House Icefyre
Dragonstone – 299 A.L.
One hour later…
Jon watched as Robb and Wynafred shared a dance to the slow music keeping their eyes on each other.
"She will make a fine Queen" thought Jon as he watched the couple dance for several seconds before returning his gaze to the table.
Minisa and Sansa had left the table half an hour ago to find dance partners of their own as had most of the other Northerners while Jon had been asked to return to the table and keep watch over his younger cousins.
Now instead of enjoying himself, he was stuck at the table keeping an eye on Arya, Bran, Melaro and Edric who were too young to enjoy the dancing instead sitting together deep in conversation.
"What good fun this is" thought Jon sarcastically as he sipped his ale.
He was so deep in thought that he did not see someone move in front of him.
"Brooding at feasts is not a good way to show gratitude to your hosts" said the female voice.
Jon looked up to see Daenerys stood in front of him with a flat look on her face and a half full glass of Pentoshi Red Wine in her hand.
Jon quickly composed himself.
"Princess… how can I be of service?" said Jon quickly with a hint of nervousness.
Daenerys tucked some of her hair behind her ear.
"If you want to be of service… you could look more cheerful and honour me with a dance" said Daenerys in a slightly teasing voice.
Jon glanced at his Cousins who were all now laughing with each other and sighed.
"Unfortunately I cannot Princess… I have to stay here and look after this lot" said Jon.
Daenerys remained silent for a few moments before taking a seat next to him.
"Then you can grace me with your company at least" said Daenerys kindly.
Jon slowly nodded still feeling slightly nervous about sitting next to her.
"I never got your name" said Daenerys as she finished her wine.
Jon picked up a pitcher of wine from the table and started to refill her glass.
"Its Jon Stark Princess… though I would prefer it if you called me just Jon" said Jon as he finished refilling her glass.
"Thank you… and please, call me Daenerys, you need not call me Princess every time you wish to address me" said Daenerys as she took a sip of her wine.
Jon nodded.
"As you wish… Daenerys" said Jon kindly.
The two chinked glasses and took a sip each before Daenerys straightened up.
"So… just Jon Stark then… not Prince Jon?" said Daenerys testily.
Jon sighed and shook his head.
"No… just a simple Lord" said Jon.
Daenerys raised her eyebrow at him for a brief moment before smirking.
"If I were a vain girl I would say you have good eyes… trying to catch my eye from across the hall more than once, I must be beautiful in your eyes" said Daenerys teasingly.
Jon gulped slightly.
"My apologies… if you felt uncomfortable" said Jon nervously.
Daenerys smiled.
"Thank you… but I do not recall asking you for an apology" said Daenerys teasingly.
Jon felt his cheeks turn slightly red.
"Do you apologise to every beautiful young maiden or Princess who catches you looking at them, or just me?" said Daenerys amusedly.
Jon gulped slightly.
"Just you" said Jon nervously.
Daenerys smiled and placed her hand on top of his tenderly for a few moments.
"So… am I beautiful to you?" said Daenerys softly.
Jon turned slightly red and nodded.
"Yes" said Jon nervously.
Daenerys smiled before placing her hand on top of his once again.
"Your very sweet… but I am afraid I must deprive you of my company, I have other guests I must attend too" said Daenerys softly.
Jon sipped his ale as she stood up.
"I do hope that you will grace me with your company again soon" said Daenerys softly.
"I would be happy to do so" said Jon.
Daenerys smiled and curtsied to him before saying goodbye to him and walking away.
Jon watched her walk away towards the crowd before managing a small smile as she glanced back at him with a warm smile.
"Maybe sitting here was not so bad after all" thought Jon as he finished his ale.
The next morning…
Jon followed Paladin Ryswell into the tent he was sharing with the other Wolfsguard for use whenever they were not on duty.
The only other people in the tent were Paladin Ethan Glover and Paladin Donnel Locke both of whom were cleaning and polishing their armour.
Jon watched as Paladin Ryswell opened one the chests next to his makeshift bed before placing a large breast plate on the bed.
