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Here goes!
Bravos, House of Black and White
The boy stared at the black and white door, not feeling secure if this is the right thing.
As the youngest of the group, this task may be considered the most challenging for his age. Then again, his mother was way younger than him when she did it. He wished that it is his cousins who would do this as they have a better proof than him, although their attacks on the Golden Company may help in his explanation.
His brown direwolf licked his hand, giving him the comfort, he needed. He looked down at his companion and scratched his ears, "Thank you, girl."
Here goes. He knocked on door, "Anyone home?" he waited for a while, nothing. He turned to the direwolf, "Go home, Winter. Get back to the temple", he commanded her. The wolf looked at him, she licked his hand one last time before turning and padded away.
Leaving him alone.
The boy sighed, he knocked the door harder again, "Hellooooo, I need to speak with you people! It's important!", he is losing his patience. His cousins are on the other side fighting, Jon is now gone thanks to the update from the Red Priest, he must do something. He must help Westeros, it's now or never. Cersei Lannister must die, and the only way to ensure everyone's safety is to have these cult cooperate.
There was a click sound at the other side of the door, and it opened. The door revealed an old man, looking rather wary at him. But the boy of five and ten did not care, he is running out of time and patience.
He pulled out his tomahawk swiftly from his belt and held it close to his neck, the old man's eyes widened in fear. The boy sighed as he held his axe firmly, "Sorry, I was told you people are hard to cooperate. But the world is at stake and I'm losing my patience."
"A man will put down his weapon down", he heard someone behind him say. The boy turned back to see a hooded figure, for a moment he thought it was his cousin. However, the figure's face is older with a long hair. He looked serious.
The boy has a slight note of who he really is and is smart enough to obey. He lowered his weapon and turned to him, "You are No one, correct?"
The man lowered his hood, "A boy knows his sources."
He huffed, "My mother was your student," he quickly counts the time when that was, but it's not easy to get the precise moment, it was rough, "Not too long ago." The man stayed silent, so he add again, "she walked scott-free from your little test and killed your waif."
The man blinked, "A girl wasn't pregnant that time."
"She will be," he quickly said, "Few years from now."
He walked closer to him and studied the boy's face, "A boy looks familiar."
"I am…her son," he gritted his teeth saying it, felt the bitter bile in him, but he had to face the truth, "I am from a future."
No one scoffed, "A boy is lying."
"If you don't believe me, bring me inside and test me", he challenged him. At this point, the stag in him is ready to charge. "If you think I am not telling the truth, you can do whatever you want with me. But if I am, you do exactly what I need you to do."
He stared at him with an expression that is hard to tell, "A boy is confident."
"Because I am," he said.
"Who exactly are you?"
"Robb Baratheon," he answered, "Son of Gendry Baratheon and…" he sighed and lowered his gaze, "Arya Stark".
The man stared at him for a while. He then nodded at the old man then back at the boy, "Come inside".
Robb nodded, his heart sored at the success. Wait for me, Rhaegar, Lya. I'm coming, he silently said.
Volantis
"It seems that history has altered already," Lady Kinvara said to the young man. After receiving a message from her other fellow priest about the demise of Job Tarlly, Jared began to worry about Westeros, thus he began packing his bags. "Though I am certain your friends can handle this."
"Forgive me, my lady. But there has been no news from Rhaegar or Lyanna on what's going on there, they need all the help they can get," Jared frantically said as he packed his clothing and bagged a few dragons, "This is our chance to change the future, and I'm not going to risk another failure."
Lady Olenna, who has been watching the young man worrying decided to give her thoughts, "Exactly what happened there?"
"We received a message from my fellow friend that one of their companions from the future has vanished because his present self passed in Westeros has passed for an unknown reason," Kinvara answered.
"And that is why I must go," Jared concluded as he tied the knot of his sack and flung it onto his shoulder before turning to the red priestess, "My Lady, do you have any signs where Rhaegar and Lyanna are?"
Lady Kinvara sighed, "From my tellings, the twins are at Westeros in the North. From what I saw, they just finished a battle after Winterfell was ambushed."
"Ambushed? From the Lions?"
She nodded, "It appeared so, a Kraken marched North under the command of the lion.
Jared placed his finger on his chin, "From what I know, Her Grace was ambushed at Dragon Stone by the Kraken. Why would Euron march North?"
"As planned, the twins were North's main priority. Thus, delaying Daenarys Targaryen's march back to Dragon Stone," Lady Kinvara gave him a piece.
