Chapter 45: Knightly Concerns
The grass was soft underneath his knee. Jon kept his posture though he had knelt like this for almost an hour. The Septon was going on a bit. Still, it was worth it, for at the end of this he would get what he had wanted for so long.
After saving Robb from a possible assassin-sent by Joffrey Baratheon no less-Robb had announced that Jon would be made a knight of the Kingsguard. Ser Barristan and Ser Jaime had both congratulated him, with the latter making a comment that now their Kingsguard would have two additional members thanks to Ghost.
"I now declare that the oaths have been administered in light of the Seven." The Septon said.
The man stepped away and Ser Barristan approached. "Ser Jon, you have been asked to bear a responsibility of weight. A responsibility that only a select few are allowed to bear. Are you willing and ready to take this responsibility?"
"I am." Jon replied, this is what he'd wanted for so long.
"Do you know what this responsibility entails? No marriage, no woman, no children, nothing but service to the King and Queen." Ser Barristan asked.
"I do." Jon said, there was no woman he wanted to marry, no woman he wanted to have children with.
"And are you willing to accept these conditions for service?" The Lord Commander asked.
"I am." Jon said.
Jon looked up then as he'd been told to and saw Ser Barristan look briefly at him and then at the King. The King was wearing a blue doublet with gold trimmings, alongside a blue cloak. He wore no crown-apparently Robb had decided he would only wear a crown once he'd taken King's Landing-instead he wore a small coronet with a golden gem in it. Ser Barristan spoke to the King then. "Sire, this man has sworn the vows of knighthood, he has proven himself beyond a doubt to uphold the moral and practical standards required to be a knight of the Kingsguard. I ask now that you grant him that ultimate honour."
The King said the words that Jon had waited for so long to hear. "Lord Commander, we take your words with great consideration and accept that this man, Ser Jon Snow, shall become a member of our Kingsguard." The King took the white cloak from Ser Jaime and walked around to Jon's back, he then placed the cloak on Jon's shoulders and helped Jon fix the cloak to the armour that Jon had worn specifically for this occasion. The armour he would not take off until he died.
"With this cloak I welcome you into our Kingsguard, know that we put our lives in your hands." The King stepped back and walked back around to face Jon.
"Arise, Ser Jon Snow, Knight of the Kingsguard." Jon rose and bowed low before the King then he rose and straightened up to be greeted by both Ser Barristan and Ser Jaime as an equal.
"This is where the fun begins, Snow." Ser Jaime remarked, prompting Jon to smile.
"I had a dream about you." Bran said as he, Arya, Jojen and Meera walked through the Godswood.
"And what was in this dream, Bran?" Jojen asked. Jojen was an odd fellow, he was about the same height as Bran, despite being much older. He had dark brown hair and piercing eyes, but he constantly seemed to be thinking or doing something contrary to what one would normally expect.
Like right now, Bran would've thought the older boy would be looking at him, but instead he was looking at something in the distance.
"Well, I saw a boy who looked exactly like you talking to a three eyed raven. It didn't make much sense. Especially as whatever the raven seemed to be saying to you, scared you." Bran answered.
Still Jojen didn't look at him. Though his tone was one of concern. "And what do you think the raven was saying to me?"
"I don't know. But I didn't get to linger long on the dream before it changed." Bran said. He shared a look with Arya then, she and Sansa were the only ones who knew about his dreams. Mother didn't need to be bothered with them, and besides, they'd both had similar dreams as well, though Sansa had dismissed them as just that. Arya seemed to take them more seriously.
"And what did the dream change to?" Jojen asked.
Arya nodded, perhaps Jojen would be able to explain the dream. "Well, there was water everywhere in Winterfell, not the sort you'd get from the hot waters further in the castle, but salty. It tasted of salt, and when I got to the centre there was a huge golden kraken wrapping itself around the castle. I tried to yell but I couldn't. It was like something had gotten hold of my tongue."
"Greyjoys." Jojen said then.
"What?" Arya asked.
"The Kraken is the symbol of House Greyjoy," Jojen explained. "The dream means they will be coming to Winterfell."
