Notes
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!
As promised, here is the new chapter; maybe it's not wrapped and under the tree but I hope you consider it a gift from me to all you.
Out of curiosity, what moment of holiday magic have you guys had this season?
Mine was the other day when my brother told me that he loved me as he was heading out to work, something he has done in a couple of years. Now I've never doubted that this is the case but neither of us are the kind of people who vocalize our emotions in such a way. So to hear him say really brought out the feels, y'know?
Hard to believe I started this story over a year ago and, WOW, what a year it has been! Its been great sharing the story with you all and, considering my writing goal for 2020 is to AT LEAST have one chapter out every month, we're going to be stuck together for a while.
Can't wait, love you guys!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Timeline
283 AC/4E 187: Robb Stark is born; (two months later) "Jon Snow" is born.286 AC/4E 190: Sansa Stark is born; RS-3, "JS"-3.289 AC/4E 193: Arya Stark is born; Theon Greyjoy (10) arrives at Winterfell; RS-6, "JS"-6, SS-3.290 AC/4E 194: Bran Stark is born; TG-11, RS-7, "JS"-7, SS-4, AS-1.295 AC/4E 199: Rickon Stark is born; TG-16, RS-12, "JS"-12, SS-9, AS-6, BS-5.296 AC/4E 200: Direwolves are found; TG-17, RS-13, "JS"-13, SS-10, AS-7, BS-6, RS-1.297 AC/4E 201: Robb Stark turns 14; (two months later) "Jon Snow" turns 14; (one month later) "Jon Snow" runs away from Winterfell/appears in Skyrim; TG-18, SS-11, AS-8, BS-7, RS-2.299 AC/4E 203: Jon Whitewolf sends a letter to Winterfell; TG-19, RS-16, JW-16, SS-13, AS-10, BS-9, RS-4.300 AC/4E 204: Lord Eddard Stark asks Jon to return to Winterfell; TG-20, RS-17, JW-17, SS-14, AS-11, BS-10, RS-5.302 AC/4E 206: Jon Whitewolf receives Arya's letter: TG-22, RS-18, JW-18, SS-16, AS-13, BS-12, RS-7.(two-and-a-half months later) Jon Whitewolf arrives at Winterfell: TG-22, RS-18, JW-18, SS-16, AS-13, BS-12, RS-7.(Four days later) Robb Stark turns 19: TG-22, RS-19, JW-18, SS-16, AS-13, BS-12, RS-7.(two weeks later) Jon Whitewolf (18) leaves for KL with Enzo, Ned Stark, Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, and the royal party.(two weeks later) Jon Whitewolf (18), the Starks, and the royal party are attacked while at the Triton.(two weeks later) Jon Whitewolf (18), the Starks, and the royal party arrive at King's Landing. (three days later) the Tourney of the Hand begins.(five days later) Serena arrives at the Red Keep.
Serana of Clan Volkihar I
There were many sets of eyes on her, all wide with silent shock and surprise.
The ballroom was emptier than she'd thought it would be, only about fifty people in total with some of those clearly being servants, balancing trays of drinks and food. She scanned the frozen crowd, taking in the bejeweled, satin-draped women and polished, primed men. They looked like exotic pet birds, colorful and overstuffed and trapped in a cage they'd never think to escape because they didn't know better.
Then she spotted her target.
Narrowing in on Jon's stupid;y handsome face, she stalked forward -shoving a shorter, dark-haired man aside- as Jon's face seemed to grow paler with every step she took closer to him. When she got near enough, she grabbed a handful of his tunic and pulled him close.
"Surprise!" Plastering a bright smile on her face, she leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss on his cheek. "You didn't think I'd miss such a big day, did you?"
"Wha-" The Legendary Dragonborn looked not unlike a gasping fish as he gapped at her.
"Enzo!" She beamed as the giant Redguard approached, "You were able to keep it a secret after!"
The man's brow wrinkled in confusion but still nodded, "Of course I did; I cannot believe you doubted me."
Jon's eyes flickered between the two of them, "Have you two been plotting behind my back?"
'How do you manage without me?' Serena forced a cheery laugh, "You're turning ten-and-nine, silly! I couldn't miss that!"
She pulled him in for a quick embrace and hissed in his ear, "Play along, idiot!"
To his credit, Jon immediately got what she was saying. Returning the hug, he slid into his role easily, "By the gods, how did you both manage to hide this from me?"
"You are oblivious," Enzo stated simply.
"Jon, who is this?" a voice asked from behind her. The trio turned to face the questioner, a brown-haired man with slate-gray eyes that peered at her cautiously. Serena stared back, taking in the man's long face and the wolf's head broach pinned to the front of his doublet. Her lips fell into a frown, 'Ned Stark, we meet at last.'
