Runestone 295 AC.
Jaime.
He stood and watched the boy as he moved against Arthur's blade, Jaime looking on and feeling both envious and worried. To see such a young boy face Arthur almost at full stretch was an incredible thing but it concerned him that he may get hurt. Knowing who he was for true had made him ever more focussed when he looked at him and had he any doubts they'd have long since passed. This boy was his prince's son, his future king and Jaime could only hope that he would accept him into his service as he had his brothers.
When he fell to the ground, Jaime felt his breath catch and then he smiled as the boy did. Arthur helping him back to his feet and then they began once more. It was strenuous and he doubted that there was any in the kingdom who was being put through their paces this much. Even his own training had been lax compared to this, though it hadn't been the Sword of the Morning who he'd faced daily.
Eventually, it was done, Jaime watching as Ser Jon moved to fetch water for himself and for Arthur, and then feeling nervous when he was noticed by the boy. He'd been here for days and had expected one or both to come to him. Though the news that Ser Jon and Lady Elaena were to be wed had pretty much taken over everything else and forced him to have to wait. Now it seemed the waiting was finally done and Jaime moved toward them both when Ser Jon called out to him.
"Ser Jaime, join us." Ser Jon said, his voice firm and loud, and Jaime watched as the boy grabbed another mug and filled it with water.
"I thank you, Ser Jon." Jaime said as the boy said handed him the mug, Jaime drinking a large swallow as he felt his throat go dry.
"Perhaps you can help me settle a wager, Ser Jaime." Ser Jon said with a smirk while Jaime looked to see a smaller one forming on Arthur's face.
"If I can, Ser Jon."
"I wager that Ser Arthur here was always such a hard taskmaster, Ser Jaime, that he along with yourself, Ser Barristan, and your other brothers never let up in your training. Would I be right in doing so?" the boy asked curiously.
Jaime took another swallow of the water as he thought back on those days, remembering the times he and Arthur sparred before and after he'd knighted him. Thinking back on days spent with Arthur, Barristan, with Oswell and Gerold, and with Lewyn and Jonathor.
"Ser Gerold would insist upon it, Ser Jon. Not just with Ser Arthur but with all of us. Our blades must remain as sharp as our minds for it is a great duty that we've been entrusted with." Jaime said quoting one of Ser Gerold's favorite lines and seeing Arthur nod.
"Then I am even more in my uncle's debt." Ser Jon said looking at Arthur.
It surprised him, to hear him name Arthur as his uncle still, Jaime briefly wondering if it was because it was him that he was speaking to. The boy's next words though soon put paid to any idea that he was being excluded or that they weren't completely aware of him and what he knew.
"I should go break my fast, perhaps we can speak later Ser Jaime, I'm sure you and Arthur have much to discuss." Ser Jon said and he watched him place a hand on Arthur's shoulder and gave him a nod before he left.
Jaime took a seat on the wall, his eyes on the king as he walked away. Sandor Clegane had been standing off to one side waiting for him and the two of them walked into the keep. It left him and Arthur alone and he wasn't sure how to start or what to say.
"I've spoken to Lord Jon and received a note from Ser Barristan, both telling me that you are on our side." Arthur said simply and directly.
"I am if you'll have me." Jaime said nervously.
"My king wishes for you to be welcomed into the fold, Jaime, as does Lord Jon and Barristan suggests that I should do so too. Does mine own opinion matter that much to you?" Arthur asked curiously.
"Yours and the king's are the only ones that truly do Arthur." he said, though he had welcomed Barristan's acceptance also.
"Why?" Arthur asked.
"You know why, Arthur." he said unable to look at his former mentor.
"Tell me the truth of it, the whole truth." Arthur asked and Jaime sighed.
It took him a surprisingly much shorter time to say it all than he'd expected. The words coming out far more freely as he spoke of killing Aerys and his failures, of wildfire, a mad king, and of a family that had died because he wasn't there to protect them. Through it all Arthur said not a word and perhaps that was why he finished it so soon. Had he been interrupted, questioned, had Arthur spoken then he may not have been able to finish at all. When he did he found himself waiting for what felt like an age for Arthur to speak.
"I cannot forgive you, Jaime." Arthur said and he found himself almost falling from the wall so much did the words hurt, the next words Arthur spoke being the only reason he did not "They were not my family and while I loved them as if they were, only their kin can forgive you for them. For my part, I can only say I'm sorry."
"Arthur?" he asked confused.
"It should have been me, Jaime. I should have done so but Rhaegar bid me hold my sword and not only was he my friend, but he was my prince also. It should have been Gerold, Barristan, Oswell, Jonathor, or Lewyn. That it fell to you, to the youngest of us to prove himself a true knight, it should not have and so for Aerys, you have my thanks." Arthur said and Jaime looked at him in disbelief.
"You….you don't hate me?" he asked his voice cracking as he did so.
"I never hated you, brother." Arthur said standing and placing his hand on his shoulder, Jaime finally giving in and letting the tears that he had held back for so long fall.
That Arthur said nothing about them and instead just helped him to his feet and embraced him was something he would never have known he needed as much as he did.
"Come, let's eat, and then later we can speak to the king." Arthur said after they had moved from each other, Jaime feeling a weight that he'd carried for so long it had become part of him, finally being lifted from his heart.
That night Arthur asked him to come to the old Sept and Jaime did as he was bid. Finding a small falcon looking down on him as he walked into the building and seeing Sandor Clegane and Ser Jon standing near a broken altar. He watched as Sandor moved to one side and he turned to see Arthur nod to him. Jaime moving forward and standing beside Ser Jon as the boy looked to the broken roof above them.
"Ser Arthur is more to me than my guardian, Ser Jaime, more to me than my protector. We may not truly share blood other than way back in our lines, but he is my uncle as true as my uncles, Eddard, Benjen, or Aemon are. So when he speaks to me, I listen, and when he tells me that I should forgive you, I take note." Ser Jon said.
