*
Sennights passed by without concrete progress. Jon was growing impatient. Negotiations with Stannis Baratheon took much longer than expected, delays between messages taking often three sennights or more. Lord Varys had trouble sifting through all the rumours to separate truth from fabrication. His enemies it seemed had grown wiser and were using the Master of Whispers' own tactics against him. All kinds of fake rumours were reaching the capital. Prince Trystan of House Martell was said to be betrothed to Lady Shireen Baratheon in return for Dorne's support to 'King' Stannis' claim. Then again the same rumour circulated about Lord Dickon of House Tarly and the Lady Shireen. Both rumours were discredited with little effort but others were not so easily neutralised.
Several sellsword companies were reported to be negotiating with King Stannis. Ser Jorah's report contradicted these rumours but since several moons had passed, his information could be outdated. It was possible that Lord Stannis of House Baratheon had upped the fee he offered substantially. Some houses from the Reach, the Crownlands and even disgruntled nobles in the Riverlands allegedly supported his cause secretly. Those who had started these rumours had been smart enough not to mention any names. They also insinuated that they had successfully infiltrated the usurper's inner circle. Euron Greyjoy's fleet was reported to have grown considerably in size over the last few moons. This rumour had been confirmed by a short messages form Harry Strickland. The Ironborn really believed that Euron Greyjoy had a way to defeat the dragons and several who had deserted his ranks and had hidden in Essos for a while had returned when word spread that Euron Greyjoy had vowed on the Drowned God that nobody would be punished if they promised to fight for him.
Varys reassured Jon that all their allies had been alerted and all had reaffirmed their loyalty and agreed to offer military support. On the subject of a spy in their own ranks, Varys was adamant that he had found no sign of false play in the Red Keep and did his best to convince the small council that they need not fear anyone turning their cloaks and double-crossing them here in the capital. The moment that someone mentioned Dickon Tarly's name as possible infiltrator, Sam vouched for his brother.
"Just imagine you were the Master of Whispers of Stannis Baratheon." Sam Tarly pointed out to Varys. "Baratheon is sure that he has the allegiance of my father, Lord Randyll of House Tarly. By now, everyone in King's Landing knows by now that Dickon has been singled out by our King and was granted a private audience. I'm sure my brother boasted to his acquaintances and all who would listen that he is allowed to train with the Sword of the Morning and I know for a fact that Dickon sends detailed reports to my father of all his activities. Wouldn't you use such a situation to exaggerate what these messages contain and destabilize the other camp? My younger brother though is no political mastermind. I'd say Dickon and I complement each other. I am no real fighter, but he is or will be. He is no player of the game and I am learning to become one."
"You are not giving yourself enough credit, Sam." Jon intervened at this time. "If I were the enemy's Master of Whispers, I would spread rumours about the fact that the eldest son of Lord Tarly had infiltrated the usurper's small council. What secrets can your brother ferret out? At best he can overhear a bit of gossip in the training yard. You on the other hand are the dangerous one as far a conspiracy theories go."
Sam blushed. "I would never."
"I know that, Sam. We all do. We were talking about fake rumours and creating doubt in the other camp, were we not? I can assure you that everyone in this room believes that neither you nor Dickon are spies that are sending our enemy intelligence." Everyone nodded and Jon moved the meeting along. "Is there really nothing else we can do but wait for Stannis Baratheon to accept our latest version of the counter proposal for a parlay?"
"I'm sorry, my King." Varys bowed his head. "Until Stannis announces a time and agrees to the meeting place you proposed, there is not much we can do except for using the extra time to gather more intelligence."
Jon sighed and listened to Varys who once more told them that no word had reached him yet of the whereabouts of Melisandre, the missing red Priestess. Soon after, he ended the meeting trying to keep his growing frustration to himself.
Uncle Ned and Bran were still travelling north. Common sense had made him lessen the frequency of his communication sessions with Bran. And when they connected, he kept the conversations short since his cousin had no real news to impart and the growing distance made it difficult and somewhat painful at times. Luckily all was quiet on the far side of the Wall or so the reports he had received from his correspondents would have him believe. Jon often worried his allies might be growing complacent over there. The only thing that reassured him somewhat were the reports that he received every moon from Castle Black and Eastwatch containing detailed descriptions of the strengthening of their defenses and the increasing number of dragonglass weapons. The blacksmiths were mostly concentrating on creating small arrow points now from the left over bits and pieces. Jon knew that another ship carrying dragonglass north would arrive at Eastwatch any day now. Since they had the extra time, he would see to it that they kept producing dragonglass weapons until they had enough for however long the war against the dead would last and then some.
The only thing that had lifted Jon's spirits during this period of waiting had been their trip to Dragonstone. They had discovered the secret hiding place shortly after entering the old nursery and had discovered some books, scrolls and two candles. Jon and Dany had been moved to tears when one of these books really turned out to be a personal diary of Prince Rhaegar. Despite the fact that it did not help them much in their quest for information on how to defeat their mystical enemy, it gave Jon and Dany a unique insight in a certain period of the life of Jon's father's and the older brother that Dany had never known. The diary spanned the events of a few moons leading up to the tourney of Harrenhal. The entries stopped on the day that the Prince left Dragonstone for Harrenhal, so it contained no mention of his first encounters with Lady Lyanna Stark. They did find Prince Rhaegar's theories and argumentation on how he needed to find a bride of winter to fulfil the prophecy of the three headed dragon and the Prince That Was Promised. He referenced the old Pact of Ice and Fire several times.
The hiding place had contained a few other items worthy of their attention: two strange candles and a large scroll mentioning Joramun, a legendary King Beyond the Wall. They did not know whether this King Joramun had really existed or if it was just a tale. None of them had ever heard of the man before. What made the tale interesting was that it made mention of a Horn of Winter, also called the Horn of Joramun since King Joramun was the hero that according to the legend had used this horn to wake giants form the earth and thus had played a large part in helping the First Men and the Children of the Forest to defeat the Great Other.
They had all perused the other dusty old books that had been discovered in the same hiding place for additional information. Sam had startled them all by letting out a victory scream when he had stumbled on a small note in one of the old books referring to a secret book written by the people of Old Valyria that was hidden in plain sight since the cover of the book concealed its true content. The three of them had extended their stay on Dragonstone and had started another scavenger hunt, this time for a book describing the different kinds of seaweeds and other underwater plants to be found in the eastern seas. After a long search Sam had been the one to find the book in question on a low corner shelve in the library of Dragonstone. A thick volume that halfway through indeed had contained hidden chapters with information on old Valyria. They had finally found an account of the history of the Dragonriders of old written by the hand of one of Jon's ancestors. What is more, it described how before the doom the Targaryens and other families on Old Valyria had tamed their dragons.
At first they had been ecstatic until it dawned on them that they had tried almost everything that was mentioned in the hidden chapters already aside from using a whip and chaining the dragons when they disobeyed. There was an entire chapter on wizards being ordered to create a magical object to bind dragons to a rider by mixing blood of the dragon and the wannabee dragonrider, but all experiments that were documented in the old book were reported to have failed. A few families had more luck making the dragons respond to them than others. House Targaryen being one of them. Through the ages, House Targaryen and a certain type of dragons grew closer and developed what the book described as a 'respectful bond'. Sam had been amazed to read how many different species of dragons had once existed in Old Valyria. He had not been able to let the book out of his sight for days.
Dany however had been discouraged. She had ridden Viserion several times a day during their stay on Dragonstone, but still didn't feel any significant progress. Keeping to his pledge of honesty, Jon had disclosed to her that the dragon as of yet only indulged her because she was a Valyrian and the wife of his brother's bonded human, no more, no less. Jon had needed all his powers of persuasion to get her to keep believing that Bran's vision of her riding a dragon into war would one day come to pass. "Bran is certain you and Viserion were bonded then. Besides, I would never let you fly off and fight a battle without me if you could not control Viserion sufficiently. That alone is proof enough that it is true." While doing his utmost to convince her, he needed to disguise his own doubts. Not all visions came true and each of their actions or inactions for that matter could change the future. He could still hear Lord Reed cautioning him about changing things and self-fulfilling prophesies. He kept silent on this and instead used one of Davos' pearls of wisdom to get her to calm down.
'It is no use forcing things,' Davos had told Jon more than once and he now repeated it to Dany. "Everything will happen in its own time if it is meant to be. We can only bring our best effort. We won't give up, Dany."
Sam had been fascinated with the two candles. An entire chapter in his father's diary was dedicated to these objects. Prince Rhaegal had found them a few moons before in the caves on Dragonstone in a hollow space behind a stone that had symbols carved into it suspected to be thousands of years old. Prince Rhaegar had brought the Maester to the caves to study the drawings. The old Maester had exclaimed that this was proof that the history books were right. The caves on Dragonstone had once housed a tribe of Children of the Forest a few thousands of years ago. He entertained the possibility that some of the symbols on the rock had been made before the Andals, and even before the First Men roamed these parts of Westeros. Prince Rhaegal wrote that he considered it only a small leap of faith to believe that the candles had once belonged to the Children of the Forest. He had not told the Maester of this find. His instincts had told him to keep them hidden for now.
