[Chapter Size: 3100 Words.]
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Thrid Person POV
Essos, 296 AC.
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"Jon, are you okay?" Rhaenys asked as soon as Jon lay down on his bed.
"I'm fine, I just need to rest a little," Jon said calmly, wanting to rest after everything that had happened.
"What is that?" Rhaenys, who was the only one with him in the room, asked as she looked curiously at the strange stone beside the bed.
Jon had returned to the ship after leaving the temple, dismissing all the red men who wanted to follow him, with many rumors swirling that he had caused the comet in the sky.
But he said nothing as he went straight to the room, informing Rhaenys and Ygritte, with the latter joining them later as she was finishing a painting.
"That's something I picked up at the Red Temple. I still need to figure out how it works or what it's for," Jon said, with Rhaenys looking at it curiously before feeling Jon's hands wrapping around her, touching her belly.
"How is it?" he asked with a curious look, checking on the baby.
"I will give birth soon... but I feel much better now that I'm here... So, I'm fine. I've been listening to what people are saying about you, and the guards had some difficulty keeping the people from Volantis away from the ship."
"I saw a lot of things being piled up, from fruits to weapons and other goods at the port..." Jon said, and Rhaenys wanted to laugh.
"You're right, that was the people wanting to give you gifts... they want to please their Azor Ahai," she commented with a smile as her eyes met Jon's.
"Do you believe in that, that I am this prophesied hero?" Jon teased, relaxing into the more light-hearted conversation with his sister-wife.
"I do... after all, you're not exactly normal, are you? Who would have thought I had a brother in the North hiding dragons?" she said, lying beside him.
"Aemon gave me Eragon's egg... so it was luck," Jon said.
"Are you going to find more eggs in that place?" she asked from beside him.
"I hope so... after all, that's where our ancestors lived," Jon commented.
"I wish I could go there so much... it's a shame I can't go too," she said.
"Of course you're not going... it would be too dangerous for you, but I want to find an egg for our child," Jon said as he gently stroked her belly, and Rhaenys shifted to lie on her back against Luffy, settling in for some peace and quiet.
Ygritte joined them at that moment while Jon just wanted to fall asleep, feeling a certain mental exhaustion from his contact with something divine.
And so they slept, while the comet continued to shine, not just over Volantis, but all around the world, with many scholars and religious figures trying to decipher why it had appeared at dusk and what it signified.
Some spoke of the end of the world vanishing, others said it was the return of dragons, others spoke of many other omens, even mentioning the return of Azor Ahai.
Meanwhile, the true cause of this event was sleeping in his bed in the west, among all the people gazing at the sky at that moment, expressing their own opinions.
To the north of the continent of Westeros, near Ártica, more specifically in Winterfell, Bran was looking at the sky with his little brother, Rickon, outside the feast hall, as they had left to see the red comet shining brighter than ever before.
They admired the comet, not knowing what it meant, but it was certainly beautiful, illuminating the sky with its red tail slicing through the darkness between the stars.
"Rickon, Bran, did you come out of the hall to see this? It's cold, go back inside and go to bed immediately!" Their mother's stern voice rang out, surprising the two.
"But mother, we still want to watch," Bran murmured.
"There's nothing to watch, go back inside now!" she ordered, as they sighed sadly and made their way to the door she pointed to.
Before Catelyn went inside to follow her children and ensure they went to their room, she took one last look at the comet herself, then returned indoors with her own thoughts.
From a distance, in the highest window, Ned Stark was watching the interaction. He hadn't even gone to the feast hall to dine with his family that night, due to a certain letter that had come from the south with news that gave him much to ponder.
He let out a big sigh and turned his gaze back to the comet, not knowing what it meant either... or imagining that Jon was also involved with it. Then, he returned to his desk.
As he sat down in the chair, his thoughts stirred with all the events of the past few days.
Lord Manderly had come personally to speak to Ned about Jon and Arya after meeting them in Braavos, detailing the conversation they had. He spoke of how Arya was, as described by the people of the South in the marriage letters, very clever, self-assured, and blooming with a beauty that surpassed even her older sister.
He could finally be relieved, at least after meeting someone in person who could confirm that his daughter was being practically raised by Jon beyond the Wall. She was nothing like the wild child people had described years ago.
However, the fact that she wasn't coming home with Jon weighed heavily on his heart, as she was continuing with Jon and would stay with him until the end of his trade journey.
Jon had stated that she would remain with him as they traveled to the East, something that did not sit well with Ned. He disapproved but had no other option, except to plead with Jon to try and bring her home and listen to his wife's ongoing dissatisfaction with Arya continuing to travel to such distant places. Although Catelyn didn't seem as euphoric as before, perhaps the fact that Arya was staying so far from home had made her pour all her energy into their eldest daughter, preparing her to be the queen as Robert had always wanted.
