A Different Rebellion
The Tower Of Joy – 301 A.C
Two weeks later…
Jon spotted the large red brick tower on top of the hill in the distance as they rode towards it.
Smalljon Umber and Dacey Mormont were riding alongside him while Asher Forrester, Harrion Karstark, Martyn Glover and Eldric Dustin were riding behind them.
After a few minutes they stopped their horses near the base of the holdfast.
The holdfast was small with just a solitary red tower sat atop of a staircase that had been carved into the mountain.
As they dismounted their horses and approached the tower they saw three members of the Kingsguard waiting for them.
Ser Arthur Dayne who was stood looking at Jon with a pained look on his face.
Ser Oswell Whent was knelt down on one knee sharpening his sword with a whetstone while the latest member of the Kingsguard Ser Martynn Hightower was stood watching them with one hand on his still sheathed sword.
Jon and the others walked towards them and stopped several feet away from them keeping their swords sheathed.
Arthur glanced at each of them before sighing.
"Jon" said Arthur flatly.
"Uncle" said Jon sadly.
"We looked for you on the Trident" said Smalljon Umber.
"We were not there" said Arthur.
"Woe to the Usurper had we been" said Oswell Whent.
"Rhaegar is dead, I killed Aegon on the Trident… why were you not there to protect him?" said Jon that caused Oswell Whent and Martynn Hightower to send angry bitter looks at him.
"Our Prince wanted us here" said Martynn Hightower frostily.
"So he cared more about Arya Stark's imprisonment than he did about his own life… how touching" said Martyn Glover bitterly.
"And yet with your Prince dead and rotting in the ground you are still here" said Harrion Karstark.
"Kingsguard do not flee… nor do we forget our sworn duty" said Oswell Whent icily.
Jon sighed.
"We just want Arya back… then we can leave" said Jon.
Silence ensued for several moments before Arthur sighed and stepped away from his fellow Kingsguard causing them to turn to him.
"What are you doing Ser Arthur?" said Martynn Hightower in slight shock.
"Fall back in line Ser Arthur" said Oswell Whent harshly.
Arthur sighed and unsheathed Dawn before stabbing it into the ground.
"Oath or no oath, I will not fight my Nephew Ser Oswell… and orders or no orders, we shame ourselves as knights by keeping the Stark Girl, it would be best just to let her go" said Arthur flatly.
Oswell Whent and Martynn Hightower readied their swords.
"Kingsguard do not flee, if you want the Stark Girl… you must go through us first" said Oswell Whent.
Jon and the others unsheathed their weapons and charged the two Kingsguard.
It became perfectly clear how difficult this fight would be when Martynn Hightower cut Martyn Glover down after several seconds ending his life almost instantly.
Dacey Mormont threw her mace to one side and drew her sword before charging the Kingsguard while Jon found himself crossing blades with Oswell Whent.
Jon had to dodge Oswell Whent's sword as he could only watch in shock as Martynn Hightower drove his sword into the stomach of Dacey Mormont causing her to fall to her knees and drop the sword in her hands.
As Martynn Hightower pulled his sword out of her stomach she fell forwards to the floor as her blood mixed with the sand beneath her as she stirred and twitched in pain.
An even more enraged Jon charged towards Martynn Hightower and locked blades with him. Unsurprisingly the Kingsguard managed to held him off for a good few minutes before Jon caught him out and slashed his throat with his short sword while his longsword held the knights own longsword at bay.
Having no time to mourn for both his Cousin and his closest friend stepped away from the dead Kingsguard and over to where Harrion Karstark was impaled on Oswell Whent's sword while Smalljon Umber was on his knees clutching his gut which was bleeding though he was lucky only to have been slashed rather than stabbed.
The veteran Kingsguard pushed Harrion Karstark's body off of his sword causing it to fall next to the bodies of Asher Forrester and Eldric Dustin.