His father had copied some of the symbols found on the large rock and some others he had discovered later when he had ventured deeper into the caves. Below these drawings he had written down his theory of what they might mean. According to Prince Rhaegar, they were linked to the northern tale of the Long Night, proving once and for all that the Long Night was more than just a folk's tale. According to his father, these drawings were a faithful narrative of what had happened thousands of years ago.
The White Walkers and their army of dead had tried to conquer the living beings of Westeros. The First Men and the Children of the Forest quickly realised that this new enemy was far more dangerous than anything that they had ever faced before and without working together, they almost certainly faced extinction. Therefore they had made peace with the First Men for the first time since this species had come to Westeros and had taken most of the territories of the Children away from them. This historic pact was the sole reason that the living defeated the White Walkers and in the end the combined forces of the First Men and the Children of the Forest – together with the giants if the tale of King Joramun was to be believed - defeated the enemy and the living survived. Over time though the Children of the Forest had retreated deeper into the woods and were never seen or heard of again. Upon reading Prince Rhaegar's speculations, their small party including his trusted Kingsguards had ventured into the caves and using his father's directions they had indeed found the rock that had been described at great length in the diary and an entire wall covered in these pictograms.
The diary also made mention of a book on the North that had dedicated an entire chapter on speculating whether there were still Children of the Forest alive in this day and age hidden in remote parts of Westeros. The word GIANTS had been written in large capital letters and had been underlined several times and put between question marks. When Jon had summarized all this to Sam, his friend had urged him to read on. Sam was most fascinated with the alleged magic candles. Jon found a passage in the diary that mentioned the existence of an old scroll at Castle Black that mentioned the existence of such candles. Maester Aemon had summarized its contents when Prince Rhaegar had written to him about his find. The scroll mentioned that these candles had magic abilities. But only a 'worthy one' could light them with his mind. The book explained that whoever held the candle could communicate with a similar candle no matter the distance that separated them. It only worked however when there was another 'worthy' person holding the other candle in a distant enough location to warrant the use of such magic. To Sam's disappointment the next paragraph in the diary mentioned how Prince Rhaegar had more urgent things to prepare for and had hidden the candles hoping that one day he could take them out again and perform a test when his children were old enough.
Jon and Dany had retired that night and Dany had lamented the fact that all their rides with Viserion had yielded no significant result. Jon let her vent her frustration for a while and instead of once more trying to cheer her up with idle words he merely repeated Davos' advice to let everything happen in its own time. When she acquiesced, Jon was amazed to discover that he felt a bit better as well. And anyway, it was not as if they had another choice.
Dany had promised to take a step back and from now on planned to ride Viserion without attempting to force her will on the dragon. She would do her utmost to stay patient and show the dragon that she respected the fact that he was his own master. She would make sure he felt how pleased she was that he let her ride him of his own free will. Before falling asleep Jon had whispered, "Whatever happens, we'll deal with it together." And pulling her closer he had added. "At the end of each day, we will always have this. We will always have each other."
The next morning, they had made one last stroll on the green cliffs and said goodbye to Sam in the library of Dragonstone. His friend would take an extra day to inspect the books there. Jon and Dany flew back to the Red Keep and left Sam to follow by ship. Jon had given Sam his permission to bring all the books he needed back with him to the Red Keep. The knights of the Kingsguard and Dragonguard that had followed them to Dragonstone would accompany Sam on the journey and could help carry them. Jon had personally supervised the packing of the two candles in a crate filled with soft material and trusted his Kingsguard to transport them safely to the Red Keep.
His father's diary was small enough for Jon to carry on his person. He had only let it out of his sight long enough for Sam to read it once and since then he kept it in in his pocket the rest of their stay on Dragonstone. The diary gave him such a unique insight into his father's mind that he would always treasure it. It also contained parts of letters that Prince Rhaegar had intended to send to his wife Elia if ever he found his bride of winter. It explained his intentions of setting her aside temporarily to assure that his third heir would be trueborn in the eyes of the realm. He promised to never forsake Elia nor the two precious children she had given him. He would simply be taking two wives. Jon was glad he had found the irrefutable proof that Prince Rhaegar had never intended to shame Princess Elia or take away his elder brother's right to the Iron Throne. He fully intended to show this part of the diary to Oberyn at the first opportunity. He knew how much Oberyn had loved his sister and how close he had been with Prince Rhaegar. He was sure that reading these words would mean the world to Oberyn.
Not minding the fact that with Dany in his arms, they had read the diary in its entirety twice already, they had fallen into the habit of reading at least one page out loud before retiring at night. For these occasions, they chose the lighter passages where the Prince mused about the meaning of conversations and encounters, or philosophised about fate versus free will and other similar topics. For the first time in his life, Jon was absolutely sure that he had things in common with his father. Several of the thoughts written down in the diary were topics that Jon had struggled with at some point as well. What is more, he had often drawn the same conclusions as the man who had written it all down in this precious book. Only for that find, Jon considered the trip to have been a huge success.
Day 148 in the Reign of King Aegon VI
"Ser Gerold will leave with the army and your entire Kingsguard right after the Queens eighteenth nameday celebration, your Grace. He talked it through with Ser Jorah and after a long deliberation, the Lord Commander opted to accept Ser Jorah's proposal to let the Dragonguard guard both of you until you leave for the Stormlands and also during the days that you will have returned to King's Landing before your Kingsguard will have made it to the capital again. The Golden Company will set sail to the Stormlands and Princess Arianne has moved a third of her troops to the spot picked by Stannis Baratheon to keep up the pretense. The Dornish fleet is waiting at Ghost Hill and can transport the rest of her army at a moment's notice."
Jon nodded at Davos' words. "Then Dany and I will fly to the appointed spot two days before the parlay is set to take place. I suppose Euron Greyjoy will have his fleet nearby. We always knew that they would pick a spot near the shores. You said you know the place?"
Davos confirmed this. "I do, very well actually. It is an abandoned area. The nearest settlement is more than a day's ride in each direction. There are several caves where soldiers can hide. But there are some on our side of the border as well. He went to the desk drawer and took out some writing materials and started to draw. "Just imagine that this is the coast line. The beach is rather wide, next to it you have a forest of about a mile wide before you reach the clearing a bit further inland where we will station our army." Then he drew the border.
Jon studied the drawing. A forest to separate the fleet from the parlay spot, that did create opportunities. And where are these caves situated?"
Davos marked a few spots rather close to the coastline both on the Baratheon side of the border that he had depictured across the scroll and put two additional crosses close to each other below the roughly drawn frontier. Then he put the feather down and looked at his King. "I'm glad that the Golden Company has agreed to play along with Stannis even if it means risking their stellar reputation. At least that way we will have allies out on the water and we'll know what is happening out there. I have sent Strickland the signals we have come up with. He agreed with almost all of them and only amended one to make it more feasible."
"It is a pity that we can't to order our own fleet to sail closer, Davos."
"We decided on what we thought was wisest, son. Twenty of our ships have already moved as far south as we dare without risking detection. We have to be very careful not to show all our cards too soon. Besides, we won't need more men. We can easily match their ground forces. We have the element of surprise on our side at sea and we rule the air." Davos explained calmly. "Still I would prefer that the Queen stays safely behind in King's Landing."
"If only you could talk her out of it." Jon sighed. "I attempted it a few times already, but had to desist. Dany always uses the argument that I promised her that we would rule together and that us men underestimate her strength and are too often inclined to shield her from harm like a damsel in distress which she wants to prove once and for all that she isn't."
"Is she…," Davos started to ask.
Jon shook his head. "Her moonblood came again yesterday evening. That is another reason why she wants to come along. She fears that we will miss a cycle. I am grateful that you convinced her that couples often don't conceive during the first year of marriage but the information that Maester Pylos gave us about the small period that a female is more fertile, …" Jon shook his head. "She counts the days faithfully every moon and is not willing to leave anything to chance."
Davos looked troubled, even if it was not the first time that his King had shared this with him. "I'm sorry, Jon."
Jon however blushed. "Don't be. The worst thing that has happened until now is that she asks me to couple with her more than once on these days. Not really a hardship."
Davos frowned now. "But it is causing us trouble now if she won't let you leave for war on your own for the sole reason of being without her husband's seed on her fertile days. That is not a good outcome."
"As I told you, it is not her only reason. She is adamant to be present at the parlay. If we can't change her mind by the time that we have to leave, Ghost, the dragons, not to mention an entire army and my sword hand will make sure that she stays safe." Jon's tone clearly indicated that he considered the topic closed. "If you don't mind, I have promised Uncle Benjen to join him this afternoon. At least he is willing to do as I ask without protest. He will stay behind in King's Landing and steer the small council in our absence. I am glad you are coming with me though, Davos."