"I…"
"Was a boy faced with a terrible choice, now you're a man and you may be faced with another. When I move for my throne it is your House that I'll move against. Robert may sit the throne but I'm not fool enough to know who the true power is and who'll fight my claim the most. I'm also not fool enough to think a Grand Council will see me crowned."
"No, it won't." Jaime said.
"So, I'll ask you but the once Ser Jaime. What is it you seek of me?" Ser Jon said looking at him and Jaime felt himself wither a little under the intensity of the boy's stare.
"I wish to wear the white cloak of one of your Kingsguard, your grace. To swear my sword and my life to your cause." Jaime said his words true and honest and there was more determination in his voice than he had expected.
"Even against your family?"
"A Kingsguard has no family, your grace." Jaime said.
He watched as Ser Jon seemed to pause for a moment, his eyes looking above before he began to speak once more, Jaime finding himself awaiting the words nervously.
"I shall do all I can to see they are not hurt, Ser Jaime. Your father however will lose his head, your sister and Prince Joffrey, I'd see removed but not harmed. As for Princess Myrcella and Prince Tommen, I have no quarrel with them or with your brother, so as long as a solution can be found to protect my reign and my line I give you my word they shall be protected."
"I thank you, your grace."
"For my brother, my sister, and their mother I cannot forgive you, for I can find no fault in your actions. For my grandfather, you have my thanks."
"I.."
"Have paid your penance, Ser Jaime, it's time to forgive yourself for that which is not your fault." Ser Jon said touching his arm as he moved past him.
"Ser Jon, your name, what…"
"Daeron, Ser Jaime, my mother and father named me Daeron." his king said with a smile as he walked from the Sept with Sandor, leaving him alone with Arthur.
They left Runestone two days later, Ser Jon, Prince Daeron, his king, joined them on the journey as did Ser Arthur and Sandor Clegane and the king's friends, his brotherhood. Jaime watched how they rode with him, Sandor ever close, Arthur, watching the king and their surroundings equally while the Brotherhood of the Winged Knights rode by his side. It made him smile to see it and when they set sail from Gulltown and began their journey back to King's Landing, he looked forward to the day when it would be riding by the king's side, knowing that on that day he'd wear his white cloak proudly.
Runestone 295 AC.
Jon Snow.
It was different being betrothed, Jon couldn't explain exactly what that difference was but he felt it each day he awoke. When he sparred, when he broke his fast, as he waited for Elaena to make her way to break her own, it all felt different to him. Seeing her smile in the morning and spending time with her after their lessons or laying in her bed and talking to her before she fell to sleep. All of it was as if he was doing it for the first time and not things he'd been doing for moons.
Some nights he'd stay until she drifted off to sleep before he made his way to his own room. Jon just laying in the bed beside her and looking at her face, almost as if he couldn't believe that she was to be his wife one day. He would even find himself counting those days off as night fell, knowing that it was yet another day closer to them being wed. He'd known he'd loved her for some time but whether he never truly believed they could be together or feared that something would come along to keep them apart, he couldn't be certain. Whatever it had been though was now gone and it was that he imagined was the reason for how she now made him feel.
Or perhaps it was that he was getting older, they were getting older and he was growing from being a boy into becoming a man. He was certainly growing physically, Jon was now a good head and half taller than Elaena and bigger than both Waymar and Mychel. Only Domeric had inches on him of his friends and he was getting stronger too, Sandor's training helping with that. It wasn't only physically he was getting stronger either, his warging was now second nature to him and he'd taken a falcon chick for his own. Though perhaps naming it Caraxes was a step too far, he thought with a chuckle.
"If you're bloody thinking about her again I swear I'll not go easy on you today." Sandor said, taking him from his daydream.
"When do you go easy on me?" he asked to an annoyed grunt.
"Not today anyway." Sandor said with a smirk.
It was just the two of them this morning, Arthur had ridden off with Lord Yohn to take care of some bandits and Waymar and Mychel had ridden with them. Jon had wished to go but Arthur had insisted he stayed back and trained and he knew it was partly because he'd been losing himself in his head ever since Lord Jon had agreed to the betrothal. Truth be told it wasn't just the betrothal that was the cause of that, as Ser Jaime's pledging to him had caused him to consider things much differently as well. Accepting the knight had been easy, Arthur, Lord Jon, and even Ser Barristan had wished him to do so and after hearing the explanations for what had truly happened that day, Jon could find no fault or reason why he should not.
Still, it had made him think about things, Jon contemplating his grandfather, his brother and sister, and their mother, and then raven from Sunspear had only made him think even more about the family he had lost. News that Prince Oberyn and his paramour as well as some of his daughters were to arrive, bringing Aegon, Rhaenys, and Elia even more to the forefront of his mind. Oberyn's visit worried Arthur too he knew, which was perhaps why he was so keen to deal with these bandits quickly and for him to stay in Runestone while he did so.
"Ouch, you fuck." he said feeling the sting of the flat of Sandor's blade.
"I fucking told you, enough with the daydreams and the wistful looks, you'll see her after our spar." Sandor said and Jon nodded.
He felt no need to correct the man, Sandor in truth didn't care why he was losing himself in his thoughts and instead just simply wished for him to understand that doing so was not a good thing. Lately, he and Arthur had been trying to get him to focus even more on his surroundings, to use his senses and be aware of all around him, and to incorporate his warging into things more. Caraxes and he had a different bond than with any other animal he'd warged in. A bond that Jon believed formed because of how young the chick had been when he took him for his own. It allowed him to feel things and not just to see them and when his falcon was around Jon was far more aware of his surroundings because of it.