Jon quickly intercepted Oswell Whent's death blow which was aimed at Smalljon Umber saving his life which allowed Smalljon Umber to get back to his feet.
Once he was back on his feet Smalljon Umber quickly rejoined the fight making it a two on one fight against the deadly knight.
After a few minutes of fighting their combined effort paid off and Oswell Whent dropped to the floor in death with Smalljon Umber's dagger stuck in the back of his neck.
Jon quickly rushed over to Dacey Mormont pulling her into his lap praying to the Gods that she was going to be okay.
She looked up at him before managing a small sad smile.
There were many words she could have said to Jon in those last moments but she chose to remain silent instead squeezing his hand.
Jon who had tears pouring out of his eyes bowed his head and sobbed when her eyes closed and head fell back as she finally left this world.
It was nearly a full minute before Jon finally let go of her gently placing her on the ground.
Jon then moved over to the body of Martyn Glover with a pained look on his face knowing that his Cousin was dead. That seven people had died unnecessarily five of whom, his younger Cousin included had been led to their own deaths by him.
Finally Jon found the strength inside of him to get back on his feet.
He wiped his eyes and turned to Smalljon Umber who must have been fighting hard to keep his emotions in check at their fallen friends.
"You alright?" said Jon hoarsely glancing down at the wound on his friend's gut.
"I'll live" said Smalljon Umber wincing slightly from the pain.
Jon nodded and glanced at Arthur who sighed.
"In the tower" said Arthur solemnly.
Jon nodded and took a step towards the tower as Arthur pulled Dawn out of the ground.
He sheathed Dawn and removed his white cloak throwing it to the floor.
"Give me one of the horses" said Arthur flatly.
"Where will you go?" said Jon flatly still feeling numb about the whole situation.
"I do not know… but I cannot stay here" said Arthur flatly.
Jon sighed and nodded.
"You can take one of the horses" said Jon solemnly.
Arthur stepped towards Jon and wrapped him in a tight hug.
"Give my love to your Mother Jon… and tell her that I am sorry" said Arthur.
Jon nodded and wiped a tear from his eye before walking away from Arthur.
He ran towards the steps leading up to the tower as Smalljon Umber checked over the bodies of their friends.
Two minutes later…
Jon burst through the doors into the chambers where Arya was lying in the bed.
"Jon" said Arya weakly.
"Arya" said Jon in relief as he rushed over to the bed kneeling down by her side and taking her hand.
Arya was weak and had cold sweat running down her face and in her hair.
"Is that you, or are you just a dream?" said Arya weakly.
Jon smiled.
"Its really me Little Cousin, I am here to take you home, your Sister's and your Cousins are waiting for us" said Jon.
Arya looked at him with a fearful look on her face.
"I will not make it" said Arya sounding scared.
Jon squeezed her hand.
"You will" said Jon as tears started to appear in his eyes.
"I do not want to die, I want to be brave Jon" said Arya in a scared voice.
"You will not die Arya, you will live a long life in the North with your family" said Jon reassuringly.
Arya sobbed slightly as she pressed Jon's hand into her side which was covered in blood.
Jon fought back the tears and turned to the Wet Nurse by the door with a bitter look on his face.
"Get her some water" said Jon loudly.
"No water" said Arya in a pleading voice.
"Get a Maester" said Jon loudly.
"Shut up, shut up and listen to me Jon" said Arya in a pleading voice as she used what was left of her strength to raise herself up to Jon's face.
Jon leaned his ear towards her mouth.
"I loved him, he was my Husband, and I gave him a Son… Daeron Targaryan… if the Lannisters find out about him he will be murdered, you know he will… you have to protect him now, keep him safe" whispered Arya.
Jon felt shocked before he heard a baby's cries from his side as the Wet Nurse handed Arya's newborn Son to him.
"Promise me Jon, promise me that you will protect him" said Arya as she started to feel sleepy and dropped back to the bed.
"I promise" said Jon.