"The place of a King's Hand during a parlay is at his right side, Jon. I wouldn't want it any other way. I'm glad your Kingsguard is complete and Ser Gerold is training new members to join the Royal Guard. We have come a long way. Seven White Cloaks, Seven Dragonguards and already twenty sworn members of the Royal Guard all up to standard and ready to fill any open spot if necessary. They are an asset in helping us guard the palace. It's been a while since I last saw your three loyal knights with bags under their eyes. And to complete my report, the City Watch is also at full strength. It will be much more difficult to kidnap a member of the royal family now."
Jon shook his head. "Don't tempt fate, Davos. I am well aware that my family is my greatest weakness. I'm glad that Varys has increased his network to heighten the chances that each foul plot is nipped in the bud. The last attempt that got as far as the gates of the Red Keep was well over a moon ago."
"And I pray that it will stay that way. Now don't keep your uncle waiting. I'll find Sam and read over the latest edit of the new trade agreement with Volantis."
Jon nodded and considered his last talk with Sam. Now that they had successfully created Valyrian steel, Sam was running out of excuses to postpone his Maester studies at the Citadel. The latest plan was that Sam would stay until Jon left for the Wall to battle the dead. As unwilling as Jon was to see his friend go, in the greater scheme of things, Sam needed to forge his chain and win the recognition of the Archmaesters. He would accept nobody but his friend as Grand Maester. The Citadel would have to be persuaded to give in one way or the other.
Sometimes he feared the potential threat that a conspiracy of corrupted Maester could cause. They advised and often steered the actions of the noble houses. If ever they were to put aside their holy oaths and use their influence to increase their power, the realm could be in great danger. He mentally shook his head. Best not dwell on that now. That was a topic to analyse when peace reigned in the Seven Kingdoms and beyond the Wall. Besides, he'd better head out. Uncle Benjen was sure to be waiting for him at the start of the tunnels.
Jon and his uncle succeeded at least once every sennight to escape the confines of the Red Keep and race their horses out on the part of the beach that was cordoned off as a sanctuary for his dragons. As they exited the tunnel, two of his Kingsguards were waiting for them with their favourite mounts. Even Ser Gerold admitted that there was no safer location for his King to indulge in a horse race. Jon had promised his Lord Commander to see to it that the dragons were always awake and alert the entire time that he was out there.
He and Dany had found a wonderful balance between spending private time together and affording each other enough opportunities to enjoy a bit of time apart and not neglect their respective group of friends. Jon knew that Dany was helping Lady Myrcella to choose furniture for a nursery at this very moment. Even if Myrcella had not felt the quickening yet, she had not been able to keep it a secret that she and Willas were expecting their firstborn. Once more Jon thanked the Gods that Davos had such a calming effect on Dany's insecurities. Even if at times he caught her looking at Myrcella's stomach with wistful expression on her face, she kept her spirits up and more importantly, she allowed him in her bed on the days when her moonblood was upon her.
He looked over to his uncle when he realised that Uncle Benjen had not protested that Jon was wool gathering and neglecting present company. He looked closer and it seemed that his uncle was guilty of the very same thing. His uncle finally noticed his stare and petted the neck of his horse. Jon spurred his heels and his horse reacted immediately by upping the pace. Uncle Benjen followed easily and they both allowed their horses to have the run of the beach. Some time later he and his uncle sat on their favourite rock allowing their mounts a bit of to rest.
Seeing his uncle looking very relaxed he uttered the question he had been dying to ask for some time. "Well Uncle, how is married life treating you these days? Do you get enough sleep? You did not look very alert earlier. Should I use my royal authority to curb your wife's demands on your time?"
His uncle smiled, not bothered in the least by his nephew's remarks. "Tease me all you want, Nephew. You can't spoil my good mood. I regret nothing. Or perhaps, I do. I regret that the Gods let so many good years of my life pass by before allowing me to experience why marriage is sacred."
"So you renounce your previous theory that the Gods wanted you to help raise me and that that was the noblest task you could ever imagine?" Jon pretended to be offended.
"Imagine for a moment that I would have raised you with a kind wife at my side. You would have been so much better prepared to handle all the women that flirt with you at Court instead of blushing like a virgin when they try something the least bit daring." Uncle Benjen smirked when he saw he had successfully touched a sore spot.
"I'm glad you're happy, Uncle." Jon quickly turned the subject back to Uncle Benjen. "Davos warned me that it would perhaps be difficult for a man your age to adapt to cohabitating with a female. Something about old habits?"
"Well tell your fountain of wisdom that even though he is wrong in that particular instance, we are greatly in his debt. If he had not worked the famed Davos-magic on my wife…"
"You should have let him talk to her before you proposed the first two times."
Uncle Benjen didn't suppress his happy smile. "You know the saying, three is a charm. I am ever so glad that the two of you talked me into risking utter humiliation yet another time."
Jon gently nudged his uncle's shoulder. "You're most welcome, Uncle. Have you heard back from Uncle Ned yet?"
Benjen Stark's expression sobered. "I got a short congratulatory letter. He did invite me to visit Winterfell and politely mentioned that I could bring my wife along. So there is that at least. Robb's letter was more cordial. It did contain more questions and requests for private details than anything else but I could read genuine excitement between the lines." Uncle Benjen's eyes had lit up again when he mentioned Robb's letter. These two apparently were more than just okay again.
"Did Aunt Ashara reveal to you what happened between her and Uncle Ned back then?"
Benjen held in his breath the very moment Jon's question registered and jumped up to pet his horse. Jon slowly got up as well and approached his own horse. He manoeuvred them so the both of them were stuck between the two large romps of their mounts. When he saw the warring emotions on his uncle's face he quickly backed down. "No hard feelings if you want to keep that to yourself, Uncle."
"I know, Jon. But the thing is, I believe you need to know. It will make you understand things better and you will know never to bring the subject up nor hint at it in the slightest when we are in Ned's company."
"In my defense, I did only bring this up in a place where it is just the two of us and we are in no danger of being overheard. I have only revealed to Dany the lean version that you allowed me to share with her and never comment when others fish for information."
His uncle scanned the environment and saw that Ser Oswell and Ser Rayford were keeping up their position near the entrance of the passageway. It was only on this beach where the dragons could keep a close eye on Jon that the Kingsguard agreed to keep such a vast distance between them and their King. Benjen stopped petting his horse and turned his attention solely on his nephew. "I will allow you to share what I am going to tell you with Daenerys if the two of you promise to stop talking about it behind our backs."
Jon knew that now was not the moment to tease his uncle by pointing out that the entire keep, hells the entire city and most probably in all parts of the realm where the news had already spread, the noble folk were gossiping about this marriage. Varys had told him that sennights before word of the secret ceremony had gotten out, speculation had run rampant and the slightest gesture between the Stark Prince and Lady Ashara of House Dayne that had been perceived as more affectionate than average or a word that had been spoken a bit terser than usual had stirred the rumours to new heights. When he answered his uncle, he spoke solemnly and honestly. "You can trust me to do as you wish. I give you my word, Uncle."
Uncle Benjen manoeuvred their horses even closer together and spoke softly. "Ashara revealed all to me when she rejected me a second time. I already told you that the first time I proposed, I just accepted her refusal and walked away like a stupid, hurt fool. The second time, I worked up the courage to ask her again, I ordered her to tell me why she refused to marry me. You would have been proud of me, Nephew. I stood my ground and didn't accept her refusal without a valiant explanation, but what she revealed to me then took some time to digest."
His uncle fell silent and seemed lost in the painful memory for a moment. Jon kept silent, making sure his horse did not make a sudden move. He would allow his uncle to tell him in his own time.
His uncle soon resumed his tale. "According to Ashara, Ned acted with honour. He proposed to her when it became absolutely sure that she was with child. The timeline, uh, it was, it was after Brandon had left for King's Landing and my Father had been summoned to Court to answer for the rash actions of his heir. Ashara was still in the Riverlands staying with some friends after her father had all but disowned her and had returned to Starfall without her. Ned had stayed behind to discuss possible alliances and strategies with the Riverlands, the Vale and the Stormlands."
"As I said, he offered for her. He vowed that the child she carried would be presented to the north as his own trueborn son. He would take full responsibility for getting a Lady of a respectable house pregnant long before an official betrothal had been arranged. Nobody would have to know that the child was Brandon's. That way she could reconcile with her family and his brother's child would be a trueborn Stark even if it lost his right to Winterfell as firstborn son of the heir if she gave birth to a boy. At that time, it was still presumed that Brandon's first son by Catelyn Tully would inherit Winterfell and become Warden of the North after Brandon." Jon nodded and Benjen took a deep breath before continuing.
