Honor & Fealty chapter 21
"Thank you for coming out here with me. The North is without a doubt more vast than the Vale. I'm sure I would have gotten lost out here by myself." Mya Stone said as she and Jon Snow rode atop a mule and horse respectively. The mountains hugging the inner coast of the body of water between the mainland and Bear Island known as the Bay of Ice were not like those of the Vale. There was more open space and field to travel. The air was cold, crisp, clean and clear.
"You could have asked to ride one of the mares from Winterfell's stables. It would not have been out of taste."
"The mares are good for regular terrain but my mules have been cooped up in Winterfell for too long. They need to get out, stretch their legs, get the feel of mountain terrain back under their hooves and breathe in the fresh air."
"You are very close to your mules."
"No more closer to them than you to your direwolf, I imagine. In the Vale, there are few worth your trust. My mules always watched out for me and I have always cared for each of them. I think I was either born on a mule or conceived astride one."
"I beg pardon for asking out of turn but have you ever known who your parents are?" Jon asked. It was not everyday when he was in the company of another bastard, let alone one from anywhere beyond the North.
Mya looked at Jon for a moment before replying. "My father, he was a very passionate man. I imagine he still is. They say he was a great warrior. I have memories of a great, powerful giant of a man lifting me up into the air with those great hands of his."
"Do you see him often?"
Mya shook her head. "No. I doubt he ever visited the Vale to see me. Then again, being the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm as well as King on the Iron Throne does go a long way in keeping me from openly regarding him as my father."
"King Robert?" Jon asked in surprise.
"If you ever saw him, the resemblance between us in eyes and hair would have given it away. Not that it means a damn thing to anybody. He has never openly acknowledged me or brought me to court." Mya replied with a smirk at Jon's surprised expression. "At least I know I have a father out there and I know where he is. There are times thought when I wonder if he knows where I am right now."
That declaration stopped Jon right there. She was practically echoing the thoughts of his own mind. "Do you not have a mother?"
"I must have had one. When I was in service to House Royce, there were times I would look at my reflection in a looking glass. I would try to look past the family resemblance I inherited from my father so I could try to find something I could have inherited from my mother."
When Jon did not respond or make any sort of retort, Mya looked at him and saw what he was thinking. It was not hard to do since his thoughts were all but drawn upon his face.
"You never knew your mother either?"
Jon shook his head. "Lord Stark, my father, he never speaks of her to anyone, least of all to me. I do not know if she is alive or dead."
"One of the few good thing about being bastards, Jon, is that no one expects you to impress or govern anything. Your brothers and sisters are highborn and Starks. They have a family name and legacy to uphold and continue."
"What would become of me?" Jon asked.
"You have brothers and sisters who count you as one of their own. I don't have that. On that merit alone, I'd say that makes you the luckiest bastard of the realm if there ever was one, Jon Snow. Besides, don't you have that Mormont girl from Bear Island out there waiting for you?"
"Yes, that is true."
'In fact, I think I see her boat right there." Mya said as she pointed out west across the water to a lone boat out in the water. Mya took out a Myrish far-eye from her belt and looked through it to get a better glimpse of Jon Snow's girlfriend.
"She is rather fetching, Jon. Great set of teats on her. Tight body."
"Enough of that, Mya Stone. I won't have you talk that way about Lyra Mormont."
"I'm only saying what you are thinking. One of the perks of being a bastard is that you can talk however you please." Mya said as she handed him the far eye. "Take a look for yourself."
Jon looked through it in time to see Lyra standing tall on the boat, naked as she was when she sucked his cock and when he was on his knees with his face buried between her legs.
"Do you love her, Jon?"
"I do love her, but..."
'Then don't try to talk yourself out of it. You will regret it the rest of your life." Though she was tomboyish and hardened like the mountains of the Vale, Mya Stone had a heart as anyone else. She didn't want to see Jon talk himself out of a chance for happiness.
Jon looked to his direwolf, who seemed to be agreeing with Mya before turning out to the direction of Lyra's boat and letting out a long howl.
Dacey and Robb were in the middle of training with blunted swords when Rodrik Cassel halted their session. "Lady Dacey, Lord Stark wishes to speak with you in his solar."
Dacey nodded to Winterfell's master-at-arms before relinquishing her training sword to him. "Robb, keep up your training and your studies. I will return soon enough."
