Chapter Text
Ch.1 - Igniting Dragonblood
"I wish you didn't have to be informed in such a manner, but you need to know. I am Lyanna of House Stark, and I am your mother."
His eyes must be deceiving him. His ears too, for if not he must be dreaming.
The last thing he remembered was being betrayed and murdered in Castle Black. Now he was in the Godswood of Winterfell in what looked to be the middle of summer with a woman sitting before the dark reflecting pond staring right at him. When she finally spoke he couldn't believe her, for any of her words to be true would mean that it was all a lie. It would mean that the foundations upon which he built his whole life was a lie.
Eddard Stark was the most honorable man in all of Westeros. He was loyal and brave and true. He was so honorable that when he fathered a bastard, instead of ignoring it like most Lord's would, he brought it home, which put his new marriage to the test. When Lady Stark demanded he rid themselves of such a blight to her honor and send the bastard away - he refused. Lord Stark had decided to raise him right alongside his trueborn children. The bastard's mere existence was cause enough for the frigid hatred Lady Stark had for him.
'I want you to leave.' Lady Stark's last words to her husband's bastard whispered through Jon's mind.. He vividly recalled Bran laying comatose in his bedchambers looking so small, so broken. When he looked up at her it was as if he could see burning flames of anger crackling behind her Tully blue eyes. He hadn't looked away from her until he noticed his lord father standing in the doorway with a look upon his face that said he had heard all five syllables of his wife's bluntness. Lowering his eyes he had silently wished for his father to finally say something about Lady Stark's poorly concealed hatred toward his bastard son. Anything would have sufficed, but Lord Stark did not. With his unspoken words Jon was reminded it would never happen, so he gave Bran a kiss upon his head before doing as the lady bid - he left.
The ever present will to relieve his father and his own self of the dishonor regarding his birth had sparked his desire to leave Winterfell to become a noble and honorable Brother of the Night's Watch, for even bastards can rise high as a sword in the darkness, a watcher on the wall, a shield that guards the realms of men. They vowed to take no wife, hold no lands, and to father no children. To live and die at their post.
The Wall was constructed by the first Stark, Bran the Builder, with aid from men, the Children of the Forest, and giants with their mammoths. It had been manned by Starks for millenia and took no part in the wars of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. He allowed himself to hope in believing it to be the only place for bastards such as he, but now realized it was only a child's misplaced guilt for being born. He didn't only want to be known as the single stain that marred Ned Stark's honor.
Jon had always felt apart from his trueborn siblings especially when Lady Stark never failed to try and teach them that he was not their brother no matter the blood pumping through his veins. He was just a lowly bastard who would try and usurp her children's birthright. Not that he ever could or would. They're all either missing, held captive, or dead.
There are still days where he wishes he could go back to the day they all left Winterfell. He would race to his father's side and beg him not to take his household south, for it would conclude with the destruction of House Stark. Lady Stark's scorn would be well worth saving his family from their violent ends. His own recent betrayal and murder at the hands of his trusted sworn brothers was cruelly similar to Robb being betrayed and murdered by his own bannermen. Yet again Jon was yearning to be a green boy dreaming of future glories when he was known only as the Bastard of Winterfell. Now he is the murdered Lord Commander who only wanted to save as many lives as possible, but millennia old enmities sought to end his progressive decisions.
"I'm not lying." His thoughts were interrupted by the very woman causing his inner turmoil, "I am Lyanna of House Stark; I am your mother."
Jon focused his eyes back on the woman claiming to be the one person he has always wanted to know about. There was no denying that the woman before him was a Stark. The dark, curled hair, much like his own, that flowed all the way down to her waist paired with the steel gray eyes boasted only in those descended from the Kings of Winter. Eyes that reassured Jon as a young boy that he was a Stark where it counted. '... but you have my blood.'
"Why should I believe you? If what you are claiming is true then my father couldn't be my father! Why would he lie?" Jon didn't really know how to react, but as he thought about her words he realized that it could be completely plausible. Ned Stark went south with Robert Baratheon and came back with the bones of his sister who died of a fever and a babe he introduced as his own bastard by a mother he wouldn't speak of. Before Lyanna could answer his questions his face morphed into one of revelation and he continued with a cautious certainty in his voice, "My father is Rhaegar Targaryen."
"Yes he is." Her eyes glowed with love and some regret, "I'm so sorry my son. We never intended for any of the destruction and death that was wrought because of our mistakes. We were young and foolish to think we could run away. When word had reached us in our Tower of Joy of my father and brother's murders your father and I had already married-"
"Wait! You were married?! Prince Rhaegar was already married!" He couldn't stop himself as that rushed out his mouth; He was shocked. The implication of her words would mean that he was never a bastard at all.
