Chapter 34

Maidenpool

Randyll Tarly

Randyll had been frustrated for some time now, his army kept marching north towards the Riverlands and finally started taking them for the Lannisters and the Tyrells. They meet almost no resistance on their way to and into the domain of house Tully, only an occasional attack by skirmishers on their supply lines. What frustrated him is that he still had no news from Richard and Hyle. He had one of Richard's agents with him but the man had not received news from Richard yet. Alyn had returned to him after he delivered the Hasty heir back to his father and home in exchange for the information needed to continue the search for the king. The news he had been delivered was that the king and his small band were heading for Dorne with Richard and the men Tarly sent with him hot on their heels. What also bothered him is that he still had no word from Robb Stark. Richard had sent an envoy to Riverrun to get the aid from the Starks and Tullys, Randyl was sure of that but there was still no response. If worse comes to pass then he would need to fight and possibly kill a potential ally, if that happens then the chances of the Northmen siding with the loyalists would be nonexistent. That was something he needed to avoid at all costs, if the envoy failed then Tarly could send lord Oldflowers to treat with Riverrun. The old lord fought in the last Blackfyre rebellion just like the Blackfish so he will get some respect from the Northmen and the Riverlords at least.

He has been purging his army of unwanted elements which included all those who he deemed to be either loyal to the Tyrells or those who would stab him and the rest of his allies in the beck for a chance to get in the good graces of that bastard Joffrey or Olenna. Most of them had been assigned to garrison tows and keeps up or near the King's road, several more dangerous individuals have been sent to faraway places to ensure that they don't meddle with plans. So that left the army mostly in command of lords and knights loyal to House Targaryen with the only exception being the Lannister host and a few lesser lords or knights who weren't prudent to Tarlys plans.

He and the rest of lords that had sided with him had planned extensively on how to deal with any possible threat that might come at them. The lords with him now included lords Lyberr, Sloane, Serry, Kidwell, Hewett, Graves, Hutcheson, and Fossoway of New Barrel. The Hightower forces under Gunthor Hightower had sided with them after lord Tarly and his good father lord Fossoway told Gunthor of their plan. The Hightowers have always been loyal to the Targaryens but Tarly had some suspicions about them due to their more recent history with the Tyrells but now he was glad to see that their loyalty to their kings had not wavered over the years.

He had received news that the Freys have sided with Robb Stark after lord Wolder died and were now part of his army again. With Freys at his back, the young Stark has enough soldiers to stand against the combined might of his and the Lannisters host.

His scouts have been reporting no movement in the area, no army was moving towards them. On the contrary, Robb Stark seemed to be pulling his forces back towards the Ruby ford. The Young wolf was no fool, he knows he has the troops to oppose them so it either means that he is planning another masterstroke of a battle just like he did before or he is waiting for something, possibly both. The boy has a talent for war and by everything Randyll had heard the Stark is a good warrior also, leading from the front with a sword in his hand, something which earned the boy a lot of respect in the eyes of Lord Tarly. Defeating someone like Tywin Lannister is no easy task and yet the boy seems to be doing just that.

He commanded some thirteen thousand men with another ten being commanded by Ser Lyle Crakehall. The Lannisters host will be a problem as things move forward but Randyl had an idea on how to deal with them, he had more troops and Lyle was both young and hotheaded even if he was a decent commander.

Their march through the Riverlands brought them to Maidenpool. The town was in a sorry state, Lyle had informed him that the Lannisters had sacked it once and from the people in the area he found out that the Starks did it also, so there should be no love for either of them here. Randyll rode at the head of the column looking at the once peaceful and wealthy town which now seemed more like a corps than a shadow of its former self. The few remaining people locked themselves in their homes as they watching his army enter their town. They soon reached the barred gates of Mooton castle. The walls were being manned by tired-looking soldiers who to Randylls eye would put up a small fight at best.

"In the name of the king I lord Randyll Tarly order you to open these gates of I will be forced to storm the castle. I will take it, I have enough troops to do so," shouted Tarly. The men at the walls looked warily at each other before one of them ran off towards the main keep. Minutes later the guard returned with his lord by his side.

"Lord Tarly," the man said.

