39 Journeys

Robb

"That's all you're having." He said as he handed another pork sausage to his direwolf pup "Go on." He added as he nodded towards the other end of the great hall, Grey Wind skulking away with what he came for. He shook his head and let out a sigh, but he couldn't help the small smile from appearing on his face.

"Farlen is going to shout at you again," His wife said to him to his left. He turned and noticed Alys dabbing the corner of her mouth as she grinned at him "...he already says you spoil him, feed him any more sausages and he'll start looking like one." She japed.

He shook his head as he swallowed another bite of his supper "He'll be too busy looking after the rest of the pups to care, I swear I saw that man cooing at one of them earlier, he's not fooling me with that tough man act." He said about Winterfell's kennelmaster. His wife just 'hmm'd' in response as she took a sip of water from her goblet.

He looked at the contents of her cup and frowned, she'd been complaining of feeling a little unwell this morning and he'd suggested a visit to maester Luwin before leaving to take care of morning proceedings.

"Are you still feeling unwell? Did you go to see Luwin this morning?" He fussed. He didn't have to whisper to her since they were the only two sat at the head table, the rest of the household having their own conversations whilst eating their supper.

She nodded as she swallowed her drink "I did, and everything is absolutely fine, better than fine in fact." She said as she looked at him with a tiny smile on her face.

He still frowned as he looked down to her cup, he took a swig of his ale as he looked back up at her "I can go to check to see if my father still has that stash of Arbour in his solar if you like, that's if the wine isn't to your liking." He suggested as his wife carried on looking at him with the same smile on her face.

The look on confusion didn't leave his own face as she responded "No thanks," She said with a shake of her head "It would be unwise given the circumstances." She replied as she carried on staring at him intently with her beautiful light blue eyes.

Given the circumstances? He thought with the frown still present on his face. It felt like she was laughing at him as her smile grew, their eye contact refusing to break.

The moment her hand fell to rest on top of her belly was the moment he almost lost the ability to breathe. He swallowed the sudden lump that had appeared in his throat as he looked back up to her slightly damp eyes. The smile on her face grew as she noticed that he'd come to realise what she was suggesting.

"Are you certain?" He asked as he grabbed her hand and squeezed. She gripped him back and nodded. She probably didn't realise how much she was helping with her steadying grip on him, because inside his head, he was beginning to freak out.

I'm going to be a father?

"How? I mean..." He asked in a daze. They'd only been married a few weeks, surely it didn't happen this quick?

"Robb," She said as she patted the back of his hand, a small grin on her face "...we've been very busy over the past few weeks, almost every night in fact." She said, a raised eyebrow aimed at him "...it would've been more of a surprise if I wasn't at this point."

He sneaked a small look at the rest of the people in the room with them, none of them seemed to have heard what she said.

"I think they have a good idea what a husband and wife get up to in the privacy of their quarters, beloved." She japed as she finished the rest of the water in her goblet.

"I can't believe I'm gonna be a father." He said to himself as he looked out towards his household "I can barely take care of myself properly, how am I not going to fuck this up?"

His wife gripped his hand hard "I'm a little nervous too, but we'll get through this together. And besides, its not like we'll be alone. For starters, your mother's had five children of her own, if we have questions, which we definitely will, your mother and father will probably have the answers."

He shook his head and chuckled "Listen to me, sat here freaking out when you're the one who has to carry and give birth to them, forgive me." He said as he kissed the back of her hand. She smiled back at him.

"Are you happy then?" She asked. The smile on her face remained but he could clearly see she was worried about his response. Something that was unwarranted as he caught her off guard with a sudden hug.

"Don't be silly, of course I'm happy. It's probably the best news I've ever been given." He said into the crook of her neck. He pulled back and returned the smile she was giving him "Imagine the look on mother and father's face when they find out they're gonna be grandparents. Mother will fuss over you for…"

The double doors of the great hall slammed open, a guard entering out of breath. Both Robb and Alys turned towards the interruption and noticed how out of breath the man was, almost like he'd sprinted from one end of the castle to the other.

"My Lord, my Lady." The Stark guard said as he bowed his head to them. There was something wrong, Robb could tell as he got to his feet. The way the guard looked at him, like he was about to throw up or something.

"What is it? What's happened?" He asked as everybody in the hall looked at the guard with interest.

The guard in question shook his head and started muttering to himself "The...there...the scouts…a raven...they sent a raven!"

"Come on lad, spit it out would ya?" Mikken the blacksmith said from the table in the corner of the room he was sat in.

The young guard, who honestly looked around if not younger than Robb himself, fumbled with the small piece of parchment in his hand before walking towards him and placing it in his hand. The look in the young boy's eyes made his stomach drop before he'd even read the contents, the sheer fear that was resonating within the young man's eyes promised something unpleasant.

Please let my family be okay. His mind whispered as he unfurled the note, his eyes roaming each word, failing to make any sense of any of it.

He looked back up at the guard, brow furrowed.

"Is this some sort of joke?" He asked as his eyes dropped back down and back over the contents of the note to make sure he hadn't misread.

"I hope so my lord, by the old gods I hope so." Was all the guard said, just before yelling was heard from outside.

What do I do? How in the world is he supposed to handle this? What would father do? He thought to himself as he started giving out instructions to his guards. The word seemed to spread around the hall, a lot of the household looking at him like the information that was being shared couldn't possibly be real.

"Robb?" Alys said as she approached him, a concerned look on her face as she eyed the small piece of paper in his hand.

He looked at her in concern as he handed her the note, the same confused look overcame her face as she looked up at him.

"Surely there's a mistake? I mean...a dragon?" She said as she reread the note, the disbelief clearly shared between them.

"If it's a trick or if it's real, I'm not risking it. We need to move people to a safer place, and I need to find as many men that can draw a bow as I can find." He explained as she handed the piece of paper back to him.

"The crypts. I'll escort the women and children down into the crypts." His wife said, a fierce look on her face as she looked around the hall at their household.

He nodded "Good idea." He said before he was engulfed in an embrace by his wife.

She kissed him before letting him go, it was a kiss that made him breathless afterwards.

"Please be careful." She said as she pecked him on the lips again "I won't have my son or daughter growing up without a father, do you hear me? Please don't do anything stupid." She said, almost begged him as he nodded in response.

The guards in the castle were all in a rush as he exited the hall, Alys passed him as she ushered the few women and children that were at supper towards the entrance to the crypts.

"My lord?" One of the guards said as he approached him, he had a concerned look on his face "Is it true...a dragon?" He added.

"I sure hope not, but we need to make sure that we are ready, just in case it is." He said as the guard reluctantly nodded and walked away.

He made his way up the stairs and onto the castle walls, he didn't know what he was looking for, maybe he was just waiting for the dragon to appear in the sky.

Or not, which was his preferred outcome in all of this.

Instructions had clearly gotten out well as most of the men on the walls had bows and barrels of arrows prepared and waiting for whatever came next.

Please let it be a lie. His mind whispered to him. He'd take an unfunny joke over certain death any day of the week.

"My lord, everybody is in position and waiting for further instructions." One of the guards said to him.

"Stay vigilant, first sign of anything in the sky, let it be known to everyone on the castle walls. The moment that dragon is seen, I want to know about it." He

instructed as the guard nodded and started relaying the orders.

It wasn't long before shouting was heard coming from the eastern battlements of the castle, everybody's eyes turning in the direction of the commotion and instantly noticing the one thing they didn't want to see in the sky.

It was impossible, it couldn't be possible, he was certain that the raven was some sort of jape.

The scouts were right, there was an actual dragon in the air.

Everybody seemed to freeze on the spot, the dragon was that high that none of their arrows would be able to hit it, it was like everybody took a collective deep breath and waited for what was to come next.

This creature in the sky was beyond beautiful, nothing like the dragons that were described to them in the stories they were told as children. The setting sun seemed to bounce off the scales of the creature, creating a reflection of colours similar to a rainbow as it lazily circled above the castle.

