The Dragon of Winter
Chapter 6
"Who are you?" Daenerys asked as a girl she had never seen in Winterfell stood in her doorway. She didn't look northern, she was clearly from the south. Her hair was braided into pile atop her head, her skin was pale, yet Dany could see patches that remained a soft tan colour. Her eyes reminded Daenerys of Pentos, with its rich smells, exotic people and the rays of sun that shone upon the city.
"My name is Aliya, I'm your new handmaiden my lady." Her voice had a distinct northen accent, but it was different to all of which she had heard in her time living in the North. Too northern for a girl who looks like she's from the south...
Aliya remained in the doorway, not knowing what to do or say, onl smiling at the exiled princess. "Do you need anything?" She said, smiling briefly.
Dany hesitated, trying to figure the girl out. She hadn't had a handmaiden in weeks, and she wa perfectly used to dressing, bathing and cleaning herself.
"Sorry... I already dressed." Dany replied, and looking around her room she could see it was tidy.
"You can braid my hair..." Daenerys had not had her hair braided since childhood, and she missed that.
Aliya smiled before sitting herself down behind Daenerys, humming as her fingers twisted Daenerys' silver hair into knots and pinned them atop her head.
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Jon
The news of his true parentage was hard to handle, and Jon knew it would never pass by his head. Yet, knowing that Eddard, Arya and Daenerys still loved him helped him accept that it was nothing to fear.
He had to tell Robb, Bran, Sansa and baby Rickon; every time they called out "brother!" it only made Jon fall deeper into his pit of guilt. When Catelyn coldly stared at Jon, he would fall again; she hated him, and for the wrong reason. Ever since Ned had declared Jon his bastard, Catelyn felt her husband didn't love her. Jon had been a symbol of that all his life in the Lady Catelyn's eyes, but no...
he was a symbol of the war, and every soul that was lost.
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Arya
Jon still loved Daenerys.
And Daenerys still loved Jon.
How they loved eachother was not clear in Arya's eyes, yet love was all the same. No matter how deep or suttle.
And Arya wasn't sure how to feel about it.
Every secret stare, smile and embrace were caught by Arya. However, she did not feel uneasy. She did not feel upset. Only confusion.
"Arya." Arya's thought were interrupted by her father's voice from outside her door. It was one of her favourite feelings in the world; it meant being able to talk to her father, whether she was in trouble or not.
He beamed as his daugher ran and jumped into his arms, and Arya returned the loving smile; her father and Jon were the two people who undrstood her in and out. Then, Arya's mind flashed back to the godwood, when she had felt the worst she had ever felt. Daenerys had talked to her, talked to her because she wished for Arya to be herself again.
Daenerys understands me too...
"Arya?"
Arya's attention fell back to her father, whom she was still gripping tightly," Arya... yo were in the Godswood yesterday with Daenerys; Daenerys and Jon." He crouched so he could see his daughter at eye level." What happened there?"
Arya knew she would tell him the truth; it was what her father would do, what Jon would do, what Daenerys would do.
So she told him everything, from Jon to Daenerys, what she felt and how Daenerys had comforted her.
Ned wrapped his arms around Arya again," When will my mother know? Robb, Bran, Rickon... Sansa?"
"Hush now child!" He laughed, poking her shoulder," It is Jon's choice."
"Well, I think he should tell them!"
Her father ruffled her tangled hair, before a comfortable silence fell on the two. "You remind me of my sister, not only in looks, which you do very much; but also the way you speak, the way you want freedom, the way you will never be owned by any man. I see Lyanna in you." Arya felt a gentle tug at her heart, she was aware of how much Lyanna meant to Eddard, and she had always resented Rhaegar for what she had thought he did to her aunt; but her feelings had changed so fast in the past days and moons, towards Rhaegar and the Targaryens.
The Mad King was still mad, and Viserys still a foolish man... but Daenerys was no whore, and Rhaegar no rapist.
Then a thought struck Arya's find like an arrow through a chest, "Father..."
"Yes my child?" Ned said, smiling warmly.
"Is Jon still a bastard?" Arya watched as her father's joyous expression drowned in the ice that had appeared in his eyes.
He let out a sharp breath before firmly placing his arm on Arya's shoulder, " Arya. Lyanna and Rhaegar had wed in secret. Jon is no bastard, but a true born Targaryen." Eddard's voice was so firm, Arya barely recognised her father," This is information for Jon... and Daenerys' ears only. I did not intend for you to know."
Arya couldn't believe it; Jon was not her brother, and now he was no Snow either. He was a Targaryen, something punishable by death in the eyes of many.
Her father wrapped her arms around his daughter once more, before standing up and opening the door. He gave Arya one more loving look before departing. The brisk steps of her father which echoed around the castle could only match the loud thumps around Arya's chest. She had to tell Jon. She had to tell Daenerys.
