Chapter 3
The next week or so passed in a sort of pattern for Jasper.
Once their Martell and Targaryen guests had settled in, thus commenced their display of the Eyrie.
Naturally Aegon wanted to see everything and Jasper was only too happy to show his new friend around. The former prince seemed to have a zest for life that was not dimmed at all from his time in the capital. He was always ready with a laugh and a smile causing Jace to break his own serious countenance and grin along with him.
To Jasper's surprise and delight, both Rhaenys and Aegon were put in the same tower he was with their mother and uncle just down the hall.
Rhaenys had been a silent occupant of the Eyrie since the day she had arrived which worried Jasper slightly. He was only slightly older than she was physically but his brain was far older and it felt strange to know that in a little over a decade he would be marrying this girl. Mentally he was old enough to be her father and such thoughts made him squirm as if he were doing something wrong.
To the rest of the world however he was just five year old Jasper Arryn, the heir to the Eyrie, Defender of the Vale and future Warden of the East. For the moment he just tried not to think about Princess Rhaenys being his wife when they were older.
Every time that word entered his mind he would wince and have to remind himself that even though he had the mind of a thirty year old, he was still a child in body.
It was an odd parallel between Jasper and Neville that he would have to reconcile. In the meantime he didn't have to worry about marriage for over a decade yet. That was relieving.
In the meantime, all he had to do was think about running around the Eyrie with Aegon, Rhaenys a silent passenger following them.
Jace would be lying if he said he wasn't a little worried about her. She rarely spoke and only talked when spoken to. The only people she talked to without them having to say something to her first were Aegon and her mother.
There were times when she said whispered words to Jace as well but those were few and far between. In fact he could probably count their occurrences on one hand. There were even times when Aegon spoke for his sister if the three of them were together.
Something Jace had noticed however is that if Rhaenys was ever by herself, well as by herself as one could be when she was followed by a contingent of Martell guards, she could always be found in the godswood. Even though there were no trees and only the tall grasses and white flowers grew in the rocky soil, Rhaenys seemed to enjoy it. She could often be found swinging her feet back and forth on one of the benches that Jace liked to sit on with an odd small look on her face, that was half between musing and half between wondering.
It was times like this that Jace wondered what she was thinking. As an Unspeakable he had had to have an understanding of Legilimency but he had made a solemn promise to himself not to use it on any human being.
That didn't mean that there weren't times when he didn't wonder however.
Besides Rhaenys some of the guests of the Eyrie he was most curious about were Prince Oberyn and Jaime Lannister.
The latter was someone that Jace had never expected to see in the Eyrie.
From the letter that he had sent to his steward Nestor Royce while they were still on the road to the Vale, Jace had detected a serious undertone of dislike towards the lions for what they had attempted to do in the capital.
He couldn't say he blamed him. Tywin Lannister had forever dishonored the name of Lannister by what he had attempted to do. The lions would have a reputation for the rest of their lives as being liars, murderers and rapists.
It made Jace angry because a house that embodied the symbol of a lion, the very same symbol that Gryffindor was known for, had disgraced the very idea of what it meant to be a lion.
Well…maybe not all of them.
Jaime Lannister he remembered from his father's letter had helped to smuggle princess Elia and her children into the hands of his father and Ned where they were protected until Lord Arryn could arrange for their departure from the capital.
Perhaps not all of the lions were bad after all.
Something else that proved interesting was the fact that Jace would often see the young knight following Elia and her brother around dutifully. There were these looks he would give her that to a five year old might seem odd, but to his thirty year old sensibilities he recognized the look right away.
Ser Jaime was in love with the princess.
It surprised Jace at first but after a while he began to feel pleased with this change of events. Princess Elia was a woman with a constant smile on her face but there were times when Jace would often see her with a flash of sorrow in her eyes. She deserved to be happy.
She was also very kind to him so he went out of his way to make her stay in the Eyrie more comfortable.
After all, she was going to be his mother in law one day, why shouldn't he try and develop a good relationship with her now?
The one person that he didn't seem to have as good a relationship with was Oberyn Martell. That wasn't to say that it was bad…it was just rather nonexistent at this point in time. Oberyn didn't say much to Jace and Jace didn't say much to him.
Instead, the Dornish prince seemed content to watch the proceedings of the Eyrie with a smug little smile on his face as if this was all just so quaint.
And that both annoyed and amused Jace because if there was one thing he hated, it was not being taken seriously. He had spent almost all of his childhood not being taken seriously and had come through a war in which he had played a key part in destroying one of Riddle's horcruxes while Harry was keeping up his necessary cover of death. He had led Dumbledore's army in that horrific brutal year while Death Eaters ruled the school. So what gave this stuck up prick the right to judge him and his home as if they were something cute to be patted on the head.
The amusing part was the fact that Oberyn was clearly a shallow character when it came to many things, not including his family. He was clearly annoyed that he couldn't bring his sister and her children home to Dorne where he believed they would be safe. The Eyrie and the Vale were cold and unfamiliar and they would never return to the sunny sands of their home.
