Jon Snow sat at the royal feast quite happily getting as drunk as he possibly can. His uncle had just visited him, sharing stories from the wall. Jon wasn't sure if he wanted to go on the wall. There certainly wasn't anything left for him in Winterfell, but he didn't want to just run off to the deadliest part of the world.
Jon's eyes drifted to the royal table where the King sat along with Cersei, father and Lady Catelyn. King Robert was quite loudly boasting about a good lay he had had a few nights ago. Normally the king wouldn't say such things in his wife's presence, but he had had quite a bit to drink tonight therefore his tongue was a bit looser than usual.
Jon noted the heavy and awkward atmosphere that was settling down on that table and thanked his lucky stars that he was a bastard, and didn't have to sit with them. He could see his siblings looking increasingly uncomfortable, fidgeting in their seats ever so slightly.
Jon turned his attention back to his own meal and found Ghost's intelligent eyes looking up at him. Smiling, Jon plucked some meat off the table and quietly fed his direwolf. Tuning back into the conversations around him he is displeased to note that they are talking about Lord Stark's children.. and how he isn't one of them.
"I thought there was another boy.." One man slurs to another.
"Oh just the bastard. What was his name? Jack?"
"Who cares? He'll be dead soon enough. I wouldn't be surprised if Lady Catelyn killed him herself!"
Loud laughter erupted from the table next to him, completely oblivious to the fact that the boy they were talking about was right next to them. Jon sighed, he supposed he should be used to it.
A few minutes later Jon hears the sound of hooves beating against the dirt outside. Loud clanging of swords and armour cause Jon, and some other men, to stand slowly, ready to attack if necessary. The doors bang slightly before they burst open, men from the kingsguard stream in, marching straight to the king.
"Your grace-"
"Where is he!?" Robert barked, cutting the man off mid sentence. By this time Jaime Lannister has gracefully strode into the hall, calmly walking behind all of his men.
"Perhaps somewhere private would be a more suitable environment to convey such news," Jaime's eyes flicker to his twin sister in a silent message, not infront of the queen.
Of course the king, being who he is, cares not for doing what is logical. Especially when drunk.
"I don't feel like moving right now, you will say what you have to report." King Robert leans back in his chair with a childish pout on his face as if the very thought of moving pains him.
Jaime looks at his wife exasperatedly as if to say, Why do you marry this man!?
"Your grace, we couldn't apprehend the kid that you wanted. He killed half of my men and ran."
"How could you be so stupid? What were the rest of your men doing while this was all happening? What were you doing," King Robert shouted at them. This was when Jon noticed that the king was heavily leaning on his chair and was about to pass out.
"At the same time we were ambushed by a group of common thieves. I hung back from the group and slaughtered these pests. I was only informed of my men's failure after I had returned.." Jaime lies smoothly. Jon can tell it's a lie, it's simply not logical that anyone would do that. Surely you would have stayed as a group to kill the thieves and then capture whoever they wanted to capture.
King Robert didn't even think about this as he forms his reply.
"Very good Jaime, I thank you for your service. The rest of them may be stripped of their titles and banished for failing their duty."
The men were swarmed by other members of the kingsguard, and taken outside. Jaime bows slightly, thanks his lord, and leaves with a smirk on his face. Jon wants to punch it off of him.
Everybody stands silently for a few moments before chaos erupts from the hall. Everybody screaming and shouting. Jon can see a few people starting an all out brawl for no reason what so ever. Jon sighs as he uses the crowds to slip out of the hall.
He crosses quickly to the edge of the forest, intending to let Ghost hunt for a while. Ghost leaps and bounds into the trees, energetic and playful. Jon smiles as he thinks of his little pup.
He walks back to the hall and sits on the steps outside immersed in his own thoughts.
"Are you Eddard's bastard?" A voice asks form somewhere above him.
Startled, Jon jumps and assumes a defensive stance. His eyes drift up to see the dwarf standing on a ledge.
"My apologies," the dwarf says, "Being a dwarf I've come into the habit of saying whatever I feel like, when I feel like."
Jon stares at him, not quite sure how to answer. He certainly doesn't want to anger the imp as he knows that he is a powerful man, Tyrion Lannister. Better to stay on the good side of the Lannisters for as long as possible.
"You have more of the North in you than your siblings," Tyrion idly comments gazing at Jon. Jon scowls at the dwarf and Tyrion retraces his steps, "Not that it's a bad thing. It was merely an observation-"
The howl of a wolf cuts him off. Jon's head whips in the direction of the forest and instantly knows that something has happened to Ghost.
Without a word Jon sprints in the direction of forest ignoring Tyrion's calls that it's dangerous. He barely notices that the dwarf waddles behind him to try and keep up.
Ghost has stopped howling now, making it harder for Jon to track him down.
"GHOST!" He calls out loudly, hoping for some sense of direction.
"Your wolf is that way," The dwarf pants from behind him, finally having caught up. He points slightly off to the left where he remembers the howling coming from. Jon looks at him silently for a few seconds, before nodding and continuing on his journey. He slowed slightly so that the dwarf would be able to keep up.
Eventually they come to a clearing with a lake where Jon has to do a double take on what he's seeing.
Ghost curled up, playfully licking at a hand attached to a teenage boy. The teenage boy is dripping wet with his shirt off. He has black hair and green eyes, smiling broadly at the direwolf. He has a nice six pack with faded scars along his chest and back.
