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The Following EIGHT Chapters are avaliable for Patrons.
Chapter 29 (Return to Winterfell), Chapter 30 (Dragon Dreams), Chapter 31 (Reunion with The Starks), Chapter 32 (Night at Winterfell), Chapter 33 (A Tourney), Chapter 34 (Ned's Regrets), Chapter 35 (Direwolves of House Stark), and Chapter 36 (No Time Left) are already available for Patrons.
Nothing
There were no words from Jon
Not even a whisper
Jon felt he couldn't breathe; his mind was just racing and thinking about what he just saw, what he felt.
His name is Aemon Targaryen
He felt like the whole world was spinning; he couldn't believe it.
Your father is Rhaegar Targaryen
You're no Bastard, the mind told him.
Why Would Why Would Lord Stark Take Me? It Doesn't Make Sense
Jon's mind was going through everything that happened in his life, his father's constant denial to talk about his mother, his denial to talk about Lyanna Stark. No matter how hard he tried, it made sense.
How, How, How Could you? Why DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?? You Took Took TOOK ME AWAY, Jon screamed inside, tears coming out like rain and feeling rage, sadness, and anger all at once.
He fell to his knees, but he didn't care; he could hardly hear Val calling his name.
My Mother Was Dead The Whole TIME
She will never come to me? She will never. All my dreams, they were all Lies?
"WHY?" Jon screamed and hit the ground with all his strength, his knuckles burning in pain, his skin bleeding.
My Mother Was There The Whole Time; She Will Never Come To Me, To Hug Me and Tell me stories.
Jon felt his vision blur from the tears; his dreams were never real; SHE WOULD NEVER COME.
He heard someone talking to him in his rage, but he couldn't focus. No, He Wanted to Burn it all Down.
Jon just kept looking at the ground, hot tears burning his cheeks, his vision all blurry, and his eyes burning!
After what felt like hours, he let it all out, Val standing beside him the whole time; he breathed in and out, trying to calm himself, only now he felt the soft hand on his shoulder.
"Jon, are you alright?" Val questioned, concerned, her other hand helping him to stand up.
"I...I don't know," Jon stuttered out, feeling his head heavy; his eyes found Bloodraven staring down at him with his red eye.
"Now, you know the truth," Bloodraven said, his voice as cold as ice. Jon wanted to shout at him; he must have known from the very beginning...
"Why didn't you tell me from the very beginning?" Jon shouted harshly, slowly marching towards him; his voice rang throughout the whole cave, reaching the ceiling. Val didn't know what was happening, why Jon was so angry. His hands reached for the pommel of his sword, ready to cut his throat. He was half-dead already.
"It's the only way," he responded without batting an eye, not showing fear, despite being in front of two people who could kill him as easily as killing a fly.
"The Only Way! I wasted so many years; I could have known them earlier. All those years that I could have. They're all Gone," Jon shouted, unable to keep his voice down. He wanted nothing more than to cut his throat, but a very small voice in his head told him not to do it, it would be Kinslaying, and no one was more cursed than the Kin Slayer.
Bloodraven looked at him, only now showing a bit of sadness, but it quickly disappeared as soon as it appeared.
"There are things you don't understand, boy, things you will understand with time; you might condemn me, but remember that only because of me you're still breathing. You would have died that day in God's Wood, but I saved you," he said, his eyes showing that he wanted to say more, things that he couldn't.
Val let out a low gasp, hearing that Jon could have died.
Jon opened and closed his mouth; so many things he wanted to say, he knew the man had saved him from the sickness.
"Why can't you tell me? What is so important that you weren't able to tell me sooner," Jon questioned, his voice lowering and calmer.
Bloodraven looked him dead in the eye. "Remember what you saw beyond the North. To the land beyond the mountain. To the heart of the North. Remember that." He spoke grimly, his eye showing pain; Brynden remembered a similar conversation a long time ago. A boy cursed him, saying he was the devil himself for breaking his mind.
Jon said nothing; he knew from his answer that he wouldn't say anything else; it was pointless to ask more; despite feeling anger, he felt gratitude as well; he remembered that because of him, he was a powerful Warg, because of him he met Val, maybe he should be grateful for the good things he had because of him, but another part wanted nothing more than to cut his throat.
