Jaeron Targaryen

Greywater Watch, 300AC

Stress was a feeling that was not new to him. It was something he had always felt when he was younger as he never understood why he was always left to the side. This only amplifying when he was old enough to grasp what the word bastard had meant and why that was the case. But by the time he had reached his thirteenth name-day, this had practically dissolved like it had never been there in the first place. Finally accepting that was what he was and that no matter what he was always going to be an outsider. Whilst the North weren't as against the notion of baseborns like the south was, they still weren't looked at nicely.

But then everything flipped upside down on him.

He had been working for just shy of a year to get himself into a position where he would be able to enact his revenge over what had happened. Building up some alliances, working on ways to spread the word so the damage wouldn't be as catastrophic as it would be if he were to come forward with no build up. Training constantly to the point his fingers regularly blistered and bled but still he carried on, knowing he would need to be in the best shape possible before the claim was made. Finally, he had gotten to a point where there was a decent plan and he was planning on coming forward soon. But now? The rug had well and truly been pulled from underneath his feet and Jaeron could say with absolute certainty he had no idea what to do now.

First, Robb was currently rallying the Northern banners to march south. If his timings were correct, he would probably be nearing in on Castle Cerwyn by now. It was going to take a few weeks before he could reunite with his brother and he couldn't deny he was excited. The last time he had seen him was when he had travelled to the Wall to create the initial ruse that he was lost beyond the massive ice sculpture his own ancestor was said to have built if the legends were true. Then there was the man who had raised him as his own in a black cell in the Red Keep awaiting trial. He hadn't heard anything regarding Arya yet which was making his stress run through the roof in ways he never had. And now his plans were in ruin as he was outplayed by someone they had all trusted.

Where had it all gone so wrong?

Those seven words circled in his head day and night, gnawing on his fingernails until the skin underneath broke. Desperately trying to think of ways that he could turn it in his favour. But how does one do so when they have no idea what they are up against? That was what bothered him the most, and he couldn't make a bold move in relation to it as Torghen had Sansa. Whilst he hadn't gotten along with her and she spurned him most out of all the Stark children, she was still his little sister and he did love her fiercely. Remembering the times where they were too young to know exactly what their places were. When they would throw mud pies at one another and make snow cones and chase one another through the crypts. To playing King in my Castle, tug rope, cat and mouse, or racing one another through the halls with not a single care in the world.

There was only one saving grace to it all. Howland and Arthur's small debate on what could have happened. Jaeron hadn't asked about it, but apparently Torghen despised Renly Baratheon for some reason meaning he wasn't taking her to him. Pylos was keeping an eye on Dragonstone with his crow, and he definitely would've included that in one of his reports – meaning she wasn't with Stannis. And he had taken her away from the Red Keep. Meaning one of two things. Either there was another claimant, or he had stepped in to smuggle her away from the damage that is about to unfold.

"You really are like your father, you know."

He snapped his head around to be faced with Arthur who had just appeared in the room. Not wearing any armour and surprisingly, no swords at his hips. But the younger wasn't stupid, he would've had a knife on him somewhere, possibly a vial of poison too.

"How so, Ser?"

The older walked over to the window which he himself was staring out of, elbows on the ledge and breathing in the distinct scent of salt and pine that he had become accustomed to whilst living in the Neck. Much of said area of the North was horrible to look at from the murky swamps, the numerous crannogs that had buildings on them, to the rivers running green from the moss and leaves. But where they were? This wasn't the case. The water being almost indigo in shade, the sound of birds chirping in the wind creating a very serene feel about the place. Whilst it would never be home to him, he had come to love it here. Arthur shook his head a little before looking him in the eye.

"Rhaegar tended to walk away and be in solitude. Brood in ways that many wouldn't even consider possible. If he didn't have his nose in a book or he wasn't training, he would just walk to the shores of Dragonstone and watch the waves crash against the shore. Whilst I was sworn to your grandfather, it wasn't a secret amongst us the truth-"

"But an oath is an oath."

Jaeron of all people knew the importance of an oath. Just like Arthur did. The Dornish and Northerners were a lot more similar than people believed them to be. Two Kingdom's at opposite sides of Westeros, yet a lot of their values came from the same core.