Upon arriving at the doors to Lord Stark's solar, Dacey knocked on the door.
"Enter."
Opening the door, she entered to find Lord Eddard Stark sat at his desk.
"Close the door."
Carrying out Lord Stark's order diligently, Dacey stood before him patiently.
"Do you recall the last time I stepped upon Bear Island?"
"Yes, I do. You came for Ser Jorah Mormont's head."
"I found you in the godswood, praying before the heart tree in clothes worn for days. You were a child of twelve if my memory serves me well."
Dacey nodded. "I was angry at Jorah and afraid of what price my house would have to pay for his crimes. I stayed in the godswood praying for mercy to be shown towards my family."
"I never sought for you, your mother or your sisters to pay for Ser Jorah's actions. I hope those fears are no longer an issue for you."
Standing up from his chair, Ned Stark approached the she-bear. "You came to Winterfell in order to aid Robb in becoming the heir to Winterfell and Warden of the North. Since your arrival, his character has changed greatly. He has become more patient and less reckless. He's quick to listen and slow to talk. His studies have improved as well. Should he continue in this way, Robb may prove himself well fit to be the next Warden of the North sooner than I could ever anticipate. I have you to thank for that, Dacey Mormont."
"It is my hope that I can also protect Robb from whatever threats there are beyond the walls of Winterfell."
"What enemies do you think there are out there, Lady Dacey?"
Dacey did not know how to answer that question anymore. Sansa's arguments had shed a harsh light on her prejudices concerning the South and the Southrons who lived beneath the Neck.
"There are those out there who do not care for honor as your house and mine does, Lord Stark. I would not see Robb taken advantage of by false allies and double-faced turncloaks who would stab him in the back for a fistful of gold dragons."
Ned Stark looked at the expression on Dacey Mormont's face and the tone in her voice. It was more than the sentiments of an over-protective banneman or even that of the most faithful sworn guard.
"You love my son. It's not a question. I have known this for a long time. Not in the way you once did when he was a boy. Even I could see it whenever the two of you are together." Ned raised his hand to keep Dacey from attempting to make some hasty explanation. "Do you know how many lords have come to Winterfell with proposals for betrothing Robb to any of their daughters or granddaughters?"
"More than I could dare to count, I imagine." Dacey answered.
Going back to his desk, Ned took a parchment he had drafted in his own hand and gave it to Dacey. "Winterfell is not Bear Island. The ways here are not those you may be accustomed to. Martial skill and experience are not undervalued in Winterfell. By the same note, you must learn that not all problems are solved by sword, shield, spear, mace or might alone."
The realization struck her like a bolt of lightning. Reading the contents, Dacey could not believe what she was reading. "Is this true? I never sought this out before."
"Mayhaps this is why you are meant for it. You did not see a title or a promise of lands and inheritance. You only saw my son and the man he could grow up to be. I believe that can happen with you at his side."
Bran climbed up to the top of a tree closest to the Pine Line. It had been two days since Arya and Lyanna's scuffle. A difference in perceived duties as the youngest daughters of house and the inevitable prospect of betrothals led to Maege Mormont having to tear the two girls apart and put them up on the Pine Line. Their right arms were extended out to the north and south while their left hands gripped the other's left forearm. Arya and Lyanna had to stay up there in that position, staring at each other for an entire day. Arya Stark and Lyanna Mormont could have climbed down after that but they did not. It became a battle of ego as both girls refused to budge an inch.
"Are you both alright?" Bran asked.
However proud and stubborn they were, Arya and Lyanna were shivering from being exposed to the cold air for so long. "Bran, I have the smell of rancid clothes on me and the sea air mixed with pine in my nose. I'm far from alright."
"Jory once had to stand up here for three days on one foot with her bow in hand, cord drawn, arrow nocked and pointed up to the sky."
"Was she being punished?" Bran asked.
"No. She needed to perfect her balance and focus. It worked out for her, at least by the fifth time." Lyanna spoke with a small grin on her face as she remembered how Jorelle had to catch herself on the branches as she fell four times before getting it right on the fifth try.
Without warning, Arya and Bran's eyes suddenly turned white as their minds flew across the lands towards the bodies of Nymeria and Summer, who were looking out onto the Bay of Ice.