Jon always knew he'd never be a Stark- only a Snow. Now he is standing before a woman calling herself his mother, and is telling him he's always been a Targaryen.
His mind was a maelstrom of chaos. Jon has always been able to keep his emotions in check but he found it was increasingly harder at the moment. I may not have been born a bastard, but living as one has left scars that will never heal. It created armor that will always adorn my mind and heart… wait- armor.
His bastard name was really his armor.
"Robert would have killed me. If he didn't then Tywin would have sent assassins to murder me in my crib." He felt a little numb.
"Yes they would have. Tywin had Elia and her children murdered to secure Roberts's throne and insure his grandchildren's crowns. When Tywin presented their bodies wrapped in Lannister banners he spat upon the children and called them dragonspawn. He rewarded Tywin by making his daughter Queen. What would he do to you? Rhaegar's last child with me." She looked so angry as she spoke before she let out a sad sigh, "Rhaegar had his marriage annulled by High Septon Maynard, but I'm getting ahead of myself. It would probably be best if I started at the beginning."
"That'd be best." Jon's voice was surprisingly calm even to his own ears.
"Alright. It's a long one so you should sit down." She gestured to the ground next to her. He hesitated but already decided to hear her out, so he drew in a deep breath while folding his legs and exhaled slowly as he sat next to his mother. His mother. He never thought he'd be able to know who she was let alone have her right in front of him.
"Rhaegar and I met at the Grand Tourney of Harrenhal. The whole realm was invited. It was said to be a great celebration with loads of gold and glory to be won. Even the reclusive Mad King Aerys II Targaryen, who hadn't left the Red Keep since being a captive of the Darklyns of Duskendale, was going to attend. There were rumors that it was planned with the purpose of assembling the Lords Paramount together in a grand council to depose Aerys and place Rhaegar on the Iron Throne. It didn't help that the Whent's were not known for having the gold to cover the amount announced for the champion's purses. Your father later told me that it was true. He had organized the whole thing. It might have worked if Lord Varys hadn't told the king about the rumors of treason."
"When I decided to enter the tourney to get justice for my father's bannerman, Lord Howland Reed, I didn't know it could end with me being accused of treason." Lyanna stopped and looked down into the pond. She reached out her hand and ran the tips of her fingers across the surface. Jon watched as her disturbance created ripples that danced across the water.
"Ben and I went all over the grounds nicking pieces of armor for me then we painted a heart tree laughing on my shield to complete the ensemble." Lyanna started to smile when she said her brother's name and was grinning ear to ear when she paused for him to catch what she was saying.
"You were the Knight of the Laughing Tree! Father told us that story many a time when we were younger. It was always one of my favorites!" Jon exclaimed. On his eighth name day he remembered finding his father in the godswood and asking him to tell him the story of the mystery knight again. Lord Stark gave him a sad smile, sat him on his knee, and recounted many stories for him that day.
"I went up against three knights whose squires attacked Howland. When I won the three jousts the only thing I asked for was that they teach their squires honor. Aerys congratulated me and bid me remove my helm but I refused to keep my identity a secret. He started screaming about treason and burning me alive, so I ran away and was later found by the Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. I tried to fight but he was quite gifted when it came to the sword. He disarmed me easily and told me he had no intention to take me to his mad father. He helped me throw my armor in the God's Eye and took my shield to his father as proof that the knight had escaped. A few days later when Rhaegar won the tourney he rode past Princess Elia Martell, his wife, and crowned me his queen of love and beauty; That was the day that all the smiles died." She recounted the conditions his parents met and Jon was astounded. He was also pretty proud of her. She won her first and only three jousts. She must be as amazing on a horse as everyone said.
"Rhaegar and I met in secret many times before the tourney ended, and when it did we decided to write one another using fake names to keep our… feelings from being discovered in case they were intercepted. He was already in a political marriage as was his duty, but after the difficult birth of your brother, Aegon, Elia was told by the maesters that if she had anymore children she would die. Elia always knew about Rhaegar and I. They came to an agreement to annul their marriage on the condition that your sister and brother remained trueborn and that Aegon would be the Crown Prince when Rhaegar ascended the throne. Thus we were free to marry. The problem as always was Aerys. He found out that I was the Knight of the Laughing Tree and was going to send men to kidnap and rape me before leaving me to die alone in the woods." She looked away from him when she recounted Aerys' attempt to kill her in his paranoid madness.
