and anoter uuniverse! Enjoy!
Catelyn extended a hand when the lord approached to her, smiling at the man. She was, as ever, so very happy that her role in bringing the North and the Riverlands closer together was fulfilled or at least in the way of being fulfilled, as the trade between the kingdoms have increased since her wedding and the end of the Rebellion. The lady became even more beaming as she presented her children to Lord Jonos Bracken, their esteemed visitor from the Riverlands. Sansa, Arya, baby Bran… and Robb, who was now running towards the formation, late. And with company. Just seeing that boy made her happiness banish.
"I´m sorry, mother, we are late" Lord Bracken, for his part, eyed the heir to Winterfell with some curiosity. And the other boy. He looked pretty much like a Stark, with that long face and dark bangs, but those eyes… He quickly greeted the redheaded boy and followed lady Stark to her husband´s solar.
"My lady, is that your husband´s bastard?" he asked when they were walking through the corridors, causing the woman to scowl in anger. "I´m sorry if I overstepped, my lady"
"No, my lord, as you said true. That is my husband´s bastard" she said, frowning more. "The one that looks like him… why the interest?"
"I couldn´t help but see those Blackwood eyes and…" Catelyn rolled her eyes. Of course, Jonos wanted to use the bastard to put the honour of House Blackwood in question. Typicall of a Bracken. "My lady, I think you are taking me wrong" he intervened before she could change the conversation. "I know that there is an historical feud between my House and the Blackwoods, but me in particular don´t wish Lord Tytos any wrong" Really? The Tully woman´s eyes seemed to see. "And maybe I´m biased, but the first time that came to my mind when I saw the bastard wasn´t that he was a Stark, his face and built are not the way Lord Rickard´s or even Lord Brandon´s were. And the eyes are definitely Blackwood."
"My lords, I don´t think my lord husband would disrespect me or my father so much as to have a bastard with the daughter of one of his vassals" she said, very confident. Jonos bowed and left, her too to her duties, but… his words stuck into her mind for some reason. She found herself also looking at the bastard more than before. The boy, who just a day before looked just like a Stark to her, suddenly had more and more features that signalled him as something else. Not peasant, but… highborn. At least those high cheekbones and prefilled nose said so.
"Your mother is seeing me" Jon whispered to Robb, suddenly feeling more than uncomfortable with Lady Stark´s gaze. She glared at him and turned her eyes when she noticed his definitely Blackwood eyes in her, only to return them a few seconds later.
"Maybe she thinks you have a foul bastard plan against us" joked Robb, only to repent a few seconds later when he saw the expression his bastard brother made when he heard him. "Not that I believe that, I was just joking. I know you will never do something against us" Jon´s expression turned even more brooding after that. "You know what, forget it. Forget her and everyone around her."
"Lord Bracken…"
"Forget him too, he is just using you as an excuse to make Lord Blackwood look bad in mother´s eyes"
"Lord Blackwood? What has Lord Blackwood to do with this?"
"I don´t know, he just mentioned him" Jon nodded, following the same train of tracks that his brother while Lady Catelyn just wondered why she hadn´t notice before how much Ned´s bastard´s eyes resembled the ones of Tytos Blackwood. The feast to receive Lord Bracken soon came to an end and she went to her husband´s solar after putting the children to sleep. He looked surprised to see her there, lifting his head from the paperwork.
"I want to go visit my father in the Riverlands" she announced, simply and forward, just as he liked it. "I can go with Lord Bracken when he heads back, as he is heading to Riverrun anyway. Will you give me permission, my lord?"
"Yes, of course, I would never forbid you from visiting Lord Hoster, but… why the sudden rush? I asked you about a visit to Riverrun a week ago and you said Arya was too little to be left alone"
"Well, Lord Jonos brought me news about my father being ill and Edmure getting on his nerves while being like that, so I changed my mind" she lied, knowing full well that he will believe her despite her lie being so obvious. "I also want to say hello to uncle Brynden, who is in the castle as a special concession, to help Edmure while father is undisposed."
"I guess you can go" answered Eddard after a few seconds of thinking. "I will write to your father before to send my good wishes and notify him of your visit."