"There's somebody on it's back!" One of the guards shouted as he pointed upwards. Robb squinted his eyes to confirm the guards claim, realising the man was indeed correct. There was somebody on its back, more than one person in actual fact.

The question was, were they friend or foe?

"My lord?" One of the guards questioned, seemingly waiting for further instruction. There was sheer fear on the man's face as the dragon or whatever it was started to descend closer and closer to the ground. It momentarily disappeared as it used the cover of the tree line to hide its entire body, everybody including Robb waited with bated breath to see what would happen next.

"Everybody hold your positions!" He shouted. He'd never been in a battle and he was completely out of his depth but he knew the last thing they should do was to leave their superior position.

Only an idiot would meet a dragon in an open field.

A small gasp left his lungs as the dragon re-emerged from the tree line, darting straight back up into the air before flying off in the direction it came from. He wasn't the only one to notice that the people that were on it's back were no longer mounted on it. Everybody looked on vigilantly at the tree line that the dragon had landed behind, waiting to see what would emerge.

He still kept an eye on the dragon just to make sure it was flying away though, and he wasn't the only one by the looks of it, one of the guards stood next to him seemed to sigh with relief, and Robb shared the feeling.

"Look!" One of the guards pointed out, Robb and everybody else noticed three people emerge from the tree line, one of which seemed to shine in their polished steel.

The individual was clearly dressed for battle. But if he was a foe, he would've no doubt initially used the dragon to engage with them, not approach the castle on foot.

That somewhat eased his nerves, though those same nerves started to flare up again as he squinted in the direction of the three individuals, frowning as he started to recognise the other two people who were with the armoured man.

Father? Jon?

What in the fuck was going on?

"Open the gate!" He shouted to one of the guards as he rushed down the stairs to the courtyard, numerous questions running through his head.

Why were they on a dragon?

Where the fuck had they got a dragon from?

Where was the rest of his family if his father and brother were here and not in Harrenhal with them?

"Lord Stark?" He heard one of the guards shout from above as he made his way towards the southern gate of his home. The gate itself slowly opened revealing his brother, his father and more bizarrely, Ser Jaime Lannister of all people.

He was completely baffled, why was one of the Kingsguard of Rhaegar Targaryen here with his father and brother?

The answers couldn't come quicker as the three men slowly entered the courtyard. Everybody seemed to stop and stare, some people even stood there with their mouths agape wide open at the three men.

"Father? Jon? how...what…" He stuttered out as he tried to work it all out himself before he was told.

His father slowly walked up to him and gave him a fierce hug, one that caught him off guard if he was being honest. He couldn't remember the last time his father had embraced him this hard before.

Something has happened, something very wrong has definitely happened.

He looked over his father's shoulder towards his brother who was standing with the Lannister knight, the look on his face when they locked eyes was hard to read, almost like he'd been in a world of his own.

"It's good to see you son." His father said as they separated "How have you been handling things? Everything good?" He asked, almost like he'd not just appeared from the back of a creature right from Old Nan's bedtime stories.

"Everything is fine." He replied as he gave Ser Jaime a nod of acknowledgement "...but don't you think I should be the one asking questions?"

His father closed his eyes and sighed "Aye, you have the right of it." He said as Jon and Ser Jaime approached.

Robb motion a guard across to him and told him to go and inform his wife and the rest of the women and children that it was a false alarm and that they can safely emerge from the crypts. The last thing he wanted to do was to leave them down there without knowing what's happened.

"I have to admit Ser Jaime, even after everything that has happened already this evening, I didn't expect to see you back in Winterfell anytime soon." He said as the four of them made their way into the keep and towards his father's solar.

"You're not the only one." He heard the Lannister man mutter to himself as they entered his father's solar. He turned and looked at his brother to see his reaction but Jon was already making his way towards his father's stash of arbour gold.

"Ser Jaime." His father said as he took a seat behind his desk "I would like a private conversation with my son, if that's not too much to ask?"

Oddly, the Lannister knight turned and looked towards Jon, his brother giving the man a silent nod before the knight exited the solar closing the door behind himself.

That was very odd.

Robb held his hand up as his father was about to speak "Before you say anything, I have an announcement, well, both me and Alys have an announcement." He said with a smile. The look on his father's face led him to believe that he'd already worked out was about to be said, he was happily smiling before a look of sadness took hold of his face shortly after.

"You're going to be a grandfather." He confirmed as he waited for his father's response. He looked towards Jon, who was pouring himself out another goblet of wine before he stopped as he looked towards Robb in surprise "And you're going to be an uncle" He added with a cheeky grin.

With the way his brother and father shared a look, you would have thought he'd just told them that he'd accidentally spent all of the gold and silver in the vaults.

"You could at least look a little bit happy for us, is that too much to ask for?" He said as he frowned. Out the corner of his eye he noticed his brother neck the entire goblet of wine that he'd just poured himself.

"I am happy for you Robb, we both are." He assured as he got to his feet and came over to hug him "Congratulations." His father added as they separated from their embrace. He patted him on the shoulder and smiled at him "Your mother is going to be ecstatic when she finds out."

"Speaking of mother, where is she?" He enquired before he shook his head "Actually, forget that, I think even bigger questions need answering don't you?" He said as he took a quick glance towards the window. "I mean, I had a little bit of wine with my supper earlier, but I don't think I was that drunk to mistake the pair of you sat on what I can only describe as a bloody dragon. I mean what in the seven hells is all that about!?"

His father looked at Jon before he scratched his chin, he looked to be having a little difficulty getting his words out, but with a small sigh, he managed to get through it.

Please don't be bad news, don't ruin the good news he'd just been given.

"Robb." His father began, visibly swallowing a lump in his throat as he nervously scratched his desk with his fingernail. "Something's happened, a lot of things in fact besides the appearance of a dragon." He continued before his eyes slowly looked towards Jon.

"There's no easy way of saying this, if there is I would like to know. you see…"

"I'm not your brother Robb." Jon blurted out before turning to pour himself yet another cup full of wine.

He frowned for what felt like the hundredth time today. "Why would you say that?" He replied back, almost snapping at Jon before looking back towards his father. He expected to see him look as confused as he did and not dejected as he was actually seeing.

"Father?" He questioned, the way he looked up to Robb made him wonder if he even wanted to hear what he had to say.

"Sit down son." He was told. Part of him wanted to deny his father but he knew he wouldn't get the answers he needed if he didn't.

"First things first," His father said as he locked eyes with him "...the dragon we arrived on is Jon's."

"You kept that quiet. How in seven hells did that happen?" He said as he turned to Jon.

He just shrugged "First of all, she isn't mine, we're just bonded."

"Bonded?" Robb asked "What does that mean?"

Jon looked thoughtful before answering "It's difficult to explain but you might have felt the same way with Grey Wind. Have you ever looked at him and believed you were communicating with your mind? Or had any weird dreams at night where you felt, I don't know, almost animalistic?" He oddly asked.

But it wasn't really odd at all in reality, Robb had often gotten lost in his direwolf's eyes when they looked at each other and just the other night he'd experienced a wild dream involving him sprinting through the wolfswood at a speed that was not possible for a human to pull off. At first he thought it was just a weird dream, just one of those you couldn't explain the morning after. But with what Jon was saying, it sounded a lot deeper than that.

"Sort of." Was the answer he eventually decided on, his mind still trying to deal with the fact that his brother rode a fucking dragon.

Brother. Was he even his brother any more after what his father had said?

Was Robb still considered a brother to him?

"Well it's a bit like that, only a lot more intense and a lot more surreal." Jon replied back, all Robb could do was nod as his eyes moved back across to his father so he could carry on with his much needed explanation.

"So Jon has a dragon, or rides on one at least." He repeated to his father to which he nodded. "Still, and I can't believe I'm saying this, it isn't the most important thing that needs explaining is it?" He said before pointing towards Jon without looking away from his father.