"Rhaegar wouldn't allow that so he interfered by secretly killing the assassin and organizing my safety from Aerys. Brandon and I were set to leave for Riverrun for his marriage, so I convinced my father to allow me to leave early to bond with Catelyn and help her prepare for the wedding. It was all too easy to slip milk of the poppey in my guards wine once we made it to The Inn of the Kneeling Man where Rhaegar was waiting with Ser Arthur Dayne and Ser Oswell Whent a mile south.
"I sent a letter to Riverrun for my brother explaining why I ran away. Then, In the dead of night I snuck out of the Inn and met up with them. We rode through the night and next day to the God's Eye then we rowed to the Isle of Faces where we wed with Ser Arthur and Ser Oswell as witnesses and it was conducted by the High Septon before the heartrees." There was a faraway look upon Lyanna's face that said she was swimming in precious memories.
"We made for Maidenpool the next morning where Rhaegar had Ser Gerold waiting with a ship to take us to Dragonstone. Someone must have seen him or us for the rumors of my kidnapping by him to be plausible." She looked so insulted in that moment, "I was the She-Wolf of Winterfell how anyone could believe that I was taken without a fight is absurd."
Jon nodded his head in agreement. He tried to imagine someone trying to take Arya and he could only chuckle. They wouldn't make it away alive.
Stick em' with the pointy end.
"The raven I sent - I don't think it ever made it to my brother. If it had then maybe he and my father might have lived. I can say undoubtedly that war was on the horizon either way." Lyanna looked blankly at her son.
"Why?" Jon had a bad feeling about what his newfound mother was going to tell him now. "What else could have sparked a rebellion than the lord and heir of the North being murdered by their king? Not mentioning the other heirs that went with Brandon Stark."
"Treason - years in the making."
"Who's? Rhaegar's? Didn't he try to depose his father?" Jon surmised.
"He did, but no. He did it to save his kingdom. He didn't intend to go to war. War was his absolute last resort. He tried. And failed. But he did discover that my father and the Lords Tully and Arryn had already been plotting to overthrow the Mad King but not just Aerys. They wanted to depose the Targaryen Dynasty and place a new family on the Iron Throne."
Jon didn't think he could be so surprised by anything again after only just accepting his discovered parentage. He opened his mouth but he couldn't make a sound. He was speechless. He could believe the lords of the south to be capable of treason - but a Stark?
"We Starks never bothered to really make alliances and such outside our borders, but my father betrothed his heir to Lady Catelyn Tully of the Riverlands. He sent his second born son to foster in the Vale under Lord Jon Arryn alongside Lord Robert Baratheon, the heir of the Stormlands. He agreed to a betrothal between myself and Robert. The North, The Vale, The Riverlands, and the Stormlands all tied together so perfectly." Lyanna shook her head and her face was full of shame as she explained her father's forged alliances.
"Most of the royal family was lost in the Tragedy of Summerhall on the day Rhaegar was born. They numbered but three and a new babe. Then King Jaehaerys II died and it was down to King Aerys II and Queen Rhaella with their infant son. A spare didn't come until a few years before Rhaegar had heirs of his own. Rhaella had many still-births or they died soon after.
"Who would have the best claim to the throne through blood outside of the small family?" She asked him.
He could only shake his head before she answered in a calm tone.
"There were three that could claim closest blood ties to the Targaryens. Rhaelle Targaryen was wed to Ormund Baratheon and they had a son Steffon who sired Robert, Stannis, and Renly. I am loath to admit it, but my father was definitely ambitious enough to want his only daughter to be the queen." Lyanna tried to conceal her disappointment but with a small shake of her head she closed her eyes for a few seconds before those grey orbs snapped to his.
"I love my father and I love all of my brother's. Brandon was the strong firstborn son. The heir that was filled to the brim with wolf's-blood. They called him the Wild Wolf. Eddard was the Quiet Wolf. He lived with as much honor as he could and always carried out his duties. And Benjen he was my little brother. We were inseparable. I'm sure-" Lyanna hesitated, "I'm sure you understand?"
He nodded, "Aye."
He definitely understood.
Lyanna just stared at him for a moment, "My father was a good man. Like any man he had his reasons, but he pushed me into running away. My mother made my father promise that I could have a say in who I married. She died though and he became a small shadow of the man he was. Harder. He decided it and so that was final. Don't get me wrong he loved his children and his land. I'm not claiming to know his intentions, but he was a good father. I can't speak for the other lords involved. They had their own reasons.
"My brother charged into the Red Keep shouting for Rhaegar to hand me over or die. Shouting treason to a mad-man who was extremely paranoid about treason was asking to be executed."
She looked exhausted, "I lost my innocent look on life the day I learned of my father and Bran's deaths. It was all my fault."
"You didn't know anything like that would happen. How could you know?" He didn't know what else to say. He was blunt and didn't play with pretty words like his enemies.