In that regard Jace could sympathize with him, but at the same time everyone else had accepted their circumstances so why couldn't he? It wasn't like Oberyn's life had been threatened in the capital. It wasn't like his head had been demanded.
Princess Elia was simply grateful to be alive and have her children with her to experience it. None of that was more apparent when Jace had come across her sitting in the godswood on Jace's favorite bench while she hummed and embroidered with Lysa sitting across from her.
His mother had finally emerged from the sort of cloudy stupor she had been in since Jon's return and seemed to be adjusting to all of the new people in the Eyrie and this pleased Jace a good deal.
When he saw the two women sitting there he walked over slowly and then bowed to the both of them. "Hello mother, Princess Elia."
"Hello my brave boy," Lysa said smiling at him and Jace relaxed as she didn't seem to be in one of her moods today. They seemed to come upon her at the strangest times and they would always make Jace very nervous to be around her. Today she seemed to be in her right mind however so that steadied him.
Princess Elia smiled at him. "Hello Jace. How are you this day?"
"Very well my lady," Jace replied. "Would you mind if I sat next to you?"
The princess blinked and then smiled at him. "Why of course, this is all going to be yours one day."
"I know," Jace replied sitting down next to her. "But right now I'm just learning. And even though it'll be mine I'll still have to share it with other people, you and princess Rhaenys and Aegon for example."
"You know Jace," Elia said gently. "I don't think she would mind it at all if you called her by her name. You are going to be married one day after all."
Jace almost wanted to squirm. He called Rhaenys princess still almost as a way to distance himself from her. He was still mentally thirty years old so until they were both at the same age, he preferred to think of her simply as a friend.
"I suppose," he said. "But its somewhat hard when she doesn't call me by my name even though I've asked her to. She doesn't really call me anything really."
Elia sighed and put down her sewing. Rhaenys had been stone cold quiet ever since they had left the capital. Ever since Jaime had gotten her out from under her father's bed and the four of them had run from the Red Keep she had seen a good deal of the carnage going on throughout the city and Elia was afraid it had been imprinted on her mind forever.
Rhaenys was still older than Aegon who was a happy go lucky child who seemed not to have a care in the world. He had hated King's Landing because of the stink and the noise and had been more than happy to leave once she had explained what was going to happen to him.
Rhaenys however had worshiped her father and had been heartbroken when he had left to run off with Lyanna Stark.
Elia couldn't think about the girl's name without bristling. She had given Rhaegar two healthy children from her body, a daughter and an heir and yet because she hadn't produced another daughter soon after Aegon's birth to fulfill his thrice damned prophecy he had somehow gotten it into his head that she would be able to bear him no more children and had run off with the Stark girl who was little more than a child.
She had let go of her rage over what he had done and had simply been grateful for her life and the lives of her children. Jon Arryn was a very kind man who had fought tooth and nail with Robert Baratheon for their survival. His vehemence had shocked her and surprised her brother even more. Even though she was a political prisoner in the Eyrie and would never see Dorne again, it was far better than the fate that Tywin Lannister had been planning to dish out.
"I think that Rhaenys needs some more time to adjust," she said to the heir to the Eyrie slowly. "Leaving the capital was…hard for her. But that doesn't mean she can't love it here or won't love it here."
Jace twisted his hands together for a moment, a sudden idea entering his head. "Is there anything that Rhaenys liked doing in the Red Keep princess Elia?"
Elia felt her heart warm at the small boy who was doing his best to make her daughter happy.
He will be good for her, she thought to herself in regards to their marriage over a decade from now.
"Rhaenys loved to play in the gardens," Elia said somewhat wistfully and completely missed the lighting of Jace's eyes when he heard the sound of nature. "She particularly liked the godswood in the keep as well. All those white trees with their red leaves never failed to make her smile. She and her brother would sometimes play hide and seek beneath those trees and often times she was always trying to climb them so she might sit in their branches and be closer to the sky."
Jace was having a hard time containing his smile in that moment and simply stared down at his hands instead. Finally something he could do!
"Thank you my lady," he said quietly. "I think I know what to do now."
Without another word he slipped off his bench and bowed to her before hurrying from the godswood as quickly as he could.
What a wonderful boy, Elia thought as she watched him go. So concerned with Rhaenys and her happiness. It seems there were several blessings when Jon Arryn took us to the Eyrie.
Meanwhile, up in the tower where the high hall was located two figures were looking down at the scene with very different perspectives.
One of them was Jon Arryn who smiled to see his son building a relationship with his future mother in law.
Gods but that felt strange to even think.
Jace had always been a quietly brilliant boy but he showed such intelligence in spades when the Martells had arrived. The presence of Rhaenys and Aegon Targaryen seemed to have lit a fire within his son that hadn't been there before, causing him to be less serious and often times with a smile on his face.
