Another dragon, another wolf, another stag Chapter 12, an a song of ice and fire fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not own A Song of Ice and Fire.

Another dragon, another wolf, another stag

Chapter 12: Rhaenys

"Talking"

"Thinking"

(Location: Riverrun)

"The nerve of that boy!" fumed Arianne as she and the princess ate dinner together. There was no feast tonight since the tourney grounds were nearing completion and the builders had to finish it. So Rhaenys chose to have a private little dinner with her cousin.

Now, she was beginning to enjoy it. "Have you laid eyes on another conquest, coz?" she asked playfully. "I didn't think you would break away from the game so soon."

"Don't be clever, Rhae. You know just as well as I do who I am talking about." There was a bite in her voice, showing just how annoyed she was.

But the royal princess was still amused by it all. She did know that her cousin was talking about Jon Snow. "Aye, I do. And I thought you liked your men to have a fiery temper, said that it spiced up the blood."

"If it was like that, then I wouldn't be complaining. That boy cannot take a simple compliment and has the gall to lecture me on family!"

She paused in her eating and looked at her. "Well, what did you say to him that made so mad?" she asked curiously.

Arianne shrugged her shoulders. "It was a trivial thing. I made mention of what the king has said about the Starks and asked him if he was Stark enough to come for me in the night."

"…So you asked a bastard from the North if he was half a beast?" Rhaenys finally asked. Slight disappointment cloaked her voice as she put her fork down. "That was the wrong thing to say, Ari."

"It was a compliment, it's hardly my fault if he couldn't understand it," she huffed out. "And when I told him that Dorne sees bastards, he had the nerve to ask whether if that only meant Dornish bastards or just the Martell bastards."

She tilted her head in slight confusion. "What did he mean by that second part?"

"He made mention about his sister, Jocelyn. Why he said that, I haven't the faintest clue." She leaned back in her chair with a vaguely irritated sigh.

Her cousin thought it over. "It might be the Sand Snakes haven't been treating her well but neither have the rest of us."

"What could you possibly mean by that, Rhae?" she asked, looking across the table at her. "We've welcomed her into our group when she came back to us with no hesitation."

"No, there was some hesitation. It wasn't because she was a bastard but she was half-Northern." She could admit to herself that she was partly to blame herself. She had thought that the North had made her friend weak. She had seemed quite subdued, different from the girl she had used to be. But now she knew that girl was still there, she had just changed.

"You were confused by the second part but not about the first. Why is that?" Arianne asked her, having taken note of that.

"Because I've seen how you and the Sand Snakes treat my handmaiden," she replied archly. "If Dorne truly saw bastards differently, why would you treat Mya like that?"

"She is your handmaiden, how else would we treat her?"

"Yes, she is my handmaiden, not yours or Obara's, or Nym's or Tyene's. I have told you time and time again to leave her be, yet you don't. Why?"

She looked at her with eyes that spoke of her derision and disgust. "You should know why. She's the child of the Usurper. Blood will always tell. It's best to remind her of her place constantly so she does not think herself better than us." She pushed away her chair and stood up. "Come now, the men have probably started talking by now."

Rhaenys stood up too and followed her out of the room. Together they walked down through the castle. It was a tradition of the Woman's game that the women spy on the man they've chosen. That way, they could learn everything there was about him. And since her brother had been around for many playing of the game, he was considerate enough to help them. To disguise it, he would have all the noble sons join him in an informal dinner. Once there, they would talk and the women would listen.

As they walked, they went back to their conversation. "So, you're becoming more and more fascinated with Jon Snow, aren't you?" Rhaenys asked her cousin, her amusement coming back to her voice.

"Did I say that?" she asked back.

"As much without saying," the royal princess told the Dornish one. "Like I said, you like your conquests with spice. He has a different kind of spice to him, wouldn't you say?" She knew that much to be true. Jon Snow did not get angry like most men she had known. He did not yell, only more quiet.

Arianne paused for a moment. Then she kept walking. "Aye, I suppose so. But he still does not have the right to lecture me on family."

"Does that mean I do?" she asked, looking at her cousin with disapproving eyes. "My family has heard of the remark made and the lashing out you and the Snakes have made against Quentyn. Never have I seen my mother look so disappointed."

"His remark was out of line."

"So was what you did. All about a situation that wasn't his fault to begin with." She was disappointed with her cousins for what they did and in her uncle for what he caused when she learned the true story. But she knew Arianne and the Snakes would not do anything about it. As far as they were concerned, they were in the right.

