Jon
2 weeks. Nearly 2 weeks he'd been sat on this hulking mass of muscle and power. He'd had a couple of respites whenKireinahad mercy on his (and probably hers) aching body by gently landing on the surface of the ocean and just floating there for a couple of hours, allowing them both to stretchtheirstiff muscles and rest. He was slightly worried the first time she'd done it, concerned that any manner of sea creature could attack and hurt her. But his concerns were unwarranted, the first time she landed on the sea it was quiet and nothing bothered them but the second time was when a certain giant squid decided to get freshwithher.
The thing was fucking huge in comparison to some of the other squid he'd seen in his time but it still didn't make a difference toKireina. She'd managed to grab hold of it between her massive jaws. At first, he was worried the squid was actually choking her as it wrapped its appendages around her head and neck but it wasn't the case for the unfortunatethingas she proceeded to blast a massive hole through its entire face with her breath. Its body went limp andKireinamunched down on squelching noises as she chewed the odd sea creature were rather disturbing to say the least.
But that was the pattern of the last fortnight, fly for god knows how many hours, and rest for a couple of hours at intervals. He had to admit,Kireinahad to be making great time on this journey. He only had to look out totheoceanwhile they were flying to see just how quick they were difference between his voyage here and his return ondragonbackwas startling. He realisedKireinagave him a lot more freedom than he originally thought.
Maybe we could take a trip to Essosone afternoon or see the wall from above?
The possibilities were endless.
Mind you, he still had things to do before he really stretched his adventuring legs, and at the top of the agenda was his mother.
If push came toshove,he would have to force it out of his father. Enough fucking around with secrets and"when the time is right"bullshit excuses. He would be doing his own digging around at first, putting little bits and pieces ofinformationtogether that had either been worked out, like the smidge ofvalyrianblood in his system orincessantrumours he had heard when he was growing up. One in particular popped up quite a few times in his childhood and at times he wanted to believe them.
He remembers planning an escape so that he could finally reach his mother but common sense kicked in before he attempted to make a very long and unrealistic journey for a9 year old, that and the fact that Robb grassed on him.
Thoughts of Robb made him all warm inside, unable to stop the easy smile growing on his wind battered face as they stormed along at a great speed. Thoughts of Robb merged into thoughts of all his siblings, he loved them all to death and missed them dearly, even Sansa who was somewhat cold with him he missed. She was his baby sister, he would always love and protect her, all of them.
Wonder if any of them are betrothed? Wonder if Robb has gotten married? Wonder if Arya is still anannoyinglittle rascal? Wonder if LadyCatelyn'smellowed the fuck out since heleft?...probably not.
He shook his head in the breeze huffed out a laugh. He'd hopefully be finding out all of this in the next coming months. He had somesnoopingand sneaking to do in regards to information about his mother and it would all start at the opposite end of the country to the North.
And hopefully end if the rumours were in fact true.
'You'remaking my head hurt with all that thinking Jon.'CameKireina'sexasperatedvoice in his mind.
He smiled as he ran his hand down her back in the hopes of soothing her.'Sorry, just anxious to get started that's all. So manyquestions that need answering, hopefully the effort will be worth it in the end.'He replied.
The motions he was making with his hand on her smooth scales seemed to be calming her somewhat and a pleased purr reverberated through her chest. A thoughtpoppinginto his head that had to be addressed.
'We'regonnahave to be careful with youKireina.'He said.
'What do you mean?'She asked.
'Westeros think that dragons are extinct. The first glimpse of you andthey'regonnaeither try to hurt you or spread the information that you exist to all corners of the country, including King's Landing. We'll end up being wanted and hunted.'He explained.
'Let them hunt us, I'llfuckingkill them all if they touch you!'Kireinaroared through their bond.
Jon smiled athowoverprotective she was overhim, probably how a mother would be with her children.
He shook himself from them thoughts before he fell down that rabbit hole.
'We should be alright, you just need to keep a low profile. That would involve being high in the sky a lot of time, thankfully through our bond wecanessentiallystill be together. Out of sight but not out of mind if you will.' He explained.
'Also, who taught you that naughty word? You shouldn't be swearing young lady.'He joked.
'You'rea bad influence.'She answered as she huffed. He just chuckled.
The air around them was slowly but surely getting cooler as they dipped through the clouds to check to see what was below. The build-up of moisture within the clouds soakedKireinaand him through and when they emerged from the cloud, they realised why, it was chucking it down with rain.