He was glad for it. Jace deserved some playmates, especially since in a weeks' time he would be returning to King's Landing to serve Robert as Hand of the King.
While it chafed at him, he would need to leave Jace behind as he would be the Arryn of the Vale. Perhaps he could bring Lysa with him however, seeing the capital might do her some good. She had been cooped up in the Eyrie for five years since the two had wed and perhaps seeing the rest of the realm would be good for her.
"It has done her good being here," Prince Oberyn said suddenly shocking Jon out of his thoughts.
"Aye it seems so," the Lord of the Eyrie rumbled. "It has done my son good as well."
"I have not said it," the prince said somewhat grudgingly. "But thanks are in order. Without your help my sister and her children would have died."
Jon shook his head absently. "There were others that worked to save your sister and her children."
"Aye and I owe a debt to Lord Stark, Ser Jaime and Lord Varys as well. But none of them argued for the survival of Rhaenys and Aegon the way you did."
He turned to the Warden of the East and fixed him with a keen dark gaze. "And I would know why."
"Why I argued for their survival?"
"Aye."
Jon sighed and ran a hand through his greying hair. The truth was, his reasons for keeping Rhaenys and Aegon alive were more than just political and he had accepted that.
When he had looked into their sweet faces before riding back to the keep to negotiate with Robert he had seen the face of his son and felt a lump rise in his throat. He knew as a father with a child the same age as the prince and princess that he would have fought tooth nail for Jace's survival, no matter how many men died or how many wars he had to fight.
If he had let Robert do this disgraceful thing, how could he live with himself? How could he return to the Vale and the Eyrie and the Mountains of the Moon and look his own son in the eyes knowing he hadn't done everything he could to save some other parent's innocent children? How could he enjoy the love of his son if he hadn't done anything to ensure that some other parent could experience the love of theirs?
So he decided that he couldn't and had done everything in his power going forward to ensure that the prince and princess survived no matter how it soured his relationship with Robert.
Being a father had changed him…and he knew it. It would change Ned too whom he had heard word from that Catelyn had just given birth to their first child…a son.
His name would be Robb and he would be Jace's cousin. Jon absently hoped that someday the two of them would meet and this family he and Ned were building would grow.
He had already guaranteed a portion of it with Rhaenys' marriage to his son when they were older. She seemed to be a sweet girl although very sad and he couldn't help but wince when he thought of what she had gone through in the capital.
Jaime Lannister had informed him that when he had gone to retrieve the princess that she was hiding in her father's chambers under his bed.
Jon envisioned Jasper in the same position and shuddered. No, he had done the right thing and no matter how the gods changed the future because of it he didn't regret it. He had seen the cold fury in the eyes of Tywin Lannister when he realized that his plans had been thwarted somewhat but the aging lord did not care.
He realized Oberyn was still looking at him and then sighed again, struggling for an answer. "My son is near in age to your niece and nephew Prince Oberyn. And though the three children are vastly different there are aspects of Jasper that I see in both Aegon and Rhaenys. When I looked in their eyes I saw my son. And what sort of a hypocrite would I be if I allowed the children of another to be done away with and then went home in safety to my son who is the same age as Aegon and Rhaenys? We started this war to bring about the end of a mad man, not to kill innocents or children for that matter and it is a principle that I still hold fast to. The king will not allow Targaryen to sit on the throne, but I will not allow him to kill the last of that dynasty out of spite…not matter what it costs me."
Oberyn eyed the aging lord for a moment before nodding slowly, a hint of grudging respect in his eyes. "You know that I cannot and will not support Baratheon."
"I know," Jon said quietly "and under the circumstances I will not ask you to."
Oberyn nodded and then turned away to leave the high hall before turning back and fixing Jon with one more look.
"Despite the fact that we began this war as enemies, the fact that you have saved my sister and niece and nephew means that House Martell owes House Arryn a debt that can never be repaid. If you should ever have need of our swords…we will come. I swear it."
Jon could do nothing but nod tightly, a sudden emotion clogging his throat as he considered the new bonds that had been forged since he and Ned had protected Elia and her children.
Things with Robert were…strained to say the least.
He had expressed a desire to have Jon as his hand and the Lord of Eyrie had begged time off before making a decision in order to go back to the Vale with the last of the Targaryens and to see his wife and son.
In truth however, he didn't know how he was going to accept such a position.
Robert had been livid about the fact that Aegon and Rhaenys had been allowed to live and even angrier with him and Ned at this perceived betrayal.
Jon loved Robert like his own son and he still did. But the young man had been delusional and had still been to this day. He refused to consider any other perspective than his own and in order to get his point across at times Jon had felt as if he had had to pound a rock against Robert's skull numerous times.
It was exhausting being around him but then Jon didn't want to know who he would appoint to the position should he refuse. Ned would no doubt have no desire to leave the North as he too had a wife and son to care for and there was no one else that Robert trusted to fill this post.
Once more he would have to do his duty.
