A/N: Hope you all are staying safe. Things will be continue to be busy due to many other things. But please bear with me if I don't seem consistent in my postings.

Jon poured Arya another cup of tea after he finished explaining the truth. Not only was she stunned, but she seemed to be on the verge of anger at how long the secret of his true heritage was kept from herself and the rest of the Stark brood. I would be if our positions were switched.

After having Arya, Gendry, and Sandor settled in the spare rooms of his palace and cleaned up, Jon had his cooks make more of the chicken broth and sat down at his table. It was obvious that the three of them had not had proper meals in a long time, as they immediately dug into their bowls despite it coming straight from the fire. Arya stuffed in a bunch of rice into her mouth while slurping the hot soup with her spoon, Gendry was more or less the same, and Sandor ignored the broth while going for all of the boiled chicken pieces. The Hound asked if they had ale, but Jon shook his head, understanding his pain.

But like Lord Joon and Benjen, Jon knew the yapian gaze when he saw it. It was rather… fitting for the Hound to be an addict, given that he was tactless and wasn't exactly known to be kind. Seeing his scars back in Winterfell told Jon that something terrible happened to him, but he didn't want to know. At the same time, seeing the Hound's hands shake from not smoking the yapian vapors was still something that Jon had to get used to, as it showed to him just what happens when one becomes too dependent on a certain substance or need. I will never have that happen to me, he promised to himself.

With her hair slightly grown and dressed in Yi-Tish robes, Arya looked much better than the mess she was in when she first saw Jon. Jon had to admit that Gendry was very strapping and could sense that he would quickly like the Baratheon bastard. For the Hound… it'll take a while.

Burping, Arya wiped her mouth while taking her first cup of tea. Clearly enjoying the warmth that it gave to her insides, she asked for another. Gendry also took to the tea, while Jon eventually to give the Hound the arakju, who shook from how strong it was.

"Okay, Jon," Arya set her cup down. "Why did Hoon Ti call you Daeron Targaryen? What is going on?"

Jon sighed, preparing himself for the probability that his relationship with Arya would not be the same after he divulged the truth, but he hoped that nothing would change. He started with him and Sam almost taking the vows, Aemon and Benjen revealing that he was the son of Lyanna and Rhaegar, his travels from the Wall all the way to the Jade Sea, and what he had done in the empire while everything else in Westeros had happened. He also told Arya that he knew about what happened back home, with Winterfell burning and the Red Wedding, and was shocked when she said that she was there and saw the turncoats desecrate Robb's corpse. When I return, the Boltons and the Freys will become piles of ashes.

Arya took a few moments to process what Jon had revealed, feeling down that her beloved brother wasn't really her brother at all but also trying to be happy that he was finally doing well for himself after so many years of being tormented by her mother Catelyn.

"So, you're a prince and a dragon all along?" Arya said it more like a statement. "If only my mother knew the truth. But not that it matters now, since she's dead."

"I'm sorry, Arya," Benjen told his niece. "I know that she wasn't exactly the best mother to you, but she did give birth to you and loved you very much."

"I know that, Uncle Benjen," Arya smiled sadly. "I just wish… we could have talked about our problems and she wouldn't have died with her memories being mostly comprised of her scolding me to be a proper lady."

Jon reached and put his hands on hers. "I know that feeling. And I wish I had more time with the one I loved, but together, we can move forward. Just like old times, right?"

Arya momentarily gave Jon an empathetic look, since he revealed what had happened with Chanhee, before beaming. "And no matter what, you're still my brother. That will never change."

Jon exhaled in happiness, relieved that at least one thing could remain the same.

"Not to break up your tender moment, but what the fuck has the other two been doing here?" Sandor interrupted. "I know your uncle must have been busy, but I'm not sure about fatty here."

Sam was unmoved by Sandor's insults, having long grown past the biting words thrown his way by his father after finally finding fulfillment in his current station. "I actually did some meaningful work and can read the books here," he told the Hound in guanhua, who didn't understand. "Can you read, you ignorant fuck?"

Jon and Benjen looked at Sam with surprise, not realizing that the heir to Horn Hill could also be cheeky.