Jon is shocked that Ghost would be calm with anyone aside from himself, yet here the wolf is. Letting this stranger pat him.
"Hello," Tyrion says suspiciously from beside him. This one word slices through the silence in the woods.
The boy looks up, his smile as wide and bright as it was before.
"Hello. Tyrion Lannister, right?"
"Have we .. met before?" The dwarf questions.
"No," is his airy reply.
Jon clears his throat ready to say something when Tyrion cuts him off.
"Who are you, boy?"
The boy looks back at Tyrion and stands slowly. He glides towards Tyrion until he is only a foot away, where the boy kneels so that they are eye to eye.
"What will you give me for the knowledge of who I am?"
"Life."
"I'm sorry to hear that. I already have a life, this is not something that I need."
"When I said life I meant that I won't kill you."
"Ah, well then I am Percy."
The boy, Percy, looks towards Jon and angles his head slightly to the left.
"Now.. who are you?" Percy stands up so that he is eye to eye with Jon, and Jon is startled to notice how alluring the boy in front of him truly is.
"M-my name is Jon Snow," Jon stutters, blushing slightly, suddenly shy. He doesn't understand why he is so nervous and so weird around the boy, but there's just something about Percy that puts him on edge.
Tyrion notices the tense atmosphere between the two and, despite wanting to make sure that Jon is safe, decides to leave. Letting what ever happens, happen.
Percy's eyes stare deeply into Jon's and Jon can feel is breath leaving his body. Percy chuckles slightly and puts his hand on Jon's forearm, he leans in close and whispers soothingly in Jon's ear, "You're cute."
Still chuckling Percy pulls back and notices Jon's blushing face. His smile widens at the shy and embarrassed look, before turning and walking back to Ghost. Percy lies down next to the direwolf and starts to pat him again.
Jon saddens when the warmth from Percy's body leaves him, suddenly wishing for the other teenager to come back. Jon swiftly to Percy, lying down on the other side of Ghost.
"So.. Percy.. W-what are you doing here?" Jon starts conversationally.
"Oh just following the group of men that tried to murder me. They led me here."
Jon looks at Percy then and realises that this was the man king Robert had slept with. Jon's eyes trail down Percy's outstretched body and can't imagine him having sex with anyone.
"Are-" Jon stops himself thinking that he's being insensitive, but he has to know the truth. "Are you-"
"Yes," Percy cuts him off. Percy continues to stroke Ghost as he lowers his eyes, refusing to meet the questioning glances Jon sends his way. "I work in a brothel, have been working in a brothel for six years now. I'm an orphan, you see. I used to have a more respectable line of work but after being raped one time I figure 'why not make them pay for it?' and joined."
Jon stares at him with wide eyes. Six years? Percy has been selling himself since his tenth name day?
"I'm sorry-" Jon begins but Percy cuts him off yet again.
"Don't be. My life isn't as bad as others," Jon looks at him doubtfully, and Percy smirks back, "I mean.. I could be a bastard."
Jon scowls and moves to stand up but is cut off from laughter. Percy laughs until his chest hurts and puts his hands on Jon's forearms. "I'm sorry it was a joke," he says between chuckles. "If it makes you feel any better, being an orphan makes me a bastard too I guess. So we're even." Percy smiles broadly again and Jon is overcome by a wave of shame and guilt. We're not even. I grew up in a castle while you grew up on the streets. I had food and clothing while you had to sell your body to get the basic necessities to live. You cannot say that we are even.
"So sorry to break your train of thought, but do you have any food? I haven't eaten for days and am afraid that I will pass out at any moment," Percy says this as though he was talking about the weather. Jon's jaw drops, he can't even begin to understand what this poor boy has been through.
"I don't have any food on me right now.. But come back to the castle with me. I'll hide you in my bedroom while King Robert is here. I'll bring you food and water.. Please?"
Percy chuckles slightly and brings his hand to the side of Jon's face.
"Thank you," He says earnestly before softly bringing his lips to Jon's. It was a chaste kiss, innocent, over as quickly as it started. However, when Percy pulls away he finds himself disappointed and wanting more. His head follows Percy for a bit until he realises what he's doing and snaps his head away from Percy, blushing madly.
"I'm sorry.. I don't know how to thank somebody other than to give myself to them..." When Jon looks back Percy is blushing almost as much as Jon is and it calms Jon.
Shortly afterwards Percy passes out. Jon takes the liberty to carry him back to Jon's room with Ghost trailing in front to warn of anybody who could see them.
They arrive at Jon's room and Jon gently lays Percy down on hid bed. Jon then sneaks down to the kitchen and gets some meat and mead. When he returns to his room, Percy is still sleeping soundly. Not wanting to disturb him he places the food on his bedside table, locks the door in case someone came in and saw Percy, and sits on his bed.
Jon contemplates what to do before gently moving Percy over and lying down beside him. The bed is small, so Jon can easily feel Percy's body lightly pressed against him. Jon wraps an arm around Percy's waist. To make sure that he doesn't fall off the bed he tells himself.
For the rest of the night Jon tries to fall asleep and not get too excited about the fact that there is a gorgeous boy in his bed. He tries to ignore Percy's breath on his neck and the warmth beneath his fingertips.
He will save Percy.
With that thought, he drifts off to sleep.