268 AC

Chapter III: A Mother's Perspective

Jeyne

One of the greatest wonders in Westeros is the magnificent garden of the Eyrie. The garden had been landscaped, well tended, and contained a variety of plants, provided they could be grown in high altitudes. For such a wonderful combination of masonry and architecture to be present on top of the Giant's Lance, it had to be considered as one of the most serene places in the known world. Jeyne mused that this was the reason denizens of the castle frequented these gardens so much. As she sat on the stonework patio overlooking the rest of the gardens, she could see her daughter at play with her cousin, Elbert. They were also accompanied by her husband's two young wards, Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark. Most people, however, would refer to the Stark boy affectionately as Ned.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you from these vile bandits!" Jeyne could hear Robert roar. His voice, especially for a boy his age, carried through the gardens. Elbert and Ned, both circled around the two of them, while Sharra took the opportunity to hide behind a rosebush. Sharra, who rarely left the library or the confines of her lessons with the septas, smiled as if she had come to play with the boys every day. She hid behind the rose bush, and Jeyne could see her giggle behind them.

"Give us the princess, knight. Do this and we promise not to hurt the lot of you….too badly," Elbert retorted trying to sound as menacing as a boy of eight could. Ned Stark didn't even speak and simply nodded at the play taunt.

"I will not! I shall not for it is the first duty of a knight to protect innocent maidens like herself!" Robert proclaimed with all the might he could muster.

"Actually ser knight, isn't your first duty to serve the realm and your liege justly?" Sharra stated from behind the bush. Jeyne was surprised she could hear her voice with how soft and quiet it sounded.

"She's right, Robert, that's what the Maester taught us. Knights aren't technically honor bound to follow chivalric codes, only encouraged to do so," Ned Stark chimed in.

"Could you two stop bringing up lessons while I have my heroic aside? The two of you should just read in the library all day if that's all you are taking out of this," Robert said breaking his character. Robert still held the stick towards his side. Jeyne thought the boy would make a great warrior one day. He was already towering over Elbert and Ned. She mused the boy of eight was barely shorter than her, though Jeyne wasn't particularly tall.

"I wouldn't want to disturb Sharra with my presence,"

"Actually, though I prefer to keep to myself, it might be a pleasing change to have someone read with me," Sharra chimed in.

"Maybe some other time,' Jeyne had always noticed that when not playing with the boys, Ned would keep to himself. He might even be as shy if not more so than Sharra ever was. He also wasn't as imposing as Robert. Even when Jonos was with them, Ned had always been the smaller and less outgoing boy.

"I read with you in the library one time, Sharra," Robert interjected.

"I know, but you fell asleep not long after the first book-"

"Can we get back to playing?" Elbert noted, as his playmates increasingly veered their interactions further away from the original plan. They all solemnly agreed, and the children continued playing in the gardens as Jeyne looked on.

"I am not surprised to see you in the gardens, my dear," she heard a familiar voice state from behind her. Her husband walked over to the patio and took a seat at the empty chair across from her.

"It is a good place to rest after a hard day of managing the household, while you go about your duties, love" she smiled. Jeyne knew her husband had kept his time occupied with the affairs of the Vale and the rest of the Kingdom. As Lord Paramount of the Mountains and Vale and Warden of the East, he had to be diligent in order to be successful and respected among the gentry.

"Sharra seems to be enjoying herself with my wards. It's good to see her outside the library for once," Jon commented. While Jon talked she saw Sharra hide behind Robert while the two boys pretended to pelt him with hits from their 'swords'. Robert had a large square cut-out of little sticks, tied together by some string. Sharra had made it for him. Jeyne had always been impressed by her ingenuity.

"She's come to play with them more often since Jonos left for Riverrun, though it's still rare to see her play with them," Sharra had been growing into a young woman. Though she had not received her moon blood yet, her looks and figure had begun to mature. She knew girls would mature faster than boys her age, evidenced by Jonos and her husband's wards.

"Speaking of Jonos, have you gotten a chance to read the latest ravens we've received from Riverrun. I haven't gotten the chance to read them with all the affairs that had to be handled during our preparation for the winter," That was right. Winter was fast approaching. The chill in the air had gotten worse since the start of the year. It would only be a matter of time before they would have to relocate to the Gates of the Moon for the winter. Gods save the men, who would have to live in the castle for those months.

"I have. I took the time to write back to him as well. He has told me of an incident involving mud pies that caused him to be ill for a week. No doubt his new found friends in young Catelyn and Lysa Tully fed it to him,"

"Didn't you feed me mud pies at Runestone when we were young as well? That kept me in bed for almost a month," Jon chuckled.

"No, I never did that. I think it was when we climbed one of the old towers, and you lost footing, so you fell and broke both of your ankles," she corrected him. Jon smiled.

