Chapter 5
Winterfell, The North
298 AC.
Maester Lewin arrived roughly five to ten minutes later. He seemed surprised, like everyone else, to see me. "Jon, you're not hurt. Your cover in blood," He asked, concerned.
"None of it's mine, Maester Lewin. Only the assassins. Lady Stark needs tending to. Those cuts on her hands look deep." I told him.
"Let's have a look at these hands, Lady Stark." Maester Lewin took a seat to examine the cuts on Lady Stark's hands.
"Jon, you never answered my question. What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the wall with Uncle Benjen, or on your way there. Did Uncle Benjen come back with you? Rob fired off question after question.
"Uncle Benjen is in Greywater Watch. There is much we need to talk about, Robb. It might be best we talk in Lord Stark's study."
"Alright. Ser Rodrik have extra guards posted to the family wing. Sweep the countryside, including God's Wood and Wolfwoods. Our friend may not have been alone."
"Oh, of course, Lord Stark." Ser Rodrik bowed his head, leaving Bran's room.
"Theon you go help search in case there are any more assassins out there."
Greyjoy didn't argue; he did what Robb asked.
"I don't see why we can't talk here, Jon. Why's Uncle Benjen at Greywater Watch? I thought he'd be on his way back to the Wall."
"Alright then. I'm not Jon Snow; I am not your bastard half-brother; I'm your cousin. I am a Stark through the blood of my mother. Lyanna Stark is my mother, and my father is Rhaegar Targaryen." I got it over with.
"Wait, what?" Robb stared at me in disbelief at what I had just told him. I glanced over to where Maester Lewin and Lady Stark sat. Maester Lewin had stopped stitching Lady Stark's hands; both their eyes were wide and their mouths were hanging open in shock. Robb's own eyes were as wide as plates at the news of what I had just told him: I was not his bastard half-brother but his cousin.
"My real name is Daemon Targaryen, not Jon Snow. Lord Stark, my uncle, gave me that name to protect me. He and a number of men found me in Dorne with my mother. I was being guarded by Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, Lord Commander Ser Gerold Hightower, and Ser Oswell Whent. A skirmish broke out. There were only Lord Stark, Ser Arthur, and Lord Howland Reed left alive at the end. Arthur Dayne was mortally wounded.
Lord Stark ran to the tower, where he found my mother dying of childbirth due to a loss of blood. She begged him to protect me with her dying breath. She made him promise to protect me from Robert Baratheon. We all know what happened to Elia Martell and her two children the day King's Landing was sacked.
"How did you find out all this, Jon? Can I still call you Jon, or is it Daemon?"
"Uncle Benjen told me the truth the night of the King's feast," I answer. "Lord Reed told me what happened the day at the Tower of Joy. Jon or Daemon, wherever suits you."
"Gods father kept this a secret all this time. Did you know that Jon wasn't my father's son?" Robb turned to his mother.
"No, Robb, I didn't know." Catelyn Stark answered honestly; she hadn't the faintest idea that Jon Snow, or was it Daemon Targaryen, was not her husband's bastard son. Why hadn't Ned told her? She understood why, when they first got married, they had been practically strangers. But as the years went on, surely Ned could have sent something. If he had been honest with her about who Jon/Daemon really was, there was no way she would have treated him the way she had. No amount of apologizing or really anything could make up for her treatment of a lad who had never known his mother.
Who had been cruelly taken from him when he had been just minutes old. His father was killed before he was born, and his stepmother and siblings were slaughtered like cattle. Then he had to put up with the contempt and mistreatment from Catelyn herself, who couldn't bring herself to love a motherless child. If Ned had been honest with her, maybe things would have been different.
Robb was quiet for a while at the news; I wasn't his bastard half-brother but his cousin. Maester Lewin went back to stitching Lady Stark's hands up. She hadn't said a word on the subject just yet. Both of them were most likely still in shock at what I had just told them.
