Chapter 08 – A Guile Knight

He disliked farewells. As much as Jon hated how he had to leave Winterfell in the middle of the night for secrecy's sake, a small part of him was happy that he didn't have to say goodbye to his siblings.

This time was different, however. And, as he prepared to leave Starfall, he knew he owed a proper goodbye to the people who he started to consider as his own family.

Allyria hugged him and wished him luck in his journeys, also thanking him for going alongside Edric, who she feared would feel alone.

Ashara did the same, reassuring him that Starfall would always be open to him and thanking him for his insights regarding Dyanna.

It was with his sister that he shared his longest goodbye. Jon, as awkward with partings as he was could only stay somewhat still as she hugged him for a very long time. He felt tears forming in his eyes, but held them. If he cried, Dyanna would cry too, and if she cried Ashara and Allyria would follow suit.

Edric didn't have the same qualms as him, Jon noticed as the sniffling boy hugged Ashara.

The heir to Starfall's mother died of a fever shortly after his birth, and with his father merely a husk of himself, Edric saw Ashara more as a mother than an aunt.

Seeing that, Jon couldn't help but wonder what would've his relationship with his uncle Brandon and aunt Lyanna would be like if they survived the Targaryens.

Maybe I wouldn't have left Winterfell

"Promise me, Jon." He was brought back to reality by Dyanna's words.

He nodded at her request. "I will write and keep you informed."

His sister wasn't ready to meet his father and his other siblings, but she refused to let him go without first promising he would send her letters.

Jon himself wished to keep in touch with at least a part of his family, he would, when possible, send letters to her, but most likely keep the darker aspects of life as a wanderer at bay.

Jon had little to pack for. He still had Dusk, his sand steed, alongside some of the leftover coins he received from Stannis and the dragon egg he brought from Winterfell. The Dayne sisters insisted he would take some spare clothing, which he reluctantly did.

He would be a homeless vagabond, but a clean one at that.

He gently disentangled himself from his sister's hug and kissed her forehead. Jon never did that with Arya or Sansa back in Winterfell, it wouldn't be proper for a bastard to display that kind of affection toward his sisters.

Besides, he was sure Arya would smack him if he tried.

Now, all people saw were two bastards hugging each other in Dorne, even if Dyanna was as much as his sister as Sansa and Arya were.

Soon he made his way back to where Lord Beric and the others were, earning a pat on the shoulder from the knight. Shortly after that, a teary-eyed Ned joined them, and they prepared to leave Dorne.

Before his journey south, Jon did not care much about what happened below the Neck. He was a Northern bastard and Winterfell felt like his whole world. His father seldom spoke of the south, and Lady Stark seldom spoke with him at all.

If anything, Jon valued the chance to travel the Seven Kingdoms and view most of what the realm had to offer. He went all the way from the frozen grounds of the North to the island of Starfall in the sands of Dorne, visiting places as storied as Dragonstone on his way.

The bastard of Winterfell thought that his journey would've ended in the mouth of Torrentine.

In some sense it did.

But in truth a new journey just started, and, before Beric's invitation, he had no idea where to go. In fact, he still didn't but the lord's offer was intriguing, to say the least.

The lord of Blackhaven apparently had been so impressed with Jon's skills in swordsmanship that he offered to teach him how to improve with the lance so Jon could pursue knighthood if he ever wanted to.

Knighthood was not common in the North, as the Andals never got past the Neck. The fact that newly anointed knights were expected to stand vigil in a Sept and their vows involved the Seven was another issue. Jon himself would never forsake his customs and religion for a title. The only two knights Jon knew didn't follow the Seven were Ser Rodrik Cassel and Ser Jorah Mormont, both of which were knighted on a battlefield.

At Winterfell, Jon was constantly bested by Robb when using lances but was superior with a sword, something that made him focus less and less on jousting as he grew up. Now, a few thousand leagues away from Winterfell, Jon felt somewhat more inclined to practice.

