Chapter 3: The Runaway

Jon Snow

Jon was not a planner, a scholar, nor a schemer. The young boy preferred to react and learn from the world around him, so it should have come as no surprise that he didn't have much of a plan yet.

His idea, if it could even be called that, was to hide the dragon in the broken tower for the rest of the day, then sneak out of the gate at night was the best he had. He needed food, a bow, some arrows, a sword, clothes, as much money as he could muster alone, and a flint and steel to start a fire. Everything else he would need to figure out on the road.

His list of supplies thought up, he then began to think about exactly where he was going. He needed someplace that didn't have any people, but had shelter. He needed water, and a place to hunt for food. The good news was that he knew of such a place. The bad news, it was at The Wall… which was half the length of The North away.

When he thought back to his uncle Benjen talking about the Night's Watch, he remembered him saying that several of the castles that lined the wall were abandoned.

Those castles then became Jon's goal, as an abandoned castle would have everything he would need even if it was in disrepair. The problem then became getting there. There was no way he would be able to sneak a horse out without getting caught, which meant he was on foot. While horrible and time consuming, it wasn't impossible.

Ignoring the curious squeaks of the dragon as he stuffed all of his winter clothes he owned into a pack he used once while following his father on a hunt, Jon felt his heart rate increase. Was he really going to do this? Was he running away from his home, his family, his life all because of a dragon?

One quick glance to the dragon and his heart knew the answer.

It's only until the dragon is large enough to fend for itself, then I can come home. I can't let it die.

The main problem right now was that he needed to get the dragon out of his room undetected. He had three main obstacles currently in his way. The most obvious one was that the keep's servants would soon be coming by to clean his room. The bloodied shirt, the eggshells and egg slime, and the baby dragon currently enjoying its meal would all be major problems should they be discovered.

The servants were distracted at the moment, just like everyone else by the red comet. That would not last forever though, as it would be back to business as usual before long.

Quickly taking this small opportunity, Jon made his way out of his room as fast as he could without drawing undue attention to himself. He needed a pack, and he found one in the armory. Getting a few odd glances as he did so, but thankfully not being questioned as he did. Rushing back to his room, he shut the door again. Happy to hear a small chirp but no screams of terror from the servants, he shushed the dragon before he began to clean his room as fast as he could.

Hearing the sound of footsteps outside, his heart stopped as he stood there gawking at the door.

Please gods, I beg of you, don't let someone hear it.

The footsteps faded and he breathed a sigh of relief. Grabbing the bloodied shirt, he realized that the underside of his blanket would remain stained with red streaks from his chest. He was sure all of this panicked movement was reopening the cuts, but with everything going on, he couldn't even feel the pain.

Scooping all of the ruined clothes and eggshells off the bed and into the shirt, he bundled it up as much as he could and stuffed it into the bottom of his dressing chest. It wasn't a good plan, but it was the best he had.

Covering his sheets with the thick furs of his blanket, he almost walked away before a glint caught his eye. His pillow was still covered in egg-slime.

I slept on that? He thought, disgusted with himself. He knew, just knew that his room would stink of death in only a few days, but he didn't have time to dwell on that. With no other options, he simply flipped the pillow over. Despite all that was hidden inside, his room looked just as neat and organized as it normally did… If one ignored the little dragon currently chasing its tail on the floor.

Step one complete, he needed to move on to step two. Getting the dragon to the broken tower for the day, as it was the only place he could think of that would both have a view to the outside and wouldn't be frequented by guards.

Grabbing the empty pack, he felt sorry for what he was about to do. Crouching down and holding it open, the dragon tilted its head in the same way it always did when Jon turned his attention to it. Once again feeling like an absolute fool, he tried talking to it.

"Come on now, we can't stay here. I need you to get in the bag and stay quiet now."

Another head tilt, a quick chirp, and the dragon moved. Sniffing the inside, it began to crawl in. Jon was baffled by this, but he wasn't about to look a gift dragon in the mouth. Picking up the pack, he glanced inside to see the dragon trying to adjust itself to the change in direction.

"Now I need you to stay quiet, please? If anyone finds us out…" he trailed off, not quiet knowing what would happen, but he knew it wouldn't be good.