"Which means that Cersei lost her patience on waiting," Jared concluded.
"Hah!" Olenna chimed in, "I knew that good for nothing queen was never into waiting, and now she served her price."
"We still need to be careful though," Jared said, then he turned to Kinvara, "My Lady, are there any signs that the enemy could be at Dragon Stone. If Euron marched North, then there is a chance that they could also set a trap there."
"Hmmm, I can't deny that there was a negative aura at that place. However, I could not see it clearly," Lady Kinvara said, "What I do know is that the presence did not belong to your twin friends or her parents, you may be in need there."
Jared nodded, "Then I shall head there, thank you for your hospitality, my Lady. It is certainly much obliged."
As much as Lady Kinvara wanted to protest, she feared that he may be right. So, she nodded, "I shall guard the Lady of Highgarden and the daughter of Reed in your steed."
"Thank you, my lady," at that, he marched to the door and walked out.
As he walked out of the temple, another figure was leaning at the door. Jared squinted his eyes to see who it was, as he got closer, it was Ser Jon Connington. He had his arms crossed, sword and armor ready, and looking at his direction. "You didn't think that you would go alone, did you?"
Jared kept walking, "I just wanted to help them."
"Good, so do I," the exiled knight said.
"Try to keep up old man," he sneered and both warriors jogged their way to the stables. Mounting them, they reared up to the port. Heading for home.
Winterfell, Prison
"Both Jons are gone?" Jon recited.
Lya nodded, still trembling in her mother's arms, "Jon is….is the child of your friend Samwell. Their second child. We became friends when we were at the Neck."
"They really named him after me," Jon whispered.
"Yes, papa," she croaked, "He….he's the best of all of us."
The daughter of the wolf and dragon felt her mother's hand rubbing her arm gently, "My sweetling, if I may ask, how many of you came here?" The Mother of Dragons asked, "If your companions are still out there somewhere, then we can reach out to them and prevent what had happened to …Jon."
"I quite agree, princess," Ser Davos said as he got closer to them, "If your friends are still out there, and seeing that one of your friend happened to be someone we indirectly know, I believe it's best we know who they are in this time."
Lya nodded, there is no turning back on this. She and her brother really wanted to share this when they meet them face to face, for they didn't feel like it is their right to tell. Especially Robb. She sighed, "Thank you, Ser Davos. For now, our friends are at Essos. But their current selves, their parents, are here at Winterfell."
The three of them knitted their eyebrows, "What do you mean?"
She sighed, Here goes. Forgive me Robb, Jared. It's for the best, "Excluding the dragons, Grey Wind, and Torrhen, we came here with three other people. One, as you already know, is Jon Taryll," Lya can see her father twitched at the mention of his best friend's surname, "The other two…well….." she trailed off.
"Yes, Lya?" her mother tried to make her speak, "Go on, it's alright."
"Please, whatever we spoke here, please keep it to ourselves until the day we all can meet them," she warned them first before continuing, for they all agreed before that this is not their right. But the situation is dire, "Swear it."
The three of them looked at one another before nodding. Her father opened his mouth, "Alright, we swear it."
"I do too, princess," Ser Davos said.
"So do I," Dany said.
Lya smiled, she gathered all her thoughts, "Muna, Papa, Ser Davos. Our companions, their parents are someone you work with, currently. One of them is with works for Lady Sansa, and one of them…..is your cousin."
Jon, Dany, and Ser Davos blinked, processing what she told them. Ser Davos spoke first, "One of them must be Ser Brienne then? That was why you both wanted to meet her so badly, and why your brother is storming off to see her, am I right?"
He really is sharp, Lya thought. No wonder her father wanted him as his Hand, hopefully, he would still want to. She nodded, but she didn't say anything yet. Wanting him to crack the clue himself.
But it was her mother who thought about it first, "Wait, Ser Davos, you told us Ser Brienne is currently unavailable because of her illness."
"Aye, Your Grace," Jon's Hand replied, "She had been feeling rather nausea and vomiting as of late, so we…." He began to trail off before his eyes widened, realizing something. He then turned to Lya with wild eyes, "Wait, does that mean that she could be…."
"Yes, Ser Davos," Lya finally answered, "All her symptoms are showing according to your description, I don't know if she is aware though, but I suspect that she does. Ser Brienne carries a friend of ours who came with us, Jared Stone, the son of Ser Brienne, he is around our age as well."
"Ser Brienne is pregnant?" Her father finally said, cracking the mystery.
Lya nodded, "Yes, papa."
