Disclaimer: I am making no money from the writing of this fanfiction and I in no way, shape or form own the original masterpiece. Please also note that this story will have elements from the TV Series, though it is predominantly based on the book.
Thanks to CaseyW who is an awesome beta!
Jon Snow had always had limited training in courtly manners, and what little he knew was primarily due to his skill increases. Still, even if he had had the most experienced etiquette teacher in Westeros he somehow doubted that this situation would have been covered. What did one do when Princess Myrcella Baratheon fell down the stairs when attempting to secretly follow you and then proceeded to twist her ankle, making it necessary for you to hold her up?!
A small squeak came from further up the stairs and Jon's eyes were quickly drawn to a similar head of golden-blond curls recognisable as belonging to Prince Tommen. Apparently he was being stalked by two members of the royal family instead of one... like that made things any easier to handle!
Myrcella Baratheon:
[Myrcella] thinks this about you: scary, intimidating, handsome, a last hope
It was the last part of the description that made Jon curious... Why would he be a last hope? What did that even mean? Looking up at Prince Tommen met with a similar response.
Tommen Baratheon:
[Tommen] thinks this about you: scary, intimidating, a last hope
Tommen's opinion of him was almost exactly the same as Myrcella's, minus the part about him being handsome, thankfully. His attention was then drawn to the state of the two royals. Both were shaking and Tommen in particular was deathly pale. His eyes darted around nervously, as if seeing some kind of threat.
As Jon sat Myrcella down on the side of the stairs she looked up, tears in her eyes and took a deep breath. Somehow he had the feeling that she was not crying because of her ankle. His suspicions were confirmed when she blurted out a sentence which was exactly the same as the title of the new quest which promptly appeared.
New Secret Quest: Save Ser Pounce!
Reward: +1000XP, Increased Influence with Myrcella Baratheon and Tommen Baratheon and ?
From the princess' frantic and garbled explanation Jon concluded that Prince Joffrey was threatening to skin Prince Tommen's pet cat alive should said cat bother him again; which it evidently had. His stomach clenched slightly. It seemed like the rumours about the boy were true. Having always had an at least cordial relationship with his supposed half-siblings it was a slight surprise that someone could be so cruel to theirs.
Slowly walking up to the younger prince he crouched down so that they were on eye level. Hopefully that would make him seem less scary, more approachable. This was because despite the fact that the experience was a major incentive, Jon genuinely wanted to help them.
"Why don't you tell me where Ser Pounce is, then we'll see about getting him back."
The boy was still wary but also showed signs of visible relief.
"He's in the wheel house and... and he's scratching Joffy's favourite duvet! The blood red one! The one which no-one is ever, ever allowed to touch! Mother has to talk to him when it's washed! And now it's all ruined and Ser Pounce is going to die!"
The last sentence ended on a plaintive wail as Tommen's voice lapsed into a high-pitched expression of distress. Just as Jon was wondering why they had turned to him... when he had clearly never even spoken to them before... Arya showed up, lugging a rather heavy looking case with her. Upon closer inspection Jon identified it as-
"Arya please tell me that you did not just steal Sansa's sewing kit!"
With her breath coming in ragged gasps from the sheer exertion of her sprint while carrying the rather heavy load, Arya managed to explain her master plan.
"We're going to sneak into the wheel house and mend the duvet! He'll never notice the difference."
Actually, Jon personally thought that Arya's sewing skills would only serve to worsen the situation. There was an exact reason why after the 'sewing a spider web incident' Arya was no longer allowed near the expensive threads unsupervised. Not to mention Sansa guarding her work like a mother hen.
Last but not least Jon could see a once pristine handkerchief embroidered with the Stark coat of arms land in a muddy puddle. There was probably a trail of such items leading directly to them – meaning an enraged Sansa, and probably Caitlyn Stark would be descending on them soon. With that in mind he began to formulate a plan. A plan involving his recently gained skill in sewing.
Jon groaned. Here he was, planning to break into the royal family's personal chambers in order to mend a tear in the crown prince's favourite duvet, all the while evading notice. Was it him or did this all seem slightly surreal? But back to the situation at hand!
"Okay, I've got an idea of how we can do this."
Tommen and Myrcella beamed while Arya gave him a slap on the back, also grinning.
