JON

The last week had been a busy one for Jon, as he was making the preparations for leaving for the Queenscrown for the next few years. He was both incredibly nervous and excited to go North and he just hoped that he would do a good job in restoring the Gifts so that they could be profitable again.

But while he had been busy packing and his uncle had been organizing for the new Stark guards to take the trek North with him, half of his cousins weren't talking to him at all.

Both Arya and Bran were angry with him for leaving for Queenscrown, well they were probably angrier that he was leaving and not taking them with him. Jon just hoped that they would forgive him before he left for the next few years.

But at least Sansa and Robb were still talking to him, even though he could see the sadness in their eyes every time he looked at them.

Jon looked around his room, it was almost empty since he was leaving this morning after breaking his fast with his family for the last time in a while. He got down to his knees and dragged the chest that contained the sword of his ancestor's from under the bed.

He looked around himself, just to be sure that no one had managed to sneak up on him. He then opened the chest and he could feel a smile form on his face at seeing the sword resting peacefully in the dark chest.

The roaring dragons on the hilt reminded him of Algernon, Earendil and Illyrion, who had already left for Queenscrown.

The dragons would arrive much faster than Jon and the other men, even though the destrier sized dragons would only be traveling at night so that they would be avoiding being seen. They would most likely be in the mountains west of Queenscrown in four or five days, so that they would have a lot of time to choose a place to hide in for the next few years.

The mountains in the Gifts were uninhabited so that the dragons would be safe there until it was time for Jon to reveal his parentage and stake his claim on the Iron throne. He dreaded having to go to war yet again, he was so sick of the constant battles and fighting, but he knew that he had to do this and there was no escaping it.

He then closed the chest and placed it in the bigger one that was holding the clothes that he would be using on the journey; it was a good excuse for him to keep it close to him on the journey North.

Jon closed the chest that was now hiding the sword Blackfyre and the clothes he would be using and locked it, while keeping the key on a leather strap around his neck.

He exited the room, and left for the great hall, knowing that the servants would be arriving to collect the last of his belongings.

The way to the great hall reminded him of when he had first arrived after coming back, and he could help but to find the moment very bittersweet.

As he entered the hall, he could see that Sansa and Robb were talking amongst themselves and his uncle was chatting with Jon Arryn, who would also be leaving very soon for the Vale to have his own gathering of lords, to discuss the situation with Jon Arryn´s lack of heirs of his blood and to try and get his own lords to help the nights watch.

Jon hurried over to Sansa and Robb and they moved so that he could sit between them. Arya and her friend Jorelle were sitting in front of them and the moment Arya noticed Jon, she sent him an angry look, that was marred with sadness. Bran was sitting beside her and he was giving Jon the saddest look that Jon had ever seen and the almost five-year old looked on the verge of tears.

Robb opened his mouth to say something, but his uncle Edmure was quicker. "So, Ser Jon, are you exited for leaving to your new lordship?" The heir to Riverrun spoke with a kind smile on his face as he lifted his cup to his lips to take a sip.

Jon hadn't spent a lot of time around the future lord of Riverrun, but when they had spoken, Edmure Tully struck him as a kind man, but a bit of a buffoon, but Jon couldn't help but to like him non the less.

Jon could see when lord Edmure asked the question, his sister looked a little smug as she took a small bit out of her meal. Ever since she had found out that Jon would be leaving Winterfell, she had been looking happier than Jon had ever seen her.

When Jon had been a child, he would have been hurt by how she acted around him, but after the first time he had heard her say his name in his last lifetime, he had stopped caring what she thought of him. But at the time it had hurt, hearing that she would have wanted for him to have taken the fall, but in her defense, she had been grieving for Bran, who had been grievously hurt, but it had still stung hearing her say that.

But her sister, who was sitting beside her husband, wasn't looked smug or happy. Ever since Lysa Arryn had learned that her son, Robert Waters would be going to the Dreadfort to be raised there, she had been crying and sobbing like the boy was dying and throwing the most furious fits, throwing things and shouting profanities.

