AN: Let's get right into it.
WINTERFELL-WILDLING LODGING
JON
"Are you sure about this?" Jon found himself asking Sam.
He had followed the smart boy to the storehouse the Wildlings were using for their living space.
After spending time with Sam, and seeing how inept he was at many tasks, Jon had asked what made him decide to join the Night's Watch. Sam had explained his family life, and how his father had forced him to choose between Kinslaying, Death, and Exile. Jon could hardly imagine living in such a family, but he felt a kinship with Sam. They were both the Sons that brought shame to their families, albeit without wishing to do so.
"Come on Jon, I know we all know the stories, but have they acted like we were told they do?" Sam said.
"Most of them are kids. If I learned anything from having so many siblings it's that kids do not always reflect their relatives."
"What are you two doing here? Lord Stark need something?" A wildling boy with reddish hair-but browner than Ygritte's- walked out and saw the two of them.
"Hey Dryn." Jon greeted the son of Tormund.
"No, Lord Stark did not send us. So..Uh Dryn, is Gilly inside?" Sam asked the boy.
"Aye. She is caring for Raymun." Dryn explained.
Raymun was the youngest of the children at only five. From what little Jon had seen, the boy was quieter than most children. For some reason Gilly had acted like a mother to the boy.
Sam went into the building to greet Gilly.
"If it makes it better, Gilly was wondering what Sam was doing earlier." Dryn said.
"It's almost like they are the only ones blind to the others." Jon agreed.
"He should just hurry up and steal her if they like each other. Father would let him win. Or be away when he wants to." Dryn explained.
"Aye. Wait...What?" Jon asked, looking at the boy.
"I said he should Steal her already." Dryn said again.
"What do you mean by Steal her?" Jon asked. He recalled the stories of Wildlings taking women and girls from the North.
"You know, Steal her. Didn't Lord Stark steal Lady Stark?" Dryn asked, confused by Jon's own confusion.
"No…Lady Stark's Father arranged for my uncle, Brandon Stark to marry her. When he died, it fell on Father to marry her in his place." Jon explained the history of his family.
"Huh, was your Uncle like Lord Stark?" Dryn asked.
"Father does not like to talk about him or my aunt. But from what I hear from the older servants and what little Father or my other Uncle Benjen says, he was more like Theon. But able to actually live up to his boasts." Jon explained.
"Weird. Up North, you gotta steal a woman from her home. And if she don't like you, she is free to slit your throat and be free again."
"Really? You all just constantly fight over it?" Jon asked.
"Eh, if the man already knows the family he is stealing from, it's more just a tradition, but there are plenty of Free Folk who do steal from other clans or tribes or some of the raiding down south was for women, but not as common as you would think. Trying to get back North of the Wall is harder if you have a woman who don't want you. And no one Steals a woman who was already stolen unless they kill her man." Dryn tried to explain.
Jon could not believe this was a conversation he was having with a Wildling.
"So what, you do not have an official wedding? Here, the Man and Woman stand before a Heart Tree, and swear vows in the sights of the Gods. Down south, they do so in Septs to their Gods, but it is still a ceremony. You have none of that? Are you all Bastards?" Jon asked.
"No not really. I know what a Bastard is, but only Free Folk with a Crow parent are called as such, and that's mainly from the Crows."
Jon could hardly believe it. Beyond the Wall, was a land where his Bastardy would not be cared for. And it was the very people he was told his whole life were evil savages. Then he remembered this entire thing was started by Sam wanting to see Gilly.
"So, if Sam were to Steal Gilly, you would all consider her Gilly Tarly?" Jon summarized.
"I mean, that is something a Thenn would be more knowledgeable about, but I do not see why we wouldn't."
'A part of me wants Sam to do that, if only to spite Lord Randyll.' Jon thought to himself.
WESTERLANDS-GOLDEN TOOTH
BRONN
Bronn and Chiggen rode into the Golden Tooth. Between them was a man bound in rope with a circular scar on his head.
