Dragons of Wolf and Sun
Toxicfireball
Chapter 9: Dragon's Watch
Summary:
Jon and Rhaenys head towards Sea Dragon Point.
Notes:
Here's the next chapter, I am considering changing the fics name to Dragons of Wolf and Sun, what do you think. I would appreciate feedback on the story as it really helps improve it.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Rhaenys
The courtyard was in a flurry of activity. Horses were getting saddled, Lords and Ladies were wishing each other goodbyes. The Northern Lords were all preparing to head back to their respective keeps. Ned Stark would follow them to Sea Dragon Point along with his younger brother. Oberyn would also accompany them through the rest of the Martell party and would return to Sunspear. She said her best wishes to Arianne who had teased her without fail ever since the wedding. Ashara would travel to Sunspear with her mother.
"Remember cousin, House Martell is with you," Arianne said.
"Thank you cousin," Rhaenys said, "I wish you good luck in your marriage."
Arianne had laughed "I hope so. I wish the same thing for your marriage."
Arianne had entered the carriage and she went to say goodbye to her mother.
"Mother, I will miss you," She told her mother as she entered her wheeled carriage which will bring her and Arianne to White Harbour.
"I will miss you too Rhaenys," Her mother smiled back as she hugged her. "I hope you will find happiness in your marriage, I will always love you my little dragon."
"I love you to Mother, I hope to see you soon," Rhaenys replied.
"We will likely not see each other soon, Sea Dragon Point and Sunspear are very far away but remember Dorne will always be open to you." Her mother smiled sadly which made Rhaenys heartache a bit.
"I will visit whenever I can mother," Rhaenys replied to which her mother chuckled.
"I am sure you will Rhaenys but a journey to Dorne and back will take more than a year. Don't spend so much time on me, go live a happy life. Your husband is a good man from what I have seen. I can see your marriage can be very happy in the future, that makes me happy. I hope your marriage is blessed with many children as time goes on. They give such joy in life."
Rhaenys blushed, she had not given the thought of having children much thought. She always thought of it as something far in the future, yet the thought of having children excited her in away. Perhaps I need to start working on it. She and Jon had not bedded each other since the morning after their wedding. She wondered why none of that had even tried to make a move despite them sleeping on the same bed.
"I will try to," Rhaenys replied, "Mother, don't say that visiting you is a waste of time."
Her mother shrugged "It is, Sunspear is so far away, it's okay Rhaenys I understand, just write to me. You should go and work on getting children, I would love to hold a grandchild".
Rhaenys felt herself blush, "I will, I mean…I will try and get him to bed"
"Oh," Her mother laughed, "Your husband wants you. That much is obvious, he's just too shy and apprehensive around you. let him know you are open for him."
"I'll try." Rhaenys said, "Perhaps when we have we have a new grandchild we can travel to Susnspear."
"That would be great, now get your husband here. I want to talk to him." Elia said, Rhaenys raised her eyebrows, worried slightly her mother might lecture Jon and her mother laughed "Oh I am not going to nag at the man who saved my life."
Rhaenys turned around and yelled for Jon who was talking to Robb who would stay in Winterfell, as the Stark saying went "There must always be a Stark in Winterfell." Ned Stark felt this would be a good opportunity for Robb to learn how to be a good Lord. Upon she calling for Jon, Jon hurried over and her mother said.
"Lord Jon Whitefyre, I am leaving my daughter in your hands. I trust you will keep her safe?" She asked in a serious tone.
"I will Princess" Jon replied solemnly.
Her mother smiled "I am sure you will, you saved my life once Jon, now I ask you to guard my daughter with your utmost best. From what I have seen, you will make a great husband. The King may have intended this to mock House Targaryen, but he has done it a great service instead."
Jon looked slightly embarrassed by those words "You honor me, Princess,"
"Remember Lord Jon, House Martell owes you a debt. Anything you need, we will come. Remember the words Unbent, Unbroken, Unbowed and Through the storm, we persevere. No matters what happens, I trust you will stand strong." Her mother said with a conviction.
They hugged each other and Arianne had gone into the carriage. Then, Arya came running towards them with tears in her eyes.
"Why do two of you have to leave? I don't want you to leave!"
Jon sighed and bent down towards her.
"Look, Arya, we all have to leave eventually," Jon said calmly.
"But I don't want you to leave!" Arya yelled stubbornly. "I want you to give me sword lessons and Rhaenys to teach me how to use a bow!"
Arya and Jon had always been close and she had always liked the she-wolf with her fierce demeanor.
"Arya," Rhaenys said, putting her hands on Arya's shoulders, "Your mother left Riverrun when she married your father. My mother left Sunspear when she married my father. We cannot stay here."
"I don't like that! Why are you living? Maester Luwin says Winterfell is one of the biggest castles in Westeros! We can all live together! Is it because of my—"
Jon immediately interjected, knowing that her next word was "mother". The last thing needed was to attract Catelyn Stark's attention.
"Arya, we will still come back to visit. We are not gone forever." Jon said patiently.
"It's not every day!"