Jon cleared his throat. "Well, I am more nervous than excited, as I will be leaving Winterfell and living in the Gift, away from all my family." Another person that was happy that Jon was going was Theon Greyjoy, but he seemed torn between happiness and anger that Jon was leaving and the fact that Jon was now a lord in his own right, and the only reason he was leaving was because he was taking up that lordship now.

At his words, his uncle sent him a kind smile. "I was nervous as well when my father sent me to the Eyrie to foster with lord Arryn, but I am sure that you will do great things in the Gifts."

The hand of Robert Baratheon gave a short laugh. "If he does half as good a job in the Gift as he did, making the plans for the castles on the Wall, he will quickly turn the lands around make them profitable indeed."

Jon rubbed the back on his neck. "Thank you, lord Arryn, but Robb did a lot of work on those plans." At his words, now it was Robb´s turn to become bashful. Jon knew that he really wanted to impress his uncle Brynden who was one of his heroes.

"Do you really have to go Jon?" Bran´s little voice reached him, and he couldn't help the guilt that bubbled in his gut.

"I am afraid so." Jon said as he smiled sadly, he would really miss them all and it would be hard to stay in the Gifts without them.

"Why?" Demanded Arya loudly as she stared at him with tears in her grey eyes. "Why do you have to leave?"

Jon fought a sigh before he answered his little sister. "I have to go and help to restore the lands." He tried his best to explain to her, but it was clear that she didn't really want to hear it.

"But why? Why can't you get someone else to do it and go when all the lands have been restored?" She was frowning as she stared him down, while waiting for him to answer.

Jon looked at her sadly. "Because that is not me." Was the only thing he said, while begging her to understand with his eyes. She had used this logic so often that he hoped that she would understand his meaning when he said those words back to her now.

He couldn't count the times when she had said that to someone who had tried to make her into a lady, and he hoped that she would understand that he didn't want to do something that wasn't in his nature as well.

Her eyes started to well up with tears and she bit her lip to stop from crying, her hands were in her lap and as she looked down at her hands, she nodded. "Fine." She said in a small voice. "But you have to promise to write and come and visit."

Jon let out a relieved smile. "I promise to write as often as I can," He reached over and ruffled her hair which made her laugh despite herself. "you will most likely be sick of me with in a half a year."

"Will you write to me too?" Bran asked with a worried look on his face, the young boy had just started his reading lessons, and like Arya he couldn't read anything too complicated yet, but this would maybe cause them to take an interest in reading and writing lesson with maester Luwin.

"Of course, I will write too you Bran, and you have to write back and tell me everything that is happening here in Winterfell." The little boy and the lord of the Dreadfort gave a little laugh and a nod.

When his uncle Ned had announced that Bran would be the lord of the Dreadfort, the little boy had been worried that he would have to leave like Jon was leaving, but when he had been assured that he wouldn't be leaving until he was of age and his father would be finding someone to manage the lands until he was old enough, Bran had felt better.

It hadn't taken his uncle a long time to find someone to manage the Dreadfort and its lands, in fact it had only taken Ned Stark a full day after they returned to Winterfell to find a castellan.

After Lysa Arryn´s indiscretion with Petyr Baelish, Ser Brynden hadn't been eager to return to the Vale and Jon Arryn had understood that well, so Catelyn Stark had suggested that her uncle could serve in the Dreadfort and make sure that the lands were made ready for Bran to take over when the time came.

She had been very happy that Ser Brynden accepted her and lord Stark´s offer, but it seemed her happiness had been dampened when she found out that Robert Waters would be fostered in the Dreadfort.

Ser Brynden however was glad that Ned Stark had promised to keep the boy save and had been happy to foster him, and Ser Brynden had also promised to take the boy on as a squire if he showed any interest or aptitude for sword play.

As the last meal he attended in Winterfell for a while dragged on, he noticed that Sansa didn't really say much for the duration of the meal. Even her eyes were down cast and they were overflowing in sadness.

He was going to say something, but when he opened his mouth, his uncle announced it was time for them to leave for the courtyard, and Jon had to start on his journey North.