"Yes, of course, my apologies." Jon slipped an arm around her shoulders, gesturing to her with his other hand, "Father, may I introduce one of my closest friends in the entire world, Lady Serana of House Volkihar."
The older man blinked, "Oh, well it is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Serana."
"I'm sure," she replied. There was an awkward moment where Stark glanced down at her hand, likely expecting her to extend in greeting for him to kiss. She kept her arms tight at her sides. It was at that point that Serana realized they were still be gawked at like a pair of exotic beasts.
'In hindsight, I probably could have done this more discreetly,' she mused as she slot glare at the crowd, tucking herself close enough into Jon's side that the pummel of her ebony dagger pressed into his him.
Her eyes narrow as one of the crowd approached, this one a dignified, white-haired man with a walking stick; the man's cold green eyes studied her like he was a hunter and she was a stage, it made the hair on the back of her neck stand straight up and she bit back the urge to bare her fangs.
"So this is the lovely Lady Serana? Ser Jon, you did not tell us that you betrothed would be joining you here in King's Landing," the man said remarked, smugness tainting his voice.
'Betrothed?' Serana's eyebrows shot their way up her forehead. "I-"
"Well, it seems the little sneak decided to surprise me." Jon leaned down and pressed a kiss against her temple. "Play along," he hissed.
How nice it was to have her own words turned back around on her. "I just couldn't stand being away from you for much longer, Love, and I do know how much you love surprises."
Jon gave a dry chuckle, "You definitely surprised me, that is for sure. That being said, I'm sure you'd like to get some rest after such a long trip."
'We need to talk in private,' was what Serana knew he really meant. She was always able to hear what Jon never spoke aloud, from the moment she awoke in Dimhollow Crypt they'd been able to understand one another on a level she never experienced with anyone else and after all these years she could read the lines of his face and look in his eyes like they were the familiar words of her favorite book. "Splendid idea, I want to get cleaned up. Enzo, I hope you don't mind us abandoning you."
"Not at all," the giant Redguard replied. "I was just about to turn in myself."
"I can't believe you've been hiding this beauty from us, Boy," an incredibly fat, bearded man remarked as his glazed over eyes fixed directly on the neckline of her armor. With gravy smeared down the front of his doublet, the man smiled broadly under his beard, "We're all out of guest quarters, but there is always-"
"That is no issue; I'll just stay in Jon's room tonight, it wouldn't be the first time," she cut the man off.
Her words sent a choir of murmurs throughout the members of the crowd that still remained; Stark awkwardly shifted from one foot from the other. "That would be rather inappropriate, Lady Serana. You two are not wed yet, after all, and in Westeros, a man and a woman only share quarters once they are married."
Even all her practice couldn't keep the false smile fell from falling off her face, "Then it is a good thing that I am not from Westeros."
Another awkward beat of silence passed before Stark continued, "Aye, I suppose that is true, but-"
"Jon, please take me to our room; I want to get out of these dripping wet clothes."
Jon glanced between her and Stark a few times before a sly grin tugged at his lips and he offered up his elbow, "As you wish."
"Betrothed?"
The word was spat out of her mouth like an accusation as soon as the apartment's door was closed and locked. "Is there something I should know?"
Jon dropped down onto the couch with a loud groan, "It's a long story."
"Then it is a good thing I'm immortal! Start talking!"
Jon rubbed his face, squinting his eyes closed, "Lord Tywin, that man with the walking stick, was basically trying to sell me his niece and saying I was already engaged was the only way I could think of to get him to stop. You were the first person who popped into my mind."
If Serana could blush, that last part would have made her turn scarlet. She gave a soft cough, "Well, why did you just refuse?"
"Because I'm a bastard," Jon explained with a slight shake of the head, " at least to all the people here, and he is one of the Great Lords of Westeros. A bastard, even a rich one, can't just turn down such a generous offer from someone so important without bringing a whole mess of trouble; I didn't want to do that to be uncle and cousins."
'Oh right, them.' Serana gave a sigh. "I suppose it is a useful lie to keep up, good thinking."
Jon offered a weak smile before shooting to his feet, eyes widening, "Oh gods, let me get you some dry clothes and a towel. You must be freezing!"
"Not really," she admitted, sometimes Jon forgot that cold and heat were only minor discomforts to her. Still, she took the bundle of cloth gratefully and ducked behind the green curtain that cut the room in half to change. She stripped the wet leather armor and silk underclothes away, letting them fall in a crumpled heap on the stone floor to be hung by the fireplace later, and toweling away the rain through from her skin and hair. "So, are you going to tell me why you've decided to disregard your duties and visit this filthy city instead of coming home?"