Knights were a force to be reckoned with, and most of the Andals' success in conquering Westeros came from the dominance displayed by their superior armor and speed. In places such as the North, Dorne, and even parts of the Vale their effectiveness would greatly decrease, but Jon could see how difficult it would be to face cavalry in the plains of the Reach.

After leaving Starfall through the western margin of the Torrentine, the trio of Jon, Beric, and Edric went through the narrow pass between the Red Mountains of Dorne and the Summer Sea, reaching the lands of the Reach.

Their destination was Highgarden, where the Lord Paramount of the Reach and Warden of the South, Mace Tyrell was holding a small tournament.

Beric, despite being a Stormlander did not have the level of prejudice against the Reachmen that Stannis displayed. Since he was invited at such short notice, they had to travel at a fast pace, with very little time for sightseeing.

Their first stop was at the city of Cuy, outside of Sunflower Hall's walls, where they quickly resupplied and traveled northwards, towards Oldtown, where the Rose Road, leading to Highgarden, started.

Jon was mildly annoyed by the fact he couldn't visit the famed city, albeit he did manage to watch from afar the Hightower, the tallest structure in the whole continent, even more so than the wall; besides being one of the nine Wonders Made by Man.

Whilst used to sea voyages due to the nature of his travels so far, Jon had to admit that traveling by land in a well-maintained road system such as the Rose Road was better.

Dusk didn't seem to mind the fact that the Reach's climate was somewhat more amene than in Dorne, and, if Jon rode alone, the trek to Highgarden would be even faster than the week it took.

Still, they made it in good time and reached the seat of House Tyrell a week before the tournament even started.

Jon had no words to describe Highgarden. Or rather, the ones he had would do a disservice to the famed castle in the Reach. It was said that when the Conqueror gave House Tyrell the castle and made them Wardens of the South, several of the more storied houses of the region, with closer ties to the Gardeners, such as Oakheart, Florent, Rowan, Peake, and Redwyne; complained.

He thought this was simply a matter of nobles being nobles, and whining about any perceived injustice against them, but now, with Highgarden in his sights, Jon realized he too would be pissed at not being granted such a castle.

It can be said that, of Ned Stark's children in Winterfell, he, Sansa, and Bran to a minor extent, would be the ones with somewhat of an interest in architecture. Bran loved to climb and explore, Sansa loved beautiful things, and he would analyze the castles with a simple question – how hard it would be to take it?

Winterfell had magnificent defenses; Dragonstone had a unique layout that would confuse even the most experienced commanders, Starfall, with naval advantage, would be unbreachable unless the attacker had a dragon around somewhere.

Highgarden didn't have such formidable defenses as these castles but was still a great stronghold. Built atop a hill overlooking the Mander, the castle was protected by a huge briar maze, that could easily slow attackers enough so arrows could fly from the archers above, and three concentric walls of white stone, each one taller than the other protected the main keep at the highest level.

Still, it was indeed the beauty of the castle that immediately jumped out, not its fortifications. He truly wished he could've left Winterfell on better terms so he could write to Sansa, his sister would love to read about the castle, even if his words were somewhat lacking.

After his travels, Jon realized that as much as he felt slighted at not being treated as a trueborn, his living conditions were still much better than pretty much the entire Westeros. The same could be said of the servants of a castle when compared to the smallfolk living in those sparsely populated villages, such as the Sistermen, Dragonstone's fishermen, and the Dornish farmers working under the harsh sun. Still, it was not an understatement to say that the Reachmen had better living conditions than the cold, unforgiving North, hence why the Reach boasted, by far, the largest population in the entire realm, even being much smaller than the North in area.

It became a surprise to Jon and his group that there were very few knights hailing from other regions for Mace Tyrell's tourney. If Beric was to be believed, castles would be bursting with activity a week away from the tournament, which hadn't happened in that case.

Edric theorized that due to the small time window between the sent invitations and the start of the tournament, knights from afar were simply unable to attend or reach in time. The Lord of Blackhaven himself wouldn't be able to attend if not for the fact he departed from Starfall, not his own castle.