"Fucking brilliant, I'm bloody soaked." He grumbled to himself as he wiped his face in an effort to clear his face. He expected a retort fromKireina, telling him to stop complaining or to stop swearing but all he got in return was silence.
It would seem she was too busy observing something to care about his moaning and a few moments later she confirmed his belief.'Look, in the distance...do you see them?'She asked as she seemed to pick up pace to reach whatever itwasshe could see.
He had to squint a bit but after a few seconds he could indeed see what she saw.
Out in the distance on the horizon he could just about make out a few shapes. As they flewcloser,he worked out that they were in actual factseparatedbits of land, islands if you will.
'We need to get above theclouds before anybody on those islands sees us, if there is anybody on them that is.'He explained toKireinawho proceeded to rise back up through the rainclouds, in turn soaking them through again. Jon wasn't bothered about that anymore though, he was more interested in what they'd just found.
The little breaks in the clouds here and there allowed himto get a couple of glimpses of the oncoming islands. There was one to the right and one to the left. The one on the left was a lot bigger than the one on the right and seemed to be made up of small mountains. Theredidn't seem to be anything exceptionally awe inspiring about these islands and the weather just seemed to make them look even more miserable.
'Can you see anything interestingKireina? I'm struggling at the moment.'He asked. Maybe she could see something of worth.
'Not much to look at Jon. There's someodd lookingbuildings built on some narrow rocks coming up to your right but apart from that, no,there's nothing interesting at all here.'She said to him, even she sounded disappointed in what they found. Jon was currently racking his brain on where they could possibly be.
After a few moments of flying high he made out the narrow rocks to his right that she'd mentioned just then.
She was right, therewerebuildings on top of these rocks. In fact, they weren't just buildings, they were castles. Castles on each one of the rocks and they seemed to be connected by thin bridges if his eyes didn't deceive him.
He was positive he'd heard about these castles from somewhere, somethingMaesterLuwintaught them as a kid or from a book he'dread himself perhaps...
Fucking Pyke.
The bloody IronIslands.
Images ofEuronGreyjoy's face flashed through his mind as he tried to control himself from not going straight down there and fucking shit flashed through his mind as well, the one most noteworthy being the image of hundreds ofsoldierslining up just to have theprivilegeof spitting on the decapitated head oftheirEmperor.
That helped. That helped calm him.
They were both silent as they passed over the piss stained islands, with a start he realised that if these were indeed the Iron Islands then they actually back in Westeros and more specifically, just off the west coast of theRiverlands.
Wherehis biggest fan was from...
He needed to confirm this, he needed to know that beyond these islands was the mainland, he needed to know so he could plan accordingly.
'We need to pick up the pace a littleKireina. If my hunch is correct then these right here are the Iron Islands and just beyond them should in fact be the mainland.'He told her.
'I thought the North was all hills and snow, not anything like this. Is the rest so gloomy and miserable?' She inquired. She sounded a little excited at the prospect of new land to explore.
'Aye the North is all green fields and snow-capped hills but these right here are the Iron Islands, probably the least appeasing place in the seven kingdoms. This is actually where that cuntEuronoriginated from. If his loyal army hadn't taken the head with them to parade around to all the towns, I would have dropped thethingright in the courtyard of Pyke.'He explained.
Kireinahuffed, probably the closest thing Jon would hear to a dragon laughing. They bolted higher up into the sky to avoid detection from any eagle eyedironborn, the last thing they needed was somebody already blabbering on about a dragon sighting.
'Remember, you'll have to stay out of sight if you can. A sighting of you willjeopardisethis entire trip and would probably have the crown trailing our backs. The news of a dragon inwesteroswould probably get the royalfamily moist at the thought of claiming you.' He explained. TheTargaryenswould no doubtsend endlessamounts of scouts throughout the realm and reward anybody who helped them captureKireina.
She's mine, theycan get fucked.
They could all get fucked.
He wouldn't be putting up with any of these spoilt brats that call themselves lords and ladies. They could try to demean him or slight him based on his bastardry but it'd be like water off a duck's arsehole with him...duck's back? He shook his head, he wasn't 100% sure of the saying. He was sure of one thing though. The nobles won't know what hadhitthem.
'Bear to your rightKireina...we need to be heading south.'Was all that was said.
Ned
Ned rubbed his eyes as the last of the ravens were written, a call to all his northern bannermen that one Ramsey Snow, natural son of Roose Bolton was wanted on the charges of kidnapping, rape, murder and flaying of, according to Lord Varys, 13 different women. A bounty was put on the man'shead in the chance that the monster would be dealt with swiftly.