"Look, Arya, we are to be Lords and Ladies. It is not right if we stayed in another lord castle." Rhaenys replied, "We will come back as often as we can."
Jon hugged Arya and said, "I promise we will come back as often as we can."
Soon, Rhaenys and Jon rode out of Winterfell with Oberyn, Ned Stark, Benjen Stark, and a small contingent of Northern men. Ned Stark had managed to get a raise close to five hundred men to be assigned to Sea Dragon Point. Benjen had told them that within a year, they could expect to get a thousand men to be sworn to House Whitefyre. Jon had asked Ser Arthur to be Master-at-arms of the castle which he agreed to.
On the way to Sea Dragon Point, she mulled over her mother's words. The thought of having children was an exciting one. She truly enjoyed teaching Arya or Bran archery. What if she had her own children? Her mother had told her that women at her age would have the least problem producing children. She could have children she could love. The thought excited her.
The travel to the castle had been uneventful. They passed through the heavily forested woods that surrounded Sea Dragon Point. The Wolfwood was heavily forested with oak, evergreen and black brier being the most common trees found there. There was also the occasional weirwood tree. Besides wolves, there were plenty of boar, deer, elk, badgers, rabbits, foxes, and bears inside the forest.
Rhaenys and Jon still had not decided on the castle name. With her suggesting Dragon's Watch and Jon suggesting Icestone. They had debated the name of the castle for a long time before she convinced Jon and won the argument. On the way to Dragon's watch, Rhaenys and Jon had insisted on meeting the villagers. Thus, she and Jon had visited several of the villagers along the small road that diverted off from the Kingsroad that was under Dragon's Watch. There she spoke with dozens of villagers who spoke their concerns. Most notably, increased wildling presence. Jon promised to deal with it.
After a week of travel, they finally reached Dragon's Watch. While she had seen it two years ago, the castle now was huge. An outer wall surrounded the main keep. Though the wall was nowhere as tall as those of Winterfell's or Sunspears winding walls, they were still relatively large. A wooden wall surrounded the town below the castle. The Inner wall was massive with it being slightly taller than Winterfell's outer walls and was connected to the main keep it surrounded. Along the coast stood dozens of towers that guarded the coast. She could see a small harbor with construction going on to expand it. There were a few galleys being docked there. The castle was nowhere as large as Winterfell but was bigger than the last time she was there. The banners of House Whitefyre flew everywhere.
"Welcome, what's the castle name again?" Benjen japed, no doubt because they had spent so long on deciding its name.
"Dragon's watch."She heard Jon say
"Ah, welcome to Dragon Watch!" Benjen said proudly. Rhaenys could see an impressed look on Ned Stark's face.
Scopions and Catapults lined the walls, along which she could see numerous guards along the castle. Rhaenys and Jon rode through the wooden walls and through the large outer stone walls. There, stableboys rushed out, ready to take their horses. She dismounted her horse with Jon.
"Welcome to your new home Lord and Lady Whitefyre. I am Ser Mark Waters, castellan of this castle." A middle-aged man greeted them as they alighted from their horses.
"He is Ser William Darry and Ser Jonthor Darry's bastard brother. He is a good lad." Benjen said as he got off his horse. A Targaryen loyalist? The Darrys were fierce supporters of the Targaryens.especially during Robert's Rebellion. A Darry bastard here made her raise an eyebrow.
"Thank you Ser for keeping the castle in safe hands," Jon said beside her.
"No problems my Lord. The scorpions from White Harbour arrived a week ago. We are installing them on the outer wall." Ser Mark replied
"Ah, thank you for your efforts," Jon said.
Ser Mark leaned forward and said in a low voice as the rest of the party dismounted. "The Maester here, Maester Leonard, watch out for him. He's been acting suspiciously,"
"What did he do?" Rhaenys quired. The Maester of the Citadel was assigned to almost every holdfast and castle in Westeros. They had sworn a vow of celibacy and neutrality.
"He sends out ravens constantly, and I have no idea what these ravens contain. No one has asked him to send anything." Ser Mark replied.
Oberyn who overheard the conversation frowned "A grey rat… Don't worry, I will find out what's wrong"
Benjen Stark, who was talking to one of the servants came over and told them he would tour them around the castle.
Inside the outer walls were the blacksmith workshops, the armory, barracks for the castle's guards and the main stables. There were also quarters for the high ranking servants of the castle. There was a moat in between the inner wall and the buildings protected by the outer wall. There were also a few small glass gardens whose design had been copied from Winterfell. The inner wall had two entrances, the first led to the beach and the other was over the moat only accessible by a drawbridge. Both looked heavily defended with archer turrets and scorpions.
Inside the inner wall was a small stable that was only meant for the Lords and Lady and their family's horses. There was the main keep, the keep had a great hall, with the banners of House Whitefyre. It was far smaller than Winterfell's great hall nevertheless, it could seat a few dozen people.