"He had to keep a smile on his face in public, pretend everything was okay. But the moment the doors were closed, this wasn't the case. I can't count the amount of times I heard him yelling at Aerys for his treatment of Rhaella. The only reason he wasn't shoved aside was that Viserys had not been born yet, meaning he was the only heir. Honestly, if Viserys were born only a couple of years after Rhaegar had been or either of Rhaella's other babes survived, I could see him willingly stepping aside just to be an advisor. He hated responsibility, and he hated being looked up to like he were one of the Seven. But being the heir meant he had no way to escape it. I'd imagine you feel the same currently."

He had no words to say to that because they both knew it was true. Even now, despite knowing he is going for the throne, the idea of being singularly responsible for everyone in Westeros was daunting to say the least. Feeling like something had entered his body and was crushing him from the inside out. How many people lives in Westeros? Multiple millions anyway, he knew that. But counting in every town and village and hamlet, it was difficult to get an accurate figure. One person that everyone should at the least trust to get them through the harshest of times.

"Do you think he would've been a good King had he been the one to strike the killing blow on Robert?"

Arthur sighed deeply at this. Whilst they talked often of what did happen, they didn't talk much on what could have happened.

"Aye, I do. He would've had a lot of contention but Rhaegar didn't show anger much. Don't get me wrong, when he did he was terrifying, but he always isolated himself when he was. He had a level head on him despite everything he had witnessed and throwing away his obsession with prophecies. Whenever Aerys had a bout in public, it was always him who managed to calm people down. There were times where he would stain his silver hair with tea and pose as someone from Lys to sneak down into the heart of the city and play his harp and sing. He loved doing that, loved to interact with the people. He would indirectly speak to some of them and take notes, I believe he would've done something with this if he did ascend. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I was with your mother then, but if I weren't, I would've been right at his side. It's likely he would've asked me to be the one to execute Robert. It wasn't a secret they despised one another, but they were still cousins-"

"Cursed to the kinslayer. At least I won't be in said position considering Cersei's children don't have any blood of such flowing through their veins."

The younger was shocked when he felt an arm wrap around his lower back, pulling him in close and gently patting the area. It was something he had only experienced once, and it had been Benjen who done so. He didn't remember the lead up to it, but he remembered the feeling of it well.

"What do you think would've happened had it gone that way?"

It was silent for a few moments as the older thought on the question.

"First off, the realm would've been fractured. He would've needed to tie everything together and the simplest way to do so is through marriage. If he did win, it would probably mean Aegon and Rhaenys didn't perish either. Aegon likely would've been wed to Arianne Martell. Rhaenys would almost certainly have been wed to Robb to tie the North and the Riverland's back into it. I can't say for Viserys, the most likely would've been Margaery Tyrell but I couldn't see Rhaegar rewarding a marriage as such to someone who did nothing but feast whilst starving out Stannis Baratheon. He'd likely have overcome this by offering a council position or reducing taxes for the Reach. You though, it's quite obvious what would've happened. You would've been the second son, not as important as the heir. But the rebel forces would've needed to be tied closer together-"

"Surely you can't mean Daenerys? She's my aunt!"

"And? It's not that uncommon. Didn't Cregan Stark's granddaughters marry his sons?"

All he could do with that was to twitch his eyes. Even now, he despises having the obvious thrown in his face. Arthur knew this too as he was wearing a small smirk because he had just outsmarted him. As much as he wanted to throw it back in his face, he couldn't do so, because it was true. Cregan's granddaughters Sansa and Serena had wed his sons Edric and Jonnel respectively. Whilst his own lineage traced back to Cregan's eldest son Brandon, it had happened.

"The truth of the matter is this, the Faith despise sibling pairings. And the thought of parent and child pairings would send some of them to their graves in seconds. But every other pairing you can get is quite normal. Even Tywin was wed to his cousin, Velaryon's and Targaryen's wed often too despite being cousins, your grandparents on your Stark side were also cousins. It's called twice related. In some House's it's more common than others and some don't even consider it an option unless they have no choice but to, it really all depends, Jaeron. Whilst we're on the topic of marriage alliances, have you heard anything from Doran yet?"

A small pit of confusion ebbed within at the explanation. But it ebbed at him more than he had no accurate comeback for it all.

"Nothing yet, but I did only send the raven a fortnight ago. Why would you think Rhaenys would've been betrothed to Robb? Wasn't there talks to have her betrothed to one of the Hightower's?"

"Talks and decisions are two different things."

By now, Arthur's smile had widened massively whilst his own face had likely turned murderous at the sharp comeback. The older walking over to the desk which had multiple rolls of parchment with some of their plans on them.