"What did he mean when he said he wasn't my brother?" He asked, his voice rising towards the end as his ire grew.

"I found out who my mother is. That's why I'm not you're brother, well, blood wise that is." Jon interjected, his explanations getting straight to the point that Robb was looking for.

He looked back at his father, his father who was trying desperately not to look at either of them in that current moment.

"Father...look at me." Robb said, the Lord of Winterfell reluctantly looking towards his son.

"What is he saying?" He asked. Robb needed to know the truth, but he wasn't sure he really wanted to know it.

His father sighed, the look on his face made him look a lot older than he actually was.

"I'm not Jon's biological father." Eddard Stark answered, almost whispered into the silence of the room. The sound of a goblet being thumped on a wooden surface implying that Jon had finished yet another glass of arbour.

Of all the things he thought that would happen today, he didn't expect to find out he was going to become a father, find out dragons existed in the world again and seemingly lose a brother in the process.

The old gods were playing games with him, they must be. Piling all of these huge revelations upon him in such a short time frame just to see how he handled them must be very entertaining for them to watch.

He closed his eyes and took a calming breath, all the while, his father carried on with his explanation.

"Jon worked out who his mother was..."

"I didn't work it out, uncle Benjen did." Jon interrupted from the side of the room.

He opened his eyes as he caught his father looking towards, well, he didn't know what Jon was to him any more.

"How?" His father replied. Jon just answered with a shrug.

"He seemed to piece it together when I went up there to see him just recently. He took me to meet the maester of Castle Black and that seemed to confirm it for him."

He frowned "The maester? Isn't the maester of Castle Black Ae..."

"Aemon Targaryen." Jon said as he eventually took a seat next to the window. "The man is sadly blind but he didn't need his sight to work out who's blood I had running through my veins."

Robb felt like he was missing a vital piece of information, like as soon as he heard it, everything else would fit into place. One name and he was sure the truth would strike him like a punch in the gut.

It was all connected, he knew that, the meeting with the Targaryen maester, the fact that Jon still called Benjen uncle…

His gaze slowly fell on his father, his mind rushing to add everything up for him. Jon still calls Benjen uncle, he's bonded with a bloody dragon, he has his very own direwolf like the rest of them.

Jon had the blood of the Starks running through his veins.

But he also had another.

And it took only one question to pretty much confirm it.

"Is Jon's mother aunt Lyanna?" He asked his father after a few moments of silence in the room. The man sat behind his desk in front of him seemed to deflate as he asked the question, almost like he was relieved he didn't have to spell it out for him himself.

All it took was a nod from his father to give birth to another string of questions in his mind, a small feeling of panic as numerous outcomes ran through his mind as he thought of the consequences they could face.

"And if you're not his father..."

"Rhaegar Targaryen, the current King of the country, that's who my sire is." Jon answered for him, unlike his father, Jon wasn't dancing around the subject. Something he was very grateful for.

Jon wasn't finished though as he carried on speaking.

"I was born in Dorne, my mother died giving birth to me. She named me Jaehaerys Targaryen, your father gave me a different name to keep my identity anonymous from everyone. Instead of taking me back to the capital, he decided to bring me home with him and declare me as his bastard. He claims to have his own reason for doing so, ones that not a lot of people agree with, and that includes the King."

Robb's eyes couldn't widen any more if he tried, he looked at his father speechless.

"The King knows everything now, he found out not too long ago along with everybody else. He also knows that your father killed a member of the Kingsguard when he eventually found his sister and me, basically to ensure there were no eye witnesses when he decided to do what he was going to do. That's why we are here today, the King wanted your father's head for what he's done, I managed to bring the sentence down to joining the Night's Watch instead. You're the new Warden of the North Robb, and I'm sorry it happened the way it did." Jon finished. He looked back at his father and noticed that he shared the same speechless look as he did, one that Jon saw.

Jon shrugged as he looked at his father "There really is no point tip toeing around the truth at this point, Robb knows everything now, it's up to him to decide what he does with that information now."

"I was going to tell him Jon, just a little more delicately than the way you put it." His father replied, but Robb was barely listening at that point. He appreciated that Jon thought it was best If he knew everything, but with the way he received the information all at once, he wasn't sure how to process it all.

His father was joining the watch?

Everybody knew about Jon's parentage?

His real name is Jaehaerys?

And Robb was to become the new Warden of the North?

He buried his face in his hands and regulated his breathing in an attempt to calm his rushing mind.

My father will never get to meet his grandchild.

He'll never see his brothers and sisters grow up and become parents of their own.

Robb was too young to become the new Warden of the North, the new Lord of Winterfell.

"The King wanted your father escorted to the wall with a bunch of royal guards but I decided to take him myself. It would give him the chance to speak with you and me the opportunity to tell you everything that had happened to your face and not through some piece of paper." Jon told him as they locked eyes. He knew it was wrong to feel that way but he couldn't help but feel the beginnings of a bit of resentment towards his brother, now cousin.

"How very kind of you." He muttered in reply in a sarcastic tone, something both Jon and his father caught.

"Robb...Jon didn't have to do what he did, he could've easily left me to be shipped up to the wall without a second thought." His father tried to explain but he was having none of it.

"He also didn't have to blurt out to the world that he was the King's lost long son and that you had been the one to keep him a secret! I mean he must have known what would happen to you, and he still did it anyway!" He growled as he looked back at Jon who was now giving him a cold look.

Stay strong. You're the older sibling here and he needs to hear what he's done.

"Robb...it's not that simple." His father began to say but was cut off by Jon.

"No, it's fine. It seems to me that he's made up his mind, and you know that I'm not the grovelling type."

"More like the 'not willing to admit when they are in the wrong' type." He shot back. Jon didn't look impressed at all at the comment but wasn't able to reply as his father was already standing up and interrupting.

"You two will pack this in this instant! I won't have the pair of you at each other's throats because of something that I've done, I won't stand for it, do you hear me!?"

Neither him or Jon answered back, they just sat there staring daggers at each other.

"Do you hear me!?" His father asked again, the only response was Jon getting to his feet and addressing him.

"If it wouldn't be too much to ask, could you spare me and Ser Jaime a room and a meal for just one night? I'll be sure to be out of your castle by the morn Lord Stark, wouldn't want to cause you any more trouble." He said as he looked at Robb with the coldest look he'd ever seen him aim at him.

He wouldn't admit it but he felt stung being refereed to as Lord Stark and not Robb.

He heard his father sigh "Go and speak to Vayne Jon, he'll see to it."

Before Robb could look back at his brother, he was already making his way out of the room.

Regardless of what had happened, he still couldn't see Jon as anything but his brother.

"I won't have it Robb, I won't have you two falling out over this. Jon has tried more than I deserve to make sure I at least walked away from this with my head still attached to my shoulders. He made sure I would get to still see my family, a lot more than I would if I was dead." His father explained to him.

"What a hero." He replied sarcastically, his father finding no humour behind it as his eyes hardened.

"Robb..." He growled back, but Robb held his hand up as he sighed.

"I know I know, I just can't help how I feel right now father. It feels like he's taking my father away and he's gaining one."

A hard look came across his father's face, one that he'd seen very rarely.

"Rhaegar Targaryen will never be his father." He said resolutely.

"He was never really given the chance to though was he?" He answered back. He may hate the situation his father was in right now but Robb knew that his actions were one of the main reasons he found himself in that situation in the first place.

As much as I try to blame Jon for it all.

His father sighed and closed his eyes.

"Why did you do it?" Robb asked, it was about time he got to the bottom of his father's motives.

"Do what?"

It was his turn to sigh with exasperation "You know what."

And for what felt like hours, Robb and his father talked. Talked about promises and regrets, rights and wrongs, until his wife came to check on them, informing them that most of the castle had gone to bed. Even amongst all that was said, his father still managed to shock him yet again at the mention of a recently discovered half sister living in Dorne.