"And your friend Jared…. She's carrying him now?"
She nodded again, "According to when he was born, it suits the time here."
"Who is the father?" Jon asked.
But Lya didn't say anything at first, instead, she turned away. She really is uncomfortable revealing all this to their parents. She sighed, "Ser Brienne defended a man before the battle with the Night King, before we came. Didn't she?"
Dany nodded, "Yes, the Kingslayer."
Lya fell silent again, staring at her mother's violet eyes. She didn't go any further to answer yet, letting all three figure things out.
Ser Davos gasped, "Ser Jaime? He is the father?"
She ducked her head and nodded slowly, "Apparently, their son is one of our best friends as well." she weakly said, rubbing her arm. Her and Rhaegar never discussed this part, the fact that they are friends with the son of their grandfather's murderer.
As if reading her mind, her mother held her tighter, "My sweetling, it's alright. If he is your best friend, I am sure he is a good person. I would love to meet him soon," Lya looked at Dany, who have the sweetest smile like in her childhood. The smile that made her fears go away, oh how I missed you so much, Muna. Lya buried her face on her mother's shoulder and sighed.
"Hmmm, a Lannister working with the dragonwolves, what a time to be alive," Ser Davo commented proudly, "Now that we know one of your companions is safe with us, what of the other?"
Lya looked up to him, sorry Robb. She sighed, "The other, he is three years younger than us, five and ten. He….," she stuttered for a while, gathering her courage to speak, "He is a wolf, our cousin."
"A wolf?" Jon asked, "Sansa's?" He guessed.
She shook her head, but still didn't say anything. She lets him think by himself first, cracking the mystery of the other Stark member who came with her. After a while, her father froze, seems to have thought of something, "No….Arya?"
This will be a long night, Robb will not like it when I say this, "Yes, father," she finally said, "The other person who came with us is Robb Baratheon, Son of Gendry Baratheon and….." she sighed again, "Arya Stark. Robb Baratheon is our youngest cousin, who is now here at Volantis, and probably, still an egg inside Aunt Arya's womb."
Rhaegar sighed as he stood in front of the guest door. After getting a bit lost in the castle, here he is. He had to ask for directions from the servants working there. At first they were reluctant to tell him such information, however, Rhaegar has a gift of charming females apparently. It wasn't hard for him to get the information he wants by sweet talking with them.
And thus, here he is. Here goes, he thought. He had lost a friend, there is no way he is going to risk another loss…. Not when the second Long Night is upon them.
He knocked on the door softly, waiting. But there were no answers, just silence. He knocked again, a little louder. Still no answers.
He sighed, "Excuse me, Ser Brienne, I need to talk to you. It's an urgent matter," he said as gentle as possible as he knocked again.
At that, the door clicked open, revealing to be his friend's mother. She looked tired, hair tousled, there are shadows under her eyes, and she is wearing a night gown. Not to mention, this woman is a few inches taller than him, no wonder Jared too is so tall. She also has blue eyes, just like Jared.
"What do you want, boy?" Ser Brienne scowled.
"Ser Brienne, I…emm….," he stuttered, he haven't thought this far when coming here. All he wanted to know is if his infant friend is safe. And from the looks of it, his mother is not exactly is. If anything happened to the mother, the child can be affected, he had to do something. "How are you today?"
"Get lost, boy," she scowled, "I'm in no mood to talk to you." She pushed the door to close it.
Rhaegar reacted fast and held the door with his arm before it is about to shut, "No wait, I need to talk to you."
"As you can see, I am fine here boy," she retorted, trying to close the door again.
But he isn't allowing her to, "No, it's not about you I am asking."
"Then you come to the wrong place," she spat, "Scram!"
"No please, I know about your child," he finally said softly, enough for only her to hear.
The struggle to keep the door closed stopped, he looked up to see Ser Brienne's blue eyes widen. He too stopped pushing the door, and pulled himself away from it, "Ser Brienne, may we speak for a while? Just a few minutes, then I'll leave."
Her blue eyes squinted, "You are the one they were looking for. The boy from the future and the child of…."
"Shhh," he hushed her, "Best keep your voice low about this, but yes, I am."
She poked her head out the door to scan the area, checking for any other souls around them. Rhaegar has already checked the area and found no one, even if there is, he made sure he spoke softly at her radius. She then opened the door wider for him, "Come in."