"What the fuck did you just say to me?" Sandor stood up, knowing that Sam said something bad to him despite not speaking guanhua. Before he made a move, Yongpo drew his sword and stuck it underneath his chin.

"I would suggest that you sit back down, you dog," Yongpo warned in the common tongue.

Sandor laughed at the accent the Jogos Nhai had when he spoke. "Never had I heard such words be butchered by someone with an ugly head."

Before Yongpo could respond to that insult, Jon slammed the table, scaring Arya, Gendry, Benjen, and Sam while surprising the servants. "I allowed you in my palace, cleaned you, and fed you, and this is how you repay me?"

"Not so long ago, you were a northern bastard. And now, you let your blood get to your head, just like with the cunt Joffrey," Sandor shot back, causing Arya and Gendry to cringe while Benjen was about to lose his temper.

As for Jon, his eyes darkened, causing the Hound to flinch just slightly at the supposed bastard having anger. "I… am… nothing… like… Joffrey," he said while emphasizing each word. "And I had no idea that you were so stupid. Then again, it's probably the yapian clouding your mind, and we both know that drink or whatever causes us to be so reliant on our desires can make us say foolish things. So, I will let this slide, for now."

The people at the table looked at Jon in confusion.

"But unless you want to go back to the streets and live like a wretch, you will follow my rules, you will be respectful, and you will pull your weight around here. In this land, you keep what you earn, but you gain nothing by doing nothing. If you choose to follow those simple rules, then I will allow to live here while I will look around to see where you can be useful. I have connections in the capital and I'm sure that a big, dumb man like you could useful somehow," Jon gave his ultimatum.

Sandor was unresponsive to Jon's insults, causing him to scowl. "If you choose not to, before I throw you back into the streets, I will cut you with my swords and then give you a taste of what a dragon can do. And I'm not just talking about my blood."

Arya blinked, as did Gendry and the Hound. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

Jon nodded, remembering that he didn't mention Meleys. "Come with me."

"Uncle Benjen, where's he going?" she asked.

"Looks like your dream will finally come true, Arya," Benjen eagerly followed Jon before the rest did.

The group followed to the southern part of his personal palace complex. Following the rules of feng shui, anything related to the fire element had to be in the south part of any building. Jon still had much to learn regarding the cultural thinking of Yi-Ti, but what he learned so far allowed him to think in ways that he would have never thought possible. But just because it's different doesn't mean it's better than those in Westeros. We developed ways of thinking based on what our ancestors faced, and so did the people here.

Finally, they came to Meleys' resting area, which was a simple open space that allowed her much room to move around. He also didn't use chains, as he trusted his dragon to not do anything stupid.

Even though Meleys was sound asleep, Gendry's and Sandor's eyes widened, seeing a live dragon not being in their wildest dreams. Gendry only a little dragon blood in his veins, courtesy of his Targaryen great-grandmother, and it was certainly not enough to bond with one. Still, it awed him that a creature so feared back home was alive and well.

But their reactions paled when compared with Arya's. Long having idolized Visenya Targaryen and the other female members of House Targaryen, she felt as if all of her hopes have been fulfilled, as she was now thinking of riding the dragon and burning her enemies as did her heroine. Even though she didn't have Targaryen blood, it didn't stop her.

"What's her name?" Arya was eager to know all she could about the dragon.

"Meleys," Jon answered.

"After the Red Queen." Studying the dragons made her know each of them by heart.

"Exactly," Jon rubbed her hair.

"May I touch her?" Arya could only imagine what those scales felt like.

"You don't have dragonblood, so she might not be as accepting to you like me," Jon told her. "But… maybe you could get a good start by feeding her." Jon pointed to a pile of fresh cow legs, which was covered with a tarp.

Jon and Benjen helped Arya grab a fat cow leg and dragged it near Meleys, but he had his sister move it the rest of the way.

Then, to Arya's surprise, Meleys' nostrils sniffed the meat's scent. Opening her eyes, she raised her head and went on all four of her hinds. Curiously looking at Arya, she stared at the cow leg before looking back her. She kept skill as Meleys' head inched closer to her body before taking in her scent deeply. She growled softly, but she gave no malice to her. This one smells differently, she told Jon.

She's my sister, Jon answered.

And this is her way of introducing herself to me?