The Artican fleet, much larger than the last, had gone south and headed west, visiting each of the Free Cities along the coast of Essos. Ned couldn't help but feel a little envious of Jon, remembering his own youth.
Although he had lived under the teachings of Jon Arryn in the Vale, he had always longed to see the world, had he been given the chance at Jon and Arya's age. But that was something that never happened. Despite visiting many places in Westeros, he had never traveled far beyond the continent. Now, he only wished that they would return safely from such a long journey.
Still, his last thoughts turned to a lingering unresolved tension between him and Jon. Their last interaction had not been a pleasant one. Ned hadn't gone a day without thinking of that mysterious snowstorm, remembering how he found Jon speaking to Lyanna's statue, crying in front of it, calling her "mother."
Jon wasn't even a bastard as soon as he revealed finding the document, and that only added to Ned's worry and distress. Jon already had a certain conflict with Westeros, and now Ned didn't know what his nephew's intentions were. Would Jon claim the Seven Kingdoms for himself in pursuit of his birthright? That could spark a war, and with the power Jon possessed, it would bring much death to the Seven Kingdoms.
Not that Ned wasn't also concerned about his nephew. The words Jon had spoken to him and the conclusions he had drawn left a deep wound. Jon claimed that Ned had left him to suffer, something that left a bitter taste in Ned's mouth. That wasn't what Ned had wanted. He had genuinely wished well for Jon, but the circumstances hadn't allowed him to be much help to his nephew, not even to protect him.
Perhaps now, due to his neglect of the boy... Ned blamed himself. Maybe he should have spoken to Jon from the beginning or even when Jon visited and declared himself a king many years ago... But now, the worst had already happened, and he would be seen as the villain in his nephew's eyes.
He also wanted to uncover the truth about the theft Jon was accused of and had already begun his investigation. However, he would have to do so discreetly, seeking proof that Jon hadn't committed the theft. He was searching for people who had left the castle many years ago but were involved in the event. However, tracking them down was proving difficult and could take moons, assuming they weren't already dead.
This also made him pay more attention to his eldest son, noticing his increasingly suspicious behavior, which was not fitting for the heir of Winterfell.
He himself began to interfere as soon as he saw suspicious behavior, noticing that his mother was covering up things that would embarrass him and even involved inappropriate behavior. This started to cause fights with Catelyn, while their marriage became more fragile with everything that had happened in recent years—there was no love anymore...
The same could be said for Theon. Even though he was being protected, he began to be punished like Robb. He would have to be raised as a Stark too.
Now, pushing aside the thoughts of the past moon, his gaze fell on the letter atop his desk. It spoke not only of Jon heading west to Essos at that moment, but also about how he had abducted a bastard daughter of Doran Martell.
'To think that when Lya spoke so long ago of a child, it was her...' Ned thought, recalling his tragic past, when he found Lya at the Tower of Joy after fighting the royal guard.
After she said Jon's name, she had continued speaking to him, saying things like, 'His sister lived... she's safe, he won't be alone... and she's going to Dorne...' These were words Lya had said more as a relief for Jon than for herself.
They were words Ned hadn't understood at the time, but now, with Jon involved in the abduction of a woman described as a jewel of Sunspear, with Dornish skin and purple eyes, he realized who she really was.
If Jon had found his sister, Ned would feel relieved, but he couldn't help frowning when he heard rumors that Jon had impregnated this very woman, as mentioned in the letter he had received... To prevent Dorne from having an heir of Artica, Jon had taken her according to the description there. Ned did not approve of the Targaryen practice of marrying their siblings, even though it had been accepted in Westeros for hundreds of years, so he certainly didn't approve of this behavior from Jon.
However, if this child was indeed Jon's, given the circumstances, Jon had been with her before discovering the truth. The pregnancy didn't align with the discovery, as it happened nearly nine moons after Jon visited her in Dorne for the first time.
Ned simply sighed. He truly didn't know what to think of it. On one hand, there was his sense of morality and honor; on the other, he could understand the circumstances. But he hoped that when Jon returned from the East, he would come to the North so they could talk rationally... so he could explain his side and hear Jon's perspective.
However, there was something Ned couldn't decipher. The mysterious storm that seemed to appear as if Jon had brought it to Winterfell left him uncertain about what to believe at this point, and he merely accepted it. But the beast he had seen in the snow, immense, left him unsettled.
He couldn't believe Jon had that type of creature under his control if the description matched what he imagined it to be. A Targaryen possessing a dragon after so long... it sent chills down his spine. Just thinking of a war with Jon using a dragon and the force that had decimated the entire naval fleet of Westeros made him shiver at the destruction it would bring to the Seven Kingdoms.
