Author's Note: Just a short chapter showing the brotherly bond between Jon and Robb.
"She's my what?" Jon asked incredulously, unable to figure out how he had this relation to an exiled Targaryen.
"You…you are not the son of Ned Stark with...any of the rumors that the Kingdoms have come up with. You are not my father's son to begin with, but this does not make you any less my brother...your true father, your real parents…are Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark." Robb said heavily, knowing that Jon would reject this claim. He just did not know what kind of rejection it would be. And when Jon Snow's eyes momentarily inflamed with rage, Robb felt momentary regret…until Jon fell back in his bed.
"How…how do you know this?" Jon asked quietly after a while.
"Because someone else was there the day of your birth. Lord Howland Reed. He was the only survivor from the Tower of Joy along with my father…and you. Lyanna Stark was your mother, Jon. And…to spare you from the wrath of Robert Baratheon, father claimed you as his own. He promised your mother that he would keep you safe and never reveal the secret…but the truth can no longer hide in the shadows. You are of royal blood, Jon." Robb sighed, placing a hand on his brother's forearm.
"Royal blood or no, I am still a bastard. And I have not only lost my father to Joffrey, but now I have lost the idea of him to his own secrets! What do I have instead? A man who kidnapped my mother, probably took advantage of her, and then sent Westeros to rebellion. I was better off as the Bastard of Winterfell. As Ned Stark's son." Jon shook his head, shaking off Robb's hand to press his face into his shaking hands.
"He raised you as a son. He is still your father as much as he was mine. He raised you in his own home, he taught you what he taught me, and we grew up as brothers. We are brothers, and I refuse to think any differently. I know this is hard to hear…but your blood…your heritage…horrible or not, makes you the most important person in the war to come." Robb sighed, causing Jon to look up in confusion, tears in his eyes.
"You were prophesized, Jon. You are of Ice and Fire, you would have been a Prince in another life. You are the man to lead the humans against the Others. And Daenerys Targaryen and I are to assist you. That is why…Bran has gone Beyond-the-Wall…" Robb admitted reluctantly.
"He's gone where?! Robb! This is madness! A cripple boy out there alone as a Wildling army marches on the Wall!" Jon exclaimed, leaping out of his bed at that. He could not allow Bran to be North of the Wall, it was too dangerous. How could Robb have allowed such a thing?
"He is not alone. He needs to do this, Jon. I didn't want to let him go, I had to. Jojen Reed showed me things…that haunt me even now and will haunt me to my grave. If we do not make the right choices…if we do not prepare ourselves, the world as we know it is lost. Bran is going to learn why all of us have dreams through our direwolves' eyes." That statement from Robb caused Jon to look up sharply.
"You have them too, don't you? You see through Ghost…"
"They're just dreams…" Jon said slowly, sinking back into his bed to stare at Robb with a note of fear and confusion on his features.
"They're not. The Starks…our blood…we have powers long lost to time and to fable. Our direwolves, the dragons returning, the White Walkers, Daenerys Targaryen. This is not coincidence, Jon. Something larger, larger than Kings and armies is at play here. I don't know what to call it, magic maybe? The Gods? Who knows? But what I do know is that I won't be a pawn to be sacrificed, and neither will I let death and destruction to come to my country, which is why…after this farce of a trial that Ser Alliser intends to hold, I will demand that your life be spared in exchange for the monumental support I have been providing the Night's Watch since I arrived North, and will continue to provide once I have retaken King's Landing." Robb declared, causing Jon to pale and look up at his brother with a hollow gaze.
"You can't do that." He said dejectedly, causing Robb to tilt his head.
"You came here voluntarily, Jon Snow. You've risked your life for the Watch and they hold nothing but resentment against you for it. They lock you in an ice cell when you come back to warn them of the wildlings, they call you traitor because you had to stay alive. They don't like you here, Jon. You don't belong here. I will not let you die for false crimes. If they want you gone from the Watch, then they will release you into my custody." Robb said, confidently rising from his chair to cross over to a table by the fire where Samwell Tarly had left the scrolls addressed to Robb. He saw the seal of Lord Tarly, his mother's seal from Riverrun, and a new mark he did not recognize from Highgarden.