"I can sew"...Somewhat... "So you'll need to sneak me into the wheelhouse. Myrcella, you and Arya are going to go back to your chambers to practice sewing together – yes you can pretend Arya, just make sure you do it well! Then I'll come along to drop off Arya's embroidery since she forgot it. That'll get me in. Prince Tommen and I will go to the crown prince's bedchamber, and he'll remove Ser Pounce and act as a lookout while I repair the duvet. Understood?!"
Three heads nodded quickly. Arya especially was treating this like she had seen soldiers treat commands from her father. Only the face she was making showed that this, unlike other times, was no game to her. She was aware of the gravity of the situation.
"Come on Princess Myrcella! You said you would show me your wonderful embroidery!"
Sure her voice was slightly high pitched, not to mention louder than necessary, but as the girl's set off for the wheelhouse Myrcella managed to draw Arya into a semi-conversation about sewing. Anyone who knew anything about Arya would see through the act instantly. But then the royal family didn't know the girl, so they were safe there.
About 5 minutes later Jon sent Tommen to check the two of them were inside, and to come back to retrieve Arya's 'forgotten' embroidery kit. The younger prince was practically sprinting as he came back, face flushed from exertion.
"Coast is clear, Mother and Joffy are in the great hall and then they're going to visit Bran."
With that Jon picked up Sansa's sewing kit and steadily walked alongside Tommen to the well guarded entrance to the wheelhouse. Thanks to Prince Tommen's presence he was allowed inside with a minimum of fuss. Upon reaching their target destination Tommen froze. What kind of monster was Prince Joffrey if his siblings were too terrified of his retribution to even enter his chambers?
Obviously the kind of monster who would threaten to skin an innocent cat alive. Though looking at the rather smug creature sitting next to a long gash in a red duvet… Jon had the feeling that this was not going to be half as easy as he had anticipated. An attempt to remove the cat met a rather nasty scratch and nothing else. The moment the blasted creature had recognised his presence it had dug its claws in, as if threatening to shred said duvet should he make another move.
The attempt had unlocked a 'stealth' skill for his efforts, but that was not the issue. He needed that cat out! Now! Before it ended up meeting a gruesome fate...
An hour later Jon let out a sigh of pure relief. The devil masquerading in the form of a cat named Ser Pounce had eventually been bribed to exit the crime scene. Coincidentally Princess Myrcella and Arya had had a sudden craving for fish at that exact time - before discarding it as not to their liking. With the cat out of the way and the coast clear; mending could begin. A truly tiresome job that had given him an additional +3 to his sewing skill, due to the fact that the scratches were located over an embroidery of a stag. While more complicated to fix, it did have the benefit of making the mend barely noticeable - one would have to know what they were looking for to detect it.
While Tommen, Myrcella and Arya were celebrating the plan's success, Jon was looking at the quest notification that had appeared with some confusion.
Quest Complete: +1000XP, Increased influence with Tommen Baratheon and Myrcella Baratheon and ?
Why was there still a question mark? So engrossed was he with this problem that he didn't notice the soft patter of footsteps approaching him, or the brush of golden hair against him. He did however notice the soft kiss on his cheek bestowed by a crimson Myrcella! As he watched the question mark changed, until the notification no longer had such a sign. It now read.
Quest Complete: +1000XP, Increased influence with Tommen and Myrcella & A Kiss from the Princess!
Jon jerked backwards in shock, a faint red tinting his own cheeks, unused to such a display of affection. Looking up from his seat at the girl in shock a new message appeared.
Myrcella Baratheon:
[Myrcella] thinks this about you: handsome, a hero, my one true love
This was not good! Looking at a red haired and red faced Stark storming towards them, mother in tow... Jon could only reaffirm the sentiment, all the while hoping that Myrcella would keep it a secret.
...Time-skip...
Over the next two days Jon trained extensively, while avoiding a certain infatuated Princess. And a certain Sansa - she hadn't forgiven the loss of her handicrafts. He was pretty sure that his compliance in this misadventure had undone all the friendship he had gained from helping her find Lady, especially when Jon had told her about her proposed fiancé's character. Stubborn denial was the only way to describe it. Robb had had a laugh about it initially, but he had become more serious when both Jon and Arya described what Prince Joffrey had threatened to do, and how scared his siblings were of him.
Every morning he would begin by feeding Ghost, cleaning his armour and performing several quests - the ones that awarded decent experience and useful skills that is. Training with Arya in Water Dance Style was a quest that happened every day for the three days, and now that she had her rapier the quest gave him +5 to his Rapier skill, as well as the +10 to Water Dance Style. This meant that Water Dance Style was currently his best chance of winning a match.
