AN: Apologies for the lateness. I had some family stuff that took precedent and cut into my writing time.
One Guest Reviewer asked who was older between Gendry and Mya.
According to the Wiki, Mya is about 4-5 years older.
Also, another review asked about Victarion being the representative. My idea was that Varys knows how bad Victarion is at politics, and thus they would underestimate him and assume Balon's wishes were genuine. Plus, it's easier for him than the Damphair.
Alright now, here we go.
GREYWATER WATCH
JON SNOW
They had been at Greywater Watch for almost a fortnight.
At first Jon thought it would be simple. Escort the guards back, stay a day or two to rest and then begin the journey back. But instead, the Reeds decided to treat him, Ygritte and Dryn to every part of their… Unique Northern culture.
Dryn was out with Meera and some other hunters, being taught how to catch prey in a bog instead of snow. Ygritte was being shown how to control the boats of a bog, which was apparently a much different task than a boat meant for the sea or rivers. Not that Ygritte had experience with those either.
As for Jon, he spent most of his time among the men training in either arms or dueling.
It was strange, but not in a bad way. Even when he traveled with his father to other Keeps for business, there was always the fact that he was a bastard, and he always felt that impacted a Lord's opinions of him. He actually broached this with Meera one night after dinner, and she said, "The Crannogmen know what it is like to be treated differently when surrounded by those who know stories, but not the truth. After dealing with that almost every time we leave the Neck, we know better than to judge someone for something they can not control."
So here he was, being treated not for his birth, but for his character as he was here.
And here he was, standing in front of the door to Lord Howland's Solar. He had been informed that Lord Reed wanted to speak with him. He had seen Lord Howland a few times in passing or at meals, and he was of course there to greet them when they first arrived, but he was also very busy, so they had yet to have a one on one conversation.
Sighing, Jon knocked on the door.
"You can come in." A pleasant voice said.
Jon opened the door and saw Lord Howland finishing a message, and putting it in a pile.
He looked up at Jon. "Apologies that it took so long for us to meet for longer than a few moments, and more privately than a meal." He stood up out of his chair. Even standing, Jon was over a head taller than the Lord.
Jon was unsure of how exactly to start a conversation. The closest he ever came with dealing directly with one of his father's bannermen alone was with Lady Dustin and Lord Bolton on the way down here.
"It's alright My Lord. I know from Father how difficult ruling an area can be." Jon replied.
"Be that as it may, you are our guest. I have been good friends with your family since the tourney of Harenhal." Lord Reed assured him.
"About that, Father said you saved him from Ser Arthur Dayne." Jon said, hoping to breach a topic he thought Howland would know the answer to.
"Yes well, that was a dangerous time. I was not thinking of the opponent being one of the most dangerous men in Westeros. I just saw my friend about to die, and the rest was more instinct than valor. Jon, something you should remember was that Arthur Dayne may have been an enemy, but he was no villain. He did his duty as was asked of him, and he died fighting for what he swore to. Do not think of his death as the vanquishing of an evil, but of a warrior doing his duty. Same with Ser Gerold and Ser Oswell. Had the Rebellion not happened, you may have grown up looking up to these men." Howland explained.
Jon nodded. He understood from Ned that Ser Arthur was a good man on the wrong side of the war. He always spoke of Dayne with a certain sadness. "Anyway, As I understand it, I would have been born sometime around when you were with my Father. So, I was just wondering... Do you know my mother?" Jon asked.
He felt a bit ashamed. He had asked his Father many times about his mother, but he always evaded it. Now here he was, going behind his back and asking his old friend to say something Father did not want him to know.
Lord Reed got a small, sad smile after hearing the question. "I figured you would ask that while here. What can I say… Well for one thing, you should know that your father never told me what her name was. We were at war. He may have mentioned her quickly, but he never came up to me and said 'Oh Howland, this woman is…' They say you look like Ned, but I can tell you that if you know where to look, you can see your mother in you, though it is hard to describe."