When they reached the ground level, Mya was waiting for them in silence near the staircase. "Well?" Arianne asked her. She stayed silent. "I asked you a question, girl. Are you going to play deaf?" She still stayed silent.

Rhaenys laughed a little. "Remember when I told you that Mya was my handmaiden, coz?" she asked her. Then she turned her attention to Mya. "Where is Aegon holding the dinner, Mya?"

"Out on the ground, my lady, close to the river," she answered promptly. "The other noble ladies are starting to gather, save for the Ladies Stark."

"Sansa Stark isn't coming? How disappointing," Arianne remarked. "Tell me, Mya, I have seen you walk around with her before. Why did you not convince her to come with us this fine night?"

"Because we will be listening in on her bastard brother," Rhaenys told her like she lost her wits.

But she just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "When has that stopped any of us before? She doesn't have to listen in on him, just the others."

"Your Highness, the Lady Stark has a certain view about the south," Mya spoke up. "And while I do believe that she needs to be corrected about it, I am not in favor of ridding her of it all at once. I leave that in far more capable hands than mine." There was nothing in her voice that betrayed what she was thinking or on her face either. She kept them both decidedly neutral.

But it was enough to make Arianne scowl harder and Rhaenys giggle more. "Thank you, Mya," the Targaryen princess told her handmaiden. "That will be all for tonight. I believe that your cousin is waiting to hear a story from you?"

She smiled slightly and nodded. "Aye, that she is," she agreed, "If you will excuse me." She left them be in the hall. Arianne wanted to say something but Rhaenys opened the door and they both walked out.

They saw the other ladies walking towards Aegon's court. She saw Nym, Tyene, Sarella, and Elia at one point or another amongst other Dornish ladies. They were all silent and the shadows cast from the torches played with their bodies and faces, making them shadows one moment and not there the next. By the time they reached the court, they all had become shadows fully. Giggles abounded in the air as they came close but they became silent quickly.

Aegon held his court at the base of a shelf of rock. Close by was Jocelyn's trueborn cousin, Edric. At the top of the shelf was a grove of trees thick and bathed in shadows from the torches below. There they could safely watch the men without being discovered. Some of them stood where they could but most were content to sit and watch.

Rhaenys's brother sat highest amongst the men there, sitting on a large polished boulder with a goblet in hand. Their uncle Viserys sat close to him. There didn't seem to be a lot of food, only drink which was freely given and shared. The air was filled with their laughter and japing. A good mood hung over them all.

"Oh my," one of the women whispered in surprise. After she spoke, giggles began to echo above them. Rhaenys couldn't blame them. She was tempted to giggle too. She didn't know if it was because of how warm the evening was or because of the torches they put up, but the men were in various state of undress, from a simple untucked tunic to just wear smallclothes pants. (The ones who were already had more weight than muscle on kept their tunics on, Seven have mercy).

It seemed that the Northerners down below seemed to lean towards to the less clothed section. But when Rhaenys found Jon Snow sitting by his own little group, she was disappointed to see he was fully clothed. She was hoping to see him bare his chest. He sat on a small boulder beside the Tarly boy and Quentyn. It looked like he was trying to do his best to stay silent and out of sight without being obvious about it.

But it did not get passed Aegon. He stood up from his seat and walked over to him. "Move over, coz?" he asked Quentyn. Their cousin did just that and Aegon sat down next to Jon.

"Your Highness," Jon said to him, respectful but still surprised that he was there.

"Are you not enjoying all of this?" He gestured widely at the group. Edric walked close by but he did not join them.

He didn't answer right away. "…I did not expect to be here." His voice was subdued, barely able to reach above the noise. It seemed that some of the men from the Stormlands were trying to play a song and were either too drunk or simply not talented enough to be doing very well.

"Did you truly expect to be left out?"

He nodded solemnly. "Yes."

"Do you happen know why you would think such a thought?" He was curious to hear the answer. So was Rhaenys. "And it is not because you are a bastard," he added that quickly.

Jon looked a little off-guard at that proclamation. He must use that reason for so much that it was like he didn't know what else was there. "Um…I bested you in the spar?"

Aegon laughed and the rest of his court laughed with him. "That? That's the reason you are here, Jon Dualfang. It's a refreshing change to have someone to get the better of me. I heard that you've even managed to defeat Ser Loras. That is very impressive."

While he did hear those words, Jon looked stunned. "Dualfang?" he repeated in confusion. His friends looked just as confused but they were looking to him now.