She shook her head as if to clear it. When she looked back up into his eyes hers were like fresh-forged steel, and her voice was hard when she spoke, "The Crown had Dorne through Elia, Rhaenys and Aegon. The Tyrells of the Reach were Targaryen loyalists, but the Westerlands?"
Lannister's. Jon had mixed feelings about that family. On one hand he traveled to the Wall with Lord Tyrion and he found him to be someone he could call a friend. The other was absolute hatred and utter sadness. His brother's murder was committed by his Bolton and Frey allies orcistrated by the Lannister's. Many Northerners were unjustly murdered and demeaned that day. For the first time ever, he allowed himself to feel the fire that simmered in his chest for the vengeance he wished to deliver to those oathbreakers.
He was dead though. His watch has ended, but he was still unable to avenge Robb and his father, to rescue Sansa from them, or find Arya, Bran and Rickon.
He is able to get to know his mother though. He was finally learning the truth. About himself and his family- families. He didn't know if this would last forever or not. He didn't intend to waste it.
Jon clenched his fingers into fists on his lap to extinguish the inferno of rage blazing in his chest. He closed his eyes and took a deep inhale and exhaled slowly. He centered his focus to his mother as she spoke about their enemies.
"King Aerys demeaned Tywin and the name he so viciously rebuilt by denying Cersei a betrothal to Rhaegar because she was the daughter of his servant. He wed him to Princess Elia Martell instead.Then he snubbed him once more by appointing his golden heir, Jamie Lannister, to the kingsguard. Another discovery Rhaegar made was even more unsettling. Lord Tywin was in negotiations with Lord Hoster Tully to betroth Jamie to his daughter Lysa before then. Rhaegar never got the chance to find any evidence but there was undoubtedly treason afoot."
"Treasonous Lannister's are nothing new. It's the treasonous Stark's that render me speechless." He had to force it out.
You are a Stark. You might not have my name, but you have my blood.
He was raised to believe in loyalty- in Honor. To know that the only time a man can be brave is when he is afraid. Our way is the old way and that means that the man who passes the sentence swings the sword. Their father taught them that if you couldn't look a man in the eyes and hear his last words then maybe he didn't deserve to die.
He still believes in these values. He wants to save his people. The Northerners, the Night's Watch and the Free Folk. The Southerners too.
"But then again we're all just children playing a game and screaming that the rules aren't fair. The real war- the only war that matters is coming and no one believes our enemies are real."
"The Night King has awakened and his only desire is to kill everyone to add to his army of dead men."
Jon's jaw dropped.
Lyanna let a small laugh escape, "Your father's prophecies- one foretold the return of Azor Ahai. The hero who would return to defeat a coming darkness. Don't worry my darling. You will get to make several choices soon, but not yet. There is more you must know before then. You will understand, I promise." Lyanna's voice was calm, but she looked sad.
Jon didn't understand, but she had told him he would. Either way he knew he could trust her. She's right. He needs to know everything. No more lies.
All of a sudden a big, bright smile bloomed across his mother's face. It was a smile that spoke of genuine happiness that dimmed slowly the longer she spoke.
"I was able to meet your siblings and Elia before they went back to King's landing. I grew to love them quickly and dearly even though they were not mine own." Jon pretended not to notice the single tear that disturbed the still water before she ran her hand quickly across her face.
Jon felt sad at the mention of the babes that were his siblings. He didn't know much about them, but hearing his mother speak so warmly of them made them feel more real to him. They were murdered too.
Robb. Sansa. Arya. Bran. Rickon. Rhaenys. Aegon. More siblings he won't be able to enact vengeance nor justice for.
"Tell me more of them please?"
"Rhaenys took after her Dornish blood with dark hair and olive skin. Her eyes though - they were Rhaegar's. She was so energetic and polite with a smile that could bring the sun from behind the clouds. She talked non-stop about her kitten Balerion. Your brother on the other hand was all valyrian; light skinned, pale silver hair, and violet eyes. He was only a new babe when I met him. I'm sorry, I wish I was able to tell you more."
"No! Mother I-" He cleared his throat and scooped up her hands to squeeze softly, "I only knew of them as murdered babes. I'm just glad to know anything I can about them."
"You called me mother." Lyanna spoke so softly that he almost didn't hear her.
"Well, I believe you when you say that you're my mother." Jon paused and took a thoughtful look around the godswood and then his eyes found hers again. "All my life there has been one thing I wanted more than to be a trueborn Stark- to know who my mother was. Father didn't speak about you, and not even Lady Catelyn knew who my mother was.