"You wanted to know how I got here so fast. Well, it's out in the Wolfswoods. You best tell your men to be careful. My dragon doesn't take kindly to strangers."
"Dra….Dragon. You're pulling my leg, Daemon, surely." Robb thought I was joking.
"It's no joke, Robb. I'm serious, I have a dragon; it's how I was able to get here so quickly." There was much we still had to talk about.
"How did you know that someone had sent assassins after Bran?"
"Lord Reed's son, Jojen, has a gift for visions. Greensight. He told me of the attempt on Bran's life." I half explained. It had been Syndror who had told me.
"Who in Gods name sends an assassin after a boy barely ten-name days old?"
"When did Bran fall, and where?" I asked as Maester Lewin was finishing.
"The day you and Uncle Benjen left, the old tower in the old keep. I have seen him climb thousands of times. I swear he's part mountain goat, as he's so sure-footed; not once has he fallen before now."
"I don't think he fell, Robb." I went over to the dead body, picking up the assassin's knife. "Whoever paid this man has considerable wealth. Seeing as this is a Valyrian steel knife, it's a nice copy of my own dagger." I pulled it from behind my back.
"That's Aegon the Conqueror's dagger; where did you get that?"
"It was in my mother's tomb. Along with my swords. Back to the matter at hand. We've all seen Bran climb; he just doesn't fall. It's possible someone pushed him out of that tower. They sent this cutthroat after him to finish the job."
"What are you saying? You think someone pushed him out of that tower to his death, all because Bran heard or saw something he wasn't supposed to." Robb cut in.
"Aye, that's exactly what I think. We just have the hard task of proving it. Who'd be dumb enough to pay an assassin to try and kill a ten-name day-old boy? Who's crippled, in a coma, and may not even wake?"
"Someone has an awful lot to lose. If whatever Bran saw was serious enough to make two attempts on his life," Lady Stark joined us, as did Maester Lewin.
"I can send Cregan and William from Greywater Watch as extra protection." I offered.
"Cregan and William, who are they, Daemon? Robb asked, confused.
"Our cousins. Uncle Brandon and Ashara Dayne are their parents. They are at Greywater Watch with Uncle Benjen, Ashara Dayne, and my second great uncle, Aemon Targaryen."
I kept the knowledge that my father, Rhaegar Targaryen, lived, as did my older half-sister, Rhaneys, to myself.
"Robb I'm going to the hot springs to clean up. I only have one set of clothes. It's not too much trouble for a room to be made up for me."
"Not at all. I have a room prepared for you. Nothing that was said in this room should be repeated outside of it." Robb looked at Maester Lewin.
I left Bran's room, heading for the hot springs underneath the castle. I found a bar of soap and a towel. I removed my sword belt, kicking off my boots. I stripped out of my blood-soaked clothes and stepped into the hot springs. Leaning back, I soaked my head.
The water turned pinky-red as I scrubbed the blood from my skin and clothes. Once I was clean, I set the bar of soap aside on the rocky ledge.
I relaxed in the hot springs and let my mind wander. Hopefully, the dragon dreams are more like sex dreams I've been having about my sister Rhaneys and Aunt Daenerys. Another part of me was awake.
My daydreaming about my sister and aunt was interrupted by a knock on the door leading into the hot spring.
"Daemon, are you decent?"
"Somewhat consider that the one pair of clothes I have are soaked and need time to dry. Then yes, I'm decent," I answer.
"Some clothes for you, broth... Sorry cousin. Courtesy of Old Nan There, Uncle Brandon's you're a similar height and build as he was." Robb placed the clothes on the edge of the hot springs.
"Thanks, Robb." I thanked him.
Robb didn't leave right away. I suppose there was much on his mind, being Acting Lord of Winterfell, Warden of North. The attempt on Bran's life, my unexpected return, that I wasn't his bastard half-brother but his cousin
"How long are you staying in Winterfell?"