As Jon slowly walked closer to Paladin Ryswell he got a good look at the armour what the man was placing on his bed.
The full plate armour was made of steel that was very light grey in colour along with a grey ankle length, sleeveless tunic that had a large white Direwolf head sewn into its chest to go on top of the armour.
Once Paladin Ryswell had placed all of the armour on the bed he turned to Jon.
"Go ahead… try it on" said Paladin Ryswell.
Jon looked at him in slight shock.
"This is mine?" said Jon in shock.
"It was your Father's old armour… your Uncle gave it to me, and I had it resized to fit you" said Paladin Ryswell.
Jon looked at the armour in shock glancing back and forth at Paladin Ryswell who nodded.
"Go on Jon… Donnel, Ethan, help him get into his armour" said Paladin Ryswell.
Paladin Locke stopped cleaning his armour and walked over to them.
"Give up staring at it and get over here" said Paladin Locke.
Jon stepped away from the bed slightly as Paladin Glover got him some chainmail while Paladin Locke picked the breastplate up in both hands.
Fifteen minutes later…
Paladin's Locke and Glover stepped away from Jon after they had finished tying the straps on the thinner armour plates on his arms which were designed to be more agile and mobile in battle while the tunic was parted below the waist so it did not impede his movement.
They waited for Jon to put his light grey steel lined gloves on both hands which allowed for good grip on weapons as well as protecting the tops of his hands.
Jon was now covered from the neck down in his Father's light grey steel plate armour which started with his rear neck guard at the top of his neck and ended with his armoured boots while his black tunic covered his entire chest down to his kneecaps.
He felt a sense of pride knowing that he was wearing his Father's old armour as Paladin Ryswell handed a dyed white coloured snarling Direwolf head shaped helm to him.
"Your Uncle gave the armour to me four moons ago when I approached him about having some new armour made for you" said Paladin Ryswell as Jon placed the helm on his head and raised the visor revealing his face.
Jon looked down at the armour with an approving look on his face.
"Now that you have some armour… you can enter the joust" said Paladin Ryswell.
Jon sighed.
"My Uncle says jousting is a fools game… he said most knights do not know what a real fight is" said Jon flatly.
Paladin Ryswell snorted.
"That does not mean he will discourage you from entering if you wish to do so… you should enter, prove your worth as a rider… and a Valyrian Steel sword is something most men can only dream of owning" said Paladin Ryswell.
Jon sighed.
"Even if my Uncle said yes… the Queen would never let me enter, she would not want me to outshine Robb" said Jon distastefully.
He glanced at Paladins Glover and Locke who did not react to his words.
"If your Uncle allows you to enter… then the Queen cannot stop you, I know Prince Robb will be entering the joust as well" said Paladin Ryswell.
Jon removed his helm and placed it on the bed.
Paladin Ryswell placed his hand on Jon's shoulder.
"If you want to prove yourself and make a name for yourself Jon… then you need to look at things like this, even if they are silly jousts… and take them" said Paladin Ryswell.
Jon glanced at him and nodded.
"Lets get this armour off then… Ethan and Donnel can carry it back to your chambers" said Paladin Ryswell.
Jon started to untie the straps on his armour with help from Paladin Ryswell.
It took them nearly twenty minutes to remove Jon's armour and chainmail before they set off across the island towards the castle with Paladins Locke and Glover carrying a chest containing Jon's armour.
As they walked towards the castle they saw several men setting up a wooden jousting arena complete with ten private viewing sections for the Royals and other important guests a short distance away from the campsite near the Glasstown.
Three hours later…
Jon was enjoying a hearty lunch of venison with the Starks and some of their Guests in the private dining chambers after a near two hour sword training session with some of the older Northern Boys under the supervision of Paladin's Ryswell and Locke.
"So Jon… Paladin Ryswell tells me you are considering entering the joust?" said Ned.
Jon glanced at him and nodded.
"I was thinking about it yes" said Jon flatly.
Robb patted him on the shoulder.
"Now we can finally see which one of us is the best" said Robb.
Jon nodded.
"But you did not bring any armour… they will not let you joust without it" said Catelyn flatly.