A raven had been sent to Lord Bolton inquiring whether or not the man knew of his son's actions. The letter he received back was cold and straight to the point in denying his acknowledgement of hisbastards'actions. Ned wasn't sure whether or not to believe the man.
"Jory!" He shouted as he gathered up the sealed scrolls in a pile.
Hiscaptainof the household guard stepped through the door to his solar "Yes Lord Stark?" He asked.
"Can you get these toMaesterLuwin" He said as he handed over the scrolls "They'readdressed to allthe houses in thenorth, the faster we find this Ramsey Snow the better." He replied.
Jory nodded "At once, Lord Stark." said the man as he exited the solar and closed the door.
He leant back in his chair, the creak of it filling the silent room. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought over the recent events that had transpired. So many things he had to think about that had occurred during the last week of theTargaryen'sstay,they'dbeen gone a month now but it was still fresh in his mind.
The Sword in the Morning, Ser Arthur Dayne was the first thing that came to mind. AfterseeingSerArthur'scold attitude towards him and the very frosttalkhe'd had with the man, he was still completely lost as to why thehewas so mad with him.
Flashback...
He nodded to the famousKingsguard, oftenreferredto as the greatest swordsman in the realm. The manside eyedhim and carried on looking forward as if Ned wasn't even there.
"Ser Arthur." He nodded as he attempted to greet the man. He was answered with silence.
"May we have a quick chat, I'd like to get something off my chest." He asked as SerArthurjust looked at him for a few moments before giving him a curt nod.
"Ican'thelp butnotice a sense ofenmity from you when it concerns me. I'm not sure what it is that has caused this but I have it my right to at least know whyyou despise me so much. Maybe then I can work to fix whatever the problem is that you have with me." He asked, hoping that he didn't come across as hostile.
The Knight silently regarded him for a moment before speaking up "I heard what happened to your son, unfortunate set of circumstances if you ask me. You have to wonder though,what forced him to choose alife away fromyou." The man coldly replied.
Ned turned to the man in confusion "I'm not sure what my son has to do with you hating me." He said. The mention of Jon worrying him a little, especially from the mouth ofRhaegar'sshadow.
The knight ignored his query "Some might think his upbringing andtreatment waswhat made the boy snap andchoose a life out there on his own instead. I imagine Lady Stark wasn't the worst affected by theboy'sdeparture."
Ned felt his ire rising at the implication of him not being able to handle his own household "Yes, my son was treated a little less favourably around some peoplebutthat had nothing to do with his family, he's always been loved by his brothers and sisters. Granted Lady Stark could have been a little moreacceptingwith the lad but a part of me couldn't be mad at her, I'd dishonoured her when I claimed Jon and brought him back to Winterfell. She could have forced him out, sent to live somewhere else but she didn't because I asked her not to make me choose." He finished, somewhat annoyed with himself that he'd even entertained to answer the man's subtle jab.
The knight regarded him with a frosty gaze "Maybe youshould'vestuck to yourmarriagebed then Lord Stark. Maybe youshould'vehonoured the woman by marrying her before siring a child on her. Maybe all thiscould'vebeen avoided."
What the fuck did any of this have to do with the man's clear hatred of him?
"I appreciate the advice on how to run my household Ser Arthur butI'mstill not sure what any of this has to do with the problem you have with me." He replied in a cold tone.
The knight seemed to smirk at that, like angering him was some sort of game he'd just succeeded in "Let's just say, you're not that much different from that pig I slaughteredon the Trident." The man seemed to sneer out.
Pig he slaughtered?...The Trident?...Robert.
How was he no different from Robert?
He really was confused now "What has Robert got to do with this?" He growled out. Ser Arthur didn't look effected in the slightest.
The knight turned to him with the coldest look he'd seen from the man to date "You'll never know, you don't get to know, you don't deserve to know." The knight sneered and walked off.
That entire conversation he'd had with Ser Arthur occurred roughly a month ago and he was still having sleepless nights, racking his brain to work out what in the world the man was talking about. At least when he woke up in the middle of the night, he wasn't waking his wife up in theprocess,fatchance of that happening with her sleeping in her own room.
The argument he'd had with her a few days before theTargaryenswere set to depart back to King's Landing was the cause of that. Turned out his wife was in fact trying her hardest to pair Robb up with the PrincessRhaenysand when Robb told her of hiswishes,she blamed Ned. She blamed him for not wanting the best for his son and for letting him settle for some daughter of one of his bannermen and not for the most eligible girl in the course,she'd never said any of this in front of Robb, she was happy that her son was in loveandsubsequently betrothed toLadyAlysafter LordKarstarkhad replied to his and Robb's letters and agreed to the match.