"Thank you, Ned" she answered, turning around to leave. The Lady arrived to the room and wondered what she would find if she digs too deep in her husband´s secrets. Would it be the name of Jon Snow´s anonymous mother? Or someone else? Something else? She wouldn´t stand it, but, at the same time, curiosity was too strong to be denied…
They didn´t talk about that until a few weeks later, when Catelyn departed with Jonos Bracken towards the Riverlands. The travel wasn´t much to mention and uncomfortable to her taste, especially at the Twins, but she managed to reach her family home safely. Once there she bid goodbye to Lord Bracken and greeted her father, who was surprised that she chooses that time to visit, but welcomed her with open arms. She spent a few days in his company, enjoying him and Edmure´s presence, then she asked to visit Raventree Hall. It surprised her family as much as it did Lord Tytos.
"My lady, is an honour to receive you in our keep" said the man, bowing in from of her. Lady Catelyn answered with the same grace, but somewhat cold, as Lord Jonos was right. Her husband´s bastard definitely had Blackwood eyes. "Come in, my wife prepared a feast in your honour."
"It will be my pleasure" the redhead smiled, wondering if the lord knew about her husband´s liason with one of his own. Probably not, as the Blackwoods were an ancient family with lots of cadet branches and bastards and children of bastards… Ned could have met a girl with Blackwood blood literally anywhere. She saw Lord Blackwoods sons, he had no daughters so… "I can´t help but see you have no daughter, my lord. Do you have any sister?"
"Not that I´m aware of" the man answered, guiding her. It confused him that she was so curious about his family history, but couldn´t be rude to his liege lord´s daughter, so he continued to answer her questions.
"And female cousins?"
"A few, but I don´t know them all"
"Woow, who is this stunning beauty? A relative of yours?" Catelyn said, stopping in front of a painting of a very beautiful woman whose eyes were exactly the same shade as the bastard´s. Seven Hells, even the form of the eyes was the same! And with her black and red dress accentuating her elegant figure…
"It could be said so" Tytos stopped in front of the portrait, staring at the woman with sad eyes. "Queen Betha Blackwood, in all her glory" he explained, making the redhead stop breathing. "She was the pride of House Blackwood until the horrible end of her line, the only one of us to scale so high…" they both stared at the smiling queen with respect. "She commissioned this portrait specially for her father the day after the proclamation of her husband prince Aegon as the next king of Westeros. She spent the days before her coronation posing for it."
"I can see that" the pride in the woman´s eyes was obvious, those eyes the Tully was so afraid to see with that same expression in someone else, after he took what was rightfully her children´s. That scared her the most. "Queen Betha is still admired through Westeros, my lord, it´s a pity her brood wasn´t the best, but she managed to raise King Jaeherys to be one of the best kings in Westeros. There is no reason to be ashamed of her."
"Thank you, my lady, but you are taking me wrong. We are not ashamed of her, but fearful that our connection to her political family will bring us troubles… or give the king an erred view on our loyalty."
"It´s understandable, my lord" she answered, deciding to leave the things as they were. There were, after all, too many Blackwood blooded people that could have engaged with Ned without Lord Blackwood knowing.
-Years later-
Jon Snow shuddered as his gaze met Lady Catelyn´s in the Inn of the Crossroads, catching immediately the anger that surged through them as they saw him in company of Tyrion Lannister. The woman, for her part, couldn´t help but feel anger at his presence anywhere but at the Wall. She gritted her teeth, as Ser Rodrik stared at the boy with something close to sadness. She didn´t feel sadness at all, only fury. Ned promised, he promised that the boy wouldn´t be a problem for the trueborn Starks anymore. And now… now here he was, in company of the man who tried to murder her precious Bran.
