WILOW-Ch.347: Heirs to the Iron Throne
Northern Army Camp, Near the Twins
POV of Domeric Bolton
That night.
Domeric, Ygritte, Robb, Jon, and Lord Stark sat in the Lord Stark's tent.
Lord Stark finished reading through the journal and then pinned him with an ice-cold gaze.
Then his eyes fell on Ygritte, and he frowned before looking back at him once again. "This is a family matter. I would rather this information be known by as few people as possible."
"Ygritte is like a family to me as well. I trust her with my life, and anything you can tell me, you can tell her as well." He replied, "Plus she already knows."
Lord Stark nodded and carefully put both pieces of evidence on the table.
"How long have you known?" Lord Stark asked.
Before he could reply, Jon Snow spoke up, "So it's true. I'm not your son?"
"You're my son, Jon. Prince Rhaegar might have sired you, but you were always my son, and you'll always be my son."
Jon Snow looked conflicted, confused, and hurt. "Why did you not tell this to Lady Stark?"
"You should have told us at least." Robb said, "We're grown up now and know how to keep a secret."
He looked at Ygritte, wondering if they should even be here. He had other things to discuss with Lord Stark, but the situation here was gradually turning into a family drama.
"I did not want to take any chances." Lord Stark said.
The three of them continued to argue with each other for the next few minutes before he finally put his foot down.
"Enough." He said, and all three of them stopped talking, "You can bicker amongst yourselves on your own time. My time is precious. So, get to it, Lord Stark."
Lord Stark wanted to speak, but paused and took a deep breath to calm himself before he continued, "How long have you known the truth about Jon?"
"For a while." He replied, "A long while. I had my suspicions at first, so I sent some of my men to the Citadel to investigate, and they found those…" he pointed at the journal and the certificate. "And Ygritte has known for a while as well. And frankly, if this whole Long Night and Civil War thing didn't happen, then I might have never revealed the truth to you." He said to Jon.
The three of them remained silent for a while before he spoke once again, "So… If we defeat the Lannisters, then will you support Jon?"
Jon looked horrified at the thought of sitting in the Iron Throne, but Lord Stark looked contemplative.
"Having a Northerner on the Iron Throne will help during the Long Night." Ygritte said, "And the Riverlands' Lords and Vale' Lords will support him as well."
"The Vale is still staying neutral, and the Riverlands are in shambles," Robb said.
"The Vale is no longer neutral." He said, and Lord Stark looked up at him with surprise, "Lady Lysa Arryn has called for her banners. She blamed the Lannisters for the death of her husband and is coming to our support."
"Thank the Old Gods." Lord Stark said and slumped on his chair, "This is good news. Very good news. How did you come about this news, Lord Bolton?"
"I have a spy network." He said.
Lord Stark didn't look very pleased at that, but he didn't comment on it. But then he saw another light gleam in Lord Stark's eyes, but Lord Stark quickly composed himself.
"So that you know…" Jon spoke, breaking the silence between them, "I do not want to sit on the Iron Throne. And I frankly doubt I would make for a good King."
"Perhaps." He said with a shrug, "But you'll be able to aid the North in Long Night, and that is the most necessary thing right now. Because if the Wall falls, then the whole of Westeros will fall with it."
Jon looked conflicted at his words.
"You'll definitely make a better King than the one who is sitting on the Iron Throne right now," Robb said.
"What do you say, Lord Stark?" he asked.
Lord Stark remained silent for a long time before he finally spoke, "Even if the Riverlands, the North, and the Vale united together, we would still have to fight the Lannisters before fighting the Baratheon/Tyrell alliance. Even if we win, we will lose a great many people. That would cost us during the Long Night."
The tent went silent as Lord Stark thought some more and continued, "No. I… even if you want the Iron Throne, I'll not be able to support you, Jon. Not if the life of every Northern man, woman, and child is on the line."
Jon looked both relieved and betrayed at that.
Relieved because he didn't want to become the King in the first place.
And betrayed because his own father… or now his uncle did not support him.
Jon nodded, "I understand… Uncle."
Lord Stark looked pained at that.
-Haahhh
"I must tell you, Lord Stark, that you are mistaken. You say you don't want to endanger the North by losing men, using the Long Night as a pretext. But you also know that the White Walkers we will face during the Long Night will be either stronger or more numerous. If we cannot place someone on the Iron Throne who can support us during the Long Night, that would truly jeopardize the fate of the North." He said.
A moment of silence fell over the tent.
Lord Stark seemed to have no answer to his words. After a moment's thought, Lord Stark opened his mouth and spoke with some hesitation.
"According to the laws of Westeros, the Crown belongs to Stannis Baretheon."
"Stannis is someone without allies and no diplomacy. He might be a good enforcer, but he's unlikely to be a good king. Moreover, according to the information I've received, he seems to have converted to another religion and opposes the Seven. He worships Red God now. If he ascends the throne, Westeros will descend into another civil war." He said.
"How sure are you of this information?" Lord Stark asked, surprised.
"I'm quite sure. And let's stop deceiving ourselves, Lord Stark. King Robert Baratheon was a usurper. According to the laws of Westeros, after the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen, the Crown should pass to Prince Rhaegar's legitimate son, Aegon VI Targaryen, also known as Jon Snow."
Domeric glanced at Jon out of the corner of his eye before continuing.
"Even if we disregard Jon, with Prince Viserys Targaryen and Princess Daenerys Stormborn Targaryen still alive, the Crown can't pass to a Baratheon by legal means. But I don't see you supporting any of these heirs, Lord Stark."
Lord Stark had no answer to Domeric's accusations because everything he said was true. So, he chose to stare at him with a stern expression.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.348: New Order
Ch.349: We Both Knew This Day Would Come
Ch.350: A Private Matter