The statue of his mother looked down at him with kind stone eyes and a single winter rose in her hands. He was in the crypts, kneeling before the statue of his mother and praying for her. From somewhere far he heard the howl of a beast, a howl he recognized all too easily. He pushed himself to his feet and followed the source of the echoes. It led him to the statue of an old Stark Lord of Winterfell, Cregan Stark was his name, a voice whispered to him. He stepped behind the statue and found an entrance with dimly lit blue light coming from it. He walked through it and found a long hallway leading to someplace Jon was not aware of. He wasn't sure how long he walked through the long stone passage but eventually, he found the exit. There was a hot spring on the other side, its water glowing faintly blue. Before the pool of water stood a boy no older than Jon, with brown hair and eyes, and a pug nose. Beside him stood a woman with silver-gold braided hair and lilac eyes. The two forms soon turned to mist as a beast rose from the waters of the spring. Its crimson eyes stared at Jon before letting out a roar and bathing Jon in white and blue flame.
Jon woke with a start, rolling out of his makeshift bed and onto the hard soil. He sat up immediately and looked around in a daze.
"You were dreaming" Brynden's monotonous voice gave Jon a start, but the boy calmed down and let out a shaky breath. "What were you dreaming about?"
"Dragons" Jon muttered and Brynden looked slightly interested. "I saw a boy my age and a woman with silver-gold hair. And then a dragon rose from the hot springs. Are you sure there are no eggs in the crypts?"
"I found none when I looked" Brynden answered, his brow furrowed in thought. "What else did you see?"
"Cregan Stark's statue and a passage behind it" Jon answered.
"I found nothing like that there" Brynden argued with a frown.
"You think the passage could have caved in?" Jon questioned, looking to Brynden for some answer to his dreams.
"It doesn't matter right now" Brynden gave a firm shake of his head. "Right now we are in the middle of the enemy camp and need to be careful about what we talk about" he insisted.
Jon swallowed and nodded. He had forgotten that they were no longer in the safe confines of Winterfell and that on the other side of the flaps were Lannister men who would sell them to the king for some reward. "Let's grab something to eat" he muttered and stood. Brynden followed his example and the two exited the tent they shared.
Outside the noise of soldiers conversing and sharing laughs had made an otherwise peaceful day a little chaotic. Jon was grateful for it. It meant that nobody could hear them from the tent unless they were peeking in. Jon always spoke softly and Brynden's low voice was hard to make out unless you were being talked to. Jon broke his fast with the Stark men at arms, sharing some small stories about how their night was and how they missed their families. Jon missed his family no doubt, leaving behind a brother who would become a Lord with little help from his mother, a younger brother who was crippled and lost in his mind and another one that would wail for his mother but would not get her any time soon. He also left behind a wild child of a sister with an upset stomach, a small plan concocted by Jon to keep Arya in Winterfell. He would have preferred Sansa to remain as well, but her condition was a little more complicated than Arya's. She was betrothed to Joffrey Baratheon and her not coming along would have surely insulted Cersei in some outlandish sense. Or maybe she would have been okay with it. Jon did not want to risk it. But one other good thing he was able to do, was convincing both Sansa and her father to leave the wolves in Winterfell rather than bring them along. He would not have Lady or Ghost be harmed in any way. It was a tough goodbye, but he promised Ghost that he would be back for him.
All of those were events that happened days previously. The King's party had left The North behind and were now in The Riverlands, resting by The Trident where Rhaegar and Robert once fought one another during The Rebellion.
"They say you can find the rubies from Rhaegar's armour in these waters if you look for them hard enough" Jon mused out loud. Beside him, Brynden gave a small nod.
"Do you feel sadness? For the father you lost?" the man questioned.
"I have to first know the man to feel sadness for him. As I didn't know him, I have no reason to feel sad" Jon explained. "I am a little angry at him for being as rash as he was. My mother was just a young girl and him a grown man. He should have known better than to be so rash about everything."
"If he didn't do what he did, you wouldn't exist today" Brynden pointed out.
"I would have existed if the man had officially declared his separation from Elia and officially asked for my mother's hand. Nobody could have said no to a prince. Better yet if he had just dealt with his father, he'd be a King and a King wouldn't be denied no matter the woman being betrothed or not. Robert might have still gone up in arms, but he wouldn't have the backing he had and House Targaryen would have continued to reign over The Seven Kingdoms."
The two shared a moment of blissful silence before they heard the voice of Joffrey coming from behind them. They gave a respectful bow to Joffrey, who was out strolling with Sansa. Neither of them paid them much mind and just walked away.
"The past is the past and as much as it would have been beneficial, we can't change it. We can only look forward" Brynden muttered and Jon nodded. "What's your plan with Joffrey?"
"There will be a war either way" Jon declared softly. "My primary priority would be to get my uncle and cousin out of the capital safely. After that, I will declare my interest to challenge Joffrey for the throne, but only after his status as a bastard is made public and we are back at Winterfell. And then use my uncle to garner support from the North."
"You think The North will support your claim?" Brynden questioned. "Your father is hated by the men up North for the lies spread against him. Do you think he will support that man's son?"
"You forget who my mother was" Jon rolled his eyes. "Lyanna Stark was loved by many a lord in The North. I am her son, raised by their liege Lord who embodies what The North believe in. They will see my father first, but after the facts are put forward, they will have come to my side."
"That is a very optimistic plan" Brynden commented.
"A little optimism would go a long way in the long run" Jon shrugged.
"You have support outside as well" Brynden informed him after a short pause. "The Valyrian houses will side with you as they had done with your ancestors for generations. House Tyrell are ambitious and would want to marry their daughter to you to get one of their own on the throne."
"The Queen of Thorns isn't as easily swayed. Expect her to send someone to judge my character once the news of my heritage is made public knowledge" Jon muttered, "you have that part of the plan covered, yes?"
"I have" Brynden nodded his head, "I have my friend reach out to certain contacts of hers to get the job done when the time is right."
"This friend of yours is helping us a lot, without wanting much in return. She's looking after Daenerys, making moves on the other side of the ocean to bolster our numbers. Can you trust them to come through with it all?"
"I would trust them with my life" Brynden declared and Jon narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I'd like to meet them soon" Jon looked back to The Trident and let out a soft sigh. All these scheming and planning played against him more than he liked to confess. He hated it, being so secretive and making plans behind everyone's back just so he could stand where he belonged, and not up at some brotherhood that would stab him the first chance they got. He needed to do this, for himself and his family, both sides of it.
"When are you revealing to your uncle that you know everything?" Brynden asked, aware of but deciding not to comment on Jon's internal struggles.
"When the time is right" Jon spoke. "I'll tell him when I know the secret first. But the fact that I want to sit on The Throne is something that I'll tell him at a later time. Preferably once we return to Winterfell. By that time any reason for him to support House Baratheon would be gone."
"Not a bad idea" Brynden mused. "And what about the enemies in the shadows? The ones that would stab us in the back at the first chance?"
"Their time is coming soon enough. Winter will come from them and leave nothing of them behind" Jon promised, the grey in his eyes almost burning like orbs of grey fire.