SANSA

The week had been hellish for her, and every day brought her more dread than the day before and it was only because Jon would be leaving today.

Her father had already asked her if she was feeling well, and she knew that he hadn't believed her when she had told him that she was just a little sad that Jon would be leaving.

She just hoped that he didn't suspect the truth, Sansa was sure that she would die of embarrassment if he found out that she was in love with Jon and had been in love with him before she had found out that he was the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark.

They all made their way to the courtyard, to say their goodbyes to Jon, and she had to fight the urge to cry and try to drag Jon back into the castle and beg him to stay.

But she knew that she couldn't do that, he needed to do this. Jon needed to prove to the lords of Westeros that he could manage his lordship, and if he did a good job now at the age they all thought he was, it would go such a long way to prove to them that he would be a good King.

She held in her sobs by force of will as she made her way outside with the others to make her goodbyes to Jon, she would miss him so much when he was gone.

The courtyard was filled with guards baring the Stark colors, that would be going with Jon, North to Queenscrown to guard the new lord and his people, and there were even more guards outside the gate that would be going with Jon on his journey. All in all, her father had gathered around five hundred men to go with Jon North, but Sansa was sure that more would soon follow as they need as many soldiers to help them claim the Iron throne when the time came.

Even the newly knighted Ser Allyn would be going with Jon to Queenscrown and he would be Jon´s captain of the guards, as he had been following Jory Cassel around and learning from him when they had been on their journey thought the North.

The stable hand Hodor was holding onto the reins of Jon´s bay gelding, who was waiting patiently for his master to say his goodbyes to his family.

Both Arya and Bran rushed over to hug their cousin, and it seemed that they were now both crying into his jerkin as Jon tried his best to comfort them.

As she watched her little sister and brother hug the life out of the man she loved, tried her best to commit him to her memory, but she knew that it wouldn't be enough for her.

The situation was reminding her too much of when Jon had taken the black for the last time and she was having so much trouble keeping all her sadness at Jon leaving them, in. She watched as Jon shook hands with her father and thanked him for his help by sending guards and builders North, after he had managed to calm Arya and Bran down a little.

Sansa could spy former Maester Wolkan standing by his horse, waiting for Jon to say his goodbyes to his family. The citadel had sent a raven to Winterfell, telling them that the man was now stripped of his chain and he would no longer have any sort of affiliation with the order of the maesters.

It hadn't come as a surprise to Sansa, the maesters wouldn't like having someone in their order who had testified against the lord that they were sworn to serve. But Jon had done a wise thing in giving the man a place to go to, Wolkan was a learned man and he would be very grateful to Jon for offering him a place in his home, when not many other lords would be willing to do so.

Jon was now saying his goodbyes to Robb, and Sansa could see that her brother was looking decisively unhappy with the fact that his best friend was now leaving for some years. "You write to us as often as you can Snow." Her brother said, while trying his best to sound grown up.

"You too Stark." Jon said with a sad grin, and they gave each other a one-armed hug and slapped each other's back.

Jon then, turned to Sansa, and she could see the sad look in his beautiful valyrian steel grey eyes. Before he could say anything, she rushed over to hug him.

"I don't want you to go." She whispered in his ear, so low that no one else could hear her. She felt his arms tighten around her.

"I don't want to leave you." He whispered back, and at his words she wanted nothing more than to start crying her eyes out, and demand that he stay. But that wasn't something she would ever do; she couldn't deny Jon the opportunity to prove himself. No matter her personal feelings, she would never try to deny Jon what was best for him.

As they let each other go, Jon placed his hands on her cheeks and kissed her forehead, like he had done so long ago, when he had left for Dragonstone in their last lives, only this time Jon was taller than her.

He then let her go, and walked over to his horse and gracefully mounted the patient gelding and she noticed that everything was starting to get blurry, and it took her a moment to realize it was because of the tears that were making their escape from her eyes and streaming down her cheeks.

When Jon and the party going North, had left the courtyard, she turned on her heel and made her way in a hurry to the Godswood.