"While I didn't know that you were her I did know a little of my Aunt Lyanna. I've been told that you were half a horse with the way you rode. That you were fond of winter roses and swords. Everyone always likened my sister Arya to you. The Wolf's-blood they called it. She had no interest in being a lady." Thinking of Arya always made Jon happy to remember their pranks and adventures.
When he was alive and couldn't sleep at night he would remember all of his family, but Robb and Arya were once his closest companions. They were so similar and so different. He and Robb learned to wield swords together. They hunted and played games together. They were brother's. Thick as thieves. When Arya was old enough together he and Robb secretly taught her to use a bow. They would take her into the Wolfswood and have her practice on trees, birds and rabbits. Much simpler times. Happier times.
Thinking of them led him to remember their families fall. That always led to Bolton's and Frey's and Lannister's - and caused his desire for vengeance to ignite only to be smothered by his sense of duty. He couldn't avenge his family. He was a man of the Night's Watch.
That was then.
Now he is dead and so are they.
Lyanna squeezed his hand as he felt his smile fading, "The North Remembers, my darling."
It was an assurance. A promise that even though he couldn't do so himself, he knew that the North always has it's vengeance. One way or another those who wronged the North will get what they deserve in the end.
"Aye, we do."
He nodded to his mother and bid her to continue with the origin story of his life.
"We left Dragonstone the morning after Elia and the children departed. Elia had told Rhaegar about an abandoned tower in Dorne we could use to keep out of the Spider's web. We sailed through the Sea of Dorne and up a river near Yronwood to the Prince's Pass. We rode a few days before we reached the tower. That night I told your father I was pregnant, and he was ecstatic. He picked me up and twirled us around our new room and said, 'Henceforth, this tower shall be known as our Tower of Joy, for that is how I feel this moment - full to bursting with joy.'" Lyanna had tears running freely down her face. She reached out to Jon's face to brush away tears on his. She smiled so widely and pulled him into her arms.
"He wanted you so much. Even though he claimed the dragon needed three heads - he always wanted you. He loved his children so much. They were his light in the dark. I am so sorry you weren't able to know him, my sweet summer child." She was rocking them a little and running her fingers through his hair as she told him how much he was wanted. How much of his life had been stolen because of all the secrets and lies. His life was meant to be very different than the one he led. He felt robbed and gifted.
"Rhaenys had him wrapped around her little finger, and It didn't matter who was holding Aegon because Rhaegar never failed to steal him away and smother him with love. He was an amazing father. I'm so sorry, my love."
Jon had grown up with a man he was proud to call his father. Ned Stark was everything he wanted to be as a man grown. To know that he wasn't actually his birth father won't change any of that, but to know that the actual man who sired him wanted him so much was heartbreaking. Jon was so sad not to be able to know the man Lyanna spoke of, for he could feel the conviction in her words.
Jon pulled himself reluctantly from his mother to look into her eyes, "Thank you. You have no idea how much it means to me. Even if I grew up with a father - I wish very much that I could know the man - the father you speak of."
"You remind me of him very much." She said as she brushed his hair off his face and cupped his cheek.
He was surprised, "Really?"
"Yes. The furrow of your brows, shape of your eyes and the length of your nose." Her fingers ran over his eyebrows, under the curve of his eye and down the bridge of his nose before she cradled his chin with her hand as she continued, "Your eyes may be mine but they are like his - filled to the brim with sadness. You carry yourself as if the weight of the world is on your shoulders much like he did." Her hand fell away from his face as she brought the other up to rest them both on his broad shoulders tapped them three times.
"I always thought I got my brooding from my uncle." He watched as Lyanna lost herself to laughter. She was clutching her stomach and her eyes were shining with unshed tears.
"Yes he was very good at that. So serious all the time. Well, I guess nature and nurture got a little jumbled together, love." she exclaimed through her giggles while she wiped her happy tears away.
"I suppose you're right." he said through a bright smile.
They just sat together and laughed. It felt like an eternity. Jon didn't think he had ever been as happy as he was in that moment. His watch was finally over, and he could rest here with his mother forever.
They shall never see my like again.
He didn't want it to ever end but he had to know, "How long did you spend together before father had to leave to fight Robert?"
The crinkle between her eyes and her bright smile smoothed and dimmed into a sad smile before she said, "two moons."
Jon tried to imagine himself in his parents boots. He had to betray the woman he loved for his sworn vows. His father freed himself of his own to be with his mother. He wondered what advice Rhaegar would have had for him on that subject. His love or his duty. He knew what Maester Aemon would say. Love is the death of duty.
Did his father know Maester Aemon?
Jon realised in that moment that the blind maester was his blood. That also meant that Daenerys Targaryen was as well. A Targaryen alone in the world- It's a terrible thing. She was never truly alone- even if she didn't know it.