'Instead of coming back to me.'
Through the curtain, silhouetted by flame burning in the fireplace, she saw Jon's figure move from the couch to the table to pour two glasses of wine. She felt herself frown, he did that more often now. "That depends, are you going to tell me how and why you are here?"
"Sure, but you first," she teased, slipping on the spare sleeping shirt and pants Jon had given her; they were made from a thin gray material and smelt like his favorite pine and mint soap. She ran her fingertips over a stitch and smiled at the softness.
"Why do I have to go first?"
"Well, for one, it would be incredibly rude to make your future wife-"
"Alright, alright!" Jon laughed. "Are you decent?"
"Yes." It wasn't so much that she minded if Jon saw her naked; they'd caught plenty glimpses of one another bathing whilst traveling together and she knew Jon had seen plenty of naked women before, but she also knew he'd be too embarrassed to look at her for a week if he walked in on her changing.
Jon pulled back the curtain and handed her one of the wine glass before taking a seat on the bed. "I have...discovered things about myself, about my birth and the circumstances surrounding it that caused me to change my plans. When my uncle and I spoke, I came to learn that I… that I am not a bastard."
His voice hitched with that last word but Serana was kind enough not to mention it.
He continued, "As it turns out, my parents wed before a heart tree with my uncle Benjen and my father's men as witnesses. I am the completely legitimate child of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, Jaehaerys Targaryen; that was what my mother named me right before she died. It is so strange to think that until a few weeks ago I didn't even know the name I was born with…"
He trailed off into silence for a moment, eyes seeming to go far away before flickering back to the present. "My father's first wife, Queen Elia, was in on it too... but now she, her children, and my parents are gone. I am all that remains of them."
"Wait, Jon, are you here to claim the throne of Westeros or something?" Serana demanded. "Because if it is a crown you want then you didn't need to travel so far; we both know that Queen Elisif plans to-"
"It has nothing to do with the bloody throne!" Jon snapped, rising up to face her with a face twisted by anger. "The whole damned castle can burn for all I care, I want revenge! I want revenge on the man who bashed my older brother's head against a wall until it was just red pulp and then raped my step-mother to death while my sister was stabbed dozens of times! I want to stand over him and watch as he chokes on his own blood then whisper in his ear who I am so he knows exactly why he is dying!"
*
*
*
"Oh, well that makes sense. Why didn't you just say that in your letter, idiot? I wouldn't have gotten so worried and came all the way here to check on you."
Jon's face shifted from anger from confusion, "Wait...you came here because you were worried about me?"
"Well, of course," Serana rolled her eyes. "You can't just send me a vague letter like that and have me not worry that you were about to run off and do something stupid."
With a relieved laugh Jon fell back down on the bed beside her, "Thank you, Serana, truly, but I am fine. I've got a plan for taking my revenge and have Enzo here with me, along with Ghost."
He nodded the giant white Direwolf that way lying across all the pillows of the bed in a deep sleep. Still, he popped one crimson eye open to take her in before raising his head up and leaning forward to give her a lick across the cheek. She scratched him behind the ear, "It is good to see you too, Ghost! Have you been watching out for our dear fool?"
Jon laughed, it was a nice look for him and yet one he wore so rarely these days. "Two of my greatest friends conspiring against me, what have I done to deserve this?"
Ghost rolled over to allow her the privilege of scratching his belly. "So, what is your plan?"
"Serana, you don't have to do this."
"I don't have to do anything, Jon; I'm doing this because I want to," Serana replied, draining her wine glass. "I always want to help you."
Then, after a moment, she added, "Besides, it seems only fair; after all, you helped me kill part of my family and now I'm helping you avenge the deaths of parts of yours. It's quite amusing actually."
"Life works in mysterious ways," Jon agreed. He started to say something else when her stomach rumbled loudly enough to cut him off.
She winced, pressing a hand into her abdomen; Jon studied her with his kind, dark eyes, "When was the last time you fed?"
"I'm fine," Serana tried to wave him off.
"You need to eat."
"I'm fine," she insisted.
"Gods, and you call me stubborn!" Jon scoffed, rolling from the bed to grab his dagger and setting his emptied wine glass on the end table.
Serana's jaw clenched, she saw where this was headed. "Jon, you don't have to do this."
He looked up and gave her a sweetly mocking smile as he rolled up the sleeve of his left arm. "I don't have to do anything, Serana; I'm doing this because I want to."
And with that, he cut a long slice down the length of his forearm, deep red blood immediately beginning to gush from the wound and flow down to fill the cup. Serana's eyes fluttered shut as she took a deep breath in, hands knotted tightly into the bedcovers; gods, she could feel her mouth start to water. After a long moment, the glass was full and Jon cast a healing spell to close up the gash.