Metallic silver eyes stared back up at him from the pack, seemingly both fully aware of what he was asking and completely ignorant to the meaning of his words. Not for the first time did he wonder if he was losing his mind as he attempted to assign meaning to an animal's thoughts, but something in him just knew that the little dragon could see through him somehow.

Closing the pack, he heard a chirp of confusion even as he put it on his back. Taking a deep breath, he made his way outside.

"Please stay quiet, please stay quiet, please stay quiet." He whispered under his breath as he made his way down the halls. It wasn't long before he passed another person. It was a servant, one of the many unnamed ones he has seen around the great keep. They were holding a bucket of water, and making their way down the hall.

He has seen this exact thing hundreds of times before, several times a day, but for the first time he felt complete terror. A traitorous thought in his mind told him that This person knows. Even though there was no possible way for that to be the case. It felt like years until the two passed each other in the hall, not saying a word or even sharing a glance as they continued on with their business.

Sighing in relief as the servant rounded a corner, he made his way outside. Despite the fact that he has only been gone for a few minutes, the courtyard was much clearer now. Sure, people were still looking up to the star, but life seemingly waited for no one.

As he made his way through the courtyard, he made for the east gate, which was nearby to the First Keep.

The First Keep was the oldest part of Winterfell, but thankfully just like the broken tower, it was abandoned. Sadly for him though, he needed to walk clear past the guard's hall.

All around him were men with swords and armor baring the snarling direwolf of house Stark, calmly conversing amongst themselves. For all his life, the armed men made him feel safer, but now all he could feel was fear. Feeling his pack shift on his back, Jon was sure his face turned white as he continued on. Praying to anyone that would listen, he kept his composure as he continued on.

Thankfully, he made it to the broken tower without any further trouble. Making his way up the stairs, he glanced around at the most stable of the floors. There was hay and a table, but not much else. The room was dusty, which meant that no one had been up here in quite some time. There was also a window that overlooked the outer wall, giving him a clear view to an open field.

Perfect.

Taking the pack off, he set it down and opened it up. Immediately, the little blue and white dragon crawled out and began sniffing.

Taking a moment to let his heart slow in his chest, Jon laid down onto the scattered hay on the floor. He was exhausted at this point, barely sleeping for multiple days, panicking near constantly, and preparing to run away from the only home he ever knew. This was utter madness, and yet he was committed now's

Jon turned his head and stared in wonder at the creature that was the source of all his troubles. He could hardly believe all this was happening still, but here they were. Taking in a deep breath, he walked over to the little lizard. Picking it up, he sat it on the table in the room. "Alright, I don't know if you can understand me, but I need you to stay here." A head tilt, a chirp, and a snort of smoke was his response. Nonetheless he powered on. "You can't leave this room, but I'll be back for you, I promise." The two stared at each other for a moment, but then Jon began to make his way back towards the stairs slowly after grabbing his pack. Making sure the little dragon didn't follow, he smiled and reiterated, "I will come back to get you. Just, please stay here."

He didn't quite know why it was so difficult to leave the dragon, but he needed to. After all, now all he needed was supplies.

—

He was eating his third serving of venison and assorted vegetables, getting his absolute fill. He already took the whole day to gather supplies without gaining anyone's attention, even being able to find a second pack to hide the dragon from the storeroom while no one was looking. He hid both packs in a random room in the first keep, easily able to grab them on the way to get the dragon.

His mind, while tired from everything, was unable to concentrate on anything else other than the little creature in the broken tower. Thoughts of wolves attacking them on the road, or bears, or wildlings. Yet even through it all, he remained determined.

He couldn't help but think about where this newfound confidence came from. It was as if the dragon's mere existence in his life lit a fire under him, driving him to do something he never would have even considered before.

He wondered what flying felt like. He wondered if the dragon would still be with him when it grew big. He wondered what the wall really looked like. He wondered… he wondered…

Laughter filled the hall, causing Jon to glance back up to the high table. Robb apparently made a joke funny enough to have the rest of them smiling, and yet he was never a part of it.

The love here was not for him, never for him.

Feeling his hands curl into fists, he knew it was time.