"I know I gave you a tough time for threatening Doran when we went to Sunspear, Jaeron. Whilst he did swear neutrality, that might've been what broke the back with them and yourself. Do you remember my lecture I gave you when you were solely focusing on getting the Great House's and not taking the other ones into consideration?"

Jaeron walked over to eye the parchment himself, fingers trailing along the wording on some of them. Plotting on how he was going to reveal himself. Whether to do so with subtlety or do so in a way that everyone would know at the same time? Whilst they had been at peace for a long time now, all it takes is one move before the war breaks out. Technically, with Renly fleeing Kings Landing and with Robb travelling south with an army that would steadily be getting larger as time went on the war had already started. Trying desperately to think on the conversation in question as it seemed like it had been a lifetime ago when in reality, it wasn't even a year ago. And then the penny dropped and his eyes widened in shock before cursing under his breath.

"With alliances as such one can support, remain neutral, or revoke. They swore neutrality but if I were to be wed to Arianne, this makes Dorne look weak-"

"And Doran is anything but weak."

The weight of the words crashed into him like he were a cliff and it was a wave hitting against him. Feeling his body slowly crush against the harsh rocks before being swept away by the outgoing tide. That was why Arthur had been so mad with him when they had left, but he wanted him to figure it out on his own. A loud breath escaping him before reaching up to tug on his black curls which had now grown back to sitting just below his ears. This was not good, under any circumstances.

"In other words, Dorne will opt to remain out of it. But they won't support me, which will cause more issues down the line-"

The door opening cut him off, Howland clearly noticing they were having an important conversation which caused him to grow a little red in embarrassment and lower his head.

"I apologise, but we've received a report from Highgarden. We also received a raven from your sister, Ser Arthur."

Arthur stood up to take the parchment he had, breaking the seal with a nail and reading it quietly to himself. At first, he had opted not to do anything, simply awaiting a response. But Howland was reaching the other scroll over to him and when he took it, the Lord immediately began biting his fingernails in nerves. Gods, what now? He had never seen Howland react like this and combined with the realisation he just had made him feel like he were water. There wasn't a seal on it, but there was a tiny flame marked in the corner confirming it was one of his spies. He bit the inside of his cheek before opening it to read the contents. It was a little difficult to decipher as they had started using a code he had yet to fully grasp, but he could make out the wording enough on it. If he felt like a cliff before this, he felt like a boulder had landed on him now.

"What is it, Jaeron? You've gotten really pale suddenly."

The voice was distorted, and it sounded like they were at the end of a tunnel trying to shout out to him. His eyes getting blurry and an odd buzzing noise in the background taking over every sense in him. His fingers felt numb, staring down at the words as they blended together to nothing but a large ink blot on the parchment. And then, like something had popped, it all came back to him. Blinking a few times as the ink blot reverted back to words and he felt blood running through his fingers again which had gone oddly white from how tight his grip had gotten. The hand on his shoulder fully snapped him out of it as he looked between Arthur and Howland. Now, he knew why the Lord was currently gnawing on his fingernails.

"We've lost the Reach. Renly Baratheon has wed Margaery Tyrell and has proclaimed himself rightful King."

Immediately, Arthur's own eyes widened massively as he took it from his hands, handing his own over so he could see it too. Why was Allyria sending him ravens? That was something else that was messing with his mind. Everyone believed she was their sister, but she was Ashara's daughter. A daughter everyone believed to have been stillborn and in her grief the other female had thrown herself from Palestone Tower to the water below. Whether it was the fall itself or the water that had killed her was debatable though, perhaps it was a mixture of both. Clearly her father must've been someone important if Ashara had never disclosed who it was she had been with during that damned tourney. Shaking his head, he began to read. Unlike the previous two blows, this one contained good news. Apparently, she had saw an opportunity that no one else had when Beric had gone to Kings Landing with Edric. Having them slowly spread the word throughout Kings Landing.

She didn't write down exactly what she had asked them to spread, but if Edric knew there was now a fair chance that Beric knew. And through his betrothal to Allyria, meant he would have the Dondarrion's either on his side or remaining neutral. It all depends on what happens with the Stormland's now what with both Stannis and Renly making claims to the Iron Throne. From what Aurane had told him before he had ridden for Winterfell, the older was gaining support in the Crownland's. The three known ones being House Celtigar, House Bar Emmon, and to an extent House Velaryon even if they were actually in support of his own claim and not Stannis'. The latter was going to be the trickiest one for them to pull off for three reasons. All it takes is one slip up for the ruse to fall. This combined with their proximity to Dragonstone and with them also sharing blood. Whilst compared to his own line, theirs was considerably diluted, but it was still there. And like he had said to his Kingsgard earlier today, cursed to the kinslayer.