Ducking from a strike that was meant to ring his helm, Jon moved forward and began to attack. Sandor tried to hit him with an elbow but he moved out of the way and caught him across the arm with a retaliatory strike. He knew he had angered him and so he began to dance back away from the strikes that were aimed in his direction. Jon knew how much it annoyed the man and that when he was annoyed was when Sandor made his mistakes. Just as he was about to capitalize on one of those mistakes, he felt her through Caraxes, and instinctively he turned to smile at her. The blow was hard and he fell to the ground and as he got his bearings back and spat out the blood from his cut lip, it was to hear Elaena chastise Sandor, something that made him chuckle.
"Oh, you're next, Ser Jon, you should save your laughter for it will not serve you well." Elaena said angrily.
"I.." he said as he tried to rise to his feet, the fall to the ground and the darkness though were not something he'd expected.
"Jon, Jon?" he heard her voice call out though it was not through his own ears that he heard it or his own eyes that he saw himself being helped to the keep.
After being checked over by the Maester he was told to rest for the remainder of the day. It was something that he very much welcomed as the pain in his head had started to become an annoyance and he had emptied his stomach more than once. He knew he'd warged into Caraxes and yet it had felt different, almost as if it was a defensive thing rather than an involuntary one. Jon had watched through the falcon's eyes as he was helped into the keep, the bird had flown by the windows to the Maesters rooms, and Caraxes had even flown inside the rooms themselves so he could watch as he was examined. It felt as if he was making sure he was unharmed but more than that, almost as if he was guaranteeing that he wouldn't be.
"You're a fool, you know that." Elaena said sitting on his bed.
"I know." he said with a smile which soon had her smiling too, albeit reluctantly.
"Don't do that, I'm angry with you." she said though her smile would suggest otherwise.
"I don't think you are." he said and yet as he tried to move to her, he found he could not, the dizziness he felt almost threatening to make him empty his stomach once more.
"I am, you need to be more careful Jon." she said and he looked at her and nodded, it was a bad idea as he felt his stomach heave "Jon."
"The privy, I need the privy." he said and before he knew it, Sandor was helping him to the privy and he felt his stomach empty once more.
He did feel the better for it and as he was helped back to his bed he japed with Sandor which seemed to relieve him somewhat. Elaena on the other hand was both angry and now worried even more so and so his attempts at japing with her fell flat. This was why as soon as Sandor left them alone that Jon found himself explaining things he'd not intended to.
"It seems Ser Arthur was right." he said with a laugh that she didn't share in.
"About what?"
"I was in no frame of mind to join them dealing with the bandits." he said and he could see her slight nod that showed she agreed on that point at least.
"You've not been yourself for the past few days, ever since Ser Jaime and father left, is there something wrong? Did something happen?" she asked worriedly.
"What? No, Laeny, nothing happened." he said reaching out to take her hand.
"Then what is it? Is it us? Is it the betrothal?" she asked and he pulled her down to him, kissing her cheek and reaching his other hand out to touch her face.
"Aye, but not how you think, in a good way." he said and she looked at him curiously.
"Jon?"
"I've been lost in daydreams of our future, thinking that each day that passes is another day closer to us being wed." he said seeing her smile.
"As have I." she said as she kissed him.
"So I'll stop then?" he asked getting a chuckle from her in place of an answer, though she did answer a moment later when she lay down beside him.
"Perhaps during sparring." she said making him laugh.
He spoke to her then on the other things that were on his mind, Oberyn's arrival, the promises he'd made Ser Jaime, and the one thing he'd been keeping from her almost as much as he was from himself.
"I had thought to have received a reply from my uncle by now." he said as she rubbed his hand.
"Perhaps he was away from Winterfell when the raven arrived, he is the Lord of the North after all. Mayhap he was visiting one of his bannermen or dealing with some issue or something and hasn't returned to Winterfell to read the raven, it's been less than a moon since you sent it." she said and he turned and kissed her lips, feeling her kiss him back just as strongly.
"Thank you." he said when he moved away from her.
"For the kiss?" she asked teasingly.
"For the talk." he said with a smile.
He ate alone in his room that night, telling Elaena to go and eat with Ysilla as he'd more than likely fall to sleep right afterward. She did so but she also came back when she'd eaten to check up on him, Jon waking when she entered and waving off her apology. The next morning he felt better and felt well enough to break his fast with her and Ysilla, though he forwent any sparring for the day. It was as they were eating that the raven arrived, Jon noticing how Elaena looked to him when she heard who it was from.
"A raven Ser Jon, from Winterfell." Lady Yara said and Jon smiled as he opened it.
Winterfell 295 AC.
Ned.
While he enjoyed visiting his bannermen and was more than happy to so, he hated the travel and the time it took. Last Hearth and Karhold were so far from Winterfell that it took him two moons there and back. Though he had enjoyed speaking to Rickard and even more so to the Greatjon. He had even enjoyed sleeping under the night's sky and sitting by the campfire. Listening as Jory told tales or as Harwin sang songs, badly but entertainingly he had found.
Riding through the Bolton lands he felt the oppressiveness of the Dreadfort and though he spoke to Roose and was well received, he was glad to be on his way. It was far more enjoyable to spend a night under Halys's roof, and Ned found that Lady Donella was keen to have him stay. Though whether that was for his own company or so she could hear tell of how Daryn was doing he couldn't quite be certain.
"He's s good lad, Lady Donella, he and Robb get along well, and it's something I should have done many years ago." Ned said.
"What changed your mind, Lord Stark, on the fostering?" she asked.
"My son Jon is fostering in the Vale, he's done well for himself there and after visiting I realized something I'd forgotten. The benefits of the friendships and the things we learn when fostering, they put us in good stead for the future." he said to a smile from the lady.
"Aye, that they do." Halys said looking his way.
"Perhaps you and Halys could come visit, I believe Daryn has a nameday coming up soon, I'm sure my wife would be most pleased to host you." he said to an even bigger smile from the lady.
"I would very much enjoy that Lord Stark, thank you."