"You know what happened next. The Mad King executed both Brandon and my father in a cruel manner and everything fell apart. The Northern Lords were screaming for blood to revenge the murder of their Warden and his very popular heir. They all loved Brandon and considered Ned merely a pale shadow of his older brother. Lord Arryn for reasons of his own pushed for war and Lord Baratheon, well everyone who was acquainted with Robert Baratheon back then knew that the man was counting the days until he could prove his prowess with his warhammer on the battlefield.
Ned was pressured to accept a betrothal to Lady Catelyn of House Tully. He had to choose between saving the honour of one Dornish Lady and legitimating Brandon's unborn child or gain two or maybe three Kingdoms as allies for the North and save his bannermen from perishing in the Rebellion or dying a traitor's death. Without his marriage, the North that had all but declared war on the Crown stood alone and didn't stand a chance."
"Ashara told me that he came to her the night before he needed to give his answer to Lord Hoster of House Tully and Lord Jon of House Arryn. The coward put the choice, the responsibility in her hands and swore he would keep his promise to her no matter the cost if she asked it of him. Foolish, honourable Ned told her that he considered himself bound by his word to her and could only offer for Lady Catelyn of House Tully if Ashara willingly released him first. He went to great lengths to explain the consequences of it all for House Stark and the North though."
Benjen looked at Jon to see if he got the implications. Jon nodded and kept silent. He understood all too well that Uncle Ned had transferred all responsibility to Lady Ashara and that she would be blamed for the suffering of the North if she held him to his word. There was no way that the Northern Lords would accept her as the Lady of Winterfell.
"Ashara of course broke the secret betrothal. Even if that meant that there was a big chance that Dorne would be on the losing side of the coming conflict. And that one act made Ashara and Ned a part of opposite sides of the rebellion. I wonder if she would have acted differently if she could have foreseen the horrible fate of Prince Rhaegar and his family. At the time she reckoned that both sides would parlay and a full scale war could yet be avoided if Prince Rhaegar succeeded in taking the throne from his father. As for her own fate, many knew of her shame by then and things could hardly get any worse. How wrong she was. Things turned out far worse than she could have ever imagined." Uncle Benjen paused visibly overcome. Jon kept silent realising all too well that this was not the end of the story. He stroked his horse willing it to stay calm.
Benjen Stark in the meantime had regained enough of his composure to continue. "Ashara admitted that she was very harsh when she addressed Ned to make sure that he would accept her refusal. She even threatened him that if he approached her once more, her brother, the famed Sword of the Morning would challenge him to a duel and would fight him to the death to avenge the insult House Stark had done House Dayne by taking his noble sister's maidenhead. The both of them knew that that would mean a death sentence for Ned and an even bigger blow for House Stark and the North. At the time I was too young to lead the bannermen into war but would have had to since the North was shouting for blood."
Benjen Stark fell silent once more. Jon waited for a while but when nothing was forthcoming he probed softly. "What happened next?"
Benjen avoided Jon's eyes, focusing on the reigns of his horse instead. "When the news reached Starfall of Ser Arthur's demise, Lord Dayne fell ill and the Maester sent word to her that he was not expected to recover. Ashara despite the fact that her father had banished her from Starfall and the advanced state of her pregnancy undertook the journey south. She was allowed entrance by her former handmaid and hurried to her father's bedside. She nursed him and kept him company during his final days. Together they grieved for Ser Arthur. Lord Dayne made her promise never to contact House Stark again." Benjen swallowed thickly and his voice sounded hollow when he forced the next words to come out of his mouth. "Not long after her father died, Ashara went into labour. It was a difficult birth. Ashara almost died and the child, a little girl was stillborn. By then her reputation was utterly ruined and she uh, she attempted to take her own life."
A heavy silence fell and only the snorting of the horses broke the silence. Ghost lay a bit further on the beach keeping a watchful eye on them both. After some time had passed, Jon surmised that this was all that his uncle would say about this today and touched his arm. "I feel so sorry for her, Uncle. It is a miracle that she was able to turn her life around and become the calm, level-headed woman that she is today. I am even more grateful now that you two found happiness after all those years." His uncle nodded and kept silent.
Jon ignoring the tears he saw in his uncle's eyes decided to express his support once more and at the same time give his uncle additional time to pull himself together again. "I understand better now why you married her with just Dany, me and Ser Arthur as witnesses. It also makes more sense that you did not allow me to make an announcement before the court until everything was final and the two of you got a chance to grow closer. I know from experience that it is easier to deal with the outside world once when a couple has grown at ease with each other. I solemnly promise that I won't bring up the subject with you ever again unless you express the need to talk about it."
Benjen let go of the reigns he hand been crushing between his hands and enveloped his nephew in a tight embrace that Jon didn't hesitate to reciprocate. "Thanks, Jon. Perhaps, uh maybe in twelve moons' time, when the Queen's Ladies-in-Waiting are more mature and attuned to their responsibilities, Ashara could be released from her duties? We would like to live in a modest dwelling of our own instead of sharing rooms in the Red Keep. We will of course stay in King's Landing near you and I'll keep spending enough time with you and stay on as a member of the Small Council. That goes without saying. But at the end of the day, we yearn for a bit more privacy, for the feeling of actually forming our own small family, the two of us. I mean not that I am tired of living close to you but a household all of our own …"
"Of course, Uncle. You don't need to say another word. I understand and would yearn for the same were I not the King. I'll talk to Dany so she can start looking for someone suitable to replace Aunt Ashara. That way she might be released of her duties sooner. Do you, uh, do you reckon that she will still be able to bear you children, Uncle? Or is that too personal a subject to discuss?"
"The Maester says it is still possible though not very likely. We don't mind. We were resigned to live our lives without a spouse. We are blessed to have found happiness in marriage at a time that we had both given up on it. If I had wanted children, I could have taken a younger wife. I am quite a catch these days, or was before my marriage." Uncle Benjen put his foot in the stirrup and pulled himself up in the saddle with ease. "Enough with all this talk of feelings and such. We are men, not tattling females. I'll race you. The first one to the storm breaker." Benjen Stark spurred his horse and had two lengths on his nephew before the latter's horse gained full speed. Ghost sped after them, happy that they were again doing what they had come here to do.
***
The next day
"Explain again why I can't go with you?" Gendry puffed out his chest not giving way. He had just finished cleaning his hands with soap and water and was now drying them. "It is my future homestead you are trying to free after all. How can I impress dearest Uncle Renly if you won't let me go? I'd like to show him that I am this fearless fighter who can stand his own. Renly Baratheon has yet to see me wield my hammer." Ghost approached Gendry begging to be petted. "Would you really ruin my chances of spitting my good for nothing, traitorous Uncle Stannis in the face? See, Ghost agrees with me." Gendry checked whether his hands were spotless before making a show of petting Ghost's white fur affectionately with both hands.
"More like he wants to comfort you since he knows I am right and you will have to give in eventually." Jon argued, silently allowing Ghost to stay at Gendry's side for now. It seemed that Gendry was a Baratheon through and through. Just yesterday he and Uncle Benjen had discussed Robert Baratheon's eagerness to prove his prowess on the battlefield in his younger years.
Gendry huffed and now hugged Ghost. "Missed you boy. You should come by the forge more often." His eyes then got that intimidating quality as they resumed their staring contest. "I am still waiting for an explanation, Jon. It had better be a good one."
Jon watched his direwolf enjoying the attention Gendry lavished on him. Gendry was a loyal friend. He'd have to tread carefully. "I want you to stay here and look after Cousin Shireen and my Stark cousins. I need you to coordinate with Sam and continue the preparations for the war in the North. You also have several breastplates and a few harnesses to finish. Bran warned me not to neglect the Great War for the sake of this southern conflict. Since I am taking Davos with me, I count on you to stand up for Sam. Uncle Benjen will help but he will focus on domestic affairs. Sam's first priority must be answering the messages from Castle Black and the Free Folk. He must also be allowed to continue his research. The other matters are less urgent and should be delegated to Maester Pylos. I trust you to see to it that Sam eats and rests enough and you are the only one capable of keeping Arya out of trouble."
"Why me? Can you really not delegate these tasks to someone else so I can accompany you?" Gendry complained but the way he said it made it this time made it clear that he was close to caving.
"You are the only friend I can ask, Gendry. Edric can't come to my aid since he is with the Dornish army and Loras will have to accompany me seeing how he is a sworn member of my Kingsguard. He needs to follow the orders of his Lord Commander. Robb is stuck in the North. I might have considered Lord Newton but it will be some time before Domeric can return south to protect Lady Shireen. He has the Newfort to renovate and make more hospitable for his future bride. He is struggling to introduce a new way of living at the Dreadfort uh, I mean the Newfort and the surrounding farms. His last letter spoke of having to settle uprising between farmers and their servants. Several still insist on mistreating their underlings. Apparently his father had allowed the farmers to lord over their small dominion and consider their servants and labourers as no more than slaves. You'd be the first to agree that he can't return to King's Landing before this is settled. His father, Lord Bolton allowed his farmers to rape the women who lived on their lands and even let them mistreat smaller boys and girls alike any way they saw fit. I had hoped that abolishing first night and flaying had been enough but some former Bolton's tenants have been abusing their farmhands and their kin for centuries, thinking nothing of it. A change of mentality is required. Lord Domeric of House Newton has his work cut out for him."