Ser Mark and Benjen brought them to the guest-chamber and then the main Lord and Lady chambers which were at the top floor. Their chamber was far larger than the bedroom they had in Winterfell, a large bed was inside with an adjoining study and bathroom. It was also joined to two small rooms for when they wished to sleep privately. It also had a large balcony that gave a great view of the sunset sea and the surrounding town.
The main kitchen was located above the great hall and was relatively quiet with the servants greeting them. There were also numerous chambers and a training yard, adjoining the private armory. The training yards were filled with straw dummies and an archery range. There was also the godswood, with a weirwood tree and dozens of plants, small trees, and flowers around it. Next on the floor above the kitchen was a few private rooms for the Lords and Ladies. The Maester turret was also located on that floor. There, they were met by Maester Leonard who greeted them with a smile that did not quite meet the eyes. Rhaenys exchanged a look with Jon and both came to the conclusion he was not to be trusted.
After the tour, Jon and Rhaenys settled into their chambers. Rhaenys brought the dragon eggs and put them in the small vault in their chambers with only Jon and her given a key. The rest of the guests were given each a guest chamber.
"How do you like the castle?"Jon asked her as they unpacked their baggage.
"It's great!"Rhaenys replied as she began hanging up her dresses and cloaks in the wardrobe. "The builders certainly outdid themselves!"
"I am pleased you are happy, we need to talk to the Head Household manager whom I believe goes by the name of Layne. She was from White Harbour.." Jon said
"You seem to know them very well," Rhaenys observed.
Jon smiled back "Of course I do, I picked them." Oh
"All of them?"
"No, only the once in charge. Most of the credit goes to Lady Ashara and Uncle Benjen." Jon replied.
"Still, it's rather impressive. Were the glass gardens your idea?" She asked.
"It was." Jon replied "Unfortunately, I could not pick the Maester, I could only request one from the citadel. They send me this, Leonard. I don't know him... he could be a spy I suppose."
"From the King? But the citadel is neutral aren't they?" Rhaenys asked.
"They are," Jon replied, "Which is why this is so confusing, he can't be a spy yet he seems a little fishy."
Rhaenys replied "Well, my uncle is on it. He will find it out,"
Jon grinned, "I am sure he will"
They spent the rest of the day touring the castle and the surrounding village, as well as the harbor. There were a dozen galleys docked there with a few merchants and fishing vessels.
Rhaenys and Jon stopped around the town regularly to chat with the smallfolk who were happy to see them. Rhaenys invited them to share their fears and concerns which many of them were glad to. Many feared since it was a long summer, there would be a long Winter. Rhaenys promised to make sure they were well stocked up on grain.
By the end of the day, Jon and Rhaenys were exhausted as they returned to the main keep. When they ate dinner with Ned Stark and Benjen, they noticed Oberyn was missing. No doubt sneaking around.
Finally, they retired to their chambers that night. They were discussing some household arrangements but both were too exhausted for the day. They were both retiring to bed when Jon asked.
"Rhaenys, do you want to sleep on the same bed? Or I can move to the private room."
Rhaenys remembered those rooms existed and asked Jon "Why did you have those rooms built?"
"In case, you did not wish to sleep on the same bed," Jon replied slightly sheepishly.
"Are we not husband and wife?" Rhaenys frowned and then realized that it was likely Jon feared that their wedding would be cold. "Jon, we will always sleep on the same bed. Do you understand?"
Jon smiled and then replied, "We will sleep on the same bed then."
Jon was reviewing some papers when Rhaenys suddenly blurted out "I want to have children."
"What?"
"I want to have children. My mother told me women at my age are the most fertile." Rhaenys said. "Don't you want children?"
Jon smiled wistfully, "I did think about it. I guess I did want someone who I can give the love I never had." Rhaenys knew that Jon had only cold looks from Lady Stark which she didn't really blame her for. Catelyn Stark was a proud woman and having her husband's bastard live with her must have really stung. Yet she felt sorry for Jon nonetheless for Jon had only been cared for by Lady Ashara but she was not always present in Winterfell.
Rhaenys felt something inside her stir at the thought of coupling again. Jon seemed to stare awkwardly at her and asked "When do you want to uh..."
"How about no?" She asked confidently "Don't you want it too?"
Rhaenys could see some lust inside his eyes but also some doubt. Rhaenys moved forward and kissed Jon, feeling her lust grow. Jon responded, his mouth hungry against hers.
"Don't say anything," Rhaenys whispered, as her hands instinctively went to undress Jon."Just enjoy it."
The next morning she awoke to find herself inside Jon's arms. She felt so warm, so comfortable in his arms. She could not remember when she had felt so safe and warm. She stirred slightly, sitting up on the bed. It was still dark outside the castle, yet she resolved to get up. She gently untangled Jon's arms from her and began getting dressed.
Jon seemed to have noticed her absence and stirred. He opened his eyes and gave her a shy smile.
"Good morning Jon," She smiled back at him.
"Rhaenys," Jon said slowly and with a hint of worry in his voice "About last night, did I hurt you?"l
Rhaenys giggled slightly as she put on her breeches. "No, you didn't. You were amazing, it felt great."
Jon blushed slightly and smiled shyly "Is this what we do now?" He asked.
