Glitter and Gold | Game of Thrones | Jon Snow

Prolouge

Heron always knew he was different from his family, when he was five he would go into the gardens and read.  The first three times he went, everything was normal, but the fourth time he went from a bush came a rather strange creature.  It was small, the size of a fox.  The front of it was a golden lion, but its back was hyena and its tail was the bushy redness of a foxes.  It's sharp claws clicked on the stone as it padded to Heron to curl into his side.  The young boy had watched it with wide eyes, never having seen a creature such as it in his life.  His hand rested on it which caused it to produce a purr like sound.  Later research had told the boy it was called a gulon.  After that day when he went back to the garden, the gulon would return and new creatures of different breeds found their way to him.

When the boy was six he started to train, his family didn't know.  He would steal a dagger and go to the woods to train.  When he came to the woods creatures bigger than any that dared visit him in the gardens emerged.

  At first it looked like a normal horse but then he noticed that it's chest resembled a lion, and from its head was horns that looked at sharp as the sword his uncle swung in battle.  It's horns were facing Heron but as it got closer they moved to point to the creatures back.  Heron stood still as it stopped a swords length in front of him.  Heron's hand raised hesitantly, and he took a step forward, the creature bowed its head and stepped into the child's outstretched hand.

  If anyone had been there they would have said the smile young Heron wore could only be compared to the brightness of the sun and the joy of tasting water after days of thirst.  Heron would later learn the name of the beast who found him, a centicore.  So as Heron got better with a blade, more creatures flocked to him like a moth to flame.

When the boy was eight, his uncle found him training while he was on a walk.  Moments before Jamie found him, the creatures who loved Heron had fled, leaving the boy weary.  Heron had waited for a threat with his stolen blade raised.  The dagger had been traded in for a new weapon, its blade the same color as its handle and with more curved that common in the average sword.  Jamie had not expected his son to be at the end of the blade that swung at him, not taking the time to see his face, striking at the first movement he saw.

  Jamie had drawn his sword and blocked.  Heron stared in shock at his uncle, quickly pulling away his blade and hiding it behind his back as if Jamie hadn't seen it and he could still keep it a secret.  Jamie simply smiled and with a flick of his wrist sent his blade toward Heron who with lighting speed blocked the blow.  With another flick of his wrist Jamie sent his sword to the other side of his son who with the same speed blocked.  With that their swords began to clash against each other, Jamie testing what the boy had taught himself.  Jamie pushed Heron to a tree but did not expect his son's next trick.  Heron faced the tree and quickly ran up it before jumping off it and over his uncle's head only press the tip of his blade into his uncle's back.  A breathless I win had been muttered by Heron before his proud uncle turned around to give him a grin fathers reserve only for their sons.

Heron was ten when his father and king allowed him to travel to the deep wood alone.  The deep wood was seldom visited due to the fact that every thought it was bare, every time people went to it they reported no or little deer or other game.  So while the deep wood held no apparent threats it was not torn down because it was rumored to hold creatures so terrifying that they scared off all other animals who tried to live their.  Under any normal circumstances Robert would have never let his oldest son go to the deep wood, but after three pitchers of wine he was not in the right mind and agreed to it before going back to one of his many whores.