In fact, attendance was so small they had the option of lodging at the castle proper, although Beric refused the offer. Like most of the other Stormlands' lords, Beric too lost family during Robert's Rebellion and was still somewhat wary of the Reachmen, who defended the mad king's reign. It took more than a decade to heal these deep wounds after all.

Instead, they lodged at an inn outside the castle walls, surrounded by a vast field of grass greener than emeralds and adorned with golden roses, an allusion to the Tyrell's coat of arms if Jon ever saw any.

The innkeeper, an elderly woman was kind enough to lords Beric Dondarrion and Edric Dayne, and treated 'Duncan' with respect too.

So far, Jon was able to convince small groups to keep his name and identity a secret. Beric came to him the night before they reached Highgarden to tell him it would be impossible to keep that as a secret in Highgarden, home to Olenna Tyrell, a noted gossiper.

Thus, 'Duncan' was born. A commoner from White Harbor who worked as a sailor and did well enough to impress Beric and become his squire. His mannerisms could be explained due to his contact with lords early in his life, as well as his Northern accent and knowledge of the world.

Still, to ensure that no one present at the tournament would see any kind of resemblance towards his father, Jon also cut short his hair, so it would darken a bit and differ from Lord Stark's hair, which was similar to his. Whilst Jon liked his hair longer, the new cut also didn't get in his way as much when sparring, which was a plus in his books.

The days leading to the tournament were spent helping Beric prepare, as well as getting Jon to reacquaint himself with a lance and fighting atop a horse, Edric also seemed to pick up the basics fairly quickly.

When Jon informed Ashara of his decision to join Beric, she lamented the fact he didn't want to make his stay in Starfall permanent, but also requested him to keep an eye on her nephew. The lady was convinced of the Stormlander lord's character but admitted she would be less worried if she knew he was there for the heir.

The bastard of Winterfell had no idea of how long he planned to stay with the group but helping out in Edric's adaptation was the least he could do, as he not only felt indebted to the Daynes but also was fond of the younger boy, as he reminded him of Bran.

With the feeling his future could be anywhere now that the leads of his mother's identity dried out, Jon once again picked up the lance and nodded at the Lord of Blackhaven.

"Once again."

If Jon was awed by the Reach's power, the same couldn't be said of their nobility. Snow was the first to admit that, perhaps, he was influenced by the opinions of Beric, Davos, and most of all Stannis in the matter, but even so he did not like what he saw.

When Aegon came with his dragons, House Stark of Winterfell was granted the title of Wardens of the North, just as House Tyrell was granted Highgarden and the Wardenship of the South; as Dorne yet had to be brought into the realm.

Still, Mace Tyrell couldn't be more different than Jon's father. The Lord Paramount of Reach and Mander was fat, extremely so, although still less than Wyman Manderly, who still held the post of fattest man he ever saw. The Lord of Highgarden also spotted brown, curly hair and a trimmed brown beard with grey spots, which reminded him of Davos. His almost constant drinking of wine often meant his cheeks were red.

The woman sitting beside him drew much more of Jon's attention, even if her behavior paled in comparison to her husband. It was most likely due to her silver hair, but the lady was also pretty and tall. Sitting amongst the other squires at the lower tables, it did not take much for Jon to learn her name – Alerie, née Hightower, now Tyrell. It was the first time he saw silver hair, so truly hoped he didn't gawk much.

If Jon was not mistaken, the Hightowers always had closer ties to House Targaryen, even before the Dance of the Dragons. Whilst their power greatly diminished with the failure of the Greens to claim the throne (although the Blacks didn't fare any better), they were still a force to be reckoned with. He wasn't sure if Alerie was the only one in the family who had Valyrian features or if it was more of a joined family trait. The Daynes too had uncommon coloring, with some people mistakenly thinking of them as descended from the Targaryens, so it wouldn't be too far-fetched to think the nearby Hightowers had something similar.

Jon quickly glanced around and didn't find anyone else with silverish hair, so he assumed Alerie's children didn't inherit her features.

"…hence why I decided to not only grace the seasoned knights with a chance of glory." Snow was brought out of his musings by Mace's speech.