"We need to come up with a plan, and we need to do so now. Whilst initially we were going to wait to a point where there wouldn't be much of a choice, that cannot happen now. War has officially been declared now."

"I thought you didn't want to press on your own until Rhaegon was rideable-"

"I think he might be. I think I've known for a while but I've just been talking myself out of it and trying to stall time. But now, we've pretty much lost Dorne, and now we've lost the Reach. One was a blow, but both unravels everything. I can't stay in the shadows any longer."

By the time he had finished on his rant, he was breathing hard. It was thoughts he'd had for a long time but he had never outwardly spoken. He'd been hoping for the timing of it to be what created the largest impact, but that had now backfired spectacularly on him.

"Are there any other allies I could get on such short notice?"

The silence that came from the question was all the information needed. Left hand raising to rest against his forehead as he hunched over the table, the parchment now long forgotten on the table. A sudden stinging sensation in his palms caught his attention as he looked down to see he had dug his nails into the area so hard that he had drawn blood.

"The only ones you could get would be either some in the Vale, or the Iron Islands. I think Yara Greyjoy is of an age with yourself-"

"Absolutely not. If she's anything like her brother-"

"Right now, we cannot afford to be picky, Jaeron. But on that one I do agree with. Balon started a war and lost multiple sons during so for the sole reason that he wanted to be the next Harren Hoare. If you were to betroth yourself with Yara, it gives him an opening and that is the last thing we currently need. Perhaps Myranda Royce? They also take pride in the fact their line dates back to the First Men much like your own does here in the North."

Everything looked like it was moving now as he tried to make sense of it all. He had started off in such a good position, but now he was not. Granted, it was still decent, but before he had been in one that would've been difficult to defeat. He wasn't going to get any allies in the Westerland's as all the Lord's and Ladies there probably remembered the last time someone rebelled against Tywin Lannister. He was almost certainly getting the Riverland's through Catelyn and he definitely had the North even if the Northerners didn't know yet. Dorne was neutral, the Stormland's were flocking to Renly or Stannis, Stannis was securing the Crownland's. And he had lost the Reach.

"But Myranda comes from a second tier House. It's not exactly common-"

"It may be the only chance we've got though-"

Then an idea struck him. Almost like it were an arrow he had just noticed before it pierced through his heart. It would be a dangerous move, even if it worked it would be so. The older two were debating back and forth with one another now which left him to his own thought process. What if instead of revealing himself at the height of it all, he did so right at the beginning? That would destroy everyone's plans as the extent of Eddard Stark's betrayal came to light. People would scramble in all directions trying to think of a way to better themselves.

"Lord Howland, ready your best horses. Make sure there are plenty for those who have bonds constrained to the ground. Ser Arthur, send your sister a raven to have the men from Starfall transported here at the soonest possibility. Instead of meeting up with Robb at Riverrun like we were planning on doing so he could bring his grandfather in on it, we will meet up with him on route. If my estimation of time is correct, Robb would've just passed the Twins by then. Or we could ride within the next day or two and meet him at Moat Cailin."

The room went quiet for a few minutes as his words cut through the previous debate which from the way their faces were pinched was likely due to turn into an argument. He wasn't sure who it was that snorted, but this set Arthur off as he immediately tilted his head back and let out a raucous laugh.

"You did listen then, just not to all of it."

His face reddened a little at the words, Howland looking to them both with a quizzical expression, clearly not understanding the byplay between the pair.

"If it's unlikely I can get more allies to my side, I can make it harder for others to get allies. It's the only option I currently have."

The Lord furrowed his eyebrows at the words, but this slowly morphed into one of understanding, and soon he was chuckling under his breath too.

"It'll tear apart the Crownland's and the Reach in one swoop that's for sure. Aside from the Riverland's, that was where most of the loyalists came from. Essentially act as a thorn in their shoes. Only thing is, it may make the Vale look bad due to the familial link. After all, your great however many grandmother was an Arryn."

"Lysa has already doomed the Vale by taking Tyrion. Whilst he is now walking free after my aunts intervention, Tywin won't forget a slight as such. Perhaps we could have Robyn be a page or a squire? Maybe even foster him with someone so it looks like I'm not alienating them?"

