The Returned
The castle rose along the shores of Cape Wrath, atop a crag of dark red stone. On three sides it was surrounded by the fierce waters of Shipbreaker Bay.
It hasn't changed much, Jon thought to himself, though he was a completely different man.
Men would say that the war began today, when he had returned to his home. It was still a stout castle, and a useful position in war, though not as mighty as it had been. It lay just south of Storm's End, a good position to begin his march North.
And the usurper was dead now, leaving his sons to try and hold the throne. They were only boys who would need their uncles to hold the throne he knew, but one was dead, another fled, and the other two did not seem intent to support the false Prince.
The realm will rise for their true king, he told himself. From the capital the news he had heard kept getting better, with all tales agreeing that Lord Eddard had been arrested too.
As he rode through the gates, he looked around this castle that seemed almost foreign to him. Two men he didn't know where the first to approach, one who was clearly a maester from the chain, and the other who he guessed to be a steward. Jon didn't recognize either of the men though.
"My lord," greeted the steward. "We had a raven from King's Landing, that you had returned from across the Narrow Sea and were restored…"
"Aye," Jon said, taking the letter from the king out. He caught sight of two men and a woman standing about who seemed to be his kinsmen. Ser Ronnet had been the one made Knight of Griffin's Roost after the war he recalled, and no doubt the man had not taken well to learning of his return. "Has Alayne returned?"
He had waited in King's Landing to get word from Tyrosh, and according to what he had heard, Alayne was returning from across the Narrow Sea.
"She has my lord, though she and your children are resting now," the steward told him. Jon wanted nothing more than to go rest with them, but he needed to attend to matters first.
"Thank you," he said instead. "Tell me, what news have you heard of late?"
"The King is dead," said the Maester. Jon decided he didn't trust this man, and wanted to have him replaced, but he didn't think he could trust anyone else who would replace him.
"This is old news," said Jon. "I heard that while I was coming south."
"It is said Lord Eddard was arrested, and his heir has called his banners to go to war against the Lannisters," the Maester informed him.
He knew that Lord Eddard rotted in a cell, but he didn't known his heir was going to war. Somehow he found himself thinking of the Princess, whose husband would be going to war with her family now. Did you try to convince him not to? He wondered.
Regardless, this was the best news he had heard in some time. With the Starks at war with the Lannisters, crowning the Prince would prove to be so much easier.
"Anything else?" Jon asked.
"Lord Renly has called his banners, summoning his men to Highgarden while Lord Mace Tyrell has done the same," the Maester said. "Do you mean to answer my lord?"
"No," Jon said. He had heard that Renly was calling his banners before as well, and he supposed Griffin's Roost was still sworn to Storm's End.
Last time there had been others who did the same. Cafferan, Fell, and Grandison had fought against Robert at Summerhall and Tarth, Dondarrion, Swann, Penrose and Selmy had all fought beneath the dragon too. Robert may have been lord of the Stormlands, but he had been outnumbered in his own kingdom.
"My lord…" The steward started to say, with concern on his face and in his voice. My loyal subjects, Jon thought to himself.
"We will raise our forces, but I will not go to join Renly yet," he told them. He didn't think it would be wise to tell them of his plans yet.
"We shall have word spread then," the Maester said.
"I will need to write some letters. I shall call on you when I have a need," Jon told him, and the Maester left.
When he was gone, Jon turned fully to the steward. "Take me to my family," he said.
"At once my lord," the man said, and he began to lead Jon out from the main yard.
He looked around as he walked, trying to spot familiar faces. Only one in ten seemed even a little familiar to him, but Jon decided to count himself lucky.
It was Elanda who he spotted first, just outside her chambers. It was early morning, so she must have woken early.
"Father!" She exclaimed when she saw him, and she rushed towards him and kept into his arms.
When Jon put her down, he looked over her daughter. She looked so much like her mother had when he had first seen her he realized, a woman now not a girl.
"Has the castle been to your liking?" Jon asked her. Often he had told stories of Griffin's Roost to her, and she had always seemed so excited by the prospect of returning, that Jon wondered if she would find it disappointing.
"It's home father," she answered, a small grin on her face.
Jon nodded, feeling glad that she was able to find some happiness here. "I only wish I could have brought you here sooner," he whispered, though not loud enough for her to hear.
He heard another door open, and saw that it was Alayne who had stepped out. "My lord," she greeted him, showing a lady's courtesy.