"Here," he said, handing her the glass, "not directly from the source, as per our agreement."
With a small smile, she took the glass. "Sometimes I wonder if you're truly real or if this is a dream and I'm still asleep in the crypt."
Then down the hatch his blood went, smooth and sweet as spiced honey.
"We should get some sleep," Jon suggested, pulling off his own tunic. "You can take the bed, I'll sleep on the couch."
Serana scoffed, reaching up and grabbing ahold of his wrist she pulled him down on the bed beside her. "I'm not taking your bed, Jon! Now, we've shared a bed plenty of times before and I see no reason we can't do it now."
"You drive a hard bargain, you know? Alright, fine, let me get changed," he grinned. "Oh, by the way, if you are here than who did you leave in charge of my affairs back in Skyrim? Not, your mother I hope."
Serana rolled her eyes at such a suggestion. "No, of course not! I left Isran in charge-"
"Oh, gods!"
"-Mother is here with me."
"Oh, gods!"
Ned VI
Ned had always strived to be the kind of father that his children could confide anything in and while he knew there was still a gap between him and Jon -that there would probably always be a gap between them now- he didn't think that gab was big enough that the boy would hide an entire engagement from him!
'Though,' he considered, 'considering his future wife's...peculiarities maybe he felt she would not be accepted.'
"I can't believe Jon didn't tell me that he was getting married," Arya huffed as she paced back and forth in front of the door to the royal breakfast parlor.
"Jon didn't tell anyone he was getting married," Sansa reminded her. "I think is so sweet that she came all the way here to be with us for his nameday."
Right, Jon's nameday. Gods, with everything that had been going on it had completely escaped Ned's mind; that was an especially painful realization considering he'd spent the past few of Jon's namedays in a quiet, painful stupor. 'This might very well be the last year I see Jon face-to-face; I'll have to make sure this nameday will be a memorable one.'
"Yeah maybe, but he still should have told me even he kept quiet about it to the rest of you."
Ned bit back a chuckle; the girls had already been sent to bed when the strange Lady Serana arrived and had only learned about the subsequent revelations earlier that morning. While Sansa found the entire thing extremely romantic, Arya's reaction had honestly been quite amusing. At first, she'd been in complete disbelief that her favorite brother would fall into something so 'silly' as marriage and then she'd been rather angry he'd kept that secret from her. Ned suspected Jon would be getting an earful later on.
"Perhaps he didn't want to spoil the surprise?"
'Speak of a woman and she shall appear,' the Lord of Winterfell noted as the young woman approached. She was beautiful, he admitted to himself, but in an odd, almost eerie way. Lady Serana was not particularly tall but with skin so flawlessly pale and features so refined that she could have been carved from white marble. This paleness contrasted dramatically with her inky black hair, cut just above the shoulders as if she was a widow in mourning with two braids on either side tied together at the back of her head. But it was her eyes that set Ned's teeth on edge the most, they were a lovely jade green in color but there was something intense, something...hungry about them which made Ned feel like a rabbit staring down the gullet of a wolf.
The woman's pained dark red lips made that last metaphor even more uncomfortable.
At the very least, she was dressed in something more socially apprentice than the strange leather outfit she'd worn the night previous. Instead of leathers, her outfit today consisted of two layers: pa long-sleeved, black silk underdress and over it was a shorter sleeveless, crimson dress made of rich velvet both with slits up to the midthigh and under a black leather bodice. The dress had little ornamentation and the only jewelry Lady Serana wore was silver necklace studded with emeralds and a silver ring with a single ruby inlay. Overall, some will still probably considered it to wear while dining with the royal family, especially since under the dress she wore tightly fitted black trousers and knee-high boots.
Lady Serana took a step towards Arya and Ned fought the urge to push his youngest daughter behind him. A bright, honest smile split the ebony-haired beauty's face as she knelt down slightly, "You must be Arya; Yes, Jon told me so much about you that I couldn't be mistaken on that fact."
The scowl on Arya's face softened slightly and she uncrossed her arms, "He told you about me?"
"Of course," she nodded, "why, I don't think there was a day that went by without him telling me a story of the sister he loves so much."
A warm smile crept across Arya's face and she turned away to hide it. This gave Sansa the chance to step forward and curtsy, "It is an honor to meet you, Lady Serana."
The young woman gave Sansa an odd look, "You're Sanda, correct?"
Ned winced as his eldest daughter's face fell, "It's Sansa."
"Right," Lady Serana dismissed before turning to Ned. "Jon asked me to meet you here in hopes that you could show me where breakfast is being served."