"Lady Stark" Tyrion Lannister approached her to greet the woman, but she only answered with a scornful expression. At the beginning, he believed it was only his usual ugliness repelling the lady, but then he remembered in whose company he was. Of course she was going to feel scorned by the presence of her husband´s bastard, the same one she was finally able to expel to the Wall. The only he managed to rescue from becoming another misguided boy of the Watch. "Milady, please, hear me out before…"
"You in the corner," she said to the couple of men sat in a table far away from them. "Is that the black bat of Harrenhall I see embroidered on your surcoat, Ser?" she got the affirmative answer she craved. "And is Lady Whent a true and honest friend to my father, Lord Hoster Tully of Riverrun?" another affirmative answer, which made Jon Snow´s spine shudder. "The red stallion is was ever welcome in Riverrun. My father counts Jonos Bracken as his oldest and most loyal bannerman." She continued without looking at her husband´s bastard. Another affirmative answer and the boy knew he was doomed. "I know your sigil as well: the twin towers of Frey. How fares your good lord, Sers?" he didn´t even need the answer to know that this wasn´t going to end well for him. "This man came as a guest into my house and conspired to murder my son, a boy of seven." She signalled Tyrion while saying this, whose eyes became as big as saucers and told Jon he didn´t know what she was talking about. Just as him. "The boy with him is his accomplice. He tried to get rid of my son, he has tried many times in the past to corrupt all my children as the conniving bastard he is…"
"My Lady…" Jon and Ser Rodrik said at the same time.
"In the name of the friendship my father has with all your liege lords, I ask you to capture them so they might face justice!" she demanded, being responded with at least five knights unsheathing their swords to point them at the Lannister and boy. The last one just raised his hands, not having anything else to do. Winterfell´s master at arms pushed the people around him to get to the boy, to make sure he wasn´t harmed.
"I will guide the boy, my lady" the knight said, pushing away a Frey knight, who had been about to tie Jon´s hands to drag him like a common traitor. "His father will surely want him to be treated well, despite his status. You might do well to remember that, my lady."
"And you should remember that I AM your lady and that you owe obedience to me" said Catelyn, her face red with anger.
"I am obeying, Lady Stark, as you can see. I only want to make sure you don´t have any disagreement with your husband in the near future because of the boy" Jon felt instantly safer. The knight won´t let anything happen to him… at least not during the trip. Whatever happens to him once they reached their destination was out of his control. "Don´t worry, I will protect you."
"It´s too premature to make those kinds of affirmations, Ser Rodrik" the Tully woman turned around to walk towards her other prisoner, the only man she could hate more than the bastard in that moment. A feeling that made her oblivious to the fact that the dwarf was as surprised by her accusations as the boy. "Anyway, maybe you should guard the boy while the others have the Imp. I have heard he had a deviously sharp mind and I don´t want him escaping."
"Of course, my lady"
"We have to hurry. It´s a long journey to Winterfell" Jon Snow released a sigh of relief. The first thing Robb would do was chastise his mother and set him free. He knew his brother well and would know that he was unable to do something to Bran. Hell, the redheaded boy even knew about his change of mind about the Night´s Watch. Or should, if his letter from the Wall detailing his new deal with the Imp has already arrived. Even so, Robb will let him explain before emitting any verdict and would never believe him the Imp´s accomplice. Winterfell was the best place to stand trial for him.
But soon Lady Stark would crush his dreams again. The Lady of Winterfell took a turn towards the Vale after revealing that she had always planned to go there, only using the name of her home to confuse Lord Tywin. They were really directed to the Vale, where her sister govern in the name of her son. And that terrifies Jon. If Lady Lysa shared her sister´s views on bastards, then he…
No, he won´t give up before time. He told himself as he followed Ser Rodrik in the way to the Vale. They were attacked by clans in the way, but they managed to survive long enough to be found by the knights of the Vale, who took them to meet their Lady. Jon kept his head down during the trip, trying to lay low during his trip to the Eyrie, but whispers followed him. And how could they not, as most of the knights have met his father during his fostering with Lord Arryn and he looked like him. And, by now, the tale of the wretched bastard that tried to kill his brother should have spread.
"Who would pass beneath the Bloody Gate?" a voice took the boy out of his grim thoughts, as he caught on the colours the knight who spoke was wearing. Gods, this place had more Tullys than Riverrun, he was condemned.
"Ser Donnel Waynwood with Lady Catelyn Stark and her companions" answered the head of their travelling group. Ser Brynden Tully opened the gate to greet his niece, taking a second to take in the bastard who was a stone in his niece´s shoe. He then went out of the way with her, chatting animatedly.
"I´m doomed" Jon said, brooding and hoping they would let him fight for his life.
"Don´t fret, my boy" Ser Rodrik put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We are approaching Runestone. Your father was a good friend of Lord Royce of Runestone, who without doubt will let us send a raven to the Red Keep to inform your father. He won´t let anything happen to you, my boy. And not even a Lady Paramount would dare to disobey the Hand of the King."