"Jon, are you alright?" Val questioned, her hands on his cheeks, turning him around to face her; beautiful blue eyes looked back at him, already feeling better as his hands moved to touch hers, gripping them a bit, feeling warmth, kissing her palm tenderly.
"I'm... I'm not sure myself," Jon said, not knowing what to say; with this new information, he wanted to see them, to see his family. All of them. What kind of people are they? Will they even believe me? Will they think me a liar? Jon asked himself way too many questions on his mind.
His eyes looked back at Val; if he left them, he would abandon the Free Folk; he knew they still needed to pass the wall. Should I simply abandon them? Kessa would be able to get me through the wall without much trouble, and with her speed, I would reach the South within a Week?!!?
Jon didn't know what to think; a part of him telling him that the free folk was his family as well, another part telling him to kill Lord Stark for lying, another part telling him to grab Val and go south of the Wall together, but Jon quickly silenced all his thoughts.
Val would never abandon her people, her sister; there were so many people that deserved to be south of the Wall.
Would I be able to convince the king to allow the free folk south of the wall? He asked himself, not knowing the answer before he could say something to Val...
"Prince Aemon Targaryen. I want you to do something; the main reason you needed to become a Warg," Bloodraven said, his voice a bit higher this time.
This caused Val's eyes to widen a bit, she was a free folk, but even she understood why someone would be called a prince. And his name, Why did the tree guy call him Targaryen? Is his mother a Targaryen?? Val questioned herself; her eyes narrowed at the half-dead men stuck in the tree.
Before Jon could ask what he meant by that, one of the children of the forest approached him, handing him a dark knife.
"Dragonglass," Val spoke, astonished as soon as her eyes landed on the knife; inspecting the blade a little closer, it was beautiful.
"You know what it is?" Jon questioned her; he had read about this obsidian but didn't know how Val knew about it.
"Mance told us about it; a few years ago, a group of ours found this type of metal buried in the snow. The blade is sharp but brittle than normal blades made of iron." Val explained, holding it by the handle, knowing the blade and the tip were much sharper than normal steel.
Handing it to Jon, he inspected it from closer before turning to face Bloodraven again.
"Why give me this?"
"I want you to cut your palm with it and put your hand on the Weirwood tree," Bloodraven explained.
"Why?" Val questioned before Jon could, taking a step forward, looking at Bloodraven with narrowed eyes.
"He will need it to talk,"
"Talk with who? A long time ago, people were killed in front of the Weirwood tree; their blood would feed the tree. Why do you want Jon to drop blood on the tree," Val questioned; blood helped a weirwood tree grow.
"As I said, That way, he can talk with him. I offered my own body to the tree, to the old gods. The tree feeds on me and my blood. That's why I could talk with Prince Aemon about his dreams." Bloodraven explained softly, his red eye looking sad for a moment. His other eye is long gone by now.
Val turned to Jon, who was inspecting the blade from up close. Perhaps a bit of blood wouldn't harm, Jon thought, his eyes turned to look at Val. She knew he had decided to do it.
"To who am I talking?"
"Dragons of Old Valyria," he replied, his voice hoarse, barely louder than a whisper.
Dragons? Aren't they all dead? He thought. Jon narrowed his eyes; the tip touched his palm, and he felt the cold, sharp end; before using all his strength to slide it across his palm, Jon felt the sharp pain, the blood pouring out slowly, sliding down, dripping on the ground. It wasn't a deep cut, but enough to draw blood; Jon walked closer and put his hand on the Weirwood tree. As soon as he did, his body felt weightless. He felt his mind slipping away inside the Weirwood tree.
.
.
.
Darkness
That's all Jon could see; he tried to open his eyes but couldn't; he tried to move his body but couldn't; it felt like something was blocking him. Pushing harder, he heard cracking sounds; his arms moved a bit.
Trying
Trying
Trying
More and more cracking sounds echoed in his ears. He could move his legs and arms a bit; with one more push, he moved his arms, and his eyes opened, expecting to see something he recognized; instead, he saw endless see of Snow, as far as the eye could see. Before him stood what could be described as a large building made of pure ice; on the sky were strange colorful lights dancing in the sky like flames.