"Lord Mooton, I order you to open these gates, Maidenpool and the rest of your lands are from now under the jurisdiction of the crown. If you chose not to abide then I will be forced to take in from you by force."

The lord of Maidepool had a warry and scared look on his face, the man never had a reputation as a warrior, Tarly scoffed at that. How can a lord of one of the wealthiest houses in a kingdom be such a coward? If he had to choose Tarly would rather go down with his decency and honor intact than live as a coward. The Riverlord looked thoughtful for a moment before he gave an order to open the gates. The lord of Hornhill and his men rode into the castle and immediately ordered all of the guards to hand over their arms and armor while lord Mootoon was put in a private room to serve as his cell. After that Randyll proceeded to restore order in the Mooton lands, hoping that word from one of his allies would arrive soon.

The North

Howland

With the help of Lord Denys, they managed to get aid from both house Dustin and house Ryswell and even some Flints. The army numbering some four thousand now marched down the King's Road towards Moat Cailin. Howland could see the anticipation and fury on the faces of the men who marched with him. Their lords might not have the best relationship with house Stark but they are all Northmen and their home was under attack by a bunch of pirates and rapists who should have been dealt with long ago. The men wanted vengeance for the Iron Born attacks, they wanted to make sure that the squids never show their ugly heads in the North again. The last time he marched to war was almost two decades ago and he almost died that time. When the Greyjoys rebelled the first time he sent his bannermen but he did not answer the call personally. Now Howland was riding next to Maege, Galbert, lord Rodick, lord Denys and his two nephews, Edwin who is the heir to the Dustin lands and his younger brother Morgan. Edwin looks very much like his nephew Willam did when he was still alive. It is a true shame what happened at the tower, Willam was a good man, he should have lived to have a family, to grow old, maybe then Barbrey would have been as hateful as she is now. Both Dustin brothers were slightly older than Howland.

"Are you sure you are up to this old man?" Edwin asked his uncle with a smirk on his face. "Your old bones not hurting enough as it is?"

"Screw you boy, I was making corpses out of men while you were still a sidling in your father loins. I fought the Golden company beside the Blackfish and the Bold before you were even born. A few shit-stained squids won't even be a worm up," bellowed Denys.

"Why do you always have to rile him up?" Morgan asked his brother in annoyance. From what Howland has seen so far, the younger brother was the more serious of the two while the older one liked to make japes at every opportunity.

"Come on, I'm just having fun. I like fighting as any man here but marching is so dour."

"Well you will match and keep your mouth shut or I will tell your wife about the washer girl," Denys said.

"That is a low blow uncle," Edwin frowned "And you know that that was years ago."

"Tell that to your wife. The last time you made her angry she kicked you out of your chambers and did not share a bed with you for a month. What do you think she will do if she finds out that two days after your wedding you slept with a servant girl," Morgan said.

"I was young and more foolish back then," Edwin said lowering his gaze from his uncle. "Damn her Umber temper," he muttered the last part.

All in all the troops and the commanders were in high spirits, ready to deal with the invaders once and for all. Lord Ryswell had spoke with Howland only during the war council but posed no problem, that is not to say that he did not have a few complaints. The army steadily marched down the King's road until they were just a few kilometers from the Moat. There they met a small group of Cranogmen scouts that were left to watch over the road. His daughter Mira was among them.

"Father," she said joyfully as she walked over to him. "Your trip was successful I see."

"Mira," he replied back. "Very much so. Mira, meet lord Denys Dustin and lord Ryswell."

"My lords," Mira said with a bow.

"A pleasure to meet you, my lady," said lord Ryswell in a courteous tone.

"What's the situation here, has anything changed since we left?" Howland asked.

"Indeed, a contingent of Iron Born had left the Moat and sailed down the river. I don't know why but that can only mean good for us here."

"They might have decided to go raiding somewhere again. White Harbor is too well protected but there are places near it that are not," said lord Ryswell. Howland only nodded to the lord and returned his attention to his daughter.

"For now there is nothing we can do about them, if they continue to raid we will deal with them but now we have to recapture one of the most strategically important castles in the North."

"I have also given an order to poison the stream that feeds the well inside the Moat, by now they should be low on drinking water and with a bit of luck most are in no shape to fight," Mira said.

