Chapter 3: The Day to Day

POV Mousesack, 1258

Mousesack was ecstatic. Jon had taken well to what he called, once he succeeded, Warging. Mousesack asked the boy what that was, he said it was a mistic ability straight from his Old Nan's tales. The boy said to him that he thought that it was just that, a story. To that Mousesack gave the boy his usual response to such thoughts. "Only ignorant fools belittle the significance of stories and myths."

This was the first time Mousesack had ever seen anything like it, the closest psionic ability he could compare it to was telempathy. Where the user would read and share emotions with their target. Warging is so much more powerful, yet with its own risks.

Through their thorough experimentation, Jon and the druid discovered how his ability works. With it, Jon could send his consciousness into an animal's body in an attempt to take it over. The result of this has three different ends; the first and optimal end was the animal's mind immediately or eventually submitted to Jon's and he takes control, this was easiest with small birds and well-trained dogs: the second is sufficient but wasteful, where the animal's mind fights Jon's to the point where it is broken by him and the animal becomes brain-dead after the boy leaves the body (this discovery nearly drove the young boy to tears, in what he saw as pointless death), this was usually the case with rats and other vermin: the third result was when the warging failed and Jon's mind forcefully was thrown back, this would give the boy terrible headaches that could last five to ten minutes, depending on the mental strength the animal had, this happened with violent tomcats. All of these resulted in Jon's body collapsing while his mind was away.

Based on these findings, which Mousesack reported to his queen diligently, the druid theorised that with enough practise Jon could control the body of any animal he chooses while retaining consciousness in his own body at the same time. And, based on the stories Mousesack had Jon repeat to him, the animals that are warged repeatedly by the same individual eventually form a powerful bond with them.

Armed with this information Mousesack had a group of guards search the seaside for White-tailed eagle nest, to find a hatchling and bring it back alive and unharmed. He thought about getting a monster, but Jon is too young and untrained for that at the moment.

In the days the guards were away searching, the druid had Jon move on from the small, caged animals in his laboratory. Mousesack had Jon try warging into larger animals, such as pigs and sheep. Both of which were easy for him, as pigs are simple beasts and sheep are easily influenced even without magic.

When the guards finally returned with the recently hatched eagle, too young to have imprinted thankfully, Mousesack "gifted" it to Jon along with a box-nest. He instructed the boy to be with it as much as possible, feed it and care for it. Jon seemed over the moon and named it Gwyn, white in Elder speech.

POV Albin

Albin was never what one would call a happy man, even his own wife called him dour, but right now he sported a face splitting grin.

The boy. THE BOY, he had such great potential. Albin felt like he was an artist who found rare marble or ground lapis lazuli for a bargain. Albin was just so damn exited. That's not even the best of it, they both have the same preference for swords and the same reason. Both their fathers had Greatswords and just like Albin revered his father's sword, so did Jon dream of wielding his father's sword Ice. Albin swore to himself that he would do his best to mold him into a being of ultimate martial skill.

Albin knows he isn't an amazing swordsman, no matters what everyone else says, but he knew that that won't affect his determination and drive to train the boy. He spent his every waking hour thinking of the best way to train him, he even asked the greatest warrior he knew for advice. His queen only smirked at him saying "As if you of all people need advice on swords.", she confused him greatly. No matter, Albin swore to both himself and Melitele that he would be the greatest instructor he could be and intrsuct he would. He would be a slave driver, no matter how much Jon might hate him during. The more the boy hates him the more he will learn.

The morning of the first training session, Albin had gifted Jon his old training sword and it warmed his heart to see him hold it. The wooden claymore was far to large for the boy, but he'd grow into it and it would help him get used to how cumbersome the weapon could be when not used properly.

They started with the basics, Jon and Albin standing next to each other. Albin would show Jon a stance and perform various attacks with it. Then Jon would copy it and made Albin grin as he only took a few cycles to swing and thrust well. Albin demonstrated and Jon imitated until noon, when Mousesack came to take him to his magic lessons.

In the next few days, Albin had Jon and Ciri spar with each other using their wooden training swords. While he watched and corrected any mistakes they made. By the time Jon had first brought his new bird with him, the two had improved. If only slightly.

Albin could see it now, his princess and his psudo-son tearing through the battlefield. Killing and maiming as they went, sticking fear into their enemies. It nearly made him cry. He would do all he can to make that dream a reality.

POV neutral

By the end of his first week in Cintra Jon had his routine cemented. After waking with the sun, Jon, Ciri and Calanthe would brake their fast together in the dining room. Usually with back bacon (Which Jon shared with Gwyn), pickled beats and leafy greens. Then he and Ciri would train together under Albin until noon. Jon liked training with him, he was hard but fair, and skilled besides. The large man reminded him of Ser Rodrick.

After training with Albin had ended , Jon and Ciri would separate. Jon would immediately go to Mousesack to train his Warg powers and Ciri would have her midday meal then go to her stately lessons, with her complaining the whole way there about how unfair it was. Jon agreed, but when he suggested Ciri joining them to Mousesack, the druid brushed him off saying "The princess needn't do that, the rulers always have their mistic advisers. Therefore don't need to learn magic.". Even though Mousesack said that, Jon could see that there was more to that story, but let it go. Jon trusted the man, if he needed to know, then the druid would tell him.

After Jon finishes training for the day and Ciri's instructor is satisfied, they would have dinner together without the queen, as she is usually still busy. Once dinner is done, they would have free-time to play, prank the guards and feed Gwyn various bugs for their amusement.

For the next month Jon settled into his new life and all was going well. Until a rider came with terrible news.

POV Ned Stark, 289

Ned was weary and, like after the rebellion, he hated himself. For all the deaths at his hand and all the suffering he caused to those men's families. But he hated Balon more, the fool thinking he could take up a crown in these days.

All Ned wanted to do either sleep or spend time with his sons and daughter, hold them close, and see their innocent faces. Even if Jon's was slowly getting less so, proving that the saying is true. Bastard do grow up faster.

As Ned and his party passed under the inner wall's gate, his family came into view. First was Cat, prim and proper as usual, even with her belly swelled to bursting. Then Robb, his boy was despondent and his face downcast and blank. Then Sansa, his little princess wasn't at all herself, instead of a bright smile and big eyes. She looked half-asleep, her eyes red and puffy from weeping. Knowing Cat's southern tendencies, Ned looked for Jon among the guardsmen, servants, or Ser Rodrick. Not seeing either of them, Ned assumed they were both in the training yard. Disappointing, but not surprising. Ser Rodrick confessed how much he loved training the boy before Ned left and he knows how much Jon wished to prove himself. Or they were distracting themselves from what was bothering the family.

As Ned got closer, he saw that his wife was fidgeting slightly. She did something, he's known her long enough to tell. He dismounted and walked the rest of the way to his family. Reaching Cat, he simply asked "What happened?". With those two words, Sansa clung onto Robb and started weeping. "We should speak privately, my lord.". Ned nodded and instructed Balon's boy, Theon, to go with Vayon so the pair can find a chamber for him. Then he dismissed the men, before walking to his solar to get answers from his lady wife.