Bran enact their parts as the monster and knight to keep them from getting bored. Even Sansa loved these little plays, as she gets to play princes time and again. Even if all she does is sit around and offer her hand when knight comes by. Rickon just loved the laughs, toddled around between every one's legs.
Robb and Theon got bored with coming to the library when Jon refused to look at Freya at all for two days in row. He knows he is avoiding Freya, he could at times feel her questioning glances, though it's more of a feeling than actually seeing her do it. Jon couldn't help but remember how she looked with out that gown and her shapely figure when he looked at her. It made him blush like a berry, first time Robb and Theon teased him so much, he decided it's better to avoid Freya till he could control his reaction to her.
So, he is stuck with the boring book on noble houses. He disinterestedly turned the page over and looked at it. Torhen Stark, brown of hair, gray of eyes. He killed a boar with boar tusk it self. Edwyle Stark, black of hair, gray of eyes.
A thought suddenly came to him as he looked at the description. He can guess what Freya looked like. He turned the page to Lannisters, searched eagerly for Reynes.
He searched for the last page, looked for the description of Freya. There's none. The last entry in the book is about one Evan Reyne, who had five children, of whom four died in raid of castamere. It's noted from now on, the nobility of their line will be kept in book of records at citadel along with all exiled houses.
Jon sighed. So much for guessing what she looked like. He still went on and read about Reynes any way. As surprising as it may sound, Reynes hailed from valyria, about thousand years before Aegon. They were skilled craftsmen along with being great warriors. They soon grew in wealth in power, till a hundred years later they achieved the lord ship of castamere, which remained a hold fast until the reign of Targaryens.
The targaryens were generous to Reynes, they backed the right people at right time during Blackfyre rebellions, which let them grow prosperous, they increased their power more during the time of Tytos Lannister. Jon noted that their features always tended towards red hair and green eyes. Till that changed when they married in to Baratheons, from then on the hair was black and eyes blue for the elder brother's line, red and green hair for the younger brother's line. At the end of the day, it gave no clues as to how Freya looks, as the both families merged with during the time of tytos Lannister, from then on, there are no physical descriptions about any of the Reynes.
All he could glean from this is Freya could have darker hair in various shades of red. Jon sighed, went back to reading the history of Arryns, which he is yet to finish.
Lady Catelyn came by early to day. Jon stared at her as she gave each of the children a hug and a kiss, including sansa. Their eyes met as she is leaving Library, Jon quickly averted his eyes.
Freya moved to sit next to him. Robb took the hint for the first time in weeks, most probably because Theon is not there, left along with rest of them.
They both stayed silent, keeping their eyes at their books and nothing else for some time.
"Did I do some thing wrong?" Freya asked in a soft tone.
"No." Jon answered curtly. He could feel his cheeks heat up already.
This close, he could feel her body heat, it brought back memories of the day they lain side by side, his face ablaze before he could push back those memories. He is suddenly glad for the sparse lighting in the Library.
"Then why are you not talking to me?"
Jon could hear a hint of accusation in her tone.
"I am talking to you. I was just busy." said Jon.
Freya did not say any thing about the defensive tone. They both stayed silent for awhile.
"What are you reading?" Freya asked hesitatingly. She will not apologize for scolding Jon when he came to her room. She will not tell him she liked it when his arms are around her, nor will she tell him she misses him. No need to encourage bad behavior. How ever, he can talk to her at the break fast table and in here, She will try her best to keep up conversation until he is not mad at her any more.
"History of the Arryns. Their banner men sigils." Jon replied tersely.
"Lady catelyn's sister is married to house of Arryn." Freya supplied quietly.
"They have a son. His name is Robin. He Robb's cousin, I guess." Jon said, looking pensive.
"He is your cousin too." Freya said.
"No. He is not. I am a bastard, I am of no relation to them unless I am legitimized. That will never happen, because Lady Catelyn hates me." Jon said in a defeated manner.
"She doesn't hate you." Freya said with conviction.
"She glares at me every time she looks at me." Jon said with exasperation. Is Freya being selectively blind to what Lady Catelyn because she smiles at her?
"You make her uneasy." Freya said in a matter of fact tone.
"She doesn't look uneasy. She looks like she wants to strangle me and throw me in to frost lake."
"You know nothing, do you?" Freya couldn't have put it better.