That was also a firm possibility, Arthur's words ringing in his ears now. According to his aunt, Robyn was still suckling at his mother's teat which means she will not want to have him out of her sight. Understandable, she believed that the Lannister's had killed her husband. Whilst his Kingsguard doubted it, there was no evidence to the contrary as of yet. Tywin is callous, but he's anything but careless.

"In which case, I had the blacksmith and master of horse make you something. Follow me."

At first, he looked to Arthur, searching his face for if he had any idea. But from the way his teeth noticeably clenched behind his cheeks, he knew that he was kept in the dark too. Following him through the winding corridors and down the many staircases in one of the towers where his room was situated. Exiting out into the courtyard where Meera was throwing spears at targets randomly strung around the area. He couldn't see Jojen anywhere which a part of him was glad about. It's not that he disliked the younger, but he wasn't going to deny that he made him incredibly uncomfortable. A raven had come in from Robb a few days prior with a betrothal offer between Bran and Meera. Whilst it hadn't been agreed on yet, he could tell the Lord was seriously considering the offer.

People were giving him odd looks, something that had become a common occurrence since the truth had come out here regarding him. Some were openly referring to him as King which even now, the title didn't seem right to him. But as succession goes, a son takes over from a father. And a cousin is almost certainly not prioritised over a son unless in truly exceptional circumstances. He ignored it the best he could, but he did give small nods to those who did refer to him as such. Despite the massive status change between them, they were people just like he was, and he wasn't going to be a ruler who didn't care about the smallfolk. If he could manage it, he would have it be so the absolute minimum of blood was shed from those who were innocent in the whole mess.

Howland led them out of the castle and along one of the very thin parts of the crannog the castle was built atop which led to a small building. He could see the embers from the flames within. When they entered, Jaeron spotted Goran hammering down on what appeared to be an axe to shape it into a sharp edge. Him looking up before looking away when he spotted he was there.

"Is it ready yet, Goran?"

The blacksmith put down whatever he was using to hammer the axe into place before walking to the back right corner. Curiosity bubbling up deep within in wonder for what it could be. This was answered soon after as Goran walked over carrying a massive piece of leather with chains covering it. Confusion took over him at this now but when he was close enough to sit it on a saddle holder, he understood immediately what it was.

"My Lord-"

"You're going to need it sooner rather than later. Think of it as a parting gift for when you do leave here."

The sense of wonder increased as he took it in. The leather itself appeared to be of a quality he had seen in Winterfell often, but he could see that aligning the edges were covered in scales which he knew had come from a lizard lion. The saddle itself was as black as the midnight sky, with a lot of deep red trimmings on it to signify the colours of his House. The chains had also been stained black but looking closer, he could see two tiny engravings where they attached to one another. One of a snarling direwolf, and the other a roaring dragon. Fingers tracing along it delicately like it were going to disintegrate at the touch, being able to take in the amount of work this must've taken.

"Do you want to try it out then?"

His head snapped up at this to be faced with Arthur, noticing Goren and Howland had left. How long had he been lost in his thoughts for?

"I don't know if he's ready for a rider yet-"

"In other words you don't feel you're ready."

Yes. There were times where he despised Arthur Dayne, this being one of those times. This time it was his own fault though as he had stated only an hour or so ago that he believed Rhaegon to be of a size where he was rideable. Fear began surging through him as he stared at the contraption in front of him before looking outside where the sky had darkened to the point he could barely see a thing.

"Help me carry this, Ser."

The Knight's eyes widened, it being obvious now he had been japing. If he's going to come forward probably within the next few weeks, he may as well make a grand entrance. They'd already come up with a ruse so that he wouldn't be labelled a deserter, Jeor agreeing to go ahead with it. He'd been surprised when the response had come, considering the Night's Watch is sworn to absolute neutrality. It was a question for another time though. Arthur took one side and he took the other, being genuinely surprised at how lightweight it was. But it was massive, easily twice the size a regular saddle was. Moving towards the main crannog again and then moving to the second conjoined section where the abandoned storehouse lay.

Once they were in the clearing, Jaeron let out a loud whistle. It was silent for a while but it wasn't long until he heard the swooping sound of one or both of them diving. Lyrax blended in amazingly with the night, her scales being almost impossible to see and the grey adorning them just looking like shooting stars due to how fast she was. Rhaegon wasn't as lucky as his sibling in that regard, his scales almost blinding with how bright they were. Almost looking like freshly polished silver. Both landed not long after, both reaching their heads over for petting but this stopped as they noticed what he had and sniffed at it curiously.

