A/N: Hey guys I'm back! Thank you for all the reviews/follows/favourites I had when I was gone!

Here's the next chapter, hope you think it was worth the wait!

Normal service will be resuming for the time being.

Let me know what you think!

:)

Truth

"What in the name of the Gods are you doing here?" Jon hissed as Ghost stirred awake.

"I've come to see you," Tyrion smiled and Jon frowned at him.

"Why?" he asked suspiciously and he sighed.

"Do you have any wine?" Tyrion asked.

"I can get some … why?" he questioned.

"I think this might come easier after some wine," Tyrion said, his face utterly serious.

"Wait here," Jon said, getting up and out of bed and heading for the door.

Jon felt uneasy as he walked to the kitchens. What in the name of the Gods was Tyrion Lannister doing here? He had thought him on the run, accused of murdering Joffrey. Not that Jon cared one bit about Joffrey, it was just strange that Tyrion would come here of all places. Perhaps he wanted to seek Robb out but was unsure how he would be received? Jon ran his hand through his hair then and snatched up two cups and a flagon of wine before making his way back to his room. He needed answers, he had so many questions he didn't even know where he would start.

Tyrion looked up from lighting candles when Jon entered, Ghost's eyes following his progress around the room. His wolf didn't seem suspicious and it eased Jon's mind somewhat as he sank down into a chair and poured the wine. Tyrion joined him when he had finished lighting the candle and took a long drink from his own cup.

"You looked like you needed that," Jon commented.

"Believe me after the hell I've been through even this Northern shit tastes like heaven," he smiled.

"What happened when you left the capital?" Jon asked.

"Varys shipped me off in a box, to Pentos," Tyrion said and Jon raised his eyebrows.

"Sounds lovely," he said dryly.

"Just wonderful," Tyrion said, "after that I sought out Daenerys Targaryen"

"Why?" Jon breathed and Tyrion contemplated him for a moment.

This was it. The truth was creeping ever closer to the surface as he looked into Jon's dark eyes. Stark eyes. He hadn't believed it at first, what Daenerys was told, what she had told him. 'Impossible', he had told her but why would Howland Reed lie? Ned Stark must have thanked the Gods he was so clearly Stark, it would have made it all so much easier. He was about to blow Jon's life apart and his stomach churned uncomfortably at the thought. More wine. That's what he needed.

"She will take the Iron Throne," Tyrion finally said.

"You seem certain," Jon said.

"That's because I am," he said simply, taking another long drink.

"Is it true about the dragons?" Jon asked.

"Very true," Tyrion said, "she threatened to feed me to one of them … not the best start"

"How did you manage to talk your way out of that one?" Jon asked.

"Luckily for me Ser Barristan Selmy was with her and he vouched for me," Tyrion said.

"Lucky indeed," Jon said, taking a drink from his own cup.

Tyrion swallowed hard then. Why had he agreed to do this again? Oh yes, because he was still under suspicion. Daenerys didn't fully trust him and he couldn't blame her. He wasn't even one hundred percent sure where her army was camped. He knew it was in the North somewhere. She had had him blindfolded and led away, his eyes only uncovered when they were out of sight. If he did this. If he managed to persuade Jon to come with him then he would gain her trust, her protection, and the Gods knew he needed that. Cersei would find out he was back in Westeros sooner or later and he knew she wouldn't have given up on wanting him dead.

"Why are you here?" Jon asked after a long moment of silence.

"Daenerys had a visitor shortly before I arrived," he began.

"Right …" Jon said, wondering why he suddenly looked so awkward.

"He told her a tale of a lost Targaryen, a bastard son of Rhaegar," Tyrion told him.

"Go on," Jon urged, still not understanding him. What did this have to do with the Wall?

"She didn't believe him at first but he produced a letter," Tyrion continued.

"And?" Jon asked, irritated at his pauses.

"It was written by Ned Stark," Tyrion said.

"My father?" he breathed.

"Apparently not," Tyrion said sadly, looking Jon directly in the eyes.

Jon stared at him for a moment and Tyrion could see the pieces beginning to slot together, Jon's face paling to the extent that it almost turned grey. Before Tyrion could think of any words Jon was up and furious, throwing his cup of wine against the wall, the red trickling ominously down the stones.

"Jon …" he began, not sure what he would say.

"Who was she?!" Jon roared out suddenly, making Tyrion jump slightly.

"If you would just sit down and …" he tried.

"No!" Jon shouted, slamming his fists against the table, "Enough lies! Who was my mother?!"

"Lyanna Stark," Tyrion told him quietly and Jon sank back into his chair.

"He raped her …" he whispered, shaking his head.

"No Jon," Tyrion said firmly, "that story was a great lie … she went with Rhaegar willingly"

"Tell me," Jon said, his voice low and cold as he tried to calm his temper.

Ghost whined at him softly then and he dropped his head into his hands. Why had he come? Why had he told him this? He had always wanted to know who his mother was but now he did he wished with everything he had that he could go back to not knowing. His whole life had been one big lie. One terrible secret.

"She ran away with him, she fell in love with him and him with her," Tyrion started.