Rhaenys gave her husband a smile "If you want to, did you not enjoy it?"
Jon laughed as he got out of bed, fully naked, "I did." Rhaenys put on a cloak and said "I see you in the training yard."
Jon
"Yield!" He said firmly.
"I yield!" Rhaenys said and he helped her get up from the floor.
"You won again," Rhaenys said with hints of annoyance in her voice. "I have not beaten you in ages!"
Jon smirked, "Of course, though if we were to pick up a bow…"
Rhaenys grinned back at him "I would beat you every time." Rhaenys twirled the tourney blade, gripping it tightly as she raised an eyebrow to challenge Jon again.
"Again?" Jon asked in surprise.
"Of course! I would not let my husband win so easily!" Rhaenys then moved forward to attack. Rhaenys moved extremely fast, making up for her weaker strength with speed. Jon deflected her attack as Rhaenys moved forward, moving at high speeds to try and overrun Jon's defenses. Yet, her attacks wore her faster and Jon counterattacked, he moved in, swinging his swords in fast attacks. In a few minutes, Jon held his tourney blade to Rhaenys throat. With him asking her to yield. Rhaenys groaned in frustration and yielded again.
It was then Jon noticed there was a small crowd watching them. Ser Jaime and Ser Arthur were watching them alongside Benjen and Jon's father, Eddard Stark.
"Well done Jon," Ser Arthur said as he walked into the training yard. "You still need improvement."
Ser Jaime laughed and said, "He's still a long way from defeating me." Rhaenys raised her eyebrows at Jon in challenge and Jon accepted.
"Ser Jaime, would you like to spar?" He asked with a smile on his face. Ser Jamie grinned and laughed "Of course! Is that a challenge? I accept."
Ser Jaime grabbed a tourney sword and twirled it in his hands and smirked at him. Jon gripped his tourney blade and waited for him to make the first move. Ser Jaime made the first move, coming in to attack, he moved in extremely fast as hit with deadly precision. Jon deflected his attacks, using his footwork to avoid Ser Jaime attacks. He deflected one after the other attacks, each heat ringing loudly across the training yard. A hard strong hit nearly sent his sword flying to the ground but he recovered in time to dodge a blow aimed at his head. Ser Jaime attacks were slower than Ser Arthur's but each attack felt more impactful.
Within the first few moments, Jon knew he was fighting a losing battle. Jamie's attacks were far too deadly a combination of speed and power. I need to get creative to beat him. Jon went on the defensive allowing Jamie to attack him constantly, forcing him to block every hit. Yet, he noticed Ser Jamie getting more and more confident. Good . The Lannister knight moved it and attacked more vicariously, Jon purposely fully left his left flank open. Just when Ser Jamie's blade was about to his exposed left flank, he took a large step back causing Ser Jamie's blade to hit thin air, missing his ribs by inches.
Immediately, he went on the offensive, launching a hard blow against the Lannister's right side. Ser Jaime barely reflected his attack by quickly turning his sword in an awkward angle but it was an opening Jon took. Jon quickly launched a quick attack at Ser Jaime's waist. The sword hit Ser Jaime's waist and he stumbled backward. He moved forward to attack trying to press the opportunity, moving forward and rapidly attacking the Lannister who went on the defensive. He attacked constantly and with speed, Ser Jaime however had recovered by then and went on the offensive again. Forcing Jon to play defensive, one powerful hit caused his sword to fall out of position and Ser Jaime took that opening. His sword hit Jon's stomach and Jon groaned and stumbled backward. Within seconds, Jaime's sword was at his throat.
"Yield!"
"I yield!" Jon said in a defeated tone.
Jaime smiled at him. "Not half bad, soon you will be a better swordsman than Ser Arthur or me."
"You have lots of talent," Ser Arthur said proudly as Jon nursed his stomach "I can even say you are better than Ser Jamie was at his age."
Ser Jamie laughed as he clasped Jon's back. Jon looked to his father and uncle who were talking to each other with what looked like wistful looks on their faces. When they noticed his stares, his father smiled proudly. Rhaenys grinned at him, which Jon returned with a smile.
"Another round Jon?" Ser Jamie asked with a smile on his face.
Within a few hours, Jon had lost count the amount of times he ended up on the ground, bruised and battered. Rhaenys looked extremely concerned by the end of it much to the two knight's amusement. They even pitted Jon against Rhaenys and either Ser Jamie or Ser Arthur. By the end of it, Jon had practically collapsed into his chair during breakfast.
During dinner, however, Jon had not seen Oberyn the whole day. When he told Rhaenys that, she said that she was getting concerned. Jon and Rhaenys agreed to look for him after dinner. They would not need to look far however, during dinner where they dined with the Castle's members, the door burst open. Oberyn walked through, he yanked Maester Leonard through the door and threw him onto the ground in front of everyone in the main hall.
"What happened?" Rhaenys yelled, though there was no anger in her voice.