"Those were the days. When we were young and carefree, now we have responsibilities and that prevents us from living our past innocent lives,"

"Indeed, my love. From the letters, both sisters wouldn't stop visiting Jonos while he was ill and bedridden. It seems he's made friends out of both of them," Jeyne relayed. From all the letters she had received from Jonos, she saw that Catelyn and Lysa were almost always the first people he mentioned. Of course, Jonos also talked about how he missed Robert, Sharra, Ned, and Elbert, who were also disappointed about him leaving for Riverrun. In fact, Jonos had so many letters attached to his Ravens, he might have mastered the art of letter writing as a young page.

"That's good to hear. Jonos is still very young, but at least I know some of the goals that I had for Jonos are being met. After all in a few short years, both the twins may be considered ready for a betrothal,"

"It may be too early to even think about that. But warding Jonos in Riverrun may put him in a better position in court than he would have if we had fostered him somewhere in the Vale," Jeyne stated.

"Very true, my dear. Remember, we were both raised in Runestone together, so that may have helped convince your father to accept my father's offer for your hand because of his familiarity," Jon proposed continuing to watch the children idly play in gardens. Jeyne watched as she saw Robert disarm Ned Stark's branch, which they had used as play swords.

"From what we've discussed before, that was a consideration for why Jonos fostered in the Riverlands. But what can our house gain by sending our heir to a house in a foreign realm? My first suggestion was to send him to foster with a principal bannerman of ours," Jeyne said.

"My father matched us to help secure the Vale during a turbulent period, what with all the rebellions and strife going on within the kingdom. The Seven Kingdoms are stable now, less turbulent. It's time we expand our connections and alliances to further strengthen our house," Jon explained. It was true, there were several Blackfyre rebellions that had occurred in succession. The one thing the Vale didn't need during those times was a rebellion from one of our bannerman. While her marriage to Jon had been a happy one, Jeyne knew that marriages were simply tools to secure political power within the kingdoms.

"So you intend to betroth Jonos to one of Hoster's children?"

"Not necessarily, while that is on the table, the main reason I preferred to send him to Riverrun is not what my good friend, Lord Hoster offers. It's his brother's contribution to Jonos' education," Puzzled, Jeyne gave Jon a look of confusion.

"Ser Brynden? He did offer to squire Jonos, but could if you preferred a martial education, you could have sent him to the Rock if you wanted to send him outside the Vale. I know your relationship with Ser...I mean Lord Tywin has been strained, but it was a viable option that could have eased tensions." The look on her husband's face turned sour at the mere mention of Lord Tywin. Although they fought in the war together, they two men never really saw face to face in terms of ideals. They would be at odds with one another for the most minor things, from the letters she received from Jon during the war.

"Ser Brynden is known to compete in tournaments, attend social festivities in place of his brother, and is a damned good fighter. Not only will this allow Jonos to be present in most if not all of the major events in the Seven Kingdoms, this presence will grant him the opportunity to foster connections, friendships, and even potential ladies to suit for when he becomes a squire and later a knight," Her husband began, "I would also never entrust my son to learn the ways of warfare as by that ruthless lion." Her husband's logic was sound. If Jonos had a presence in the court culture of various regions of Westeros, he would indeed have more options in not just betrothals, but future political allies. Since there was no war to be fought, this is the only way he could find meaningful interactions with others as large as a station with him. The move to send Jonos to Riverrun wasn't just made so that Jon could secure his alliance with House Tully, but rather put Jonos in a prime position in the political landscape as well.

"Ambitious, my love. But I certainly hope you keep your promise to me. I wish my children to at least be content with their lives. The world is harsh enough in its current state," Jeyne stated.

"Of course. I would never use our children as mere pawns for advancement. I use diplomatic maneuvers such as this to advance our house, but I will never jeopardize their well being. The seven knows we waited many years to even have these children," Jon stated. He gave her a smile, "How many years has it been since we met?"

"Thirty-seven, if my memory serves me correctly. I was a girl of five when you arrived at Runestone,"

"Have I ever broken a promise to you in that time?"

"I don't seem to recall." Their conversation was interrupted by the Maester, who had her youngest son in tow. Darnold had reached the age of two by now. Jeyne had watched her son's progress as much as her eldest Jonos. Jonos was able to talk earlier, but Darnold walked before he even reached his first year. It was quite remarkable that both had reached those milestones early. Jonos talked before he reached half a year, but could not walk till his second year of life.

"My Lord, my lady. Your son has been asking to see you since you left this morning." Corwyn stated. Corwyn certainly had reached the twilight of his life. Though clean shaven, all of the hair on his head had gone grey. There were now bags under his eyes that had not been there a few years ago. He had been alive since even before Jon's father.