Howland took a breath and continued on. "You know you could have been raised here. I offered it, knowing that Ned's plans would infuriate Lady Catelyn. But he insisted. In just over a year, his pack had been reduced to just him and Benjen. He wanted to keep you close. If you ever think Ned cared for you less than Robb or the others, let me tell him that he made his choices long ago."
Jon did not know what to say. The conversation had been turned around so quickly, and yet it was just as satisfying as the answers he was seeking.
"Well then Jon, I have to go. As you said, a Lord's work is never done. See you at Dinner." Howland ended the conversation and left the solar.
Unsure what else to do, Jon began walking around the inside of Greywater Watch, just passing the time until everyone else was done. Maybe he should go to the barracks and see if he can get a good trade for any of his spare cards? He was always up for improving his deck.
"Jon." A younger voice called out.
Jon turned around and saw Howland's heir, Jojen Reed approaching him. Jojen was closer in age with Bran, but had something about him that almost made him seem like Old Nan.
"Jojen. How have you been?" Jon asked. Lords may be strange, but Jon had talked to many heirs and spares who came to Winterfell throughout his childhood. Even if Robb did most of the talking.
"I have had some dreams that I think may interest you." Jojen said.
Jon had heard about Jojen's dreams from Meera and the men, but he had never really elaborated on them himself. Jon was sceptical, but also curious, he figured they may be vague enough that people mistake randomness for hints of the future. Throw out enough guesses and you can get something right. Like how Maester Luwin always bemoaned the fact that Robb could guess the answer to a math problem without understanding why it was right.
"Really? I heard you have strange dreams. What have you seen?"
"I had several right after another." Jojen said, closing his eyes to concentrate.
"I dreamt of an Onion rolling after a flame. The flame changes color and burns the onion, only for a bird to save the onion before it burns to ash. The Bird then departs, almost as if it is searching for something or someone and decided to help on a whim.
"I saw a Lion with sticks for horns boast of his greatness, only to attract a dragon's ire.
"I witnessed Dawn turn to Dusk as a sword and a mountain burn with purple flames. The fire keeps going, and all animals flee but some get burned before they can escape.
"I dreamt of a yellow doe raised among falcons meeting a black stag and lion cubs, who accepted her into the Pride, as they did with a yellow stag." Jojen said before opening his eyes.
"This last one is probably the most important. I saw a White wolf, cloaking itself in darkness, and snapping its jaws around birds that glowed with false light." Jojen said, staring right into Jon's eyes.
Jon would admit, he felt a chill up his spine upon hearing the last dream. "Have you ever had any dreams that were connected, or that you don't know if they are true?" He asked.
"Some of my dreams are far away. I could never know if they come true, but the ones that happen closer come true, so I assume they would. As for connected, a while ago I dreamt of the dragon that appeared before. I saw it fight some burning flames, but I did not see the end of that until a later dream. I also saw a bear and a stag in that one, but perhaps the stag was really the lion in disguise. I also dreamt of the purple flames and the sword, but the mountain was a new part of it."
"Well, I don't know if your dreams are really true, but let's hope they are not." Jon said, feeling the hair on his neck raise higher the more time they stayed on this topic.
Suddenly, a horn blew.
'It looks like Dryn and the hunters are back.' Jon thought to himself.
He looked over to where the gate was opening, and boats filled with hunters approached the moving Keep.
More hunters than had originally gone out.
"Lord Reed!" One of the Crannogmen yelled, and Howland appeared moments later.
"What is going on?" He asked, confused.
"We were hunting just south of the Neck, and we saw a large group of people coming up the Kingsroad. Many of them had those circle scars we heard about from down south." The hunter replied.
Jon realized what they were talking about.
The Faith Militant.
They had heard about them appearing in the South, but Father said that Robert and the Lords could handle it, and would ask for aid if they needed it. Neither Jon or Ned thought that they would actually come together to make a force and actually invade the North.
"How large are we talking?" Howland asked as Jon noticed Dryn get out of the boats. The two hunting parties must have met up and come back together.
"I counted at least a few hundred we could make out, some were mounted, but most were on foot. And in the distance, we saw another large group." The hunter replied.
