allegiance // jon snow

prologue

winterfell

all the way in the far north, jon sat in the study, which his late father used to occupy and spent late nights in, with a scroll sitting in his hand sent all the way from dragonstone. it was not long before his eyes moved across the page, what he saw at the end of the scroll was enough to make his heart stop for a moment.

the targaryen queen wants to align herself with the starks.

jon had heard word that the young targaryens wanted to take back westeros from the lannisters. never would he have imagined that they would want to align themselves with the starks.

there was a soft knock at the door, followed by a small, "jon are you in there?" sansa.

"yes, come in, please." he responded. she opened the door and shut it behind her. "what did it say?" sansa was picking at her hands in anticipation of finding out what the targaryens wanted from her family.

"the queen is requesting an arranged marriage between us and the targaryens." jon said shortly. "how could she ask of that? please do not tell me that i may have to get married a third time." sansa said with a straight face, her eyebrows curled up.

"it is not you she wants." he took a long pause and turned to look out the window. he pondered and thought about what his father would do in his position. "she wants me to marry." he finished.

sansa gasped, "jon, i know you don't wish to marry and you never have but you must think it over. it's the queen's request, if she is successful in taking over westeros, we do not want to be on her bad side or to be any bad blood. we can't refuse her. besides they might be our best chance at beating what is to come." sansa looked into his eyes, he knew everything she had said was nothing but the truth.

"sansa, i cannot just betray the north and marry a targaryen of all people for a selfish gain. the northern lords would not accept that." sansa nodded in response. "if it is any consolation, you would be marrying a queen. the lords would have to learn to understand. and it would be fo the north in the end. to keep it and those who live in it safe." she said.

jon sighs and shakes his head sorrowfully. he looked down at the scroll that still had its home in his hand and said, "sorry sister, but you misunderstood me. queen daenerys does not want me to marry her. she is said not to want another marriage after her first one. she wishes for me to marry her niece, princess rhaenys, rhaegar's firstborn daughter." he ended and waited to see sansa's reaction. her mouth slightly agape.

"the man who kidnapped aunt lyanna? she wants you to marry that man's daughter? i thought she died in the capital the night of the ransacking." sansa said.

"that is what the scroll says." jon responded curtly. silence was floating in the room. jon sat there, contemplating the choices that were being laid out in front of him that were completely out of his control. at the same time, sansa was left wondering how the decision jon would make would change the dynamic in the north inevitably. the silence began to be deafening. sansa took it as her sign to leave the room.

pledging the north to the targaryens could be the very decision that ends the starks line. however, jon sat and thought about the other outcomes and how they could have a positive result.

note: i am keeping rickon alive