Howland nodded. He was proud of his daughter's way of thinking. "I wise decision. The fewer of them fighting on the walls and in the towers the less of our men will have to die. My lords, I suggest we make camp here and prepare for the assault"

The camp was made hastily and soon the lords gathered on the largest tent which was used as the commander's tent. Scrolled over a table was a map of the region and the Moat, from it the position of the road and the towers of the castle guarding it was seen. Around the table, all of the lords and their captains were seated or were standing. Howland stood in the middle overlooking the map.

"We have four thousand men with us on this side with some two and a half thousand waiting on the other side on the edge of the Neck. I will lead the assault from the North, once we get in arrow range I want every man to keep his shield up and close to others as possible. Once we reach the Moat we will split in several groups, Lord Dustin will take the Drunkards tower while I and lord Ryswell will take the Gatehouse tower. At the same time, the men on the other side will attack and storm the Children's tower. Rams have been already been prepared by the Glovers so that leaves us to make our own."

"I will have some of our men do it," said Edwin.

"My daughter alongside lord Glover and lady Mormont will make their way back to the other side and take charge of their units. The Moat was built with keeping southerners back in mind not holding against an attack from the north," Howland said.

"Once the Moat has been taken the army will move towards the west and will split in several directions. Men under lord Dustin will retake Torrhens square, lord Ryswell will push towards the coast and clean up and Iron Born scum he can find, myself and Maege will move to retake Deepwood Motte while Howland will take several hundred men and head towards Winterfell. Once those places are secure we will deal with any stragglers left behind," lord Glover said pointing at the spots over a second map.

"The word is that Asha Greyjoy is at Deepwood Motte," lord Ryswell said not hiding his disdain for the squid. "No one has seen or heard from Theon since Winterfell was burned so he might as well be dead or hiding somewhere. And the last I heard Victarion was supposed to be here defending the Moat."

"The damn squid's head is mine to take, anyone who denies it can bugger off. I will be the one to kill him and send his head back to Pyke," Denys said.

"If he is here you can have him provided that you meat him first," Howland said looking at the old lord with determination. "The assault will start with first light, so I suggest you all get as much rest as you can."

Galbart

When he marched to war to save his liege lord he did not expect that he would have to return to his homeland so he could retake his lands from the damn Greyjoys. The war started off well, too well and the gods decided that then it was the right time to play their little game. When the king sent Theon Greyjoy to make an alliance with his father Galbert told the king that is too risky to do so but the lad had trust in his friend, a trust which had been proven to be misplaced. When he received the news that his home of Deepwood Mott had been taken he volunteered to lead the army back North so they could defend their lands from the invaders. His family was being held hostage and only the gods knew what the dishonorable bastards were doing to them. His blood boiled up to a point where it could only be cooled down with the killing of traitorous Iron Born. He swore to Robett that he will free their family and make sure that they are alive and unharmed, he was not going to break an oath to his brother.

He was glad that they had met Howland and was even more glad that he had a plan on how to deal with the situation. Getting help so his army could get past the Moat was an excellent idea and Galbert was glad that Howland managed to persuade house Dustin to help them. The northerners have long memories and don't forgive slights easily, they hold grudges for a long time but they will put all that aside when they have a common enemy to fight and their land and the land of their ancestors to protect.

Maege, lady Mira and he crossed to the side of the neck under the cover of night and immediately went to prepare for the assault that is to come at dawn. His men cheered when they heard that reinforcements had arrived and that soon they will be able to take the crumbling castle and continue with their march northward. He didn't get much sleep that night, he could never sleep before a battle. When the dawn broke horns were sounded from all sides and the attack began. Galbart and Maege led the charge shields raised while hundred or so men followed them, group in the middle carrying a large tree that would be used as a ram to break down the gates and doors of the Moat.

The Iron Born responded quickly by shooting them with arrows but it was not as bad as Galbart feared, the two prompt attacks must have caught them off guard and make them stretch what men they had. Their own archers under Mira Reed did their best to offer covering fire to which the crannogmen were successful. It is well known in the North that men of the Neck are excellent archers.