He traveled to Cerwyn before heading back to Winterfell, Ned not willing to have Medger feeling slighted. Had things been better with him and Lady Barbrey then he'd have traveled there too but he felt he'd not be welcomed and though she'd not turn him away, it was for the better not to reopen that old wound. When he finally saw Winterfell's walls in front of him, he wasn't the only one happy to see them. Jory, Harwin, and his men all keen to get back to their homes and families, and Ned's promise of ale as a thank you for their service had gone down very well.
Riding into the courtyard he saw his family and wards all lined up and ready to greet him. Cat looked more than happy to see him back and Robb stood straight and proud. He looked to see Sansa's warm smile and Arya's beaming one, Bran stood near them both poised almost as if he was ready to race his sister to see who would be embraced first. There was no sign of Rickon and for a moment he felt some concern until he realized that his time on the road had made him almost ignore the chill in the air.
"Winterfell is yours, my lord." Cat said and he moved to kiss her cheek, the look in his wife's eyes reflected perhaps in his own and the promise of a night to come and a true welcome lay there clearly.
"I thank you, my lady, it's good to have returned."
He moved to Robb and embraced his son before Sansa beat both Arya and Bran to his arms. His daughter surprising him in the warmth and unladylike welcome but then she'd been different since she'd returned from the Vale. She was still a lady in practice but she'd also become more a girl too he felt, her time with her brother and his friends had been most beneficial in that regard. As soon as she let him go, two sets of arms grabbed him tightly. Arya telling him how much she missed him while Bran said he'd missed him just as much as she had.
"And I missed you both just as deeply." he said as they walked into the keep.
While his children asked him questions about his travels, he noticed Cat look at him as if there was something on her mind. Ned torn between speaking to the children, a warm bath, and finding out what it was that she was so concerned about. It was his wife herself who made the choice for him, Cat telling him that she'd arranged a bath for him and that they'd speak later. Ned asked her if there was anything wrong and he felt relieved when she shook her head.
He stopped off in the nursery and looked in on Rickon and then by the time he had bathed and changed it was time for dinner. Ned finding that he enjoyed eating in his own hall with his family far more than he had anywhere else on his travels. Gage's pies were as good as he remembered them and as he looked down to Jory and the guards who'd accompanied him, he felt they were enjoying them just as much as he.
By right he should have spoken to Vayon and to Luwin and caught up on any news that had been sent while he was away, and yet he found he had no wish to this night. Nor did he want to truly speak on his reasons for traveling so far and being away for so long. Thoughts of discussing the ways they were using their extra coin and how they were preparing for a war to come, not ones he truly wished to dwell on. Instead, it was tales of the White Knife and The Weeping Water, of Last Hearth and the Umbers, and of Hornwood and Karhold that had his children listening eagerly. Arya asking if it was true that one of the Umbers had an eye made of Dragonglass and was called Crowfood. Ned wondering how she had heard such a thing and looking to see Robb and Torrhen Karstark looking away guiltily.
"He does and he's most keen to find inquisitive little girls such as you, so he can…." he said and saw his wife's little smile as he jumped up and grabbed Arya spinning her in the air "Spin them like the little wolves they are." he said to loud laughs from Arya and his other children.
It was late by the time he was alone with his wife, Ned had kissed his girl's goodnight as he tucked them in and had done the same to Bran before bidding Robb a more restrained goodnight. Cat was sitting up in their bed and though he had no true wish to do anything else but be welcomed home in a way they both desired, he knew he needed to ask and so he did.
"What's on your mind, Cat? Something happened while I was way and clearly, it concerns you, speak to me of it?" he asked and watched as she turned to the bedside chest and took out a raven's scroll from it before handing it to him.
"From Lord Jon, Ned." Cat said as he began to read it.
He found himself smiling and yet confused, happy and yet concerned as it was so unexpected and yet it made some sense. Still, he could immediately see what Cat was concerned about and how this may seem and so he knew what he must do, though he had no wish to do tonight.
"We'll speak on the morrow, just you and I, there are things you need to know." he said placing the scroll back in the chest and beginning to undress.
"Ned?" she asked confused but he silenced her with a kiss and soon enough all talk of what the scroll contained was forgotten.
It had been moons since they'd lain together and both needed this more than they did answers to questions that could wait. Ned fell to sleep almost immediately afterward much to his shame though he knew his wife would understand. They broke their fast early the next morning and after the children had gone to their lessons, he asked Cat to walk with him to the Godswood. He needed to pray and then to tell her a truth that he'd kept from her for so very long.
"I know this betrothal confuses you and that you fear what it means for your sister and her boy." he said as he rose from his knees.
"I don't fear Jon, Ned, I know the boy's heart is true. Lysa has written to me telling me it's a plot and I find myself vexed with my sister but I know she's fearful for something that would not come to pass. It's just that…" Cat said her voice trailing off as she tried to gather her thoughts.
"That despite Jon being who he is, it makes no sense that Jon Arryn would wed his daughter to him?" he said and she nodded.
"I've heard Sansa say they are close and again I say this not because it's Jon, whatever I may have been brought up to believe about natural-born children, I'd not believe it about him. The boy we helped raise is not a creature filled with lust and envy, far from it." she said and Ned smiled at hearing her speak of Jon that way.
"I have a story I must tell you, a story I've kept from you for far too long. I didn't do so because I distrusted you, please believe me on that." he said and she looked at him worriedly.
"Ned?"
"Jon is not my son, Cat, he's Lyanna's." he said and saw her move to him, her look full of concern as she touched his arm.
"Oh Ned, I'm so…oh by the seven that poor boy." she said and he realized then that she too believed the lies.
"It's not what you think. There was no kidnapping Cat, no rape, They were wed, in front of the old gods and by the light of the Seven." Ned said.
"How? Rhaegar was already married." Cat asked shaking her head.
"And a Targaryen, I don't know the how of it, only that it was done and now that Jon is all that remains of Rhaegar Targaryen and the rightful king." Ned said.