Gendry nodded. "I spoke with him a few times before he left." When Jon arched his brow, Gendry added. "After I was finished threatening him with bodily harm if ever he hurt or dishonoured Shireen, we spoke about other things man to man. The more I got to know him, the more I liked him. I agreed to send him word of Lady Shireen once in a while and he has answered with news from his part of the realm. I have faith in Lord Domeric whatever the name of his house. I am convinced that he is a decent man and will make a good husband for Shireen."
"I believe so too." Jon exhaled slowly.
"But that was a long explanation about the Newfort, entirely beside to point of our initial discussion. Let's focus again on the subject of me not being allowed to travel with your army to the Stormlands. You are taking my uncle Renly with you but not me." Gendry complained still not appeased.
"I don't like that I have to bring him, Gendry. I'd much rather have you by my side but I must anticipate any demand that Lord Stannis Baratheon can possibly make of me. Proving that his brother is alive and well might be one of them. Besides, if I let you come as well, how long would it take for us to discover that Arya managed somehow to sneak off to the Stormlands in some disguise or other? If you stay here, there is a chance that she will as well."
"Why give me armour, hells a full harness, allow me to forge a hammer with Valyrian steel elements if my sole purpose is to babysit your cousins?"
"For the Great War, Gendry! I will not allow the others to bring out those few pieces of new Valyrian steel just yet. We have managed to keep it under wraps for now. It was a genius idea to hang normal weapons in here in plain view and hide the others in sealed up crates."
"And my reward for all the effort I have poured into this is staying behind to babysit some girls, ladies whatever. Thanks, Jon!" Gendry shook his head. He made a formidable picture standing there with his legs a bit apart and his arms crossed before him. He was a bit taller than Jon and of a bulkier built. In a pissing contest with fisticuffs, Jon didn't stand a chance and they both knew it.
Jon decided to change tactics. "Gendry, you will be one of my most important assets when we go north. You are one of the few who realises exactly what we are up against there and I will heavily rely upon you when I am in the air. I intend to give you command of a large part of the ground troops. I will need you to inspire them and give them courage when the screeching wights start charging. It is also very important to continue our preparations here. You and Sam still have much to organise and prepare. The war beyond the Wall will be the only war that matters. This current mission to the Stormlands will hopefully turn out to be a diplomatic one only. I hate to pull the King-card on you. Please do this because I ask you as a friend? I can always call on the pact."
Gendry nodded slowly. He had relaxed his stance but Jon could sense that he was still not pleased.
"Uncle Benjen took this much better," Jon mumbled.
"I would too if I was still in the honeymoon phase." The corners of Gendry's mouth curved upwards despite himself. "I never thought to see an older man so besotted."
"Same here," Jon readily agreed. He was quick to take advantage of the change in topic to ease the tension between them. "Uncle Benjen and Lady Ashara looked like a young couple on the day they said their vows."
"He made me wonder about marriage." Gendry spoke softly now. Then he looked Jon straight in the eye and his tone was firm when he declared. "I know what your wishes are in that regard, Jon. I am neither blind nor deaf, nor am I a fool. I will never force her though."
Jon nodded. "And I would never ask you to. Also there is no need to make a decision about this anytime soon, Gendry. But I admit that I should have brought this up with you as soon as Aunt Catelyn and Uncle Ned started to see the potential and get their hopes up. But instead I just let it hang there. I apologize and will use this opportunity to make myself very clear. I will never force Arya to wed. I will never allow for her to be used as a trading piece in the game of politics as long as I have any say. She will wed the man of her choice or remain single. I made sure that it will be entirely up to her. I have obtained her father's promise that he will heed her wishes in that regard. And to make absolutely sure that you believe me, I promise you that I will personally inform her of that very fact before I leave for the Stormlands. Rest assured, I won't mention your name. Besides, we are both fools if we believe that anyone can force Arya to wed a man against her will. She would just run away and be very good at not being found."
Gendry nodded, the edges of his mouth curling upwards again. "Or kill the one who is foolish enough to attempt to restrain her."
Jon offered him a tentative smile in return. "So you'll stay?"
"I'll stay. Under protest, but I'll stay. When are you leaving?"
"If only I knew. I never realised it took so long for armies to be ready to move out. Our last estimate is a few days after the Queen's birthday celebrations."
"Jon, by any chance, did you reconsider my request?" Jon's prolonged silence gave Gendry his answer. "Uncle Renly will not take well to the fact that I will have Valyrian armour and weapons and he isn't at least gifted a sword. He will resent me even more."
"I thought things were better between the two of you. I have seen you enjoying supper in each other's company a few times lately," Jon argued.
"We are trying but Loras mentioned he is still prone to bouts of jealousy. You see Loras more than he does and everyone knows that you favour me over him."
"By that account he should be at odds with me, not with you," Jon protested feebly.
"He can't take it out on his King now, can he? If you only would allow me to make him a beautiful sword, one that could become the pride of House Baratheon ..."
"You can make one, Gendry. Only not with Valyrian steel, at least not just yet." Jon sighed when he saw Gendry's face fall. "Gendry, you stood at the front row at Hardhome when the dead charged at you. Can you truly imagine Lord Renly positioning himself voluntarily in the thick of such a fight?" When Gendry shook his head reluctantly Jon continued. "Swords will have to be distributed with care and among the most valiant warriors, Gendry. And I will order them to return these weapons to the Crown for safekeeeping afterwards. I told you of the restrictions. This is not the same as distributing dragonglass in large quantities. Only a limited number of new Valyrian steel swords will be handed out. I will have to make each one of them count. I am not going to repeat the rules to you. Surely you know them by heart by now."
"Then don't expect me and Uncle Renly to become close friends anytime soon, Jon. I refuse to become the kind of Lord he expects me to be. After all the trouble you and Davos went through to assure me that I didn't have to rule lands anytime soon and that I could stay true to myself, I finally was at piece with my new status. If needs be, I will learn from other Lords how to comport myself. My uncle is not..." His voice trailed off.
"I'm sorry, Gendry. I'll help you and support you in your dealings with Lord Renly in any way I can, other than gifting him with Valyrian steel. Please understand. I'd hate to lose your friendship over this."
"You won't." Gendry stated in his blunt, straightforward manner. "But I may stay a bit cross with you for a few days anyway. Just to save face." He nudged Jon's shoulder.
"Are you sure? We are all getting together tonight as soon as Loras comes off duty. Sam will be disappointed if you don't show up." The relief on Jon's face was obvious when he tested his friend's resolution.
"You're lucky that Sam is such a good friend of mine. I might just show up for his sake." Gendry's face broke into a disarming smile and Jon realised all was well.
***
Day 177 in the reign of King Aegon the Sixth of his Name
Jon and Dany approached the Dragons. Lady Brienne, Ser Jorah and Ser Edwyd all kept their distance but stayed alert. They had done their job impeccably. Jon had enjoyed having Ser Brienne as his personal guard this sennight. Over the last few days he had more than once caught himself regretting that she had chosen a position in the Dragonguard. He had comforted himself with the knowledge that Ser Brienne was a clear favourite of Ser Jorah and if it could be arranged the female knight always accompanied the Queen when she had separate duties from the King. It made him feel better about Dany's safety. He realised that he was not being entirely objective. In a fight Ser Brienne was neither better nor worse than her brothers, but she radiated protectiveness, an honest loyalty and fierceness that made him trust her implicitly. And while she never broke protocol, she did ease up rather easily when in private and Dany and he had a contest going of how many times they could get her to smile in a single day.
But now Ser Brienne stood as stern as her fellow Dragonguards and performed their last duty as substitute Kingsguards before the royal couple joined the armies that would have reached their destination by now. A large force of soldiers from different regions had left almost a sennight ago. The mounted knights as well as the foot soldiers needed to travel along the Kingsroad that led them around a large part of Blackwater Bay. Ghost had disappeared a few days later. Jon and Dany would be able to travel much quicker. Flying meant that they could take the shorter road and just cross the Bay staying east instead of having to circle all the way around Blackwater Bay. They would be there in no time.
He looked to his left to see Dany standing next to Viserion. She was wearing boiled leather and breaches just like him. He had not succeeded in talking her out of this. She was going to make sure that Stannis Baratheon and his allies saw them fly in on two dragons and she would stand next to him during the parlay. Two dragonriders would send a stronger message than one, she had argued several times. Besides how better to send a message to the realm that she was not merely a consort than by conducting the parlay together as equals?