How else have you grown so fast and so much?

Meleys huffed in amusement. Well, tell her if she wants to keep being near me, she better bring along some pigs. I'm suddenly craving for some roasted pork.

I'll tell her, girl, Jon chuckled.

"What?" Arya glanced at Jon.

"She wants you to bring some pigs the next time you come near her," Jon told her what Meleys said.

"You can talk to her?" Arya's surprise kept growing.

"I can understand her," Jon nodded.

Suddenly, Meleys opened her mouth and bathed the cow leg in dragonfire, causing Arya to shriek and jump back.

"Okay, now that is what a dragon does," her skepticism was completely wiped away. "My, my. You really are a dragon, Jon."

"And a wolf. Don't forget that," Jon patted her shoulder as the party watched Meleys enjoy her snack.

The next morning came and Jon called for his own steward before gathering Arya, Gendry, and Sandor together. Benjen remained in his palace while Sam had to report for duty at Kaijin's household.

"Okay. As I said last night, all of you have to pull your weight around here," Jon began. "Before I go further, how well do you know each of the tongues in Yi-Ti?"

"Tongues? They speak more than one?" Gendry asked.

"Three. Guanhua is the main tongue of the empire and in court, goryeomal is mostly used in the eastern provinces, and nihongo is the language of the army and fleet. Don't ask questions on why that is because it'll take too much time at the moment, and I have duties to attend to," Jon answered. Gendry and Arya nodded in understanding, while Sandor remained indifferent. We'll see about that once he hears what I require him to do. "So, starting tomorrow, you will spend each morning learning how to speak all three tongues, because without being about to communicate, you won't survive. Then, you will undergo additional education regarding the history, mannerisms, and other areas of Yi-Ti during afternoons. In the evenings, you come back here, sup with me, and get ready to go to bed. That's the daily routine that the both of you have."

"Both?" Arya looked at Gendry and Sandor, but she knew that Jon was referring to the latter.

"I'll get to the Hound later. Gendry," he turned to Arya's companion from King's Landing. "I've spoken to Lord Joon and he recommended that you join the army here."

"What?" Gendry did not expect that.

"He said and I quote, 'A man of Gendry's size and physique will be of much better use bearing arms, but he first must know how to bear arms for the emperor.'"

Gendry shook his head. "I can't do that, Prince Daeron. I'm just a blacksmith and I don't know how to fight."

"That's what the army does for you. You will undergo ten weeks of training with the capital garrison here and you will be placed in the infantry. At the same time, you will also study for the examinations here."

"I beg your pardon?" Gendry's mind went blank.

"You might be a bastard of Robert Baratheon, but that's no excuse to not live as best you could. Plus, you have a just a little dragon blood in you and that makes you my distant cousin, so I'll be damned before I let those with dragon blood be idle," Jon declared.

Gendry didn't expect that, as no one apart from his mother said such sentiments to him. "I thank you, Prince Daeron."

"The best way to thank me is to do well in training and for your examinations. Once you pass them, you'll become an officer and then the quality of your life will improve. From there, whether your progress upwards or ruin your prospects is on you," Jon said. "Is this acceptable?"

"I'll try my—" But Jon shook his head.

"You do, or do not. There is no try," Benjen told him straight. "And I have an acquaintance with the commander of the capital garrison here, Lord Buko, so I will be able to get daily reports on your training."

Gendry took in a deep inhale before exhaling slowly. "I'll do my best."

"You better," Jon turned to Arya. "Now, you will need to learn how to interact with the other ladies in court here. At the same time, since you don't want to be a proper lady, I will have Yongpo teach you how to properly ride a horse, hunt, and wield weapons. In the meantime, I will look for someone that can properly teach you combat arts. But for now, I ask you to concentrate on your studies and make some friends here. You don't have to like them, but whoever you talk with can save your life. Can you do that for me?"

Arya looked daunted at what Jon asked her to do. At the same time, she knew that Jon had her best interests in heart and saw his earnestness in what he recommended, seeing that he had to make his own friends despite his personal feelings. "All right." She then pulled out Needle, the one tool that she kept close by and her keepsake from Jon before they were separated for a long while. "I kept this, Jon, because it showed how much you understood me. It's only right that I trust you now."

