Bringing the Dawn

XIII.

Jaeron Targaryen

On route from Castle Black to Greywater Watch, 299AC

It took them four days to ride to Eastwatch. They made good on the first two days but on the third there came a snowstorm so strong it obscured their vision completely. Even to the point they couldn't even see the shadow of the Wall on the snow-covered ground to use it as a guide. They travelled for approximately an hour that day before deciding it was too treacherous to continue. The only one who could've guided them was Ser Alliser, and even he stated it was too dangerous to do so. And he was not a man who admitted defeat. Hence why when they had lit a small fire and shot down a couple of rabbits nearby for food, he confessed he never forgave turn cloaks no matter the circumstance. To him, shedding one's cloak was the biggest treachery in existence.

He had stared directly at him as he spoke these words and narrowed on Howland frequently. At first, Jon was confused by said actions but he refused to voice it. He had to learn. And the only way he would learn is if he used his own brain to figure things out. So once the pair of them had fallen asleep, he had taken out the small book Samwell had given him which contained all the noble Houses and their Lords and Ladies. It took him a long time to find the house Alliser belonged to, as instead of being sorted in alphabetical order- it was ordered from most influential House to least influential for every Kingdom. Finally, he did. House Thorne, with a coat of arms of a flail argent on a flaming red background and a black border, a lesser House in the Crownlands.

This one pleasantly surprised Jon. He'd never heard a Crownlands accent before, but if he didn't see this he would've assumed him to have been a Riverlander with how gruff it was. Although, the only Riverlander's he knew were Lady Catelyn and Septa Mordane. If only he had asked Pyp to teach him the differing accents in the continent. If anyone knew them, it was him. Before joining the watch, he had travelled across Westeros and possibly even in Essos for all he knew. If he did, he did not speak of it, but the possibility was there. He read a little bit and noticed that there was only one Thorne still alive and she was a female, meaning the line was going to die out.

Why had he chosen to join the watch if he as the only male left in the family? Did he value his vows over them? Obviously, he did, and he'd never spoken about his family. Perhaps she was a sister, a cousin, possibly even a wife he had left behind. But it would probably be rather insensitive to ask him directly to his face. However, it explained one thing to him after much contemplation. He had been incredibly hostile to Lady Catelyn when he had first come to the watch with her and Robb to tell Aemon who he really was. The Tully's of Riverrun were staunch supporters of the Targaryen's for hundreds of years, yet they had switched their allegiance. It was probably even more of a sour taste in his mouth that the Tully females had married into other rebel families.

A part of him wondered if there really was more to it like Rhaegar and Elia suspected. It was a well-known fact in Winterfell that Rickard Stark was incredibly ambitious, and it was only his wife Lyarra who was able to reign this in. But when she died, there was no stopping him. Less than a year after her death was all it took for the betrothals to be arranged. Brandon to Catelyn, Lyanna to Robert, and a pending announcement for Eddard and Benjen. He'd asked both of his uncles about it, but they had simply shrugged. Both confirming it had all kicked off before anything was set in stone, so neither of them knew their intended.

He'd also heard that Jaime Lannister was supposed to be betrothed to Lysa Tully before Aerys decided to spit in Tywin's eye by making him a Kingsguard, where she was promptly betrothed to someone else. This fact did not sit well for Jon, as it was obvious the Lannister's were planning on something, and there was a fair chance other Houses were in on it. There is no concrete evidence regarding it, but the ingredients were there for something to be put together. He had then found the other Houses in the Crownlands that Aemon had told him about. Finding both with relative ease. They were still lesser Houses, but they were considered second tier.