Jon turned to her and opened his mouth to speak.
"He has Brandon's old armour which will be suitable enough" said Ned quickly.
Catelyn pursed her lips.
"I am surprised you did not make him some new armour… if he even deserves it to begin with" said Catelyn muttering the last part.
Clearly Ned and some of the others heard her as some of them had disapproving or disappointed looks on their faces while Ned looked angry at her words.
"I am honoured to wear my Father's armour Your Grace… in a strange way it makes me feel like I have a part of him back here with me" said Jon.
"Do you expect to beat some of these Knights in the joust?" said Minisa in a strained voice.
"All of them have far more experience at this than you" said Sansa in a slightly haughty voice.
"Girls… show some support for your Cousin" warned Ned.
Jon sighed.
"I will simply do the best I can and see what happens" said Jon flatly.
With a tense atmosphere around the room everyone returned to their lunch in moderate silence.
Ten minutes later…
As Jon emptied his plate there was a knock at the door.
Ned glanced at Paladin Karstark who was stood by the door and nodded his head.
The Wolfsguard guarding the door was the only one on duty at this time with Ned having given the other Guards leave for an hour long lunch.
Paladin Karstark opened the door standing in front of the entrance blocking their view of whoever was at the door for a moment before turning his head to look at them.
"Princess Daenerys Targaryan Your Grace" said Paladin Karstark.
"Let her in" said Ned.
Paladin Karstark stepped to the side allowing Daenerys to walk into the room shadowed by her Half Brother Ser Aerion Fyre.
"Can I help you Princess Daenerys?" said Ned politely.
Daenerys took a few steps towards the table.
"Yes… I was wondering if Jon would like to join me on a tour of the castle" said Daenerys looking directly at Jon.
Jon felt a little stunned at her request as she had asked only for him and no one else.
"Could you come back in an hour Princess… when we have finished our lunch" said Catelyn.
"Nonsense… Jon has already finished his lunch, he can go with her" said Ned.
"But Ned… surely it would be fairer for all of the children to receive the tour… not just your Nephew" said Catelyn flatly.
"Princess Daenerys asked for Jon" said Ned sternly feeling a hint of annoyance at Catelyn's refusal to acknowledge Jon as her Nephew as well as his.
Jon turned to Ned who nodded his head to him.
"Thank you" said Jon.
He turned back to Daenerys and nodded.
"I would like that Princess" said Jon before he stood up.
Daenerys sent him a small smile before Jon walked over to her allowing her to take his arm.
Jon remained silent as he led Daenerys towards the door where Paladin Karstark handed Jon his sheathed sword.
Jon glanced at him causing Paladin Karstark to nod his head.
"Take it… all of our Guards are at the campsite" said Paladin Karstark ignoring the frosty look on Ser Aerion Fyre's face.
Jon led Daenerys out of the chambers where Paladin Karstark closed the door once Ser Aerion Fyre had followed them out.
"You do not need that" said Aerion Fyre.
Jon glanced at the Kingsguard as he fastened the sword to his waist.
"Forgive me but I do Ser… I have no Guards with me so I must have some way to protect myself" said Jon flatly.
Daenerys glared at her Half Brother before tightening her grip on Jon's arm.
"You might be my Brother Aerion but that does not mean you can insult my Guests" said Daenerys icily.
Ser Aerion Fyre sighed and bowed his head.
"Of course… he can keep his sword" said Aerion Fyre flatly.
Daenerys nodded and turned back to Jon.
"What would you like to see first Jon?" said Daenerys kindly.
"Surprise me" said Jon.
Daenerys squeezed his arm and allowed him to lead her through the castle giving him directions on where to go.
Jon was in awe when she took him to see the large stone table built for Aegon The Conqueror when he planned his invasion of Westeros. The massive stone table was black in colour with all of the rivers, lakes, islands, castles and other landmarks carved and named into the table.
She took him down to the throne room where the old Dragon Throne was located along with the skulls of all three fully grown Targaryan dragons the largest of which was the size of a carriage, as well as the few remaining dragon eggs and five smaller dragon skulls that were the sizes of apples and dog heads.
