Chapter Three

Jon was pacing back and forth on the wall. He was on watch duty which didn't bother him but he would have rather be out beyond the wall still looking for his Uncle Ben though he knew that he would have to abandoning his post here and he already was in trouble for fraternizing with the Wildlings and the fact that he was now known as a traitor to several especially killing half hand. He wasn't thrilled with the prospect of what he had to do but he was ordered to do it and it was either obey orders or disobey and that was one thing he couldn't do. He remembered what his father said about doing the right thing.

'Sometimes doing the right thing is that it was never easy but it was something you have to do no matter what even it makes you look back in other people's eyes.'

He just wished that the other black brothers would understand besides Sam and Maester Aemon who seemed more understanding and knew where he stood. At least they didn't blame him for his actions and though he may have fallen in love with a Wildling spear wife. He did love her but he was also bound by his oath as a brother of the Nights watch and he didn't or hadn't wanted to break his oath but things had to be played out. Jon stopped and looked out beyond the wall remembering the time where he wished that his life wasn't so complicated, though it was and still was.

Flashback Memory:

He was in the yard with his half-brother Robb working on their sword work though he always could feel Catelyn watching him though she always seemed to hate him because he was Ned's bastard son. He wondered why she always hated him besides him being her husband's baseborn son never to inherit anything. He always was the one that was blamed though on things but his father was never punished him but Catelyn she always had a thing out for him always punishing him for things he never did but he would take the blame for his half siblings.

"Come on Jon. I know you are better than this!" Robb said making Jon look up at his brother making Jon smile.

"You want me to beat you down?" he asked laughing and came at him hard swinging and swinging causing Robb to back up till his back was up against the wall and Robb was drenched in sweat running down his face.

"That's better. That's the brother I know." Robb said laughing and smiling lowering his sword hand gasping for air.

"Of course. We should take a break for the day." He commented and laughed as he put his practice sword and took robs and put his away for him.

"Yeah your right. I will grab Bran, he wanted to practice with the bow and I promised I would help him." Robb said going to go grab Bran and while he went to do that he went to go and change into something he didn't cover in his own sweat.

On the way to his room he heard angry voices in one of the other rooms. It was Cate and the other one was his father. He wanted to know what they were arguing about and he stopped by the partially opened door and waited to hear what he could.

"Cate I am so very sorry. It's not that I don't want to tell him and he does deserve to know who his mother was and that he should know more of his history but I don't think it's the right time yet." Ned said who sounded calm but seemed to be agitated and that there was more than what was being said.

"I don't think Jon would even say anything about his heritage to anyone especially to the king. Jon isn't stupid and I only ever see him ever telling our children and knowing them they wouldn't be dumb enough to say anything." Said Catelyn who just sounded exasperated.

"I will tell him when I see him I guess I have no choice and I am unsure knowing that he will really want to know who his mother was and I would too if I were him. This is harder than it looks Catelyn I just don't know how he will act. It's not something he will take lightly after thinking one thing this long then being told one thing after all this time. I know I told you and my reasoning was so you wouldn't think what I knew would be thought and it was honorable and I know this would be the honorable thing too, however I should have told the boy sooner than now." Ned said and Jon could hear him heave a great sigh one that told Jon that his father was stressed out about telling him something important and he didn't blame his father for it but the problem could he really say that not knowing what the real truth?

Jon didn't stay to hear the rest, he went to get dressed and get back down to help Bran, the boy looked up to both of them though he felt like Bran looked up more to Robb but Jon knew that bran adored him just the same. As he was changing he wondered what his father really meant but he had to let it go but how can he? He wanted to go and ask but he didn't want to appear rude or that he was eavesdropping on their conversation which was of course rude but he would ask when his father wasn't distracted and when he was alone, though not right away but the question was when?

Soon after he was down helping Bran with Robb and he knew Bran loved practice especially when he was with him and Robb, since both had the patience for him and though it seemed that Bran was more relaxed. He spotted Catelyn and then his father watching and wondered what they both were thinking but stopped wondering, he didn't ask to many questions especially where Catelyn was concerned since she didn't say much or care to much for him but he didn't blame her, how could she? That's when another arrow appeared from their right and of course he should have realized it was Arya who shot it, he should have known, that little sneak. He couldn't help but laugh.