Howland looked deep in concentration. "Send ravens to the other Keeps and houses. Have them prepare their defenses and march to Moat Cailin. The rest of us shall prepare traps along the Kingsroad and surrounding areas to buy them time."
As Crannogmen scrambled about, following Lord Reed's orders, he turned to Jon and Dryn, who were just joined by Ygritte.
"Jon, apologies that your visit got interrupted by this, but I fear it is time for you to leave. I will have men escort you through the Neck. Once out, head to Moat Cailin and meet up with the reinforcements that will be arriving." Howland said in a commanding voice that reminded Jon of his Father.
By the time the sun was setting, Jon, Dryn and Ygritte were pushing their horses, hoping to get to Moat Cailin before the Sparrows caught up with them.
WINTERFELL
ROBB
"Well then, it seems you will be heading back to the Iron Islands soon." Robb said to Theon as they put their sparring equipment away.
They had received a raven from the capital just this morning. It had explained that as a reward for their help in Dorne, the Ironborn had asked for Theon back, in exchange for his mother becoming a hostage at the closer Casterly Rock. Feelings ranged from Robb feeling like he was losing a brother, to Sansa and her friend's silent relief that Theon and his crass jokes and actions would be far away from them.
"Can't leave for awhile though. Lord Stark is supposed to escort me west. So I will still be here until he gets back and settles your mistakes." Theon joked.
Robb had done his best to try to be Lord of Winterfell, but his best was not perfect. One day while Luwin and Catelyn were busy dealing with more long term issues, Robb granted a merchant special permission to have his ships continue fishing after the Manderly's ordered a slow down on it. That resulted in a raven that had a message that was equal parts understanding, and annoyed.
There was also a notable increase in Lords coming to Winterfell for business that could be done over Raven. Almost all of them were accompanied by female relatives around Robb's age, or otherwise known for their appearance. Arya took care of the more obnoxious among those.
"We should do something. You've been here for years, and while some may not miss you, I can assure you your absence will be noted by almost everyone. Perhaps a farewell feast." Robb suggested.
"Or," Theon interrupted. "I could finally bring you to the brothel to make you a man."
Robb flustered. "Be serious Theon. I can't-"
"You really can. Your Mother is never gonna want to know your sex life, she'd rather imagine you as her babe even if you both live to see you grow grey hair. Your Father can't really complain since he is friends with the King, and you are getting older. And anyone else who may object is likely guilty of the same thing." Theon pointed out Robb's position.
Robb was still less than thrilled at the idea. "I don't kn-" Robb began only to be interrupted by Theon again. This time clasping his hand over Robb's shoulder.
"Take it from me. For all they're looked up to, an actual maiden and an inexperienced man are not the ideal. My first time at the whorehouse was a mess, I don't fear to admit. And I made the mistake of paying for the new girl instead of someone else who knew how to handle it. Trust me, your future wife will thank me on your wedding night if you go with me."
Robb, no longer wanting to pursue this conversation, especially because Theon was getting louder and others were nearby, changed the subject. "How do you think Arya is handling her latest punishment?"
"Doubt very well. Honestly Sansa overreacted. That snake was in no way poisonous. But now she is stuck with the smiling Septa." Theon said with a shrug.
That was a sort of unknown change. For some reason, Septa Mordane had been in a very good mood lately. It was hard to see most of the time, but anyone who spent time with her before would notice a sort of extra jump in her step, like a child on their name day. Now that he thought about it, the same could be said for Septon Chayle.
'I'm sure we will figure out the reason soon.' Robb dismissed the strangeness of it.
PENTOS-ILLYRIO'S MANSE
VISERYS
Viserys was completely sure he was sober. He had not touched any drink in four days.
Which meant he had gone mad.
"I have been watching this Ser Jorah since he woke up. I have found no sign that he is spying, but that does not mean that he is not." Maegor/Tri Horn said.
"Always paranoid as ever Uncle. It was that paranoia that led to your undoing." Jaehaerys I/Luster Dragon said.
The two of them had shrunken further, now they were about the size of large cats.
"Be that as it may, I was attacked right after Ser Jorah joined the household, so we must be wary of him." Viserys said as he leaned on a wall.