As they continued to push forward he could feel arrows lodging themselves into his shield, he could hear the screams of his men who weren't so lucky. There was nothing they could do for them now, if gods allow some will survive to see the next day. Men continued to fall around him until they reached the curtain wall near the Children's tower.

"Break it down!" Galbart shouted pointing how sword towards the door. The men moved the ram in position as quickly as they could while the rest moved to make a shield wall around it. The first sound of wood hitting wood came and then the next and the next all the while the Iron Born continued to shot arrows at them. Galbart looked around, besides him and Maege there were about sixty men with them here and the number was dropping.

Just as an arrow hit a man that was right next to him in the throat, Galbart heard a sound of wood breaking and a loud cheer from his men.

"Push forward boys, kill any squid you see!" shouted Maege as she and a few others stormed into the tower. Galbart gave one last look at the road where he saw another wave of men charging to join them before he turned back to the tower entrance and joined the fighting.

The first thing he saw once inside the tower was Maege smashing the head of an unlucky Iron Born with her mace. She led the charge up the stairs smashing anyone who was dumb enough to cross her sight. Galbart quickly joined her at the front and just in time to block an arrow aimed at Maege with his shield. The fighting was hard but it soon became obvious that these men were in bad condition due to lack of water or due to the poison, they were fighting out of desperation and defiance. As they moved through the tower they found sick men and bodies of those who succumbed to the tampered well.

He stopped for a moment to look through one of the narrow windows that was pointed towards the Drunkards tower. There at the wall that stretched between the two towers was Denys Dustin who just cleaved an Iron Born raider in half with his great ex.

"The Dustins have taken their tower, push on lads!" Galbart shouted in encouragement. With each floor they took the fighting slowed until they reached the final floor of the Children's tower. The doors were locked from the other side.

"Come out you shits and fight like men!" one of the soldiers screamed as he banged at the door with the end of his sword. Galbart put his arm on the man's shoulder and moved him back.

"The battle is lost. You can fight and die once we break down this door or you can surrender and live," Galbart said.

"You can be serious Galbert," Maege said. Galbart waited for a response but no word came from the other side.

"Break it down," the lord of Deepwood Mott ordered pointing his sword at the door. Immediately two large men came and started slamming their shoulders at the door until at the third attempt the door broke and they charged inside. Instead of Iron Born that were ready to give the last stand, they found eight frightened men laying on their knees with their weapons tossed to the side.

"We surrender, we surrender," one of them said.

Maege looked at the eight raiders and spat at them. "Take the shits prisoner, tide them up, and move them to the courtyard." She turned towards Galbart.

"That's the end of that, let's see how the other fere," he said and proceeded to make his way to the walls with Maege and some others. Once at the walls he could see that the fighting was over, men were throwing dead Iron Born from the walls and tending to the wounded. Lord Denys was questioning one very scared raider. Lord Ryswell was giving orders to some of the men while Howland was cleaning his sword with a cloth.

"That went better than expected," Galbart said as he stopped next to the two lords.

"What are our losses?" asked Maege.

"A hundred or so at the Dustin side, hundred and fifty of our side, yours?" said lord Ryswell.

"Eighty I think, we still need to see who is dead for sure and who is not," responded Galbart.

"Still it could have been worse if the Moat was fully garrisoned. With those who left and ones that died or were unable to fight due to the poisoned water I would say a fourth of them were able to fight," Howland said.

"What will we do with the prisoners?" asked Edwin Dustin who just joined them.

"They are Iron Born, let's just kill them," said Maege.

"No they surrendered, they will be taken to Barrowton and when the North is completely back in our hands they will be sent to the wall," Howland said, a nod of confirmation came from Galbart, Ryswell and Edwin. Galbart gave another look at the Moat which was now in Northern hands once more and with that his army could continue their march north.

Kings Landing

Tyrion

Being the master of coin was not as easy as Baelsih made it seem to be, he had spent most of his time buried in ledger looks and accounts with most of his free time being spent with Jaime and trying to uncover the latest plots of his noble counterparts with an acausal break for wine and Shae of course. A man's mind would do insane if the only things he thought about were work and who will be the next person to try and kill him. There was no shorting of people who wanted him dead here with three certain exceptions, Jaime, Shae and Pod. He already made sure Bronn would never do it because if anyone offered him gold to kill Tyrion then he would just give the sellsword double to not do it. The only thing that would make Bronn kill Tyrion for certain would if someone promised him something like Highgarden or Riverrun but that will never happen.