"You can't? You mean to crown him? How, wait, this marriage, Jon Arryn, he knows?" she asked looking at him.
"He does, he has since I arrived in King's Landing with Jon and Arthur." Ned said.
"And he?"
"Wished Jon crowned, not at first, at first he wanted him to be a backup, a contingency should Robert prove himself unworthy."
"And now?"
"I do not think the wedding was part of the plans, but perhaps it's for the best. Jon will be king, Cat, The Vale, the North, others will rise for him." he said determinedly.
"You're speaking of a war, Ned." she said shaking her head, Ned moving to her but she shook his hand off her as she took a seat.
"War is coming, Cat, the realm can't carry on as it is. Robert's spending, the Lannister's tightening their grip on the throne. It is coming."
"Ned I…"
"I know, me too." he said as she let him hold her in his arms.
It wasn't done, there were many other questions that she'd no doubt need to ask and he hoped he had the answers for her but he felt he'd done the right thing. He hoped that Jon would see it that way and that in time Cat would see that what they were doing was for the best, not just for the realm but for themselves also.
The Vale 295 AC.
Mychel Redfort.
After both he and Waymar had nearly beaten Jon in the sparring yard it had come as no surprise to him that Jon wasn't brought on this ride. His friend was distracted and Mychel felt that he knew the reason why. He got that way himself sometimes when he thought of the future and of Mya. Jon had been lucky enough to have been given what it was he wished for, Mychel knew however that it would take something extraordinary for him to be just as lucky.
Mya and Jon may both to the world be seen as the same somewhat, though Jon's knighting did place him higher in most people's minds. The difference was that Elaena's father wished for Jon to marry his daughter, his father would not agree to him marrying Mya. True part of the reason with Jon was that he was not who he was pretending to be. But, as his father had pointed out to him, Jon's reputation was such that it alone was enough of a reason for Lord Jon to agree to the match. In that respect, Mya's would be enough for their own to be denied. A girl who ran mules to the Eyrie would not be considered good enough for Lord Horton Redfort's son, even if to his mind Mya was good enough for a king.
It was why when his father told him to keep even closer to Jon that he had felt the beginnings of an idea form in his mind. Why as he listened to his father speak of things to come without knowing what was really going on, Mychel had found an opportunity in what he was being asked to do.
"One day that boy will be the Lord of the Vale, Mychel." his father said.
"Lord Robert?" he said to a laugh.
"Is a weak boy who'll not reach his maturity. Lady Elaena will inherit and when she does it'll be The Mountain Wolf that rules and those close to him will benefit."
"As you say father." he said smiling as he left his father's solar.
While he would never manipulate his friend and future king, he knew that Jon was well aware of how he and Mya truly felt for each other. He could when he was king give her a name and if need be order them to wed and Mychel knew that with just a simple request, Jon would see him granted what he most dearly wished for. As for his father, well if he thought being friends with the Lord of the Vale to be beneficial to his house, what would he think when he found out that Jon was actually a king.
"The things I do for love." he said under his breath.
"What?" Waymar asked.
"Nothing, don't mind me I'm just bored." Mychel said glad he'd not been heard, though Waymar too knew full well how he felt about Mya.
"These have to be the worst bandits ever." Waymar said sighing, his own boredom clear.
"Or the best." Ser Arthur said from in front of them.
"How so Ser?" Mychel asked as he and Waymar rode to join the knight.
"We've been out here for three days, we know they came this way, and yet they're leading us further away from the roads. There is a trap soon to be sprung and until it is we don't know how good these bandits truly are." Arthur said and he looked to Waymar to see the worried look on his friend's face.
"If we know it's a trap the why are we riding into it?" Waymar asked as Mychel found himself curious about the answer.
"Because we're the ones that are truly setting the trap." Arthur said and though both boys had no idea what he meant, they took comfort in the fact that he had a plan.
The true extent of that plan came the next morning just after they'd broken their fasts. They were readying their horses when the attack came. Waymar slower to his sword than he was but both were soon facing men that were clearly from the Mountain tribes. Mychel cut down a man far more easily than he had ever imagined it to be. Not that he was the first man he cut down but more he didn't feel any sympathy for this one when he did so.
Waymar was fighting a large man and just as Mychel went to help he saw his friend also cut his opponent down. The two of them turning as horses came and they saw men in his father's colors and in the colors of House Waynwood. Arthur had obviously sent for these men to come from another direction. When he saw the men surround Ser Arthur, he and Waymar moved to help only to quickly see they were unneeded. The Sword of the Morning cutting through men as if they were nothing and so they looked around to see who else required assistance.
"FATHER." Waymar shouted and Mychel looked to see half a dozen men move towards Lord Yohn and soon he was running after Waymar as they headed that way.
He'd never seen his friend wield his sword like he was now, Waymar cutting through men to get to his father's side, and soon enough he was doing likewise. By the time they reached Lord Yohn's side, they'd each killed a man and had disabled two more while Lord Yohn had taken care of the others he faced. After that the fight was soon over, Waymar standing by his father's side and ensuring he was unharmed while Mychel looked around the field at the carnage that had been caused.
"You are both unhurt?" Ser Arthur asked as he reached them, Mychel seeing Yohn give the knight a nod as he did so.
"Aye." Waymar said breathlessly.
"Aye." he said
"Kneel both of you." Ser Arthur said and Waymar looked to his father who smiled as he nodded for him to do as he was bid.
"Ser Arthur?" he asked disbelievingly.
"Kneel." Ser Arthur said.
That night they spoke as they sat around the fire, both Waymar and he tired but unable to sleep and he doubted they'd get any that night. They were given a mug of ale each and told they'd be receiving no more and Lord Yohn had told him that he was proud of him, before he'd bid Waymar join him so he could speak to his son alone. As he sat there he found himself keen to get back to Runestone so he could tell Jon they'd been knighted and he hoped that Mya would be there as she had said she'd be. Mychel looking forward to kissing her for the first time as a knight of the realm.