A man by his description had avoided the City Watch of Lannisport after making a speech about overthrowing House Lannister. A bounty had been put on his head, and Bronn and Chiggen caught him and brought him to the nearest castle to notify House Lannister in order to claim the reward.
They were greeted by guards who asked for their business.
"We got here the idiot that decided to insult the Lannisters in the Westerlands. We also got the corpses of his friends if that will fetch us anything" Chiggen explained to the guards.
It was true, tied to the back of their horses were day old corpses that used to be the man's allies. After figuring out which one specifically had the bounty on them, they killed the rest but figured they may get something out from showing he was not alone.
The reason Bronn bothered to work with Chiggen was on display in this event. The problem with bounties is that unless they had a defining characteristic, something that really got stuck in your mind, it was nearly impossible to know if you got the right man until the person who put up the bounty confirms it. A plain looking criminal could hide as the hunters forgot what he looked like. Chiggen did not have this issue, as he could read and write.
It came in surprisingly enough that it was worth keeping Chiggen alive. Not that he was a bad fighter, but Bronn was the better of the two, and they both knew it. Now with the cards, they were about even.
He would listen to the description, then write it down and look back to it to confirm if the man they got fit it or not. The scar was new, but this man had the same appearance as described.
After confirming that, he had practically bragged about it as his allies dueled Bronn and Chiggen. The idiot would have had a better chance if he ran. Instead he watched his friends die, then tried his own luck against them. In the end he surrendered rather than die and now he was bound for some cell or grave.
Bronn watched as a man-Leo Lefford going by how the guards acted around him- approached the two Sellswords and their prisoner.
"Is this the man from Lannisport?" Lefford asked the two.
"Aye. He matched the description given by the Red Cloaks. And he confessed when he thought his friends would protect him. What's left of them is in the bags. I doubt he will be as forthcoming now." Chiggen handed over his paper they used to check the man. Lord Lefford accepted it and nodded. He then checked the bag and noticed they all shared the same circular scar.
"Very well then. I will send a raven to Casterly Rock. Lord Tyrion will come to the Tooth, as he was the one who saw him. If it is the same man, then you will be given the reward. Until then, you are free to use the barracks."
Nodding, knowing that Lefford would not give them more, the two handed the prisoner over to the guards and were escorted to the stables to tie up their steeds.
"What was the reward again?" Bronn asked.
"Ten Gold Dragons alive. Six dead." Chiggen said.
"How much do you think for the others?"
"They were helping him, so we may get something, but they were not known at the time. My guess? A Dragon or two a piece. If any."
WINTERFELL-ARYA'S ROOM.
ARYA
"You ready Bran?" Arya asked her brother.
"Yup." The younger child responded as he put his deck on the ground.
It was the dead of night, but Bran had snuck into her room as planned so they could duel. Unfortunately they could not use their Duel Disks for fear of the noise waking the castle. As such they just dueled on the floor.
"All right then. Let's begin." Arya said as she put her secret deck down. It was filled with cards from Jon, Robb, Theon and Bran's decks.
A: 4000 B:4000
"I go first." Arya declared.
"I summon Beaver Warrior in attack mode. Then I play a card face down. Your Move"
As they were not using their Duel Disks, the monster did not appear in front of them. It just stayed as a card.
"My turn." Bran said as he drew.
"I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart. Then I equip him with Cyclone Boomerang. Now he will attack your Beaver Warrior and destroy it.
Arya moved Beaver Warrior to the Graveyard.
A:3200 B:4000
"I end my turn." Bran said.
"My move then." Arya said as she drew.
"I summon a monster in defense mode and end." Arya said. Her hand was filled with too many high level monsters, or useless cards that could not be played yet. Unfortunately her deck was filled with such cards since it was made with leftovers of others decks. She had few cards that could work in different situations.
"My move again." Bran said as he drew.
"I play Fake Hero so I can special summon Elemental hero Neos in Attack Mode. Next I sacrifice him and Wildheart to summon Elemental Hero Bladedge. Next, I play O-Oversoul in order to resummon Neos to the field." Bran played the cards in quick succession as Arya could only watch.
"Now then, Neos will attack your face down monster."