He glanced around looking for the seasoned knights the lord spoke of, but found none.

The Greatjon could defeat these fools with a hand tied behind his back, using a piece of ham as a weapon.

It was something Jon clearly disliked about the knights in attendance. They conducted themselves as above everyone, bragging about their own feats and diminishing those of men they didn't seem as worthy.

When anointed, knights swore to be just, brave, to protect the women, the innocent and the weak. He could get behind these vows. But that was it. He had no interest in regaling the clearly exaggerated tales of other knights, neither had the social skills to recount his own.

Jon apparently tuned out again, as he was brought out of his daydreaming by a bump on his shoulders from another of the squires.

"Are you planning to compete?"

"Compete?"

The other boy, somewhat younger than he looked at him as if he was daft. "The tourney. Lord Tyrell is giving us the chance to compete amongst the anointed knights."

The bastard raised his eyebrow at the news. Around him, squires chattered, clearly enthused by that.

Did he want the chance to earn glory and make a name for himself?

Yes.

Then his father's words came to his mind.

"I don't fight in tournaments because when I fight a man for real, I don't want him to know what I can do."

Was Jon going to face these men in a war?

Unlikely.

But it could happen.

"I'm fine."

Sitting alongside the squires, Jon was allowed to freely eat and drink. Compared to the feasts at Winterfell, people in Highgarden ate and drank richly, with venison and melons being served in large quantities, besides Reach's famed Arbor gold, a sort of white wine which was famed and favored by nobles. The fact even squires were allowed to drink, albeit in a fractioned amount, was perhaps the biggest proof of the region's bountifulness.

Since Jon lived an active life, he had no fear of turning like Mace or the other fat lords around him any time soon. From his seat, and listening to the other squires' seat, he could also spot a thin balding man, Paxter Redwyne, who blockaded Stannis at Storm's End during the Rebellion; and another balding man, albeit of strong build with a short, greying beard; this one was Randyll Tarly. If Stannis was to be believed, he was the sole responsible for the loyalists' sole victory during the Rebellion, at the Battle of Ashford, albeit the deed was claimed by his liege Mace Tyrell, who barely fought at all.

The bastard let out a sigh, got up, and left. He was still three and ten name days old after all, so he couldn't stomach that much wine without getting drunk and making a fool of himself.

In some sense, the splendor of the Reach was unparalleled by anything he could ever experience at Winterfell, but he still felt nothing.

Mayhaps he was getting homesick.

He glanced at one of the many tables, where Edric had been seated before but found no sign of the pale blonde page. Jon then decided to leave the hall, looking for the heir of Starfall.

It turned out his decision was for the best as when he found the younger boy, he was about to be assaulted by a boy around Jon's age.

He did not even care to hold back.

With a quick step, he got between the two and stopped the older boy's punch with a firm grip on his left hand.

"Who the fuck are you?" the boy's breath reeked of alcohol.

Jon did not respond, instead opting to deliver a firm punch to the male's gut.

The reaction was instant as the boy fell to all fours on the ground and promptly threw up.

Jon turned his face in disgust at the display. So much for the so-called future of chivalry.

After the aggressor finished emptying the contents of his stomach, he rasped out. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

Snow quickly observed the boy's features, slightly fair skin, black hair, and brown eyes, he was noble, that was certain. "I have no idea."

"The name's Edgerran Oakheart, fool."

This didn't impress Jon at all, yet another spoiled brat talking about titles. "I'm Duncan…just Duncan."

"I'll make you pay." He promised as he left.

"That was lady Arwyn Oakheart's grandson and future heir of Old Oak." Ned informed him after the boy had left.

"So?"

"He's not an enemy you should make, even more so because of me."

The bastard frowned. "Explain."

"He's an Oakheart. His family and mine…we have a history. We've been fighting even before the Conqueror's times."

"So what?" Jon asked rhetorically. "My father killed your uncle and we're not enemies, are we?"

"It's more complicated than that…" Edric attempted to argue.