Lyra was rowing back to Bear Island with Jon Snow and Ghost in her boat.
In the blink of an eye, Arya and Bran returned back to their places. However, while Bran was safe on his tree, Arya quickly lost her balance. Moving fast, Lyanna held onto Arya and pulled the both of them both back into their balanced position.
Arya and Bran were astounded at the strength Lyanna had to pull her back up by herself.
"What made you want to warg while we are on the Pine Line?" Lyanna asked. "Did you forget how far up we are?"
"I didn't think about warging. It just happened." Arya gasped between breaths of air.
"Neither did I." Bran said, a bit winded. "I did not think about warging. I did not even know Jon was close by."
"Maybe it was not either of you who knew he was near." Lyanna said as she looked out to the distance. "Your direwolves must have a strong connection with each other. Perhaps Nymeria and Summer sensed your half brother's direwolf."
"Did they warg us into their bodies?" Arya asked in surprise.
"It's not unheard of. I once was in training and inadvertently found myself staring out across the Bay of Ice to the Frozen Shore in time to spot several Wildlings creeping out into Brandon's Gift. Let's go out to greet your half brother." Lyanna said as she and the Stark siblings climbed down the tree.
"How do we control that for ourselves?" Arya asked.
"It is not a matter of controlling them. You can not have dominion over them. That does not work. There must be a communion between you and them. The bears that my sisters and I have bonded with are extensions of ourselves just as your direwolves are extensions of yourselves. There are times that you become an extension of them."
Dearest Cat,
I have stayed with Lord Wyman Manderly and his family for a respite rather than to go have a row with my brother about my place in House Tully. During my time in White Harbor, I have come into all sorts of information regarding guests of the North and family ties hanging by a thread. I will return to Winterfell to discuss these matters further with you and Lord Stark.
Ser Brynden 'The Blackfish' of House Tully.
One day after the letter arrived at Winterfell, Ser Brynden Tully and Ser Wendel Manderly arrived with 20 soldiers from White Harbor and Wylla Manderly riding between the two knights.
Ser Wendel and Ser Brynden did not squander time with formalities. Lord and Lady Stark caught on to this immediately and escorted them to the Great Hall.
Upon closing the doors behind them to make sure their conversation was private, Ser Wendel began.
"A long while ago, Lord Hoster Tully called upon me for a private audience. I did not know until my arrival that I was to bear witness to a reappointment in regards to who would succeed him as Lord Paramount of the Riverlands and Lord of Riverrun."
"Reappointment? How is that possible? Edmure is his only son. Lysa is Lady of the Eyrie and I am already Lady of Winterfell. Who else is there to pass Riverrun to?" Catelyn argued.
"There is no other Tully to rule from Riverrun." Ser Brynden answered.
"If such an action was taken, who would be the new appointed successor?" Lord Stark asked objectively.
"Cat, I doubt Edmure is capable to govern the Riverlands or rule from Riverrun as head of House Tully. Hoster may have had him trained and groomed to inherit Riverrun but all the lessons and training in the world can not change a man's character. Edmure is driven by the pursuit of personal glory. In answer to your question, Lord Stark, I do not know."
"This was given to me by Lord Hoster Tully himself." Ser Wendel brought to bear the decree written by Lord Hoster Tully. "Only Lord Hoster Tully himself and the Gods know what is written here. I have not dared to open it. It was not my place to do such a thing. Lady Stark, because you are your father's daughter, you should be the first to read it. Whatever it contains, we shall all find out together."
Catelyn gave no reply as she broke the wax seal and read the contents. While Ned had his 'lord's face' on to hide any emotional response, Catelyn had no such face to wear.
"Uncle, is this true?"
Ser Brynden took the parchment and read the contents. "Damn my brother's stubborn pride. This is why Lord Hoster summoned you to speak with him in private, Ser Wendel." Ser Brynden said as he gave the parchment to the heavy set, bearded knight of White Harbor. "This will cause a political uprising along with drawing attention from King's Landing." Ser Wendel replied as he gave the parchment to Lord Stark.
"Robb is the Heir to Winterfell and the North. How will he rule from two holdfasts and govern two regions at the same time?"
"I have not heard of many other circumstances where any heir received so much, however, I would venture to say that Robb would still inherit the North and Winterfell. As for Riverrun and the Riverlands, they would go to the second born son." Ser Wendel said firmly.