Jon's musings were brought to a halt by his mother's voice, "Those two moons were the best in all my life. We had the three kingsguard with us but it felt like just the two of us eagerly awaiting the newest addition to our family. We practiced our swords skills and I must admit to learning much from my husband. He would play his harp and sing for us. I would try and fail at sewing my new sigil. Some days we'd just lay in bed all day and daydream about you and our lives after the war. We were happy."
Jon hadn't realized that he closed his eyes until his mother stopped talking. She was an artist painting her masterpiece across the back of his eyelids.
"Then one day when I was around four moons along with you he sat me down and said that it was time for him to fight - time for him to right our wrongs," Lyanna paused and took a deep quivering breath, "I loved your father and I believed with all of my being that he could beat Robert. He trained with the Sword of the Morning. How could he not?"
Jon felt powerless as he watched his mother fall apart. He understood her pain and grief. Losing Ygritte was like a waking nightmare he could never escape. He wrapped his arms around her while she cried. Absentmindedly Jon started humming, and after a few minutes he gathered his courage to say what his mother couldn't.
"He didn't though. Everyone knows that Robert and Rhaegar met in single combat on the trident and that Rhaegar ended up with a crushed chest and the name of his love as his last word." There was no easy way to say it so Jon did it for her. Lyanna slowly removed herself from Jon's arms while wiping her tears away.
"No. He didn't. Every night I prayed he would come racing up the stairs of our Tower of Joy and we could finally have the life we imagined. Three moons after he left news finally came. Rhaegar was defeated. I was inconsolable until Arthur made me realize that you were all I had left of my husband. I decided then that I had to take care of myself for you." Lyanna sounded broken as she said that. She was fiddling with her fingers in her lap staring at her son. She broke their eye contact to stare into the pond, "My resolve was nearly broken again a fortnight later when we learned about what the Lannister's had done in King's Landing."
Jon felt his blood start to boil.
His poor mother. She lost everything in such a small space of time. Her brother and father, Her love and his children whom she loved as her own and their mother. He took a deep breath. In… and out. In… and out.
"A few nights later I had a dream of you and the next day I went into early labor. When I started to hear fighting outside I tried to get up and look but a white hot pain ripped through my whole body. There was blood everywhere - too much blood. I knew then that I wouldn't survive your birth. The midwife, her name was Wylla, helped me back into bed and that's when things turned hazy for me- a lot of pain as is usual for a birthing chamber."
Jon didn't know how to feel. Angry at himself for killing his own mother. Sad because she knew she would die. Disappointed because if there were a maester she might have survived. Numb was probably a better descriptor as he knew it was all in the past so he could do nothing about it.
"One moment I was pushing with all my might and the next all the pain was over, and you were in my arms." She was staring right into his eyes, "You were the most beautiful baby I had ever laid my eyes on. You were finally here and I was leaving so soon. I heard frantic steps coming up the tower so I gave you to Wylla and prepared myself for anyone to walk in.
"When I realized it was my brother in the doorway I thought I was dreaming. He had Dawn clutched in his hand and a look of terror spread across his face. I wanted to be brave, but I knew I was going to die. I wouldn't be able to protect you and there he was. My loving and ever honorable big brother. I had trusted him all my life. I knew he could keep you safe. I told him he had to protect you and had Wylla hand you to your uncle and his face transformed. He looked upon you as if you were man's greatest treasure. I knew he would make sure you could live safely, so I told him your name. He would find a lot of proof that you were trueborn throughout the tower, so I begged him to promise to protect you from Robert. Those were my last words."
Jon was speechless. How does one respond to something like this. Does he thank her for bringing him into the world? Does he apologise for murdering her while she did so? He didn't know what to say so he wrapped his arms around her tightly and tried, "Mother I'm so s-"
"No. No please don't," she pulled away far enough to look in his eyes, "I will never regret any of the things that happened to me because they lead me to have you. My beautiful dragonwolf, my Jaehaerys."
Jaehaerys Targaryen.
That was his true name.
He felt as if a piece of him that had been missing all his life was restored.
"Your father chose Visenya for a girl and I chose Jaehaerys for a boy. Just as I thought- as I dreamed- Rhaegar and I were blessed with a son." She cupped both of his cheeks between her handsband smiled, "Born with my wild dark curls and steel grey eyes. A true Northerner with the fire of a dragon and the ice of a direwolf. A babe who would grow into a great man- and an even better King."
What?
He wasn't a King.
He could barely call himself a prince let alone a king. Plus… he's dead.