Just as he was about to reach for a pitcher of Dornish red a knock came from the door.

"Yes?" Tyrion asked.

"My lord, lord Varys is here to see you," the guard said.

"Let him in," Tyrion ordered and a moment later the door opened and everyone's favorite lavishly dressed plump spying eunuch walked in.

"Lord Tyrion," Varys said courteously with a bow. The eunuch smelled of perfume as he always did and his hands were hidden inside his robes.

"Ah lord Varys what a surprise. To what do I owe this visit?"

Varys inclined his head. "I was told by the boy Pod that you wished to see me, is that not right?"Varys asked in an innocent manner. Tyrion knew that Varys was just playing with him, he probably knew that Tyrion asked for him before Pod arrived. Tyrion motioned to one of the chairs in front of him and the Spider moved to take a seat.

"Indeed I did," Tyrion said.

"And how may I be of service to the master of coin?"

Tyrion huffed. "We are friends, aren't we?"

"Very good friends," Varys stated mater of faculty.

"And if I asked you something now, you would keep in a secret?" Tyrion said and this Varys raised an eyebrow in interest.

"Certainly."

"Good," Tyrion said with a smile. "Now what I wish to know is if one of my father's guards Tomas is in your employ?"

Varys gave him a confused look, which Tyrion knew was fake. "Not that I know of, I would certainly remember if I had a Lannister guard in my employ. Besides, it's a bit too risky for my liking, if lord Tywin found out one of his men was a spy I have a good idea what he would do to both the spy and his handler."

Tyrion gave his supposed friend a calculating look, he didn't know how much of what he said is true if any, "So if he is not your, then whose? Any ideas?"

Varys shook his head. "Unfortunately not, I can only speculate just like you. As far as I know, our gourd was done everything a typical Lannister guard does, from his duties to going to a whorehouse. The only discrepancy is what happened on the night of the wedding.

Tyrion gave him a warry look. "You know about that," it was not a question.

"Indeed I do and I'm perplexed as you are," not as much as I Tyrion told himself.

"Something is going on Varys and it is bugging me that I don't know what. I have written off both my father and sister as the ones behind the guard so that leaves..."

"Lady Olenna, Lord Baelish and me," Varys said emphasizing the last word.

"That is correct. Although I have also added Robb Stark to the list."

"The Young Wolf? Why?"

"Because Robb Stark seems to have learned from his mistakes and is now decided to play the game. Unless your little bids gave proof that three Freys just dropped dead, a rather convenient turn of events."

"Unfortunately I can't be of help there. My little birds gave been silent for the most part in the Riverlands. Not one was managed to get any information out of Riverrun for a while, the last thing being the news of Lord Bolton," Varys gave Tyrion a thoughtful look. "Maybe your theory has some merit. Strange things gave happened with and around Robb Stark. Maybe the son is not like his father like he originally thought."

"Perhaps but if true then we have a serious problem. A Robb Stark who is not afraid to stain his honor would be ten times more dangerous than he is now."

"You do have a point. The Tyrells don't trust any of the Lannister staff, even if they tried to bribe one of your father's men I think the fear of him would stop them from going through it. Baelish would try to do something similar but that would be bold even for him. As I said it's not me. As you said it could be Robb Stark," Varys paused, "But..."

"But what?"

"Tomas arrived here around the time king Robert arrived back from Winterfell and I don't believe that Starks would try and put a man in the Red Cloaks years prior."

"What are you saying?"

"From what you said and I know, I think there is a good possibility that our guard is working for someone else who has allied with Robb Stark. Robb Stark has made uncharacteristic moves recently, ones that someone who knew how to play the game or at least with less honor would make. I believe someone is aiding him."