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Jon
The sound of his door swing open forced a suprised gasp from him. It was Arya.
"Jon!" She exclaimed breathlessly. It was obvious that she had ran to his room," I-need to-tell you something..." She continued to take in long ragged breathes as Jon stood up and walked over to her.
"What is it Arya?" He mused, curious about what she was about to say.
"My fath- Ned just told me!"
"Told you what, Arya?" He chuckled now.
Arya firmly shook her head, and Jon stopped his laughter. It was serious.
"Arya?..."
"Jon! You're not a bastard." As soon as the words flew from Arya's mouth, he could feel what he had felt when Eddard had told him the truth only days ago.
"WHAT?" He shouted in dismay, causing Arya to flinch. Jon didn't shout often.
Arya's eyes locked with his own, and inside he could see the emotions he felt. Arya and him were similar like that.
"Lyanna was secretly wed to Rhaegar before she had given birth to you! You are Jon Targaryen."
Jon couldn't believe it.
All his life he had been treated like a bastard.
And all his life Jon had hated it. He hated that he was symbol of his 'father's' broken honor. Every piercing glare from Catelyn twisted Jon's stomach. Every "bastard!" shouted at him was like a stab to his heart.
All his life Jon had wanted to bear the name of Stark, to be legitimate. When Jon was a child of two and ten, he would sit by the weirwood tree every sunrise, whispering his deepest wishes of legitimacy to the grand tree.
Yet, now Jon didn't know what to feel. He knew he was a bastard because bearing the name of Targaryen would lead to death. He belonged to a family which was known for madness, for inbreeding and fire. Fire, the word echoed in his mind. It felt like comfort in a dark room, like a guiding light, burning and brilliant.
"We need to go and tell Daenerys." Jon stood up, no longer feeling empty.
Something inside of him had clicked. And a fire burned inside of him.
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Daenerys
She sat by the window, watching Robb fight Theon and listening to their warm laughter as one of them would fall onto the ground.
Suddenly, Daenerys heard her door open and close firmly.
It was Jon and Arya.
Their faces matched one another; shocked and perplexed.
"Daenerys." Jon uttered," We have to tell you something..."
Arya stepped infront of her cousin. Her eyes were glazed over with dismay and neutral feelings, like she didn't quite know exactly what to feel.
"Jon... he's not a bastard." Daenerys could feel her eyes widen in astonishment as Arya spoke.
"Rhaegar and Lyanna we're secretly wed before... Rhaegar was killed and I was born." Jon declared broodingly.
"But...that means you are a Targaryen! You are a true born..."
"Shhh- Daenerys! Only fa- Eddard knows." Jon said, gently cupping a hand over Daenerys' mouth.
"Sorry... I-"
Daenerys' apology was cut off by a muffled shuffling sound coming from outside the door.
Alarm bells rang in everyone's heads as the shuffling went quiet.
"Who?" Arya mouthed to the others, clearly just as worried as the other two. She crept up to the door, avoiding any sound. She and Jon swung the door open only to find empty space where the noise had been heard from.
Daenerys racked her brain for any solution as to what the sound was, avoiding anything to do with spies.
"Must have been...the wind?" Daenerys offered, not quite sure herself.
Jon and Arya both nodded nervously, feeling the same as Dany in her apprehensive state.
"Just... we have to be more cautious about this. This information has to stay between us and Eddard." Jon warned.
A silence wavered in the room as each dragon and wolf felt suddenly unsafe. Daenerys could feel her body quivering and longed for Jon- someone to warm her up. The North was cold, and only in that moment could she feel it inside her too.
Even when Jon and Robb had found her unconscious in the frost, she could sense warmth inside her. Now- it was gone.
"ARYA!" A voice hollered from the courtyard.
Daenerys watched as Arya's tense face morphed into annoyance as an authorotive Maester Luwin called the youngest Stark daughter.
A wicked grin emerged onto her face and she began to run out in the opposite direction of the maester. Yet, it seemed Jon ha read her thoughts and playfully picked the girl up and placed her on the other side of himslef, obstructing Arya's escape route.
"We'll be here for you when you're done, don't worry." Jon mused before embracing Arya, who rolled her eyes but had understood her need to go to her lesson.
Jon and Daenerys watched as Arya slowly trudged out of their view.
When she was gone, Jon turned to Daenerys and warmly grinned.
"So... what do we do now?"
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NOTES: Sorry this chapter took a bit longer to write :/
So I now PROMISE there will be more Jonerys in the next chapter, for this one I had to focus on Jon's parentage again. Also, as you can see Arya is going to be in this story quite a lot; she is one of my favourite characters.