So he had taken to using the techniques in mock battles with the guards, a repeatable quest that had earned him a further +15 Rapier and +15 Water Dance Style. The extensive training had also raised them somewhat, separately from the quests, and had been able to select mutations for Water Dance.
Water Dance Style has been raised above 60!
Water Dance Style: 75/100 [MUTATION]
Please Choose [3] of the following...
Bonus: Dexterity
Description: Your Water Dance Skills grant you +3 Dexterity
Legendary Moves Unlocked: Water Dance Style
Description: Unlocks Tempest Strike, Flowing Footsteps and Waltzing Blade
New Skill Set: Water Dance Weapons
Description: Unlocks the Fan, Kusarigama and Staff Skills
Perk: Bend & Weave
Description: Once a day increase your Dexterity by +15 for 1 hour
Perk: Fountain of Blood
Description: Your blade will cause your opponent to lose blood 50% faster when injured using Water Dance Style
Of the six options available the obvious choice was the Perk: Bend & Weave. It didn't matter if it was only one hour... it would help him greatly with the duel - which couldn't taken longer than an hour surely! With increased Dexterity in mind he also chose the +3 bonus and last but not least he unlocked the Legendary Moves. They might come in handy when it came to landing a blow on Jaime Lannister. Jon hoped.
He had managed to level up once during the three days, and had promptly placed all ten of his attribute points in Dexterity. Water Dance Style was not really improved all that much by an increase in Strength. The 25 skill points he had gained were placed into his Rapier skill, allowing him to pick the Inspiring Allies: Rapier perk. Jon still refused to consider the perk that would poison people. Not only because of the potential for accidents, but also because it would void the duel if it was found that he had poisoned the Queens brother. More than that - he'd most likely be executed!
The thought sent shivers down his spine, and he took a deep, steadying breath. He could hear the rumble of the crowds chatter outside. They were waiting. Another deep breath passed as Jon flexed his fingers before strapping the two rapiers to his waist; one on each side. The grips were smooth, slightly worn from his endless practices, but for the most part like new. He fiddled nervously with the collar of his hardened leather armour, with thin metal plates sewn on over his vital organs.
It was a gamble, it was a act of pure foolishness, Jon knew that. He was going against the Kingslayer, without a shield to defend himself all the while duel wielding two slender blades that would not be able to push back a critical blow. The question was this, between Jon Snow and Jaime Lannister... Who was more agile? Should the answer be the latter then he was doomed. His mind mentally worked through the calculations. He currently had a Dexterity of 38, which was increased to 53 with Bend & Weave activated. With a 10% bonus to all of his attributes that brought it up to almost 60.
He had trained previously with it being at such a high level, and had been astounded at the difference it made. As a matter of fact much of his practices had been devoted to him simply acclimating to moving with his newfound agility. He had already been faster than he was strong but now the difference was all the more noticeable in combat. Under his armour he wore a small amulet given to him by Arya - a braid made out of the fur of all six direwolves. Goodness knows how she had managed to gather it! It must have been hard though, judging by how tired and triumphant she looked when presenting it.
"Now all of us are behind you - so go ahead and win!"
He smiled, trust Arya to find a way to cheer him up, and make him feel included. She had been here until a few minutes ago, when he had pointed out that she wouldn't get to her seat in time unless she left now. So with some final encouragements the girl had sprinted off, hair whipping behind her in the chilly wind that roared through the castle. But not even that wind was able to draw out the roar of the crowd as the entrance of Jaime Lannister was announced.
Then the moment came - his name was called. Jon stepped forwards and received an equally loud response, though his was due to incredulity, What fool would fight the Kinglsayer equipped like so, they said. Maybe he couldn't afford proper armour, they said. And maybe he was going to win and show them all that he was just as good at swordplay as any of them, if not better!
Jaime Lannister stood their, gold-enamelled plate glinting in the faint sunlight. It was mid morning. A longsword was held casually in his hand and as he finished bowing to the King and Queen he turned, beckoning to Jon to come and do the same. Jon gritted his teeth, but did as indicated. He hated it, looking as if he was following the Lannister's orders, but he could do nothing else without disrespecting the monarch. As he strode over he could see a sneer etched into Joffrey's face while Myrcella and Tommen looked simultaneously apprehensive and excited.