"Actually, we've all been invited to eat with the royal family. Do you know where Jon went this early?"
The young woman rolled, "Oh, he abandoned me to go talk to Enzo about something."
"To try to talk to Enzo about something," Jon grumbled as he turned the corner and joined them the small group. "Apparently he left to do some business in the city early this morning."
"Well, that is not ominous at all," Lady Serana japed.
Ned was about to ask them what they meant when the ornate door opened and a servant ushered them in. "Girls, could you escort Lady Serana in and get her settled while Jon and I discuss something?"
Sansa and Arya both nodded while Jon shifted uncomfortably, almost looking like he was ready to bolt past Ned. He grabbed him by the shoulder, "Lets talk."
Jon let out a soft groan but nodded and they ducked into an alcove. "First off, I just want to say-"
"I'm sorry."
Jon's brow furrowed, "Sorry? What about?"
Ned sighed, "I know we've grown apart and that I've hurt you but I didn't realize it was so bad that you didn't feel comfortable telling me that you were engaged. If I'd known then I wouldn't have tried to convince you to stay at Winterfell. Or, at least, I wouldn't have pushed so hard."
His son gave him a soft look, "Unc… Father, my keeping Serana a secret had nothing to do with you. I just… I just didn't want to take the attention away from Robb's celebration. It wouldn't have been fair," then, almost off-handedly, he added, "and I doubt your wife would have reacted well to me being engaged before Robb."
Then he winced, "I'm sorry, that was unkind."
"Perhaps, but not untrue," Ned admitted sadly. "I just don't know why you told Tywin Lannister of all people."
Jon let out another groan, "It was more out of desperation than anything else."
The confused look that must have been on Ned's face prompted him to continue. "He cornered me in the castle's godswood a few days ago and tried to marry his niece off to me."
Ned froze, "WHAT?"
"His bastard niece, Joy Hill; he walked right up and basically tried to sell her off to me," Jon exclaimed, nodding furiously.
"That's not good, a man like Tywin Lannister doesn't offer up a member of his family, even a bastard one, lightly; he wouldn't risk one being outside his control," Ned said grimly. 'If he takes one step near my family I'm going to rip out throat with my teeth.'
"You know," Jon added thoughtfully, "in a different life, I would have probably jumped at the chance."
"Oh, I would have never let you near any girl with a drop of Lannister blood," Ned huffed. "When you were younger I planned to try to arrange a marriage with one of Oberyn Martell's daughters but you express interest in going to the Wall before anything came of the idea and then you…"
He trailed off into a brief, awkward silence, the topic still painful for both of them. Then, "Do you love her, Jon?"
It took his son a moment to answer but eventually, he nodded, "I wouldn't have it be anyone else."
"Alright then, I'm glad that she'll be joining the family," Ned smiled, clasping his son on the shoulder. "Now, it is time for all of us to enjoy the company of the royal family for breakfast; it will likely be incredibly painful, but I'm glad you're here to enjoy it with me."
"Lovely."
"So how do you and Ser Snow sleep last night, Lady Serena?"
The queen's voice was sickly sweet as she stared at the younger dark-haired woman down over the rim of her teacup, pained red lips curling into a smirk.
"Oh, we slept gloriously," Lady Serana replied smoothly, smiling right back. "But what about you, how did you and your husband sleep?"
She then very pointedly looked to Robert before meeting Queen Cersei's eyes again. The queen scowled, miffed by the reply, as well as the very process of Jon's future wife. She'd spent the morning glaring at Lady Serana and throwing sharp verbal jabs her way, each of which was met and returned with a cool, confident reply. This unflappability furthered the Queen's seeming offense with her very existence, though the attention Robert had focused Lady Serana's bust likely didn't help matters.
"So, my lady, how did you and Jon meet?" Renly asked. He'd been noticeably warmer to Jon since he'd saved the man's former squire, even Jon dancing with Lady Margaery hadn't changed that.
"It's quite a long story, Lord Baratheon," Lady Serana laughed, "but the short of it is that almost three years ago he found me in a spot of trouble and he was good enough to assist me; if that wasn't enough to earn him my affections then his offer to escort me to my family home sealed the deal. The rest, as they say, is history."
Jon gave a warm grin, reaching over to lace his fingers with her, "I'm just thankful I happened to be in the area that day; otherwise, I may have missed out on one of the best things in my life."
"Then how come you never said anything about her?"Arya snapped, whatever goodwill she had developed for her future good-sister during their earlier talk having already cooled.
"Well, he mentioned her to me," Princess Myrcella piped up. "You're the one who asks him to sing that love song all the, right Lady Serana?"