Ned sighed again, lost, unable to decipher what future awaited them, or whether he would have another chance to speak with his nephew and redeem himself for everything that had happened between them. Still deep in thought, he remained there for hours until the hour of the wolf finally led him to decide he should go to bed. He left his solar to go sleep in his now-lonely bed.
The night passed, and already in Volantis, Jon awoke with the first rays of morning. He rose from the bed, leaving his wives still asleep, and dressed quickly, feeling much more refreshed than yesterday.
They began to wake up shortly after, leaving the bed as he did, even though Jon had no intention of disturbing them until then. In the end, they all went to have the first meal of the day together with the whole family.
Jon once again found himself surrounded by women, either sharing the same blood or bound by the promise to live the rest of their lives together, and by a daughter of the forest.
They ate peacefully until Arya called him, and from the way Daenerys was looking at Jon more than usual, she too knew, as Jon already knew, what Arya was about to say.
"I went to bed a little later last night after I got back to the ship... and I heard some rumors from a few soldiers guarding the port while people were trying to speak with you," Arya began.
"They mentioned that in the sacred temple, you went into the central flames, bathing in them naked. Is that true?" Arya asked, curious, and Daenerys also looked carefully and curiously at Jon. Only his wives, who didn't know about this detail, looked astonished at him.
"Well, he already bathes in hot water and even in volcano lava in Artica, so why the surprise, Arya?" Wind murmured to Arya. "And this woman can also touch fire." She pointed at Daenerys, revealing her strange fire resistance, similar to Jon's.
"I know, but this is different," Arya commented. "It wasn't just a simple fire bath that Jon usually takes. This was in the Red Temple, and there are many rumors going around that he met the Lord of Light and spoke with him before receiving a stone.
"The stone he brought back yesterday and kept in the room..." Rhaenys murmured.
"Yes, it's true," Jon confirmed calmly. "I did it, although I'm not in the mood to talk about the details." He wanted to keep the conversation with the Lord of Light to himself.
"I know I have a strange resistance to fire... but I've never jumped into flames!" Daenerys said, astonished, not believing that he had done such a thing.
"Well, I ended up doing it. I've done worse things many years ago..." he said calmly.
"Jon, you're not thinking of becoming some kind of red priest or something, right?" Ygritte asked, worried.
"What do you think? You shouldn't have any doubts that I would never betray my connection to my gods and Artica..." Jon replied with a dissatisfied tone toward his wife, as she could feel.
"Anyway, staying here isn't good." He shifted the conversation back to the city. "I don't like this kind of attention. It's one thing to be admired in Artica; it's another to have this fanaticism the city has with the idea of me being Azor Ahai reborn... The red priests even suggested killing all the nobles in the city who didn't agree with me..." Jon said with a difficult tone.
"People here are certainly persistent..." Arya spoke again. "Although I think the place has many interesting things. Many people approached us regarding you, asking if they could give you gifts..." Arya said.
"And yet you want to go back..." Wind commented beside her.
"Yes... I'd like to go again, but more discreetly this time... just with a few guards," she said.
"Alright, you can go. Just be careful. They may act like I'm some sort of predestined hero of the Lord of Light, but that can have its downsides..." Jon said with some caution, giving Arya a serious look as she nodded.
It was at that moment that there was a knock on the door, and the royal guard opened it. "My king, I have a letter about some events you should know of from our wargs investigating the city," he said.
Jon nodded as the man approached, handed him the paper, and left the room. Jon unwrapped the small parchment and began reading it silently, raising an eyebrow.
"Anything interesting?" Ygritte asked.
"Well, as I said, I hate fanaticism. Yesterday, when I was negotiating, there were some who were opposing me. Today, the person who contradicted us the most was found dead, even though he was a high noble of Volantis and part of the tiger faction. At least they didn't kill his family too..." Jon commented with a sigh.
"And are you going into the city, then?" Rhaenys asked, concerned.
"No," Jon responded to her. "I'll leave that to my ministers since this city seems to tire me, and I'm not in the mood to see those nobles again, as I've already stated my terms for my goods." He said.
"I'll spend the day on the ship," Jon said, concluding his plan. And so it went. While the ministers, along with royal guards sent to protect them, went to the upper parts of the city, Jon stayed observing the large crowd of people trying to catch a glimpse of him at the port, seeking to speak with Azor Ahai. Meanwhile, Artican men prevented them from getting close. There was also a group of red priests lighting bonfires, which made Jon immediately frown, not accepting that they would burn people in his honor. He sent an order to the red priests at the port and a warning to the Red Temple, saying that he would kill anyone who attempted to burn another person in his name.
He remained there, waiting for his stay in Volantis to come to an end.
Raccoon Here:
I think I will have Oberyn meet Jon in this city.
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