He laid in the warmth of his furs later on, Alys curled up next to him sharing said warmth. He was wide awake, trying to make sense of everything that had been said today.

His father had explained to him why he did what he did, and Robb was still unsure if he agreed with him.

Daenerys

She woke up surrounded in warmth, letting out a small moan as she stretched her arms and legs within the confines of her furs before settling into a peaceful state, her eyes still firmly shut.

She frowned as a wet sensation ran up the side of her cheek before a small chuckle bubbled to the surface as she pushed away the cause of such warmth that she'd felt all through the night.

"Get off me you big lump." She said as Ghost moved across the top of her. She opened her eyes and noticed a pleased look on the wolf's face as she looked into those beautiful eyes of his.

She was glad when she found out that Jon had left the direwolf under her supervision, it was like a promise that he would actually be returning to them after all that mess up north had been dealt with.

She sighed as she lifted herself and sat up in her temporary bed, she still couldn't believe everything that had happened over the past few days. It was a confusing time for her and most of her family, the two emotions they all must share with her didn't mix very well. How could a person function normally when they were feeling both angry and happy at the same time?

She reluctantly pulled herself up and out of bed, the material of the spacious tent that had been erected for her was thick enough that she wasn't sure what time of the day it was.

Ghost followed her as she walked towards her trunk, a pair of riding breeches under her gown was a must if she planned on riding again today. Her mother knew how much she enjoyed being astride her white coated mare, but she didn't hide her displeasure when it was done in front of the masses.

She'd rather I ride in the carriages with the rest of the women.

She loved her mother with all her heart, but it just wasn't something she was willing to give up so easily.

"Princess." She heard through the flap of her tent, Ser Oswell waiting for her response.

"Yes?" She answered as she put on a fresh set of underclothes before squeezing into a pair of tight grey riding breeches. She admired her reflection in the temporary looking glass, the breeches in question putting in little effort in hiding her curves.

I wonder if he would like to see…

"One of your handmaidens is here to help you get ready for the day your grace." Ser Oswell answered as he interrupted her thought process.

"Send her in." She replied as Ghost came and sat on the floor next to where she was stood. She ran her hand over the top of his head as the girl entered her tent, a polite bow sent her way as she did so. Dany could recognise fear when she saw it and the girl stood in front of her showed just that as her eyes widened when she noticed her direwolf friend.

The girl in front of her she'd seen before, usually with the rest of her handmaidens. She was quite meek, even when the rest of her handmaidens were present, but Dany had noticed a few times the way the girl just sat and listened as she pretended to be busy.

She was pretty sure she was one of the many spies that roamed the Red Keep, but with the amount of people who had their own spy networks, she wasn't too sure whose she was.

Mother? Varys? Littlefinger?

The truth would reveal itself at some point, and it would be smarter of her if she let it happen naturally.

The conversation didn't flow at all as she was helped with her dress and hair, the girl seemed very reluctant to even converse with her really and it wasn't long before she was leaving her tent with Ghost and Ser Oswell staying close by.

"It was a bit quiet back there princess, everything alright?" Ser Oswell asked her as they headed towards the tent her family would be sharing for breakfast.

"Everything is fine Oz, I just have a feeling that my handmaiden isn't very fond of me that's all." She replied.

The Kingsguard knight chuckled, his face straightening back out as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Mara has always been a quiet one, I'm also pretty sure she's one of Varys' little birds." He said nonchalantly.

So she wasn't going mad then, she wasn't the only one to spot her handmaidens odd behaviour.

"What makes you say that?" She asked. She nodded to a few of the people who they passed as they bowed their head at her. She smirked internally when she saw some of their looks as they spotted a well behaving Ghost just behind her.

"I've seen that one speaking with our lord of whispers on a few occasions that's all your grace, and I think its more business than pleasure between the two of them."

She hummed as they approached the large black and red tent in the centre of camp that had been erected last night, the size of which would diminish by the day as houses splintered off towards their respected homes the further south they went.

Looks like she'd be having a little word with Lord Varys when they arrived back in the capital.

Everybody was already sat down eating their breakfast as she entered the tent, she grinned when she noticed the way Alysanne's eyes lit up when she noticed Ghost enter behind her.

"Puppy!" The little princess exclaimed from her mother's lap.

"Is that wise Daenerys?" Rhaegar said to her as she took the empty seat next to Rhaenys.

"Is what wise?" She replied as one of the servants made her a plate of food, out the corner of her eye, she noticed Rhaenys smiling down at Ghost who had laid down behind her chair.

"Bringing him in here?" Her brother said as he nodded in Ghost's direction. Rhaenys was busy scratching the top of his head when she turned to look at him.

He seems to be enjoying it too with the way his eyes were closed and his tail was thumping against the ground.

"It'll be fine, Ghost's a sweetheart." She said, Elia sat next to her brother gave her an amused grin.

"And furthermore, it's something you will have to get used to if you plan on having Jon sticking around." She added, that seemed to get a lot of attention from around the table, all manner of reactions really.

She'll process each of those reactions later.

Conversations began to form amongst everybody sat at the table as she ate her breakfast of fish and fruits, the former of which she was getting tired of eating. Thankfully, they'd be out of the Riverlands in the coming days and she couldn't wait to see the back of the region's favourite food.

"What's got you so upset?" Rhae asked her as she took a sip from her goblet.

"Hmm?" She replied as she chewed the last of her fish before taking a drink from her own cup.

Rhaenys pointed her finger at her face "You've been frowning ever since you started eating." She said a hint of humour in her tone.

Dany shook her head "Fish." She said "...I've grown tired of it." She added. Rhae just chuckled as she took a chunk of her own fish and dropped it on the floor in front of Ghost, the wolf almost inhaling the piece of meat.

"Me too." Rhae answered back with a smile.

Across the table, she noticed Egg and Margaery in a conversation of their own, Elia had taken Alys from her mother and was helping her with her breakfast. Viserys was nowhere to be seen this morning, no doubt somewhere with Arianne's brother and Ser Arthur's cousin, planning to go puppy clubbing or something similarly cruel.

The thing that had caught her attention was the conversation her mother and brother were currently having. They were trying to speak in hushed tones but Dany could clearly work out what they were talking about.

Something her mother was clearly not a big fan of hearing by the looks of things.

"I might be King mother, but denying Lord Tywin an audience for whatever reason isn't the kind of hassle I'm interested in making for myself. Relations with the Lannisters have been good as of late, I don't want to destroy that." She heard her brother say.

Her mother didn't look best pleased at what her son was saying"You know what it will be about don't you? It doesn't take a genius to work out what he intends with this meeting."

It doesn't? She thought, but it only took her a few seconds to work it out for herself.

She did well to keep the scowl from showing on her face as she grabbed her goblet and listened on.

"Of course I do mother, but I still have to hear the man out. If..." She heard her brother say before sneaking a look in her direction. She was quick to busy herself as she handed her plate to a servant to hide the fact that she'd heard them.

"...if Tywin wants to propose a marriage for his grandson, the least I can do is take his proposal seriously as not to offend the man. As I've said before, I'm not interested in disturbing the peace that both of our families currently have at the moment." Her brother explained to her mother, making the blood in her veins simmer.

Rhaenys seemed to have heard her father too as the grip on her goblet tightened. She knew that the two of them were pushing their luck when it came to finding a husband for themselves, but she didn't expect her brother to be already considering matches this soon after the tourney.

Her mother had told her she was trying her best to give her and Rhae time to find a husband themselves but by the looks of it, their time was slowly coming to an end.

A jolt of anxiety thrummed through her as her mother replied.

"I wasn't talking about the girls you fool." Her mother said followed with a sigh "I love both of those girls unconditionally, I won't hear a bad word said about them. But when you are given the choice between a young princess that does nothing but strengthen ties the crown somewhat and a prince who has the biggest military power Westeros has seen in centuries, maybe even in the countries history, which one do you think a man like Tywin Lannister is going to want tied to his family by marriage hmm?"