"My lady," he greeted her before they shared a kiss that held more duty than love to it.
"Your mother wants to see you again," he told her, and she nodded. Alayne had spoken often about her desires to see her mother too.
"I want to see her again," she said. "But I can't yet, can I?"
No, Jon thought to himself. The war would not make such a journey easy.
Alayne only had a sad look on her face before she turned and knocked on one of the doors. "Harrion, your father is here," she called inside.
Only a few moments later he saw Harrion emerge. His son was sporting a full beard that was as red as his hair now. The two shared a hug together as well.
"You must be tired father," Elanda said to him afterwards, and Jon couldn't agree more. He had remained in the capital well after the tourney, to rest and prepare, but he had to ride hard too when he finally left.
For years he had dreamt of this day when he would finally return to Griffin's Roost. In all of them, he had hoisted a Targaryen banner from the battlements along with the Griffin.
"I can't rest now," he said to them, going to his solar.
Things were nothing like he had left them, all those years ago, but it didn't matter to him. Instead he found a map, and began to study it. There weren't any pieces to place on it that he could see, but his mind was able to picture them.
Lord Renly had chosen to gather his strength at Highgarden, rather than Storm's End, which made him twice a fool.
He had left the great seat of Storm's End vulnerable, and the lords of the Reach were hardly fond of the Tyrells either.
Take Storm's End, and the kingdoms will be won, Jon decided. But he lacked the strength to take it on his own. Even at the height of their powers, the Conningtons would not have had the strength for such a feat. He would need allies to make such a move.
Jon wrote three letters, one to Sunspear, one to Stonehelm, and one to Harvest Hall. He wasn't sure if he should send more or not, but they seemed a good start for the time. Other lords will join us in time, he told himself.
He watched as the Maester sent the letters, ensuring that the Maester did not read them. The letters were little more than invitations though.
When he was finished, Jon left, to see the sun was higher in the sky. There were a few clouds in the sky today, and it had rained only two days past. Storms would be common enough at least, Jon knew.
He looked on with pride when he saw in the yard his son was doing well against who he could only guess to be one of his kinsmen. Harrion had been trained amongst Sellswords in Essos, and was quite good at least.
From there he waited for a few moments before someone came to him. It was Alayne again who stood next to him. "My lady," he said to her.
"Will you not rest my lord?" She asked him.
"Soon…" He told Alayne.
"Are you watching Harry?" She wondered, with the wind blowing her red hair. She was beautiful truly, even if Jon hadn't found much enjoyment in her, and he knew that many a man would have gladly married her were it not for him, and the Prince who had asked him to wed her instead.
Jon nodded. "Yes," he said, his voice not as confident as he thought it would be.
"He was taught well," Alayne said, as she began to look over at the yard below with him. "He is wed now, did you know?"
"Wed?" Jon asked, suddenly confused. Their son had been born in the year after the False Spring, only a boy of six and ten still.
"He wed one of your cousins, Alynne, to try to appease her brothers. They did not take kindly to our return," she informed him.
"Nor did I expect them to," Jon said. Of course they wouldn't. "Have they proven to be troublesome?" He decided to ask. He supposed that he would need to know them himself before he could judge.
"Not since the marriage… Though Ronnet I think still holds a grudge, he won't act on it for his sister's sake," Alayne told him. "He likes her well enough though."
"Good," Jon said. May the gods grant them a happier marriage than our own, he thought to himself silently. The marriage was a wise one too, he supposed, to strengthen their claim and put down any attempts to overthrow them.
"We'll need to find Elanda a marriage too," Alayne said.
She was right, he knew, though Jon didn't wish to think about it much. Elanda was five and ten though, soon to reach womanhood, and flowered. "I shall discuss a betrothal with other lords," he promised.
Jon wondered how good a match Elanda would be able to make. The King had restored him to his full lands and titles for his deeds, but he still wasn't sure how many would be willing to wed the daughter of a man who had once been Hand to the Mad King.
"You need your rest now, before you think on such things," said Alayne after that, and Jon was able to agree. He allowed Alayne to guide him to his bedchamber, where he finally was able to lay down in a featherbed that made him feel comfortable.
It was home, Jon thought to himself as he fell asleep that day.
Three days later the first man to answer his summons had arrived, Lord Guilan Swann.