"Promise me" said Arya quietly and weakly as he eyes started to shut and her breathing started to slow.
Within seconds all of the life that was in his youthful vibrant Cousin had left her for good.
He had rushed into a war that tore the Seven Kingdoms apart just to bring her back to Winterfell.
Only now she would be laid to rest in the crypts with only the vast number of fallen Kings and Lords for company.
Robb, Brandon, Dacey, Harrion Karstark, Asher Forrester, Martyn Glover, Eldric Dustin. How many had died in a war that never should have started to begin with.
Jon fought back his tears as he looked down at Daeron Targaryan who was looking up at him with his striking violet eyes.
Apart from his Father's eyes he had his Mother's looks with the strong Stark face and tufts of dark brown hair.
Jon sighed and looked back at Arya who was lying there with a peaceful content look on her face.
"Arthur… Arthur Snow" whispered Jon.
Suddenly he heard the sound of someone stepping into the doorway.
He looked up to see Smalljon Umber looking at him in shock.
Jon wiped the tears from his eyes.
"No one… no one can know" said Jon flatly.
Smalljon Umber walked through the door looking down at the baby in shock.
"What will become of the child?" said Smalljon Umber.
"I will say he is mine, he has the Stark look so no one should question it" said Jon flatly.
"People will still ask questions" said Smalljon Umber warily.
"Let them ask" said Jon bitterly.
He turned to the Wet Nurse who was looking down at the floor in sadness.
"Where did you travel from?" said Jon flatly.
"Starfall My Lord" said the Wet Nurse.
Jon nodded.
"You will accompany us to Winterfell so you can look after the babe on the journey there, once we have arrived at Winterfell I will have someone escort you back to Starfall" said Jon flatly.
The Wet Nurse bowed her head to him.
"With your permission My Lord… I brought the boy into this world, I would like to join your Household so I can be there for him, please" said the Wet Nurse hopefully.
Jon sighed and nodded.
"Fine" said Jon flatly.
"What about the King?" said Smalljon Umber gruffly.
Jon scowled.
"He can go and fuck himself as far as I am concerned… we already gave him our fealty and made sure that he would never come North of The Twins again, he is no longer our concern" said Jon bitterly.
He walked over to his friend.
"Ready the horses… and have a wagon prepared, we leave in an hour" said Jon flatly.
Smalljon Umber nodded before leaving the chambers.
Riverrun – 301 A.C
One and a half moons later…
Jon and Smalljon Umber rode across the drawbridge into the courtyard along with a few House Dayne Soldiers who they had met at Starfall as well as a dozen House Stark Soldiers who had met up with them at Harranhal.
One of the House Dayne Soldiers was on top of a wagon which contained six coffins which contained the bodies of Arya, Dacey, Harrion Karstark, Martyn Glover, Asher Forrester and Eldric Dustin while the Wet Nurse from the Tower Of Joy was also sat in the wagon holding onto Arthur Snow.
As he and the others came to a halt Jon laid eyes on Sansa who was stood near the doors with a warm smile on her face and a bundle of blankets in her arms.
Stood with Sansa were her parents, siblings and her Uncle Brynden.
Jon slowly dismounted his horse and walked over to Sansa who stepped forwards to greet him.
"I have missed you greatly My Lord" said Sansa softly giving him a peck on the lips.
"I missed you too Sansa" said Jon.
He looked down at his Son in Sansa's arms.
He had the Stark face and tufts of light brown hair.
"Jon… this is our Son, Robb" said Sansa with a smile on her face.
A smile he had not seen for a long time and it only made him feel even more guilty about what he was about to do.
He sighed and looked down at Robb.
His three moon old Son and Heir.
After a few moments he turned and walked back to where the Wet Nurse was holding onto Arthur.
He glanced back at Sansa and saw her frown as he took Arthur from the Wet Nurse.