"Aye, Dualfang," Rhaenys's brother told him. "I thought it fitting you can use both of your hands and you are from the North." He swung his head to the court, looking for someone in particular. "Harry, what say you to the name Jon Dualfang?" he shouted out to Jon Arryn's heir while placing his hand on Jon Snow's shoulder.

"It rings well, your Highness!" Harry Hardyng shouted back from where he sat with other young lords of the Vale. Rhaenys had seen him talking with Robb Stark in the past couple of days. She knew that he was trying to bring the old alliance of the Vale and the North back again. She might have been concerned if she didn't know that Harrold was Aegon's friend and that whatever talks he had with Robb Stark didn't come to fruition. He raised the wineskin in his hand and shouted, "To Jon Dualfang!"

Rhaenys was certain she was not the only one who rolled her eyes at their antics. But she did think it was kind of her brother to give Jon Snow a moniker. It would be a step for him to becoming something other than a bastard. "It's a lovely name," one of the other ladies whispered. Whoever she was garbed in shadows.

But then the princess heard a familiar snort. A quick look to her left and she saw Tya Lannister standing in the bush there. Cersei Lannister's daughter always seemed to think herself above the others. Rhaenys could imagine the look of disgust on her face at being forced to hide behind bushes to listen in and took pleasure in it. If she wanted to try and win the game, she had to be in the bush listening in.

The singers finally stopped singing and the song died away. "Thank the gods for that," Viserys said loudly from where he sat, resting his naked back against a stone where the light of the torch played with the shadows on him. "I was wondering when the Redwyne twins were going to stop strangling a cat." He looked over at where the twins stood. "You both have my congratulations for bring a respected profession to new lows."

They all laughed, even when the Redwyne twins turned red with embarrassment. Horror looked as if he wanted nothing better than to break the lute in his hands over Rhaenys's uncle. But before he could do anything that might endanger him or his house, Aegon spoke out. "How about you, uncle?" he asked. "Perhaps you can give us something better? Surely my father's talent with the harp doesn't solely rest in him."

There was the briefest of moments where Rhaenys saw her uncle's face twist itself into an angry look. But then it passed and amusement took its place. "While I can't strangle a cat, I am no musician, Aegon."

The Northerners laughed at that. "Aye, that be true!" one of them, heavily bearded like the rest and bare-chested, said. "Didn't that bard want to throw himself out of the window when you tried playing for him?"

"No, he wanted to hang himself?" another bearded Northerner said.

Viserys looked at them both. "Morgan, Asher, there is no need to be melodramatic about it," he told them both, making them both fall silent. "…He wanted to get run down by stampeding horses." Every single Northerner down there in the court roared openly in laughter.

"Play a song!" someone shouted at them and it soon became a chant.

The chant grew faster and faster before Robb Stark finally agreed, saying, "Very well, we shall play something. Jon, do you have anything new for us?"

"Oh, this is interesting," Rhaenys thought as all eyes fell upon the bastard. If he was a musician, she would love to hear him play. One look at the other ladies told her that they were thinking the same thing.

"You play an instrument as well?" her brother asked Jon Snow, intrigue peppering his voice. "You seem to be a man of many talents."

To his surprise and hers, the Northerners laughed twice as loud as when they did for Viserys. Even their uncle joined in the laughter. Everyone else looked confused and Jon Snow looked to be embarrassed. "What's so funny?" Quentyn asked.

Viserys managed to calm down some to answer. "Jon's ability to play an instrument makes mine look passable." As soon as he had finished, he broke into laughter again and Jon Snow's cheeks became redder.

"Aye, that's the truth! He can strangle a cat for hours on end without end!" another Northerner shouted in gales of howling.

"It's not that funny," Jon Snow muttered just loud enough to be heard.

"It actually is," Robb told him with a smile that seemed like he was trying hard not to laugh too.

When the laughter did finally die down, Aegon looked over at him. "If you cannot play, why does he ask?"

For some odd reason, the bastard's cheeks turned even redder. "I cannot play music, but I can make it. I have…something of a talent for it."

"Do not be so modest, Jon," Viserys chided him. "Your talent is more than something."

"But how can that be when he can't play?" Edric Dayne asked from where he stood. It seemed that he wanted to join but minded the space between them out of manners.

"I have help from Dom," Jon explained, looking over at the heir to House Bolton. "He provides the actual playing so I can hear it."

"And we actually do have something new for you," Domeric spoke. "It's an easy enough of a piece that I'm sure the others will be able to figure it out." He eyed the other Northerners as he spoke.