Jon knew that she was confident on Viserion by now. Her seat was excellent even when they had practised sharp turns and a steep ascent or descent. But even after spending time with the dragons almost every day for the last moon, she still did not steer Viserion. Neither could she sense his moods. The few commands that they had familiarised him with were mere suggestions to the silver white dragon. He mostly decided to follow Jon and Rhaegal. Jon always made sure to repeat Dany's orders silently to both dragons so everyone else got the impression that Viserion obeyed her. Despite all that, they were both confident that in case an unexpected danger arose, the dragons would protect her as fiercely as they would him. Whatever miracle Bran had predicted that would happen to make Dany bond with Viserion, had not occurred yet.
"No matter what happens, stay close to me, Dany." He embraced her tightly before he helped her on Viserion's back. "This will be one of the longer flights we've taken together. If you feel tired or want to stop, remember the hand gestures we came up with."
"I am confident we can reach our destination without a stopover, Aegon." She smiled and shouted "Soves." Both dragons took to the air. Jon waved to the Dragonguard that watched them disappear but knew that they would not brake protocol and return his informal gesture, not even Ser Brienne.
The flight was a bit shorter than the one needed to reach Dragonstone. Soon, they spotted their forces from afar. The black and red banners were a sight to be seen. Jon had asked the Lannister men not to dress too ostentatiously in order to trick the enemy. They hoped to keep Stannis fooled that Tyrion Lannister and his men had stayed neutral for as long as possible. The Lannister forces had also restrained from displaying the easily recognisable red and golden banners of their Liege Lord as ordered. A bit earlier the dragons had flown over the small part of their fleet that lay concealed in a bay a bit further north. Now they easily spotted a large fleet anchored before the beaches on the southern side of the border. They still flew too high up to be able to distinguish between the sigils of the Ironborn and the Golden Company. Jon didn't make an effort to count the ships. It would take too long.
It had already been confirmed by their scouts that Euron's fleet had been joined by several ships of the Golden Company. Harry Strickland's last raven had been sent from Pentos more than a sennight ago, just before his ships had set sail for Westeros. For now the man only had a verbal agreement with Stannis Baratheon. Strickland had refused any down payment before the promised men set foot on Westerosi soil. Since Stannnis Baratheon had never before negotiated a contract with an Essosi sellsword company, the ignorant fool had not realised how unusual such terms actually were. The Golden Company and Strickland's honour had not been fully committed yet.
Jon on the other hand had obtained the Captain-General's solemn promise. When open conflict was inevitable, the ships of the Golden Company would prevent the Ironborn fleet from sailing away. If it came to a battle, Strickland had Jon's leave to confiscate any vessel he succeeded in capturing intact and add it to the Golden Company's fleet. They had exchanged ideas on possible battle strategies and had agreed to refrain from setting ships alight if at all possible.
Jon figured it was all overkill. So much planning and so many resources had gone into preparing for this parlay that had been postponed time and again. Luckily all was quiet in the North and Jon had seen to it that they had not stopped their efforts to prepare for the war against the Others and their army of wights. Sam and Gendry were working together and supervising these matters in Jon's absence. They had an abundance of dragonglass weapons by now. Two more ships had carried an entire hold of raw material to Eastwatch. The blacksmiths that Gendry had trained over there had been working non-stop. They had supplied the northern most Islands with dragonglass weapons and instructed them to keep watch over their cemeteries if they did not agree to burn the dead that lay buried there as a precautionary measure. Jon knew that Davos and Sam had asked Lord Umber to coordinate the distribution of dragonglass amongst the northern Lords on the continent giving precedence to the most northern region.
Jon received regular reports from Sandor as well as from Jaime Lannister. The last one had included drawings of war machines, large catapults, ballista's, large hooks riddled with dragonglass thorns that could slide like a pendulum along the wall to swipe off anyone that attempted to climb the large ice structure. On Lannister's demand an alchemist had travelled North and was producing wildfire and a kind of explosive powder. Sam had received a recipe from the Citadel after he had enquired whether such a thing existed. Even if Jon had contributed little, he had to admit that all was well underway.
Jon would have liked to focus his attention on the Great War against his most dangerous enemy and get involved more actively with the preparations, but instead he was stuck trying to talk or trick Stannis Baratheon into surrendering without causing - or at the very least minimizing - bloodshed. Bran had told him to remain patient. The enemy to the north was not in a hurry so there was still time. "Just consider this the first hurdle you need to take, the first phase of the Great War." Bran had advised. "I can feel that the outcome of this battle has significance for what happens next in the north. This parlay is important, Jon."
He heard cheering and focused his attention on his surroundings. He gestured to Dany to prepare to land. He pointed at the red flag that Davos had planted on the beach to mark their landing spot as previously planned. He scanned the area and noticed the promised cave entrances coming into view. These would shelter his dragons from wind and rain while they rested. The Stormlands were notorious for their strong winds and never ending rainstorms. The dragons had spotted the caves as well and Jon felt their eagerness as they set in the descent.
***
Flanked by Ghost his seven Kingsguards appeared with two extra horses the moment the dragons landed on the beach with their King and Queen. Jon greeted all of them by name. He smiled perhaps a bit more warmly at his three former mentors whom he greeted first. Then he nodded at Ser Loras and Ser Rayford and lastly he acknowledged Ser Patreck of House Mallister and Ser Lionel of House Lefford. These were the final two who had been named to his Kingsguard on day fifty-five. The thought struck him that they had been guarding him for more than one hundred days already. Time had moved quickly, at least in that regard. He got along with all of them, even if the two newer Kingsguards adhered strictly to protocol and hardly ever exchanged more than a few words with him.
Before he mounted his horse, he quietly hugged his direwolf. The ride through the woods took only a short while. Davos had seen to it that a path had been cleared so they could easily access the beach with three riders racing side by side if need be. Dany, Jon and Davos dismounted in sync with his Kingsguard and they all walked over to the large war tent. Jon gestured for Ghost to stay outside and entered as soon as Ser Gerold gave him the all clear sign. Ser Gerold quickly ordered Ser Rayford, Ser Patreck and Ser Lionel to get some rest and gestured for the others to guard the entrance. Ser Gerold then entered the tent and took up position behind his King. All conversations stopped the moment the royal couple entered the war tent and all the men rose from their chairs and bowed. Davos immediately signalled a soldier lingering by the door to bring two additional chairs for the newly arrived King and Queen.
Jon quickly surveyed the space. All the bannermen that had been given command of a division of his allied forces were present in the tent. As Davos had already whispered in his ear, it was reassuring to see with his own eyes that they had all heeded the call to arms. Lord Renly of House Baratheon was the odd one out since he was the only one not leading soldiers. That didn't prevent him from taking up the center seat normally reserved for the leader. Jon ignored that for the moment and greeted Lord Brynden of House Tully first. The Blackfish has insisted to lead the forces of the Riverlands despite the recent loss that his House had suffered. Lord Celtigar, the heir to Claw Isle led the combined forces from Dragonstone, the Driftmark and Claw Isle. Jon knew that most of the men he had under his command were still on the ships hidden from view for now.
Next his eye fell on Lord Yohn of House Royce and he acknowledged him with a nod. The loyal man had left the Vale after all and according to Davos had brought a large number of fierce looking knights with him as promised. Lord Willas of House Tyrell had showed up with troops from the Reach. No bannermen from House Tarly were present but since each region had been asked to bring only half of its fighting men, nobody questioned that fact. Ser Gerold whispered in his ear that atop his horse, the heir to the Reach had made an impressive sight and nobody thought twice about thinking less of him because of his limp. Lord Kevan of House Lannister led the forces of the Westerlands.
Jon and Dany stood at the far side of the table near the entrance of the tent. They greeted everyone and formally thanked them for coming. When a servant entered with two additional chairs and Lord Renly of House Baratheon made no move to make room for them, Jon chose to seat Dany and himself at the lower end of the table so everyone had to readjust their positions to address them. He waited until everyone had regained their seats when he officially opened the meeting. "I am grateful to see that even at a time when my reign is still young, I can count on all of you. As you all know there is still a good chance that we can reach an agreement and we promise you that the Queen, my Hand and I will try everything possible to prevent an all-out battle. Still it heartens me to see that you are willing and ready to defend my claim and help me bring peace to the Seven Kingdoms." He paused and made sure that he met everyone's eyes for a short moment. Satisfied with their solemn, alert expressions he pushed the meeting forward. "Now let's discuss what will happen over the next few days. Ser Gerold," he turned to his Lord Commander, "if you will go first?"
"As a precautionary measure, we stopped sending ravens to our allies." Ser Gerold commented and then proceeded with reciting the tentative information that the scouts had brought in concerning the enemies position and numbers. Next he gave an overview of the number of tents where the latrines were, how many guards were posted and ended with listing the number of craftsmen, healers and other supporting camp followers. As soon as he had finished, he handed his King the updated list with food supplies and extra weapons they had brought to replace the most damaged ones if need be. Jon had nodded several times throughout his long speech and thanked his Lord Commander when he fell silent.