"Well, if you are referring to "Brundi and the Sea" than you'd been correct," Lady Serana nodded. "It is my favorite song, though I've never thought of it as being one about love."
She smiled at the golden-haired princess. "I must say that you've got quite the impressive memory, Princess." Then, when Myrcella gave her a confused look, she continued, "Not only were you able to remember my favorite song, but you remembered my name correctly!
That last part was clearly aimed at Queen Cersei, who'd made it a point to mispronounce Lady Serana's name (Lady Serena, Serene, Selene, and more) all morning, and the glare she shot back meant the Queen unquestionably knew it.
"And what of your family?"
Ned felt his jaw clench at Lord Tywin's inquiry and from the way Lady Serana's face tightened, he was sure she felt the same annoyance as him. Still, she responded diplomatically, "One of the old in Skyrim; in fact, my father traced our line back to the ruling family of a now-gone kingdom. He was quite proud of that fact."
"Was? Has he passed?"
Lady Serana nodded, "Yes, he met his end over a year ago; my mother and I lead our people now."
"I'm sorry to hear about your loss then, my dear," Robert cut it, even looking away from the young lady's chest to meet her face. "We all are."
"Really? I'm not," Lady Serana replied without missing a beat; her answer sending all present into an uncomfortable silence, unsure how to respond.
Eventually, Sansa spoke up, "So, what do you have planned for the wedding?"
"Oh, well," Jon coughed into his fist, "neither of us is interested in anything too big or too lavish, so we're planning a small ceremony, just us and those closest to us."
"Then I was thinking that we could go on a vacation to Anvil," Lady Serana added. "I hear they have the most wondrous-"
BLARGH!
"Jon!" Ned leapt to his feet, ignoring the surprised cries of everyone else at the table, darting forward to catch the pale frame of his foster father before it hit the floor. "Jon? Jon, can you hear me?"
The man took a shallow, pained breath and blinked up at Ned and red, saliva-mixed blood dripped down his chin.
"C'mon, Ned, we've got to get him to Pycelle!" Robert roared, grabbing ahold of Jon's other arm to steady him.
"Right," Ned nodded, already heading towards the door. "Son, take Sansa and Arya to our suite and keep them there for now!"
"Tommen, Myrcella, go with him!" Robert ordered. The queen tried to argue but neither paid her any mind as they made their way to the maester's chambers as fast as they could without jostling Jon.
It felt like the journey took years but eventually, they reached their destination. "PYCELLE!" Robert banged on the door with a meaty fist, "PYCELLE, GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!"
The door flew open, causing the maester to nearly get punched in the face, and Pycelle's eyes went wide at the sight of Jon. "Oh dear," he breathed, "bring him in."
They obeyed and laid Jon down on a cushioned cot before being expelled from the room. "He'll be alright. He'll be alright," Robert whispered as he paced about. "I… I'm going to go write to Lysa."
He didn't say that last part to Ned exactly, but the Lord of Winterfell nodded. "That...sounds like a good idea."
Robert gave a defeated sigh and vanished down the corridor, leaving Ned alone with his thoughts and despair. 'Gods, please don't take this Jon from me too.'
"Lord Stark?"
Ned looked up to see a young maid with a reddish-blonde braid and light brown eyes. She curtsied, "Lord Baelish wishes to speak with you."
Enzo IV
"Woah, you're a big one."
That was a sentiment Enzo heard often and usually, he enjoyed messing with people after they said it -telling them that he was short compared to most of his family was his favorite one- but in this particular moment, he was too distracted by the uncanny appearance of the blacksmith's apprentice to think of anything clever.
"...As I have heard."
Enzo scanned the boy, with his bold, storm-blue eyes that shone out from under unruly locks of black hair, strong jaw, and muscular frame. He looked like a younger, fitter, less sload-like version of the king; truly the last thing he expected when he came to this store looking to buy a gift for Jon.
'And somehow I doubt it was a coincidence that the Lord of the Spiders sent me here.'
The boy shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, "So...can I help you with something, Ser?"
Enzo blinked, shaking himself out of his thoughts, "Yes, I am looking to purchase a gift for a friend of mine, Jon. I want something special, something unique; price is no object.
"Jon? I actually had someone in here a few days ago by that name also looking for some unique swords," the apprentice chuckled.
"Hmmmm...about this tall? Dark hair?"
"Aye."
"Well, that does not surprise me," Enzo chuckled. "He is always looking to add to his hoard. Wait, you said he put it for more than one sword?"
The boy nodded, "Yes, one for him and one for his younger sister; he still needs to bring her in so I can get her measurements."
"Little Arya," Enzo hummed. "She truly does have him wrapped around her finger. So, can you help me with my endeavor, …"
"Oh, Gendry is the name and I think that I can. Wait here for one moment."