Jon knew that blood feuds and house rivalries were a common affair in the Seven Kingdoms, even so, he ultimately believed that one should not let a name dictate how he felt about people, even if that wasn't always possible. Whilst distrustful of others due to past history, Jon would not go as far as condemning one for his family's deeds.

For instance, Jon was wary of the Targaryens, but he still thought the deaths of Prince Aegon and Princess Rhaenys were uncalled for, as they weren't responsible for the actions of their father and grandfather.

"If we keep repeating our forebears' actions there would be no progress after all. I'm not saying you shouldn't be guarded around others due to history, in fact, it's wise to consider the past, but this won't give you, Oakheart, or anyone else for that matter right to go assaulting the others based solely on what happened before." He spoke resolutely.

Edric smiled at that. "That's sage advice. I guess it's just that if I were raised by my father or grandfather, I would probably think like him."

Jon nodded. "Sometimes, good things come out of bad ones and cycles are broken. In the end, the important thing is to judge others fairly."

"Thanks for helping me out there." The young lad blushed. "I was afraid."

Jon could somewhat sympathize with Edric, but rather than offering his support, he repeated his father's words once again. "My father says the only time a man can be brave is when he's afraid. I agree with him. Still, there's no shame in retreating and choosing to not face a challenge head-on. Sometimes wits outperform the brawns."

I obviously prefer the brawns, but saying that aloud would deny my entire point.

"Then I guess I'll need both." The page said with determination.

"I can't believe you are actually going to compete." Edric said with so much enthusiasm people nearby the smith started turning heads at him.

"Could you say it a bit louder?" Jon chided. "I don't think my siblings back at Winterfell heard it yet."

"Sorry." He apologized, as he glanced at the armor ordered by Jon.

It wasn't a masterfully crafted set, the helmet didn't match the shield, and the shield didn't match the rest of the armor, but for what Jon wanted to do it would fit just fine. The important thing was to conceal his identity and allow him to fight one or two jousts.

"I don't understand the sigil, though." The page commented, gesturing to the two white crossed axes on a black background.

"Who I'm trying to fuck over?"

"Edgerran?"

"Oakheart." Jon completed. "Little shit seems awfully proud of his oak sigil, I'm about to chop this motherfucker off."

Edric solely smirked at his eloquence. "Not that I'm complaining or trying to discourage you, but you are capable of winning?"

Jon shook his head. "I simply want to teach Oakheat a lesson, as soon I knock him out, I'll either feign an injury or simply ride until I inevitably face someone better."

"But why hide your identity?" the Dayne asked. "It wouldn't be better for your lesson if he knew who you were?"

"He will know." The bastard promised. "Besides, I don't want to stand out, even if I'm just 'Duncan' here. A commoner squire is one thing, easy to miss in the background, a commoner squire riding, and beating, highborn nobles is another."

"Does Lord Beric know?"

Jon smiled. "He even offered to pay for my armor, when I refused, he insisted I'd borrow one of his horses."

He'd rather ride Dusk, but a sand steed would tip his identity off.

"By the way, there's a place I'd like to show you."

Snow just raised an eyebrow at Edric's statement and followed the page.

The castle of Highgarden was much smaller than Winterfell but due to its layout, it was easier to get lost in there. Edric seemed to stumble on his path a few times, and Jon was sure they passed by a garden several times, but once they got past that, the young lad seemed to find his way and Jon followed him to a secluded garden that looked more like a small forest than anything else.

His eyebrows raised as he took on the shape of the trees and the pool beneath them, whilst most of Highgarden was covered by golden flowers, moss covered not only the floor but also the tree trunks.

"Is this?"

"Highgarden's Godswood. I was looking for it yesterday, before…"

"Oakheart assaulted you." He concluded, with Edric nodding.

The heir of Starfall in theory followed the Seven, but ever since Jon visited his castle, he started to show more interest in the Old Gods. Jon did his best to answer the boy's questions without any bias, and let him decide which religion appealed to him best.

