Bringing the Dawn

III.

Jon Snow

Winterfell, 299AC

Jon had always been a melancholy person. Ever since he was young whenever they had visitors, it was usually said in passing that he was most Stark of the lot. Now being no different, but for a completely different reason. The secret had been damning, there was no way around it. The King had murdered his father because he refused to admit his mother did not love him back and had rejoiced over the deaths of his older siblings. Who does that? Who in their right mind rejoices over the deaths of children? Fair enough if they are of war age, but one was only a name-day old and the other being five name-days old. Disgust and horror coiled inside of him.

When he first figured it out, he had wanted to storm out the room and not speak to Lord Stark again. Yet something compelled him to stay, and what he had seen was terrifying. Talks of communication that was either ignored or intercepted in transit. Talks of something bad happening. Talks of Rhaegar forcing Aerys off the throne and banishing him so he could stop the realm from being ran by a tyrant. It was too much. Way too much. It wasn't a secret that dragons were not well-liked. Most people knew the saying. Whenever a Targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin, and everyone holds their breath to see if it lands on madness or greatness.

A polarising family. There wasn't any known who wasn't a bit of both. It was one extreme or the other when it came to them. And Jon was one. Had been his entire life. What side of the coin did he fall under? He didn't think he was mad, but those who do go mad don't think they are. He was anything but great. Well, except from perhaps his swordsmanship. He wasn't dumb, he knew he took to the art amazingly well and was only getting better as time went on. The boy tossed and turned in his bed that evening, the castle long being dead to slumber by now. But he just could not do so. He'd read the letters dozens of times, he'd tried to write down what he was feeling, but nothing was helping. With a grunt, he pulled the covers off and grabbed the sword.

Dark Sister.

This sword was legendary, and it was his. He had to be careful with it for obvious reasons. If it got out that he had it if he does choose not to do anything, he will be forced into something. He pulled on some furs and made his way into the training ring where dummies were set up. Jon tried his best to imagine that the inanimate object was someone, but who? Then it came to him. Someone strong, black of hair, with a devilish look on his face. Robert Baratheon. With a short cry the sword encountered it on numerous occasions, and by the time he was out of breath, all that was left of it was cushion. He was breathing hard as he swiped the sweat off his brow. Footsteps broke the silence though. Immediately, he stored the sword away and tucked it under his furs before turning to see who was there.

"Bit violent there weren't you brother- cousin?"

A sigh of relief left him at this before walking over to Robb. His cousin immediately opened his arms to him, holding him close. Somehow knowing that the revelation was having a bad effect on the younger. Despite the bastard status, he had never looked down on him, and had gotten into numerous arguments with Catelyn on letting him into some lessons. It took years, but she eventually relented on some, which was a compromise he had accepted. Jon didn't know that though, he had assumed at the time that she was beginning to warm up to him, but he didn't need to know more to it than that.

So much anger was building up inside of him. Of himself, to the Lady, to the man he had called father, to his birth parents, to everyone really. Even if Ned had told him that she had died giving birth to him, the sting may have hurt less. But he didn't, he let him have the belief that she was still out there and he may one day meet her. For someone who held onto honour as closely as Ned had, it was ironic. Yes, his goal was honourable, but what he did to keep it a secret was not. He had lied to everyone. Himself, his wife, his people, his children, his goodfamily, the entire realm.