The problem she had was that Ned had encouraged it. That he should have been more suggestive to their son ofhisduty and what was best for House Stark. That love was a beautiful thing but it didn't go hand in hand with duty. Ned wondered if there was some warped thinking going through his wife's mind, almost as if she was suggesting that their marriage was nothing but duty.
The shouting and arguing didn't make a difference to her manoeuvring in the end, the betrothal between Robb and LadyAlyswas made official and theTargaryensdeparted Winterfell blissfully unaware of the massive Catelyn Stark shaped headache they'd causedhim.
His wife for a month now had been cold and bitter towards him, a feeling he had17 years ago towards a certain silver haired prince. A feeling he now knew was nothing but naïve bitterness and immaturity towards the royal family and he was now ultimately regrettinghisactions greatly. Actions he couldn't take back less he pay dearly for it.
Turns out the Royal family were actually decent human beings. The two princesses were kind, witty and easy to talk to, Queen Elia seemed like one of the sweetest ladies he's ever met and KingRhaegarwas kind and understanding. The pair of them seemed to be caring and loving parents to their daughter and even Princess Daenerys. Nothing like he expected from the family thatbroughtthe likes ofMaegorthe Cruel, Aegon the Unworthy and last but not least,Aerysthe Mad King.
It was too late now though, he couldn't take back the things that he'd done. Jon was gone and had been gone for quite a while now, he just hoped to god he was still alive and was living the life he wanted. It was the least he could wish forthe lad after he'd taken so much from him.
There was a knock on his solar door that broke him from his thoughts.
"Come in!" He shouted. The door opened up and revealed Jory.
"The ravens have been sent my me these scrolls he'd just retrieved from the rookery." Jory said as he handed him 4 scrolls.
"Thankyou Jory, you may leave." He said. Jory nodded and exited his solar to take his spot right outside the door.
Ned rubbed his chin as he looked down at the scrolls, he was hoping he wasdone for the day when it came to correspondences but alas it wasn't meant to be.
He read through 2 of the scrolls, both were just simple requests for extra farm hands and builders for some of the surrounding keeps he'd commissioned to be rebuilt but the last 2 scrolls were the ones that were more disturbing. The first was a report of a missing woman who'd been travelling from White Harbour toHornwood. The woman and her husband had a 4-man escort for their journey tothere, the husband managed to escape within an inch of his life but the 4 guards had been murdered and ripped apart by hounds and his wife had been knocked out and kidnapped. The man wasn't sure but he thinks the criminals actually allowed him to escape,to tell people what he saw. That was a disturbing letter.
The next was even worse.
It was a letter from son, LordHarrionand his daughter, LadyAlyshad not yet returned home from their visit to Winterfell to confirm the betrothal between Robb andhis daughter.
They'd departed from Winterfell nearly a moon ago...
Rhaegar
He looked around the room of the small council and greeted his lords as he made his way to the head of the table to take his seat. Ser Gerold and Ser Arthur took their places at the dooras he sat down in his chair, the rest of the council following his action.
He nodded acrossto the opposite side of the table to his hand to commence proceedings.
Jon Connington, Lord of Griffin's Roost, Hand of the King and dear friend rose to his feet and cleared his throat.
"I would like to thank all of you forjoining the King andI to the very first council meeting of the year, the 3rdcentenary of Aegon theConqueror'scoronation." He said proudly.
"I think the best way to start the meeting off would be an updateon celebratory tourney we shall be having tocommemoratethis occasion, Lord Baelish?" His hand said as he looked at the Master of Coin.
The slender man smiled at Jon, a smile that failed to reach his eyes "Thank you, Lord Hand. The preparations for the tourney aregoing through as we expected. The prize money for the winners has been decided and placed to one side and the ravens to all the major and minor houses have been sent to inform them of such an event. With all being said and done, the tourney should take place in 2 months as requested by his grace." Lord Baelish finished as he bowed his head to his King.
The Hand nodded his head and looked around the table, this gaveRhaegarthe chance to speak with his Lord of Whispers.
"Lord Varys, what news do we have?" He asked. His Master of Whispers had an incredible talent for collectinginformation, even things nobody had any right knowing. It was a useful tool to have on his side, scary but useful.
The eunuch bowed his head in reverence "Your Grace,my little birds have been singing some rather peculiar songs at this time." Varys said as he pulled his hand frombeneaththe sleeve of his robe and placed a few opened scrolls on the table.