According to some of the older servants at Winterfell, there were some grumblings from some of the Northern lords when his father decided to have a Sept built for Lady Stark at Winterfell, but since then his home has proven it was possible for different religions and creeds to coexist. Whilst most of the populace followed the Old Gods, they accepted the presence of followers of the Seven and even Greyjoy, who followed the Drowned God. His sister Sansa went as far as keep faith in both the Old and New Gods, as a way to honor both her father and mother.

"These are different from the ones in Starfall." Ned noted as he glanced at the heart tree and the other weirwood trees. "That one is particularly strange."

Jon glanced at the tree in question, or rather, the trees in question. As tree trunks were almost conjoined, making him wonder whether this was a single tree with a particular shape or three different trees joined together by time.

"We call these the Three Singers." A feminine voice said from behind, answering Jon's unspoken question, causing him to turn.

He found himself facing two very pretty girls, one around his age, with the other being slightly younger, probably at the halfway point between his own age and Edric's.

The younger girl had long, flowing light brown hair, a heart-shaped face, hazel eyes, fair skin, and a willowy complexion. She wore a light green dress with ornate gold details.

The older girl was even prettier, her hair equally long, but curling instead of straight, with large brown eyes, pale skin with a slender, yet womanly figure. Her gown too was green, albeit of a somewhat darker shade.

"Legend says Garth Greenhand himself planted those."

Jon nodded at the older girl's explanation. He wasn't that familiar with the Reach's history but knew he was a legendary king, with most of the Reach's dynasties claiming to descend from him.

"May I enquire your names, my lords?" the prettier girl asked.

"I'm Edric Dayne, heir to Starfall and in service of Lord Beric Dondarrion." Jon had to contain a chuckle at the heir's blush.

"And I'm no Lord, I'm just a squire." Jon responded.

The older girl raised an eyebrow. "And you have a name?"

"I'm called 'Duncan', my lady."

"As in Duncan the Tall or as in the Prince of Dragonflies?" the younger girl asked with pink dusting her cheeks.

"I assume after the Tall, there's no love for Targaryen princes where I come from."

"And where you come from?" the older asked in interest.

"I was born in the North, my lady. Although now I follow my master, Beric." He replied, giving his rehearsed answer.

The prettier girl nodded. "I fear I forgot my manners; my name is Margaery Tyrell, daughter of the Warden of the South."

It was Jon's turn to raise his eyebrow.

"My name is Elinor Tyrell." The slightly younger girl said and Jon could sweat she winked at him.

Since Edric was still busy gawking at Margaery, it was Jon who had to speak next. "We humbly apologize for trespassing, we will take our leave."

"It's no bother." Margaery said. "I would love to hear how a Northmen came into the service of a Stormlander Lord."

Jon sighed. "I'm somewhat skilled in hacking people with my sword, Lord Beric saw promise and took me in."

Edric seemed to have recomposed himself and snorted at that. "Somewhat skilled is an understatement."

"So, are you going to compete?" Elinor asked.

Jon was going to compete, not as Jon, not as 'Duncan', but as the Knight of the Axes. Both he and the younger boy agreed that Ser Oaksbane would be too much.

'Duncan' shook his head. "I have no interest in tournaments." It was technically the truth, in other circumstances, Jon wouldn't compete, he was in this just to humiliate the Oakheart who dared to touch his friend.

"And I'm too young to ride." Ned said with a bit of a frown.

Elinor seemed to get ready to protest at their statement, but Margaery put a hand on her shoulder. "Not all knights ride in jousts, Elinor. I'm curious about your reasons, but I won't inquire."

He merely nodded, but kept silent.

At Dragonstone and Starfall he somehow felt at ease when speaking with the others. Things were different at Highgarden. For someone who managed to earn a tiny sliver of Stannis' respect, talking to a girl of his age would have seemed like an easy task. Much to Jon's surprise, it was the opposite, as Margaery had wisdom beyond her years and was analyzing every word he said in search of…something.

"So, Edric says you are a skilled fighter, is that true?" the peculiarity of the older Tyrell girl was that she sold her innocent act almost perfectly, giving little to no signs of her true intentions. In fact, Jon had nothing but his gut feeling warning him to measure his words around the girl. However, his instincts never failed him so he heeded the warning.