He nodded and stepped inside the chambers. The room isn't big but not too small as well, it's welcoming though. There is a candle with its fire glowing lightly, a hearth with a crackling fire and a medium-sized bed. Her armors and bag laid neatly on the table. But Rhaegar's violet eyes were more interested in the bucket near the bed, he peeked inside and found that it's rather empty. She hasn't vomited yet it seems.
Ser Brienne sat on the edge of the bed, looking at him. Rhaegar took a chair nearby and sat, leaning his body forward to her.
The air is chilly, not helping the mood. He shifted uncomfortably, "How far along are you?" he asked.
"I suppose…almost three months," she confessed.
"Did you tell anybody about this?"
She shook her head. Understandable. After all, she is a knight. She can't risk losing her position or shaming herself.
"I see," he hummed, "And how are you feeling?" she didn't answer, as if unsure how to answer, "Please, I haven't told anyone of your condition. But I need to know whether you are fine or not. I want to help you, and I know I can."
"Well, how do you think I feel now?" she answered rather harshly this time, "I didn't know I was with child until I found the symptoms are all there, his father is someone that both the North and the Queen herself despised. My bump is growing, and we are rather in a dire situation, are we?"
"I…I didn't…" he stuttered, but seeing that she can get this energy to get angry, then it seems she's more than alright and safe, "I am sorry, Ser Brienne." He ducked his head, he had dealt with women before, but the emotion of pregnant women is something he had never experienced before. He tries to be as genuine as possible, "But I can tell you that your son is my best friend. Our best friend."
As he said that, the tension of the room seems to turn warm. He looked up to see her face rather falling, the face of awe instead. She ghosted a hand on her abdomen, the way Muna always did. He wondered how different it felt with Muna's stomach and hers, since Jared is moons younger than him.
She shifted where she sits, "I take it that you and your sister didn't come here alone? And that my….son…is one of your companions?"
He nodded, clasping his hand together, "Aye, he is currently…well….out of Westeros, as far as I know. He should be at Volantis by now, but since we are a bit late, something tells me that he might come down here." He smiled a bit, knowing Jared, he was a serious type of person, sort of a perfectionist like Jon. If something doesn't feel right, he won't hesitate to find out, which is why sometimes he can be annoying. "I think you would be proud of him, he is someone I could rely on. Someone who would have your back."
Her gaze softens after he said that, she looks relaxed. "I see," she hummed, "What did I name him?"
"Jared," he answered, "Jared Stone."
She widened as he said his last name, "He…I never married? To 'him'?"
He sighed, lowering his gaze. This is really something that he has no right to talk about, this is really not his story. Now, he wished Jared joined them to Westeros. But, the situation is really dire. He just lost a friend, he can't lose another. "In our time, he died from…... a battle." He didn't elaborate much further, he's not sure how she will react if she knows that Jaime Lannister left Ser Brienne to be with his mad sister. "Jared was born after that happened, and before you both get married."
He can see that she was trying to process the information, looking down and sighing. He can't blame her, "I suppose, he didn't know that I was with child."
He shook his head, "Are you going to tell him?"
"I have to in the end, right?" she said, "I just don't know how to tell him."
Rhaegar nodded, "I understand, but I suppose it'd be better for him to know before your son comes to meet you and Ser Jaime." She didn't respond to what he said, so he switched his tactic, "Ser Brienne, I'll help you. You can count on me, your secret is safe with me, but Ser Jaime has to know."
The tall woman gave him a weak smile, "Thank you….ermm…"
"Rhaegar," he said, "I'm no prince yet in this timeline, but I don't think anyone knows yet besides the closest people at the top. So, we both have secrets."
"I see," she said, "Thank you for telling me, Rhaegar."
He smiled, "It's the least I can do to help you and my friend. Do you want me to be with you when you have to tell Ser Jaime?" he offered.
"No, I need to tell him on my own."
"It's fine you know, I can tell when my parents were told about us, they were with a few people as well. Otherwise, Aunt Arya wouldn't go so far to look for us," he joked a bit, trying to lose the serious tension.
She chuckled, "Yes, they were. I was there."
"Good," he said, then he stood up, "Alright, I'll leave you to rest a bit. Do tell me if you need anything, I'm no Maester, but I have helped them in the past."
"Thank you, Rhaegar," Ser Brienne gave him a genuine smile.
"Your welcome, Ser. Have a good rest, I'll see you in a bit," He said before turning to the door and left.
When the door shuts, he sighed. That takes care of one problem….now what? He wondered whether he must go back to Lya and his parents, by now, his sister must be explaining why he had stormed off just like that. As much as he hates to tell who his companions are, he knew that he can't keep this information forever. And he had guessed that he might have been the one who needs to explain.