"My lord," Jon greeted the Lord of Stonehelm, a man older than him, his hair completely grey. He had meet the second of his sons, Balon in King's Landing he recalled, a burly man who was a little handsome.
"After all these years, you have finally returned?" Lord Guilan asked back. "I had heard it that you had drunk yourself to death in the Free Cities."
"Those stories were plainly false," Jon said.
"Were they? I do not know you as I did that man who was exiled… It could be just as likely the tides washed up a fake, some man who once met the lord and bore enough a resemblance to him, and returned in his place."
He thinks me a fake, Jon realized grimly. "I am Jon Connington, and I hope that you will not doubt me further."
"Why did you write to me?" Lord Gulian asked. "I came to gather your measure after you had sent it, but had you not just returned I would not have come."
"You fought beneath the Red Dragon once my lord… You ought to again," Jon told him.
He raised an eyebrow. "King Robert restores you to your lands, and you immediately wish to betray his heir?"
"Prince Joffrey is not the true king… No less than Robert was… The true heir is further North," said Jon.
"Perhaps you are Jon Connington then. I do not know many men that would be so foolish as to try to place a crown upon the head of Prince Rhaegar's son so soon. He is held by Lord Stark afterall," Lord Gulian told him.
"And Lord Stark is in a cell, while his heir gathers his strength to go to war with the Lannisters," Jon reminded him. He wondered if they had even needed to have the Imp killed to bring about this war, now, since something had caused Lord Eddard to be arrested by the Queen. "I met the Prince at Winterfell, and Lord Eddard's heir too."
"Did you meet my granddaughter then?"
"Yes… She is well," Jon lied. He had seen her once or twice, a pretty maid who sometimes clung to the Princess's side.
"My other granddaughter is wed to one of Lord Stannis's sons. One son is with Renly at Highgarden, another in King's Landing, and a third with her on Dragonstone… Why should I support you?" Lord Gulian asked.
"Because we would be the first. Lord Renly has called his loyal lords away, leaving Storm's End in the hands of Ser Cortnay Penrose. If Storm's End should fall, and I mean to see that it does, the rest of Renly's Lords will flee his banners to ours," Jon explained.
He must see it, Jon thought to himself. There was a look in the man's eyes that he didn't quite know what to make of.
"Who would support this? What other lords would join us?"
"Martell, Royce, Greyjoy, Stark, Vance, and Tully for a start. And all the rest who remained true to the Targaryens during the Rebellion," Jon said, as confidently as he could.
"Do you think it likely the Prince would be crowned?" The lord asked. "It will be all for naught if no crown is placed atop Aegon's head."
"There will be one, unless Stark is a fool." It would be the Riverlords who would crown him, Jon was certain. He needed Stonehelm though in his quest. "I spoke with the lad at Winterfell. He wishes for a crown, and agreed that should he be king, he would name me his Hand as his grandfather did." It was a lie, but Jon needed to convince him.
"You would be hand? Truly?"
"Aye," Jon said. "And when he has his throne, he will be grateful too. He had a fondness for your daughter at Winterfell… If he takes the crown, he might wed her and make her his queen."
There was a hunger in the man's eyes, and Jon knew that he had won. The rest was all tedious details.
They had agreed to betroth Elanda to the Lord's only Grandson, Clifford, and sorted out the rest of their plans. It will not be long before we have enough, Jon thought to himself satisfied.
Author Notes:
Lol the Alayne, Alynne thing is not something I had thought of when I first named Alayne. That's a bit of a whoopsie, though at the same time though it does make some sense in-universe that perhaps Alynne's father named her as such after Jon's new wife.
So the House Swann family tree is actually a bit of a mess in canon. We know there's Gulian and his two sons, Donnel and Balon, but then somehow in A Clash of Kings some random dude named Clifford becomes Lord of Stonehelm, as well as a few unspecified members of the family we know pretty much nothing about when it comes to how they tie into the main line.
So I gave Gulian a third son, Byron who is on Dragonstone with Stannis, and the eldest, Donnel, is wed to one of Bryce Caron's sisters. Together they have Betha, who is married to one of Stannis's sons, Clifford (who I made the future heir to Stonehelm), and Cassandra (one of Myrcella's ladies in waiting).
Also, we finally crossed 100 reviews here, which has me pretty happy.
Thanks for reading, and as a reminder, I don't own ASOIAF.