Oberyn smiled lazily as he pointed to the Maester, "This scum should explain himself,". Jon's father raised an eyebrow at the Maester and said in a cold voice "Explain"
"My lords, I did nothing! This prince dragged me here for no reason!" Maester Leonard said indignantly.
Oberyn rolled his eyes, "I found the Maester in a brothel. I am sure that constitutes a crime."
"But...but, my Lords you must understand…" Maester Leonard "I could not…"
"I understand nothing, Ser Arthur, escort Maester Leonard to his chambers and keep him there!" Jon said firmly. Ser Arthur nodded his head and two of his men escorted the Maester out of the hall.
Oberyn went to the empty seat reserved for him and smirked and Jon. Yet Jon could sense the smirk had something behind it. I wonder what he found. Rhaenys whispered to him "That was smart of you. I rather not let half the castle know whatever secrets the Maester has."
They continued to dine with the Castle's important members. They were free to raise any issue that could arise. After Oberyn's arrival, they ate far more quickly, anxious to know what secrets the Maester had.
They entered the Maesters turret to find Maester Leonard waiting for them with worry written all over his face. Two Whitefyre guards stood next to him, Oberyn followed them as they entered the turret.
"Leave us," Jon told the two guards and they bowed their heads and left.
"My Lord, what I did was such a small crime…I apologize…"Maester Leonard stammered.
"What's your name?" Oberyn said lazily.
"Pardon me, my Prince?"
"Your name"
"Leonard, Maester Leonard." The Maester replied with confusion clear in his voice. Jon shot a confused look at Oberyn but he shook his head. Indicating for him to watch.
"No, your full name. The name you had before you took the citadel."Oberyn replied,
"It does not matter…"
"Does it not? Answer my question Maester, I am sure you are aware of my reputation." Oberyn replied with a cruel smile.
"Leonard Flowers, my prince" A bastard like me.
"Your parents?" Oberyn asked
"I do not know…" The Maester stammered.
"I can tell if a man is lying. I will not ask so politely next time," Oberyn said in a threatening tone.
"Archmaester Castos was my father…" The Maester replied shakily "And Hightower bastard for my mother…"
"I thought Maesters were sworn to celibacy?" Rhaenys asked.
Oberyn laughed "They are, but many are not true to their vows. Who can blame them, I will go crazy within a year without a woman."
Rhaenys rolled her eyes while Oberyn turned his attention to the Maester once again. "A Hightower bastard and an Archmaester… Why did your father send you here?"
"I...was sent here to serve House Whitefyre" Maester Leonard shakily replied
Oberyn raised his eyebrows and said in a low, dangerous voice "You did study poisons at the citadel did you not? Have you ever heard of the basilisk kiss? I heard it's extremely painful. It would be a shame if I had to waste it on you."
The Maester's face when pale and he said shakily "I was sent here to...make sure...that…she" he said pointing at Rhaenys "Cannot conceive a child"
What? Why?
Rhaenys face twisted anger and she punched the Maester face so hard that it caused him to fall onto the ground. Jon immediately rushed forward to hold her back. "Rhaenys, calm down!"
"Why would you do that?" Rhaenys yelled in anger.
"My fa-father's orders." The Maester stammered "He said that he did not want any spawn from the Targaryens and the Stark line…"
"Have you done anything?"Jon asked, his voice cold. The Maester shook his head and Jon felt relief sweep through him.
"Why did he do so?" Oberyn asked in a low voice
"I don't know...please spare my life…" Maester Leonard sobbed.
Jon looked to Oberyn who nodded "That's all he knows."
Jon opened the turret door and yelled for the two guards. "Throw him inside the dungeons!" The two Whitefyre guards dragged the Maester through the hallway and to the dungeons.
Rhaenys looked incensed with anger "We cannot trust the Maesters? What is happening?"
Prince Oberyn sighed and shut the turret door. He said in a low voice. "The Maesters of the Citadel have not had a...kind view of magic. My spy there says that they are not particularly fond of the Starks due to your different religions. They have rather strong connections to the Starry sept in Oldtown. The Targaryens too, rumors are they were the ones who tried to kill all the Targaryen dragons during the Dance of the Dragons, at least that's what my spy contact believes."
"But why prevent me from having children?" Rhaenys asked angrily.
"I do not know, perhaps the Starks have a magical bloodline? I do not know. The Targaryens were famous for their dragons until Aegon III, what's more magical than dragons? My time there taught me they hate magic, when you are sworn to be a Maester, you are required to spend a night in a lightless vault with a glass candle. Glass candles are magical objects supposedly, no one can light the glass candles. The whole purpose of that is to enforce that magic does not exist." Oberyn said, his voice with a certain seriousness that was rare to hear.
"Could he be a Lannister of Baratheon spy?" Rhaenys asked.
"He could be, if he removes your childbearing potential, their line will be secured," Oberyn said thoughtfully.
Jon shook his head , this was too much intrigue and politics, "We need a new Maester," he said.
"We can't trust anyone they send!" Rhaenys exclaimed.
"No, you cannot, which is why I am here," Oberyn said, his voice returning to his usual arrogance. "I have contacts in the citadel. The next Maester you see should be trustable."