Tyrion thought about it for a moment, it might be possible. Varys is right about the Tyrells, Baelish might be fond of the girl but he would never risk himself, what the guard did was bold and could have been seen by anyone. He decided to believe Varys, so what the Spider was saying made sense. But if someone is truly helping Robb Stark, who is it? He started running all the possible suspects from the ones in the Vale to the less loyal houses in the south. One possibility proved more possible than others."

Tyrion looked at Varys. "The Martells?"

Varys shrugged. "I don't know my lord but Doran is a man who would have the resources necessary to put a man inside the Lannister guard. His spy network is rather good, if I may say so myself. He and his family have no love for you and yours and Robb Stark has been winning the war so far. Maybe they finally decided to join a side and they chose an enemy of the Lannisters."

Tyrion thought more about it, it made sense but if the Martells decided to aid Robb Stark why didn't they call their banners, march to war against the Lannisters. If true and it definitely could be that means he sent his niece to an enemy. He knew that the Martellls hated his family, sending Mircella to be betrothed to Dorans son was meant to heal the relationship and make sure that the vipers don't join the war on the opposite side, it seems he just might have sent her to her death.

No, he could not think like that, his niece is too valuable hostage to kill, they will keep her alive. What he needs to do now is focus on the guard and any other spy that might be working for their enemies. His head was starting to hurt, there were too many unknowns, too many possibilities, if someone is helping the Stark boy then they are at least good at assassinations and keeping things secret. The only leed they have is the guard, if they manage to catch him in the act and persuade him to divulge the information needed then they might find out who if anyone is Robb Stark's new ally.

"Varys, could you assign some of your little birds to watch over the guard, continue to track his movements and so on."

"Certainly my lord," Varys said with a smile that slightly unnerved Tyrion.

Tyrosh

Jon

Jon could only stare in shock at the man in front of him, the blond silver hair and the purple eyes were exactly the same as lord Daynes. The man's steely eyes first went to the captain and then they went over them, carefully studying each person in their group even the wolves.

"It can't be," Robar said what everyone was thinking.

"Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning," Loras said, shock and awe clear in his voice.

As they continued to look at the fabled knight, Jon's eyes locked with his. "Ser Arthur, may I present, Ser Robar Royce, Ser Loras Tyrell," the captain paused for a moment looking at Grenn. "Ser Grenn and Ser Jon Snow."

"They were sent here by my brother?" the knight asked, his voice was deep and commanding, yet soft in a way.

"Indeed, as I said before, they arrived at Starfall and soon after were sent here by lord Dayne. I had specific instructions to deliver them to you."

"You were not followed?"

"No, I made sure of that. The wolves might have caught some attention but I had men stay behind and shadow us so if anyone did decide to follow us, they will deal with them.

Arthur Dayne nodded. "You did well captain. I thank you for your help."

"No thanks are needed, I'm a servant of House Dayne."

"You can take your leave now captain, we will talk later," the ship captain nodded and proceeded to leave the room, leaving them alone with the kingsguard knight.

Jon shook his head. "T-This is unreal. Arthur Dayne, alive. Everyone said that you fell in battle."

Arthur Dayne gave them all another look. "I know you have many questions and I will do my best to answer them but I believe it would be better to do so sitting instead of standing," Ser Arthur said pointing at the large round table on the other side of the room. They all just nodded and proceeded to follow him to the table, without thinking. After they sat down a servant came with wine and cups, each one of them had his cup filled before the servant left. "Before I begin, I have to ask something. Do you trust these men?" Ser Arthur asked Jon.

Jon was slightly taken back by the question. Lord Dayne asked him the same thing. "With my life," Jon responded.

Arthur looked at Loras, Robar and Grenn and nodded. "Now you may begin."

They all looked at each other, bewilderment, shock and awe were shared by all of them. Lord Dayne told the truth, his brother actually lived which means he survived the tower. Which means his father lied about the knight's death. A silent nodded came from Loras, Robar and Grenn to Jon who chose to speak first.

"H-How? Everyone was told you were dead, killed by my father at the Tower of Joy."

"A necessary ruse I admit, one that I'm not proud of and if things turned out differently one I would not have been forced to undergo," a long sigh came from the knight."But things happened as they did and at the time I had little choice in the matter. I was forced to flee like a dog with my tail between my legs, something I should not have done."