"Skill is relative, my lady. The ease I have against weaker opponents is the same ease stronger ones may have against me."

Edric snorted again. "Duncan killed four adults during a battle."

Jon resisted the urge to smack the young heir's head, So, he settled for glancing at the girl's reactions – Elinor seemed clearly awed, whilst Margaery raised an eyebrow as if silently questioning him if his friend's words were truthful.

Jon sighed. "Unskilled adult men, from a somewhat safer distance."

Thankfully Edric didn't mention how he killed one of the wreckers by jabbing an arrow at his throat from point-blank range.

"So, you prefer a bow?" Elinor asked.

"I'd rather use a sword, my lady."

"You should spar with Loras then. He's a year older than me but it's only second to Garlan when it comes to swordsmanship." Margaery said.

"Loras? Garlan?" he parroted in confusion

Who the fuck names his kid Loras?

"My brothers. Loras squires for Lord Renly at Storm's End, although he came back to dispute the tournament in the castle he was born. Garlan is an exceptional knight who takes four or five opponents at once." The older girl informed.

Apparently, Mace Tyrell does.

Still, Jon would rather not get beaten around by another Reachman who deems himself a knight.

Jon simply nodded and decided to make questions of his own, if anything it could prevent the young lady from pressing on certain subjects. "I admit that I'm surprised Lord Renly took a squire from the Reach after his ordeal at the Siege of Storm's End."

This caused the ladies to frown. "Unlike his brothers, Lord Renly moved on from the past." Margaery said.

Jon kept silent. It would do him no good to talk back to a noblewoman.

"Don't you agree? Let the past in the past?" Elinor asked.

Jon shook his head. "Well, they always say the North remembers."

Margaery frowned at that. "House Tyrell was raised to its position by the Targaryen dynasty, unlike King Robert and the others we weren't directly threatened by the Mad King. My father had a hard decision to make, either uphold our oath of centuries or break it. He chooses the former rather than the latter."

"You are correct my lady, as a Northman I can't blame your father for upholding his oath."

This was a lie.

Jon could accept Dorne supporting the Kingdom. They had dynastic ties ever since Daeron the Good, reinforced by Elia's marriage with Rhaegar. If his father couldn't be considered a traitor for breaking faith with the Targaryens to fight for his sister Lyanna, the same can be said of Prince Doran.

The Reach, however….

House Targaryen already broke their promises with them once during Aegon the Unlikely's reign when his children started breaking their betrothals. If a liege can't uphold his duties and promises, then he can't expect his subjects to follow.

The fact they committed a good part of their forces to a pointless siege whilst the other loyalist houses bleed at the Trident also didn't sit well with him.

But these were Jon Stark's thoughts. He never had been a Stark.

And now he wasn't even Jon.

'Duncan' listened as expected of him.

So, he stood his ground but refrained from debating. "Just as you can't blame Robert and Stannis for distrusting lords who were their enemies a mere thirteen years ago."

"I don't think stewing on past grievances makes things better in the present or the future. The better course of action is forgiving." Margaery said, and Jon almost agreed with her.

The key word being almost.

"Then my lady never was slighted by anyone. Or slighted too many."

A part of her words indeed held merit, if people were too trapped in the past, the present and the future would become irrelevant. But Jon believed the past served as the steering wheel to the future's path.

"If we turn a blind eye to the past, we lose the opportunity to see what our ancestors did right or wrong. We risk repeating the same mistakes they made." He then grinned. "And I'd rather learn from their mistakes rather than my own."

Much to his surprise both Margaery and Elinor voiced their approval at that.

"See, Elinor, he's just not a pretty face. He's smart too."

It took a few seconds for her words to register in his mind.

He blinked once.

Twice.

And he realized why women were so terrifying as he found himself a blushing mess unable to utter a complete sentence.

Margaery and Elinor both seemed to be amused at his reaction, even Edric, the traitor chuckled.

Seeing a losing battle, Jon simply had to stammer about tending to his master's horse before leaving, girlish giggles and Margaery's amused smug expression never leaving his mind.