The two spirit ghosts had not gone away. Well, they did leave to explore, but they were always present. It appeared they could go no further than a mile from him.
Then there was the issue of getting the stories straight.
SEVERAL DAYS AGO
"So let me see if I understand this. You are Maegor I, The third king to sit the Iron Throne? And you, are Jaehaerys I, the fourth king?" Viserys asked the two floating transparent dragons that hovered over his bed.
"So, if you two are who you claim to be, why are you here now?" Viserys asked, still confused. He had just survived a near death battle, and now was with two very dead ancestors.
"I can not say really." Jaehaerys said. "I remember everything up to the moment of my death, and then there is some knowledge I should not have, such as the Blackfyres and Summerhall. It's not as good as if I had lived there, but I have the general idea of what happened."
"Same for me." Maegor said. "Except one big gap in my memory- my own death. One moment I am walking to the Throne room, the next I am impaled on the Throne."
"Really? Nothing?" Viserys asked. Maegor's death was one of the greatest mysteries, and even Maegor apparently was unsure of his death.
Maegor closed his eyes in thought.
'An odd sight for a dragon' Viserys thought to himself.
"I remember fire. Purple flames, and a figure walking through them. But it's hazy." Maegor said as he opened his eyes again.
"Okay then, what about now? What is your newest memory before you appeared in my duel?" Viserys asked, focusing more on the current issue than a two century mystery.
"It's strange. I remember a warm glow, and that I was not alone. I was surrounded by others, though I can not recall them now. Then I heard yelling. I went to investigate it, and I felt a cold rush. I found myself listening to a voice speaking of failures and vengeance. I tried to drown it out with my own voice, disparaging the speaker and telling the recipient of the words to ignore it. I followed the voice not to its source, but in the direction that it was heading, and next thing I know, I am being summoned by you." Jaehaerys said.
"Same concept with me. I attempted to follow the voice, and wound up with you in battle." Maegor said.
Viserys remembered the dreams he had recently. After his father's voice consumed his mind, he had fallen asleep, and his father's voice was drowned out by what Viserys now realized were the sounds of dragons. But it was more than just one or two. Which means…
"So, you think you two are it, or will more dead relatives join us over time?" Viserys asked, to which the two spirits had no answer.
PRESENT
"Right now, Ser Jorah is our only ally from Westeros. We need more like him. We can't just invade Westeros with another people's armies. It sends the wrong message to those who would otherwise support us. We would be seen as a foreign enemy taking their land by force." Maegor summarized. To which Viserys and Jaehaerys nodded in agreement.
WHITE HARBOUR
NED STARK
Ned stood aboard the Manderly's flagship, the Ice Trident as he looked at the single northern city that was growing larger by the second. Finally, after months south, he was getting close to home.
For all the tragedy the war with Dorne was shaping into, it had actually gone better than Ned could have hoped for. Especially considering what war was like before the cards had appeared. He had gone south fully expecting that most of the men he had were just the first wave of northerners, but they turned out to be the only wave.
That was not to say that it had gone perfectly. The Breaking of Sunspear, as it was now being called, had led to Northerners dying, as well as the survivors learning that the attack had been unnecessary. Varys was looking into who had given the order, but nothing came up yet. Jory had said less than a dozen words upon learning it.
Now though, it was a time to rebuild. Daemon Uller had been given a partial pardon, and would be fully forgiven if he managed to help Dorne heal. The council all agreed he would be dead within the year. Doran would aid Trystane and rebuild Dorne, and together, they would mourn the loss of son and brother, while hoping for Arriane's return.
Ned shook himself out of his worries of the south. Robert and Jon could handle it, he was sure. He had to focus on the North.
He prayed that Robb had handled it all well, but the boy was young, even with Maester Luwin and Cat to help, he may make some mistakes. There was also the issue of Jon, since Cat had broached the subject and forced him to send Jon on an errand. From what ravens came to the capital, Jon had taken his advice and gone at a more scenic pace, staying on the road longer than was necessary. This put extra time between him and Cat having to see each other.