He sighed and looked down at his wife who was still sitting with Princess Elia.
He had been worried about Lysa of late. She had been acting strange and he had hoped that the presence of another woman in the Eyrie would be helpful to her in adjusting to her new life as Lady of the Vale.
Instead it had only seemed to make her more aloof and bizarre.
Perhaps I should take her to the capital with me, he thought to himself running a hand through the blonde hair that was beginning to pale to that of flaxen. The busyness of it might do her some good. I'll leave Nestor in charge here. He has always been an excellent steward and has ruled the Eyrie well in my absence. Jace as the Arryn of the Vale will have to stay with him. I detest how complicated this situation is. As much as I trust Princess Elia, she and her children are still hostages of the Vale and now that Lewyn Martell has arrived along with Oberyn Martell and Jaime Lannister who is loyal to a fault to the Targaryens, things have become…tenuous to say the least. I do not want to bring every last Arryn from the Vale and leave those here behind to plot and scheme. Jace must also know his future wife and it would be good for him to be on good terms with his good mother and her family. I do not wish to take him away from the friends he has made. And I will not.
That decided, he turned away and walked down the high hall to the throne made from that of an ancient weirwood tree at the end of it.
The Arryns have ruled the Eyrie and the Vale for centuries, it is the falcon of the Falcon Knight that adorns our banner and I will have House Arryn grow strong again. Lysa is my third wife and she has given me my only son. A plan will have to be worked out but I will not take Jace from the Eyrie. He needs to know this place and grow in it as I did. He will sit upon this throne and rule the Eyrie from our seat. I will not take him out of this place only to bring him back to a home he is unfamiliar with. The people must trust him as they do me. Though it pains me, I will leave him with Nestor. Perhaps once every few months I will return and then when he is older as I am, I will send for him to come to the capital and see the workings of the royal court.
Jon sat down on the white weirwood throne and gazed about the High Hall of the Eyrie. He had missed this place, but in one week he would be leaving again.
The falcon will fly again, he thought absently as he looked about the room. As high as honor…it will fly.
Ω
One of the things that seemed to fascinate Aegon the most about the Eyrie was that of the moon door.
The Moon Door was a narrow weirwood door that stood between two slender pillars in the High Hall. A crescent moon was carved into the door which opened inward and was barred by heavy bronze. In the past, all of the executions that took place in the Eyrie used this door which opened onto a six hundred foot drop onto the stones below.
The Moon Door had never been opened since Jace had been born and a small part of him longed to see a view of the valley below.
But his father had strongly charged Nestor Royce that the door should never be opened. The sky cells remained bare as well and Jace was glad of that as he had never liked them. They were a form of psychological torture that made his head hurt to think about. Though the doors were opened to what appeared to be freedom there was nothing but sky and a long way down to get to the road below.
Many prisoners who had been in the cells in the past had committed suicide in order to not remain in them any longer.
It was a bit of a gruesome thought.
After what Elia had imparted to him about what Princess Rhaenys liked to do however, Jace had more on his mind than the bloody history of House Arryn.
Instead he had spent the last few nights in his chambers taking samples of the soil in the godswood of the Eyrie and searching for ways that he could make it more fertile and mineral enriched so as to actually plant weirwood trees and make it a garden for which its purpose was intended.
Unfortunately all of those things took time and he would need weirwood seeds in order to grow them.
Jace also wanted to see a heart tree with his own eyes. He had seen them in books and heard about them in legends from the north but he had never seen one and he wanted to.
He had asked Rhaenys what a weirwood tree looked like as she had seen one and he hadn't but she had simply responded that it was white, had red leaves and a face was carved into its center.
He needed to figure out what to do with her as well.
Jace didn't know where this desire to make her happy was coming from, but he knew he wanted to make Rhaenys smile, just for a little while if anything.
In the meantime, until his garden ideas has worked out, he had a few other notions of what might make Rhaenys happy.
Something he had always loved to do especially on bright nights was to go to the Maiden Tower which was the easternmost of the Seven Towers in the Eyrie and look at the constellations when the nights were clear.
Jace had never liked astronomy as much as herbology when he had been Neville Longbottom but it was still a discipline that had fascinated him especially because his good friend Luna had been so interested in it.
She claimed one could tell the future from the stars and knowing her, he didn't doubt it, especially because her mother had been a seer herself.
But he never knew what the constellations in the sky above the Eyrie were when they shone at night.
There was a red star that appeared sometimes and Jace knew that it was called the Red Wanderer which the septons and septas liked to say was connected to the Smith god.
Unfortunately he couldn't see much else unless he had a Myrish glass which he planned to ask his father for his sixth name day.
Jace wondered if Rhaenys would in fact like looking at the stars through such an instrument but then pushed the thought to the side.
It was beginning to become colder in the east and he had a feeling that winter was indeed coming. Now that Ned was his uncle because his mother was his wife's sister, Jace was connected to a Stark by marriage and he felt pleased saying the words.
