AN: An interlude, which is a good way to break up the story, and so that I have an external perspective on both Westeros and our protagonist's machinations (mostly failed ones at the moment).

The next chapter (a normal one), is going to be potentially three times longer, or more. I have a lot to set up, a lot to set in motion... It's only just started people.

Options and Opportunities

Interlude

Jon

Since his father had left Winterfell to fight off the Greyjoy Rebellion, Winterfell had become a cold, hostile place for Jon.

Any withholding that Lady Stark did when his father was here, was gone now. The only thing stopping her from outright cursing him, was Robb's constant support and little Sansa, who had taken to imitating her brother and was the current distraction for the Lady.

He felt a bit of something, when his little sister stared at him like... He didn't know. Not her brother.

He wondered if it was because Lady Stark had taken to glaring at him, and she was getting conflicted messages from Robb and her mother. And who would she listen to more, especially at this age...

Jon managed to get rid of his troubling thoughts, as the same sister he had been thinking of, grabbed his arm.

"San-san." She said, just before giggling widely at his bewildered expression... Or at nothing at all. He wouldn't know.

"Jon-jon." He mimed back, hesitantly. He added a motion towards himself, in a bid to introduce himself properly.

She was nearly one and a half, and yet it seemed like she had only just known him. The morbid thought chilled him somewhat, but he concentrated on his cute little sister.

He had been ordered by Lady Stark to watch over her, since she was doing some sort of transaction, or some other lordly business. She was the only one who could do it - he was a bastard, and Robb didn't have a head for sums. She had brought Robb, mostly to have some hands-on teaching.

Jon knew that he wasn't supposed to know, but he did. Whispers travelled in Winterfell.

"Jon-jon! Plaaay." She ordered, pulling a pout as she did.

He slowly walked over to her, and saw that she had pulled out an old doll that vaguely looked like a knight, another one that looked like a princess (vaguely as per usual), and something that looked like a lion.

"Who's who?" He asked, before mentally slapping himself. She probably didn't understand what he meant saying that. "Me knight, you lady, or...?"

"Me princwess, you be knit AND liii..." She trailed off, trying to figure out a way to bastardize the word.

"Lin," he said for her, with a grin on his face.

Her eyes widened, and her face became the brightest he had seen... Especially regarding him. "Lin!"

Jon declared mentally that he would protect that smile with whatever he had, and with everything he had. He had been searching for a reason beyond Robb and Father to stay at Winterfell, and he had found it.

He swore it until his dying breath.

"Jon-jon? Okay?" Little Sansa asked concerned, which brought him back from his thoughts, but the vow remained in his mind.

"Fine," he replied, with a small smile as the two started playing with dolls. It made Jon feel stupid, but he couldn't bring himself to care. The Bastard of Winterfell wasn't going to be an outsider any more, if he had anything to say about it. He was not going to be just the bastard, the soil on Eddard Stark's honour.

He was going to rise above that, just to see that smile pop up on others peoples faces whenever they saw him.

Jon had pretended not to notice Lady Stark's scowl, when she returned to find Sansa giggling madly at when he had been imitating the lion being defeated by the fair knight.

But, he didn't pretend to see Robb's grin at the sight. Jon instinctively knew that he had gained his brother's potentially eternal approval, in that moment.

Lady Stark didn't make anything of it... But he had a feeling that she'd say something to him, at some point. Not even a feeling. The certainty even.

Jon decided to leave Sansa in the responsible hands of her mother, who was fussing over her at the moment, deciding that a bit of practice wouldn't do any harm. If he wanted to surpass the notion of being a stain on his honourable father's honour, he would have to get better at what he was already good at.

Knights were respected, and even praised. If he got to become a great knight, he'd raise above the notion of being that stain.

He might even lead troops into battle, a notion that scared him. Having that many lives in his hands, under his responsibility...

He went through the notions of swinging a sword, before grabbing a wooden one from the rack, and swinging it as hard, but as gracefully as he could.

"You shouldn't swing like that, especially with your body weight." A cold voice rose above him, and sent chills up his spine. "A well-placed cut is far more effective than a wild slash."

Jon turned instantly to see a man with long brown hair, and eyes that looked like twin moons. He wasn't as tall as his father, but wasn't short by any meaning. Average, if that was the right word.

"My lord," he said, before bowing hastily recognizing a lord when he saw one. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you."

"You are my lord liege's bastard." The man said somewhat dismissively, and Jon noticed that it wasn't a question. "You are more skilled than your half-brother, but that doesn't mean much."

Jon didn't say anything, but he nodded, despite not knowing what he meant. Was he talking about his swordsmanship? Or something else?

His thoughts turned to the other matter - who was powerful enough to be able to insult the liege lord's heir so openly, and not get any backlash at all?

"Some advice, bastard." The lord started, his eyes boring into his own, but not showing anything. "Do not reveal your hand until you know when to apply it. Ignore the japes at your bastardy or at your name, for sometimes japes can cover up certain... Things."

"What things, my lord?" Jon asked, just as the man turned to leave.

"That isn't for me to decide, bastard. Only you can decide what things those japes can cover up."

The pale man left Jon to his thoughts, which were turbulent to say the least. After all, he didn't even know the man's name...