King's Landing 295 AC.
Varys.
Things were going so very well, Illyrio's coin was being used in the right way, and the man himself happy that things were progressing. The Company of the Sea Snake was growing and the news of Ser Jon and Lady Elaena's betrothal had sent people scurrying to try and make sense of it. Varys though knew that certain people were already heading down the wrong track which kept him from needing to be involved.
Other than his inability to find the Targaryen children, he couldn't be happier. He even found himself looking forward to the upcoming argument between the King and the Hand. Varys knew that Robert thought he was doing something for Jon Arryn's benefit and yet once again was showing his complete lack of understanding in doing so. A tourney to celebrate a betrothal was not a novel idea, but it was the wrong one when you spent coin the way the king did. He was the first one to arrive for the meeting and he sat in his seat almost excitedly as he waited for the upcoming drama.
It was wrong of him to enjoy it as much as he did but if he had one true fear it was the same one he'd had right from the beginning. That at some point Robert and Jon Arryn would end up on the same page and be the foster father and son they had once been. He had no fear that the king was in any danger from Lord Jon, but he did fear that his throne may be. The more times that Robert could be Robert, the less likely that was. Varys found the thoughts that Daeron Targaryen would end up as the Lord of the Vale instead of the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, not ones he truly wished to entertain.
"Why have we been called?" Renly asked entering the room, the king's brother no doubt wishing he was elsewhere.
"I believe his grace wishes to tell the Lord Hand of his gift, Lord Renly." he said trying not to laugh at the put-out look on Renly's face.
"Gifting a bastard a tourney, whoever heard of such a thing." Renly said annoyedly before pouring himself a glass of wine.
"Indeed." he said wondering if he should push Renly to speak such thoughts aloud, no perhaps not, there was more than enough time to see the divide between the Baratheon brothers widen and so he could wait for now.
Seeing Stannis and then Littlefinger walk in a few moments later and looking at how the two brothers looked at each other, their own divide was ever-widening enough without his input. Lord Jon arrived and gave him a small nod and then Pycelle actually arrived before the king, the warnings obviously had taken effect. When Robert himself arrived, he could see just how excited the man was to speak his news and after they'd risen to welcome him, Varys sat and waited.
"How were things in the Vale, Jon?" Robert asked.
"Good your grace, I enjoyed my time there." Jon said.
"I'm sure you did, Lord Hand, you go for a visit and come back with a future goodson." Renly said.
"An unexpected development, Lord Renly. Ser Jon is a good lad and he and Elaena are close, my daughter asked it of me and I'm a father who wishes the best for her and so I agreed." Lord Jon said.
"A good match, Jon, Ned's lad is a fine lad as you said, good and true just like Ned himself." Robert said proudly and Varys wasn't sure who he was most prideful in.
"Not exactly, true." Renly said under his breath and though Lord Jon only glared at him, Robert did not.
"Careful boy, that's Ned's lad you speak off, my foster father's future goodson, mind your tongue and your manners." Robert said angrily.
"Forgive me your grace, Lord Hand." Renly said though he was anything but abashed.
"I've organized a tourney Jon, I want the realm to come and celebrate this good news, maybe even Ned will come, what say you?"
"Your Grace, I'm honored, truly." Jon said and Varys looked to see Robert almost swell up in pride "But to do so for a betrothal that's not for a member of the Royal family, I fear it too much."
"You're my family, Jon, you're the father I chose." Robert said happily.
"And the cost, your grace?" Jon said ignoring Robert's words.
"Bah, forget about counting coppers, it's the least I can do." Robert said waving his hand in the air dismissively.
"I am grateful, your grace, truly, but I think I must decline." Jon said and Varys looked at the look on the king's face, he looked as if he was either going to rage or cry and Varys found himself curious to see which one it would be, only for another voice to speak up before he could find out.
"Your grace, Lord Jon, if I may." Littlefinger said to his surprise.
"What do you want Baelish?" Robert said, glaring at both Littlefinger and Lord Jon.
"Your grace, while I understand your wish for a tourney and why you wish to show Lord Jon the respect and esteem you hold him and his house in. I find I must agree with the Lord Hand and with others who may feel that a tourney for a betrothal may not send the right message."
"For Ned's lad and Jon's daughter, damn them to the seven hells if they don't like it, I'm the king and this is my wish." Robert said petulantly and Varys saw how Lord Jon sighed and how Robert looked at him almost willing him to accept.
"I propose something different, your grace, something that I'm sure you may find a better prospect and something that no one can take issue with." Littlefinger said and Varys saw Jon Arryn look at the man with suspicion while Robert looked far more eagerly.
"Which is?" Robert asked.
"A wedding, your grace. Ser Jon and Lady Elaena marrying in the Great Sept with a feast and tourney in King's Landing your grace. No one could argue with the daughter of the Hand of the King being given such an honor and I'm more than certain that Ser Jon's family would not miss such an event." Littlefinger said and the beaming smile on the king's face was one that he'd rarely seen him wear.
"What say you Jon? Ned may not come to a tourney, a wedding though he'd not miss a wedding." Robert said smiling still.
"I had hoped to see my daughter wed in the Vale, your grace. But this is too great an honor to turn down, I thank you and you Lord Baelish." Jon said and Robert laughed loudly, almost sounding like a young boy who'd been gifted a present on his nameday.
"See to the arrangements, Lord Baelish." Robert said.
"Your Grace, the wedding is not to be soon, when my daughter reaches her majority and not before, I must insist."
"Of course Jon, I'd not seek it done before then. We can wait, a wedding and a tourney though and a feast, a large one, as if it were mine own son or daughter, I'll insist upon that." Robert said.