At this point, the room had gone quiet, everyone present clearly hearing what her mother had said as her tone had gotten progressively louder. For some reason, another jolt of anxiety shot through her. Hearing that she actually wasn't the subject of marriages should have been a balm to her nerves, but the idea of Jon already being shipped off with a pretty little wife on his arm before they'd even gotten time to get to really know him didn't sit right with her one bit.

Almost a panic to her emotions if she was to describe it to anybody.

The silence seemed to eat at them all, everybody seeming to avoid eye contact with each other. Across form her, she noticed Egg and Margaery whispering to each other before her nephew nodded to whatever had been said.

Aegon cleared his throat as he stood, Margaery followed him as she got to her own feet.

"As interesting as this conversation is, unfortunately we are going to have to excuse ourselves. Margaery's grandmother invited us to morning tea yesterday. Something we nearly forgot about." Aegon said as Alysanne was reluctantly handed back to her mother by Elia.

Rhaegar waved his hand nonchalantly as Egg and his little family left the tent, two Kingsguard following suit. Clearly her brother had more important things on his mind than morning tea with the Queen of Thorns.

Her brother was now well and truly outnumbered, sat at the table with the only women in the realm who were able to give him a piece of their mind.

Elia was the first to get a word in.

"Rhaella is right Rhaegar, that meeting is just going to be Lord Tywin trying to jump to the front of the queue when it comes to Jon. He'd practically drag his granddaughter down the aisle at the idea of having a dragon or two joining his family."

Her brother sighed as he looked at his wife, it sounded like he was already fed up with the conversation before it had even started.

"Would that be a bad thing though? The marriage I mean, not the whole dragging his grandchildren around. If Jon marries Myrcella, it would tie four of the biggest houses in the realm together in one day. If that marriage ensures that House Stark, Baratheon and Lannister stay passive with each other, then I can't see how this isnt an advantageous situation." Rhaegar explained.

Before Elia could respond, her brother was continuing.

"I mean look at it this way, through that marriage, the four houses I've just said would be linked to the crown. That leaves the Reach, Dorne, the Riverlands and the Vale. Dorne and the Reach are already linked with Aegon and Margaery's marriage, little Alys just reaffirms that relationship. House Stark, Tully and Arryn are bound by marriage through Lady Catelyn and Lady Lysa and with Jon being half Stark, that ties those three to the crown as well. It also take some pressure off the two girls when it comes to finding matches for themselves." Her brother finished, sending a smile in there direction. He had it all figured out, and Daenerys hated how logical it all sounded.

"After what's just happened to the previous warden of the north, I have a feeling that link with House Stark is rather tentative right now." Elia responded as she took a sip from her goblet. Rhaegar didn't respond straight away, but when he did, it was a question that made her straighten up in her chair.

"Well who would you suggest he marry then?" He asked to which his wife responded with a shrug of her shoulders. Rhaegar just sighed before returning to finish the rest of his meal, the conversation seemingly hitting a dead end.

She didn't miss the way the Queen glanced at her daughter for a moment or two afterwards though.

But she did miss the way her own mother looked at her thoughtfully.

Ned

The morning was clear, the sun beating down on his back was a respite from the chilly night previous. He was stood in the main courtyard of his home along with Jaime Lannister, waiting for Jon to finish speaking with his brother and sister-in-law.

The conversation he'd had moments ago with his son wasn't easy to say the least, he'd had a lot of awkward moments as of late and his latest conversation with his eldest wasn't any different. It was a difficult conversation to have with Robb, essentially telling him that he was proud of him and that he knew that he wouldn't let the North down when he officially became the new warden.

Neither of them were reduced to tears, thankfully, but he was pretty sure that had less to do with them being emotionless northerners and more to do with the fact that he was sure Robb still didn't know what to think about his actions that had caused all of this.

He'd decided to give Robb some space to speak with Jon as he saw Lya's lad and his daughter-in-law approach from the great keep, with one last embrace with his son, he walked away, Ser Jaime following him close by.

"Warms the heart doesn't it Lord Eddard?" He heard Ser Jaime say in a tone that promised a verbal duel.

"What does?" He asked as he looked down to pull his gloves on.

"The love shared between two brothers." The Lannister man answered back as Ned looked up, his heart filling at the sight of Jon and Robb embracing. It wasn't the crushing bear hugs they used to share but in Ned's eyes, it was progress.

He looked back down as he pulled on his second glove "Aye it can be, though I'm confused that you consider them brothers, I expected some snide comment in it's place."

"You wound me Lord Eddard, I'm just respecting my Prince's wishes that's all."

Prince.

Ned was unsure if he could ever see Jon as some southern prince.

"And respecting his wishes is probably for the best in the end." He replied as he was reminded yet again of the torment he put the lad through withholding his mother's identity from him.

Ser Jaime looked at him like he wanted to make a comment on the very thing he was just thinking about but instead looked back in Jon's direction.

"I've grown fond of the boy. My father would dispute it to the bitter end but I can see Jon has had a similar effect on him as well."

What?

He looked at Ser Jaime and frowned.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Ser Jaime looked at him with a shit eating grin "Your nephew provided my family with some good news over the course of the tournament. He even managed to make my father smile or whatever it was that I saw when he returned a long lost possession of House Lannister to him."

What had he missed!?

The look on his face seemed to portray just how uninformed he was on everything as Ser Jaime chuckled at him.

"Has he not told you?" He asked before shaking his head "Silly question, of course he has, I mean why wouldn't he trust you with that information. He trusts you unconditionally after all."

"Alright!" He replied back, a snap to his response. The man was clearly trying to push his buttons, something he was succeeding at.

"Jon really didn't tell you did he?" Ser Jaime asked to which he reluctantly shook his head.

"So he didn't tell you that he'd been living with my uncle for years, the same uncle that we all thought dead? He also didn't tell you that Gerion asked him to deliver House Lannister's long lost valyrian sword back to his brother either I'm guessing?" Ser Jaime said to him, both pieces of information being completely new to him.

He looked away from the man and stared out at the growing crowd on the battlements, no doubt waiting to see another glimpse of Jon's dragon "No he has not." He eventually replied.

He hated that people were already trying to sink their claws into Jon, and he hated that there was nothing he could really do about it.

He straightened up as he noticed Robb and Jon approaching them, Lady Alys had splintered off to go and stand with Maester Luwin and her handmaidens.

"You ready?" Jon asked as he started pulling on his own set of gloves. He nodded as his eyes fell on Robb, his son looked awkwardly between him and Ser Jaime.

Out the corner of his eye he could see Jon looking back and forth between him and Robb as he pulled his last glove on, the awkward silence that was growing between the three of them was deafening.

Gasps and murmurs in the courtyard grew in volume, Ned noticed a few people pointing and looking up into the sky, and Ned still couldn't get over the image of a creature of that size moving around so gracefully.

He will never get used to seeing such a sight.

His eyes followed Jon's dragon as it glided above Winterfell, watching as it slowly descended towards the ground. The earth below their feet vibrated as she finally landed, a quick roar aimed in their direction made Jon bizarrely chuckle, something nobody was doing within Winterfell.

"I think somebody is eager to get going." Jon said as he looked towards the field that the dragon was in the middle of sitting down in.

He turned away from Jon's dragon just in time for him to open his arms as Robb gave him a crushing hug.

"This isn't goodbye father, I'll make sure I find the time to come visit." Robb murmured into his shoulder before pulling away. Robb's eyes were tearing up but he managed to keep hold of his emotions, it wouldn't help him in the long run if people thought him weak.

Though to him, his son would never be weak, none of them were.

He patted Robb on the shoulder, hoping the gesture brought him some ounce of comfort. His son gave him a sad smile before looking towards Jon, Ned couldn't really tell how the two of them were with each other based on the look he was giving him.

Another roar erupted from behind them, he turned and noticed the dragon staring at them like it was waiting for a reply.

