Wolves Always Defend Their Own

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"Yes, it is truth" Bran said while staring into the fireplace, his voice emotionless and silent, mixed up with the cracking of burning wood. "It is as true as it could be" he added, turning his face towards everybody present in the room.
Jon's reaction was stoic as it could be but his face was turned down, looking on the map, like he was searching for some kind of escape from the silence that enveloped the place. His grip on the table tightened waiting for anyone to speak, in anticipation so big, that it could almost be given form and name.
"Is there proof?" Tyrion asked, being the first one to let out a sound after what felt like an eternity to Jon.
"I can't speak for Bran, but I have written down the exact entry from High Septon's private diary during my last days in the Citadel. I have it with me, and I am sure that the original copy is still laying down somewhere in the archives of the Citadel" Sam said, and gave Tyrion a scroll which he started reading.
"It does not matter if it's true or not, well written and thought over lie is most of the times more convincing than the truth" Varys said, speaking up for the first time during this war council. "The real question is, how much does this fact change" he added, his voice without a sign of lost composure
Jon could not answer that. He looked to Daenerys hoping that she had an answer to that, but she was in the same position as he was.
"I can't give you a straight answer. I do not want the throne nor anything that comes with it. I pledged myself to our queen, and I intend on keeping that pledge." Jon asked, trying to be as clear as he could, but it still felt vague.
"I do not doubt you my Lord" Varys responded with a bow, "But I fear that it won't be that easy"

