Since arriving at Winterfell, Jon had developed a routine. Every morning, he would spend some time walking alone in the Godswood. He would circle around the ancient weirwood tree and gaze at it.
He did not know exactly why, but it was a quiet ritual he had come to cherish. It felt as if something or someone was calling out to him from amidst the ancient tree. He wondered if the feeling was related to his unawakened power of greenseeing. He had no definite answer.
Today was just another day of that routine. The King's caravan had closed the distance significantly. It would take a maximum of two or three days before the royal convoy finally reached Winterfell.
Jon was strolling beneath the canopy of the trees when he had an unexpected encounter. It was Ned. Ever since the incident with Theon, the two of them had not really spoken. Polite, casual greetings were all they had exchanged.
"Care to walk with me, Jon?" Ned asked, taking Jon slightly by surprise.
Ned's expression remained as neutral and impassive as ever. Jon could not read a single hint from the Warden's demeanor, but he gave a slow nod in response.
"Why not, Lord Stark?" Jon replied.
The two began to walk side by side through the Godswood in complete silence. Jon remained perfectly patient, waiting for Ned to initiate whatever it was he wanted to say. Eventually, Ned broke the silence.
"Are you still holding a grudge against me, Jon?" Ned asked quietly. "Even after all these years?"
Jon was taken aback by the question. When Ned had suggested the walk, Jon had anticipated a serious discussion, but he had not expected him to be so brutally direct. Then again, perhaps it should not have surprised him.
Ned Stark was a straightforward man, not one for manipulations or beating around the bush. And Jon understood exactly what incident Ned was referring to.
"I am not holding a grudge against you, Lord Stark," Jon replied with a shake of his head. "And neither did I hold a grudge against you all those years ago."
"Yes, I was disappointed," he continued, his voice calm but firm. "In fact, I was angry. I was livid. I could not understand how Theon Greyjoy was allowed to go completely unpunished for using such derogatory words against my mother. A mother I knew absolutely nothing about. At that time, probably, even one-hundred lashes on his back would have felt insufficient to me."
Ned's steps instinctively slowed. He quickly schooled his features, masking his internal reaction, and continued walking. He had known that, sooner or later, this conversation was bound to happen. He was prepared for it. Or, at least, to some extent.
"Then why did you run away from Winterfell?" Ned questioned. "It was only after that incident that you started to change. I was not able to pay much attention to it at the time, but I learned later that it was immediately after that day that you pulled away from everyone and completely isolated yourself."
"Certainly," Jon replied, his tone even. "I agree with the second part of your statement."
"But I did not leave Winterfell because I held a grudge against you," he continued, turning to meet Ned's gaze. "I left Winterfell because there was a lack of opportunity for me here."
"A lack of opportunity, you say?" Ned remarked, his eyebrows rising in mild surprise.
"Yes," Jon nodded. "Even with all my abilities, what would I have been able to achieve in Winterfell at best? Captain of the guards? A minor lord? But both of us know that even those positions were entirely out of reach for me. The best option living here would have been to take the black."
"On the day I left the castle, I beat Theon half to death. But before that day, I used to lose almost every duel against Robb and Theon. Why?" He questioned.
"Because I was incapable? Certainly not. Even back then, I could have taken both of them at once. I could have devastated them. I used to lose intentionally. I used to lose because certain people in this castle would not have liked to see me win."
Ned stilled. He knew that certain people were a reference to Catelyn. And honestly, he had no explanation. It was true.
"A bastard like me emerging victorious against highborn nobles would have drawn their ire," Jon continued. "And that exact same prejudice would have ensured that even the position of Captain of the Stark household guards remained forever out of my reach."
"Now, compare that to what I have achieved in Essos," Jon continued, his voice steady but carrying immense weight. "I am a king. I am the Great Khal. My people almost worship me. The nobles and Magisters fear me. I could reduce the greatest cities of Essos to ruins with a mere wave of my hand."
Ned's heart thumped heavily against his ribs. He was deeply relieved to hear that Jon had not fled Winterfell out of a lingering grudge against him.
But another part of his heart had turned cold with anxiety. These words laid bare just how terrifyingly ambitious the boy truly was. Not that his earlier declarations about building the greatest empire the world had ever seen had shown any lack of ambition.
A profound dread settled over Ned as he could only imagine what Jon would do if he ever learned the truth. The truth that he was the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, and the true, rightful heir to the Iron Throne.
They continued to walk in silence for a few moments, both of them lost in their own turbulent thoughts.
"Are you satisfied with the punishment I meted out to Theon this time?" Ned asked, finally breaking the quiet between them.
Jon did not respond immediately.
"Honestly," he said slowly. "I had not expected you to go to such lengths to punish him. It was beyond anything I could have imagined you doing."
"But am I satisfied?" he continued, his tone turning ice-cold. "No."
Ned's face fell. He stared at Jon, struggling to understand.
"I will only be satisfied when I behead Theon Greyjoy," Jon stated flatly. "From my own hands."
Ned was stunned. He opened his mouth to object, to say something, anything, but Jon immediately cut him off.
"Do not worry," Jon continued smoothly. "I will not do anything that will stain the honor of House Stark while I am here. I will take my own actions in the future."
Ned came to an abrupt halt. Jon did not stop. He simply continued walking forward, leaving a deeply shaken Ned Stark behind.
#
#
#
[Add the book to your collection. Send it some power stones. Leave a rating and a review.]
[Access advanced chapter on P@treon. Replace @ with a. One additional advanced chapter each week on P@treon. ]
[email protected]/imaginarywriter