Notes: Due to problems with my internet connection, I could only post the chapter today as opposed to my original plan of having it up by Wednesday. In the notes and answers of the last chapter, I said I intended for Chapter Eight to be the last one before my time skip, however, I had to change that as it grew way over the 6K words I planned for. So, Chapter Nine will be the conclusion of Reach's arc with Chapter Ten finally catching up with the canon.

Now, some notes regarding the chapter itself.

Jon using Duncan as an alias came both from a reader's suggestion and the name of his son in Dragonstone, a great work you can find in this site.

Edgerran was named after a historic member of House Oakheart who fought the Dornish before the conquest.

My initial outline had Desmera Redwyne developing a sort of crush on Jon, which would ignite conflicts with her brothers, but I decided to substitute her with Elinor Tyrell, which is also an underused option and, in my opinion, prettier.

The last scene also marks my first foray into writing scenes with romantic undertones, such as Elinor blushing at Jon and him being speechless at Margaery's teasing. Since Jon and Margaery are thirteen and Elinor is eleven I attempted to have it as subtle as possible, but it's definitively something I'll explore once Jon reaches his canon age.

This doesn't mean this story's plot will rely on romance, if anything this is still a heavy action/adventure-focused work, with small sprinkles of romance. At this point, I have a somewhat defined idea of which pairing to explore, but I'm always open to discussions and suggestions, even when it's impossible to grant everyone's wishes.

Whilst not promising anything, I hope to get the next chapter up before the next weekend. Until then, let me know what you've thought of the story so far.

Now, to answer some of the reviews:

Pericles of Cholargos – Thanks for pointing these out, I already fixed them.

Manaliac – Jon's appearance has little traces of Rhaegar. Since people don't believe Eddard would ever lie they simply agreed that Jon is just a case of a son heavily favoring one of his parents.

Guest (1) – A few Starks were killed in the Blackfyre rebellions if I'm not mistaken. Still, a Northern army can hold the North through Moat Cailin, although with some losses. I feel that, until Robb, it was a matter of the North seeing independence wasn't something worth the effort.

Lanti96 – Thanks, I've spent some late nights writing this too, so I understand what you're saying.

Ariadne Venegas – There were infinite opportunities for Jon if not for Catelyn's fears. He could be offered as a match for the Freys (Walder would probably refuse, though) or in my opinion legitimized and married to Alys Karstark to rein on Rickard after his sons were killed by Jaime.

Guest (2) – I guess I was tired when I finished writing, I'll probably be more lenient with my own deadlines next time. If you spotted something awful, please let me know. I don't work with beta readers as I don't want to impose my irregular schedule on anyone.

Guest (3) – He's from the Marches, so really close to the Reach's border. I assumed he would probably have some degree of connection with the Reach due to the closeness and from being in the same circles (being knights and all that). Still, it was not something big per se, just him being invited to a tournament.

Guest (4) – I don't believe he approved the match, he attempted to have Lyanna drop her concerns about Robert's infidelity, but never openly stated he wished to have her married to him.

nicsav – She indeed is, it'll also be a major plot point going forward.

Aegor – The egg is still with Jon, but the warmth he felt only happened when he was in Dragonstone. These chapters focus mainly on Jon's POV, so, as of now, he has no clue where the dragon is.

Lord-of Oceans-Poseidon – I felt a Wylla scene wouldn't add much to the story.

Guest (5) – The Martells will appear, eventually. After the time skip I'll bring in the Ironborn, but I'm afraid I won't be able to do anything different from them raiding unprotected shores and having to be dealt with.

4 – It's not shown now, but Jon leaving had a huge impact on Winterfell. Ned realized how badly he screwed up with Jon and will do everything possible to prevent that from happening with his other children. This not exactly means he will start sharing everything, but if anything he'll try to account for his children's wishes when making tough decisions.

Daemon Sadi – Story wise Jon didn't need to as that piece of info came from Stannis, who lacked the kind of knowledge Ashara had of Ned. In terms of writing, I felt a Wylla scene would add nothing whilst extending what already was a long chapter.