He also wanted to visit his cousin Robb who had been named after the new king and see Winterfell which he had only heard tales about from Ned himself and his father.
Two days before his father was set to return to King's Landing to become the Hand to King Robert, a servant appeared at the doorway to the crescent chamber where Jace, Rhaenys and Aegon were all playing a game by the fire.
Since there was no such thing as exploding snap in this world, Jace had taken it upon himself to try and come up with something similar.
He had taken up whittling and had fashioned some cards for himself which were made of thin wood and had the carved faces of men and women on them. He had then charmed them with magic to change colors when a person made a mistake or waited too long to play their hand.
He knew of course questions would be asked but he had come up with a story that the cards were made from the bark of a weirwood tree so they were magic.
That part wasn't true of course but it was a good idea to make his new friends aware of magic all the same seeing as how Aegon would be his brother in law one day and Rhaenys would be his wife. They were all going to know about his magic sooner or later and he wanted to ease them into it before he dumped a bomb like that on them.
Unfortunately Rhaenys had shown a great aptitude for this game and had surprised Jace and Aegon by besting them several times since he had taught them how to play. She would never smile when she won, but it did please Jace to see the beginnings of a sparkle in her eye when she had gotten rid of all of her cards and he and Aegon still had a pile left.
This was how the servant found them as Rhaenys threw down her last card and both Aegon and Jace groaned in disappointment.
"How did you get so good at this Rhae?" Aegon demanded, using the pet name he had for his sister and which Jace secretly thought was funny. "Jace only taught us how to play it a few days ago."
"Mother says I have a quick mind," Rhaenys said quietly. Her face was now curiously blank but Jace could see that there was amusement in her purple eyes which made him smile. She had been as silent as a ghost these last few weeks since she and her brother and mother had arrived in the Eyrie that it was nice to see her talking and making conversation again.
Maybe we're passed the sad stage right now.
"Yes but mother says I have a quick mind too and I am not as quick as you yet," Aegon complained causing Jace to laugh.
"Mother also says I have more patience than you," Rhaenys quipped causing Aegon's eyes to go wide. "I have patience!"
Jace coughed and Aegon looked at him. "What?"
"Nothing," the heir to the Eyrie said quickly.
He was saved when the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted them.
"Master Jasper?"
At the use of his full name Jace turned around and saw a servant in pale Arryn blue standing in the doorway of the Crescent Chamber. "Yes?"
"Your lord father requests your presence in the high hall immediately."
That was odd. His father rarely if ever asked to speak to him so formally and Jace was immediately wary. He and Jon were both serious individuals and they often had a habit of speaking man to man about some things.
The last time he and his father had spoken as men Jon had been preparing to leave for war and had told him he was now the Arryn of the Vale.
What could it be about this time?
"Very well," he nodded to the servant who nodded back and left before turning back to his friends. "I'll be back."
Aegon nodded, already turning his mind back to the game and how he was going to best his sister as he had been unsuccessful so far.
But Rhaenys fixed Jace with a long look that the small blonde had a feeling was meant to see into his mind.
Is everything alright? She seemed to be asking with her eyes.
Jace nodded at her, grateful for the concern. Though she didn't talk as much as her brother, Rhaenys seemed to be more astute than Aegon when it came to nearly everything. While Jace and Aegon had become fast friends, Jace was far quieter and more contemplative than the former prince.
It was one thing that he and Rhaenys had in common.
A moment later the heir to the Eyrie turned and left the crescent chamber and walked down the halls leading to the one where his father was waiting for him.
I wonder if he is leaving again, Jace thought to himself. I hope not. He's only been back for a few weeks.
Not long after he reached the high hall where he immediately saw his father sitting on the white weirwood throne, the ancestral seat of House Arryn.
He paused and swallowed hard. This is going to be more serious than I thought.
Jace allowed himself to stop only for a moment before he strode forward purposefully…or as purposefully as a five year old could stride.
"You summoned me father?" he asked as he came closer.
There was amusement in Jon's eyes as Jace neared and the small blonde could tell it amused his father to see him acting as if he were a miniature version of himself.
If only you could see the man that I was father, I don't think you would be very amused.
"I did my son, come closer," the aging lord replied and Jace did so until he was standing in front of the white weirwood throne.
"There is something I wish to tell you," Jon went on the moment Jace was standing in front of him.
"You're leaving again," Jace said before Jon could get another word out.
Jon blinked at his son for a moment and then seemed to deflate slightly. "I am. King Robert has asked me to be his new Hand."
Jace nodded. "I had a feeling. It was either you or Uncle Ned he was going to ask and I had a feeling it would be you."
Jon frowned. "Really? How did you know?"
Jace shrugged. "Well, Uncle Ned has already returned to the north which is much farther away from the capital than the Vale. If he was going to be the new Hand why would he turn around and go home when he would have to come all the way back? Plus, Uncle Ned has never had any desire for power and has been a very quiet presence in the Eyrie. That's not to say that you want it either but I know you feel some sort of responsibility to Robert because he's lived here for so long and is in a new role. I don't like that you're leaving again, but I understand."