"Why did you?" Jon asked. All of his attention was focused on the knight of legend in front of him. He wanted to know what happened. When lord Dayne told them about his brother, Jon held some hope that he told the truth and he did. This man has to have the answers Jon needs.

"I was injured in the fight at the tower, badly, when I reached Starfall I was barely alive. It was only thanks to the skills of the castle maetser that I live now."

"Lord Dayne said you left because of the danger king Robert and Tywin Lannister posed, is that right?" Jon asked.

"Partially yes. I had no intention of bowing to a usurper and a kinslayer like Robert much less to a man who never had a shred of honor like Tywin Lannister," Ser Arthur said with anger as he said the names. "At the time I was persuaded that it was the best option considering my state and the state of the realm, now I wish that I did the opposite."

"We were told that Lord Stark beat you in that fight," Loras said.

"Lord Stark never beat me, he was a good swordsman but I was better, I was the one who won that fight. I disarmed him and had Dawn pointed at his chest when Howland Reed stabbed me in back," Ser Arthur said and it took Jon a moment to let the words sink in. His father lost the fight, how, why would he lie about that. Father was always an honest man, why would he lie about losing a fight.

"Stabbed you in the back?" Loras asked.

"Yes," there was a pause and Arthur looked from Loras to Jon. "But the tale of my survival is not why you are here, you came here for something else."

Jon nodded. "We did, actually I did. I went to Starfall to find out the truth about my mother but your brother lord Dayne sent us here to find you, he said it was not his tale to tell but yours. Do you know who my mother is Ser"? Jon asked, he was filled with anticipation, fear and much more.

"I do and much more," Ser Arthur said in a said tone.

"Is-Is my mother your sister, lady Ashara?"

Ser Arthur shook his head. "No, my sister is not your mother."

Jons mood saddened, so his mother is not Ashara Dayne, the woman with who his father supposedly fell in love during the tourney at Harrenhall. Jons hopes started falling, was he really a son of some whore? No, that can't be it, his mother obviously has something to do with the Daynes. Jon lifted with his gaze to once again look at the knight, their eyes meeting. "Then if not lady Ashara then who?"

"What I'm about to tell you will be hard to believe, but I swear on my honor it's the truth," Ser Arthur said with conviction in his voice. "You should have been told the truth long ago. To explain it correctly I would need to go back to the beginning, it all started with the tourney at Harrenhall. The greatest tourney to ever been held since the beginning of the Targaryen rule, every noble lord, lady and knight was at that tourney. But the tourney wasn't thrown by lord Whent but by prince Rheagar."

"Rheagar? Why?" asked Jon.

"The prince wanted to gather the support of the noble lords at the time. He wished to remove his mad father from power."

"He wanted a war?"

Arthur shook his head. "No, he wanted a great council to be held by the lords so they could peacefully decide to strip Aerys of his throne, without bloodshed. But Aerys showed up and threw all of our plans into the fire. With him there, Rhegar could not move freely because wherever the Mad king went his shadow the Spider followed. The plan failed but we still tried to make most of it. Day after day, Rheagar distinguished himself on the field, winning tilt after tilt, one fight after another. Then came the mystery knight, the knight of the laughing tree. She won against three knights and as a condition to have their horses and armor returned to them she demanded that they discipline their squiers. Aerys believed that the laughing tree sigil was painted there to mock him. When he ordered the knight to remove the helm, the knight refused and rode off the field. The Mad King ordered the knight found and killed, seeing the knight as a threat to his rule." Jon listened to the story carefully, most of it he already knew. He was confused when Arthur called the knight she. "Many went to search but no one was successful until Rheagar and I found the knight near the God's eye striping her armor and throwing it into the lake with the help of a short Cranogman. The knight everyone was looking for was not a knight at all but a wild, dark-haired young woman called Lyanna Stark."

Jon was even more confused right now, his aunt was the mystery knight. He remembered hearing stories about his aunt and uncle from his father when he was a little boy. He said that they both had the wolf's blood and in letters to Jon he said that Arya is aunt Lyanna come again. Jon still failed to see how any of this had to with him or his mother. "What does this have to do with my mother?"