For the first time in a week, Jon totally forgot about Freya's figure as he scowled at her in annoyance. What the hell does he not know now? Lady Catelyn hated him, every one in winterfell knows it. Freya tutted at his scowl. That only made Jon scowl harder.
"Fine My lord, since you insist on being so obtuse, I will enlighten you." Freya said disdainfully.
Jon was about to exclaim he is no lord, but Freya held her hand up. He knew better than interrupting her when she is in these moods. They come up occasionally, more times than not as a direct result of some thing Theon said. Freya says some thing so scathing, that every one around her is shocked at her brutality. She almost reduced Theon to tears once, he hid them and left the table, Jon noticed any way.
It is those times they remember how much ever sweet she may be, she is a lion underneath it all and her claws are indeed long and sharp. Robb endearingly called them prowls.
So, Jon did the most sensible thing when lioness is on prowl, shut up his mouth, froze his face in his father's lordly expression. Freya chuckled at his response. She liked it when he submitted to her like this.
"Most lords do not take their bastards in to their houses. Even ones who are as kind and honorable as your Lord father. They help their bastards all the same. If their mother is of common folk, they give their bastards money, help them learn a trade, give them land or ships. Do not interrupt. I am not insulting your father."
She continued.
"How ever, it a different case if said bastard is born of another noble woman. In that case, a lord even less noble than your father will also take them in. Your lord father brought you back from a war. He is raising you same as your brothers, for command rather than to follow. You look more like your father than any of his sons by Lady of the house. You are brilliant at every thing you do. Do you see what kind of message that sends to Lady Catelyn? She fears one fine day your father might decide to legitimize you and leave winterfell to you rather than your brothers. Why wouldn't she? From what I heard of the rumors, your father refuses to speak of your mother. If she is common born, Why all the secrecy? Plus, Lady Catelyn must think that your father is protecting your mother because he loves her still. I think he is doing it more to protect her honor. Either way, She can hate your mother or you for bringing this uncertainty in to her life. Since your mother is no where to be found, you It is. So, Jon Snow, she doesn't hate you. You make her very very very uncomfortable."
Jon's face grew more and more cold as she spoke. She could feel the anger rolling off him. The silence only became more and more oppressive. Freya wondered if she shouldn't have spoken like this. Every one in winterfell lived in a perfect bubble of happiness and naivety. Why wouldn't they? They have a perfect lord who is wise, just and honorable. He has a perfect heir, who is kind, capable and handsome. They have a perfect flaw, in the manner of her broody companion. Worldly guises simply forgot to enter this place, or not, she thought thinking of Theon.
Just as she is about to get back to her book, Jon spoke.
"I will never ever take any thing that's rightfully belongs to my siblings." he spoke with such anger and conviction, it shocked Freya for a moment.
She smiled at him. Not that he could see.
"I won't have it any other way." she answered.
Jon could hear the pride in her voice even through his anger. The wall of ice that surrounded his heart thawed a little that day. As if by mutual agreement, they both turned back to their books. They did not speak for the rest of the day. Silence is sweeter now.
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Billy horse is the best rider in the north. His aim with bow made people behind him duck, lest he hit them mistakenly, his sword arm couldn't hold a candle to a crone's. How ever,He can run. He can run faster than wind, he can ride even faster.
Still, no one ever gave him a riding job. The reason is simple. He is a simpleton. He couldn't hold a secret. Thus, on the day Lord Reyne arrived at the rider house, asked for the best rider, no one around to tell Lord Reyne silly billy can't keep a secret, Billy's life long ambition came true. He is finally riding with a secret message.
So, When Billy stopped by Lord Tarly's keep To ask for directions to citadel, announcing grandly that he is carrying a secret message to hightower for his lord Stark, he got tricked in to staying.
Then he just walked eyes open in to a trap.
You see, Lord Tarly offered him best wine Dorne could provide. Being silly, Billy said no wine from some summer land could compare to northern ale. Lord Tarly said while that may be true, no north lad could ride faster than a Tarly huntsman.
If it is any other rider with any sense, They would have seen what Lord Tarly is trying. Billy's hadn't had that much sense. So he simply answered no south lad can ride faster than Billy. After all, he is the fastest north rider.
Lord Tarly, in anger, proposed that if Billy won a race with a south rider, Billy will give his secret message to Lord Tarly, if Lord Tarly's rider wins, Lord Tarly will give Lord Stark his first born to do as he pleased. Any one with sense would have backed off at this point. Not Billy.