"Your custody? What do you intend to do with me, Your Grace?" Jon asked, sarcasm heavy in his words.
"After we win this war of the Long Night. I intend to legitimize you as Jon Stark, and name you Warden of the North in service to Bran who will be Lord of Winterfell. You will serve until Rickon is of age to accept the burden, or perhaps even after." Robb said in a somewhat distracted tone as he broke Lord Tarly's seal to unfurl the scroll from King's Landing.
"You must be mad. You've been hit in the head too many times. You've lost your senses." Jon insisted, rising once more to hover his hands above the fire as Robb's eyes widened.
"Good Gods!" the Young Wolf exclaimed, rereading the scroll as Jon jumped.
"What?!" Jon asked, rushing to stand beside Robb and read the scroll over his shoulder.
"Wildfire?" Jon asked in amazement.
"Cersei fucking Lannister. Damn it, a third of the city fallen and thousands dead. They would look to me for leadership now more than ever, and I am a thousand miles away." Robb swore, crushing the scroll in his hands to hurriedly pick at his mother's seal.
"She and Arya are going to Winterfell to be with Bran and Rickon." Robb tossed the scroll aside to pick up the raven from Highgarden which now that he examined it closely, he saw that Margaery had created herself a seal as Robb's Princess-Consort. He smiled for a half-second before pulling the scroll apart to read its contents. With each word, the new burden on his shoulders was eased.
"Gods, I am marrying an amazing woman…" Robb breathed, causing Jon to laugh at his brother, before snatching the scroll from his hands.
"My, my. She's already begun relief efforts and is acting in your name to resettle the people who lost their homes and has called in…Volantene and Pentoshi city planners to rebuild King's Landing. And…awwww 'I await your return eagerly, I miss you. Love, Margaery' if that is not the sweetest thing I have ever read. I want to vomit now." Jon teased with a laugh as Robb shoved his brother roughly to take Margaery's scroll back.
"Do not be jealous that I am to marry the most beautiful woman in the Seven Kingdoms, Snow." Robb shot back, causing Jon to roll his eyes.
"I'm very happy for you. But does she know?" Jon asked Robb seriously, causing the latter to look up in confusion.
"Does she know what?"
"Does she know that you don't have a cock?" Jon asked, before laughing. That sort of jape at his brother would have usually earned a red-faced Robb tackling Jon to the ground, instead the Young Wolf smirked slightly and turned his back to his brother.
"Hold on, hold on, hold on. What was that? Robb Stark, you sly devil. What is that smile about?" Jon said, circling around Robb who tried to avoid looking at Jon by turning on the spot repeatedly.
"Fine!" Robb exclaimed as Jon continued to hassle him. "She very much knows I have a cock, so shut up." Robb said, shoving Jon back onto his bed.
"What?! You-…NO! ROBB STARK!" Jon exclaimed in amused shock.
"Father would be so disappointed." Jon snorted, causing Robb to tilt his head angrily.
"Was it good?"
"Shut up, Jon."
"No, but was it? Did she do that thing with-.?"
"Shut up, Jon."
"You know they like it when you go do-."
"Shut up, Jon! Gods! You are so annoying. I hope they do take your head tomorrow." Robb snapped good-naturedly as Jon laughed, knowing that Robb did not mean his words.
"I did too, you know." Jon said, somewhat proudly, having always had a friendly rivalry between them, not even the change in their situations could stop the two from acting like brothers.
"Oh, I know. The whole damn Wall knows, that's why I'm here to save your horny arse." Robb mocked, causing Jon to sigh and fall back on his bed.
"Rhaegar Targaryen, huh?" Jon asked after a short silence between them, when Robb had been re-reading Margaery's message.
"Aye."
"Doesn't that mean, I have more of a claim to the Iron Throne than you do?" Jon asked with a half-smirk, causing Robb to look up from the scroll with a challenging stare.
"You want it?"
"Fuck no. You can keep your Kingdoms, Your Grace. I think the stress of ruling would kill me faster than that ugly chair would." Jon laughed, causing Robb to exhale heavily in annoyance.
"She should have shot more arrows into you…" Robb muttered
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