A/N: So, the good parts are only beginning. Hope you enjoy this. Let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones is not mine.

Summary: When Ned finally told Catelyn about Jon Snow's mother, he had not expected for things to turn out the way they did in the end. It was so unfortunate that Robert had been smarter than Ned ever thought he was.

PART II

JON

V

Jon was alone.

He thought he knew loneliness before but he was wrong.

Being the Bastard of Winterfell meant that he was the butt of everyone's jokes and the receiving end of every scorn. He would sit in the back of the feasting hall watching from afar as his family smiled and laughed with each other. He thought he knew what it meant to be an outcast, to be hated and sneered at. But he was wrong. Winterfell's scorn was a warm breeze in the winter compared to this.

He thought he could get used to it. He thought he could bear it. He thought he could be brave. But now he knew he wouldn't last long in here. The unrelenting pain that came with the beatings, the hate, and the cruelty that he received made him wish he was dead every second he had to live.

But he can't die. He had to survive. He had to live. To prevent war and to save his family.

Jon did not regret his decisions. He does not regret his father for telling him about his mother. He was thankful even now, suffering in this hell, that he knew of her and that he'd been able to see her even if it was merely standing at the foot of her crypt. When the truth came to light and accepted, he'd lived the happiest year of his life. Suddenly, the scorn and taunts meant nothing to him and the love and acceptance he'd received was all that mattered. He was finally part of the pack. He had a family.

Until Theon Greyjoy took it all away.

When the king had taunted him about Theon's betrayal, telling him that it was the Kraken's heir who sold him out, he had never hated anyone as he did Theon Greyjoy. He discovered Jon's secret and sent it to Balon Greyjoy. In turn, Balon Greyjoy sent an envoy in secret to the king. Now, Balon's heir was restored to him and Pyke was rewarded handsomely for their loyalty. Now, those looks of intense jealousy and hatred came back to Jon's mind. How Theon had been casted aside, forgotten, when Jon was taken into the fold of his family's arms. He had burned with envy and sought to take Jon with him in his misery.

Now, he has and Jon will stay in this darkness for the rest of his life, alone and in pain.

The door to his cell grated against the floor and he tried not to flinch, his body curling instinctively as he waited for the pain to start anew. But gentle yet rough hands pried him away from the wall and laid him down on a board. They carried him away from the cell in silence. Jon did not mind. He had stopped speaking for days now. He just screamed.

When they took him out of the Black Cells, the sun's light mercilessly blinded him. He had not seen the sky in weeks? Months? He was not so sure. Time blended together in his cell. He only knew it was moving when they fed him what little they did and when they came to torture him. It could have been years, for all he knew. It sure felt like an eternity to him.

They finally stopped in a room that smelled of clean sheets and candles with walls lined with scrolls and books. When hands reached for him, he recoiled in panic.

"There, there, now." A voice said, trying to reassure him. "You'll be well, my lord. Here, drink this."

Jon had no choice but to comply. After he swallowed, his vision started to blur and darkness mercifully took him away again.