"As you wish, your grace." Jon said and Varys saw the smirk on Littlefinger's face when he looked at the annoyance on the Hand's.
He was keener on it though, it was an idea that he'd not considered but one that actually had big benefits. The realm would gather to see a king marry a queen, they'd just not be aware of it at the time.
Runestone 295 AC.
Arthur.
Arriving back at the keep to find that Jon had been hit in the head and laid up in bed for a day only made him more certain he'd been right not to bring him with him. That his two friends had fought well and earned their spur was perhaps a result of him not being there too. While he didn't mean to overshadow them, his reputation exceeded their own and he was more talented as well. Truth be told though it wasn't entirely just those things that had made him leave Jon in Runestone, it was also the nature of the developing relationship Jon had with the boys.
At first, it was a jape by the girls, naming them a brotherhood was just a way to separate them from the other young squires and wannabe knights in the Vale. Over time, however, it had developed into something different. They looked out for each other, watched each other's backs, and were it just that then it would be a positive. With the truth of Jon being shared though, they were changing again, now they watched his back and while Arthur welcomed it, he feared it too. These were boys not men and it took time and experience before you could do more than one thing in a fight. He was a Kingsguard, he could fight and protect himself and his king at the same time, he had the experience to do both, they did not.
In time it would come but for now, it would only get one of them hurt or even killed and so that had been perhaps what had preyed on his mind the most. He cared for these boys, not as much as his king but he cared all the same. Arthur had lost enough people he cared about already, he didn't wish to lose any more to situations he could manage. The world and its cruelty was something he couldn't keep from them forever, but he would do so for as long as he could.
"You fucking knighted the little shits." he heard Sandor say as Arthur watched Mychel and Waymar tell Jon, Elaena, and Ysilla their news.
"They deserved it." he said firmly.
"They're going to fucking be intolerable now you know, little fucks that they are." Sandor said and Arthur smirked, trying not to think that knighting them would have been fun just for that.
He was changing his clothing in his room when Jon knocked at the door, Arthur bidding him enter while he put on a clean shirt.
"You are unharmed?" Jon asked and he nodded, seeing the relieved look on his king's face.
"I am, shouldn't you be celebrating your friend's good fortune?" he asked.
"I will, Lord Yohn is throwing a feast tonight for them both and Ser Mychel is sending a raven to his father." Jon said, Arthur noticing how proudly he said the Ser part.
"His father's men will have told him by now." he said taking a seat.
"They will but he'll send the raven all the same."
"How's the head?" he asked pointing to the bruise.
"Better, I needed the knock I think." Jon said and he chuckled as he nodded his agreement "I was trying to deal with things, with the changes. Elaena and I, Oberyn's raven and not hearing from my uncle, thank you, Arthur."
"It's my pleasure, your grace." he said smiling.
"Dorne knows doesn't it?" Jon said after a few moments.
"They do, the betrothal is the final push Oberyn needed to figure it out."
"What do we do?"
"We speak to him when he gets here, we tell him the truth and what we intend, and after that Dorne will do what it will do." Arthur said and Jon looked at him with a confused look on his face.
"I...Elia, my mother and father, I don't understand it."
"It's complicated, Jon. Your father and mother loved each other, he and Elia did not, it was a political marriage and while they cared for each other, it was never love."
"So he set her aside?" Jon asked, a look of horror on his face at the thought of it.
"No, they agreed to annul the marriage once he became king. Elia wished to go back to Dorne and as long as Aegon kept his place as heir and Rhaenys remained a princess, she cared not for who your father spent his life with. Things got complicated because of events, because of love but Elia knew how your father felt about your mother and she accepted it." Arthur said.
"Dorne won't, Oberyn won't." Jon said and Arthur nodded.
"Then so be it. Dorne is not Westeros, Jon, and we never expected to have their spears to call upon."
"I wish to go North, Arthur, after we speak to Oberyn, I wish to go back to Winterfell." Jon said and he nodded.
"Then we will." he said and Jon smiled before he got up to rise and walk from the room.
The feast was one he enjoyed, the two boys being the center of attention and even Sandor seemed pleased to see them feted, despite his earlier words. When the raven arrived letting them know that Oberyn had arrived in Gulltown, he found himself feeling a bit nervous. Oberyn's temper was well known and even though they had been good friends once that was no guarantee to stay his hand. Arthur spoke to Sandor and let him know that should it come to it, if either of them felt he posed a threat, then Oberyn Martell would not leave Runestone alive.
When the party arrived he was surprised to see there were so few guards with him. Oberyn brought an escort even smaller than he had on his last visit. His paramour, three of his daughters, and a couple of knights along with a little over a dozen guards. Whether or not he was trying to tell them this was a friendly visit or whether it was him trying to lull them into a false sense of security, only time would tell. Though when he looked to Jon and to him and when he greeted him, any doubts that he knew who Jon was were quickly put to rest.
"We need to speak about your king, Arthur." he said pulling him close and speaking softly into his ear.
"We need to speak on many things, my prince." he replied as Oberyn looked to Jon and Jon to them both.
Highgarden 295 AC.
Olenna.
She sat drinking tea while Margaery sat with her cousins. Olenna enjoying how her granddaughter stood out amongst the little hens she surrounded herself with. It was a dull day and she found that she had no true desire for it. Almost willing it to end before it even truly began and so when the raven's scroll was handed to her, she opened it with no great interest. Only when she read it did her mood and her entire day change.
This couldn't be true? She couldn't be that lucky, could she? The girl she truly feared would stop her rose from being queen now taken off the market and wed to a bastard of all things? This had to be a jape, she thought as she looked to the seal, the blue falcon of House Arryn was clear though and as she looked to the signature she felt it to be true. Still, she needed to be certain and so she rose to her feet and began to make her way inside. Margaery looking her way and rising before moving to her with concern on her face.
"Grandmother, is there anything wrong?" her rose asked worriedly, Olenna smiling at her as she leaned forward to kiss her cheek.
