291 AC
The rain was falling hard on Winterfell and the wind made it feel much colder than it should have been. Jon was disappointed that he could go out and train or play with Robb, but at least Old Nan promised them a story if Maester Luwin said they did well in their lessons. He always did well, but the promise of a story made Robb and even their little sister Sansa behave. Sansa always followed them everywhere, even to their lessons despite her not being old enough for the lesson Robb and he took. Theon hated Old Nan's story seeing himself as being too old for them and went off somewhere, not that Jon minded. He never liked the Greyjoy anyway.
One of the other servants set a fire in the hearth of the room that Jon and Robb shared. Old Nan took a seat on a chair by the fire while they sat on a large bear skin rug that had been gifted to them by one of the Flints of the Mountain.
Old Nan asked, "Now what story shall I tell m'little lords and lady"?
Sansa was quick to answer, "I want a story about a princess and her knight"!
Robb groaned and said, "I want a story about the Kings of Winter and how they beat back the Andals"!
Sansa pouted and complained, "I don't want a story about the Kings of Winter".
To which Robb countered, "Well, I don't want a silly story about princesses and knights. I want to hear about our ancestors".
Old Nan looked at him and asked, "How about you m'lord. Do you wish for a different tale"?
Jon knew that Robb and Sansa would go back and forth, getting louder and louder, with possibly Sansa crying, which would draw Lady Catelyn and end their time with Old Nan. Which he didn't want, especially since Lady Catelyn has been trying to keep Sansa from playing with them more and more.
Jon asked, "Do you have any stories about a Stark and a princess"?
Old Nan smiled warmly and said, "That I do, m'lord. This will be a tale, me thinks will please all of you. Including m'lady. Let me tell you the tale of another Jon Snow, a man who became a cherished friend and the beloved of a Dragon King and his sister a willful and defiant dragon of a Princess. He was granted a knighthood and the name Stark for the love the Dragon King and Princess bore him and as reward for his loyal service in the young dragon's wars. The King considered him a brother in all but blood. It is a tale full of love, battle, and sadness".
With that introduction Sansa and Robb were appeased as they were both getting something they wanted. He would never admit to Robb, but he had always enjoyed the tales of noble knights or lords and their lady loves, mayhaps not as much as the tales of the Targaryen or Stark Kings of old, but they held a special place in his heart.
Old Nan continued, "This tale begins in the early days of King Daeron the Young Dragon's reign. The Young Dragon sought to finish what Aegon the conqueror had started in the wars of conquest. Thus, he called lord great and small. From the Arbor in the South to Last Hearth and Skagos in the North. Lord Cregan Stark who would one day be called the Old Man in the North, he was fifty and two at the time. A living legend of man who decided it was time to let his son and heir, Rickon Stark, lead the Northern army. Thus, Lord Rickon took the Northern host south on the Kingsroad. Old Lord Jarrett "Iron Ax" Dustin was given the command of the main part of the host, while Lord Rickon and his son rode with the cavalry. The Young Dragon had wished to consult his Lords bannermen before they marched on Dorne This is where the tale begins when Lord Rickon and his son arrived in the court of the Young Dragon, where Ice met fire".