"You don't need to lecture us on how to play just because you use secret writing," one of the Northerners who first spoke, Rhaenys thought it was Morgan, said.

"Then you should really stop trying to surprise me when I'm composing," he retorted.

"Alright, alright," Robb Stark said before it went any further. "Let's take a look over what Dom has so we at least know what we're doing." They all gathered around the instruments and listened to what Domeric had to say. No one could hear them as they huddled together.

When they broke apart and began to play, it was different than what they had played. Then it had been loud and bombastic. But this sounded quick and humorous, like a song meant to be played around the campfire. And then Domeric Bolton began to sing, adding to the humor of the song.

What would you do if the kettle boiled over?
What would I do but to fill it again
What would you do if the cows eat the clover?
What would I do but to set it again
The praties are dug and the frost is all over
Kitty lie over close to the wall
How would you like to be married to a solider?
Kitty lie over close to the wall

What would you do if you married a solider?
What would I do only follow his sword
What would you do if he died on the ocean?
What would I do only marry again
The praties all boil and the herrings are roasted
Kitty lie over close to the wall
You to be drunk and I to be sober
Kitty lie over close to the wall

When the song ended, the men applauded and the women nodded appreciatively, their eyes on Jon Snow. "You write an interesting song, Dualfang," Aegon remarked.

"I was inspired by some of the ditties I heard from the mountain clans," he replied, making it sound like he was saying was nothing of too great importance.

"Do you have any other songs?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm still working on a few. But I think Domeric has a song ready. Dom!" he called out to the Bolton. "Is that song of yours ready?"

"No. And I'm not going to play it here," he called back.

"And why is that?" a giant of a man demanded. The hair on his chest had to be as thick as the hair on his head.

"It's a song for the ladies."

"We already have one of those! Jon Snow wrote it!" For some odd reason, the bastard could not look anyone in the eye at that. It was interesting. Rhaenys made a note of it.

"I said ladies, Smalljon, not women!" he shouted at the giant, seemingly annoyed. The giant just laughed loudly at his expression.

"Let's quit all this talk of songs and music!" Harry Hardyng declared. "We should speak of something much more interesting and satisfying: women!"

"Aye, I'll drink to that!" the Smalljon roared, holding his cup high. His sentiment was echoed by most of the men there. Those who were boys looked confused. Willas Tyrell must've seen their confusion and herded them away.

Being a woman herself, Rhaenys did not enjoy listening to them describing the kind of woman they liked. Her cousins might enjoy something like this but she found it to be a bit uncouth and insulting, especially if the man was betrothed. She almost began to tune it out until the flow was directed to the Northerners. Then she forced herself to listen. "If you don't, you will not learn what you need," she told herself.

"How about you, squiddy?" one of the men of the Westerlands shouted to Theon Greyjoy. "What kind of woman do you like?"

A faint rustling in the bush nearby told the princess where Elia Sand was watching and she just knew her eyes would be lit with anticipation. Theon considered the question from where he stood beside Robb Stark. He had no tunic on but there was a bandage wrapped around his side. It seemed out of place. Had there been a battle before the Northerners reached Riverrun? She wasn't the only one who noticed.

Finally, he chose to answer. "I like a woman with some meat on her bones, not thin as a twig," he said with a lewd grin, waving his hands through the air for emphasis.

"No, the thin ones are the best!" one of the Stormlanders shouted out.

"And how would you know that?" he shouted back. "Did a maid show you what she had because you were curious?"

"Aye, and she made me a man too!" Shouts of laughter and catcalls erupted at that proclamation. Rhaenys just rolled her eyes. She knew what would come next, having heard it many times before.

True to form, they didn't disappoint. They started talking about the various women that they have had. Most were whores and if they weren't whores, they were maids in the castle. Once she might've blushed deeply listening to this kind of talk, or she might've listened with interest to learn what could be learned. But now, it had grown boring.

A quick look at her cousin told her that she was interested. Rhaenys couldn't understand why that would be, not when they've heard this kind of information so many times before. The only ones who would be new were the Northerners and it would amount to the same thing. Some looked proud, some looked disinterested, saying it was some woman, and some looked sheepish (like Robb Stark) about the women they've bedded. It was all the same to her.

"How about you, Jon Snow?" asked Edric Dayne, getting her attention. She wasn't the only one. All the ladies focused their attention on the bastard of Lord Stark.

He looked embarrassed, cheeks flushed with redness. "Me?" he repeated.

"Aye, you," Aegon said, joining in. "Tell us of the women you've had."