"Everything. You see when we caught lady Lyanna, we both were surprised that it was her who had beaten three knights and defied the king. The prince and Lyanna had a long talk and he helped her get rid of the armor. He found her interesting and visited her several times and by the time of the finals of the joust prince Rheagar was in love with the She-wolf of Winterfell. I urged him to be careful but at the finals like a love-struck fool he was, he named Lyanna the queen of love and beauty. I like much of the onlookers was shocked that Rhegar did not crown his wife. As days past Lyanna showed her feelings for the prince also. I tried to talk him out of it, but he did not listen. It was then when I noticed a change in Rheagar, he was not as serious as before, less melancholic than before, he laughed and japed more and every time he was with Lyanna there was a stupidly happy smile on his lips. He truly loved her. I knew their relationship would cause problems but he was my friend and that was one of the rare times I saw him truly happy."

Jon could not believe it, his aunt was in love with prince Rheagar but he was told that the prince kidnapped her, that was what sparked the war. "What does this have to do with my mother?"

"Jon," Robar's voice was heard and Jon turned to look at his cousin who had a sympathetic look on his face.

"Your mother was Lyanna Stark and your father was Rheagar Targaryen," Arthur said and Jon's eyes went wide in disbelief. No this could not be true, it was impossible. His father was Eddard Stark, the most honorable man alive, he would never lie to him, not like this.

"That's not true, my father is Ned Stark, the lord of Winterfell," Jon said, his voice pained.

"That is not true. Ned Stark lied to you, he was your uncle, your parents are prince Rheagar and princess Lyanna."

Jon stared angrily at the knight. This had to be a lie, it has to be. "Then if true, I'm what then? A product of an affair? Rape?"

"No," Arthur said sternly. "Your parents were married, Rheagar annulled his marriage with Elia Martell to marry Lyanna. Your parents were in love and married, you are not a bastard, you are trueborn, you are not a bastard son of a lord, you are a prince, an heir to a throne," Arthur paused for a moment, Jon was looking at him with a mixture of surprise, disbelief, anger and fear. "I know this is a lot to take in, you been lied to your entire life, I can only imagine how it is to have everything you ever knew shattered."

Jon just stared blackly at knight now, processing everything he had been told. His father was not his father but his uncle, his brothers Robb, Bran and Rickon and sisters Sansa and Arya aren't his siblings but cousins. His father was actually a prince and the woman he thought his aunt was his mother. If this is true then what else was he lied about.

"What proof do you have of this?" Loras asked.

Arthur turned his eyes towards Loras. "All proof was taken by Ned Stark to Winterfell, marriage certificate, birth certificate, letters from your parents, some heirlooms, all were inside a chest Eddard Stark took with him when he took the prince with him. My signature is on both certificates as a witness."

After a moment of silence, Jon slowly lifted his head to look at ser Arthur once more, his eyes glazed with tears. "My name is not Snow, is my name even Jon?"

"No, the name your father and mother decided to give you upon your birth is Aemon Targaryen, after the Dragon knight and your uncle who decided to throw away the crown and give it to his younger brother."

Everything was a lie, even his name. Jon could not help but feel sick to his stomach. Why, why was he lied to all this time? He needed to think, he needed to be alone. Jon didn't say a thing, he just got up from the table and walked towards the door that went to the gardens.

AN: Here is the next chanter guys, hope you like it. Leave your opinion of it as always. Well, Jon knows the truth now and will be trying to come to terms with it, Tyrion is getting closer and closer, the northerners are taking back their home and Tarly is possibly going to meet someone interesting. In the next one, we will get more of Jon and Arthur mostly with flashbacks. Arthur was straightforward in this chapter when it came to telling the truth because he was expecting Jon to arrive and he had years to prepare what he is going to say to him. Arthur will have more time to talk and explain things to Jon.

Response:

Prince Loki Stark: I'm glad you like it.

jaimerey7000: Harrion Karstark was injured and captured by the Lannisters and was held at Harrenhall so when the Northmen took the castle they freed him. Roose had not time to send the forces to attack Duskendale so both he and Glover are still at Harrenhall. Yes, he is the lord of Karhold.

Force smuggler: Glad you like it. Jon now knows the truth.

BioHazard82: Thanks man.