Once again, Jon's eyes roved over the men present. "Now if you could all take turns to provide me with the exact number of cavalry and ground troops that each of you have brought and where you have set up camp respectively?"
They all quickly gave a short overview of the manpower and resources each of them had under his command and Jon spoke a few words of appreciation to each of them separately. Only now did he notice Thoros of Myr sitting in the farthest corner of the tent following proceedings unobtrusively. He knew from Davos that the priest had been most useful in bringing them news from the enemy's movements and numbers and Jon acknowledged him with a small nod of his head making the mental note to speak with him one on one before the parlay.
"I will take the dragons and scout the environment tomorrow morning," Jon informed the mall. When Ser Gerold frowned, he added. "I will stay very high up. I just want to see for myself where Stannis Baratheon has stationed his troops and check whether he has not made some last moment adjustments. I'll also try to determine the exact location of Lord Tarly and his men." He saw Lord Willas of House Tyrell cast an uneasy glance in his direction at these words. "If there is still time, I intend to fly to the locations where our allies from Dorne have been sent to as well. Then in the afternoon we will reconvene and resume our war council. I want a plan of action for both outcomes of the parlay, a plan for a peaceful occupation of the Stormlands and one for an all-out attack. I want us to be ready the very moment we return from the parlay if Stannis Baratheon rejects every version of our peace offer. That said, I believe that nothing further needs to be done tonight unless," he looked at the assembled commanders one by one. "Does everyone have sufficient tents and access to supporting personnel? Have all the supplies been allotted in good order?"
Jon once more let each commander have his turn. When the last one finished reassuring his King that all was under control, he reckoned that they had covered enough for their initial meeting. He was about to stand but felt Dany's small hand on his arm.
"Perhaps we can visit each camp tonight?" Dany ventured. "Show the brave soldiers who they have come to support?"
Jon gestured Ser Gerold not to protest. "I have a better plan," Jon answered and then looked between Ser Gerold and Dany again. "Why not make a large bonfire tonight and have a delegation from each camp join us. We can always survey the troops tomorrow shortly after noon. That way it will be light and they all can see us better." Ser Gerold nodded and promised to make the necessary arrangements. Dany rose the moment Jon did and the royal couple left the war tent. Ghost immediately reappeared startling his Kingsguard as he wrestled his way to Jon's side.
"I want to come along when you go scouting, Aegon." Dany told him softly as soon as they had been shown to the tent that had been assigned to them.
"I don't know, Dany." Jon unfastened his coat and checked the two makeshift cots. He started to push them together and readjusted the furs. Ghost immediately claimed the extra space this created and made himself comfortable. His red eyes stayed alert however and followed each of Jon's movements.
"You told Ser Gerold that there was no risk involved. Please, Aegon. I'll keep close to you. Two see more than one and if anything should happen, I can assist you. You always say that there is safety in numbers." She put her arms around his neck and pulled him close.
Jon looked into her pleading eyes. 'Why not?' He thought. It was a short scouting mission, high up in the air. The worst that could happen was that they were spotted by the enemy who would know of their arrival by then anyway. He took her in her arms. "Promise me you'll stay close and won't do anything reckless? Whatever happens, you'll follow my lead?"
She smiled gratefully. "I'll do anything you ask of me. Thank you, Aegon. I'll prove that I am an asset to you. Let us show the realm that two Targaryen dragonriders rule Westeros." She kissed him and then leaned her head against his chest. Jon held her tight but released her when he heard a discreet cough. "Enter," Dany called and took a step back. Prince Oberyn appeared.
"I just wanted to let you know that I had arrived, and all is well, your Graces. I'm sorry that I missed your grand entrance."
"We welcome you, Oberyn" Dany answered softly. "Are you sure that Lord Stannis of House Baratheon still believes that the Dornish troops near his southern border are his to call upon?"
Prince Oberyn nodded. "He isn't aware that Lord Edric of House Dayne has joined them. Our friend has kept his presence a secret from the main army. Only the men he brought from Starfall know who he is. He poses as a houseguard."
"You've seen him recently? Is he well?" Jon asked.
"He is well and telling you that he is eager to prove himself on the battlefield is an understatement." Prince Oberyn chuckled. "I venture to say that he is almost as bad as I was at that age. Almost. But then, if I am not mistaken, it is all because of a certain Lady. That is the motivation of many a young man and it can sometimes get him far but often it can be the sole reason of a hero's downfall."
"I hope you didn't bore my friend, Edric to sleep with these superfluous musings. Tell me that you sparred with him at least once so you can report to me how battle ready he actually is." Jon started their familiar banter.
"I did much better, Aegon. I set up a fight for him against one of my stronger houseguards and bet on the outcome." Prince Oberyn didn't blink his eyes once.
Jon raised his brow. "Do I want to know how that went?"
"I wouldn't want to bore you to sleep, my King." Oberyn mocked. Then he took Dany's hand and kissed the back of her hand. "I heard you left your Dragonguard behind, Daenerys. Do you wish me to step in and fill the void?"
"My Dragonguard has orders to protect my Stark cousins and all my Ladies-in-Waiting. Don't worry, Oberyn, Lord Gendry Baratheon has also promised to guard their virtue with his life."
"You mistake my meaning. I was not worrying about them but about you, my dearest."
"How come? We have the entire Kingsguard here, all sworn to protect us. I am sure they will be capable enough to keep Aegon and me safe."
"Oh but you forget, my sweet girl that their first duty is to jump in front of their King. I would shield you with my body without a thought for Aegon here." Beneath the flirting tone of Oberyn's voice, the honest wish to protect her was evident.
Jon chose to intervene. "I would immediately give you leave to protect the Queen after you proved to me…"
"On second thought, I am sure I can convince my good friend Ser Arthur to protect you with his life. If not on my first try, then certainly when I make him believe that you are carrying the future trueborn King in your womb." Oberyn hoped that he had distracted Aegon sufficiently from challenging him to a spar. He had been training rather diligently these last few moons and the odds were increasing in his favour but then again, the outcome was not certain enough yet and to give in would mean at the very least losing their moons' long ongoing word game. He was not ready to concede verbal victory just yet.
Jon frowned when Dany leaned into him seeking comfort. He instinctively put his arm around her and pulled her even closer. Oberyn immediately guessed that he had inadvertently reminded Daenerys, whom he now surmised was not pregnant yet, of that exact fact. "Can I ask for a place of honour at tonight's bonfire at least? I just got the invite from Davos who was nice enough to assign me a tent for my sole use." He winked.
"I would love to have you sit next to me." Dany was quick to answer. "Aegon might disregard your services but I certainly would love to have a handsome well trained Dornish Prince to be my shield tonight."
"Then I will bring my sharpest spear, my Queen." He bowed with a silent promise in his eyes to Aegon and left the tent.
Dany sighed when she watched Prince Oberyn leave. She eyed the furs. "Not much privacy in a tent amidst an army, is there?" She hugged him and kissed the corner of his mouth.
"None at all. We will have to be very quiet tonight." He nipped her earlobe playfully and whispered in her ear, "Never mind our environment, I will give you my seed tonight and one way or another I will make sure that we both keep silent."
"Better make sure that our guards know when they are not to let anyone disturb us. Use one of your clever signs or something, I don't care, as long as I can relax." Her hand lingered on his buttocks as she drawled out the word 'relax' seductively. He almost yelped as she squeezed his left buttock. "You known what i mean," she added suggestively. Then she blew him a kiss and turned around to bend over to reach for her bag. She playfully wiggled her butt while she checked which personal items she needed to unpack before it grew too dark.
Interlude 48: A letter from the North
My favourite cousin,
Do not be alarmed to receive this long letter that travelled for a moon before reaching you. We are all in good health and there is peace in the North. I sincerely hope that the houseguard of House Mormont whom I entrusted to put this letter in your hands personally was adequate in reassuring you that there is no cause for alarm and that the content of this letter merely contains a very personal matter that I wish to lay out before you in greater length than a scroll could allow me. Also this way I am assured that no strange eyes will look upon this letter and I can skip the need to encode this monstrosity. You can trust the messenger implicitly and can give him a return message for Winterfell should you be so inclined after digesting the news that I am to impart below. The messenger will wait for as long as you need to compose a reply. Just let him know whether it is your wish that he do so. Whatever you decide, I pray that you will do me the kindness to send me a short scroll by raven in any event containing a first reaction to the tidings that I am about to share with you now.
Our reunion or better my trip to King's Landing will be delayed with several moons because I am betrothed and will be married as soon as I receive your consent. Hopefully that will be around the time that both my father and the kin of my bride have joined us at Winterfell. No, this is not a poorly fabricated jest and yes, I realise that I will have to tell Father first before I can rightfully claim that I am betrothed. Even though I fear Father's wrath, I am convinced that he will eventually grant us his consent. There is no other way for House Stark to retain its honourable reputation since I got a noble lady with child and my own honour will not allow me to father a bastard. I'm sorry to be so blunt but after writing several draft versions and spilling an inkpot in frustration, I decided that being straightforward was the best way to break the news to you. So here it is. I have lain with Lady Dacey of House Mormont, numerous times if I am to be completely honest and today, one hundred and forty four days after you ascended the throne, Dacey hit the two moon mark of not seeing any moonblood. We consulted with Maester Luwin and sworn him to secrecy for now. He is as certain as he can be at this stage. I will skip over all the small symptoms that he stated as proof. Dacey assures me that she knows her body and has no doubts that I am to be a father, Jon.