"How could you not tell us straight away?" Sansa said, her voice filled with emotions. The meeting has ended leaving in the room only Jon, Bran and Stark sisters. "What am I even supposed to do right now, or say for that matter" she continued, walking from the one end of the room to another. "And the northmen? What should we say? That the man they chose to be their king turned out being the son of the Rhaegar Targaryen?"
"What's the difference?" Arya asked, not saying a word til now.
"Excuse me?" Sansa asked, her voice filled with disbelief.
"You heard me right the first time. You know very well why they chose Jon in the first place. I can't say that being the son of our father did not influence their decision, northmen are stupid like that" she said while looking out the window, "but their main reason was everything that Jon accomplished til now. Also he still is a half-stark. So I'm asking again, what's the difference?" Arya repeated her question, turning her face towards her sister
Jon knew that Arya had a point, but it was not that easy as she made it out to be. Being Ned's son played a huge role in everything that happened, especially considering how loved Eddard was. Jon was not stupid though, he knew how fragile the north was at the exact moment, and how much respect he lost when he decided to pledge himself to Daenerys. If something like that would come out right now, the united North could very quickly became as torn as it was not so long ago.
"We should not tell them" Jon said, breaking the stalemate between Arya and Sansa, "It will create more problems, and with the current state of affairs, we really can't afford any." he finished, earning a nod from Arya, and making Sansa stop in her tracks.
"But what will happen if someone else will tell them? We are not the only ones that know about this" Sansa asked trying her best to calm down
"They won't believe it. And the only ones that know about this are the people that were in this room. I don't really see Daenerys or her advisors spreading this exact rumor. It undermines their queen, and risks a loss of their only valid ally at the moment" Arya said, and Jon agreed.
"Alright, but what are you planning Jon? What are you going to do?" Sansa asked another question, but Jon didn't respond immediately. He felt nauseous at the sole thought of him becoming the king of the realm.
"I don't know Sansa, I didn't lie to Varys. I want to honor my pledge, and at the same time I don't want the throne, never wanted any of the power that was given to me." He said, and looked down on the floor, "If I could, I would just revoke my claim and make Daenerys the queen" Jon finished, and felt his grip tightening. Entire situation felt like something he could not yet comprehend, like some kind of feverish dream that he would wake up from soon.
"And what she has to say about it? She knew about it before us, judging from the look you were giving her" Arya asked, being observing as always.
"Aye, I've told her moments before the battle has started. I have spoken with her before our today's meeting, and she claims that it does not concern her. That we will find some way to deal with that" Jon said, saying exactly what Daenerys told him.
"Of course it does not concern her. The solution is quite obvious, and I'm pretty sure neither of you would mind it." Sansa spoke, her voice cold and calculating, yet there was a slight amusement in her tone, to which Jon lifted his head "You both marrying each other makes sense from the political stand of view, and would not be a surprise to anyone. It's a way to seal her alliance with the North and at the same time gives her more credibility in the eyes of the remaining Westeros lords." Sansa ended, her eyes looking directly at Jon.
He thought about it, not once or twice. Marrying Daenerys felt like a distant dream to him. He wanted to be with her, to be at her side and help her with all the struggles that came with ruling but at the same time he didn't see himself in the position that wielded so much power. He never wanted power, yet it always came to him like it was a living being that was somehow connected and entwined with his life. People chose him as their leader again and again, and each and every time he felt like he failed their expectations. Night's Watch Commander that let the wildlings go through the wall, and the King in the North that bent the knee the first occasion he was given. It sounded like an unfunny joke, especially for someone that did not know Jon's motives. 'For the greater good' felt like an excuse. Even if it was not true.
"You have to be by her side. There is no other way" Bran said, his voice a reminder of him being still present and listening to his siblings conversation. "This is how it was meant to be, you and her together."
"And what does it mean exactly Bran? It sounds like an awful riddle to me" Sansa said, with her voice being both tired, yet still sounding like she was trying her best to understand Bran's logic.
"They are the counterparts of themselves. If she is the south, he is the north. If she is the fire, he is the ice. If she is a leaf that's slowly falling down from the tree, he is the wind that will blow to keep her from landing down on the ground. It is not a riddle, that's just the way it is. The way it always was." Bran responded, his eyes still focused on the fire that was slowly dying out.
The room fell silent, leaving only the lingering and heavy feeling that Bran's statement created. The only thing that could've been heared was the wind blowing outside and the wooden floor creeking in the room right beneath them.
"And what about us?" Jon asked, breaking the silence with a question weighing on his mind since the moment he learned about his true heritage.
"What do you mean?" Sansa asked, giving Jon a confused expression, Arya doing the same thing
"What about us, our family" he said, and swallowed hard, "Now you know the truth. I am not really your father's son. I am not your brother, and I am not someone you throughout your entire life thought I was. So I will ask again, what about us?" Jon explained, making both of the Stark girls share a look before giving him an answer, but it didn't take them much time to do so.
"When I look at you, I see a man that always gave me the closest feeling to home I ever felt." Arya spoke up first, giving Jon a serious look, "A man that gave me my sword, which reminded me through all these years of struggles who I am, and where I came from. The man who snuck behind our father back just to teach me, a stupid girl, basics of sword fighting knowing how foolish my request was. Jon, Aegon, what does it matter? You are my brother, and neither name or your heritage can change that. It's as simple as that" she finished, and gave Jon one of the most heartfelt and warm smiles he ever seen on her face.
"If it wasn't for you, we would not be here. You were the person that gave me shelter, even considering how awfully I treated you when we were kids. You have always seen me as your younger sister, and took care of me since the moment I turned up at the Castle Black. You did not want to fight anymore, yet you chose to fight for Winterfell, for OUR home because I asked you, and because you wanted to rescue Rickon, your brother. I said it before and I will say it again, to me, you are a Stark. And you will always be." Sansa said, also giving Jon a smile that was he has not seen on her face for such long time.
Jon was left speechless. He was afraid that they would discard him, like he was some kind of stranger to them, but deep inside he knew that the thing that connected them was something deeper than name, or being Ned's children. It was love. As pure and selfless as it could be.
"The wolves always defend their own." Bran added, making the rest of them smile
"Thank you. All of you" Jon said, feeling the knot in his stomach unwind more and more. 

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