"A couple of days, then I'll head back to Greywater Watch. Uncle Benjen will be worried about where I am. I took off without saying a word. I'll send a raven to Greywater Watch in the morning. That way, he can stop worrying." I answer.
"What about your plans after?"
"What do you mean, am I going to try to get back the thrones that's mine by right?" Robb nodded.
"As much as I'd like to. I have an army of what four men, the Craggon Lords, have sworn fealty to me. That only makes roughly eight hundred men. I need ten times that or more to retake the throne.
Uncle Benjen, my men, and I would be heading across the Narrow Sea to the Essos. My aunt and uncle are somewhere in the Essos. When and if I had an army, I wouldn't rule out returning to retake the throne.
I wouldn't ask you to side with me. Your father doesn't know that I know the truth about who I really am, Robb. I don't know whether he ever intended to tell me the truth about who I really was. But when the time comes, I would like you to be by my side. We may be cousins, but you'll always be like a brother."
"Brothers always," Robb agreed.
The Crossroads Inn-the Riverlands
298 AC.
While the Stark and Lannister soldiers searched for Arya, the little she wolf Arya rode on the back of the red, tan, and grey female Direwolf. They went deep into the woods, heading for their den.
Nymeria was never that far away; the other two direwolves had disappeared back toward the inn for some reason. They went deep into the cave, which was their den. Arya got off the back of the direwolf.
"You were protecting us back there, weren't you?" Arya asked the female direwolf, who merely licked her face.
The Crossroads Inn-the Riverlands
Ned
It had grown dark, but they still searched for Arya. Where had she disappeared? Prince Joffrey had been bitten by Nymeria, he claimed.
"Arya" Ned cried desperately into the darkened woods.
"My Lord" Jory Cassle cried, galloping up to the group, "Lord Stark."
"Have they found her, Jory? Ned asked, desperate for news.
"No. They found Mycah the Butcher's son. The Queen ordered that he be brought straight to her and the King. There's another thing. Lady Sansa's direwolf is gone. Someone or something has been rummaging around in Lady Arya's tent.
There were tracks—the largest wolf I'd ever seen by the size of the pawprints."
"Why was the butcher's boy taking before the King? Ned questioned.
"He was there when Prince Joffrey was bitten."
"Jory, keep searching. Arya has to be here somewhere. I'll head back to the inn to see if I can make any sense of this madness." Jory handed Ned the reins to his horse.
"You heard, Lord Stark, let's keep searching for Lady Arya."
Ned rode back to the Inn, dismounting his borrowed horse. He handed the reins to a soldier in Lannister armor.
Ned made his way into the inn, making his way through the crowd. The young butcher's son, Mycah, was there; he'd been beaten.
"What is the meaning of this? Why has he been beaten?" Ned demanded to know
"How dare you speak to your king like that?" Cersei Lannister sqauwed.
"Quiet Woman," Robert silenced her.
"Sorry, Ned, they got a bit carried away. Those who beat him will receive similar treatment. But we need to get this business sorted."
"That butcher's boy, your daughter, and that animal of hers almost killed my son. He nearly had his arm torn off."
"Your grace, that's not true at all," Mycah spoke up.
"What's your version of events, then, son?"
"Your grace. Lady Arya and I were playing down by the river, minding our own business. Prince Joffrey and Lady Sansa came across us. They distracted us, and I hit Lady Arya in the arm with my stick.
Prince Joffrey drew his sword on me; I only had a stick to defend myself. He cut my face without provocation. Lady Arya hit Prince Joffrey in the back to stop him from hurting me more.
It was then that Prince Joffrey turned his sword on Lady Arya and attempted to kill her. It was then that this big black wolf came charging out of the woods. He bit Prince Joffrey on the hand. Knocking him to the ground.