Jon blinked at his only son before offering him a bit of a smile. "You do don't you?"
Jace nodded. "I do. Keep Robert out of trouble, gods know how much he got into while he was here. How much more could he get into now that he's a king?"
There was a pause before Jon threw back his head and laughed. "My son I think that this a question we should not answer. I don't want to know how much trouble Robert can cause for himself. But now that he wears the crown it is my responsibility to ensure that the damages are minimal."
Jace snorted, sounding far older than five years old which he was. "Minimal…that word and Robert do not go together by any stretch of the imagination."
Jon blinked at him for a moment and shook his head. "My son sometimes I don't realize that you have been blessed with intelligence beyond your years. But bemoaning Robert's sometimes shameful qualities is not why I have called you here. I told you that I was leaving to serve as Hand to the new king and you are once more the Arryn of the Vale. Nestor will be in charge as he was when I was away, but there is one change. I am taking your mother to the capital with me."
That was something he hadn't been expecting to hear.
"You are?" the small blonde asked.
"I am."
"May I ask why?"
Jon sighed and ran a hand through his pale blonde hair suddenly looking older than his years. "Your mother has been…unwell of late. And I was hoping that perhaps the bustling nature of the capital would do her some good. She has been rather isolated in the Vale for the last five years since your birth and I thought perhaps her mind would ease if she is around other women."
It was his father's gentlest way of saying that Lysa Arryn had gone strange and he wanted to nip whatever was plaguing her mind in the bud before it got worse.
Jace didn't really know how to react to the knowledge that both of his parents were going to the capital and he was remaining in the Vale. This was his second life so he was independent enough to not need parents. He also felt rather proud that his father trusted him enough to leave him behind with Nestor to assist in the running of the Vale.
"Now this doesn't mean that I don't want you to come with me," Jon was saying. "However the Eyrie now has some guests that it did not have a year ago and it is my wish that you remain with them. As much as I trust Princess Elia, I do not wish to give the Martells full reign of the Eyrie while all the Arryns are in the capital. I also do not want to give Robert any excuse to prove me wrong about their intentions."
Jace nodded. "And you want me to keep an eye on them."
"Not so much as keep an eye on them but as engage with them," Jon said quietly.
Unbeknownst to him Jace had silently through up a charm about the room to prevent anyone who might be around from hearing them. He had only ever done that once before when his father was present.
"Very well," he replied. "But I don't want to make enemies of our guests."
"I would not want you to," Jon said. "Princess Rhaenys and Prince Aegon are to spend the rest of their lives here. I want you to be on as good terms with them and the rest of the Martells as possible. You seem to have already adjusted to their presence rather well."
"Aegon is a good friend," Jace said with a slight smile. "And with a bit of work I think I can get Rhaenys to break out of her shell. Its just a matter of time."
"Very good," Jon said. "I'm glad you've developed such a rapport with them. Now as to the process with which we will see each other, I am hoping that when you are older and can ride your own horse there will be times when you come to the capital to see me and likewise there will be times when I will come to the Eyrie to see you. Our situation with the Martells is complicated and as such it would not be a prudent idea to leave our southern guests in the Eyrie without an Arryn present."
"You don't think they would try and escape do you?" Jace asked.
"Nay," Jon said shaking his head. "They would never make it past the bloody gate and if they somehow made their way out of the Vale, the penalty would be death for all concerned. No what I am concerned with is Doran Martell."
Jace frowned. "What does he have to do with anything? He is far away in Sunspear."
Jon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "In many ways Doran Martell is much like Tywin Lannister. The only difference is that he would not eliminate women and children for his own personal and political gain. However that alone does not make him less dangerous. He is a cunning man, a schemer and now that his sister and her children have survived the war but can never return home he will be plotting more than ever."
Jace's eyes narrowed. "You think he would plot to overthrow Robert and put Aegon on the throne?"
Jon shook his head. "No, at least not yet. He doesn't have the political might yet and it would be a suicide mission. Robert knows that the Dornish are not fully loyal to him and is looking for any excuse to go to war against them and bring them to heel. But he has not met with Doran Martell, I have. I was the one who orchestrated the idea to bring Elia Martell and her children here to the Eyrie. I have seen the man and I know that he will not be content to serve a king who in his eyes stole the throne from his nephew. He may not have thought about placing Aegon on the throne as yet, but I can promise you my son that it will be something that crosses his mind as the years go by. Doran Martell may not have liked the Targaryens for the way that they dishonored Elia but it does not mean he will discredit the fact that his nephew has Targaryen blood. He is someone that will bear watching as the years go by my son. Especially as you are to marry into his family."
Jace nodded and thought about that for a second before he asked a second question. "And what about the presence of Jaime Lannister in the Eyrie?"