He vanished into the back of the store, leaving Enzo alone with his thoughts. Mainly, his thoughts about why and how Jon's little vampiress was here in Westeros. There was no way she was simply here to surprise Jon; if that was the case then there would have been no need for the subterfuge last night. Every bone in his body was telling him that something was wrong… that something big was about to happen and that he needed to be ready for it.
In that vein, having a third ally (especially one that Jon would actually listen too) was a good thing; the few times he'd fought alongside Serana meant that he knew her mastery of the ice and lightning magic, her skill with a dagger was nothing to dismiss either. But on the other hand, Enzo had spent enough time around nobles to know that her explosive entrance last night would cause them to gossip like washerwomen and swarm like sharks to blood in the water.
"Now, what do you think of this?" Gendry re-emerged from behind the curtain that led to the back of the shop and held out a dagger, which Enzo took.
The sheath was plain brown leather and the dagger itself, design-wise, was nothing special other than being surprising light either. However, the blade was like nothing he'd ever seen; it gleamed a stunning silver in the dim light of the store and possessed a fascinating pattern of pale violet ripples the steel.
"Nice, right?" Gendry grinned. "It's Valyrian Steel; made by the Valyrian blacksmiths of old, its lighter, stronger, and sharper than even the best castle-forged steel."
'Valyrian? Interesting…' Enzo turned the dagger over in his hand, admiring it. "How much?"
Gendry drew a sharp breath in, "Well, therein lines a bit of a problem. I can't just sell it to you; Valyrian Steel is rare, no one knows how to make it anymore, so it is expensive, especially in Westeros. Smaller blades are a little more common in Essos and my master, Tobho Mott, managed to bring a dozen daggers -including this one- over from Qohor when he came to Westeros and he uses them to teach his apprentices the art of reforging Valyrian Steel."
Semi-interesting history lesson aside, "Then why show me this?"
"Because my master has been convinced to part with them three times before and I think you could convince him a fourth time, especially if you give me a few days to soften him up; he's a stubborn old man, but he respects strength and, well, you…" Gendry held out his hands to measure to Enzo's large from, causing him to chuckle.
"Well, thank you for that. I shall return in two days to check if a deal can be reached. If that is agreeable?"
"Perfect," Gendry said, holding out a callous hand. "Looking forward to doing business with you, Ser."
"And you as well."
Jon XVI
"So, once again, you've managed to drag my daughter into trouble?"
Lady Valerica's face was sharp and stern as always; her glowing crimson eyes stared him down with a mixture of judgment and exasperation. her ebony hair -silver-streaked at the temples- was left to flow down to her mid-back instead of being constricted to its usual twin buns and this, along with the simple dark gray velvet dress she wore should have softened her appearance, but Jon still found himself fighting the urge to squirm under her gaze as he offered Lady Valerica a shaky smile.
"Mother! For the last time, I came here of my own volition and I told you that you didn't need to come!" Serana snapped. "I can handle myself, but noooooo, you insisted!"
The elder pure-blooded vampire remained cool under her daughter's temper. "Of course I was coming. This, and him," she nodded towards Jon, "are important to you and you are important to me."
Then she held up a plant clipping, careful to avoid the small purple flowers, "Also, I wanted to see what sort of plants this land had; I never miss a chance to expand my garden."
Jon took that to mean the purple flowers were likely poisonous and made a mental note not to touch them or any of the other floral arrangements that decorated the room. Lady Valerica had managed to procure herself a spacious room in one of the finer inns of King's Landing; Jon decided not to ask if she got it through legitimate means or by hypnotizing some poor sod into giving it to her.
"And on that topic, we have a problem," Serana announced as she shoved the room's wardrobe in front of the door before turning to look at Jon, her face grim. "You're not the only one plotting to murder someone in that castle."
"What?"
"That man at breakfast- what was his name? Arryn?- he's being poisoned," Serana's voice was calm but grave.
'Robb was right about this place,' Jon thought. "How can you tell?"
"I smelt it in the blood he spewed everywhere," Serana explained. "Blood can smell different if your sick or a werewolf or drunk or even if your pregnant, and Arryn? He smelt poisoned; as soon as I entered the room I thought I got a whiff of something and after his sick fit, I knew. Someone is poisoning him and they're doing it frequently, the smell is potent and fresh."
"But why?" In the little time that Jon had been at the royal court, he'd learned that Lord Arry was held in high respect by all. "Everyone knows that Lord Arryn is basically the only one keeping the kingdom together!"
"So he is an important figure then?" Lady Valerica chimed in. "In my experience, the four most common motives for murder are money, power, sex, and secrets."