As far as Cat knew, she was justified in her anger. To her, Jon was a constant reminder of Ned's shame. She would have no problem if Ned had sent him off to the Reeds as Howland offered. But he just could not.
"Promise me Ned." An old ghost whispered into his ear. A voice that had been full of confidence and will in life, reduced to a scared plea in the moments before death.
Soon, The Ice Trident docked in White Harbour, with cheering smallfolk celebrating their Lord's return from a short and successful war.
As soon as he was on dry land again, Ned was greeted by a large man that would be called the fattest man ever seen by anyone who did not know his father and brother.
"Ser Wendel." Ned greeted the knight.
Ser Wendel, normally a man one could always expect to have a jovial smile, was more somber than Ned had ever seen the man. Ned briefly wondered if something had happened to Lord Manderly to make his son so sad.
Ser Wendel shook his head. And put on a poor imitation of his usual smile. "Lord Stark, welcome back to White Harbour. And congratulations on winning the war." He said.
Planning on asking what was wrong in a more private setting, Ned moved on to seeing about securing a resting place for the men.
"Don't worry, Lord Stark. Most of the men you took were from White Harbour, so they can just head home. The rest I am sure we can house in a few nearby inns." Ser Wendel reassured his lord. "For now though, I believe my father would like to talk with you."
"Of course, lead the way." Ned said, walking with the knight. "Has there been any new developments in the North while I was away?"
"Well, I don't know what goes on in every part of the North, but here it has been relatively quiet. Most interesting thing to happen in the city was a man trying to sell fake cards with the wrong abilities or points. A Baby Dragon with 1500 attack points instead of 1200, a Pot of Greed that lets you draw three cards instead of two, even a Jinzo that stops spell cards instead of traps. Of course none of them work when put on a duel disk, so he was found quickly." Ser Wendel turned to look at Ned. "Apologies, I just remembered there was a merchant's cart that broke a wheel and spilled it's wares on the road. We should take more of a backway. Follow me." Ser Wendel said, bringing Ned to a side road.
"What do you know about Robb?" Ned asked, following him.
"The boy has made some mistakes, notably one here regarding fishing rights, but nothing too bad. I'm sure that now that he has some experience, he will be more prepared for it when his time comes." Ser Wendel said.
"I hope so. I believe I taught him well, but a father always worries." Ned said with a sad smile.
"I know what you mean. A man will do almost anything for his family. No matter how bad it seems." Ser Wendel said, before stopping and opening a door. "After you, Lord Stark."
Ned walked in, wondering what was in the building. He saw some candle light illuminating some statues.
"Did you take me to a Sept?" Ned asked, only to turn around, and see Ser Wendel close the door hard.
"I'M SORRY! I HAD NO CHOICE!" He heard Ser Wendel yell from behind the door.
Ned ran to it, but he could not get the door to open it. Something was blocking it.
"Lord Eddard Stark!" A voice yelled from behind Ned. He turned, and between the statues, was a Septon. One with a visible circular scar on his head.
'A Sparrow.' Ned realized. He had heard much about them of course, and down south he learned they were harassing the Stormlands enough that soldiers were being rerouted there instead of Dorne. But Ned never thought they would be able to make their way North.
"What is the meaning of this? Ned asked the man, already having a feeling he knew what it was.
"As if an unwashed savage who worships trees instead of the Seven could ever understand our brilliant plan." The Septon laughed. "And now, to cut the head off of the savages, so they will fear the Seven and make amends for their false gods like they should have thousands of years ago." The Septon's Duel Disk appeared on his arm, as did Ned's as he prepared to defend himself.
N: 4000 S: 4000
"All things considered, I shall go first." Ned said as he drew.
"I play a face down, and summon Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts." The brown beast appeared on the field with a loud roar.
"That is all for now." Ned said.
"My move." The Sparrow said as he drew.
"And with it, your life will end. I summon The Agent of Creation- Venus." A light appeared on the field, and when it dissipated, there was a female form with four wings and a mask of gold standing on the field.
"Now I activate her ability, by sacrificing 500 Life Points, I can summon a Mystical Shine Ball from my deck, and I have 3!"