"Then why was there a war?!" Jon demanded.

"Robert was furious, you know the stories," Tyrion said, shaking his head.

"Apparently not all of them," Jon spat.

"Ned found Lyanna dying, with you in her arms, she made him promise to protect you," he said quietly.

"That was in the letter?" Jon questioned.

"Yes," Tyrion confirmed, "Ned sent it to Howland Reed before he died"

"And he took it to Daenerys … why?" Jon questioned.

"He came here but you were gone north of the Wall," Tyrion explained.

"He could have left it … waited for me!" Jon's temper was rising again now.

"He is very ill, near death, he sought her out, not wanting to leave it with others," Tyrion told him.

"What does she want from me?" Jon asked.

"She wants to meet you," he told him.

"Does she mean to kill me?" Jon questioned and Tyrion smiled slightly.

"No," he assured him, "I believe she means to marry you."

Elissa giggled as Robb dangled the raspberry above her as she lazed in the middle of the bed, he had insisted she stay there while he went to fetch her something to eat and she had done as she was told. He had insisted on feeding her then and their game had turned rather quickly into passion and now they were both lounging bare on top of the covers, Robb insisting she finish her breakfast. It touched her that he had remembered about the raspberries, she hadn't told him that she was craving them again, somehow he just knew and that fact had a wide smile spreading across her face.

"I could get used to dining like this," Elissa teased and Robb grinned at her.

"Could you now?" he breathed huskily.

"Yes indeed, it's rather enjoyable," she giggled.

"I cannot disagree," he said, bending his head to capture her lips again.

"Do we have time for this?" she asked him, running a hand through his hair after a moment.

"Probably not," he smirked.

"You have Ramsay to deal with today," she reminded him and he sighed heavily.

"I know," he almost groaned, rolling onto his back.

Ramsay should have been dead ages ago but his execution had been delayed due to the attack on the Wall and Edmure's injury. There was nothing stopping him now, the bastard would die by his sword at midday. He had told Theon and he had taken it rather well although his eyes had shone with apprehension, his hands shaking slightly. He wondered if Theon would watch. Robb thought it would do him good to see it but his mother wasn't so sure. He hadn't even asked Elissa what she thought, the last thing he needed was them arguing about Theon again. He didn't want to fight with her, especially with her being pregnant again, he wanted them to savour their bliss and keep her as calm and relaxed as possible.

"Do you want to go?" Ana asked Theon, stroking her hand through his hair as he lay in her lap.

"I don't know," he said honestly.

"It might help," she said softly.

"I don't ever want to see him again," Theon said angrily, his hand clenching in the silk of her dress.

"Then we can stay here," she soothed him, "I won't leave you alone"

"I don't want to be weak … I don't want him to win …" he said then and she stroked his hair again.

"He can't win, he will die today Theon for what he did to you," she promised him.

"Will you be with me?" he asked her then.

"You want to go?" she questioned, surprised at his change of heart.

"I can go if you're by my side," he said and her heart pounded.

"Of course I'll be with you," she assured him. Elissa wouldn't like it but Ana didn't care.

Sometimes she felt guilty about what she and Theon were doing. She knew they shouldn't be lovers; that a man and a woman shouldn't lay together unless they were married. But she couldn't help herself, she and Theon weren't like an ordinary couple. She hadn't given him her honour; that had been stripped from her long ago. She had trusted him, trusted him to show her what it was to make love, to join with someone completely and consensually. She supposed she loved him. It felt that way when they were together. Not just when they were abed but always, even if they were just sat together and talking as they were now. Elissa would never understand though and Ana could never let her find out. She knew what she was doing with Theon was reckless but she couldn't help herself, he had fixed her broken soul and given her reason to open her eyes every morning. He was the smile on her face and the skip in her heart when she thought of him. He meant everything.

Jon had been awake all night. Tyrion had drank himself into a stupor and passed out on his bed so he couldn't have used it even if he'd wanted to. It was madness what Tyrion had told him, complete and utter madness. Part of him had wanted to tell him to go back to Daenerys and tell her to shove it. He couldn't though, she had dragons and an army and his brother claimed one of the Kingdom's she was seeking to reclaim as his own. Only, Robb wasn't his brother now Jon remembered with a jolt. That hurt. That hurt the most. He loved his siblings, his cousins he supposed they were now. How would they take it? Could they understand?

He couldn't face telling them yet, he didn't want to see the hurt and confusion in their eyes when he told them who he really was. What he really was. He shuddered then. It was no good, he would have to go with Tyrion and meet this Targaryen woman for his own sanity as well as Robb's safety. If she really did want to marry him then surely he would be able to convince her to leave Robb and his family alone? They were all kin now after all. Through him. He clenched his fists then and rose out of his chair. Brooding like this was doing him no good, he had to get going, he had to see her and get some more answers. Then maybe just maybe he would have a clue what he was going to do. He sighed irritably at Tyrion then before kicking him awake slightly harder than was necessary.

Tyrion groaned then and stretched himself up, his head was pounding and his mouth tasted like the floor of a brothel. What in the name of the Gods did Northmen put in their wine?