Just as he was about to take a step, he felt a sudden pull. Something telling him to go to the upper floor. Rhaegar, he heard a voice, a male's voice calling to him. The same voice in his last vision telling him and his sister to come back.
He was suddenly given a vision to where he was supposed to go. There, he is in a room with a hearth filled with fire, a young man sitting on a wheelchair, staring at the flame. He then turned to him, his face is unreadable, I'd like to speak with you.
And then he was thrown back to reality. Rhaegar processed what he just saw, his uncle…. the Three-Eyed Raven wants to have a word with him. He knows his next approach now, to unite everyone, to earn more armies for his parents.
As silent as a shadow, he jogged up the stairs, heading to the room of Brandon Stark.
Whilst his son is checking up on Ser Brienne, his daughter, Dany, and Ser Davos left the cells. They are now on the grounds, trying to process the information she gave them.
Her wolf and Ghost appeared from a corner and padded towards their masters, taking their place beside them. But Ghost sat next to Dany as if knowing that he must protect his master's unborn children. His fiancé scratched the direwolf's ear and smiled.
His daughter's wolf sat next to Lya, as if trying to comfort her. She too scratched his ears, but Jon knew that it didn't look like she had enough comfort after hearing what happened to her best friend.
He wrapped an arm around her, soothing his daughter, "I am sorry, Lya. If only I convinced them to stay, none of this would've happened."
She shook her head, "We could never know what could've happened. What's done is done, Jon wouldn't want us to grieve."
He gave her a weak smile, "That sounds very much like what Sam would've wanted."
Lya rubbed her arm and sighed, "I suppose now, we just have to wait what Rhaegar found." Dany noticed her discomfort and wrapped an arm around hers, their daughter obliged and held hers, like a child hiding from strangers. Jon guessed she and her twin brother had been depending on each other for their entire childhood.
Rhaegar, Jon has never seen him so furious at him. His own father. He will never forget the glare he gave him before he dashed out to see Ser Brienne, the anger and pain in him was palpable. He truly is a dragon, their son.
And that became a reminder for him. Jon knew that he wasn't a good father for them both, or a good husband for Dany. Why else would their children come here? He had to do something for them, for his family, for the realm.
From afar, a roar could be heard. One of the dragons might be up to something.
Dragons.
This snapped Jon's mind, he turned to his daughter, "Lya, you said that there are dragon eggs at Castle Black."
Lya blinked, "Yes, we told you yesterday."
"There are three of them, but one couldn't hatch because they are mine."
She nodded.
And at that, he believed that his path is clear. "Lya, can you take me to Castle Black?"
She quirked an eyebrow up, the same way her mother does, "Like now?"
"Aye, I want to meet the dragons that my father gave me," he said with full of certainty. He can't let his family down, he has a duty as a leader, and as king.
As on cue, Dan approached him, "I shall go with you, I want to see the eggs as well," she said. He was about to protest about his condition, but she held her hand up, "Before you tell me of my condition, I can tell you that I am perfectly capable of flying. I am pregnant, but not fragile. We are just going there to fetch your children and back to Winterfell, not fighting an army."
"She has a point though, My Lord," Ser Davos chimed in, "Her Grace has taken care of dragon eggs long ago, and she might be able to give you some insights."
"And you get to see the place where Grand Uncle Aemon once stayed," Lya pointed out.
Jon smiled, "Alright, we should go now."
"Don't you want to wait for Rhaegar?" Dany asked him.
He sighed and looked to the castle entrance where his son may have gone to, "From the looks of it, it doesn't look like he wants to meet me yet. Not after knowing that his…their friend has perished."
"Rhaegar can be harsh sometimes," his daughter said, "But he means well."
He can see that their twins are truly opposite to one another. Two sides of the same coin, taking care of one another. Jon then turned to his daughter, "I want to see the eggs that are meant for me, and I want to see them now, Lya. But let's go with one of your dragons, we don't want to attract too much attention."
Spoken like a true King, Lya thought, this is the father she knew she would see soon. The true king of Westeros, ruling beside their mother. She then bowed, "As you command, My Lord."
Then she looked to the skies and her eyes turned to slits, Daenys, Māzigon naejot nyke (Come to me).
I hope this isn't too short, but I didn't want it to be too long as well. There was supposed to be two parts, but I thought that it may not fit. Let me know what you think!
Aaaand it's midnight, I'll reply tomorrow.
Stay safe!
Claire