Jon beamed, touched by his sister's words. He then unbuckled Dark Sister from his waist and gave it to Arya. "This is Dark Sister, Arya. It was given to me by Aemon."

Arya looked as if she was touching a relic, as her hands gently held onto the legendary blade of Visenya Targaryen. She was in awe of the sword, with Gendry appreciating the craftsmanship and Arya imagining herself as Visenya for a brief moment before returning it to Jon.

But his smile disappeared when he then came to Sandor.

"Let me guess," Sandor wasn't going to let Jon speak. "I have to join the army, or be a guard to one of the many fat pricks in court? Nothing I don't know how to do."

"You will not do anything for now," Jon pulled out a slip written in guanhua. "I cannot trust an addict to perform to the best of his abilities, so before I give you work, you will take that to the Imperial Physician, where he will recommend certain places that you can use to recover from your yapian addiction."

Sandor blinked while his jaw stiffened. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"He means that until you have overcome your need to drown your problems in yapian, you will follow the Imperial Physician's recommendations and report to where he directs you to," Benjen spoke for his nephew. "Being reliant on substances interferes with your ability to perform even simple tasks and you cannot be trusted to overcome it by your own efforts. When you are deemed fit, then you will be able to get some work."

Sandor stood up. "You've got to be fucking jesting with me! Why the fuck would I trust people I don't know to take care of my body? I don't even trust maesters!"

Jon slowly rose from his seat. "I need to know if you are willing to better yourself, since you clearly don't care about what you do. That has to end, since what you do and how you do it will be scrutinized. And I'll tell you this. The people here, especially the powerful, place a lot of importance on images. You present a bad one, not only will you not have people who can help you, your chances of dying will increase by a lot. And if you so much become a nuisance, they won't hesitate to make you suffer and kill you in the most painful ways possible."

"I've suffered all there is, boy," Sandor pointed to his face.

But Jon shook his head. "No. You have not. But unless you want to find out, I strongly suggest that you go to the Imperial Physician and follow his directions. Once you have recovered, we'll talk again on what you can do. Do you understand me?"

Sandor knew that there was no arguing with Jon by this point, so he took the slip and sat back down.

As for Arya, she became more struck at how much Jon had changed for the better. No more was he the boy who kept his head down, and he became one who could even persuade the Hound to do something while outlining the consequences of not complying.

Jon looked at the sundial. "Ah, I must leave now. Uncle Benjen, can you please show Arya and Gendry around the city? I have to report to Quartermaster Choi."

"Of course," Benjen nodded.

"Quartermaster?" Arya asked.

"I'll explain it to you once we're in the larger city," Benjen gestured Arya and Gendry to follow me.

"What about me?" Sandor asked Jon.

"Oh, you have to go to the Imperial Physician today. The sooner that you follow his directions and recover, the better," Jon revealed.

Sandor groaned, exchanging one last look at Arya and Gendry, before a servant led him to where the Imperial Physician resided in the Emperor's palace.

"I'll see you both tonight, okay?" Jon promised. Arya gave him another tight hug before eagerly following their uncle onto one of his personal carriages.

Jon arrived at the capital garrison's headquarters, which was more of a complex spread out all over the Gongxeng Quarter, the area of the capital where mostly military officers and government officials resided. The one next to it and the one closest to the imperial palaces, the Fengshin Quarter, was where the most powerful figures in the empire resided, which included the prime minister and powerful lords from the provinces such as Lord Joon when they had to appear in court.

Entering the quartermaster's pavilion, where he allowed his guards and servants to take their leave until his day's work was done but having Ghost come with him, Jon arrived at his desk, which was the closest to Quartermaster Choi's rooms, and began his duties of the day. He sifted through various papers that concerned with matters such as supply deliveries and tips from Choi's informants. And since he now had the power to audit, he could investigate any irregularities at his own discretion. Better use it wisely.

But that day, Jon discovered a discrepancy in the volume of rations and boots to a certain cavalry brigade seemingly under the command of the Capital Field Army. What made Jon interested was that this brigade was receiving more rations and boots than was required during peacetime, enough to feed six thousand while the regular strength was five thousand. In addition, this brigade was currently seconded to the capital garrison itself instead of under Benjen's command, so this either pointed to an error in the paperwork or something else was happening.