"We're leaving," Jon said.

"So soon? The sun's barely up," Tyrion moaned.

"I have to go now, before anyone can talk me out of it," Jon snarled.

"Where?" he asked.

"I want to see her," Jon said firmly, "I want to see Daenerys."

Elissa hadn't come out to watch Ramsay's execution and Ana felt instantly more at ease as she stood at Theon's side. She was going to find it hard enough to comfort him in public as it was without her sister glaring daggers from across the courtyard. Theon seemed calm so far but she saw him flinch slightly when the doors of the prison opened and the guards began to file out, Ramsay in chains in the midst of them. Robb stepped forward to stand in front of the block then, a great-sword in his hands that he only ever used for beheadings. It was too heavy for him to use in battle, his shoulder wouldn't tolerate the weight.

Theon swallowed hard as Ramsay looked up and caught his eye, a ghost of a sneer on his lips that had his hands shaking again. He clenched his fists, he didn't want to look weak, not here and not now and not with Ana by his side. Ramsay looked to her then, a hungry look in his eyes as they raked over her and Theon instantly wanted to pull her behind him, to shield her from that gaze. She took his hand then before he could and laced her fingers through his, squeezing lightly in a reassuring manner. He thanked the Gods she was there, he would never have been able to stand there without her, his knees were almost buckling as it was. Robb stepped closer again then as Ramsay was forced to his knees in front of the block, Theon felt sick, even though he was seconds from death Ramsay was still staring at him and Ana, he was still managing to torment him – that mocking smile on his face.

"I, Robb Stark, Lord of Winterfell and King in the North sentence you to die, do you have any final words?" Robb asked then, his tone cold.

Ramsay lifted his head then and looked right at Theon with a maniacal grin on his face.

"You'll never forget me," he said clearly, his eyes not leaving Theon's, "never," he promised.

Robb saw Theon pale and nodded to the guards to push Ramsay down onto the block. He swung the sword then and the blow fell cleanly. Bolton's bastard was no more. He looked to Theon then and saw him in Ana's arms, his hands fisted in the silk of her dress as her own hands came around his neck, one hand stroking at his hair in a soothing fashion. The sight took him right back to the night he found out about his father, the night that Elissa had comforted him, the first night he had really made love to her. His stomach clenched then as he continued watching them. It was too easy the way they held one another, as though this was not the first time at all.

He bit his lip as the guards disposed of Ramsay's body, one of them coming forward to take his sword from him. He muttered his thanks, his mind still racing with thoughts of Theon and Ana. He knew they were close, that they spent time together and likely confided in one another. Theon always seemed calmer when he had spent time with Ana and her eyes sparkled in a way he had only ever seen once before when he and Elissa had arrived back at the Twins, before all the horror of the wedding and what she had had to endure. If there was something more between them though Robb knew that it couldn't end well. If Elissa found out, if she so much as suspected a thing then she would demand Theon's head. She wouldn't tolerate it he knew that well enough. He sighed then as he saw Ana supporting Theon back into the keep. He supposed he would just have to keep quiet and hope that he was wrong.

"How far away is she?" Jon asked as he and Theon rode towards where his guard had been waiting.

"Three days," Tyrion told him, "they might just blindfold you when we get nearer though"

"Suspicious is she?" Jon questioned.

"Extremely," Tyrion confirmed, "but can you really blame her?"

"No … I suppose I can't," Jon sighed.

He didn't know much of Daenerys Targaryen, only that her mother died giving birth to her at Dragonstone and that she and her brother Viserys were shipped off across the Narrow Sea. Her brother had been mad so Tyrion had told him and Daenerys' late husband had had him killed. He wondered how that had made her feel, her husband murdering her brother. Her husband was dead now, and her son. Jon felt a pang of pity for her, she was younger even than him and had suffered more than anyone should ever suffer. He wondered if she really did want to marry him, if she was doing it to eliminate him as a possible threat or to make her own claim stronger.

He would have to agree to it first he thought, smiling wryly to himself. Tyrion had told him that she was a true Targaryen, with silver blonde hair and violet eyes – a real beauty. Jon's stomach twisted then as he thought of the blonde that usually haunted his dreams, he wondered if Daenerys could drive her out. He didn't want to think of Elissa anymore, she was Robb's wife and he had only just managed to make his peace with him. He wanted the feelings he had for her to go, he didn't want to be in love with her anymore, she wasn't his to love. She never had been. She had always been Robb's and she would always be Robb's. He shook his head then and tried to rid himself of the image of her, of her beautiful wide eyes and her perfect smile.

"Who is she?" Tyrion asked.

"Who?" Jon questioned, his brow furrowing.

"Only a woman can make a man look that conflicted," Tyrion said knowingly.

"It doesn't matter," Jon said dismissively.

"Aah … she is unattainable," he nodded in understanding.

"Unattainable, unbelievable, unforgettable …" Jon tailed off.

"She sounds like quite the prize," he commented.

"She is," Jon agreed bitterly, "Robb's prize."

A/N: There you have it!

Thoughts?

More tomorrow!

:)