End of Flashback

He still wondered who his mother was and he wanted to still know and hoped that one day he would know. It hurt that he and his father never got that talk like they were going to have but then again things happened and they had to deal…all of them. His time up on top to look past the wall and another brother came to take his place and as Jon was heading down he was thinking that he should send a raven to Maester Luwin in regards to this for he had a thought that he would know or had anything to lead him in the right direction. As he got to the bottom he had made up his mind to do just that and he went to his area and started writing to Maester Luwin. When finished he looked down and re read what he wrote which after re read it he was satisfied with what he wrote.

"M'Lord the King, Lord Stannis, would like a word with you in his room if you so would go to him. You know we shouldn't keep him waiting." Came one of his brother's voices into his room.

"I will be there shortly. I have to send a Raven first. Please kindly let the king know I will be attending him shortly." Jon said as he stood and went to the rookery.

"Of course my lord, right away." Said Edd. Jon was getting exasperated and tired of being summoned to the kings quarters all the time like a common dog but whatever the king wanted he had to go to him, Stannis wasn't a patient man and one that always was a hard man and one to never piss off. He stocked off to Stannis's Quarters wondering what the man wanted since he wanted to take on Winterfell didn't help since the Boltons held Winterfell and they were the ones that betrayed his brother to the Lannisters and one thing he disliked was traitors and they were traitors in his eyes. He knocked, then entered the quarters.

"My Lord you asked for me and here I am. You wished to discuss something with me? What can I do for you?" he asked politely for that was how his father had taught him to be, polite and waiting for the right time to speak when spoken to.

"Good you are here Lord Commander. I wanted to discuss with you what you can tell me of Winterfell for I know you lived there all your life. There must be something there something special that no one has said anything about something of great value." Stannis said looking up at Jon from his map of Westeros

"Well, My lord, as for secrets it isn't known to me for it hasn't released anything that I have ever found and I can tell you as much as I can of Winterfell though now the Boltons hold it which obviously you are aware of this for you wouldn't be asking about any secrets about Winterfell. There is no breaching the walls though I am surprised it had somehow happened with the Iron born." Jon said as he waited patiently wondering what Stannis really wanted.

"I still would appreciate any information you have on Winterfell and I also would like you to come with me there if at all possible. I understand that you have responsibilities here as Lord Commander but if you could I would appreciate your help taking back your home and getting the North's help." Stannis said and watched with a stern look that never seemed to have changed even if he was happy.

"You know very well I can't leave my post my lord I have a responsibility here that prevents me from joining you, however you do have the support from us but we are not supposed to take sides on matters of war like this. However I will give you all of the information that I can of Winterfell that I can." He said though he knew that he should be careful on what he tells.

"I understand your responsibilities and what kind of position I am placing you in. However whatever information you can willingly give me is better than no information at all and any information would be helpful." Stannis said turning slightly.

With that being said Jon told Stannis everything he knew about Winterfell and how to really try to get the northerners help on his claim to the Iron throne and what he had or should promise them in return. Though knowing what little he knew of Stannis, the man was not known to beg for them to join him but he would make offer after offer to give them what they may want or need since he appeared to be a man of his word. Jon was more concerned with how they were going to get Winterfell from the Boltons in general but then, it really wasn't his concern any more but in many ways it was because Winterfell was his home and would always be his home and no matter what he wanted to go and help Stannis claim Winterfell but who would take his place. After he explained everything he could he fell silent, waiting, watching and hoping that was all that Stannis wanted.

"Is there anything else you would like my Lord? That is all I can give you and offer you on Winterfell from my own memory of my home. I hope that it plays out well for you." He said as he watched Stannis pace back and forth.

"There is nothing else. You may go, you have been helpful Lord Snow and if your information has played very useful for me to get to Winterfell then I will make sure that you are well rewarded for this information and when I come into my throne I will make sure that you receive the last name Stark as well and relieved from your bastard status you currently shoulder." Stannis said dismissing Jon who then bowed out of the room and went to his quarters and sat at his desk hoping that it was everything that he could remember. He rubbed his face and sighed probably should be going to bed.