Jon brought his findings to Quartermaster Choi, who looked over his case. "What exactly is the problem, Prince Daeron?"

"I would like permission to check this brigade and make inquiries as to why they are receiving more boots and rations than is necessary for peacetime, Quartermaster."

"Could be a simple reporting error," Choi was skeptical. "It's quite common, given how much paperwork goes around here."

"But if you look carefully, Quartermaster, it's not just once they received such high volumes. This goes back two years. Two years!" Daeron pointed on the papers. "And what is a brigade supposedly part of the Capital Field Army doing here instead of at Si Qo?"

"Surely, your uncle wouldn't mind if one brigade was out of place," Choi shrugged.

Jon became increasingly frustrated. "I'm sure if he was here, he would also report this irregularity to the proper authority. Now, I know that one brigade might not be major in the larger scheme of things, but it shouldn't hurt to check this one. Maybe it is as you say, in that this could be an error in the paperwork. But if it's not, don't we have cause to investigate?"

Choi looked over the papers again, sighing. "You have auditing power, Prince Daeron. It's your decision."

"Thank you, Quartermaster," Jon turned to leave.

"But I would suggest that you tread carefully. Many eyes are on you," Choi warned, confounding Jon before he continued towards the outside.

With Ghost and his personal entourage, Jon went to Yin's suburbs, where the brigade was at. Arriving at the headquarters, he was shocked to find no guards posted at the entrance. What is this?

Entering inside, he found no soldiers, no horses, and nothing else related to the army in the complex. Instead, he found empty houses and barracks. Where's the brigade?

Then, he heard some laughing inside one of the pavilions. He turned to one of his guards and told him, "Check the barracks. There has to be soldiers here. If there are, have them fall in line."

"Yes, Your Highness," the guard dipped his head before the others spread out. As for Jon, he went closer to the source of the laughter, which happened to be in one of the officer's pavilions. Sliding open the doors, he found three men drinking and chasing around four women, the men wearing army uniforms and the women probably coming from one of the many pleasure establishments in the capital.

They all stopped laughing and playing when they saw Jon and Ghost enter. "Ladies, I think you better go," he gestured to them while putting his hand on Dark Sister's hilt. Getting the message, the women scurried out of the officer's pavilion, leaving the men to have to deal with the irritated prince.

"Who the hell are you, white devil?" one of the officers adjusted his robes while walking up to Jon.

"I assume that you all have an officer of the day?" Jon ignored his words.

"Yes, we do. That would be me," the officer puffed his chest out.

"Really?" Jon made clear his contempt after seeing their behavior.

"Yes. Battalion Lieutenant Quoc. And you are?" he sized Jon up.

Jon turned around, seeing his guards managing to find a few soldiers from the barracks and lining them up, before turning back to Lieutenant Quoc. "I'm Lieutenant Daeron Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone." The smugness of Quoc and the other two men caught frolicking disappeared, and all closed their eyes at how dismissive they were towards him. "You've heard of me," he sensed.

"Yes," Quoc stammered. "You… you rescued the Crown Prince from the Jogos Nhai, Your Highness."

"But you haven't heard of a guard detail?"

Quoc blinked in confusion. "Your Highness?"

"Why wasn't there a guard at the gate?"

"Ah, well," Quoc continued to stutter. "I… I don't know, Your Highness."

"You don't know?" Jon raised his voice. "You say that you are officer of the day, but there is no guard mounted. Unless you count dancers and tea servers as your personal guards, given how well they took care of you."

Quoc remained silent while the guards kept checking the line of the few soldiers they found.

"Now, that is my personal guard checking to see if your soldiers are really soldiers. What I will you the rest of you do is to march in formation and stand at attention until I am satisfied that you are part of the army. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Your Highness," the other two officers acknowledged.

"Well, get a move on," Jon ordered. When one of them was walking too slowly for his taste, he gave him a push on the back. "Move it!" He returned to Lieutenant Quoc. "Now, Lieutenant, please count how many men you see."

"Twelve, Your Highness," Quoc replied.