The septon glowed a bit, only for the light to leave him and be absorbed by Venus, turning it into balls of pure white light, each with 500 attack points, while Venus had 1600.
"Next I equip her with Silver Bow and Arrow, raising her attack by 300 points. Now then, Venus will destroy your Gazelle, and then my Mystical balls will attack you directly!"
Venus' hands glowed, and an arrow of light shot forward from the bow, and stabbed Gazelle's throat, causing the beast king to choke on his own blood. Then the balls of lights flew forward, and struck Ned in the gut, head and chest.
N: 2100 S: 2500
"That will be all, but next turn will be your last." The Septon said with a laugh.
"My move." Ned said as he drew.
"Since you have five cards on the field, and I only have one, I can special summon Medium of the Ice Barrier from my hand."
On the field arose a woman wearing a blue dress, with blue hair falling all the way down to her knees. She had 2200 attack points.
"Next, I summon Samurai of the Ice Barrier."
A blue armored man appeared, he held a sword not unlike that of Masaki.
"Next, I activate my trap card, Snowman Effect. This card lets me add Samurai's attack to Medium's. The only downside is I cannot directly attack. But no matter. With 4000 attack points, she will destroy your Mystical Shine Ball!" Ned announced.
Medium raised her hands, and a beam of pure ice Impaled both the Shine Ball in the center, as well as the nameless Septon's chest, right where his heart was.
N: Victor S: Defeat
"Impos- The gods we- on m- si-e" He stuttered out before falling on the ground, dead.
Worried that there may be more would be assassins, Ned ran out the front door before any could reveal themselves.
He ran out and the moment he did, he saw Ser Wendel, both relieved and scared at his Lord Paramount's survival.
Ned ran up to the man and slammed the knight into the wall of a building. "Explain. Now."
"No choice. Please forgive me Lord Stark." Ser Wendel got out. "The Sparrows have my nieces and their mother. They went to pray and were captured. We were told to lure you into a trap to die, and they would release them. Now we don't know what will happen. The Sparrows were sure you would lose."
Ned loosened his grip on Ser Wendel. Who was he to judge a man guilty of treason to protect their family?
"What of your father?" Ned asked.
"Father is in the main hall, holding court as usual. He sent men he trusted to search everywhere, but no one found them before you arrived." Ser Wendel explained.
Ned looked around. Ser Wendel and the Manderly's had had the forethought to clear the streets, likely to not draw unwanted eyes to their crimes.
"Follow me." Ned said, heading back into the Sept.
Once the two were in there, Ned examined the corpse of the Sparrow he had killed.
They both had similar hair color, and he was of similar build and height.
Ned looked around and found a spare Septon's robes. He undressed and put the Septon's on, while ordering Ser Wendel to strip the sparrow and put him in Ned's now discarded clothes.
After both the living man and corpse were wearing the other's clothes, Ned reached for a solid heavy object- A statue of the Stranger, fittingly, - and smashed the corpse's face several times, until it was naught but a bloody mess.
Ned put the Septon's hood up, obscuring his head more. "As far as they know, he succeeded, and you took him until your family was returned. Now, let us go see your father."
With that, two men guilty of crimes for the same reason headed out to New Castle. Hoping that they would be able to save the Sparrow's hostages before it was too late.
AN: And another chapter done.
-Jon and company get treated as guests in the Neck, only to rush out to warn of the Sparrows and prepare for the attack.
-Theon begins to prepare for his journey back to the Iron Islands.
-Viserys still sees Duel Spirits, and his suspicion of Ser Jorah is given.
-Ned makes it back to White Harbor only for a surprise attack from the only real foothold the Sparrows have in the North. This duel got cut short to speed up the writing. Apologies if it was too quick.
Next chapter may be a bit late, but it is sort of the climax of this arc, and so I want to do it justice. I will try to get it out by next weekend, but no promises.
Tune in next chapter for JON VS HIGH SPARROW.
Also, a reminder that this work has a TV Tropes page. If any readers have an account, please help me to fill it out.
Hope you all are safe during these trying times.
Good luck to all of you.