"That when you see Sansa again… tell her how much you really care about her, tell her how much she means to you, then make love to her like you have never done before" said Dacey.
"Forgive me Dacey… forgive me for breaking my word to you" thought Jon regretfully with a sigh.
He turned back to Sansa whose eyes locked on Arthur.
"Who is that My Lord?" said Sansa in shock.
Jon sighed and took a step towards her.
"Sansa… this is my Son, Arthur Snow" said Jon in a regretful voice.
He knew he was dishonouring his Wife by lying to her but deep down he knew he had to do it to protect Arthur.
He knew he had to pretend that he had been unfaithful to her when he knew he had never done such a thing.
Sansa froze up and quickly handed Robb to her Mother who was looking at Jon with a bitter look on her face while Brynden Tully looked ready to murder Jon.
Jon sighed and handed Arthur back to the Wet Nurse.
"Lets talk" said Jon flatly as he walked towards her.
Sansa turned around and walked back into the castle.
Jon followed her all the way up to her chambers in a guilty silence.
Once they were inside Sansa turned to him as he shut the door.
"You brought that bastard here, into my home" said Sansa bitterly.
"Better you find out about him now instead of finding out when we are back at Winterfell" said Jon flatly as he poured himself a cup of wine and took a large swig.
Sansa suddenly slapped him across the cheek.
"And what do you expect me to do with him, raise him as my own, to pretend that I am his Mother?" said Sansa angrily as Jon gently stroked his cheek feeling the stinging pain start to fade.
"A part of me had hoped that you would treat him as if he were your own Son… if you cannot do that then I will not force you to do it, but I only ask that you do not punish him for my mistakes" said Jon regretfully.
Sansa let out a harsh laugh.
"Punish him for your mistakes, he is living proof of how you were unfaithful to me, I will not have him at Winterfell, I will not" said Sansa.
Jon scowled.
"He is my Son, not yours, what becomes of him is my choice not yours" said Jon bitterly.
Sansa surprised him by grasping his hands.
"Please Jon, please… do not bring him to Winterfell, I am begging you to keep him away from me and your Son, let him live with your Mother and Father, or your Aunt and Uncle, send him to live anywhere but in our home, do not force me to live with the shame that you have inflicted on me, to share my home with a living reminder of how my Husband dishonoured me with another woman" said Sansa in a pleading voice.
Jon sighed.
"I cannot do that Sansa, I cannot send my Son away, please do not ask me to do that ever again" said Jon sadly.
Sansa wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Why?" said Sansa sadly.
"It was a war Sansa, none of us knew if we were ever going home again, and some of us will never see our homes again… I never meant to dishonour you by lying with another, and I am truly sorry that I did that to you… but it was my mistake and mine alone, but please, do not punish Arthur, he is innocent in this" said Jon regretfully.
Sansa turned away from him.
"Get out" said Sansa bitterly.
Jon sighed and walked towards the door.
As he opened the door he turned back to Sansa who was now sat on her bed with a sad look on her face.
"If it pleases you My Lady… I will not visit your chambers until you want me to, even if you never want me to, we have a Son and Heir now, that part of our duty has been completed… we can just focus all of our time on raising Robb" said Jon solemnly.
Truthfully Jon was lying to himself when he told her that they did not have to further consummate their marriage if they chose not to as he had spent many nights at war thinking about being in bed with Sansa.
Sansa glanced up at him and nodded.
"That is your right My Lord" said Sansa.
Jon sighed.
He turned to face the door.
"You were wrong you know" said Sansa flatly.
"About what Sansa?" said Jon.
"About Robb… I stopped loving him right after my Son was born, because I realised that I loved you, so much so that I wished that I had told you that I loved you before you left for war… and it breaks my heart to know that you have dishonoured me" said Sansa sadly.
Jon turned back to her.
"Sansa… I…" said Jon nervously.
"Now please… just go" said Sansa icily cutting him off.