"I'm afraid if we don't get going now, we might be walking." Jon said as readjusted the unique swords that were strapped to his back.

With one last embrace with his son, him, Jon and Ser Jaime approached the dragon before mounting it. A silence between the three of them took over, none of them knowing what to say as Ned saw the last glimpse of his home from the perspective of the gods.

High up in the clouds, neither of them noticed him temporarily lose his hold on his emotions.

Jon

They'd made good time with their journey north and it wasn't long before they were approaching Castle Black's gates after dismounting off Kireina.

"Open the gates!" He heard one of the guardsmen shout from the castle wall above them. He gave a quick glance at his uncle and Ser Jaime before the old gate of Castle Black was being slowly cracked open.

He could see the visible confusion on the guards face when his uncle announced himself.

Ser Jaime was restless as the gate slowly opened and Jon suppressed a grin at the man's struggles. Pretty much the entire trip north the southern knight had done nothing but complain about the cold, and Jon had done nothing but laugh at his troubles.

"Never thought I'd see the day that Jaime Lannister would look forward to getting inside Castle Black, even if it is just to get out of this bloody cold." Ser Jaime said to himself as he blew hot air into his cupped hands.

He frowned as he looked at the knight "Did you just refer to yourself in the third person?"

Before Ser Jaime could answer, a recognisable voice was bellowing out towards them. A small smile started to grow on his face when he noticed his uncle Benjen marching towards them, a look of resignation appearing on his face as his eyes landed on his brother.

He already knows.

"Jon." Benjen said to him before bringing him into a crushing hug. It felt good to return the embrace, even after everything that had changed recently, his uncle stayed a constant throughout it all.

He was almost like an anchor to Jon.

Benjen pulled away and held him at arms length, his eyes drinking him in "You're still in one piece I see." He said as he glanced at Ser Jaime and then his own brother. Jon could already tell by his uncle's face that he couldn't wait to give his brother a piece of his mind.

He introduced his uncle to Jaime, the pair of them shared a handshake and a wordless nod. Before both of his uncles could reunite, Benjen was walking towards the castle gate, ushering them into the courtyard.

He looked around the grounds, everybody who had been busy were now more interested with the new guests "C'mon, I'll take you up to Mormont's solar. Don't mind them, they should be CARRYING ON WITH THEIR DUTIES!" His uncle said as the brothers of the watch seemed to take the hint.

The walk up to the Lord Commander's solar was extremely awkward, it would seem his uncle Benjen was more than okay with ignoring his older brother for now, something him and Jaime noticed as they glanced at each other on more than one occasion.

As they reached the corridor that Commander Mormont's solar was located in, Jon noticed somebody exiting the room. If his memory was serving him right, the lad's name was Satin, and when they locked eyes it was clear that he'd remembered who Jon was.

"Satin!" His uncle shouted as they approached. He nodded towards the door "...is he in?" Benjen added to which Satin just wordlessly answered with a nod.

"Good. Be a good lad, prepare the King's Tower for our guests." His uncle added as he patted the lad on the shoulder. Satin just nodded before rushing out of the corridor, glancing their way one last time as he rounded the corner.

The door was slightly ajar as his uncle knocked. He squeezed his head through the gap and addressed the Lord Commander.

"We've got some visitors." He said before opening the door fully, presenting their group to him.

Lord Mormont rose from his seat behind his desk when he saw who it was, the frown on the older man's face betrayed how confused he was at seeing who his guests were.

"Lord Stark...Jon, and..." Mormont said as he looked towards Jaime.

"Ser Jaime Lannister." The knight announced, a hand held out to shake that Lord Mormont seemed to reluctantly shake.

"I won't lie to you Lord Stark, your presence has me somewhat confused. Did we miss a raven or something?" Lord Mormont said as he shook his uncle's hand before shaking Jon's.

He turned and looked at his uncle, waiting to see what he had to say. However, before anything could be said, Ser Jaime was taking off his gloves and pulling a scroll out from the sleeve of his tunic. He handed the sealed scroll to the Lord Commander wordlessly.

Jon noticed the seal on the note before it was broken by Lord Mormont, the three headed dragon.

The sigil of House Targaryen.

The sigil of his…

"What's this?" Lord Mormont said as he unfurled the scroll, his eyes immediately bouncing between Ser Jaime and his uncle.

"A declaration from the crown." Ser Jaime said "His grace felt it necessary that he not only send one via raven but one by hand as well, just in case." His assigned guard added.

"In case of what?" Lord Mormont said as he eyed the Kingsguard suspiciously. Ser Jaime just nodded towards the scroll, encouraging the Lord Commander to read for himself.

He watched as the weathered lord read through the piece of parchment, looking at both of his uncles to see how they were fairing. Both of them looking stoic and doing a good job at hiding their real feelings.

Movement in front of him had him turning back to look at Lord Mormont, his face holding a look of disbelief as his eyes bounced between him and his uncle Ned.

"I don't know what to say." Mormont uttered as he looked back down at the scroll, a hand rubbing at his bearded jaw as he contemplated the ramifications of it's contents.

"I don't think there is much to say. Lord Stark has committed treason, been found out, and is now here to serve his sentence." Ser Jaime said with zero tact, something he received an elbow in the side from his charge for.

Ser Jaime just smirked when Jon looked at him, no doubt amused at the fact that Jon had elbowed nothing but steel. However, he sobered up when he saw the look on Jon's face.

He wasn't amused.

"What Ser Jaime was trying to say is that he understands that the contents of that letter are no doubt pieces of information that are difficult to process right now and that anything that comes out of his mouth isn't worth it's weight in piss at this current moment in time." He said as he shot the Lannister knight another look that implied there was a time and a place for his antics.

"Is all of this true Ned? He's Lyanna's lad?" Lord Mormont said as he nodded at him whilst looking at his uncle. His uncle sighed and nodded in reply, to which the Lord Commander sighed and shook his head.

Things from then on got a little bit awkward. It seemed the concept of his uncle joining the Night's Watch was something Mormont couldn't see happening at all, like this whole situation was just some bizarre dream.

It also didn't help that Jaime seemed to be enjoying every second of seeing his uncle squirm under the attention of the whole room, so much so that Jon felt it wise that the pair of them should leave Lord Mormont and his uncles to talk this out and instead go and see a familiar face that also resided here.

"Are you sure? Do you not want me to come with you?" His uncle Benjen said to him as he announced his intentions, he didn't miss the glance at Jaime when he finished asking.

He shook his head "I'll be fine, me and Ser Jaime are going to go and see Aemon. I'm sure he'll be made up when he realises that I'm back." He replied. Ned looked at him at the mention of his other uncle, probably just remembering that there was a Targaryen currently at Castle Black right now.

A Targaryen that isn't going to let his uncle off lightly when he finally speaks with him no doubt.

After Benjen tipped him off as to the whereabouts of Aemon, him and Jaime briskly made their way towards the library where they came across a young man helping his uncle out with what looked like a small pile of letters.

He knocked his knuckle against the frame of the door and cleared his throat, disturbing the hush of the room. The young man helping his uncle turned his head at the noise, but he wasn't the one to speak.

"Who is it?" His uncle asked without turning his head towards them.

"It's Jon, uncle." He replied, not really caring about the secrecy of his relation to the maester any more since it was pretty much common knowledge at this point.

The young helper's eyes seemed to widen at such a declaration but he was more interested in what his uncle had to say. His uncle didn't disappoint either as his face lit up at the sound of his voice.

The maester seemed to want to stand when he knew who it was coming to visit him so the young acolyte helped the old man to his feet.

"Your timing is almost perfect young man." His uncle said to him as he smiled in his direction. "And who's your friend?" He added as he seemed to sense Ser Jaime stood next to him.

He frowned at both of the things that were said as Jaime introduced himself.

"Ser Jaime Lannister, your grace. Pleasure to meet you." He said as he bowed, seemingly realising his effort had been wasted when he realised that Aemon lacked the ability of sight.