"Gods be good. Bran is still a boy." Catelyn said.
"He may be a child, Cat, but I would sooner entrust Bran with my family's ancestral seat and the Riverlands rather than a glory seeker like your brother." Ser Brynden said firmly.
Out of his peripheral vision, Lord Stark saw Maester Luwin closeby and let out a subtle sigh of relief. "Luwin, prepare a raven immediately for Bear Island. Tell Lady Mormont to have Arya and Bran ready for their return tonight. I want them back at Winterfell before the sun rises over the North."
While Catelyn left with Maester Luwin to see that the messenger raven would be fit for flight and the letter precise and to the point, Ned Stark remained with Brynden Tully and Wendel Manderly.
"The North has begun to yield greater crops than in the past. A lot of that is thanks to Willas Tyrell. We know that and so does everyone south of the Neck, especially Lord Mace Tyrell of Highgarden. My father knows Mace well. That buffoon believes the North to be a vast, cold wasteland. To hear it becoming vibrant with life and yielding great harvests for feeding the North would be a slap in the face to his pride. A great number of smallfolk in the Reach have begun proclaiming Ser Garlan Tyrell as the preferred heir to Highgarden in light of Willas turning away from the Faith. They think it absurd that anyone born in the Light of the Seven would prefer the lifestyle of the Northmen and the gods they keep to." Ser Wendel Manderly explained.
"Given the fool Mace Tyrell is, he will try to put on a show to the smallfolk where he is seen as the pleading father who is trying to get his prodigal son to come home." Ser Brynden said. He also knew that Mace Tyrell's motivation for getting Willas to come home was more to save face than to reconnect with his first born son.
"When he and Tarly return from Karhold, I will speak to Willas Tyrell of these matters."
The raven flew across the North and the Bay of Ice en route to Mormont Keep on Bear Island.
Maege Mormont was taken aback by the suddenness of the raven's arrival from Winterfell but did not dispute the contents of the message. Lord Stark was calling for the immediate return of Arya and Bran. Whatever was going on, it was serious enough for Lord Stark to write the message himself in his own hand.
Arya and Bran were woken up from their sleep by Jorelle and Lyanna. Nymeria and Summer were quick to rise and go out with their mistress and master as the Mormonts led them to the southern coasts of Bear Island.
"What's happening, Jory?" Arya asked. In the time they spent together, Arya had gotten close enough with Jorelle that she was allowed to call her Jory.
"Your father has called you and Bran back home tonight. More than not, by the time we land at Sea Dragon Point, you'll have a welcoming committee there to receive you."
It was late at night when Arya and Bran returned to Winterfell. A small meal was given to them before they were put to bed.
In the light of day, when everyone went to the Great Hall to break their fasts, Ned and Catelyn made the announcement.
Dacey, Jon, Theon and Mya dined with Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon while Lord and Lady Stark dined side by side.
When the announcement was made that Robb Stark and Dacey Mormont were betrothed to be married, everyone was elated and ecstatic to hear the news.
Arya, Bran and Rickon were the most animated in their elation as the three of them embraced their future good sister. Jon, while more reserved than his younger siblings, smiled at his brother's good fortune.
When everyone was finished eating their breakfasts, Maester Luwin sent ravens to every great house in the North with news of the betrothal between the heir to Winterfell and the heiress to Bear Island.
Across the North, everyone celebrated upon hearing of the impending marriage between Robb and Dacey. At Castle Black, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont smiled beneath his white beard at the message from Winterfell of his niece marrying Lord Stark's eldest boy.
Maege, Alysane, Lyra, Jorelle and Lyanna were all smiles when they heard the news. Sarea and Beron were just as excited to know that they would be kith and kin to the Starks.
In the Neck, all the crannogmen and their families raised a horn of mead to the good health and fortune of Houses Stark and Mormont.
A/n: I hope this chapter was worth the wait, that it came out just right and it helps to take the edge off what happened in the Battle of the Bastards. I'm also trying to balance out the other ships in this story. Some of them will pan out. Others will not. Leave a review if you can. Be sure to be polite and use constructive criticism when necessary.
A/n: I'm going off on a limb, so to speak, about the warging. It is meant to show that the bond between the Starks and their direwolves is a two way street.