"A few scrolls suggesting betrothals between their son's and either of the Princesses, nothing new there. An interesting one from Lord Tywin, apparently a few lords and sailors inandaround theWesterlandshave either seen or heard rumours of a large beast in the clouds passing overhead. Some are saying it looked like a griffin or some sort of large bird, and some are even saying it could have been a dragon. Lord Tywin has made it clear that if it was one person reporting it, he wouldn't have wasted his time writing to us but there have been nearly 100 reports of the sighting." His Master of Whispers said withoutan ounce of humour in his face. He was sure the odd man was japing.
His Master of Ships, LordAuraneWaters butted in and laughed "Just a bunch of drunkards seeing what they want to see, nothing more. Honestly surprised you even brought thisup, LordVarys." The Bastard ofDriftmarksaid. The man was very good at his job but was incredibly full of himself, the endless amount of times he could be seen trying to charm his sister was proof of that.
Lord Varys spoke up "I'm the Lord of Whispers, LordAurane. If Iweren'tlistening to the whispers then I wouldn't be doing my Jobproperlywould I?" He replied.
"There'sa difference between whispers andfairy talesLord Varys."Auranereplied with a smirk.
"And there also happens to be a difference between bastards and Princesses LordAurane. Wouldn't you agree?" The Lord of Whispers replied, turning his Master of Ships smirk into a scowl.
He needed this childish argument to be over already "Alright! You've both said your piece." He said as both of the men had the decency to look down in shame. "Lord Varys, tell the lords who have requested the hand of my daughter or sister for their son'sthat the Princesses are not currently looking for suitors and that when the timecomes,they will be taken into consideration." He said.
"As for the sightings and rumours of this'beast', tell Lord Tywin that if there are any more sightings of it from him or any of his bannermen, he should inform us and we'll send men to confirm it. Chances are LordAuraneis correct and it's just a couple of fools playing tricks on Lord Tywin. More fool them." He finished as Lord Varys nodded his head. With the King agreeing with him, LordAuranesmirked.
He looked at his Master of Ships "LordAurane, what news do have?"
The man cleared his throat "Not much your grace, the royal fleet is in pristine condition and has been making trips through the narrow sea to keep an eye out for potential problems. Other than that, it's been rather quiet...oh,I almost forgot, a ship with Martell sails was spotted a few miles out from King's Landing at the break of dawn your grace. I'm not sure ofitsoccupantsyet but I will get back to you with that in good time." The man finished.
"No need, I already know who is on that ship. Rooms for mybrother, PrinceViserysand his brother-in-law, PrinceQuentynwill be required for when they arrive, could you see to that for me Jon?" He asked.
The Hand of the King nodded his head "Not a problem your Grace."
"Good." He looked around the table "Any morenews for me?" He asked.
"Ah yes, the Crown Prince was looking for you your grace. He's a rather proud father right now and wants to show off his daughter to you." Jon said with a chuckle.
Rhaegarsmiled. Aegon and his wife, Princess Margaeryunexpectedly turned up from Dragonstone 2 days ago along with their beautiful month-old daughter, PrincessAlysanneTargaryen. A head of wispy silver hair, bright blue eyes and a cute button nose, littleAlysannewas the talk of the keep the past 48 hours andRhaegarcouldn't be a prouder grandfather right now.
Elia had talked about the news of their son's first childnonstopwhen they all arrived back from their northern visit. She wanted to go visit instead of waiting for the new parents to appear in the capital but the gods must have been listening because later that very day, the new little family had arrived at the Red Keep along with SerBarristanand Princess Margaery's brother and newly appointedKingsguard, Ser Loras.
To say Elia was ecstatic to see her granddaughter would be an understatement, the look of awe on his wife'sfaceand the endless cooing at every little detail of the little angel had not failed to put a smile on everybody'smushin the Red Lord Varys who was either a brilliant mummer or was actually capable of showing human emotionswas caught smiling.
"I'll visit with them now if that's morenews or am I free to see my granddaughter?" He said as he looked around the council room's table. He was answered with shakes of the head and took that as a no.
With that he stood from his chair with the rest of the council following suit. He nodded his head at the occupants of the room as they bowed their head in reverence and briskly made his way out of the council room towards his son's chambers, closely followed by Arthur and Gerold.
He heard them both chuckle as they just about kept up with his increased pace. When he looked over his shoulder to see what they found so funny they covered up their laughter with coughs. He just shook his head at them with a smile on his face and carried on heading towards the Royal wing of the keep.
Ser Barristan and Ser Loras were waiting outside his son's chambers when they arrived.