He just shook his head amusingly at him when they made eye contact.

His uncle chuckled to himself as he approached the two of them. Jon made up the gap in between them and grasped hold of Aemon's free hand, the old maester looking up at him with milky eyes and a full smile.

"You forgot to tell your friend that I've not been important enough for that title for a very long time." His uncle said to him with a chuckle as he led him back towards the table they'd just been sat at.

"Don't be silly, you'll always be important uncle." He replied as he helped him into his seat before joining him. Ser Jaime stood at the door, on guard like his duty demanded.

"Go on then uncle, what's all this about perfect timing you were talking about?" He asked as pulled his gloves off and got settled into his seat.

His uncle just smiled as he ran his hand across the table, his hands eventually grasping a piece of parchment that was laid to the side. Jon noticed right away the broken wax on the scroll had the Targaryen sigil embossed within.

"This arrived this morning with the rest of the ravens, I finished reading it moments before you arrived." He said as Aemon handed him the letter. He already knew the contents of the letter as he scanned it, it matched the contents of the letter that Jaime handed to Lord Mormont moments ago.

He frowned as he looked back at his uncle "How come you're only just reading this uncle? Would've thought you would read these during the day, the sun was already going down when we arrived." He asked as Aemon looked in his acolyte's direction.

"Let's just say the human race will forever be capable of mistakes and that's all I will say on the matter." He said as the young man who was helping his uncle lowered his gaze to the ground where he stood.

"Kireina won't be happy when she finds out she lost a race to a bird." He said with a smile, his uncle chuckled as he took back the piece of parchment from him.

Aemon turned and looked at his helping hand "You're dismissed for today Cleo, go and find your supper young man." He said, the acolyte bowing to his uncle before shuffling out of the room.

"Now you," Aemon said as he looked back at him "...tell me everything." He said and for the next half an hour Jon explained everything that had happened between now and the last time he was here. His uncle just sat there in silence absorbing everything that he was being told, a few nods here and there as he informed him of what happened at Harrenhal.

"And how did they react to your dragon?" Aemon asked, slight concern in his tone.

He sighed "I don't know really. Understandably people were a bit terrified of her when she decided to make her first appearance but other than that, I'm not sure what people think yet. It's the reason I wanted to keep her existence quiet from the public eye."

"You realise that wouldn't have been realistic if you wanted to stay in Westeros don't you?" Aemon explained.

Who ever said he wanted to stay?

Gerion had made it very clear that he was welcome back.

But that was before he found out he had an entire second family waiting out there for him.

The royal family to be exact.

That fact still hadn't fully settled in yet.

He nodded in reply to his uncle's question, replying with an 'Aye' quickly afterwards when he realised his simple mistake.

"What are they like?" His uncle asked him a moment later.

"Who?"

"Our family." Aemon said with what Jon thought looked like a nervous smile on his face.

What were they like?

"They seem nice, I guess. I've not known them long enough to have an opinion yet." Was all he could say since it was the truth. His first impressions of them had been been exactly what he'd expected, poorly hidden interest in him from most of them, one or two of them a little more cautious of showing their interest.

Aemon nodded to himself before continuing "And how did your father seem?"

He frowned at the odd question, or maybe he was cringing at the mention of the word father.

"What do you mean?" He asked as he eyed Ser Jaime from across the room. It seemed the knight hadn't heard what his uncle had asked.

Aemon sighed at the question "Your grandmother used to send me ravens regarding her concerns for her son. She believed his interest in prophecies was becoming an obsession, she feared it was the beginning of something and she wanted advice on how to prevent it."

The Targaryen madness.

"Why did she stop sending you these messages?" He asked in hushed tones, he knew if Jaime heard him talking about Rhaegar, he'd have no choice but to tell his King about it.

"The last message I got from her said that with Aerys' downfall, he was getting more and more suspicious of any of their actions. The chances are that he found out about the letters and forbade her from carrying on with our correspondences." His uncle explained. He put on a strong front but Jon could see that the lack of communication between him and his family was a sore subject for him.

Did they just forget about him in the end?

Clearly his feelings on the matter weren't missed by his uncle, even with his lack of eyesight, the older man could detect when someone was stewing with annoyance.

"Enough of me, I want to ask you a question." His uncle declared, diffusing the situation that was brewing.

"Go on."

Aemon leaned forward across the table and whispered to him "Can I meet the dragon again?"

The question caught him off guard enough for it to have him chuckling in reply.

Already the idea's were running through his head, wondering how he was going to pull this off. What he did know though was that this was definitely going to happen.

"I'll do you one better." He whispered back with a large grin on his face.

He couldn't help the smile on his face. Him along with Aemon and Ser Jaime walked out of the main gate of the castle and out to the snowy field below. His uncle looked like a grizzly bear with the amount of furs he was wrapped in to protect himself from the cold. Over his own shoulder was a long black leather belt that would be necessary for what he had planned.

"Are you sure this is wise?" Jaime whispered to him as he eyed Aemon who had hold of his arm to steady himself. They stood still as they waited for Kireina to arrive.

"I'm not going to deny him this Ser Jaime, I wouldn't forgive myself if I did." He replied.

"I still think we should've told the Lord Commander of your intentions. No doubt somebody saw us, they'll have gone and told him that they saw the two of us walking out of the front door with the maester of the castle like some sort of bizarre kidnapping."

He turned and grinned at his friend "Don't worry Ser Jaime, I'll protect you from Lord Mormont's wrath. I'll be damned if your punished my good ser."

The Lannister knight's eyes narrowed as he looked back at him "My uncle really did a number on you huh?"

It was his turn to frown this time "What do you mean?"

Jaime shook his head "Gerion was exactly like that when I was younger, always finding ways to take the piss."

"Ohh Gerion, I didn't even know you knew him to be fair."

Jaime just sighed and shook his head "Exactly my point." He seemed to mutter to himself. To his right, his uncle just chuckled at the exchanged.

It seemed now was the best time for Kireina to make her entrance as she circled the sky above them before gently landing a few yards away from them. He had to admit, she was getting a lot better at landing more discreetly than she used to, especially after nearly taking out half a forest that one time.

He could almost feel his uncle's excitement from the grip he had on his arm, the glee on his face was almost childlike when he looked at him.

He was glad he could do this for him.

Kireina laid close to the ground as she swung her head in their direction. She started making a deep grumbling sound as he locked eyes with her, he knew it wasn't an aggressive action, but Jaime didn't as he slowly took a step backwards.

"You're fine Ser Jaime, she's just happy to see me that's all." He said as he held a hand out in front of the knight.

His uncle seemed to have his own plans as he started slowly making his way towards the resting dragon, dragging him along by his arm in the process.

Somebody's keen.

"Do you want to help me out Kireina?" He asked as they approached her. She lowered her wing like she already knew what they intended.

They took there time as he carefully helped his uncle onto Kireina's back. It was clear that Aemon was struggling to climb at times but the look of sheer determination showed him that his uncle wasn't taking no for an answer with this task.

He was riding this dragon if it was the last thing he did.

He saw the look of awe on Aemon's face as he moved to sit behind him, he couldn't help the smile that grew on his face as he sat down.

His uncle barely noticed him wrapping the leather belt around his waist, strapping him in and attaching him to himself. It wasn't the most ideal setup but it would be good enough for what they wanted to achieve.

"You ready?" He asked over his uncle's shoulder, the older man just gently nodding as Kireina began to lift herself to her feat. His uncle's grip on one of the protruding spikes on Kireina's back looked surprisingly strong given his age.

He double checked the belt that was wrapped around them before finding a place to grip on each side of his uncle. As soon as that happened, Kireina leaned up and sprang into the air, her wings taking grip of the air around them.

A joy filled laughter erupted from his uncle and he made it pretty difficult for Jon not to join in.