"That's funny. Records indicate that you are currently drawing rations and boots for six thousand men. Do you mind explaining that?" Quoc merely shook his head. "Where is the brigade?"

"I don't know, Your Highness."

"Who is in command?" I'm going to skin the back of whoever is in charge of this farce.

"Brigade Captain Van-thu Roh, Your Highness."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know, Your Highness."

"For gods' sake, man!" Jon whipped around. "Is there anything that you do know?" To his credit, Lieutenant Quoc kept silent. "Come with me."

The two inspected the twelve soldiers of the largely nonexistent cavalry brigade, all of them either half-dressed or their armor and uniforms in poor condition.

"All right. Who's the senior soldier here?" Jon looked at the line as one middle-aged man stepped forward. "What's your name and how long have you served?"

"Wanyu, Your Highness. I've served for nineteen years," he answered.

"Just one more year until you can retire with full benefits," Jon noted.

"That's the plan, Your Highness."

"How long have you been in this brigade?"

"Nine moons, Your Highness."

Jon then noticed that Wanyu leaned more on his left than his right side. Walking up to the old soldier, he examined his right leg. "What happened to your leg, Wanyu?"

"I was in the war against the two usurpers against His Augustness, Your Highness. I got an arrow in the thigh and it got infected, but I didn't want to become a cripple. Better to have a limp and endure some discomfort than have people look down on you."

Jon sighed, fully understanding what he meant and thinking back on what happened to Bran. Bran, I hope you're still alive. "How did you come here?"

"My leg was getting more bothersome, but I was told that this brigade had an easy posting and that I didn't have to march as much I used to. I sought to spend the rest of my last year in the army in some comfort," Wanyu answered.

Jon nodded, trying to understand but also knowing that something else was going on. "So, you've been here just for a while then?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Have you handled any of the papers here?"

"Occasionally, Your Highness."

"All right. Let's see the current status of this brigade then," Jon pointed to where the records pavilion was supposed to be.

"Your Highness, allow me to show you our records," Lieutenant Quoc offered nervously.

But Jon brushed him off. "Rather have an old soldier with a good reason to be here tell me what's going on rather than someone who plays with women instead of doing his duties."

Wanyu took Jon to the records pavilion, where Jon was shocked that there was actual roster on the brigade's members, who were nonexistent. "How come the brigade is currently getting rations and food if there are just twelve men here?"

"I've been in the army for a long time, Your Highness," Wanyu responded. "Some units and some commanders are better than others, but those who enjoy privilege are the ones who make the decisions around here."

"I couldn't agree more."

"But even those born with privilege can find it hard to maintain it throughout their lives, and it's hard to make any success in a regulated environment as the empire," Wanyu continued. "So, it's not common for certain commanders to cut corners in order to get some profit."

"But wouldn't that decrease the quality of the army as a whole, if the coin is being used for soldiers that don't actually exist?" Jon inquired.

"Well, Your Highness, not everyone here shares your evenhandedness and those who try to fix what's going here can find themselves in major trouble, especially if there are other people profiting from cutting corners," Wanyu pointed out.

"This would never happen in the northern provinces," Jon remembered how Lord Joon ran things.

"I've been in the north, Your Highness, and if you're looking to make a profit, you'll be caught quickly. But here in the south, such scruples are not so favorably looked upon," Wanyu shrugged.

"Can you show me the arsenal then?" Jon's attention drifted to another part of the brigade's headquarters. As expected, each of the weapons looked as if they just came out of the smith and had never been used before. "At least I can be glad that whoever is running this scheme has the good sense not to profit off weapons."

"Oh, there are limits to how far their schemes can go," Wanyu stated. "Army-issued weapons on the markets will certainly lead to the wrong kind of attention and that's one thing that whoever is in charge wants to avoid. Better to cut corners with the rations and boots."

"You suspect Lieutenant Quoc to be involved?" Jon asked him.

"It's possible. But considering that he just came here three moons ago, it's unlikely that he is one of the instigators," Wanyu offered his opinion.

"Thank you, Wanyu," Jon patted his shoulder. "But why tell me this?"

"Might not make a difference in the long run, given that any action taken here will offend some people who make coin off of this scheme, and those people have more power than I can ever fathom. And you, Your Highness, I know who you are, but you don't know these people. They won't just let you ruin how they make their money for the last several decades. You better be prepared for what will come your way."