Taking one last bite of his third serving, he stood up. Walking out of the hall, he didn't hear even a single pause in their conversation. He knew they loved him, and he loved them in return, but he was always an outsider.

Perhaps he needed this.

Everything was lined up. His coat, supplies, bags, and even the sword he took from the armory were there. Strapping everything to himself, he threw the hood over his head and began to make his way to the broken tower.

The sun was starting to set, and thankfully no one noticed him as he made his way the short distance from the First Keep to the Broken Tower. From there, he once again climbed the stairs to see the little dragon playing with a piece of straw without a care in the world. Hind legs stretched as its wing-arms were crouched, he was sure that the baby dragon thought it looked ferocious. A snort of amusement left him, which drew the lizard's attention.

The moment the little dragon noticed him, it chirped and began flapping its wings rapidly as it happily tried to glide toward him. He could almost see something akin to a fang-filled smile on its face, almost hear how the chirps were joyful just to see him, and almost felt its happiness as if it was his own…

Was this the love that his family felt, or was this something different? For the first time in his life, he truly felt wanted, even if it was from a dragon.

Realizing he didn't have much time, he opened the second pack he brought with him, the one to hold the dragon. Crouching down, he was baffled as the little dragon happily clambered into the sack and curled up inside without even a word uttered on his part.

Jon was honestly confused as to how this dragon seemingly knew what he wanted every time he interacted with it. He truly wished he could talk to someone about this. Luwin would be a good source of information, but to do so would attract attention, and that was something he really didn't need right now.

Tying the dragon-bag to the side of his traveling pack, Jon glanced out of the window. The sun was starting to get low on the horizon, and the red glow from both the sunset and the comet was casting the entire world in a strange red glow.

This is it. He thought before turning to the stairs. He felt determined, brought on by the dragon he carried hidden on his person. Oh if only he could ask someone about this… about any of this.

Stepping out into the darkened yard below the broken tower, he made his way to the gate, his heart once again pounding in his chest. One small cheep or squeal from the dragon now, and it was all over. It seems like he was in luck, as the guards at the gate were preoccupied dealing with an unruly horse that did not wish to sit still. While they were distracted with that, some of the servants and workers who lived in winter town were leaving to go home for the night.

Slipping in behind some of the kennel staff, all of which looked far more bedraggled than he did, he tried his best to look inconspicuous. One step at a time, he walked forward, hoping against hope that none of the men noticed or recognized him. He wasn't dressed the way he normally would be, with heavy gray furs surrounding his admittedly small body. He looked every bit like a hunter returning to the Wolfswood so long as you didn't look too hard. He just prayed that they didn't notice that he didn't have a horse, only the supplies he took and a bag that held a mythical creature within.

He realized after he passed under the gate that all this deception and sneaking was all getting easier. The more people he passed that didn't know, the more confidence he gained. It wasn't long before he passed into winter town, and he glanced around. It was still summer, so the town wasn't overly populated at the moment, but even after the sun went down there were still many smallfolk all standing out in the streets staring up at the red comet.

Feeling the pack shift by itself behind him, he started to walk a bit faster towards the King's Road. He knew that he wouldn't make good time on foot, but it wasn't like he had another option so he did not dwell on that. Glancing back to Winterfell, he felt a tear fall from his eye. He truly did wish he could have said goodbye.

Eddard Stark

The Warden of the North's day started much like any other.

Breaking his fast with his family, he then made his way to his solar where he began to get the affairs of the day in order. Reading over grain stores of the keeps, a report of a small wildling group being dealt with, and an idle mention of Crown Prince Joffery's nameday celebration were also here, but nothing overly pressing.

Then his door burst open, and Ser Rodrik and an extremely worried Robb ran in. His eyes were red, showing that the boy was crying.

Confused as to why his normally cocksure son would be so upset, let alone in his solar with Ser Rodrik, Eddard stood up from his seat and made his way around the desk. "What's going on?"

The stoic lord felt ice fill his veins and his heart skip a beat at what his master-at-arms said next.

"Jon's missing, and there's blood in his room."

-Author's Note-

And now Jon's on the road! Let's all go on a road trip to the wall!

I'm sure everything will be fine, and that this thirteen year old's plan of running away and casually walking half a continent will not backfire immediately.

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