"Sers. I hear my son has requested an audience with me, is he inside?" He asked as both knights smiled and nodded their heads in confirmation.
"Yeshe is,yourgrace, along with Princess Margaery and PrincessAlysanne." Ser Barristan confirmed.
"Is the Queen not in there also? She's been rather attached since they arrived." He chuckled.
"She is not, your Elia is currently in the RoyalGardens with PrincessRhaenys, LadyOlennaand LordWillas." SerBarristananswered.
I wonder what that's about?He mused.
He nodded his head and turned to Ser Gerold "You may return to Queen Elia and retake up your guard of her since the small council meeting has ended. You know Ser Arthur will always be enough to take care of me." He said as theoldbullbowed his head and presumably made his way to the Royal Gardens.
He knocked on the door andannouncedhimself before entering Aegon's chambers. The first thing he noticed was Aegon looking up at him, sat behind his desk with an open book sat in front of him.
"Hello father, what a lovely surprise. What brings you here this fine afternoon?" Aegon or Egg as everybody called him said with a grin on his face.
"Hello son. Well,yousee, the Hand of the King informed me that the Crown Prince was looking for me so Iseekedyou out as soon as the council meeting was over...but I think we both know whyI'mhere." He said with a smile.
Egg copied his smile with one of his own "Aye, I think I do. My wife and daughter arecurrently takinga nap in the bedchambers and nursery respectably,soyou'll have to be quiet when we enter." He the proud look on his son's face at the mention of his new budding family.
He nodded as Egg got up from his desk and made his way towards the nursery door, he looked over his shoulder atRhaegarand put his finger on his lips as he slowly and quietly creeped the door open. His son entered the room and he followed him inside.
At the opposite side of the room was the beautiful crib him and Elia had gifted the new parents when the pregnancy wasannounced and inside was the most precious angel in the world.
Little PrincessAlysannewas blissfully asleep in her crib, her small chest moving up and down with each breath and a tiny snore madeRhaegarmelt internally.
He looked up at Egg "She's a trueTargaryenangel son, you should be very proud, the both of you should." He said as he nodded his head towards the bedchamber Margaery was currently sleeping in. "Iwon'tdisturb her now but I want another hold later on." He said as his son smiled and nodded his head.
"You'll have to get in line I'm afraid,I'vealreadyhad promises of cuddles frommother and everybody else under the sun." Egg said as they both exited the nursery.
He put his arm around his son's shoulders, only justthough. Aegon was now the same height as him. "Everyoneis in high spirits over the birth of your daughter, a new Princess of the 'san exciting time to be a Targaryen son,whoknows what the future will bring."
An exciting time indeed.
Jon
The air around them was dry and humid and had been that way for a few hours now. The bearskincloak that he'd had commissioned by a seamstress inKochihad been discarded and packed away with the rest of his belongings due to the heat, even without the cloak he could still feel his tunic sticking to his back. The appreciated breeze that came with the honour of flying was still not enough to counter act against the sun beating down on him.
Dorne. They must be in Dorne. The lush greens and multitude of colour they'd flown over could have only been The Reach but the greens had become sparseamongstthe landscape, the only colour being the reds and whites of the sand below them.
They'd been flying nonstop for the entire day in an attempt to make good time on getting to their been flying the fastest she'd ever flown with Jon on her back, either she was trying to impress him, which was working or she was as keen to get to where they were going as much as him.
At this moment in time, the sun had begun to set and the cool air of the night had begun to creep in. Stretching his arm towards and into his bag, Jon grabbed his cloak and wrapped it around his shoulders. He still marvelled at the excellent job the seamstress had done with the bear pelt he'd provided her with, not only wasitwarm but it was also functionalin casehe ever found himself in a fight or on the run.
Looking down towards the ground, Jon noticed the river they'd been following the past few hours getting wider and wider with every mileKireinaate up. He hoped and prayed this was the right river they were following, that this was in fact theTorentineriver that wouldultimatelylead him to the castle he was seeking out.
Starfall. The home of his mother if therumourswere true. The home of oneAsharaDayne.
On their journeyhere,he'd thought of what he would say the moment he clocked eyes with her, those haunting violet eyes that were whispered about around Winterfell. Would he become speechless? Would he fumble with his words as he tried to take in every detail about the woman? Awomanhe'd only dreamt of before now.
Would she welcome him with open arms orscorn? Would she answer hisquestions and more specifically, would she answer the question he'd always wanted toknow...
Why did you leave me?
He shook his head, he was getting way ahead of himself. She might not even be my mother. This was just the first step in trying to find out who his mother was and assuming the first step would be the only step would be naïve.