The race is rigged. The path they are given is full of swamps, Tarly huntsman knew the path as if it's back of his hand. Every one knew that. If it is any one one but Billy, They would have lost the race. Then, if it's any one but Billy, they would have backed off long before the situation got ugly.
Billy, for all his stupidity, was put on top of horse when he is but two, could tell the lay of the land with a single step of his horse. While forest land may have stumped other riders, Billy rode white mountain passes to deliver messages, he has seen every kind of forest that there is. So, he simply won the race that's rigged.
Lord Tarly would have slit Silly Billy's throat if he isn't Stark's rider or Lannister's but the point is Lord Tarly feared or respected two men in the whole world, thankfully Billy belonged to one of them. So, Keeping his word, Lord Tarly offered up his first born to Silly Billy, Along with strict warning to his first born to find out the secret message.
While Samwell Tarly may be coward and craven, He had one good mind on his head. Billy and Sam bonded on their inability to use any and all kinds of weapons, Samwell talked sense in to Billy so that he can reach citadel with out any more such incidents.
Though he is out of his father's clutches, Samwell still had a healthy fear for his father's warnings. So, he finally found out what the business is when they reached Citadel.
When Lord Tarly received the letter saying that Lord Stark's bastard is getting married to a Lord Reyne's daughter, he laughed. Then he got a brilliant idea.
By the time Samwell returned to Tarly's keep, there's dire news waiting for him. He is being offered as a steward to Lord Snow, Thus being disinherited, he is to take two hundred men and some supplies as a good faith agreement.
Sam understood the message better than Billy, who couldn't stop singing praises of Lord Snow. Sam did not have the heart to tell Billy his father meant it as an insult, not as a praise. Not that Billy would listen. Jon Snow is the one person who was ever kind to Billy, he saved Billy from getting beat up once for winning a race. Billy worshiped the ground Jon walked on.
All Sam could hope for is that they make this journey with out much peril, as it is clear his father intended him to die during the journey. It is on perhaps the second day that he realized that all men accompanying him have the last name of Flowers. He prayed to old gods and new that Lord Stark is as wise as they say he is, wont seek retribution for such an insult.
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Robb knew some thing is wrong when Jon did not turn his head towards window not even once from his book, no matter how much of a ruckus he and Theon caused.
When he found his half brother deeply engrossed in the most boring time making notes in a parchment, not even paying any attention to his betrothed, he knew a plot is afoot.
He tried peeking in to the book, but for the life of him, he couldn't understand what's so interesting about this book. It's about most boring book that's in library. So, he waited for the right opportunity, Sniped the parchment in one quick motion.
"Alyse karstark, Barbrey talhart, Ashara Dayne? What are you doing, Brother?" he asked curiously.
"Give that back." Jon hissed, putting away his quill and ink.
"Not until you tell me." Robb said, moving to opposite side so Jon could not snatch the parchment.
"If you must know, I am making a list of women who could possibly my mother." Jon said, extending his hand for the parchment. Robb gave it back with out much fight.
"It could be any one, Jon. What does this list have to do with it?" Robb asked, now intrigued.
"It's some thing Freya said." he said looking towards the book again.
"What did Reyne say now?" Robb asked. This is getting more and more curious.
"Will you promise not to say any thing to your mother?" Jon asked looking serious.
Robb most definitely want to know now.
"Tell me what it is before winter comes, Snow." Robb snapped.
"Freya says father wouldn't have taken me in if my mother wasn't a noble woman." Jon answered.
Robb's face hardened in a matter of seconds.
"Reyne is wrong. Father would have taken you in no matter who your mother is." icy tone couldn't be missed. Robb is non-committal about Reyne. While he liked the girl, Jon listened to her way too much.
"She did not mean it like that, Robb. It is just she brought many other details in to perspective, after thinking over it, I believe she might be right" Jon answered placating Robb.
"How, may I ask she brought things in to perspective?" Robb asked equally icily.
"Please Robb, she did not insult father. She says I am brought up like a lord, while most bastards are brought up with a trade to turn to. She says father loves Lady Catelyn now, keeps my mother a secret only to protect my mother's honor. It's reasonable."
Robb did not answer for some time, but the ice slowly melted from his face.
"How does that relate to this book?" Robb asked after some time.
"This book records when the birthdays and physical features of most banner men of seven houses. I must have inherited some feature from my mother." Jon said.
Robb sat staring at Jon while Jon kept up noting names.
"Curls" Robb said suddenly.