Jon leaned back slightly. "Ah. A good question my son. He is an anomaly that we did not plan for. I cannot see the reaction of Tywin Lannister right now but I have a feeling that he is seething from the way his son has acted. But those actions are to our advantage. He will bear watching too, but not as closely. I have my own theories about him."
He said no more about the eldest Lannister son then and Jace decided not to ask.
"Now to how we are going to stay in touch," Jon went on. "As I was saying, perhaps when you are old enough to ride your own horse visits will be arranged for when you come to the capital and I come here. It would be complex but I believe we can make it work my son."
Jace paused for a moment and then had a thought. He had been wondering how best to break the knowledge to his father that he had magic and this was one of the reasons he had been so quiet in the last few years. Perhaps now was the time. Magic would be a good way to make seeing each other more convenient.
Very well, he thought to himself. I suppose now is as good a time as any.
"Father," he said. "I may have a way to help with the long distance part of this problem."
Jon raised an eyebrow. "You do?"
Jace nodded. "I do. And it may shock you at first, but I would ask that you please not react until its over. Please take my hand."
Jon narrowed his eyes at him before leaning forward so father and son were almost nose to nose. "What are you talking about Jasper?"
"I promise father, I will explain everything, but please take my hand and do not let go."
Jon looked down at the blonde's small hand and slowly and with some reluctance reached out and took it.
Jace nodded before sending up a silent prayer to whatever gods existed in this world. Please let this go over well.
He closed his eyes and centered the peak of the Mountains of the Moon in his mind. If anything would convince his father that he was different from other children and this was the way for them to keep in touch, than apparition was it.
"Jace what are you doing?" his father asked.
The small blonde didn't reply and a second later spun on his heel as fast as he could, tightening his grip on Jon's hand as he did so.
There was a frightful jerk and he felt his father's hand go lip in his grasp before there was a muffled exclamation.
Only when the heir to the Eyrie felt the heavy winds buffeting them back and forth did he open his eyes.
When he did so, Jace looked down and felt the snow about his knees. He looked up and could see three hundred and sixty degrees about him as he could if he were still at the top of the Giant's Lance.
In the distance he could see the Eyrie but it was nothing more than a faint silhouette and there was miles of sky all around them. The sky was impossibly blue but Jace had never felt closer to it. He almost felt as if he could truly fly up here. The lower peaks of the mountains below him were a stormy grey and Jace felt like the king of it all as he looked down on it all. The roads below him were so faint he could barely see them much less the Bloody Gate and there were the lower hanging clouds drifting over the lower mountain peaks constantly hiding what was below him from view.
It was quite a surreal experience.
"Jasper Arryn."
Jace flinched and looked up at his father standing beside him, arms wrapped about his shoulders to block out the cold, his face as white as the snow they were standing on and his eyes as large as two dinner plates as he looked around. "Where in the seven hells are we?"
Jace sighed and took a deep breath. "We are atop the Mountains of the Moon father. I apologize for how strange this is but I could think of no better way to show you that distances won't be a problem for me."
"How…" Jon trailed off, "When…."
Jace sighed again. "I knew this was going to come up sooner or later, but I didn't know how to tell you or how you would take the news. I suppose I'll just come out with it then. I'm not…quite normal."
Jon stared at him as if he had just spoken Dothraki. "That's all you've got to say."
Jace shook his head. "I know that you know that I am different enough from other children my age…but this one of the reasons why. Father I….I have magic."
Jon simply continued to stare at him and it was then that Jace realized the man's legs were trembling and he silently cursed himself. Even with this knowledge, Jon was an aging man and along with the shock this would cause, they were in an extremely frigid environment.
He immediately cast a warming charm about Jon's shoulders and the old man's trembling became very much less.
Jace let out a sigh of relief and then walked over so he could take his father's hand. "Why don't you sit down father? I'm going to assume you will have a lot of questions for me."
All Jon could do was nod as Jace led him over to a nearby rock that was half covered in snow and sat him down on it.
After that there was silence for a long time and Jace could see his father's jaw working back and forth which meant he was thinking hard.
After what seemed like a thunderous silence had passed when the only noise was the whistling of the wind high on the peaks, Jon finally looked up at his son and his blue gaze was an intense as Jace had never seen it. "How?"
"I've known for a while," Jace explained. "Since I was born there was this sort of…awareness and…energy in my blood. It was like a strange extension of my mind. There were a few times when I became angry as a baby and no one else was around. When I was angry, things around me would break."
Jon got a thoughtful expression on his face. "In fact I do remember hearing the nurse commenting on the amount of broken objects in your room after you had passed your first name day."
Jace gave him a sheepish smile. "That was me."
"But how does a strange ability to break things when you are angry translate to magic?" Jon asked.
"I don't really know," the small blonde explained. "I do know that I had this force of will ever since I was aware of it to be able to do things simply by wanting them done or thinking about them. And that explains why we are here now."