Arya flipped it up. "It was Sonic Chick, which can not be destroyed by monsters with more than 1900 attack." She said. She may have no monster strong enough, but at least she was not about to lose.
"In that case, I attack with Bladedge, as he still deals piercing damage when he attacks a monster in Defense Mode. Then I end my turn." Bran said.
A:900 B:4000
Arya drew and looked at her hand. Prevent Rat, Elemental Hero Avian, Deepsea Warrior, Des Volstgaph, her own Fake Hero that Bran had a spare of for her deck, and she just drew Yado Karo. None of the cards could help her in this situation.
She threw her hand down. "I surrender. It's useless." She said.
It was always the same. She could duel with her makeshift deck, but it was very hard to get a chance to win as it was mainly made of spare or weak cards the others had discarded.
A:Defeat B:Victory
THE REACH-OLDTOWN-THE CITADEL
ARCHMAESTER MARWYN
L:3800 P:400
"I summon Overdrive" Leo Tyrell said as the monster came to being.
Despite being a monster, there was no sign of life in it. It looked somewhat like a cart or carriage, in that it had four wheels, but it was covered in some green metal. There was also no seeable way to get into it, no matter where Marwyn tried. Still, he examined every single part of it and did his best to capture its likeness in sketches.
"You done yet, Archmaester?" Leo asked.
"I suppose this is as much as I can get for now." Marwyn said as he tried to touch Overdrive.
"Very well then. Overdrive, Attack his Battle Warrior!"
Overdrive's long cylinder of metal started to turn, and then spat out several small chunks of metal that destroyed Pate's blue muscular figure, bringing his Life Points to 0 and ending the duel.
L: Victory P: Defeat.
"Will that be all ArchMaester? Archmaester Walgrave usually eats around now." Pate asked as he undid his Duel Disk.
"Yes yes, thank you Pate." Marwyn dismissed the novice.
Marwyn had been at the forefront of the Citadel's research into the cards. His title of Marwyn the Mage-given to him as a slight-was now well known to the smallfolk in Oldtown as they were the ones who aided him the most. House Hightower had commanded they investigate the cards, and when Lord Leyton heard that Marwyn had already jumped into the research in earnest, he was given near free reign to research what he wanted.
Some of his fellow Maesters had already tried to dismiss the magic of the cards. They claimed that this was an act of the Gods, and thus not a magic man could control.
It was Marwyn who compiled the rules and information that was sent to every keep, and even after people began to settle down, he still kept at work researching the Cards.
He was not unopposed however, though it was nothing new. The same Maesters that dismissed magic tried to order him away from further research, but for now there was nothing he could do.
He looked back at the sketches he had made. He would bring them to a Smith later, and see if any of these items from the Cards could be recreated.
WINTERFELL-LORD'S SOLAR
EDDARD
Ned Stark reread the raven message informing him of the War with Dorne.
Normally, the North did not usually partake in wars to the south unless given ample reason. The Ninepenny Kings had been foreign invaders, and the Starks had sent their men to fight as had the other High Lords. The Starks sat out most internal conflicts due to being so far removed from the battles.
Instead, for the North, war in the South usually meant preparing to aid prisoners in joining the Night's Watch.
Ned would send Ravens out to his banners, but rather than wait for them all to come together, he would likely be heading straight to White Harbor, and collecting the men from there before sailing to the Capital. There he would see Robert again and be able to plan this war with his old friend.
Now there was just the matter of who to take. The more men he took with him, the less workers there were to prepare for winter-one of the reasons it took Cregan Stark so long to enter the Dance of the Dragons.
Ned decided he would take a force of five hundred Northerners from Winterfell, and who he could pick up along the way. He could end up with between a thousand and fifteen hundred. Small enough that a few large ships could carry them all the way to the capital.
Realizing that he would have to begin preparations immediately, he opened the door and saw Jory waiting outside.