"I…" He trailed off, looking even more embarrassed.

Rhaenys's brother stared at him as did the rest of everyone there. "You have had a woman before, haven't you?"

"Of course he has," Viserys spoke out. "Theon and I took him to the brothel in the winter town for his nameday."

"Aye, that we did," Theon agreed. "We got him the finest whore there!"

"What exactly qualifies as the finest up in the North?" the princess couldn't help but think, "The one with the least amount of fleas on her?" She knew that she wasn't the only one who was thinking about it. All it took was one quick look around the bush to confirm that the others were thinking the same thing.

Yet Jon Snow didn't say anything that agreed with what they said. He didn't even make eye contact with either of them. Viserys saw that and a frown came onto his face. "You did sleep with Ros, didn't you?" he asked.

"Um…well…" the bastard stuttered.

The Greyjoy heir was now looking at him. There was confusion on his face but then it was quickly replaced with surprised realization. "You didn't!?" he all but shouted, making everyone look at him with renewed interest.

Jon Snow could not look any of them in the eye. He couldn't even speak. He just stared down at the ground. "If you didn't sleep with Ros, why did she come out later and told that us you were quite the person?" Viserys asked him.

"I…I apologized to her for making her going through all that trouble and to keep the money before slipping out the back." he answered, the words coming out in a jumbled rush. Neither of the two said anything in regard to him. No one else did. He took that opportunity to leave quickly. By the time any one of Aegon's court actually realized what he was doing, he was gone.

So were the women. Rhaenys and Arianne followed Jon as he walked down to the riverbank. Once there, his quick feet took him away from the court, following the river upstream and leaving Aegon's court behind. They watched from a distance and they could hear the rest of the ladies doing exactly the same thing. Soon, he came to a stop and faced the river.

They all waited for him to do something but the sound of wood rapping against the bank made him to the right, from where he had walked. He whipped his head in that direction. "Who's there?" he called out into the darkness.

"It's quite alright, it is only me," said Willas Tyrell as he walked to him. He had been at the court, sitting close to Ser Loras. While his brother had looked annoyed at all the attention placed onto Jon Snow, he just looked faintly amused. Perhaps he had come to continue his amusement?

"Lord Tyrell," said Jon, bowing his head in respect.

"Lord Tyrell is my father. Tonight, I am simply Willas," he said simply. He only stood a few feet away from the boy, leaning heavily on his cane. "I must say none of us expected anyone to admit that they were still a maiden. But since you have, my curiosity has been aroused. May I ask a question of you?"

"Yes," the bastard replied.

"Why are you still a maiden? If Prince Viserys had gone through all the trouble, on your nameday no less, why did you refuse?"

He didn't say anything but the heir to Highgarden waited quietly and patiently. Finally, as if he could not take the silence anymore, he spoke. "I made a promise to myself that I would never sire a bastard of my own. I have seen what it has done to my lord father and his lady wife."

"I see. Thank you, Jon Dualfang." He turned and left without another word, leaving the bastard to stare out at the river.

Rhaenys could barely see his face in the darkness but when the moon came out and shone down upon him, she could see him clearly. There was a tight look of anger, guilt, and sadness all mixed together there. It looked like he was both asking why the gods had treated him so and yet, also blaming himself for it all. She knew that Lady Catelyn was a proud woman who loved her family fiercely, but surely she wouldn't take her displeasure out on Jon Snow because of his birth? She remembered that it wasn't just him, it was also Jocelyn.

"Seven save me," Arianne whispered with a strangled breath. That was when Rhaenys remembered this would be the first time the other ladies saw him under the light of the moon. She couldn't help an amused smirk grace her lips.

But that smirked turned to jealously when she heard someone whisper, "He's gorgeous."

"Aye, he is," another agreed. While the Targaryen princess was glad to know that she wasn't the only one who knew the truth now, she did not enjoy them eyeing him like she knew they would.

"The game," she reminded herself. "You have to at least try to make it look like they have a sporting chance." But it wasn't likely that they would. Still, looking at Jon now, she knew that it was more than just the light of the moon that made them realize the truth. It was also his look, his somberness, his understanding of his own family, and his guarded eyes too. To her, he looked to be like a man of sorrows and it made her heart break a little. She had the urge to rush out and comfort him, telling him that he wasn't alone and that he would be loved.

"I see what my aunt was talking about now," Arianne whispered to her. "I find myself wanting Jon Snow more now than we began."

"You won't have him," she silently replied, but outwardly she said, "You would take him even if he's a maid? I thought you preferred your men with experience."