"Appreciate the advice, Wanyu," Jon gave a small smile before he turned to leave. "I'll see if I can find something else for you. Since you talked to me, it's best that you are assigned somewhere else for your last few months."

Jon wrote down his report regarding the brigade and submitted it to Quartermaster Choi. But suspicious on how Choi behaved when he first approached him, he wrote down a copy and stuffed it in his robes. Best have some alternates should Choi be not the man I expected him to be.

With the work with the quartermaster done for the day, Jon made his way back to the imperial complex where he would report to Captain Dao. But before he did, he found Khiara also going in the same direction.

"Princess Khiara," Jon greeted her.

"Prince Daeron," she responded before smiling at Ghost. "And your direwolf." Ghost blinked at the princess, unsure of how to respond given that she posed no obvious threat but will wary. "He's not certain what to make of me, right?"

Jon continued to be impressed with how perceptive she was. "I wonder if I am the only one who is bonded with Ghost. You seem to understand him well."

Khiara grinned. "Well, direwolves and dragons are creatures that cannot be judged by the standards of other animals from what I've read, and I am interested in the uncommon." Jon glanced at the ground before looking back up to Khiara's face. "I have some affairs to attend to with my father. Perhaps we can have some time to talk while you also move towards my brother's palace?"

After a year, Jon was still uneasy about Khiara, but he also understood that he couldn't just push her because of his personal feelings. "Yes, we can talk."

Khiara and Jon walked side by side through the open-air halls of the complex, with Ghost trailing behind and their combined guards and servants behind the direwolf.

"So, I've heard that your cousin just arrived at your palace last night, having spent some time as a common beggar and brought along two companions, one of whom is a distant cousin but a bastard."

Jon wasn't surprised that she knew, given how many eyes and ears she had throughout the complex. "I'm very happy that she's alive, especially with the recent events back in Westeros."

"Yes, I've heard about them also. Your other cousin being murdered at a wedding along with his mother and Volantene wife, more of your cousins disappearing… as I have said before, you have my sympathies," Khiara offered. Jon couldn't tell if she was sincere. "I understand that his cousin of yours, Arya Stark, was quite dear to you when you were growing up."

"She was," Jon confirmed. "She treated me like a brother when most of the others believed me a bastard. And last night showed us that nothing changed between us."

"That's good. Family can either make or break you, but it's heartening to hear that you have had a loving family growing up. I cannot say the same for mine."

"Yes, Prince Yujin is quite… something," Jon was hesitant to slander him even though he loathed him since she didn't know how she would respond.

To his relief, Khiara chuckled. "You have no idea about Yujin. I know that you saved the maid, which is noble of you, but he must've taken out his frustrations on something or someone else. Anger is a constant with my half-brother and you'd be wise as to not have it directed at someone you care about. But he also likes conflict, since he has a need to show who's in control and who's stronger."

"That is not surprising," Jon answered.

"And since we're talking about my brothers, I never did get your true opinion on my baby brother, Sumeng. What do you think of him?"

Jon understood that this was an important question. How he answered it would determine whether Khiara would either leave him in peace or go after him as a rival. Arya is with me now. I can't risk her. "Sumeng is a good man and I'm sure with a little discipline, he might become a proper heir to the throne. But my main problem is that he claims to take care of his people well, since he didn't take care of someone else who rescued him," Jon decided to tell the truth without overtly insulting him.

"You are referring to your Chogo woman. Chanhee, wasn't it?"

Jon's eyes softened, struck that Khiara actually knew her name. "Yes. But everything she got was after she died and no one else talks about her. She's now just another memory drifting in the wind, and what's the point of punishment if she is not coming back?" He unintentionally allowed some of his bitterness to be revealed.

Khiara sighed, as if trying to understand his feelings. "My brother is like that. He might be fond of his wife Su-young, but he is fonder of Captain Dao. Probably, the only reason why he even thanked you was because you had a dragon and a direwolf, and Chanhee had nothing. Sumeng might say he treats people well, but he's attracted to whoever can make him powerful and strong. Dao is everything he looks for in a man, and Chanhee probably didn't offer him much in terms of what he wanted in a woman."