The formalities over, the two opponents faced each other. Jaime slipped into a practiced stance, one that Jon did not recognise. A look of surprise crossed his face as Jon drew not one, but both of the Rapiers, wielding both with ease as he prepared his own position. The people gathered around the duelling ring which had been set up in a courtyard waited in anticipation of Robert Baratheon's announcement...
"Begin!"
Jon moved swiftly, activating Flowing Footsteps. His feet shifted into an all-directional pose... not indicating in the slightest what his next move was going to be. Jaime's metal boots caused a low clang to sound as he stalked, like a predator towards prey, closer and closer. Waiting for the right moment, Jon paused several times, as if poised to strike. Each time he subtly shifted his weight and all the while he watched. Jaime's moves were calculated, he knew what he was going to do. And that was why Jon was going to... strike!
The rapiers blurred along with his feet as he took several steps, each footfall marking a precise strike towards a vital part of his opponents anatomy. But the Kingslayer was renowned as the finest swordsman in Westeros, a title that he had not gotten from underestimating his adversaries. Each blow was skilfully deflected, saving his strength. But his lack of experience with the fighting style showed in the fraction of a second lapse between each parry, and in his cautious attacks.
And that was all it took. Jon didn't leave any openings, he was fighting to overwhelm. Not with the greatest power, but with the greatest speed. His blades came from two directions, often simultaneously, one pressing an attack while the other awaited an opening should Jaime lose focus for a single moment. Metal grated on metal as they engaged in the dance of death that the duel had become. Until it became clear - the Kingslayer was being forced onto the defensive! Jon pressed his advantage continuously and, unable to anticipate the complex and precise manoeuvres - having never seen them before, was overcome. He was trapped into a sequence of moves which inevitably left an opening. His longsword went flying. Jon had won.
A hush descended over the courtyard. Even if they had seen the tide of battle turn, they had still assumed that victory would be Jaime's. He could have been feigning weakness, leading his opponent into a trap. But no, he had been the one trapped, defeated, by a Starks bastard son. No-one moved in their shock - until Arya let out a loud whoop! Caitlyn Stark grasped her shoulder and attempted to hush her... until it happened.
Cersei Baratheon also rose from her seat and inclined her head towards Jon. A enigmatic smile gracing her features, she began a slow clap that echoed off the walls - just as her voice did.
"Bravo."
As if suddenly awakened from a long sleep the audience began to applaud. What started as a trickle of noise soon became a cacophony. Looking up to where the Starks sat he could see Arya cheering, Robb cheering, Bran cheering and Rickon cheering. Even Sansa and held a small smile. Turning around with awe he could see that the pattern was universal. People who had never given him the time of day before were calling his name! Then his eyes rested on the seething figure of Jaime Lannister. He then knew that the battle had just begun.
Authors Note:
So what do you think... please review to let me know! It does affect update speed - and I can assure you that it is positively. Any suggestions for perks or skills will be taken under consideration. And with that - hope you enjoyed it!
Jon Snow: Statistics
Physical
Strength: 19
Endurance: 18
Dexterity: 38
Mental
Intellect: 17
Perception: 33
Willpower: 25
Social
Charisma: 25,
Wisdom: 22
Supernatural
Fate: 22
Spirit: 40
Skills
Lore
Northlands Lore: 18/100
Westerlands Lore: 17/100
Religious Lore: 5/100
Ranged Combat
Crossbow: 66/100
Longbow: 66/100
Short Bow: 66/100
Mounted Archery: 0/100
Sharpshooting: 0/100
Wind Arrow: 0/100
Melee Combat
Fist Fighting: 28/100
Short Sword: 64/100
Bastard Sword: 100/100
Long Sword: 64/100
Greatsword: 25/100
Rapier: 50/100
Water Dance Style: 79/100
Fire Dragon Style: 0/100
Ice Gale Style: 28/100
Storm Hawk Style: 29/100
Armour Wearing: 30/100
General Skills
Hunting: 42/100
Tracking: 31/100
Survival: 34/100
Riding: 10/100
Stealth: 1/100
Social Skills
Sewing: 13/100
Manners: 15/100
Singing: 5/100
Gambling: 5/100
Cooking: 10/100
Dog Training: 15/100
Mental Skills
Plant Identification: 5/100
Poisons: 5/100
Medicine: 10/100
Finance: 15/100
Politics: 15/100
Management: 10/100
Lock-Picking: 5/100
Blacksmithing: 5/100
Strategy: 5/100
High Valyrian: 5/100
Experience: 1250/6000