"We all have to start somewhere. I'm sure that he'll enjoy it."

She frowned. That was not the reaction she wanted. "You will not win, coz. I will."

"So you say," she remarked carelessly.

"You!" someone else shouted from the darkness, further up the riverbank. Jon turned his head to see and so did they.

Rhaenys could only see only a few feet ahead while the rest lay in darkness. But the person the voice belonged to came out into the light of the moon. She was instantly recognizable. "Is that…Cersei Lannister?"

It certainly seemed like Tya's mother and she was walking with a slight stumble she didn't usually have. Her wavering from side to side also told her that she had drunk probably a little too much wine. But she was bearing down on Jon Snow. "They said that you weren't coming," she said once she reached him.

"My lady?" he said, confused.

"They said you stayed in Winterfell. Were you too afraid to face me?" she demanded, towering over him. "You were right to fear that. You wronged a lioness of the Rock all those years ago. How could you choose that slut over all the other noble ladies? How could you choose her over me?"

Rhaenys was confused, just as much as she saw her cousin and the bastard were. "My lady, I think you are confusing me for someone else," Jon told her.

His words seemed to have an effect on her. She stepped back, keeping her eyes on him. "How is it you've stayed so young all this time?" she demanded, her beautiful face morphing into a harsh glare. "Is this some Northern sorcery? Tell me, Stark!"

"Stark?" thought Rhaenys in confusion. It turned into realization quickly enough. Cersei thought he was his father, Eddard Stark. If it had been other time, she might've found it amusing.

"My name is not Stark, my lady," he told Cersei, unable to hide the slight bitterness in his voice. "It's Snow."

"You lie. I know those features." A small drunken giggle escaped her lips. It sounded really unsettling. "People said your brother was the handsome one. They are fools." She cupped his cheek. "You are still as handsome as you were at Harrenhal."

"My—" That was all he was able to say before she leaned down and kissed him hard on the lips.

Rhaenys froze at the sight. Her body felt like ice had coated over. But then it was replaced by fire. A burning rage engulfed her as she watched the Lannister kiss him. "How dare she?" she screamed in her head. She stood up, fully intent on marching out of cover and drowning that bitch in the river.

But before she could even take a single step, another voice spoke inside her. "What will Jon Snow think? How will you explain your being there?" She couldn't well explain that she just happened to be nearby. He wouldn't accept it and in turn, would get suspicious. She didn't move from her spot. Instead, she looked over at Tya Lannister. She looked just as shocked. They all were. Their only solace was that Jon Snow did not seem to be enjoying the kiss.

It was only when they heard the sound of wolves growling and snarling that something happened. All six of the direwolves burst out of the shadows and raced towards the bank. They pushed themselves in between the two, surrounding Jon Snow like a furry wall. Surprised by the sudden appearance of them, Cersei stumbled back and with a surprised shout, fell on her rear in the shallow water of the river.

Despite wanting so much to giggle at the bitch's misfortune, Rhaenys didn't and neither did anyone else. Doing so would give away what they were doing out there and that would ruin the game. Instead, they continued to watch Jon. He wasn't trying to help Cersei out of the water like a proper knight might've done. He was too busy trying to keep the wolves under control. It proved to be a losing fight as they urged him away from the bank and into the shadows.

They were all left there in the cover of the bushes. The princess didn't have to look around to know that there were looks of confusion on everyone's faces. "Should we follow?" one of the younger ladies asked.

"No," she answered. "We've seen enough tonight. And we probably don't want to be around him while those wolves are near." She looked over at the younger Lannister again. "You should probably fish your mother out of the water, Lady Tya, lest she tries to prove that she's actually a Tully."

Tya Lannister stomped out of the bush with an irritated expression on her face whilst muffled giggles followed like an irritating puppy. And while she got her mother back onto the bank, everyone else vanished away.

End

Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Again, that song is not one of my creation, I'm not that creative. It's a song from the Chieftains called "The Frost is All Over." However, I had to change a word to make it sound like it belonged in the time.

Personally, I would've found it a little interesting to know that a person could write music but could not play an instrument to save his life. I don't know if that's an actual thing in real life or not. If it is, let me know.

We are all aware of the maiden of sorrow concept. It's usually followed by the man coming to rescue said maiden atop a white stallion. What I want to do with Jon Snow is basically take that concept and apply it to the male gender. It would give the ladies a chance to feel heroic and paint the image of him standing under the moonlight in their minds.

I'll see you all next chapter!