"Aye, he's important; Jon Arryn is the Hand of the King, he's almost as important as King Robert." Then, mentally, he added, 'Though, considering the king's lack of interest in actually running his kingdom, he's probably more so.'
"There you go then, someone likely wants him out of the way."
Jon shook his head, "But Lord Arryn is an old man, he'd have been dead soon without outside help, why take the risk of getting caught?"
"Maybe we should just ask Lord Arryn?" Serana suggested. "Out of everyone, he should know who'd be out to kill him."
That… was an exceptionally good idea. "We'll have to heal him up first; from what I saw this morning he's in no condition to talk."
"You mentioned him vomiting blood?" Valerica inquired, to which Jon and Serana both nodded. "I know of several poisons that can cause such symptoms, most of which attack the stomach and intestines. If you bring me a sample of the precise poison being used I can create a target antidote but, until then, do you have any potions that'll cure poisoning?"
"A few, but only basic ones," Jon admitted. "Honestly, it's not exactly something I expected needing to deal with."
"They'll have to do; get him to drink one, slip it into his food if you have to," Valerica instructed in such a way that Jon felt himself sitting up straighter in his seat, reminded of standing at attention whilst General Tullius or Legate Rikke was giving orders.
"And that will help him?" Serana asked, leaning in closer.
"Perhaps," her mother hummed, "even if we purge it from this man's body, the poison has already done its damage; healing magic can only do so much and, as your Dragonborn said, he is old. We may only be able to buy him some time, enough to ask who is trying to kill him and why."
"Then it looks like we have a second project," Serana declared.
"Enzo, there you are! Where did you go so early this morning?"
The Ebony Warrior climbed the final few stairs to catch up to Jon. "The Street of Steel; there was a particular shop run by a man named Tobho Mott that the Lord of Spiders suggested I investigate. Would you like to take a guess as to what of interested I found there?"
It took Jon a moment, then he gave a bark of laughter. "Oh, you met Gendry too? The resemblance is uncanny, isn't it?"
Enzo nodded, "I will admit, it threw me off at first. Who is he?"
"The King's bastard, I suspect; those Baratheon traits are strong," Jon shrugged as the pair main their way through the vast halls of the Red Keep. They passed a window that looked into one of the royal family's private courtyards where Tommen and Myrcella were playing while their Septa looked on.
The first bright sun in days glinted off their golden hair and a smile started to tug at Jon's lip. But that was wiped away in a moment when a realization hit; he froze and a shiver went through his body, sliding down his spine like icy venom before pooling in his stomach.
"Enzo," he asked slowly, cautious and the wheels of his mind turning, "do you look like your father?"
His friend's eyebrows raise in confusion but he answered. "Yes, I suppose that I do. I have his eyes, jaw, and build...but I also have my mother's nose, ears, and height."
"So you're saying that you are a fairly even combination of both of their features? What about your siblings?"
Enzo blinked, "Well, Atmala looks very similar to our father and Kalrick takes more after our mother but, yes, we all have a blend of their features."
"Right," Jon nodded rapid, "because that is the way it goes; children seldom look just like one parent. Take my siblings as an example, once one looks past the obvious Tully coloring they'd see that Robb has a northern build and his father's jaw, Rickon's hair is more brown than auburn, and Bran's eyes have a lot of gray in them, even Sansa is taller than most girls her age. Arya is the most obviously Stark but she also has Lady Stark's nose."
"Jon, where are you going with this?" Enzo asked, giving Jon the look he always did when he thought the young Dovahkiin was being particularly odd.
Jon took a step closer to the window, attention grimly fixated on the frolicking royal child; Myrcella appeared to be weaving flower crowns while Tommen ran about gather flowers for her. His stomach ached. "If children almost always end up looking like a combination of both their parents than what are the chances that a man with black hair and blue eyes and a woman with blonde hair and green eyes would end up with three children who all look exactly like their mother?"
The Ebony Warrior was silent for what felt like an exceptionally long time as he came to stand beside Jon at the window. But eventually, "Very… very… very slim."
Next Chapter: Jon checks out a book, Ned has a meeting, and Arya has her measurements taken.
Notes:
1) Okay, so a pretty short chapter. Yeah, sorry about that. Honestly, it was a surprise to me too; when I outlined all the stuff going into this chapter I was sure it would end up being at least 10,000 words. Still, hope you all enjoy it.
2) Everyone should go watch The Witcher on Netflix; it scratches the GoT itch without making me rage. Plus there is A LOT of eye candy. I've never really been into hairy guys but WOW Henry Cavill has it!
3) I've been considering getting into game streaming, do any of you know the kind of equipment I should get?