Jon sighed and walked out of her chambers with a guilty heart.
He knew he was right to be feeling guilty after lying to his Wife like that but he told himself that it would be better for everyone if he kept quiet about Arthur's real identity.
Winterfell – 301 A.C
Three weeks later…
Jon managed a small smile as he rode through the inner gates of Winterfell into the courtyard where he saw his Family waiting for him.
Across the courtyard he saw Ghost raise his head and started to pant slightly from his place with the other Direwolves in the courtyard including Nymeria who was lying on the ground with what Jon imagined to be a sad look as though she could sense that Arya was dead.
As well as his Family all of Winterfell's Household staff and current Guests were there to greet them as well as a sombre looking Daenerys Targaryan.
As Jon dismounted his horse the wheelhouse and two wagons that were following behind him and his Guards came to a halt in the courtyard.
Jon walked over to his Family quickly greeting them with hugs and kisses on the forehead for his Sister and Cousins.
He saw Ashara gaze over to where the Wet Nurse was climbing down from the wagon with Arthur wrapped up in blankets against her chest.
He met his Mother's eye for a moment before turning away from her and walking over to the wheelhouse where one of the Guards had just opened the door.
Sansa moved to climb out with Robb in one hand.
Jon held his hands out for her to hand Robb to him which she did.
Once he had secured Robb in one arm he helped Sansa down.
"Welcome to Winterfell Sansa" said Jon softly.
Sansa nodded to him and took Robb back from him.
"It is very homely" said Sansa politely.
Jon sent her a small smile.
"Come… its time for you to meet the rest of my family" said Jon softly.
He led Sansa over to where the Starks were stood watching them.
"Sansa… meet my Mother, Lady Ashara Stark, my Brother Willam, and my Sister Leyla… and you remember my Father, and my Cousins Melaro and Roslyn… and you remember my Father Lord Eddard Stark" said Jon softly.
He watched as Sansa greeted all of them in turn instantly warming up to his Family.
"May I?" said Ashara looking at Robb with a loving smile on her face.
Sansa nodded and handed Robb to her.
"Our Son Robb" said Sansa softly.
Ashara looked down at him with a warm smile.
Jon managed a smile as he watched Sansa converse with his family before glancing across the courtyard to where the Wet Nurse was stood still holding Arthur to her chest.
"Might as well get this over with" thought Jon as he walked across the courtyard to the Wet Nurse.
As he took Arthur from her he locked eyes with her.
"Remember what we agreed" said Jon quietly.
The Wet Nurse nodded.
Jon swallowed before turning around and walking back to the Starks who were now looking at him with shocked looks on their faces as if they could not believe what they were seeing.
He slowly walked across the courtyard to his Family where Sansa was looking at him with a frosty look on her face.
He paused for several seconds before he cleared his throat.
"Mother… Father… this is Arthur… my Son" said Jon flatly.
He stood still expecting words of disappointment to come from his Parents at any moment.
"Can I hold him Jon?" said Ashara flatly as she handed Robb back to Sansa who looked very uncomfortable at the presence of Arthur.
Jon nodded and slowly handed Arthur to Ashara who looked down at him with a curious look.
Jon felt his heart rate increase a few times when he saw her eyes glance at him a few times for a brief second each time.
After meeting her eyes Jon inwardly gulped.
No matter what excuse he came up with the outcome would not change. His Mother saw right through the lie Jon had concocted and he knew it.
After a few more seconds she turned to face him.
"I will have a cot made up for him in the nursery… and a room for his Wet Nurse" said Ashara softly.
Jon calmed down internally before glancing at the second wagon which contained the five coffins.
He turned back to Sansa as the Starfall Wet Nurse made her way over them.
"I will have someone show you to your chambers Sansa… I would take you there myself but…" said Jon solemnly before trailing off.
Sansa glanced at the wagon before nodding.
"I understand My Lord… take your time" said Sansa sadly.