Ten minutes later…
"What is this place?" said Jon in shock as he and Daenerys reached the bottom of some stairs arriving in a large open spaced room that had grey stone statues around the walls.
"This is the Hall Of Dragons… where the stonemasons craft statues of notable Targaryan's among other famous people" said Daenerys as Jon looked around the room in slight shock.
"We have something similar to this at Winterfell but with paintings instead" said Jon.
Daenerys pulled him towards the statue of a young woman near the door.
"This one is Daenys The Dreamer… legends say that she had a vision of the Doom Of Valyria and that is why my family abandoned Valyria for Dragonstone forty years before the Doom" said Daenerys.
Jon smiled and looked at the statue admiring the great detail of it before turning back to Daenerys.
"I would be happy to hear more" said Jon softly.
Daenerys smiled and pulled him towards a few feet down to where a statue of three figures was stood.
"King Aegon and his Sister Wives, Queens Visenya and Rhaenys" said Daenerys proudly.
Aegon and Visenya were holding onto stone swords while Rhaenys was stood holding onto a bow and notched arrow.
The statue next to theirs was of Lord Orys Baratheon driving his greatsword into the shoulder of the Storm King Argillac Durrandon during the Last Storm.
"They conquered four Kingdoms with much larger armies than their own until-" said Daenerys proudly before.
"They were defeated by King Torrhen Stark… sorry" said Jon sheepishly having interrupted her.
Daenerys smiled and took his hand giving it a gentle squeeze causing Jon to feel a tingling feeling in his chest.
"You are forgiven… would you like to hear more about the statues and my family?" said Daenerys softly.
Jon nodded before Daenerys pulled him further along to where the statues of King Aegon The Usurper and Queen Rhaenyra were stood side by side though with their backs to each other signifying their rift.
She told him the story of the Dragonstone Usurping for the next ten minutes or so before the two moved over to the statue of King Baelor The Blessed.
"Not a happy ending for King Baelor… eaten alive by Lizard Lions in the Neck if I remember correctly" said Jon.
Daenerys looked at him with a stern look.
"You must enjoy reminding me of Targaryan Kings who were defeated by Northerners?" said Daenerys flatly.
Jon opened his mouth to apologise before he chuckled upon seeing the smirk on her face.
"A little bit yes… in the North some of them are remembered more for their deaths than their lives, King Baelor included" said Jon taking the initiative by returning her humour with his own.
Daenerys's smirk widened and she squeezed his hand once more before pulling him towards the next statue of the legendary Targaryan Kingsguard, Prince Aemon "The Dragonknight" Targaryan.
Jon listened to each and every word that left her mouth as she showed and explained each statue to him including King Aegon IV "The Unworthy" Targaryan who was a cruel whore mongering King who nearly started wars with Dorne, the Riverlands, the Reach and the Vale due to his cruelty and whore mongering especially with highborn Ladies.
Besides his statue stood the statue of his legitimized bastard Son Brynden "Bloodraven" Rivers born to Lady Melissa Blackwood of Raventree Hall in the Riverlands. Next to them were the statues of King Aegon's children Prince Daeron II "The Good" and Princess Daenerys with Daenerys's betrothal to Prince Maron Martell of Sunspear bringing an end to the tense relations between Dorne and the Dragon Isles following King Aegon IV's death.
Tense relations that began when King Aegon IV raped Princess Deria Martell of Sunspear while she visited her Cousin Princess Myriah Targaryan nee Martell at Dragonstone. Even as Dorne started preparing for war which Prince Daeron II had desperately tried to prevent, King Aegon was unfazed by what was transpiring instead defending his actions claiming that dragons took what they wanted and no one, King or Lord could stop him.
King Aegon died in his bed surrounded by his family including all thirteen of his bastard children eight moons later.
The rumours were that King Aegon IV had actually met his end with poison by the Martell's though not before he was able to legitimize all of his bastard children including Daemon I Blackfyre who would eventually start the first Blackfyre rebellion to try and seize the Dragon Throne and Brynden "Bloodraven" Rivers who would serve as Hand Of The King for Targaryan Kings for the next forty years before his exile to the Wall by King Aegon V "The Unlikely" Targaryan.