"Thank you Prince Oberyn," Jon said graciously.
Oberyn laughed and said, "It is a small favor." Oberyn then left the room. Jon and Rhaenys started looking through the letters the Maester had sent. As Jon looked through, he got more and more horrified. Letters of plans to make sure Rhaenys was incapable of bearing children. Rhaenys also looked through the letters and had a grim look on her face.
"They want me barren," She spat "Or they want me dead."
Jon grabbed Rhaenys hand and said softly and resolutely "Rhaenys, remember our words."
"Through the storm, we persevere," Rhaenys said quietly "This will not be the last time Jon."
"No, it will not." Jon said, "I will always protect you Rhaenys,"
Rhaenys smiled at him, and said softly "So will I."
Eddard
Dragon's Watch was impressive, it was arguably one of the strongest castles in the North. Perhaps only the Manderly's New Castle or the Bolton's Dreadfort superseding it. The sheer amount of money and effort that went into the castle had shown. The castle looked far more different than that of Winterfell or Karhold. While it had obvious first men architecture traits on the outer wall, the Inner wall resembled a more Valyrian-first men hybrid stilled with its Harsh angles and topless towers on the walls. The keep had multiple Rhoynar styled towers while the general shape was more first men. The inside of the castle was a mix of first men with some Rhoynar and Valyrian features, most notably the carved walls and a few spinx as decorations.
Ned had no doubt Jon had played a huge part in the design of the castle. The castle funds had came from all over Westeros. The Velaryons, Darry, and Celtigars sent a small amount of gold and discreetly. The Martells funded large parts of the castle, In addition, Ned had pulled large amounts of gold from Winterfell's coffers to which Ned had discovered the Starks had their own treasury of gold. Though the gold inside was modest compared to what Houses like Hightower and the Graftons had, it was a large sum. The castle defenses were impressive with scorpions imported from Essos and Dorne, catapults from White Harbour and the Stormlands placed all over the castle. There were at least eight-hundred household guards and Ned suspected that they could raise three thousand men and close to a dozen galleys. With that power, the Whitefyre rivaled the Dustins, Glovers, and Rsywells in strength, not to mention the influence they wielded with Dorne and Targaryen loyalists. Lyanna, your son is safe.
At Dragon's Watch, Ned could easily observe that Jon and Rhaenys had grown quite close. They constantly jested with each other and wore smiles in each other's presence. Ned was truly happy to see them together with no animosity in between them. The days at Dragon's Watch he mostly spent helping the two of them trying to get everything in running order. Jon and Rhaenys household made Ned feel slightly uneasy. Many of them were dornishmen and Targaryen loyalists, while Northmen made up only half. Yet Ned suspected that Jon himself had reached out to Targaryen loyalists and Dornishmen purposely for his wife.
In the training yard, Ned was completely impressed with Jon's skills. Ned only saw Jon when he sparred against Robb. Ned always knew Jon was holding back but here,at Dragon's Watch, Jon could hold his own against Ser Jaime and Ser Arthur, he would always lose but could occasionally get a hit in. Rhaenys on the other hand was skilled with the sword and spear, though not as good as her husband, her skill was impressive for a woman. Looking at her spar with Jon reminded Ned of Lyanna, which Ned had to banish from his head. Even after so long, it's too painful to relive those memories.
The most interesting thing happened on the second day when Prince Oberyn had dragged the castle's maester into the main hall and said he had found him in a brothel. Ned had trusted Rhaenys and Jon to deal with the maester. When he asked what happened to the Maester, Jon had replied "In the dungeons"
A few days later, Jon had asked him to be present at the godswood. When he went there, he found a few Whitefyre guards,Prince Oberyn,Rhaenys,Ser Jaime ,Ser Arthur and his brother.
"What is going on?" Ned asked his brother as he entered the godswood. Benjen looked equally confused but said "We will see soon,"
Soon, two Whitefyre guards brought out a gagged Maester Leonard, with Jon in tow. Rhaenys had a look of grim satisfaction while Jon's face had no emotion. Soon, Ned realized what was going to happen. A block was placed next to the weirwood tree and the two Whitefyre guards placed his head on the block and held him down.
"Jon, what's going on?" Ser Arthur asked in confusion, both he and Ser Jaime looked equally unsure what was going on. Prince Oberyn on the other hand had a small smirk on his face.
"Maester Leonard here stands accused of plotting to poison my wife, Rhaenys Whitefyre, and acting as a spy to outside forces," Jon said somberly. Ned was shocked and was about to say something when Ser Jaime was the first to speak.
"You have proof?"
Oberyn grimaced slightly "More than enough,"
"Poison to kill Rhaenys? For what purpose?" Benjen asked. As Ned was concerned, the politics of the south should not be in the North.
"Not exactly that, but yes, killing me was one of the other backup plans. He wanted to make sure I cannot bear children," Rhaenys said darkly, her voice coated with anger. "Who he is working for, we have no idea,"
A Maester as a spy? Who would do that? The Lannisters? They do have a motive, Rhaenys represents a significant threat to their control.