This means that I will have my own family soon and I am going to do all that I can to keep my future wife and child safe. I will hold off on telling my father until after I have received a raven from you to confirm that you did indeed receive the news from me first. Dacey assures me that she can keep her condition hidden until then. Knowing my father, one of his first actions will be sending word to you immediately and I really wanted you to hear the news from me first. This way I can explain to you all the circumstances and allow you the opportunity to make up your own mind before Father has a chance to influence your reaction.
I am aware that you will be disappointed in me for my lack of self-restraint and as my King, you have the right to refuse your consent. But as you best friend and cousin, I beg you to hear me out before condemning me … us. I am happy, Jon. For the first time in moons I feel as if I have a purpose again. I know that you have been worried about me and I love you for it. This knowledge gives me hope that you will at the very least feel some measure of gratitude towards the person who helped me regain that last bit of confidence that I lost and gave me a reason to once again look forward to the future with great anticipation and joy. I know that I can be happy with her and the child, Jon. So as my friend please consider my well-being and keep that open mind that I so envy you for.
As you know from my previous messages, I have hosted several noble daughters of the North at Winterfell for some time now. I enjoyed dining and dancing with them but kept my distance trying to act as a Warden should and not show any preference until you or Father decided who I should take to wife. But then Dacey happened. She arrived later than the others and the first time I really noticed her was when she showed up during a sword training session. Instead of praising me afterward and flirting with me as the others are wont to do at every opportunity, she merely observed. She stayed patiently throughout the entire session and only after I was done, she cornered me while I was removing my armour. And make no mistake, it was not to seduce or flatter me. She scolded me for holding back and squandering opportunities. Most of the arguments she threw at me were spot on. Allow me to explain to you that my future wife is very adept with a mace. As all Mormont women, she has been allowed to train with weapons from a young age on.
After the third training session ended, I was fed up with her admonishments and I responded to her taunts by challenging her to a spar. You can surely imagine the rest. We got to know each other and as often is the case between regular sparring partners, mutual respect developed and evolved into a friendship. Perhaps mother is right after all and unrelated girls and boys cannot simply be friends. My body started to respond to hers and I refuse to blame her for my not being able to resist her. The truth is that I started bedding her in secret and after that first time, I did so every day that we were able to find an opportunity to indulge ourselves without getting caught. She faithfully drank her moontea every morning, Jon. She is not to blame. We had no inkling that drinking moontea is not a fool proof method to prevent a pregnancy. It was Maester Luwin that explained to us that some women can be immune to the effects of even the strongest moontea. He advised us to just accept the situation and that after all was said and done all parties would concur that our union would actually benefit the North.
As your friend and cousin, I beg you to rejoice with me. As my King I ask you to look at this match objectively. Since politically there is no longer any need for me to marry a daughter of a ruling house, it is beneficial for House Stark to marry a noble Lady from a northern House. House Mormont is a strong loyal House and Dacey is a healthy, intelligent, capable woman that will be an asset to House Stark and can help me rule the North the right way when Father grows too old and steps down.
I am aware that my feelings for her are not equal yet to the pure love that you have for your Dany. But know that I already care deeply for Dacey. I greatly respect her attitude, her strength and yes despite our current predicament, her morals as well. We had made a promise to one another and needed only time to get both our parents warmed up to the idea of a union between our houses. Before we learned she was with child, I was sure that I could convince you to approve of her once you got to know her. She is a lady that is not afraid to speak her mind or act when she notices what she perceives as unjust treatment of the weak. She protects Rickon as fiercely as any farmer or even the lowest servant. I admire her fervour even if I have needed to interfere more than once already and come up with a smart compromise to keep all parties happy. I can't help but admire her straightforwardness and have found myself copying it at times, despite the fact that it is that same straightforwardness that got us into our current situation. She loves me dearly and saw no wrong in acting upon her feelings, truly believing that she was doing all she could so there would be no consequences of us anticipating our wedding vows. I am convinced that it is only a matter of time before I can honestly tell her that I return her love and will cherish her more than any other living being ever for the rest of my days.
I realise while I write this that chances are that you will be entertaining the possibility that she entrapped me and that I am a fool for falling for it. If only you could meet her and talk to her for a short moment, I am convinced that you would see what I see in her and believe what I am desperately trying to explain to you. Dacey did not intend to force me into a betrothal. Hells, we had our biggest fight when I proposed to say our vows that very same night we found out that she was with child. She even talked of breaking things off and returning to Bear Island. I had the utmost difficulty to convince her to stay and only did so after she extracted a vow from me. I was obliged to promise her that until we actually say our vows before the heart tree with our families present, I will still bow out if I change my mind. And she means it. She is ready to release me and return to Bear Island the very moment I let her know that such is my wish. She is confident that she can raise our child there on her own without causing a scandal and have it bear the Mormont name. She listed a number of her ancestors, of Mormont women that had done just that. Her family would never forsake her. Our child would want for nothing and have the same rights as a trueborn. I beg you to believe me that the fact that she is with child is just a strange twist of fate and was not her intention. She blames herself but I am slowly making progress at convincing her that I truly am looking forward to having a child with her and that my happiness will be complete only after our child is born after she has taken on the new name of Lady Dacey of House Stark. Still, an encouraging word from you would do wonders, my cousin and make us both sleep better at night.
My last argument is perhaps the one that will convince you and on second thought I should have led with that. Greywind took to her from the first time she let him sniff her. I should have picked up on it instantly. After all you urged me more than once not to neglect Greywind's intuition. He is far smarter than I will ever be. For now I must often caution him to stop seeking her company so often and more importantly to stop pulling attention to her stomach. It is clear that he has nominated himself as my unborn child's staunchest protector. If anyone will betray our secret before enough time passes to receive a reaction from you, it will be Greywind, my faithful direwolf. I am sure if Arya were here she would have questioned Greywind's behaviour already. Rickon, thankfully is just pleased that at least one of all these troublesome lady guests is not afraid of the direwolves. Dacey and Rickon often spend time together with the wolves when I am otherwise occupied.
And Jon, just last night, something amazing happened. I had another wolf dream. I somehow warged into Greywind while he was keeping Dacey company after I left her in her room. He lay on her bed with his head close to her stomach and that's when I heard it for the first time. A second heartbeat! And before you tell me that I am just imagining things, I am very sure that that was what is was. Dacey's heartbeat is a slow steady thumb. This one was a much softer sound and the pace of the beating was much faster. I'd reckon double the pace of Dacey's. I literally heard my future child's heartbeat, Jon! I awoke with tears on my face. I can't begin to describe what went through me. I sincerely hope you may experience the same soon if you haven't already.
I wish you lived closer and I simply could have travelled to you and told you all of this in person. Now I have to be satisfied with the mental picture of you hugging me tight and promising me that all will be well and that whatever happens, we can deal with it together. I still hear your words when we made our pact. Whatever happens, we can always call on the five of us so we can combine our efforts to make sure that things will work out. I am convinced though that I won't have to. I somehow sense that you will have my back. I strongly wish for the time that you and Dany, and me and Dacey will all sit together around a bonfire and laugh about how an unexpected turn of fate found an oblivious Robb Stark the best possible wife he was always destined to end up with. But the time for wishful thinking and dreaming is not now. At this very moment, I am a man about to fight for his family. I am to become a father and already feel responsible for the wellbeing of my future wife and unborn child. So I will do everything in my power to procure their happiness and keep them safe.
So this is my plea to you, Jon. Support me and write to Father that a union between House Mormont and House Stark has your royal approval. But most of all I wish for my best friend and cousin to be happy for me and send me his congratulations by raven as quickly as possible. I am of sound mind when I write to you that I found a woman I can see myself grow old with and that I am counting the moons until I can welcome my firstborn.
That said, whatever you may decide, know that I won't stop trying to persuade you and Father that my decision has been made and I feel deep inside that it is the right one, the best one for all parties concerned. I would rather give up my claim to the North to Bran than forsake my betrothed and child. I will count the days until sufficient time passes for the messenger to find you and add a few for a raven to reach me with a first response from my best friend, my favourite cousin and esteemed King.
Until then,
Your cousin, best friend and loyal subject no matter what lies in our future
Prince Robb of House Stark, Prince of the North
PS: I will hold off on telling anyone until I hear from you. This promise includes Sam, Loras, Gendry and Edric. Our friendship and my love and esteem for you are more important to me than our pact.
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