The silence in the courtyard was deafening as the three of them made their way into the castle. Next to him, uncle Aemon was smiling like the cat that got the cream and Ser Jaime just raised an eyebrow at him when they locked eyes.

It was safe to say that their little ride around the wall hadn't been missed by the residents of Castle Black, some of the stunned looks they received as they walked further into the courtyard didn't surprise him one bit. He probably looked the same himself the first time he saw Kireina.

"DID YOU HAVE FUN!?" He heard somebody shout from above them, Jaime nudging him in the shoulder as he nodded up to the walkway above them. He looked up and saw Lord Mormont looking unimpressed as he eyed the three of them. Flanking the Lord Commander were both of his uncles. Ned sharing the same look as Mormont and his uncle Benjen grinning as his eyes bounced back and forth between him and Aemon.

"Delightful my lord." Aemon replied back as he smiled up at Mormont. The Lord Commander sighed before making his way down to them, his uncles following suit.

"Can we have a word?" Lord Mormont muttered to him as they started walking towards the main keep. Uncle Aemon kept a grip on his arm as he escorted him.

"He can after he's escorted me back to my quarters my lord." Aemon spoke up as he began to drag him along before even waiting for an answer. Ser Jaime followed them not to far away.

"Now young man," His uncle said as the door closed and he was helped into his seat "...in exchange for the impossible gift you've just gifted me, I'm going to give you a much needed lesson for what you're about to walk into."

He sighed "Uncle, you don't need to..."

"Sit." Aemon interrupted as he nodded to the empty seat across from him. He huffed as he took a seat but smiled regardless.

For the next twenty minutes, his uncle explained to him the kind of environment he'd be walking into soon. King's Landing was a playground where all the games were played, sometimes people found themselves involved in said games without them even knowing about it. Missteps were almost guaranteed to have consequences, something people wouldn't even blink before taking advantage of.

If his uncle was trying to sell the city of his forefathers to him, he was doing a terrible job at it.

The conversation found it's way to Jon and some of the conversations he'd had with some of his Targaryen relatives, one of which resulted in his uncle finding out some more information about him.

"Jaehaerys?" His uncle said with a small smile on his face. He just nodded in reply.

"Grandmother told me that my mother more than likely named me after…"

"The Conciliator." Aemon interrupted with that smile still on his face. He just nodded again, completely forgetting that his uncle wouldn't see it.

From the corner of his eye he noticed Jaime standing restlessly near the door, reminding him that Lord Mormont had been left waiting for him. He felt a tap on his knee that caught his attention.

"I need you to do something for me." Aemon said to him as he began to get to his feet. He was quick to help him as his uncle guided him towards the corner of the room where the fireplace was situated.

"Grab that poker could you please." His uncle said. He frowned but did as he was asked, poking at the charred logs that were left within the fireplace.

"You'll have to clear away the logs before you can use that." Aemon said. He looked at Ser Jaime whilst still frowning, the knight just shrugged his shoulders.

He started sweeping the logs out of the fireplace, his sleeve instantly consumed in soot as he did so. He heard somebody clearing their throat from behind him, as he turned he noticed Jaime holding a small dustpan and brush with a grin on his face. He just shook his head and carried on shovelling the logs out with his hands, he was already covered in soot, no point in stopping now.

The last of the logs was moved out of the fireplace and he could instantly tell something was up when one of the stone slabs underneath wobbled under his palm as he leaned on it.

"I think you know what to do next." His uncle said as he began to pry the stone slabs up and out of the fireplace. The false floor within the fireplace was at least three slabs thick but he managed to get to the bottom of it, the last slab revealing a small chest made of dark wood with iron fittings. He grabbed it and lifted it expecting it to be heavy but was surprised when he lifted it with relative ease.

"What's this?" He asked as he placed the small chest on the table next to his uncle's seat. He helped Aemon back into his seat as he retook his own, noticing the way his uncle rummaged underneath the small table next to him and pulling out a small key.

"Something I don't want being lost when I eventually leave this world." His uncle said as he fiddled with the lock before latching it open. He wasn't sure if it was soot or dust but the chest was full of it.

"Could you help me with the contents Jon?" Aemon said and he shot to his feet to help him. He'd be lying if he said his curiosity wasn't what had him to his feet that fast.

He brushed away the excess mixture of soot and dust from the first thing that he saw in the chest, a black leather bound book. He set it out to the side and grabbed the only other thing that was left in the chest, a small red velvet pouch, with something definitely inside.

"There should be a book and small bag." Aemon said.

"Yep." He replied "Do you want me to open it?"

"You can open the bag, but I want you to read that book in private when you find the time. It belonged to Brynden Rivers, the previous Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. He left it behind before he disappeared beyond the wall along with the contents of that bag."

He looked down at the small journal that once belonged to the famed Bloodraven and frowned.

"You want me to take this?"

"I do. Read it, learn from it. Our ancestors made mistakes and it's up to future generations to learn from them." His uncle explained as he shook his head and sighed, no doubt remembering some of Brynden Rivers' actions in the past.

"And what's in this bag?" He said as he picked it up.

"A peace of jewellery that belonged to somebody that caused Brynden a lot of pleasures, a lot problems and a lot of heartbreak." Aemon said as he pulled out the silver necklace inside. It was a beautiful piece, age like with most pieces of jewellery hadn't degraded the elegance of it. Numerous star sapphires and emeralds set in the polished silver of the necklace.

"Do I need to ask who this belonged to or..."

"If you know your history young man, you'd know that the piece of jewellery in your hands belonged to Brynden's lover, Shiera Seastar." His uncle said as he looked down at the necklace, mesmerized by the gemstones within it.

"Now put those away and give me a hug." His uncle interrupted, he smiled to himself as he handed both the book and the velvet bag with the necklace inside to Jaime before engulfing Aemon in a bear hug.

"I'll speak with you tomorrow, before I leave." He said into his uncle's shoulder.

There were a few tears shared as they embraced, both having the feeling that this visit to the wall might be the last time the two of them ever saw each other. He hoped that wasn't the case.

He replaced the stone slabs inside the fireplace before relighting it for him, filling the room with warmth for his uncle. After one more hug with Aemon, both him and Jaime made their way up to the Lord Commander's solar. He had a feeling he might have annoyed the men that he'd left waiting.

But couldn't for the life of him care. His time had been taken up by something arguably more important.

The conversation between him, Mormont and his two uncles felt of little importance in the end. The Lord Commander's mentions of wildlings and extra supplies provided from the crown were something he was definitely not something he expected to hear when he stepped into that room.

He'd retired to his given room after a quiet supper of what could only be described as shit paste with chunks of questionable vegetables and sawdust bread. Both of his uncles had sat with him as they ate, the conversation was stunted between them and he'd eventually decided to just go to bed. He knew a big conversation was on the horizon between them but he knew it would have to wait till tomorrow.

"What are you doing?" He said to Jaime as he made his way up the King's Tower to get to his room.

"You think I'm leaving your room unguarded for somebody to slit your throat in your sleep, you must be mad. I might as well say my vows myself instead of returning back to King's Landing." Jaime japed.

"What about sleep?" He asked as they made it to the top of the stairs.

"Comes with the duty of being a Kingsguard. We run on very little sleep, especially when we need to watch over brats like you." Jaime grinned at him as he handed him the book and bag he'd looked after since he'd been given them.

He just huffed out and shook his head as he entered his room, a smile sent Jaime's way as he closed the door behind him.

There was a lit fireplace already in the room as he made his way over to the side table next to the bed. He placed the priceless items down before removing his clothes, leaning his swords against the side table last. The small bowl of cold water on the side table next to the window was pitch black by the time he'd finished washing all the soot off from earlier.

The feather bed was a surprise as he planted himself down in it, he pulled the furs over himself and turned on his side with a sigh. The flickering flames in the fireplace was almost like a lullaby as his eyes grew heavy before closing shut, his dreams confusing, full of ravens, weirwood trees and ruined castles.