The wolf had his front paws on the prince's chest. He snapped, snarling his teeth at the prince. The wolf backed off and left as soon as Lady Arya picked up the prince's sword. She threw it in the river and ran off with her direwolf." Mycah finished his tale.
"That's a lie. You and Arya Stark beat him with clubs. Joffrey told us what happened."
"Why would I lie to you, your Grace? I have no reason to," Mycah retorted.
"Yes, they did. She threw my sword in the river," Joffrey whined.
"She did so you wouldn't try to kill her like you did before the wolf showed up."
"Seven Hells, this is a fucking mess. You tell me one thing, and he tells me another. What am I to make of this fucking mess?" Robert growled. "Where is your other daughter?"
"In bed, asleep."
"No, she's not. She's here. Sansa, darling, will you come here?" Sansa made her way to where Mycah stood with Ned.
"The whole truth and nothing but the truth. It's a crime to lie to your king. You understand," Sansa nodded. "Right then, what happened by the river today?"
"I don't know; I don't remember everything happening so fast." Sansa nervously said.
"Was it the wolf or your sister's direwolf that bit Prince Joffrey?"
"The Wolf. Nymeria wasn't anywhere near Joffrey." Sansa answered.
"She's lying"
"Why would I lie to you, your Grace? It's the truth," Sansa replied.
"Gods, woman, would you just shut up?" Robert grunted, clearly annoyed with her. "What do you have me do with them? Whip them through the street. It's over with their children. Children fucking fight. The subject is closed."
"Joffrey will bear these scars for the rest of his life."
"You pulled a sword on a girl. And was going to kill her for what? For merely putting you in your place. You'll be punished for that, boy. You don't ever pull steel on someone unless you intend to use it.
Ned, we'll keep searching for your daughter. I see to it that my idiotic son is punished. That girl of yours sounds as wild as Lyanna was." Robert smiled, getting out of his chair.
"What of the direwolf?"
"Gods woman, you hard of hearing or something. It was a wolf that bit him, not Ned's daughters's direwolf." Robert wondered why in gods name he'd listened to Jon Arryn in marrying her.
"What of the beast that savaged your son?"
"Have some hunters search the woods and find it," Robert ordered.
"There's one right here in camp."
"For fuck sake, woman. HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU HAVE TO BE TOLD BEFORE YOU LISTEN? IT WAS A WOLF NOT A DIREWOLF THAT BITE THAT IDOTIC BOY OF YOURS. I won't have you stirring up trouble, do you hear me?" Robert roared at Cersei.
Illyrio Mopatis's Manse, Pentose Essos 298 AC
Flashback
Harrnehal, the Riverland 18 years earlier
280 AC.
Rhaegar urged his horse on faster, and Arthur and Oswell rode with him. They had been ordered to find this 'Knight of the Laughing Tree' and bring his head back to Rhaegar's father. Aerys was growing more cruel and mad by the day.
"Hold a minute, there's horse tracks leading this way." Rhaegar looked closer at the ground, looking for horse tracks. The tracks headed to the west of them.
Rhaegar, Arthur, and Oswell rode along, following the tracks deeper into the Godswoods surrounding Harrenhal.
"Oswell, you go that way, Arthur; you go that way. I will continue following this path here," Rhaegar ordered.
Oswell went to the left, and Arthur to the right. Rhaegar continued on the path he was on. The horse tracks stopped after a while. Rhaegar searched around for any sign that a horse had been this way.
Rhaegar found nothing. Oswell rode over to join him. He'd had no luck ever finding horse tracks. They rode to find Arthur. They heard a hell of a commotion coming from the direction in which Arthur had ridden.
Rhaegar and Oswell both winced as Arthur was dropped to the ground after being kicked in the balls. The Knight of the Laughing Tree was not a man, but a woman. Her dark brown or black hair was unruly and long.
Her grey/brown eyes locked with those of Rhaegar and Ser Oswell. "You'll get the same treatment if you think you're taking me back to the Mad King."