Her tour around the Hall Of Dragons ended with the statue of the famed Kingsguard Ser Duncan The Tall.
She went on to tell him about how the famously tall Kingsguard had originally been an orphan born at Aeron's Port and eventually became a Hedge Knight taking the young Prince Aegon V "Egg" as his squire before the two travelled through Westeros for years.
She finished the story by talking about how the Hedge Knight turned Kingsguard who eventually became Lord Commander eventually met his end rescuing her Father Aerys Targaryan from the dreadful explosion and fire in one of the island caves which claimed the lives of King Aegon V, Queen Betha Blackwood, their eldest Son Prince Duncan "The Small" Targaryan, and three of their Kingsguard while Prince Duncan's common born Wife Jenny of Oldstones left Dragonstone returning to Oldstones where she eventually vanished.
An explosion caused by Wildfire which King Aegon believed would help him resurrect dragons by hatching them from the eggs that had been passed down over the centuries.
"You know… Ser Duncan's Grandson serves on the Kingsguard… though some have named him Ser Duncan The Not So Tall… a mockery if ever I saw one, surely he is not much shorter than his Grandfather was, and he is a very capable knight" said Daenerys with a slightly bitter voice.
Jon remained silent as Daenerys straightened up and turned back to him.
"Is there anything else you want to see?" said Daenerys softly.
Jon nodded.
"If it would not be too much bother… could you show me the Glasstown, I have not had the chance to have a proper look at it yet" said Jon softly.
Daenerys nodded and looped her arm through his.
"Escort me to the Glasstown then… I would be thrilled to show you exactly how great it is" said Daenerys softly.
Jon bowed his head to her before leading her back towards the stairs.
As the two walked through the castle they exchanged small talk about their respective lives and cultures in their respective Kingdoms.
Forty minutes later…
"I have never seen anything like this" said Jon in shock as they walked past a forge where the blacksmith was crafting various sculptures made entirely of Dragonglass.
He and Daenerys carried on walking along the grass path in between the small buildings most of which were shops and forge's with the sole aim of producing and selling the Dragonglass products.
As they passed a jewellers selling necklaces and bracelets adorned with the shiny material one of the Jewellers stepped out into the street.
"Princess… I have a new design, I would be honoured if you would try it on" said the olive skinned male Jeweller in a foreign accent that Jon did not recognise.
Daenerys smiled and turned towards the Jeweller who was now holding a gold chained necklace with a shiny Dragonglass eye that glistened in the sunlight.
She slowly took it from him looking down at it with a fond smile on her face.
"It looks lovely… what do you think Jon?" said Daenerys turning her head to face him.
She showed him the necklace in her hands.
"It looks very nice" said Jon.
"That it does" said Daenerys softly before holding the necklace out to the Jeweller.
"Keep it Princess… as a gift… if other Ladies see you wearing it they will come to me for one of their own" said the Jeweller.
Daenerys smiled and unclasped the necklace before turning back to Jon.
"Would you be so kind Jon?" said Daenerys holding the necklace out to him.
Jon gulped slightly and took the necklace from her as she turned around exposing the back of her neck to him.
He paused for a few seconds before fastening the necklace around Daenerys's neck letting the necklace land just above her cleavage.
Daenerys turned to face him.
"Does it suit me?" said Daenerys softly.
Jon nodded while trying to avoid gazing directly at her chest where the pendant was.
"It looks very nice Princess" said Jon with a hint of nervousness.
Daenerys sighed as she took his arm allowing him to lead her away from the jewellers.
"I thought we agreed… you could call me Daenerys, and that I call you Jon" said Daenerys with a sigh.
Jon glanced at her.
"Sorry" said Jon nervously.
Daenerys took his hand and laced her fingers through his causing his heart to skip a beat.
"You should count yourself fortunate… not many people get to call me by just my first name… only people I really like" said Daenerys softly.
Jon turned a little red before straightening up.