"Jory, go get Robb, Jon, Theon, Maester Luwin, Lady Stark, and your uncle. And Tormund should possibly be here as well." Jory nodded, and within the hour, all those named stood in the solar. Robb and Cat stood by his desk, Theon, Luwin and Ser Rodrik were by the bookcase, and Tormund was standing separate from the others by the door, with Jon leaning against the wall halfway between Tormund and Theon.
"What is going on, Father?" Robb asked. Ned noticed Robb and most of the people present glancing over at Tormund, likely thinking it had to do with the Wildlings.
He gave a quick summary of the events at Casterly Rock, and how he had been given orders from the throne.
"...So I will be heading to the capital to aid in the war planning. Hopefully it will all be over quickly. Mayhaps even before I get there." Ned ended.
"I ain't fighting in your southern war Stark." Tormund said. "I gotta watch out for the kids."
"You think you-" Theon began only to be cut off.
"No one is asking you Tormund. You have a duty to your own people. I would not take you away from that." Ned explained, calming any who thought to take insult to Tormund's statement. It would sour relations if Tormund or any of the Wildlings died. It was also why Theon would remain as well. If Theon died, Balon may decide to avenge him. An IronBorn invasion on top of a war with Dorne would be bad for those staying behind. But no father would do something that would intentionally endanger their child.
"The only real reason I called you all here was to inform you of the war and that I would leave. Robb, you are in charge of Winterfell while I am away. You are the Stark of Winterfell, but remember to listen to your Mother and advisors." Ned told Robb.
After discussing the preparations that must be done, everyone started to drift out to do their duties or just leave. Tormund was the first to go, followed by Ser Roderik and Theon. Robb went out with Jon as they began talking about the duty Robb was just given.
This left Ned, Cat, and Maester Luwin in the Solar.
"So, you will be leaving within the week?" Maester Luwin asked.
"Aye, it is best not to keep Robert waiting." Ned answered.
"...And what of Jon Snow?" Maester Luwin asked, seeing the look on Catelyn's face.
Ned looked at the Maester. "He will remain here in Winterfell."
"No." Cat replied. "If you are not here, I will not tolerate his presence."
'If you knew the truth…' Ned thought. "You did not complain when I fought in the Iron Islands," he pointed out.
"He was a child, I knew you would have never sent him away at such a young age." Cat explained. "But now he is almost a man. They say Bastards grow faster than Trueborns."
Ned supposed he always knew this day would eventually come. But he had yet to come up with a plan on what to do with Jon once he was a man grown. He still wanted to grant him Moat Caillin, yet Jon had done nothing to be granted such a title. Hopefully he could at least delay the final decision. And Perhaps keeping Jon away would let cooler heads prevail in the long run.
"Lord Reed's men who escorted Sam are preparing to head back. Jon can go with them to make sure they make it back. But he will return to Winterfell afterwards." Ned declared to his wife and Maester. He then walked out of the Solar to prepare.
The fact that Catelyn was insulted by Jon's very existence was always a sore spot in their marriage. But it was necessary. He wished he could tell her, and he had given serious thought to doing so, only for a voice to renew his need for secrecy.
'Promise me Ned.'
As he walked, he passed by the glass houses. There he saw the Winter Roses just beginning to bloom.
AN: Another Chapter done. Now to do the usual post-chapter Summary.
Jon and Sam go to the Free Folk's lodging because Sam wants to see Gilly. Everyone can see it. And Jon gets a lesson in Free Folk views of love and family,
We then head to the Westerlands to meet up with Bronn and Chiggen- who captured the Sparrow from Tyrion's POV for the reward. I also gave a reason to why a Sellsword who seems so insignificant was teamed up with Bronn in the first place. And now Tyrion is on his way to meet up with them.
Back at Winterfell Arya and Bran Duel analog style.
At the Citadel Marwyn has a surge of popularity from the public, but the Archmaesters he hates are less than thrilled about the reemergence of magic.
Ned informs the leaders and heirs of the war. I tried to do a partial recreate of the discussion where it is decided that Jon will go to the wall. But I have different plans for him.
Next chapter, Tyrion reaches the Golden Tooth, and we get a look at how the houses patrolling the border with Dorne are acting. And far away in Pentos, the Targearyeans get their first test.