Where do I go if sheisn'tmy mother though?
The only thing he knew was that he was born in Dorne, people had whispered it, Lord Stark had confirmed it to him when he asked...it was the least the man could do.
He'd whittled it down to a certain time frame and desperately hopedhewascorrect. If he was, it would make this a lot easier. In the rebellion, Lord Eddard Stark had departed from King's Landing after KingRhaegarhad taken control of the and some of his menwent to Dorne to retrieve his sister who,unfortunately,hadperished from some sort of feverwhen they got there, something Lord Stark had always been closed up fact, thewhole situation involving his aunt was clouded in mystery.
Hewould then travel back to King's Landing with his sister's bones to show to the King and Queen who, it turned out, had marriedLyannaStark. Depart by boat from the capital, arrive at White Harbour and travel back to Winterfell.
Somy mother was either in Dorne or residedin betweenWhite Harbour and Winterfell...
FUCK!...He thought as he slammed his fist down on his thigh.
He huffed with frustration. Why couldn't Lord Stark just tell him? What the fuck was so hard about that?Itwould make it all so much easier for everybody involved.
All he knew was that as soon as he had sufficient evidence and research, he'd be throwing the whole fucking lot into Lord Stark's face and watching closely for the cracks to emerge, giving him the chance to smash through them and into the truth. One thing was for certain,if he didn't know who his mother was already,he wouldn't be leaving Winterfell withoutthe truth.
As dusk turned to night, the darkness came with it. The reflection of the moon on the river guiding them to speed up in her already blistering pace, intrigue whispered in the back of his mind through their bond. He noticed what she was so interested in a few moments later.
An Island. And more specifically on that island was the castle he hoped was Starfall.
The real question was how the fuckwashe going to approach without causing a scene. The last thing he wanted was mass hysteria when he was trying to be as discreet as possible.
They'd have to land on the outskirts of the river and camp out for the night,thenearly next morning he'd have to go and find a crossing or a boat to get over there. Yes, that sounds like the best idea.
And so that is what he did. After landing and making up a little camp for the night,Kireinaset off to have a little nosey around her new surroundings with the instruction of keeping out of sight as best as possible. The moment she was spotted that was it, they were done and would probably be hunted down by every fucker with a hunger for glory and a death wish.
Not much trouble was found through the night, an intrigued wild animal here and there was about the worst of it. Itwasn'tlong before the sun was rising on his face and he was being woken from his fitful sleep. It wasn't that he wasuncomfortable, quite the contrary. A solid ground to sleep on for the first time in weeks was a god send. No, he found it hard to sleep because of what he could be learning today. Today could possibly be the day he met his mother.
After fully waking up and having a wash in the river for the first time in 2 weeks he packed up his cloak he'd slepton and madehis way towards the small docks that were further up the river. His sword belt and swords were tied around his waist in the walk up there and he came to realise that he may find a backstrap to hold his swords would be more ideal when moving about,itmight be more ideal in general.
He arrived at the rather quiet dock and approached a man who was clearly selling the service of ferrying people to and from Starfall.
The man bolted up from his seat when he saw Jon approaching "Ah, friend, how can I help you on this fine morning?" The balding man asked in athichdornishaccent. His cheery tone annoying Jon to the core this early on in the morning.
He was in no mood forpleasantriesand got straight to the point "How much to cross the river to Starfall?"
The man rubbed his chin as he eyed Jon's person, eyes lingering on the swords around his waist "A dragon." The fool dared to ask for.
"A dragon?! I'm notpaying that!" He answered in annoyance.
The daylight robber had the nerve to grin "Those aremy prices, take it or leave it. You could swim...or even fly, that way you wouldn't get wet." The man finished as he laughed at his own joke.
"Don'ttempt me."He whispered under his breath.
"What was that?" The man said.
"Nothing. Listen, I'll give you 20 stags." He said.
The man laughedand, in the process,broke anypatienceJon had with him "No." The man rubbed his chin pretending to be in deep thought. "50 stags." Hecounteroffered.
Jon was getting annoyed, it was too early for this kind of shit. He realised he'd make a shit salesman, he just didn't have the patience forit"30 stags and Iwon'tcut you in half." He growled out.
The man's smile fell and he looked down from Jon's face and to his hands that were resting on each of his swords.
The man put his hands up indefence"Nownow, no need for trouble. I'm just trying to earn an honest living." The man admitted.
He was done with this whole conversation and just wanted to get across the river "20 stags now." He said as he handed the coin over "And 20 stags when we get there. Do we have a deal?" He asked.
