Bringing the Dawn

IV.

Jaeron Targaryen

The Wall, 299AC

The shock of being given live dragon eggs wore off surprisingly quickly. The maester had agreed to keep them hidden in his room until it came time to leave back to Winterfell. Where was he going to keep eggs? It's not like they were unrecognisable artefacts, everyone in Westeros knew dragons had died out after the Targaryen civil war over a hundred years prior. The Dance of Dragons it was called, where Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen proclaimed war on her half-brother for claiming himself King despite their father making it clear in the will she was meant to take over. Dragon against dragon, sibling against sibling, family against family. The few dragons that had hatched after the dreaded dance was completed had been malformed or been abnormally small. It was said the last living dragon had been the size of a common house cat.

But he couldn't keep them here. Something that incredible shouldn't remain hidden from the entire world. Would he hatch them? If so, how big would they grow to be? Would he become a dragon rider like many of his ancestors had been? Yes, Jon was a fair rider, even being nicknamed centaur by some. A moniker that had been used to describe his mother. But dragons brought great destruction as well as they brought greatness. He shook his head before meeting with his uncle in his solar. Benjen and Catelyn were aware of what the Maester had gifted to him, but neither voiced their opinion. The Lady was still wary of him. Her family had openly supported Robert Baratheon after all, and it was a hard pill to swallow that it had been done on a false claim. Then again, the war never really broke out until Rickard and Brandon were murdered. But they wouldn't have been murdered if the truth reached them.

Rickard Stark was a proud man, but it was known he loved his children deeply. Hence why betrothals were in place with people from the South. Lyanna to Robert, and Brandon to Catelyn. He wouldn't have been happy with Lyanna doing what she did, but the match she found herself in was incredibly advantageous and he would've used this to his advantage. They had tried to get the truth out though, truth that never came to fruition. Deep down, Jon knew that if the letters were received they wouldn't have been ignored. One letter being lost in transit is common, two not uncommon but not likely, but more than this? It only meant one thing. Someone was either not sending the letters out when being asked, or they were all intercepted and not delivered. One would've been sent to Robert and his family, one would've been sent North to Rickard, and another would've been sent to Aerys. This was at the least, there may have been more sent out to other paramount's or lesser lords to inform them.

"Have you decided what you're going to do yet, nephew?"

Jon snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head in the negative.

"Honestly, uncle, I want nothing to do with that throne. I don't want to be a leader or a ruler. I'd prefer to just simply be there, but that will not happen because my name is either respected or feared by everyone in Westeros. I'll need to prove myself and who knows what I'll be forced to do for duty if it came to it."

Benjen reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder. Now that he was really looking at the boy his brother claimed was his bastard, the resemblance to the boy's real parents was uncanny. He certainly didn't look Targaryen at a first glance, or even a second glance. He looked Stark through and through. Only those who were closest to Rhaegar would recognise the deceased Prince in him the similarities were so little. The only trait he did openly have were his lilac eyes, but even these turned grey on occasion like his mothers were.

"You don't even need to out yourself, cousin. You could continue to go on as Jon Snow for as long as you wish and nobody would be none the wiser apart from us."

Robb's response had been simple enough, but Catelyn simply shook her head.

"People will eventually grow suspicious, Robb. Most people know I've not exactly been pleasant to him, so if they see me acting nice to him like I've been trying to do- it will raise suspicions. I'd imagine Jon will want to send correspondence to Maester Aemon, which again will raise suspicions. Yes, it could be done through Benjen, but people in the Nights Watch would eventually catch on and send responding letters back. And in case you're forgetting, he has live dragon eggs, Robb. You felt it much like I did. They will likely hatch, and nobody would be able to hide two dragons."