"Let´s hope so" said Jon before he was forced to face the climb to the Eyrie. As Ser Rodrik promised, they managed to send a raven to his father before Lady Lysa called her sister and her prisoners to her presence. Practically being pushed around, he was forced to climb the mountain in a mule. Then, once they have arrived to the Eyrie, he was showed in an empty wooden storage, where he sat down on the floor. Well, at least this were better accommodations than the ones the Imp got.
"A raven arrived from your Lord Father, boy" Winterfell´s master at arms informed him in one of his daily visits. "He is coming. Orders his lady not to do anything until he arrives."
"It´s a comfort" Jon responded, sitting down on an old wooden box. "How much time do you think it will pass until he is here?"
"I don´t know and…" the old man turned around as someone called his name. "Listen, boy, I know this isn´t what you had in mind when you came south, but… just keep your head down as you have been doing until now. He will get you out of here."
"Yes" it was the answer he had received all of his life. Keep your head down and do as they say to you, that was all a bastard had to do, be it to stay in the back of the room or swore his life to the Watch. It was all he could do.
He was still pondering about this when a fire started in a corner of his tiny wooden room. He ran towards the entrance, but it was firmly locked. As if someone had planned this. The boy swore, the fire suddenly appearing in different places… as if someone was starting it in different corners of the room. To get rid of him. It was the only explanation. Why? He got away from the door when it caught of fire too, surrounded by the element. He was going to die. The boy was sure of that, he was going to die there, alone, burned to death.
Don´t be afraid…
A voice talked in his head, as the storage burned. He lifted his head, searching around himself for the person who talked. A woman, he was sure it was a woman. Was someone else trapped with him?
Fire is yours
There it went again! From where it was coming? Jon started to search around himself, wondering what could be happening. From the fire, he saw the spectre of a woman with a beautiful face and a long braid appeared, making him open his mouth. Was this…
You are one of us. Fire is yours.
The woman took his hand between hers and guided it to the fire. Jon looked at her ghostly eyes all the time, not even feeling the fire when his hand touched it. He finally looked away from her when he wondered where was the burning of the fire. He looked at his hand and found with wonder that, while his glove had burned, his skin did not. His hand was buried to the knuckle in the fire and he was not burning.
You are one of us. Fire is yours.
With a new feeling of power inside of him, Jon Snow walked without fear to the door, managing to get to the door. His clothes burned, his skin did not. He pushed the weakened door and managed to make a hole in it.
"JON!" Ser Rodrik screamed, helping him from the outside. When he was finally out, the knight wrapped his own cloak around his form, relieved that he was not hurt. In the other side of the room, both lady Catelyn and the Blackfish watched with their mouths open how he survived the fire engulfing his prison without a scratch. "What happened? Are you hurt? How did you get out without burning?"
"I… don´t know."
-A few days later-
Ned Stark arrived to the Eyrie after nearly killing his horse and guards with his mad rush to arrive to his old home, the place that now held his nephew… bastard son, he remembered himself with a mental slap. Jon has been his son since his sister put him in his arms that day. Anyway, he walked through the main door, surprised that the person who received him was not Lady Lysa, but his distressed wife, her uncle and master at arms. None of them looking particularly happy.
"I believe, Lord Stark, that you have many explanations to do" Brynden said harshly and quickly guided him to a room where they could talk without being interrupted… or heard. They have been lucky enough that no one else has seen the little show Jon, who he was doubting was really Ned´s bastard but something much more dangerous, mounted at the fire.
Jon, for his part, was locked in a room of his own after the previous one was engulfed by the fire. He couldn´t complain, as he had much better accommodations and more freedom now, but… he wanted to get out of there. Soon. That morning he heard his father arrived, so he got out of the room to see him. He searched Lord Stark through all places he was allowed in, practically all the keep baring Lady Lysa´s personal rooms…
"… then I found her in the Tower of Joy, in Dorne" his father´s voice stopped him. Jon carefully approached the source of the voice to see who was talking. He peeked through a hole in the door and saw his father looking down to the floor, his hands entwined, talking to Lady Catelyn, Ser Rodrik and the Blackfish. "She was giving birth with only a midwife to help. Howland helped the babe to be born with Lyanna´s last efforts. She was losing so much blood, dying so fast, begging me to take care of her child and I couldn´t do anything but held her and promise I would take care of her boy."