"I'm Awake."
Jon heard a voice now; he was standing in front of something alive.
Two large purple eyes were looking back at him, eyes filled with curiosity and gratitude.
Jon slowly saw the whole dragon, one of his teeth was as large as his body. His body was white as snow, making Winterfell look small in comparison.
Jon was breathing heavily; the dragon let out a pleasant sound, leaning his head closer to him but neither growling nor showing any sound of anger. Jon closed his eyes, extended his hand, and touched the Dragon's head, the skin as sharp as Valyrian Steel, rougher than the stone itself and warmer than flames.
"I have been waiting for You. I can smell your blood, is singing," The dragon spoke in his mind, taking Jon by surprise, who stiffened when he heard the voice.
"You can talk?" Jon questioned, shocked.
"We've bonded now; everything that you feel, I feel too. I have been waiting for you. For a very long time."
"Where are we? How come no one has ever seen you?" Jon questioned, his eyes looking around; he couldn't recognize the place.
"Beyond the North. The Heart of the North. I walked this land a long time ago; I have been asleep on the ice. You have awakened me," The Dragon spoke.
"What's your name?" Jon asked, feeling strange talking to him.
"I don't have a name; the rider chooses the name; I never had one," the dragon said, his voice deep.
"Can I give you a name?" Jon asked.
"Yes,"
Jon thought about a name and decided that only one name would do for him, a name for a true dragon of Valyria. "Your name is Aegarax," Jon announced, and Aegarax released a huge roar, causing the whole place to shake.
Jon stumbled back, opening his eyes; he was back at the cave; Val had caught him before he could fall.
"Jon, are you alright?" Val asked, looking straight at him.
The prince felt warmth spreading on his body, like a river, from head to toe. "I'm alright, Val. Better than alright. He's coming here," he said with a smile growing on his face.
"Who?" Just as she said those words, despite being inside the largest weirwood tree, they heard what sounded like thunder getting closer, closer; Val looked around, pulling out her bone dagger as the sound got closer.
Boom
The whole place shook violently; Val barely stood on her legs, Jon grabbing her hand, not letting her fall.
"What was that?" She exclaimed; she looked at the old man, wanting answers when Jon suddenly ran outside.
"Jon," she shouted, following after him, calling his name. Only after coming outside did Val see the reason why Jon ran outside.
In front of them stood the largest creature she had ever seen; for a brief moment, she thought she was looking at a giant pile of moving snow, but his large wings, his rich purple eyes, the growl, large horns around his head, scales shining like stars from the sun, large dark claws, bigger than a giant. The creature was larger than any living being had the right to be; his figure made her knees weak, and she almost fell on her knees.
Raising his head for a moment, she thought he would reach the clouds just by raising his head; opening his mouth; he left the loudest roar in the world; the sound shook every piece of land, tree, and grass, reaching all the way to the Wall.
Lowering his head, Jon saw the dragon leaning close to him, releasing warm air from his nose, warm enough that it caused the snow to melt slightly. Val, despite being in the presence of a beast that could kill them as easily as just stepping on them, didn't back away. She wouldn't show fear, she feared many things, but living beings were not among them.
Jon took a step forward, touching his head; he let out a pleasant sound, enjoying the attention from his owner.
"Jon, this might not be the right moment, but what is happening here?" Val questioned what she had wanted to know since her husband woke up. Even though she knew that Dragons should have gone extinct a long time ago, now one stood right in front of them. His body was larger than every living being she had ever seen. Only the Wall was larger than him.
Jon sighed; he turned and told her everything he saw in his dreams, his real identity, and that he was actually a Prince.
Hearing everything, Val hummed slightly to herself before a smirk grew on her pretty face. "Does that mean I should call you Prince from now on?" She questioned, making Jon grumble before rolling his eyes playfully.
"Or maybe I should call you 'your grace," Val added with a mocking bow of her head at the end, making Jon chuckle in amusement.
Pulling her close, he kissed her lips; a moan escaped her mouth, being taken by surprise, his hands around her waist, bringing her warm body closer to him.