Jon nodded and walked over to the wagon as Vayon Poole walked over to Sansa to escort her to her chambers.
As Jon instructed the Guards to remove Arya's coffin Ned and the others made their way over to the wagon with sad looks on their faces.
Ashara took Ned's hand and squeezed it as Arya's coffin was placed on the ground.
Jon turned his gaze to Melaro and Roslyn who had hurt sad looks on their faces as they held each other closely while Willam was doing his best to comfort Leyla who was close to breaking down having had the closest relationship with Arya seeing her as the older Sister she never had.
It was the looks on his Cousin's faces that almost made Jon not want to open the coffin but he knew he had to do it.
"Open it" said Jon quietly.
One of the Guards knelt down and slowly slid the lid of the coffin down exposing Arya's face.
She looked peaceful with her eyes closed and a small smile forever etched on her face.
Jon sighed as he felt tears appear in his eyes once more as he looked down at his dead Cousin remembering the promise he made to her.
Ned and Ashara had heartbroken looks on their faces as did Willam and Leyla while Melaro and Roslyn had tears pouring down their faces as they held each other tightly.
"Put her in the crypts" said Ned sadly.
The Guards nodded and closed the lid on the coffin before picking it up to carry it down to the crypts.
Jon and the rest of the Starks remained in the courtyard for over half an hour before finally going back inside to grieve.
Arya's funeral was two days later and later that night Ned and Ashara pulled him into the Lord's Solar and confronted him about Arthur.
They did not let him leave until they got the full truth about Arthur out of him nearly an hour later.
By the next day the only people who knew the complete truth about Arya were the Starks, Ethan and Lyanna Glover who were adamant about knowing exactly what their eldest Son had died for though it was agreed that for now the full story would be kept from their three younger children Brya Glover aged 13, Lyarra Glover aged 11 and Edwyle Glover aged 8.
His Uncle Ethan's reaction had been the worst as he had given Jon a black eye while Lyanna could not look him in the eye after hearing that her family was going to lie about the full circumstances about her eldest Son's death.
The one person who Jon could not bring himself to tell the truth to was Sansa. Though he told himself he could trust her he refused to tell her over fears that she would blame Arya for what happened to Robb.
On their long trip to Winterfell from Riverrun Jon and Sansa had become civil with each other though it would annoy him when she would ask him who Arthur's Mother was.
Their conversation a week and a half ago was the worst part of it however.
Nine nights earlier…
"Why are you keeping her name from me?!" shouted Sansa.
The two were stood outside her tent which was located in the middle of their small campsite in the fields near the Neck.
Jon did not answer her instead taking a swig of his ale.
Sansa stiffened.
"Was it Dacey?" said Sansa icily.
Jon froze as memories of her last smile at the Tower Of Joy came flooding back.
He sharply turned to her.
"No… Dacey is not his Mother, never mention her name in that context again" said Jon bitterly.
Sansa reeled back in slight shock while Jon walked away from her without another word.
Jon sought her out the next morning and apologised for snapping at her telling her that hearing Dacey's name brought back the memories of her death. After a few minutes Sansa also apologised for her own words while Jon swore to her that Dacey was not Arthur's Mother.
Shortly after their return to Winterfell Jon found out from his Mother that Arthur had travelled back to Starfall to return Dawn claiming he was not worthy of wielding the famed sword of House Dayne any more. Having returned the sword Arthur had travelled to Sunspear before leaving for Braavos with the now widowed Princess Elia Martell who like Arthur felt there was no place for her in the Seven Kingdoms after everything that had happened during the war.
Ashara had received a letter from Arthur himself who told her that he had found work as a personal Guard in service to a wealthy Merchant while Elia worked as a seamstress for the same Merchant.
Ashara had hoped that since Arthur and Princess Elia were very close in their youth that perhaps they might find some comfort in each other as she felt that Elia deserved someone like Arthur who would love and protect her the way she deserved.