As he opened his mouth to respond she cut him off, "I told you that the night before you were born I dreamt of you?" He could only nod in confirmation as she continued.
"It was my first and only greendream. It was of you, my son, a man grown. You were standing before me clad in the furs and leathers of my homeland. There was a simple crown with large square rubies wrapped around your head. Your long, dark curls flowed around your face and onto the snow bear fur that lined the top and straps of the pitch black cloak that hung off your left shoulder. On your breast was the red three-headed dragon of House Targaryen. Two swords crossed your back. One had a wolf pommel, and the other had two dragon heads on the ends of guard with a round ruby pommel. At your side stood a huge white direwolf with bright red eyes that was as silent as a grave. Your father's smile was spread across your face. Then you reached out to me and with a deep, clear northern voice you called me mother.
"I didn't have a chance to reply because my senses were overwhelmed by a loud ear-piercing cry that echoed through the vast snow covered land. I had covered my ears and closed my eyes reflexively. When I looked back at you your eyes became as white as a cloud. Suddenly the sun was gone. We were covered in shadow and then there was a great white and red dragon descending from the heavens. The strength in my legs failed me as I fell to the snow and the beast landed right behind you. You held out your hand and it's head, which was bigger than a wheelhouse, came over your shoulder and you started stroking it's scales. Its eyes left you and gazed right into mine own and I knew. I knew that your father's prophecies were true.
"For only true hardships and pain and determination could forge a warrior such as was before me - a Lightbringer. A warrior that had a destiny laid out by the gods themselves. When was there a more dire need for such a man than the Long Night? A time when the peoples of Westeros need to be united in order to face their common enemy. Who is greater for such a task other than their Rightful King - Jaehaerys III Targaryen?" His mother concluded.
Jon had listened to and believed every word his mother had spoken thus far, so why was it so hard to believe her now?
He isn't a king for one. Never had been.
He's dead for another.
"I'm dead now. Murdered for doing what I thought was right. I fought and I lost." His voice sounded like Ice. Sharp and to the point.
"But you saved eighteen-thousand Free Folk from becoming mindless dead soldiers in the Night King's army. You have the power that could save them all."
"Mother Mole was the one who convinced most of them not me, and even if I could save my people- I'm still dead." He felt drained.
"She convinced them to trust you. She convinced them to believe in you. You." She replied.
Jon remembered the prophecy Mother Mole told her people that fateful day at Hardhome. First her and now his mother. What was with him and prophecy now?
"What if I told you that you could return?" Lyanna bluntly questioned surprising him.
Jons heart could have stopped in that moment. He could return?
"What?" He whispered.
"That is a choice you must make right now, my son." She answered.
Her words fanned the dimming embers of his soul. He could go back. Go back to what? Being a man of the Night's Watch? No. My watch has ended.
He stood quickly only to stumble to the base of the Heartree and sink down to his knees with closed eyes. His mother was silent behind him as his thoughts churned.
The Long Night is still coming. Does he want to go back only to have to keep fighting? He wants to save his people, but will they want him? Will they believe him?
What really appealed to him was the chance to avenge his fathers and bring justice to Robb, Rhaeneys and Aegon's murderers. He could free Sansa and meet his Aunt Daenerys. Maybe Arya, Bran or Rickon would make themselves known if he could get Winterfell back. His Ghost was still in the land of the living as well.
He would have to get all the southern kingdoms to bend the knee to him. A bastard in all but name now. Oh the irony. A king hidden in the North as a bastard while three bastards were passed off as the Usurper's own children.
He knew he had already made his decision, but he had questions. He stood and turned around to find his mother standing as well.
"How- why would I be able to go back?" He tried to keep his voice steady.
"It has been foretold. 'There will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. In this dread hour a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword, and that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heros, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him.' You are the one who was promised. Only you can lead this fight. Only you can truly defeat the Night King. Yours is the song of Ice and Fire. You shall be reborn to remake the world." Her words were passionate, and her conviction sent shivers rushing down his spine. She truly believed he was the one destined to save the world.
"I don't know if I believe in prophecies, but I do know that I need to help my people prepare for what's coming. I also know that I don't want to leave you. I have only just found you mother." His voice trembled.
"Oh my sweet summer child, you need not worry, for we will meet again. A long time from now, after you have saved your people. You will have loved and have lived your life to the fullest. Meaning- not until you've given the realm many little princes and princesses!" She winked at him.
Jon couldn't help the deep body-shaking laughs that escaped his lips. He finally found her. His amazing, bright, loving mother who had wanted him so much. Who had given up so much for him. Now he had to let her go so he could save his people.
"You want to know what I believe with all my being?" She placed her hands over her heart and closed her eyes, "That when we meet again you will be a wise old king who left the world in a much better place than he found it"
"How do you know?" He asked softly.