"As friends?" Bran asked.
"No, as enemies." Jojen replied.
"But why?" Arya asked. "Theon is one of Robb's best friends, he'd hardly betray him."
Bran nodded in agreement, Theon was many things, but he was very close with Robb. Bran could not imagine him betraying Robb.
It wasn't Jojen who answered though, but his older sister, Meera.
"It might not be Theon who comes, it might be someone else from House Greyjoy. My father did say he'd heard rumours that Balon Greyjoy was looking at doing something. He reinforced Moat Cailin on the King's orders."
"But why would Balon Greyjoy send someone to Winterfell, it's too far away from the water to be good for him?" Arya asked.
Before anyone could answer that, Jojen spoke. "I had a dream about you too, Bran."
Bran looked at the older boy and asked. "And what did you dream?" He wasn't sure why but something about Jojen unnerved him, something in his eyes, something didn't seem quite right.
"That the three eyed raven was trying to speak with you but was prevented from doing so by a wolf with bright blue eyes." Jojen replied, Bran saw that the boy was looking at Summer, Summer's eyes weren't bright blue-they hadn't been since that day-instead they were a darkish hue.
"What do you think it means?" Bran asked.
"I think that there are a lot of things that are interested in you, Bran, and I think we need to be careful." Jojen said then, leaving Bran confused. Why would they be interested in him?
The cell opened and a bright light appeared, causing Tyrion to squint.
"What is it?" He demanded. The darkness had become his friend, and he much preferred it to whatever nonsense his sister was about to expose him to. Though, now that he thought about it, she hadn't actually visited him since their last conversation.
"Lord Tyrion." The voice said, it was soft, slightly feminine.
"Who are you?" He asked, squinting in the light. He couldn't quite make out the figure.
"Who I am does not matter," the voice said. "What does matter is that I tell you what is happening and why that means you need to leave King's Landing."
"Leave King's Landing?" Tyrion asked frowning. "Why would I do that?"
The figure sighed. Tyrion was still trying to work out who it was. He didn't know, but he had a few guesses.
"Because King Joffrey has decided that he no longer trusts anyone." The figure said. "He has started purging the court. He had Grand Maester Pycelle tortured for incompetence the other day, the old man is barely alive. He's also had Tyrek Lannister killed for being friends with Jon Snow."
Tyrion felt his eyes widen. He didn't know Tyrek, but the boy's father had always been kind to Tyrion. As for Pycelle, the man was old and hoary, but he had been loyal to Tyrion's father for a long time. Clearly Joffrey had lost his mind.
"What about Cersei and Tommen?" Tyrion asked. If Joffrey had targeted Tommen, then Cersei surely would've done something.
"The Queen Mother remains free and safe for now, but as for Prince Tommen, I fear that he might not have long to live." The figure replied.
"What do you mean?" Tyrion demanded.
"Prince Tommen has become King Joffrey's whipping toy." The figure said.
"Whenever something bad happens, be it Robb Stark declaring himself King, or Stannis issuing his letters or Renly declaring himself King, Prince Tommen bears the brunt of the King's anger. As such, the Prince has barely been able to walk or talk for some time." The figure said.
"He's a monster." Tyrion whispered.
He squinted and leaned forward, trying to get a better look at the figure. He still couldn't make out who the figure was, though he did catch a glint of silver hair. "Why are you coming to me?"
"Because King Joffrey intends to have you killed next. He views you as a great traitor and someone who intends to remove him from the throne." The figure said. "I believe that you can be of service to the realm."
Tyrion snorted. "Are you going to take me to my father then?" He doubted Lord Tywin would accept him, the man had never wanted to acknowledge that with Jaime in the Kingsguard, Tyrion was his heir.
"Not to your father, no." the figure said.
"Then who?" Tyrion asked. "I won't go to Stannis or to Renly."
The figure chuckled. "Oh, I won't be taking you to them, there's someone across the sea who would benefit from your counsel."
Before Tyrion could ask who, he heard movement and then yelling. There was chaos, someone screamed, there was a struggle and then the light disappeared as did the figure.