Jon was quick to catch on. "And so this would be a way for you to visit me in the Capital without anyone ever knowing what is happening."
"Or to bring you here to see me," Jace nodded.
Jon nodded and Jasper could see he was processing all of this as best as he could. He couldn't blame the old man for being bewildered. Magic was a lot for a Muggle to take in and he had never had to break this sort of news to anyone before as Neville Longbottom. He was a pureblood who had married a pureblood and had had magical children.
He wondered if this was how it had been for Hermione, having to explain to her extended family about her magic.
But then maybe she had never told them at all.
He was just thankful that magic was a part of history that Muggles knew about in greater detail here because of the dragons as opposed to the Muggles in magical England who hadn't believed in it at all.
His second father might be more receptive to it at any rate.
"This is a lot to process," Jon muttered.
"I know," Jace replied. "Its why I wanted to tell you now before I got older and then had ten years or so worth of magic to explain."
Jon let out a breathless laugh. "I suppose it's a good thing you did then. So you can take yourself anywhere in the country with no more than a thought?"
"I can," Jace nodded.
"That's incredible," the lord of the Eyrie muttered. "And no one else knows correct?"
"Correct."
"Good, let us keep it that way for right now. This information was overwhelming enough for me, how intense would it be for your mother or anyone else who does not know you as I do. So for the time being, please do not tell anyone else."
"Because of what others would think?"
"I don't give a rat's arse what others would think," Jon snapped. "You're my son, magic or no. This simply adds to the person that you are. But the Faith is highly present here in the south and if it were to be discovered that the heir to the East has a power like this, people might believe you would lead a coup against the faith and the Seven. The last thing we need is a holy war against the Vale."
"But you don't really believe that do you?" Jace asked.
Jon shook his head. "My son, you have shown me this day that I do not know the world as I think I do. After today, anything is possible. I'm not saying hide this gift but until I know more about it and you know more about it, please keep it under wraps. Do you understand? I have no wish for anyone to use this against you or to question your legitimacy in the governing of the east. Does that make sense?"
Jace thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "Yes father."
"Good," Jon said with a sigh. "Now you've given me much to think about. Seeing as how I leave on the morrow for the capital, we had best be getting back. Is there another way to bring us back to the Eyrie than the one in which you brought us here?"
Jace smiled at his father. "Unfortunately no."
Jon sighed. "I feared as much. Is there a way for you to feel as if you are not going to void your stomach when you do it?"
Jace laughed. "Father all I can say is that the more you do it, you will become used to it and you will stop feeling sick."
Jon sighed again. "I was afraid of that. My son, suppose you come to visit me for the first little while in the capital. It would be easier for me to hide your appearance there than it would be for you to hide my appearance here."
"I can make it so that people don't see me when I come and that you are the only one," Jace offered.
Jon blinked and then buried his face in his hands. "Seven hells, I am becoming too old for surprises. I don't know if my heart can take it."
Jace chuckled, knowing it was one of the few times his father was jesting. Jon Arryn was the strongest man he knew and despite his age his resolve remained the same.
"Let me ask one final question before we leave and I spend the next week thinking about the fantastic things my son can do," he said.
Jace nodded. "What is the question?"
"All I want you to do is simply answer yes or no."
"Very well."
"Can you fly using your magic?"
"No."
"Can you change your shape?"
Jace considered that for a moment. While it was possible to change your shape with magic, he had never tried to become an animagus. Susan had been one however and she had often imparted to him the benefits of becoming one as well. But he had never formally learned.
"No," he said.
"Are there things you can conjure?" Jon asked. "For example, water or fire?"
"Yes."
"And you can make yourself invisible?"
"Yes."
"And if what I think you did is correct, you can change the temperature of a person?"
"In a way," Jace explained. "You were freezing, so I changed the temperature of the air around you. I call it a warming charm."
"That explains why we are standing atop the mountains of the moon and I feel as if I am in Dorne," Jon muttered. "My son, there will come a time when I will need to know all of what you can do. But that time is not now."
"I agree."
"So we are in agreement that you will keep this to yourself for right now. There will come a time when you need to tell others Lady Rhaenys for example, but it is not now."
"No it's not."
"Good," Jon said getting to his feet and reaching down for Jace's hand. "Now come, let us return to the Eyrie before you tell me of any other surprises and my heart really does give out."
Ω
Sorry for the near month between updating this story, I had some other things to work on and I was away all of last week. But now I am on an updating spree so hopefully this makes up for it. So Jace has told his father of his magic. He won't be telling Rhaenys and Aegon until they are older as Jon has asked him not to and his mother won't be finding out about it any time soon. Can you imagine how Lysa would react to something like that? I shudder just thinking about it. Anyway, Jace's apparition will make it easier for him and Jon to see each other when Jon is away being the Hand in the capital so that should solve any problems of a long distance relationship for the time being. So that's all for now. I hope you liked the chapter and don't forget to review!