The man seemed to release a breath when Jon had finished talking "That suits mefine my friend." He said as he saluted Jon and motioned for him to follow him on to his small boat.
The journey across was quiet, it would seem Jon had spooked the man and turned him into a mute. The closer they got to Starfall the more awed he was at its appearance.
The castle looked like it was part of the island itself. White stone walls and tall towers made up the most ofitsstructure, the tallest of which must have been the famousPalestoneSwordTower.
As they made their way around the island,he realised the island did in fact have a bridge that connected it to the mainland. He looked across to the man who was ferrying him and he had the decency to look away.
"I supposeit'smy own fault for not looking properly." He said as the man gave him a smile.
"Happens to the best of us friend." The sailor replied as they approached the docks. As soon as the boat came to astophe got up from his seat and handed him the 20 stags he promised. The man thanked him and seemed to hang around in the hopes of finding more custom for his return journey.
Jon was too busy to notice whether or not he was successful as he was approached by two guards wearing dark purple robes.
"State yourbusinesstraveller." Oneof the guards said whilst the other eyed his swords. Straight to the point, he liked their style.
"I would like to request an audience with LadyAshara." He answered.
Both the guards chuckled at the request "What makes you think we'd grant you that request?" One of them said in a thickdornishaccent.
He knew it wouldn't have been that easy "BecauseI'mgetting into Starfall one way or another and Iimagine you'd rather it be because you granted my request and not because your shit at your job." He replied without a hint of humour.
The guards looked at each other and one nodded to the other before one of them seemed to walk back up to the castle. Him and the other guard stood there in silence as they both seemed to sus one another out.
Jon broke the silence after 5 minutes.
"How long you been doing this?" He asked in his attempt at small talk. He didn't care how long this random man had been a guard that's for certain, why would he?
His only response was a grunt as the guard looked back up towards the castle, probably hoping his friend would save him from the stranger asking him odd questions.
"Do you think he got lost?" He asked. He was clearly making the manuncomfortableand he couldn't for the life of him care. Thankfully, based on theman's sigh of relief,the guardhadn'tgot lost and was making his back down to them.
"LadyAsharahas granted you an audience but your weapons have to be handed over." The returning guard said.
He eyed the preciousdragonsteelblades and looked back at the guards "I accept. Butif steal them, damage them or inany waymess around with them and don't worry I'll know, you'll regret it." He warned as he handed over the blades. The guards eyed the odd swords with genuine interest.
The journey to the castle was quick, he got a fewintriguinglooks here and there but overall it was very uneventful. The guards were quiet all the way there and it wasn't long before he was being escorted to a solar inside the main keep. The main keep itself was very neat and pristine, white stone andtapestries of House Dayne'ssigilof a shooting star and swordadorning the walls. Jon was broken from his thoughts when they stopped in front of a pair of white painted doors.
Is this it? Is this the moment I meet my mother for the first time?
One of the guards knocked on the door "...", the guard turned to him "What's your name?" He asked.
"Jon, Jon Snow." He replied. He had no reason to lie.
The guard spoke up so theoccupantsof the room could hear him "Jon Snow is here forhis audience he requested my Lady."
The door was ripped open and there stood not amiddle-agedwoman but a younger one about his age. He looked down at her and couldn't lie to himself, she was a rather beautiful young lady. She had pitch black hair that flowed down her back, a heart shaped face, dark grey eyes and a subtle pink blush on her cheeks as she made eye contact with him.
"Clarissa! Don't be so rude!" A woman's voice called out from the other side of the room.
The young woman looked chastised and exited theroom. One of the guards who escorted him here followed her downthe corridor, she turned around and had one last look at him before turning a corner out of sight. He received a small nudge in the back from theremainingguard and entered the room.
Stood at the other end of the room behind a desk was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met.
The guard spoke up "LadyAshara, this is the man who requested an audience with you, Jon Snow."
LadyAsharanodded her head without taking those alluring dark violet eyes off of him "You may leave us." She said as she looked back at the guard.
"Are you sure my lady?" The guard replied.
"I'mpositive, you can go now." She replied. Jonhadn'ttorn his eyes away from her yet.
The guard must have bowed or something, Jon was too distracted to tell, all he knew was that as soon as the door wasclosedit was just the two of them. They both drank ineach other'sappearance before LadyAsharabroke the silence.
"Why have you come here?" She asked with a little bit of aggression.
It was too late to back down now and with theaggressiontaking him by surprise he just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"Are you my mother?"
Youcould'veheard a pin drop.