"No, I just find myself in no humor for tea, I think I'll go rest for a bit." she said trying not to worry Margaery more than she already was.
"For true, grandmother?" Margaery asked inquisitively.
"For true." she said with a smile.
With Left and Right behind her, she moved quickly through the keep hoping that Willas was in his solar and not spending time with his hounds or hawks. While everyone needed a pastime, she found her grandchildren's ones to be tiresome and frivolous. Swords, hounds, horses, none but Margaery's charitable work would truly help them grow strong. Though she did take a certain amount of pride in the fact that at least Willas was the very best at what he did.
Reaching his solar, she was pleased to see guards on the door and so she entered to find him working. Olenna taking a seat without being bid and Willas unlike his father understanding that she was not to be kept waiting.
"Grandmother?" he asked curiously.
"Read." she said handing him the scroll.
She waited until he was finished and gave him a moment to consider the reasoning Olenna pleased that after he asked her whether this was a jape, he began to think more clearly on what it meant for them. The realm, the Hand, the King, she cared not, what it meant for House Tyrell was all that mattered to her.
"It's to be Margaery or Sansa Stark then." Willas said.
"It is." she agreed.
"House Arryn is a bigger threat or was but now they've removed themselves, perhaps to clear the way for House Stark?" Willas asked.
"Perhaps, but there are easier ways to do so, Lady Elaena marrying Robb Stark would work far better would it not?" she asked.
"Unless Lord Stark wishes for a match in the North." Willas said and she smiled, he had married in the South and the North was far more insular, if he married his heir out of the North then it could create issues with his bannermen and Olenna once again thanked the gods her grandson and grandaughter took the wits from her and not their father.
"Of course that would suggest that Lord Stark is looking at a prince for his daughter." Olenna said.
"It would, but something doesn't match up for me." Willas said and she found herself agreeing.
"Nor I, Ser Jon Snow, why would House Arryn agree to the match, do you think he's dishonored the girl in some way?" Olenna asked.
"Pffft, he's a Stark." Willas said.
"Don't judge them all by Lord Eddard, Brandon was a well-known rogue." she said but Willas didn't seem to agree.
"We need to find out more about Ser Jon, he's Ser Arthur Dayne's nephew and while that makes him highborn on both sides, this still doesn't feel right to me." Willas said.
"You'll put our people on it?" She asked and he nodded, she truly had no need to do so, but it was for her own peace of mind that she needed to be certain.
She left the room and walked down the corridor, Olenna looking out through the window and watching her granddaughter shine in her absence. Margaery truly holding court now that she wasn't there and it brought a smile to her face and even more determination to her heart. Her granddaughter would be queen, she'd see to it, and they would grow strong no matter who they left weak in the process.
A/N: Thanks to all who've read and reviewed. Up next. Oberyn, Jon, and Arthur speak before a trip North brings family issues to the forefront for both Jon and Domeric and in Essos a magister finds a prince a princess and takes them under his wing before sending for a griffin to keep under his own.
Daryl Dixon: So glad you liked it.
Guest: Thanks so much, we should be about ready for the big events to take place, after the next chapter there will be a little jump of a couple of years.
Celexys: Littlefinger in some ways here has had to adapt a bit, so we'll see where that brings him. I wanted Sansa to have her eyes opened a bit earlier here.
Guest: The biggest issue with doing that is that until he actually does something that someone knows, the characters don't have a reason for killing him. Now once he does, I dislike the stories who then somehow have him living with no consequences for a long time. LF's biggest problem (other than every single thing he does) is that as a minor lord, him being killed doesn't actually affect anyone, it's not like Ned's death or Tywin's in that his importance rests completely within himself. I always think of Varys's line about "No one mourns for Spiders" he understands in the grand scheme of things he's alone, LF does not.
Galo: So very glad you enjoyed it.
Lady Octarina: It's that thing with the perceived vs. the actual truth. To everyone it's the perception that just feels off, even Cat here which is why Ned had to tell her (you kinda predicted that in your review). That helps but it also hurts as people are going to look into things and Oberyn has figured it out. Tywin perhaps had the best reasoning behind why it could be happening if Jon was who they thought he was and so he won't look into it further because he believes he's right.
I think GW was the only place it could remain a secret too. I also think Jon is smart enough that had he told him then he'd have known what he could or could not do. I mean given Jon's nature he may have taken the black anyway. As you know I have so many issues with Ned, both for not telling Jon, for not being a good father to him, and for not being a good lord IMO. Knowing that the secret could and really should have gotten out, he also first of all should have readied the North in case the South came calling. Moat Cailin should have been built up to stop them just in case.
I do have a Jon/Oberyn squiring story, I just need to nail down the pairing, Arianne, a Sand Snake or a hidden Rhaenys.
I think for me Jonsa works best in a completely AU setting, a Rhaegar wins where Jon is raised as a prince. I have too many issues with it otherwise. As you say the incestuous nature of him with her or Arya is bigger than any, even him raised as a Targ prince and ending up with Dany or Rhaenys is lesser that way imo. There is also the fact that canonwise she looks so much like her mother, so for canon Jon to wish to be with her, to be attracted to her just screams wrong wrong wrong. Jon/Arya also only works in an AU, a Jon falling for an Arya he didn't know and it being an almost Rhaegar/Lyanna type thing. Other than that, no, again wrong wrong wrong. I think worst of all though is a post-season 8 Jonsa story, there is literally no way in hell that works.
Xand007: Thank you, my friend. LF is exactly that yes, as for Jon A, he'll see Jon/Elaena wed, after that all bets are off. You too my friend, stay well, and thankfully it's 2021 now.
Keb: So very glad you liked it, I couldn't fit it all in here, so Oberyn is the next chapter.
Xan Merrick: Thank you, my friend, glad you enjoyed it.
Chaosmar18: I hope you enjoyed it.