When she arrived in the Godswood, she sat down in front of the Weirwood tree, she finally lost the battle with her tears, and Sansa buried her face into her hands and sobbed.

She didn't know how long she sat there, just crying into her hands, she knew that her reaction to Jon leaving was rather extreme, but she couldn't help but to feel the overwhelming sadness take over her very being, and she felt like she was back in King´s Landing, saying her final goodbyes to the man she loved.

She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders, making her look up with a started look on her tear streaked face.

But she felt she could breathe easier when she saw Robb´s concerned face staring back at her. "Hey, are you alright?" The concern in his voice was touching and she loved her brother for being so concerned with her wellbeing, but she was also embarrassed that he was seeing her like this.

The only person she had ever allowed to see her as anything but strong for the last few years, was Jon himself, but now he wasn't here.

She tried her best to get her sobbing under control as she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "I will be fine, Robb. Thank you for asking, I just don't want Jon to leave."

Robb´s hand rubbed her shoulder in a valiant effort to make her feel a little better. "Aye, me either, I wish he would have stayed here with us, but you know how he is," Robb smiled sadly at her. "when he sets his mind on something, it is hard to making him change it again."

Sansa laughed at that; Robb had never been righter than at that moment. Jon´s stubbornness was one of his most loveable and infuriating traits that he possessed. "You are right, he is stubborn."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I just wish he could have stayed with us for a longer time, even though I know it is the best thing for him to leave and restore the Gifts and perhaps make them even better than they were before."

"Me too." Robb agree with her. "But he needed to do this."

Yes, Jon had needed to do this, and as much as she wanted, she couldn't be selfish and beg him to stay in Winterfell. Ultimately, she wanted what was best for Jon, and right now, what was best for him was to prove himself capable to the other lords, so she would support him in his decision to go North.

She just hoped that the years spent apart would pass quickly.

SER BARRISTAN

They rode though the King´s forest as the King was trying to hunt down a white stag that had been spotted around these parts, but Barristan was sure that the man couldn't spot anything in the state that he was in.

Since the King couldn't throw a tourney for the crown prince, he had dragged him and the men of the court to hunt for the stag, but right now he was so drunk that Barristan was impressed that he could even ride the horse he was on.

The crown prince was looking sullen as he rode beside his father on his pony, he had been wroth when his father had told him that there would be no tourney this year.

Barristan was riding beside the prince´s uncle, Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer who was looking annoyed by the whole affair.

"Imp." Called the King with his loud voice, and the prince´s other Lannister Uncle rode up the line. "There you are, here share a drink with me." The King handed him a flagon of Arbor gold and Tyrion Lannister took a swing of it.

"Thank you kindly, your grace." The Imp of Casterly Rock said as he handed the flagon back to the Baratheon King.

"So, Lannister tell me, what made you decide to stay in the capitol after your father left us?" The King drank deeply from the flagon.

Barristan hadn't been that surprised to find out that Tyrion Lannister had decided to stay in King´s Landing when lord Tywin had left, the current lord Lannister was hard man, who Barristan had to admit that he found him insufferable.

"I just wanted to spend some time with my family." The small ugly man replied with a grin.

"HA," Robert bellowed out. "Sure, it is, and I am the Queen of thorns." This made the lords around them laugh, and Barristan was sure that they were all faking their laughter.

Barristan had spent enough time at court to know that whenever a King made a joke, people laughed even if it wasn't funny at all.

Lord Tyrion gave a chuckle at the King´s words. "Well in all honesty I was getting rather sick of the Westerlands, and I wanted to spend some time in the illustrious capitol of the Seven Kingdoms."

King Robert snorted at that. "I think shit stained is rather the word to describe King´s Landing. Shit and piss that is all one can smell in this place." Robert Baratheon took another swing of the wine and Barristan could see the blood colored wine trickle down into his now bearded chin.

He couldn't help the bitter feeling that overcame him as he listened to the Baratheon King, if anyone was to blame for the state of the city, it was Robert Baratheon. All the man cared about was drinking and whoring himself to an early grave.

