"How are you feeling?" Tyrion looked at his niece as they traveled toward the New Don.
"You're going to the place where you'll be living from now on. It must be worrying from your point of view."
Myrcella glanced at her uncle before looking at the road ahead.
"Would I be a bad person if I said I felt a little relieved?"
"A bad person?" Tyrion looked at Myrcella with a hint of confusion. "It would be better if you explained yourself a little better, my dear niece."
"For as long as I can remember, I've always been in the castle. I rarely had the chance to actually leave those walls, and those times, at least most of them, were to visit Grandfather."
"Father never cared much for us, and Joffrey... he wasn't good."
"Joffrey has never been good, my dear. He's a petulant boy who thinks he's always right."
"And as for your question, no. I don't think you're a bad person for thinking that. In truth, that's the reality, as sad as it may seem. Your father only cares about himself, and my sister, your mother, is the same. She may seem to love her children very much, but she tries to disguise her bad actions while projecting her own desires onto you."
"If I were you—which I truly don't wish to be because I love being a man—then I would relish this opportunity. The Stark boy is not only strong and intelligent, he also seems to have a good personality. Besides, it's possible "That you can be freer there than anywhere else."
"Even after all that, your father's decision still surprises me."
"It's all happened too fast."
"Exactly," Tyrion agreed with his niece. After that, the two fell silent, listening only to the horses pulling the cart and their riders. Tyrion glanced back and saw Jon riding slowly by.
"Jon!" he called, catching the attention of the newly arrived Stark, who moved closer to the cart.
"Is something wrong?"
"Nothing too important, I'm just feeling a bit bored. Do you have anything interesting to talk about?"
Jon gave Tyrion a strange look before shaking his head.
"Sorry, I don't have anything good to talk about."
"How about that sword?"
"My sword?"
"Yes," Tyrion nodded, and Myrcella, beside him, looked at Jon curiously. "I heard from your brother that you found that sword along with some other things."
"The sword's full name is Balmung: Greatsword of the Ghost—The Fall of the Demon from the Sky."
"That name is far too long."
Jon simply nodded before continuing.
"You're right, but what follows the name is more about the result of what was accomplished. According to the nearly destroyed scroll that was near the sword, it was able to cut down and kill a malevolent dragon. It could very well be a story made up to give the weapon more prestige, so I couldn't tell you the truth."
"That's interesting," Tyrion commented, quite intrigued.
"Well, at least I expect to find interesting things in your city."
"Like I said, there are no brothels. We don't need them."
"Why do you think that's all I'm interested in? I also love to read and discover new things."
"I traveled to King's Landing, you know. I saw that city and what most men do every day."
"You traveled?" Tyrion blinked in surprise. "When?"
"Years ago. The city was growing quite rapidly and could cause some problems and concerns, so I traveled to speak with the king. It was also the time we discussed the Night's Watch and how to help them."
"That's something new... I can't imagine the king speaking so seriously about something, at least not for more than two minutes."
"Jon Arryn was there, so it was much easier than I thought." "My father had also sent a letter."
"Ah..." Tyrion simply nodded, as if he finally understood something.
"By the way..." Jon glanced at Myrcella before speaking with a bit more curiosity: "Is there anything the princess enjoys doing?"
"More specifically..." Tyrion drew out his words slightly.
"She'll be living in Aeternum from now on. I'd like to know what she enjoys doing so she won't feel so alone in a place that's unfamiliar to her. If she wants to try new things, that's good too, since Aeternum has many things she might like."
"We have tailors if she wants to learn more about sewing and clothing. She can learn to cook if she wishes. If she's curious about a sword or bow, she can try those as well. There are gardens and orchards if she wants to visit; anyway, I won't stop her from that sort of thing."
"You're rather odd, Jon Stark." Many others wouldn't even think of such things."
"And I am not other people, Tyrion Lannister. My ways are my own, not other people's."
"If possible, I'd like to learn to ride a horse," Myrcella said with a small, shy smile.
"Then it'll be sorted," Jon nodded, returning the smile.
Tyrion glanced between the two before snorting, thinking that the relationship that might develop from all this would end up being quite interesting to watch.
...
After a few days of travel, the group finally saw the city called Aeternum. Tyrion stared, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. Myrcella's eyes sparkled as she admired the beautiful white walls and the castle that rose behind them.
