Chapter 7: Jon

Jon stared wide eyed and open mouthed as they walked the streets of White Harbour. He'd never seen anything like this before. The streets were filled with people, going about their business, selling wares, shouting at one another, one or two were even singing. The actual streets themselves were a mixture of being overly clean and dirty, and from what Lady Wynafryd said that was perfectly normal for a city.

A city, that was what White Harbour was. An actual city. He'd never been in a city before. Never. He'd visited almost everywhere in the north with his father and with Robb, but never White Harbour. Robb had gone here once before, when their father had travelled here, perhaps two years ago. He'd begged their father to allow him to come, but their father had refused. Instead Jon had gone with Uncle Benjen to Karhold, where Alys Karstark had flirted with him.

But this? This was far superior to anything else that he had ever seen. If people came here, they would never again think that the North was some backwater on the edge of civilisation. They would know truly what the north was capable of.

Why weren't there more cities like this in the North?

"Because it costs a lot to maintain." Lady Wynafryd answered, which made Jon realise he'd asked that question out loud.

He blushed as he looked away from the streets to his companions. Lady Wynafryd, the second in line to White Harbour, her sister Lady Wylla and Ser Oswell-who accompanied Jon wherever he went-they were all looking at him with something like amusement on their faces. That made him blush.

"Why?" He asked softly, hoping he didn't come across as an idiot. He did not think he was an idiot, but, he had never seen a city before.

"Well, you have the cost of maintaining the roads and the streets. There are a lot of streets and roads within White Harbour, that's a lot of money. Then there are the buildings that need to be maintained. Only three are owned by anyone not Lord Wyman." Lady Wynafryd explained.

Jon nodded, Lady Wynafryd was two years older than Jon, and she was slightly taller than him as well. She had long brown hair tied into a braid, and lovely green eyes. Her sister, Lady Wylla was about the same height as Jon, with longer brown hair, that had green edges. Lady Wylla reminded Jon of Arya, and thinking of Arya made his side ache, he hoped she was well.

"How do you pay for all of this?" Jon asked then.

"Everything that is sold within the city has a small tax added onto it, that goes into the coffers. Then there are the taxes that ships that aren't from the north pay to dock at the harbour. That adds another amount. And then of course there is the rent that comes from the lands that my lord grandfather owns." Lady Wynafryd explained.

Jon nodded that made sense. He was about to ask how they handled the persistent hot weather, when Lady Wylla spoke.

"Come on, Wynnie, you're boring him. Let's show him something interesting."

Before Jon could say that he didn't mind hearing about that sort of stuff, Lady Wylla was charging down the street. He looked at Lady Wynafryd who rolled her eyes fondly before following after her sister. Jon looked back to Ser Oswell who merely grinned. Jon sighed and followed after the Manderly girls.

They walked past several buildings that were adorned with the Merman of House Manderly, as well as the direwolf of House Stark. They looked relatively new, and judging by the fact that Lady Wylla did not stop, they were not what she wanted to show him.

After what seemed a long time, they stopped before a building that was old, the paint on the walls was turning a sickly yellow.

"This is Lord Theomore's Dagger." Wylla said.

Jon raised an eyebrow, the name was familiar but from where he didn't know.

"It's where Lord Theomore gave refuge to Prince Brandon Stark after House Bolton had killed his father and elder brother." Lady Wynafryd explained.

"Oh!" Jon said then, he remembered that story. "And didn't Prince Brandon discover a dagger within the building that was said to be made of dragon glass?"

"He did." Lady Wylla said beaming.

"Prince Brandon then used that dagger to kill Lord Bolton, and was the one to name the building." Jon said, the memory coming back to him.

"Exactly." Lady Wylla said. She then turned and pointed across the street. "And that building there is where Lord Theomore kept Bolton prisoners after they had tried to raid his lands."

"The Great Knife." Jon murmured, he had read about the Great Knife. A building that never had any light, that was so dark that it drove its prisoners mad.

"Indeed." Lady Wynafryd said.

"There's more." Lady Wylla said, she walked quickly onward down the street. Jon followed, intrigued.

They stopped at a building that had no roof. It was made of solid brick, and there was something in it that called to Jon. A smoky smell.

"What is this place?" Jon asked.

"This is the Dragon's Lair." Lady Wylla said.

"Dragon's Lair?" Jon asked, the smoky smell grew stronger as he said those words.

"When Queen Alysanne came north before King Jaehaerys, she visited White Harbour on her way to Winterfell. There wasn't a place big enough for her dragon to stay within the New Castle, so this building was built. It took roughly three days to make, without a roof, and with no inner walls. It stretches out into the next two streets." Lady Wynafryd explained.

The smoky smell filled him then. "So, the dragon that Queen Alysanne had stayed here?" He asked softly.

"Yes, and when the King came, his dragon stayed here as well." Lady Wylla said.

"And that smoky smell?" Jon asked. It filled his nostrils and his very being.

"What smoky smell?" Lady Wynafryd asked frowning.

Jon frowned then and panicked. Why couldn't they smell it? It was strong, so strong in fact that he was worried he was going to faint.

"Are you well, Jon?" Lady Wylla asked. "You look a bit faint."

"I…" Jon said, he couldn't finish that sentence though, the smoky smell was starting to fill every part of him. There was a roaring in his ears. Something was about to happen.

"Perhaps we should walk back to the castle, my ladies?" Ser Oswell said.

"Yes, I think that would be a good idea." Lady Wynafryd. Jon blinked, suddenly both ladies had one of his arms in theirs and they were walking back toward the castle.

The further they got from the Dragon's Lair, the less he smelt that smoky smell.

"So, where are you going in Essos?" Lady Wylla asked.

"Braavos." Jon said, the smoky smell had gone now, that he was the only one who had smelt it to begin with was strange and was making his mind whir. "I'm going to see the Titan and explore it for a bit. Then I think I will go to Pentos, then onto Lys, Myr and Tyrosh."

"Quite the adventure." Lady Wynafryd said.

"I wish I could go with you." Lady Wylla said.

"You do?" Jon asked, he would have turned his head to look at her, but he wasn't sure if his body could cope with that just yet, the smell might have gone, but he felt sick now.

"Oh, yes. Essos sounds so exciting. There's so much to see and explore." Lady Wylla said.

"And it would get her away from all the proposals that grandfather and father have received for her hand." Lady Wynafryd added laughing.

Lady Wylla sniffed. "I am not old enough to marry yet, and besides grandmother visited Essos before marrying grandfather. I see no reason why I should not be able to do the same."

"Well, there is the fact that you are the third in line to the Lordship of White Harbour." Lady Wynafryd said.

"Yes, but grandfather is not ill, nor is father." Lady Wylla said.

The two sisters bickered back and forth, and reminded Jon of Sansa and Arya. He did wonder how the two of them were getting on now that they didn't have Robb and himself to separate them when their fights got too much. He hoped they were doing fine and that Arya wasn't getting too irritated.

When they were back in his rooms, he'd asked Ser Oswell if he'd smelt the smoky smell as well, or whether it really was just his imagination. But for now, he was content to listen as the sisters argued. He did miss Winterfell now that he thought about it. But he remembered what Lady Stark had said to him before he'd left and he didn't think it would do him good to be there now.