Jon then drew his sword, a thin longsword of Valyrian steel. Dark Sister. He ungagged to Maester who immediately started cursing.
"You will regret this! You are killing in front of your demon tree gods! The seven will strike you down!" Maester Leonard yelled desperately. Ned frowned, the Maester had been stammering when he was brought in the main hall but when facing death, he was yelling at his captors!
"Maester Leonard. You are to be executed for planning to poison my Lady wife, Rhaenys Whitefyre. Do you have any last words to say?" Jon asked solemnly.
Benjen leaned over and whispered in his ear. "He reminds me of you."
"You will not dare kill me! I am a Maester of the Citadel! You are affronting the citadel!"The Maester screamed.
"Maester Leonard, I would rather you not move less your death is more painful than I intend," Jon said coldly.
The Maester continued screaming and Jon nodded at his guards who gagged the Maester and held him down, forcing his head onto the block.
"In the name of Lord Eddard Stark, lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. I, Jon Whitefyre, Lord of Dragon's Watch, sentence you to die." Jon then raised Dark Sister and brought the blade down in a high arc. The swing was quick and the Maester's head rolled off his body, his blood staining the weirwood roots. A clean quick death.
Jon then looked at him, looking either for approval or disappointment. The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. Ned nodded his head at Jon, feeling a sense of pride.
"He has been learning from you," Benjen said grimly.
The two guards brought away the body and Jon was talking to Rhaenys. There were no smiles this time when they talked. Oberyn Martell looked pleased and excused himself while the two knights looked impressed and proud.
"Lord Stark," Jon said quietly "Was it right for me to take his life?"
Ned nodded grimly and said "When a man commits a crime, breaks his oath. It is up for the lord to judge him."
Jon still looked unsure of himself "I felt I beheaded him more in anger. He tried to poison Rhaenys, but still I felt death was too harsh…"
Ned thought to himself, what would he do if someone tried to poison Catelyn. That person would not have his head for long. "Jon, I would have done the same"
Jon nodded and then left with Rhaenys who was trying to lighten Jon up. Just when Ned was about to leave, he heard the weirwood tree leaves rustle, yet there was no wind. Ned looked around the empty Godswood, feeling uneasy. He remembered that the old Kings of Winter executed people on weirwood trees. I would rather not know why. Ned shook his head and left the godswood.
A few days later, it was time to leave Dragon's Watch for Winterfell. Benjen would head back to bear island. They said their farewells in the morning as Benjen boarded the ship that would take him to Bear island.
"Goodbye brother," Benjen said warmly as they hugged each other.
"Goodbye. Thank you for helping in building the castle, it's amazing. Lyanna would be proud of you." Ned said.
Benjen smiled sadly "She would be proud of Jon,"
"She would be"
Later on, Jon and Rhaenys bid farewell to him as they prepared to leave the castle.
"Goodbye, Lord Stark. Thank you for coming," Jon said.
"It's no problem," Ned said "I am proud of you,"
"Thank you, Lord Stark," Jon said.
"Thank you for raising this castle," Rhaenys told him.
"It's no problem at all" Ned replied, "It's good to see you two so...happy with each other."
Rhaenys giggled and Jon smiled. "Thank you, have a safe trip back to Winterfell."
Ned then left Dragon's Watch and headed back to Winterfell.
Rhaenys
Rhaenys grew to love Dragon's Watch, the cold sea breeze that blew throughout the castle in the morning, the quietness of the castle, the sight of fishing boats moving in and out of the harbor. It was cold to be sure but she soon got used to it.
Every day, Rhaenys and Jon would spar together with the two knights in the morning before holding court together. They would spend some time together walking through the town that was growing under Dragon's Watch. Jon had begun encouraging villages to fish along the rivers as there was plenty of salmon. Rhaenys encouraged the chopping down of wood to be used to build ships or to be sold. Jon had managed to work out trade deals with the Mallisters of Seaguard who they began trading with actively.
In addition, often Knights would come and swear the swords to House Whitefyre. Rhaenys knew that knights were rare in the North yet numerous knights came specifically for their House. The first one was Ser Richard Loudmouth, who arrived by boat. He had requested to swear his sword to House Whitefyre.
Ser Arthur and Ser Jaime instantly recognized him even before Rhaenys or Jon knew his name.
"Ser Richard," Ser Arthur was the first to say with a smile "I did not expect to see you here."
"How do you know him?" She asked Ser Arthur, it was Ser Richard who answered.
"Lady Whitefyre, I am Ser Richard Lonmouth, I was squire to your father, Rhaegar Targaryen. I have come to swear my sword to my best friend's daughter." He said as he took a knee.
Jon narrowed his eye "We do not hold great love for Robert Baratheon but we are not rebels,"
Ser Richard Lonmouth smiled "I know that Lord Whitefyre. I simply wish to swear my sword to the daughter of. the person who knighted me as an act of repayment."