Now that Jon thought about it, it did make sense, which made it more hurtful.

"But for me, I know what it's like to be discarded because others don't see you as offering much to them, at least the parts that they can take," Khiara continued wistfully. "Even though my father sees value in me, most of the others didn't until much later. I learned that power is based on perception, with men going for whoever looks the strongest. As for women, we have to use our minds since men will never respect us for anything else, to a certain extent," Khiara was wise not to make any implications of all males to Jon, since men like Lord Joon and Lord Okamoto dealt with her as they did other officials.

"What about the women in the Jade Order?" Jon remembered the group of women bodyguards charged with protecting the female members of the imperial family. Arya might like them.

"It took fifty women of the Jade Order dying in combat to make the empire see that females can be just as capable in combat as men can. But strength is important also for women, since we will be vilified if we falter," Khiara revealed.

Jon had to concede that was true, given how many stories were circulated that painted Visenya Targaryen as a malevolent queen when it was just probably men just trying to make up for their fragile egos.

"Why tell me this, Princess Khiara?" Jon didn't expect so much openness from her, given what she was like when not interacting with him.

"You have great potential power, Prince Daeron. But I don't think that you really know how to utilize it. It's good that you're fair, but fairness can cost you very much and make you predictable. Power is most effective when you can surprise your enemies and overwhelm them."

"Why are you concerned with whether or not I survive against my adversaries?"

"Because… a dragon should not be so easily taken down and I'll be honored to have played a role in making a dragon stronger," Khiara divulged.

Jon was taken aback. He didn't know if she had genuine concern for his welfare, or she was just like Sumeng in that she was attracted to power. But given that she was not giving him threats, he decided that it was best to indulge her, as she could be one of his potentially powerful allies in court against the foes that were increasing in numbers against him. Plus, Arya needs to be safe and Khiara could be the key to that.

"I also hear that Arya came with a sword. Does she have some fighting skill?"

Jon didn't expect the change in conversation. "I don't know, but she doesn't want to be called a lady if that's what you're asking."

Khiara laughed. "Oh, she's a fighter. She might be a good addition to the Jade Order, after some training, of course."

Jon blinked. "I'm not sure if she'll like that."

"I think you should allow to speak for herself on such matters," Khiara answered. "Perhaps we can discuss this over dinner, with Lady Arya present?"

Jon wasn't easy about having Arya so close to Khiara, since she might not have obviously devious designs on her, but the worry was there anyhow. However, he did promise that he would find someone to help her fight and who better than the Jade Order?

"I'll let her know," Jon assented.

"Excellent," Khiara smiled before moving to the emperor's palace. "I look forward to meeting the young lady then."

Jon watched Khiara for a brief moment, conflicted on what he felt about her. But he kept saying to himself, "Don't get distracted." He couldn't deny that she was beautiful, but under certain situations, she could be dangerous.

Concurrently, he couldn't help but think that given Khiara's conflicts making her so crafty, he worried about his aunt turning out the same way. Please, don't let Aunt Daenerys lose her heart even though she has to be strong. What's in here may be all that matters, so help her keep it, Jon prayed.

On the bright side, he now didn't have to worry about keeping Arya busy, as she would train with some of the finest warriors he had seen. Who knows? She might wield Needle and a katana when everything is finished.

A/N: So, we have Jon delegating the tasks accordingly to Arya, Gendry, and Sandor, just like Lord Joon did, and we have more of Jon being assertive. But even though Sandor might make it out of whatever Jon has him do, he will still struggle with opium addiction, just like the rest of us with things like games, movies, or other things that take up our time.

Jon is discovering a discrepancy in the army that will soon snowball into a major conflict, one with deadly consequences. With increased power comes with increased dangers. It's based on the '90s series SHARPE, with our boy Sean Bean in one of his few not-dying roles :D

And Khiara and Jon are on somewhat good terms, but Jon can't just turn away Khiara because he's uneasy about her. At the same time, is Khiara really 100% calculating? Something to think about.

For those who are curious as to Robb surviving, I wouldn't have put the tags there if I wanted him dead. But, I will reveal how he is alive in good time. Please be patient :)

All in all, I hope this is good.