"What?" Jon asked.
"Curls. You have curly hair, father doesn't have curly hair. Your mother must have had curls." Robb explained.
Robb got another book on lineages, more detailed than the ones Jon had, set to work. He is going to do every thing in his power to help his brother. How ever, after two weeks of exhaustive search, they haven't gotten any where.
They had two mystery maidens, whose features are not recorded.
So, Robb walked his mother to her chambers, asked if she has ever seen a Miss Dondarrion from Dorne. Catelyn is immediately apprehensive.
"Why do you want to know, Robb?" she asked.
Stark children are too honest. So, he told her the truth. That they are trying to find Jon's mother, search is at stand still because Ashara Dayne has straight hair, so does every one else in her family.
"How exactly did that bring you to Miss Dondarrion?" Catelyn asked, as she is genuinely curious at this point, despite her misgivings about finding a woman her husband loved.
"we are going through book of lineages, making a list of woman who could have been in father's path during war." Robb answered.
"Very well, if you must know, Miss Dondarrion does have curly hair, she is a mousy little thing. How ever, she is married half way through the war, to some Dorne lord or other. She isn't Jon's mother." Catelyn replied, closing the conversation.
Though that kind of opened up new thoughts. She never thought of looking through book of lineages before to find out bastard's mother. In fact, she never looked at the bastard at all.
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Jon knew some thing is amiss when Lady Catelyn started staring at him. He also knew Robb had some thing to do with it. Jon hated it when people stared at him. he was just about to feel free from Lord Reyne's stare only to walk in to Lady Catelyns.
"What the hell did you do?" he confronted Robb once they left dinner.
"What? What are you talking about?" Robb answered confusedly.
"Your mother! She keeps staring at me." Jon said sharply.
"Well.." Robb stalled.
"Speak up, Stark." Jon snapped.
"I may have told her we are searching for your mother through book of lineages."
"It's supposed to be a secret." Jon said smacking Robb in back of his head.
Robb looked properly chastised.
Lady Catelyn's stare followed him every where to the extent he started taking his meals and trying to hide behind Robb during his sword lessons.
The stare did not leave him.
Then one day, just as they finished practicing, Lady Catelyn called him.
"Come in to the light boy, let me see you." she said.
She held him chin up, looking in to his eyes. Then suddenly, her expression changed. She became colder than ice, she left Jon with out a word. She did not stare after that. She just avoided Jon altogether.
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It was just another visit to Winterfell for Benjen Stark.
He did not expect much to change with his older brother, he expected his nieces and nephews to have grown up exponentially.
He most definitely did not expect his good sister to barge in to his chambers, bolt the door, request a meeting in complete confidentiality.
"Promise me you will tell me the truth, Benjen, and only the truth." Catelyn asked desperately.
"I will tell you the truth as much as I am able, Cat. I promise you." Benjen replied wondering what brought this on.
"No, not as much as you are able, it's every thing you know, truth, rumors and your opinion. All of it." Catelyn insisted.
Benjen hesitated. What exactly did Cat want to know? There are some things he would like to keep secret.
"Promise me, Benjen. You are a man of nights watch. Nothing can touch you." Catelyn pressed.
"Very well, Truth,rumors and speculation. All I know. I promise." Benjen said, placing his hand on his heart in a promise.
"Did Lyanna leave with Prince Rhaegar willingly?" Catelyn asked.
Benjen's countenance turned darker than his clothes.
"Why do you want to know Cat, What can you do with it now?" he asked, turning away from Catelyn.
"Tell me the truth Benjen. You promised." Catelyn reminded him.
So, Benjen told her. He told how Lord Rickard arranged for Lyanna to be betrothed to Baratheon as soon as Lyanna is crowned queen of love and beauty. He told her how he stood witness to the marriage between Lyanna and Rhaegar along with Arthur Dayne. He told her of all his sins, how sight of winterfell torments him will all it's ghosts floating around.
Finally, he told her how he suspects Jon is her nephew rather than bastard son of Ned. Catelyn sits like a statue through it all. When he is done, she says one word.
"Thanks, Benjen." that is all she could manage to say before leaving Ben's chamber.
That night, the man of nights watch finally slept deeper, having confessed all his sins.
That night, Lady of winterfell was unable to sleep, Seeing all the ghosts that went unseen till to day.
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Thank you every one for the reviews. you guys have been most supportive. I know this chapter is boring compared to previous one, Please, bear with me.