Pulling away, she felt hot between her legs; if they weren't here and instead in their tent, or maybe if there was a good tree nearby for him to hold her up as he gave her the lord's kiss, she would want that.
Leaning their foreheads against each other, they looked into each other's eyes.
"What will we do now, Jon?" She asked, concerned; from his words, she knew he wanted to see his real family, and she couldn't fault him for that.
"I need to go South, see my family, and perhaps there's a way for all of you to pass the Wall without any bloodshed," Jon spoke softly, enjoying her aroma; her eyes glittered a bit hearing that.
"What do you have in mind, my prince?" Val questioned with a teasing tone at the end, her heart beating in her throat. If there were a chance for everyone to pass without bloodshed, that would be incredible, but she knew what that meant; that meant they all should kneel. Val didn't want to kneel; that would be like abandoning everything they had. They were Free people. Kneeling would be giving away their freedom. But what about your sister? A little voice spoke in her mind. She wanted her sister safe if it meant kneeling...
"I will need to talk with Mance first; after that, I will go South. I promise I will find a way for all of us to be south of the wall," Jon said, knowing it sounded like he was abandoning them. Val said nothing to him; she gave him an encouraging smile, and Jon walked back inside. He would leave now, and he wanted to say goodbye to Bloodraven.
"My Prince," he said as soon as his eye saw his nephew walk inside; this time alone, Val was waiting for him outside, knowing this was probably private business.
"Brynden," he greeted him and saw a small smile on Bloodraven's face.
"It has been a long time since anyone called me Brynden; sometimes I even forget that my name is Brynden," he said quietly, his voice barely a whisper; Jon walked closer to hear him.
"I just wanted to thank you for telling me the truth. I owe you my life. I wish there were something I could do," Jon thanked with a smile.
"All debts are paid, sooner or later," Brynden thought, remembering his brother's words a long time ago.
"Don't thank me. Soon the war will be upon us, my boy, My time is coming to an end, but you're young and have the blood to end the war. From my blood comes the prince that was promised, and his will be the Song of Ice and Fire. Remember those words. They're important," Bloodraven said grimly.
"You're the Song of Ice and Fire, One Day; you will understand everything," Bloodraven spoke in riddles.
"I don't understand. What is the Song of Ice and Fire?" Jon questioned, confused, not knowing this Prophecy.
"As I said, one day you will understand everything," Bloodraven said again, his voice sounding tired.
Jon sighed, not understanding why Bloodraven wasn't telling him the truth if he knew it.
He saw one of the children walking toward him carrying a sword in her small arms.
She gave it to him, holding it in his hands; the scabbard was decorated with symbols of House Stark, and the pommel had a wolf head howling. Pulling it out, he noticed the beauty of Valyrian Steel. As long as Dark Sister, with strange letters carved at the lower end of the sword. He couldn't understand them. A red ruby on the pommel of the sword. It was a two-handed greatsword.
"I found this sword before I arrived here. A Valyrian sword that belonged to a great warrior. His name was Jon Stark, the little brother of Brandon The Builder. His sword was lost beyond the Wall a long time ago. Its name is Wolf's Blood," Bloodraven said respectfully.
Jon gasped hearing that; he had read about Brandon The Builder, the man who built Winterfell and the Wall. How come no history books mentioned Jon Stark? Why wouldn't they mention him if he was a great warrior, Jon thought; the sword felt light on his hand. Lighter than Dark Sister, the blade shone like a piece of jewelry, despite there not being any source of light inside the cave.
"I want you to use it; it is yours. That sword is wasted on a cripple," Bloodraven said with a sad smile. Jon felt bad hearing his words; he wondered if there was a way to free him from his shackles.
"Is there any way I can free-" "Don't bother my boy. I have long made peace with it; it is my duty, after all. You can leave now," Brynden interrupted.
"Thank You, uncle Brynden," he said gratefully, what could be considered a smile spread across Brynden's face. Jon turned to leave when Brynden called him.
"I have a feeling we will meet again, as old friends, around a fire,"
Jon didn't know what to say. Instead, he nodded his head, walking outside.
Seeing him leave, Brynden looked down, his red eye letting out a cold tear, sliding across his old cheek.
"As old friends, telling stories about great heroes. Around a Fire,"