"Come, my little darling," Jeyne said as Darnold ran towards her with his tiny legs. Though small and young, Darnold seemed to be able to maneuver around the world much better than children his age. Some like Jonos at his age, could only crawl, or even those that could walk only shuffled about on unsteady legs.

"He looks a lot like Jonos when he was his age, but he's got your hair, my dear," Jon stated, rising from his seat and standing next to his wife and child. All of Jeyne's children look similar. They all had mixed features, but had unique aspects to them that made them unique. Jonos probably had the most well defined lower features, giving him the most charming smile out of children. Sharra had alluring and piercing eyes, which would definitely help when it comes time to find her a betrothal. But Darnold, had higher cheekbones, and from the look of it would develop a more rugged appearance than his siblings, who looked more regal.

"I don't mean to intrude, my Lord but the report you asked me of our houses' finances has been delivered to your study. The report on current events is also attached there is well, if you wanted to take a look at it,"

"Thank you, Corwyn. You have served us well,"

"Only doing my duty, my lord," Jeyne, while holding Darnold close by, watched as the other children played in the garden. Ned had decided to take a seat on one of the benches, possibly taking a rest, while Elbert ran after Robert, who was carrying Sharra in his arms. She could still hear chants for "Hand over the princess" from Elbert as they continued chasing each other around. Jonos would almost always enjoy himself playing with the other children around him. She wondered if Darnold would too when he reached his age.

Once the old Maester left them, Jon spoke up, "Though the winter chill is slowly arriving, I have no doubts that our demesne will continue to prosper. Gulltown is anchoring our profits in terms of taxes and most of our vassals are paying their obligations."

"What of the rest of the Seven Kingdoms?" Jeyne asked while Darnold clung to her.

"Though not the most popular, the newly appointed hand has overseen a small golden age for the crown. I do not know whether or not our King Aerys is most responsible, or his hand. One things for certain, the future looks bright for the kingdoms,"

"Yet you don't sound so assured, my love,"

"Maybe it is just my grave dislike for the lion, but I certainly think there might be seedlings of strife between him and his Hand. Steffon had told me the Lannister and the king have been more at odds recently," Jon explained. Steffon Baratheon was closer to the king and his personal court than her husband. He would definitely have more of an insight to the inner workings of that court.

"Why would that be? What cause would he have to believe that?"

"Lord Steffon informed me that Lord Tywin's wife, Joanna, was a former paramour of the king. There was even an incident at the bedding ceremony involving the king." Jon explained. Many kings due to their position of power had trouble keeping one bed. Perhaps this was just a symptom of a man's needs or perhaps the king did not like his current wife. They were siblings, married according to the custom of their dynasty.

"With allies and confidants like that, I find it hard to imagine how Lord Tywin's enemies act," Jeyne declared. Jon sighed, now also looking over at where Sharra was. She had now been dropped by Robert, but she was still right next to him. Ned Stark seemed tired, as he was now seated with Elbert on one of the garden benches. Out of her husband's two wards, Robert had interacted the most with Sharra. Mostly because Robert seemed to have a habit of forcing his presence on others, which may hinder or help him when he gets older. Sharra at first was clearly uncomfortable with his attempts to make friends with her first, as she would find ways to retreat to the safety of her books or another place of solitude. However, over time she accepted Robert's persistence, and has been more comfortable around him, "It's a little difficult for me to watch the children play without Jonos. I certainly hope he is well in Riverrun."

"I wouldn't worry about him too much. Jonos is outgoing and playful. He should be fine around others," Jon stated. Jeyne hoped he was right. For a moment, Jeyne looked at the children she had with her in the Eyrie. Soon they would grow up, and make their mark in the land. She did not know what they would become, and ultimately no matter what she did, or no matter who she entrusted to raise them, they would become what they would become.

"These children will carry your name for future generations, Jon. Do you ever wonder what they would turn out to be?"

"I can only speculate, but I do know my love," Jon stated looking her in the eye, "Is that they will be remembered. For although I cannot claim to know the future, I have a feeling that they will make their mark on the future of this realm."

Jon was certainly right. Jeyne knew that her children, whether or not she wanted them, would become important pieces in the story of the Seven Kingdoms.

A/N: This is probably a shorter chapter, but it sets up for next chapter which will occur in Riverrun. Just to be aware, the story pacing is a little slower for most who are familiar with my former writing style on my old account. Each chapter will have a one year time skip, up until the point when the twins mature to about twelve or so, and the timeskips will definitely reduce themselves when they reach their late teenage years (19-22). Also be aware that certain characters might turn out the same as they did in cannon (i.e. Baelish, Elbert, or others) due to the nature of the story. Some characters may act extremely OOC, but I tried to retain the characterization of a LARGE majority of the cast. This time a quicker update will happen, and I have update my schedule on my profile. Till then, I will see you guys in the next chapter.