Barristan knew in his heart that if Rhaegar had lived, he would never have allowed the city to fall into such disrepair.

He was well aware that Rhaegar Targaryen wasn't a man without his faults, the silver prince had been a man obsessed with prophesy and prone to melancholy, but even then he had cared deeply about the people and he had plans to help the city grow and make it better than it had been before.

Then he had run away with Lyanna Stark, or taken her, depending who you talked to. But in his heart, he was sure that Rhaegar hadn't taken his lady Lyanna against her will, that hadn't been his way.

Rhaegar, who would have been one of the finest Kings, wouldn't have taken a girl against her will, Barristan knew that to be the truth. The Dragon prince had been a kind and gentle soul, despite his stubbornness.

Lord Tyrion cleared his throat, bring Barristan back to the present. "I hear that lord Arryn is on his way to the Vale, is that true, your grace?" The curiosity was burning in his mismatched eyes.

The ever-fattening King hummed. "Yes, he is on his way to the Eyrie to discuss something or another with his lords, probably something to do with his crises about heirs."

Lord Tyrion nodded and rubbed his chin in thought. "If I may ask your grace, is it true that lord Stark agreed to keep the young bastard in the Dreadfort and foster him there?"

Even after the last few months, people were still talking about the scandal that had rocked the capitol when Jon Arryn had found his wife in bed with Petyr Baelish. While Jon Arryn was universally liked and thought well of, his wife was not.

In fact, Lysa Arryn seemed to have gone out of her way sometimes to make people dislike her as much as possible, but no one had said anything as she was the wife of the lord hand, lord of the Eyrie and the Warden of the East.

But now after her affair had been made public, no one was afraid to publicly ridicule her.

The King let out a laugh before he took another swing of wine. "HA, good man that Ned, if there is a man that can be relied on it is Ned Stark."

His words seemed to make few of the men, including the Imp of Lannister, uncomfortable, after the King hadn't sent help to fund the restorations to the Wall, everyone was wondering if the King could rely on the Warden of the North anymore.

By not honoring the Northerners after either rebellion, and now denying them the funds they asked for to protect themselves, the North had been grievously offended, and it was becoming more and more clear to everyone.

Well everyone but the King it seemed, Robert Baratheon seemed to firmly believe that Ned Stark would support him no matter what, but thankfully Robert had decided to put a hold on any tourneys that he had been planning to throw for the next months, so that he would offend the lord of Winterfell.

It seemed that Robert Baratheon had found something that he loved more than Eddard Stark, and that was spending money of wine, women and food.

"Yes, it seemed that he is a good and reliable friend to have," Lord Tyrion said. "and it seems that his bastard is just like the man himself."

The Baratheon King let out a laugh. "HAHA, yes trust Ned to father the most honorable bastard in history of Westeros." This cause many of the men to chuckle.

The story of how Ned Stark´s bastard son had risked his life to save his trueborn brother and sister had traveled far and wide, and the fact that he was officially the youngest ever to earn his spurs was impressive indeed.

There was also the news that said bastard had been made the new lord of the Gifts, which had surprised many of the lords, as the Gifts had belonged to the Nights watch, but it seemed that the lord commander had been desperate enough to give the boy the lands in exchange for him paying taxes to the watch instead of Winterfell.

Barristan had to admit that he was very interested in meeting the new lord of the Gifts, he seemed to on his way to become an interesting man indeed.

"I heard that he killed four men on his own when he saved the Stark children." Piped lord Tyrell, and Barristan could see that both the Kingslayer and the crown prince seemed interested in the conversation now.

"That is what Jon said." The King said with a laugh. "and it was him that found the torture chamber of the Boltons." Barristan frowned at that, even though the boy who was said to be around ten or eleven years old had defended his siblings when he had to, finding the infamous torture chamber of the Red King must have been traumatizing indeed.

Barristan glanced at Tyrion Lannister, and he was sure that the small man must have been thinking the same thing.

But before anyone could say anything more, a call was heard from one of the scouts in the front of the party, saying that the stag had been spotted. Which put a halt on any conversation as they all rushed forward to hunt the stag.