Every few days, a knight would appear and swear their sword to them. Rhaenys grew slightly curious why there were so many knights that were willing to swear their sword to them. When she asked Jon, he smiled "You are the last Targaryen, those loyal to the Targaryens and hold true to their word would flock to you."
Rhaenys uncomfortably found herself remembering her father, Rhaegar Targaryen. She remembered when she was young, her mother would tell her stories of how Rhaegar Targaryen was the perfect prince. Beautiful, tall, strong, and intelligent. Yet as she grew older and learned more, she learned her father was far from perfect. He had kidnapped Jon's aunt,Lyanna Stark of Winterfell, while some believed Rhaegar raped her, her mother did not believe it saying Rhaegar took her because of some "stupid prophecy". Her father had sparked a war, taken three of the Kingsguard with him, and left her, her brother, and her mother unprotected inside the red keep.
Rhaenys soon grew to dislike her father. The man who left abandoned her mother, her and her brother for prophecy. Yet so many people speak highly of my father. What bloody fools they are. Rhaenys sometimes thought about what would happen if her brother lived. She did enjoy the thought of having a brother. Quentyn had been fostered in Yornwood, she barely knew Trystane as she had left Sunspear before he was anything more than a boy, Robb, while friendly towards her, didn't treat her like an older sister and more like a honoured guest. Jon had been rather shy with her until a few years before their wedding when he began opening up to her. Though we can't exactly say we were like brothers and sisters, brother and sisters don't fuck each other so often. That was unless you were a Targaryen but Jon wasn't. Sometimes Rhaenys wondered if the rebellion did not happen would she be married to her brother, Aegon?
The thought certainly amused her. Trying to imagine having to bed her brother brought a small chuckle to her lips. While Rhaenys did not have a brother or anyone that could resemble that relationship, Arianne had always felt like an older sister to her. They had written to each other often, though letters took extremely long to travel from Winterfell, Ned Stark had allowed her to use ravens to send such letters. Soon, Arianne had also sent ravens to Winterfell. They had exchanged letters for years. She remembered the letters Arianne would send to Winterfell, filled with details of her first sexual experience. I bedded the bastard of godsgrace. Arianne had written, she remembered her younger self feeling disgusted by those words.
Rhaenys went back to her chambers while Jon went to his study to answer some letters from Lord Mallister. In her chambers, she opened the vault which contained the two dragon eggs. The dragon eggs drew her to them in a strange way that she could not understand. The eggs are stone she had told herself countless times yet the eggs felt...alive. Could it hatch? The thought seemed exciting and even possible at first then she remembered that for nearly two hundred years the dragons were gone. If for two hundred years my ancestors could not hatch dragons, then I cannot hatch dragons.
What surprised her was that Jon seemed to also have a connection to the dragon eggs. Rhaenys initially suspected her connection was due to her Targaryen heritage but Jon was not a Targaryen yet like her, he felt something with the eggs. Rhaenys could not find an answer to their connection with the eggs. She had told Ned Stark about their connection with the eggs. Ned Stark had been alarmed at her words and had told her to stay away from the eggs, for the last time Targaryens tried hatching eggs, hundreds died.
Yet Rhaenys could not resist after a few days and opened the vault, retrieving the blood-red egg. It was warm to her touch as it always was she stared at the egg. Wondering if inside a dragon. Then she violently banished those thoughts. I shall not be Aegon V and have another tragedy of summerhall.
Within a few days, life in Dragon's Watch settled into a routine. They would spar in the morning with each other as well as Ser Jaime and Ser Arthur. Then they would visit the town growing next to Dragon's Watch after breakfast. They would then have lunch before holding a court session for those wanting to meet them. Then in the evening, Jon would help train the various castle men-at-arms while Rhaenys would practice archery. They would have dinner and they would retire to their study to return and send letters to the various lords regarding trade or some other matter. During that time, Rhaenys noticed that their coffers began to grow. While not extremely fast, the gold they received was increasing. Not to mention the increasing size of the population in town that had taken on the name of Sea ice square. Named after the market town square in its center.
What Rhaenys really loved about Jon was that he always treated her as an equal. While most lord's while simply treat their wives as a means to procreate children and to help host guests, Jon always asked for her opinion and gave her as much power over their lands as he had.
At night, they would often couple together in bed. While supposedly for her to have children. Rhaenys also enjoyed those nights, she loved the moments both of them were intertwined together, moaning and kissing. Rhaenys knew Jon and she enjoyed those nights together. Sometimes she found herself daydreaming about it which she had to snap out of it and curse herself for her lust.
A few weeks had passed when Rhaenys began feeling ill at times. When Jon brought a maid who had some healing knowledge at the replacement Maester had not arrived. The maid proclaimed
"Congratulations Lord and Lady Whitefyre, Lady Whitefyre is with child." Both of them had jumped in joy and hugged each other tightly.
"I am going to be a father," Jon said breathlessly.
"You are, and I am to be a mother," Rhaenys said excitedly. I am to be a mother!
Notes:
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I have been utterly swamped with my studies and I stayed up all night to get this chapter up. The first inklings of the GMC can be seen here, I would love feedback and comments. Stay safe.