"Aunt Lyanna?" he whispered to himself. He never heard this version of the history. Every time his father told the tale in Winterfell, she was dead before he arrived. And what about the baby? Father mentioned a baby boy, where was he?
"She only died after I promised her that and… and naming the child Daemon, smiling at him with all the love she was capable of having and… I… couldn´t think of something better than… than make him a bastard… with the short time we had until we reach King´s Landing with Lyanna´s body, me and Howland only managed to patch up the history of the bastard Jon Snow, conceived during the Rebellion…"
"It didn´t matter" the Blackfish said with a cold voice. As cold as Jon was feeling right now. "Do you understand what you have placed yourself in? And my niece and her children? Do you know what will it do to them to be known as the family of a traitor? Do you? If this is known, they will be all be executed and you know it!"
"Yes, I know! That´s why I kept them in ignorance! So they could refuse the accusation! And the Night´s Watch… it was a part of the plan, so he could live without causing troubles…"
"It won´t matter to anyone! One word about this and…" the Tully man signed, taking a seat again. "Tomorrow morning at first hour I will grab an escort and take Daemon Blackfyre to the Wall and make sure he stays there. Be grateful I´m not just cutting him down and finishing with your mess."
"My Lord" Ser Rodrik spoke for the first time in that reunion, determination in his eyes. "I wouldn´t dare to question you, but… the Lady Lyanna, for all her faults, deserved something better. And her son… he is a sweet boy, my lord, he can do something better. And he doesn´t know a word of his parentage. Give him a little keep in the North and a northern wife, you will see how it is all forgotten soon."
"And let him have children who could become pretenders to the Throne?! Or another to see what we saw in the fire?!" Catelyn talked, gritting her teeth along with her uncle. "I could have forgiven a bastard, even one with those clearly Blackwood eyes" Jon touch his face, as if that would make Betha Blackwood´s inheritance disappear. "But a Blackfyre… NO! He needs to go! Or he would turn like his predecesors!"
"Catelyn…"
"Tomorrow, Lord Stark, not a second later" the Blackfish gave his ultimatum and Jon ran. He just… ran. And cried. When the tears stopped he just… stopped. And thought. And the first thing that came to his mind was… no way in the seven hells. Yes, no way. The Night´s Watch… he laughed. Just… no way. He continued laughing. Just… NO! His mother named him Daemon Blackfyre for something and… he won´t sign his life away for no one. Not even Lord Stark and his stupid, hateful wife. Less her stuck up family. And in that moment, he felt as if he just jumped out of the Arryn´s dammed moon door. He was free! Ned freed the dragon inside of him and now… now the Seven Kingdoms were going to feel it. They were going to feel the wrath of the new Daemon and… and his reign.
-Few days later-
"Your Grace" he mockingly bowed to King Joffrey. It was a lucky surprise that he met with the Imp shortly after escaping the Vale, one that he won´t let go in vain, as he stared at the king… and the Iron throne, the ultimate goal. That was his… he thought… Rhaegar´s last gift. Yes, that was his. And he won´t let a Baratheon or a Lannister bastard have it. He smiled at the King, imagining the time he would take his place… the place that was rightfully his…
Varys watched from a corner, not daring to frown at what could be the final of his plans. He found out too late what Jon Snow was… and was now paying the consequences. The boy needed to go, he said in his mind, before he found out he was actually legitimate and his nephew was not. Yes, his nephew, the one that actually believed himself Aegon, son of Elia, but actually the son of Sera.
He left the throne room, wondering about the two boys. Daemon Targaryen and Aegon Blackfyre, victims both of them of a complot. A prince believing himself a bastard and a bastard believing himself a prince, what a complicated situation. Poor boys, he thought as he walked in the darkness. Well, only one of them needed to disappear. And he hoped it was the right one, because if the other did… all the Realm will burn.
Hello! In read about Jon´s eyes being actually a Blackwood heritage a while ago and wanted to try. Don´t you think it would be great if Jon inherited his great great grandmother´s eyes instead of his mother´s? Well, as a biologyst, I have to say it´s actually quite possible. I hope you are all well! Review!