Steadily, he walked closer to the one he had bonded with which backed away a little in alarm. Remaining as calm as he could whilst whispering random words to the dragon to try and calm him down. It seemed to work as Rhaegon moved closer to him and lowering his massive head down. Arthur had long since stepped away, him carrying the object awkwardly but he knew the Knight was terrified of the dragons. Not that he could blame the man, because they were dangerous creatures. He was now at his side, still whispering which was steadily turning to commands. He snorted a little and he could feel grey eyes burning deep within from behind like Lyrax were looking through him.

Slowly, the dragon lay flat on the ground and he hooked one side around one of his many spikes. Clearly, someone had gotten close to him to map out where all of them lay- probably Meera or maybe even Aurane when he had been here. He'd need to ask Howland on that. He was still hesitant, something he himself was as his heart was hammering away like a steady drum. It was a bit more difficult to get it across his back, but soon he had moved to the other side and ordering the dragon to stand up. Jaeron wasn't going to deny he was surprised that Rhaegon hadn't done something yet as he was rather unsociable in comparison to Lyrax who lapped up attention like a massive puppy. The front was soon buckled in place and he stepped away for a few minutes in case the dragon reacted badly.

Purple eyes darted to purple eyes for a few seconds, the Knight staying far away in case he got in the crossfire of an angry dragon. It was only when he was certain that he wasn't going to attack that he moved to the side and taking multiple deep breaths. If he was nervous before, that had been amplified by thousands currently. Was he really going to do this? Voices were arguing within his head and he blinked a few times before taking a hold of one of the spikes and began hoisting himself up, using one of the chains to help. It felt like hours had passed before he was seated on the saddle when it likely was only a minute or two. Arthur was staring at him in complete awe now, obviously surprised the dragon had accepted him so easily. Reaching down to grab the chains to strap himself down until he felt he was as secure as he could get.

Gods, he was doing this.

He licked his lips a few times to bring some moisture to them before leaning forward to grip on to two smaller spikes just in front. Closing his eyes and whispering the command to fly. He was shaking now, that was the first thing that broke through. The second thing that did was when Rhaegon stood up normally, not even daring to look down over how high up he must've been. The third time was the strong breeze that came from the beating wings. Taking a deep breath before feeling his stomach drop to the lowest parts of his torso as Rhaegon leapt into the sky. His teeth were clenching the whole time, and his knees were pressing hard to keep steady despite the chains keeping him secure. But that feeling disappeared not long after as he seemingly floated in the sky. It was only then that he dared to open his eyes, and when they did, his mouth dropped open in astonishment. They were easily a hundred feet or more in the air, way above the trees below. He could see the towers of Greywater Watch peeking out from amongst the many leaves and he could see many of the rivers and bogs that made up the Neck. Soon, a large smile was adorning his face before leaning forward again, dragon obeying his rider with no question.

The wind was freezing against his face, in a way that it almost burned but it was also welcoming in a sense. Just feeling the power of the creature below him. Whilst he couldn't see Lyrax, he felt large gusts of wind hitting from above meaning she was flying alongside them. The speed they were travelling was astounding, going as far to the point he could see Drasea below him before turning back so the clearing was directly below. Right now, he felt like he was the only person in the entire world, and he knew it was a feeling he could easily get addicted to. Alas, he couldn't remain so for long, telling the dragon to lower to the ground again. His body jolted upon impact and his eyes were wide in disbelief. Moving to detangle himself from the chains and swinging his leg around to slide down. The moment his feet were on the grass, everything felt like it was spinning and he had to take a few breaths to gain his balance. Looking to face Arthur and much to his shock, Howland, Jyana, Meera, and Jojen stood there all with slackened jaws at what they had just witnessed.

It was definitely time to come forward, now more than ever. He could feel surges of excitement rush through him impossibly quick whilst he freed Rhaegon from the saddle and walking over to the group. It was Howland who dropped the act first as he reached an arm out and promptly pulled him into his side and patting his back in pride. Jojen offered to take the saddle off him which he gladly accepted, not wanting to remain in the company of the boy who seemingly did nothing but stare at him for too long. A wet nose caused him to jump and he looked down to see Ghost at his feet, padding his paws on the ground at the lack of attention. Jaeron kneeling to the ground and tossing his fur around, rolling over for belly tickles which he was more than happy to give. It didn't last for long though as the wolf bounded towards the castle not long after which both Jyana and Meera ran after.

"Fire and blood indeed."