"This... How is this possible?" "It shouldn't be possible to expand and build these kinds of structures in just a few years."
Jon smiled proudly.
"When you make people's lives good and give them the tools they need to keep growing, then there's nothing that can stop them."
"Who approaches?!" a shout came from atop the wall, just above the great gates.
"The Lord of the City of Aeternum, Jon Stark!"
The gates slowly opened shortly after Jon's words. Two men appeared with spears as they bowed, welcoming their lord and guests.
As the group entered, one of the guards hurried forward to approach Jon.
"My lord, your name..."
"The king legitimized me, Gideon."
"That's good news!" "I'll make sure everyone knows!"
Jon raised his eyebrows before shaking his head. The man seemed very excited, and Jon wasn't about to take that away from him, especially since he was announcing it alongside their engagement.
"There's no mud... everything's clean... even the houses look better than in King's Landing. What the hell?" Tyrion couldn't stop muttering as he looked around. He saw the paths, which seemed to be made of square-cut stone; it looked very pretty and beautiful. The houses looked almost new and sturdy. He also noticed something important: there was no bad smell.
"It took us a while to renovate all the houses and build new ones, but it was all thanks to everyone's hard work," Jon said, smiling at Tyrion and Myrcella's astonished expressions.
"Can you feed all these people?"
"Of course. The harvests are plentiful, and we also trade with northern villages and territories of other Northern Houses. Sometimes we even send shipments south to trade for coins and other goods. Where do you think the hot chocolate you eat in the south comes from?"
"Did you invent hot chocolate?" Myrcella asked, a little excited.
"That and other things."
Soon they arrived at the castle gates, and Jon dismounted. He approached and helped Myrcella out of the carriage while Tyrion jumped up and looked curiously at the gardens outside the castle. There was a wide variety of colorful flowers, and some women sat on benches around them.
He also saw some men in armor who could only be guards.
"Uncle, what will you do now?" Jon asked, looking at Benjen.
"I'll go and find this month's recruits before I leave. I'm already a bit late visiting here."
Jon nodded.
"Then I'll know what to do. Just let Ronald know."
"Of course," Benjen nodded before giving his nephew a hug. "I hope you're doing as well as you are, Jon."
"You have to take care of yourself at the Wall."
"I know."
"Tyrion, will you stay or travel with my uncle?"
"I'm staying, definitely staying. I can travel another day to see the Wall. We're closer anyway."
Jon nodded before looking at Myrcella and extending his arm slightly. "My lady..."
Myrcella smiled before putting her arm around Jon's and walking into the castle. When they entered, the three were greeted by several women dressed alike, a line on either side, leaving a path for them.
They bowed in greeting as another woman stood in front.
"We welcome you, my lord."
"Eira, thank you for your hard work. I hope nothing bad happened."
"Everything is perfect, my lord," Eira replied earnestly. Then she looked at Tyrion and Myrcella.
"It seems we have guests."
"Yes. The young lady beside me is Myrcella Baratheon, and from now on, my betrothed."
Eira's eyes widened before she took hold of her maid's dress and spread it slightly, placing one leg behind the other and bowing a little.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask; we'll do our best."
"This other person is Tyrion Lannister. You don't need to grant his every request."
"I can sense your respect and affection, Jon Stark," Tyrion retorted sarcastically.
"I don't want you asking my workers for sex."
"I already told you, I..." Tyrion wanted to say something, but stopped himself before sighing and shaking his head.
"It doesn't matter."
"Eira, I also have an important task for you."
"What are your orders, my lord?"
"From now on, you will be in charge of Myrcella's protection."
"Understood."
"Does she even need that?" Tyrion asked.
"I can sense your respect and affection, Jon Stark." "Inside the city, of course not. But I don't want to be careless. Better safe than sorry. Besides, Eira is second only to me in swordsmanship and can teach Myrcella if she wants to learn."
"I'm sure she'd also feel more comfortable having a woman by her side to chat with."
"That would be nice, thank you very much, Jon."
"You're welcome," Jon smiled.
"Now... I'm sure you're hungry. Let's go to the Great Hall."
Eira clapped her hands immediately, causing the two lines of maids to move and walk straight toward the kitchens.
Tyrion just watched this, unable to react properly.
"Even the Kingsguard isn't that disciplined."
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