"Come on… let me show you something" said Daenerys softly before she started to lead him towards the exit of the small town.
Twenty minutes later…
"Imagine being locked up in there for eight years" said Daenerys softly.
She and Jon were stood near the mountain edge above the cove of ships looking out at the Blessed Tower in the distance while Ser Aerion Fyre was stood a short distance behind them.
Jon whistled.
"Eight years?" said Jon in slight surprise.
Daenerys glanced at him and nodded before looking out at the tower again.
"Some people said Baelor locked them up in there to protect them from the wickedness of desire… others said he locked them away to stop them from tempting the men at his court with carnal thoughts… and now it serves as a seat for my Brother's most trusted advisor, as it will serve his Son after him" said Daenerys flatly.
Jon snorted.
"Many Northerner's call him a fool… for trying to march on Moat Cailin and rid the North of the Old Gods" said Jon amusedly.
Daenerys let out a small chuckle as she turned back to Jon.
"Some people down here say he was a pious idiot who nearly started a war with the North, while others say he was a visionary who did great things for our Kingdom… he mended our relationship with Dorne after they had killed his older Brother King Daeron the First and saved Aemon The Dragonknight after they had tried to conquer Dorne for reasons long lost to history… at great risk to Baelor's own health as well, he was bitten by vipers more than two dozen times before he rescued his Cousin… and then he died fasting in an effort to gain guidance from the Gods" said Daenerys softly.
"One of his Sisters married my Ancestor, Prince Edwyle Stark to help prevent a war between the North and your Kingdom after Baelor's death" said Jon.
"That is one way to end a war before it starts" said Daenerys flatly.
Jon sighed and turned them away from their view of the Blessed Tower as they started walking back towards the castle.
"Without wishing to be rude Jon… but would you mind walking me back to my chambers, all this walking has made me a little tired" said Daenerys softly.
Jon nodded.
"Of course" said Jon.
The two continued walking back across the island towards the castle.
Forty-five minutes later…
"I have something for you… if you would come inside for a few minutes" said Daenerys as she opened the door for her chambers.
Jon glanced around not sure about whether or not to say yes.
"Just a few minutes Jon… then you can go back to your family" said Daenerys softly.
Jon sighed and nodded before she pulled him through the door into her chambers.
Her chambers were large and spacious with a large double bed with plush cotton and silk sheets and pillows, two large wardrobes, four chests, a large lit hearth, a small four seat table and chairs, a brass metal bathtub, private changing screen, several fur pelt rugs on the floor and a large open door leading out onto a small balcony that overlooked the beach.
"Wait outside" said Daenerys to Ser Aerion Fyre.
The Kingsguard glanced at Jon with mistrust for a moment before bowing his head to her.
"Yes Princess" said Aerion Fyre.
As he shut the door Daenerys turned to Jon with a serious look on her face.
"So tell me, Jon… do you have any plans to compete in the joust tomorrow?" said Daenerys.
Jon nodded.
"I have decided to enter yes… a Valyrian Steel sword is a great prize, if I am even good enough to win" said Jon.
Daenerys smiled and picked something out from underneath her pillow.
She walked towards Jon where he saw that she had a gold and red hand sewn cloth in her hand.
"What is that?" said Jon sounding confused.
Daenerys smiled.
"You do not know anything about tournaments in the south?" said Daenerys amusedly.
Jon shook his head.
"I have lived in the North for my entire life, so that would be no" said Jon.
Daenerys leaned closer to him and placed the cloth in his pocket.
"In southern tourneys… young maidens both royal and noble would give their favours to their chosen contestant… this is mine, and I am giving it to you… for luck" said Daenerys softly.
Jon straightened up slightly as Daenerys pulled away from him.
"Tie my favour around your lance wrist tomorrow… and good luck" said Daenerys softly.
Jon nodded.
"Thank you" said Jon softly.
Daenerys patted his cheek with a cheeky smile on her face.
"You can go now… unless you plan on watching me sleep" said Daenerys teasingly as she walked over to her private wooden screen to get changed.
Jon turned around and walked out of her chambers.