As he was crawling into his bed to get a few hours of sleep he was wondering how his siblings were doing as he was worried about their safety and how things were playing out for them. He hoped that they were all surviving, at least what was left of his family. He soon did fall asleep but it was not peaceful at all it was more dark more nightmarish.

Vision/Dream:

The hall was so dark that it was nearly black, he could hardly see any movement and he couldn't hardly see his own hand in front of him. He knew he had to move forward so he gently touched a wall on his right, it was made of stone which he could tell by the touch. He moved forward, not really knowing where he was going but knowing that it would lead him to something, something astounding and he wondered what secret it would lead him to what knowledge he was supposed to know. That was when he noticed a soft light down the hall from a window, if it was a window, maybe he would know where he was and what he had had to know but he knew that it would be the first rather than the second.

As he approached the window he was more concerned with how things would look and what really was out there. He was more afraid of what he would see rather then what he would not see and maybe it would explain a lot more from what he felt in his gut that what he was seeing was more to do with self-discovery then he would fully understand the true meaning of what he was meant to do in this life and who he was. His father never told him of his mother and maybe that was the problem, maybe that was what he wanted to know or that he would discover. Coming to the window he saw himself and Robb playing in the court yard, big surprise there, in reality it wasn't that surprising to him and to no one else that knew him. That's when he heard father's voice.

"I don't want Jon to know yet. That's why this chest must be hidden at all cost, somewhere where Jon can never find it until he is truly ready to open the chest and know who he is. I have kept it a secret all this time Maester Luwin and he can't know. It is bad enough that Cat despises him though she knows of his parentage but she has to keep up appearances for the sake of protecting him from Robert and if Robert knew he would want Jon killed the moment he set his eyes on the boy. It also would be bad enough that I will, when he comes to me with questions when the time comes, I have to answer about his two sisters as well. I would have taken the girls but they were obvious and I couldn't blend them in like I could with Jon for Jon was the one that looked more like me where as the girls liked like me but had their father's traits of eye color and hair. I was sorry I couldn't take them when I should have since they are my family too." Ned said to Maester Luwin who looked worried but unfazed with the prospect.

"My lord I believe it wise in you doing this for the boy's safety but my concern is what if there comes a time when he discovers his real lineage and you are not around to answer those questions? What then my lord?" Maester Luwin said as they passed Jon in the hall, not even giving him a second glance making Jon very aware that he was in a dream…or was this maybe a vision, Jon couldn't tell either way and that made him very fearful at what was supposed to come. However in the end he had to follow them, he had to know what they were talking about, he needed and of course had every right to know what they were talking about since it was obvious it was about him and if, as it so happened it was, about him, he had to know the truth of what was going on.

"I don't plan on leaving for a long time yet and when the time comes to where he needs those questions answered I will be around to answer them. However, if it so happens that I am not I do entrust to you to answer those questions for me or, if it so happens that you are not around to answer them, I will entrust, besides Cat, to Benjen for I trust him with my life. A time will come where he will need to know, I know that and he will." Ned said who turned and came face to face with a solid wall, or what Jon believed as a solid wall until now as his father pressed on a white/grey, one that was lighter than the rest of the stones. And it revealed a doorway to another hallway which was short that lead to a room and there, his father, placed a chest.

"I do hope so my lord and if none of us can answer them I hope you left a long letter explaining everything, at least to the best you can in the chest." Maester Luwin commented looking at the black oak chest with iron nails and a lock that appeared to be a puzzle that had to be solved in order to open it which he wondered what it meant but that would come.

"I did at least if it lead to that and it should help for now. I just hope that I am around to answer as much as I can but I did leave a long letter for him." Eddard said as he sighed. That was when the vision disappeared.

End of Vision/Dream

Jon woke up gasping. He wanted to know what this meant and without having found his uncle and finding out that Eddard was gone. All he knew was that he had to travel to Winterfell and quickly.