Lyanna opened her eyes to stare into his as her smile widened, "I have faith. Faith in you. In my son."
That broke his resolve.
He took a large step forward and gathered his mother in his arms. He wouldn't be seeing her for a long time, and he wanted to say goodbye properly, "Mother, I want you to know how grateful I am that I got to meet you. Even after only a small amount of time- I will miss you terribly."
"I have always been with you, my son, and I always will be." She whispered into his hair, "When you take back Winterfell, you need to go to my crypt and open my tomb. There you will find many items that prove your birth. I'm sorry it took this long to be told the truth."
"I will avenge them. I swear it. By the Old Gods and New. I will avenge them all." Lyanna nodded once then squeezed him tightly before leaving his embrace only to grab his hand and direct him to the pond.
"I know you will." She simply stated then asked, "Are you ready?"
He nodded.
She gestured down to the water where he could see their reflections, "All you have to do is jump into the pond."
He tried to pull his hand from hers, but she tugged once to get him to look upon her face, "Never forget that I will love you always."
He nodded as her words caused his eyes to burn and his throat to become tight, "I will. I love you as well, mother."
Then he jumped into the pond. The last thing he saw was the bleeding eyes of the Heartree. Then everything turned dark.
*******************************************************
He was warm. Every part of his body was wrapped in the most welcoming heat. He could hear soft, soothing crackling noises coming from all around him, and for a moment he never wanted to open his eyes again. He would have laid there for the rest of eternity if he hadn't been startled by a cracking boom.
His eyes popped open and everything came rushing to the forefront of his mind. His choice. His duty. The promises he made to his mother and to the rest of his family. His eyes also darted around to take in his surroundings.
Am I still dead?
Jaehaerys Targaryen, the third of his name, was surrounded by fire. He could feel the flames licking every inch of his bare skin, but it didn't burn him. His hair wasn't even burning. It felt pleasant. Almost like he was swimming in one of the hot springs beneath Winterfell. The flames were relaxing. He didn't want to move an inch, but something started to walk up his chest.
He felt every muscle in his body freeze. He slowly lifted his head to see what it was. His eyes met a pair of bright, slitted red ones. Jaehaerys was in awe as he took in the little dragon standing on his chest.
This could only be the dragon from his mother's dream. His dragon. He cautiously moved to prop himself on his elbows to better support his weight.
When his hand was right in front of its face he left it hanging there. He didn't want to startle it, but he didn't need to worry about that because it stepped right past his hand to touch its nose to his own.
The instant they touched he could feel his connection to this beautiful creature. In his mind he could see it in front of him and he could see himself through its- her eyes. She was excited. She was finally free. He got flashes of being cramped in a tiny little space just waiting. Time passed and no one was ever able to hatch her egg. Until now.
It was like his connection to Ghost. Even in that moment he could feel his wolf nearby.
They must be burning my body. He thought as he looked to his left and saw another body being consumed by the flames. It must be Maester Aemon. He died the night before I returned with the Free Folk. My grand-uncle. We were gonna wait until the next morning to burn him.
That though brought him back to his conversation with Mother Mole. 'I have seen your future, King Crow. Don't fear the knives in the dark. They will free you, and lead to your rebirth in flames.'
He didn't think it would be literal.
Then it was as if Ghost knew he was thinking of him because he lifted his large head and a long, deep, joyful howl sang through the air. He started pacing in front of the pyre. He knew his man was alive once again.
Jaehaerys could see through Ghost's eyes. He was standing before a great fire surrounded by all the Free Folk. He could see Sam, Edd, and Tormund. Mother Mole, Melisandre, and Ser Davos. He could even see the Chieftain Karsi and her daughters standing next to Val, the Wildling Princess. They were all looking into the sky where a burning comet hovered above.
"What is it boy? Oh.. my word." Sam's soft voice rang out and Jon heard it through three different sets of ears. He pulled himself from their heads and back into his own. The little dragon extended her neck to rub her head against his cheek, and as he sat up she finished climbing up his chest to perch on his shoulder. Surprisingly her sharp claws didn't puncture his skin.
The height of the fire around Jaehaerys lowered enough so that he could see past them to the thousands of people gathered around his pyre. Then his eyes locked onto Sam. His mouth was hanging wide open.
Well. Now is as good a time as any. His little dragon chirped into his ear in agreement.
Jaehaerys Targaryen rose from his still-burning funeral pyre with a little white dragon on his shoulders. She stood on her hind legs to spread her wings as wide as she could only to let loose a screeching roar for all to hear. The Free Folk all fell to their knees as one.