Rhaegar merely laughed. "I am all too aware of my father's madness, Lady Stark. I have no intention, nor do any of us have to hand you over to my father. Though, may I ask why you competed in disguise?"
"To teach some men who act like little more boys rather than men. Ganging up and beating on a man for no reason who just happened to be one of my father's bannermen. They deserved another lesson in manners. After I gave them one with a tourney sword just yesterday," How a woman so spirited as she was to marry ass like Robert Baratheon was a mystery to Rhaegar.
End Flashback.
Rheagar laughed as he recalled the memories of the first time he, Arthur, and Oswell met Lyanna. Poor Arthur had been limping for half a day after that. How hard Lyanna had kicked him in the balls.
"What is so funny, Kepa?" Rhaenys asked.
"Just recalling the time I met your Muna Lyanna at the tournament at Harrenhal. Poor Arthur got kicked in the balls. He was limping for half a day, given how hard Lyanna kicked him." Rhaegar went into further detail about the Knight of the Laughing Tree. He lied to protect Lyanna from his father.
"What did Muna think of Lyanna when they first met?"
"They were smitten from the first time they met. They got me back for crowning Lyanna the Queen of Love and Beauty." Oh, that had been quite a night that night, alright?
"Gross Kepa. I don't need to know how Daemon was conceived."
"Since when did you become so hotty-tutty about sex? Don't think I have noticed you and Dany sneaking in and out of each other's rooms. I wasn't born yesterday, nor are the walls that thick." Rhaegar smirked at how much his daughter was blushing.
Greywater Watch, the Neck
298 AC.
Benjen Stark paced back and forth; he was going to kill Daemon when he returned. He had taken off without saying a word. Where had he gone? He'd just jumped on that dragon and flown north.
But north, to where? He was going to be gray before he was forty-name days old. That boy was too much like his mother.
"Stop pacing; you'll wear a hole in the floor," Ashara cut in.
"How can I not? He just took off without saying a word. He's gods knows where. He could be hurt or worse," Benjen fretted.
"Raven from Winterfell for you, Lord Stark." The servant handed Benjen the scroll with the seal from Winterfell on it.
Winterfell! What in Gods name was Daemon doing in Winterfell? Benjen ripped open the seal on the scroll and began to read.
Dear Uncle Benjen,
You can stop fretting and fussing. I'm fine. I'm in Winterfell. Syndror told me that Bran was in trouble. It seems the day we left Winterfell, Bran fell from the Broken Tower in the Old Keep. Maester Lewin is confident that Bran will wake but, sadly, will never have the use of his legs again.
The fall broke his back and spine. I think it was what Maester Lewin said. The reason for the midnight dash from Greywater to Winterfell Bran's life was in danger. Someone had sent an assassin to kill him.
We believe that Bran didn't fall but was pushed by someone for something he saw or heard in the tower that day. The assassin would have killed Lady Stark and Bran if I hadn't gotten there in time.
We have our suspicions as to who sent the assassin after Bran. But we have no proof as of yet. I will be returning to Greywater Watch in another day or two.
Your nephew, Daemon Targaryen first of his name, the rightful heir and King of the Seven Kingdoms.
"Daemon's fine then, as he sent you a Raven from Winterfell."
"Aye, he's fine. Someone tried to kill Bran. Ned's son. Not once, but twice. The day Daemon and I left Winterfell, Bran was pushed out of the broken tower in the old keep. Whoever pushed him out of that tower sent an assassin to finish the job.
He would have succeeded if Daemon hadn't gone back to Winterfell. He reckons the dragon told him Bran's life was in danger, whatever that means." Benjen explained
"Who sends an assassin after a ten-name day-old boy?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, Ashara. I wouldn't want to be in their shoes if Daemon gets hold of them first. He'll live up to his house words. Fire and Blood literally seeing as he as a dragon now." Benjen set aside the letter from Daemon.