[Chapter Size: 2600 Words.]
Third Person POV.
Riverrun.
...
...
A group of people was passing through the gates of Riverrun while the banners of the Starks and the Blackfish were fastened to their standards.
"Father..." Catelyn murmured as she finally approached her family at the Tully seat. The army led by Robb finally seemed to be joining the Northern forces after dealing with a few more conflicts in the past week.
"My daughter... It's good to see you after so many years..." Hoster Tully stepped forward and embraced her before pulling back a little and smiling at her. Then he looked to the side and saw Robb Stark, the one who had led the Northern army there.
"You look so much like Catelyn... It's good to see the Tully blood is strong," he said, before beginning to cough.
"Hoster Tully," Robb said, greeting him.
Soon after came Edmure, also to greet them, while the Blackfish had gone north to deal with Lannister garrisons that had settled along the path, trying to rescue Jaime Lannister after his capture.
"Father... About the things I saw..." Catelyn murmured, cautiously, while Hoster was still coughing a bit, averting his gaze to his daughter.
"I know. We'll talk about it inside the castle," he said, and she only nodded, still worried.
After Edmure greeted Catelyn, Robb advanced with the family to Hoster's solar, while Robb left his men organizing the camp.
The Northern army had spoken of nothing else over the past week, which was quite predictable after Robb Stark returned with his men from going after whoever had been killing the Frey soldiers.
Half the men had died, while others had broken bones. Only Robb was unharmed. Lord Umber himself and his son were severely injured, with Greatjon Umber's arms and even leg broken, putting him out of combat.
Hearing that they confronted Jon Snow, while he used a power that simply decimated all the enemies, was terrifying. They were still searching for any trace of his presence in Riverrun, but he had simply vanished.
And news from the West was arriving, followed by the chaos that had occurred at the Citadel days ago. Leaving everyone even more uneasy.
"So he stole the entire Tully family vault..." Catelyn murmured. She no longer had the arrogance she once carried. The rage had been replaced by fear.
Fear after seeing the state in which her son's group had returned. Her son, for some reason, had not been hurt like the others. According to Robb himself, Jon had not attacked him, saying he would "deal with him later."
'He said we weren't brothers. And that he's not my father's son…' Robb had said that night, while being treated and then left alone with her.
'What do you mean?' Catelyn murmured, while they were alone in that medical tent.
'He said his name is Daemon Targaryen. That he's the son of Lyanna and Rhaegar. He's here for vengeance. Said he'll deal with all the families that stood against the Targaryens.'
Catelyn didn't even hear the second part. The shock of hearing that had clouded her mind. All she could think was that the bastard, in the end, wasn't Ned's son… and now he was seeking revenge, which could be far worse than any fear she had ever had of him before.
That was confirmed even more when her uncle came to meet them with an army, bringing news of what had happened at the family seat. Snow himself—if that was still his name—had appeared that same night, after dealing with Robb, and had stolen from his family.
It seemed unbelievable, considering that Robb's castle was at least a hundred kilometers from where the confrontation had taken place.
"This bastard… If I had found him, I would have cut off his head! Damn bastard!" Edmure said angrily.
"If you had found him, you'd be dead, Edmure. Don't be arrogant." Brynden Tully said, while Edmure shot a furious glare at his uncle, but Brynden continued, giving the reason.
"I faced him… In the vault. I found him wielding the very sword of House Stark. And I didn't even have a chance… the stories about him are true... I doubt there's a swordsman who can face him in the Seven Kingdoms," the Blackfish finished, serious.
"There's one more thing…" Catelyn murmured, as Brynden fell silent.
"He says he's the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark," she said.
Hoster Tully, who did not know this, opened his eyes in shock.
"Are you saying the bastard… is the Targaryen bastard?" Edmure was also surprised.
"Not just that. He said he is a Targaryen. And claimed the Iron Throne belongs to him." Robb spoke for the first time since they had arrived at the solar.
"Him? The king? You must be joking!" Edmure exclaimed, while Hoster was still stunned. He remembered well Jon suddenly appearing in his solar, saying they were "taking some measures" after what Catelyn had done to the boy as a child.
The Blackfish sighed. He already knew that information when he found Catelyn. She herself seemed lost and cautious, but everyone awaited Hoster's reaction.
This seemed to change everything.
"Any news of Ned?" Catelyn asked. Ned would be the best person to think of what to do. She was afraid. Afraid of what Snow had told her father. That he sought vengeance. And now she feared he would go after her family for what she had done.
Even if she tried to ask forgiveness, it seemed too late.
After hearing how Daemon—or Jon Snow, as they knew him before—now had powers that could take down dozens of men in a second, that he could enter anywhere in Westeros and do whatever he wanted... She was terrified, beginning to believe all the rumors.
He killed the king. Stole the Iron Throne itself, according to rumors.
They say he can transform into a beast and massacre a hundred men before they can even flee and disappear like a ghost, can kill whoever he wants and could have slaughtered the Tully family when he entered the castle.
What kind of power was that?
Catelyn herself prayed every day to the Seven, asking the gods for help to deal with this force she believed to be evil… since, to the Seven, magic was something to be feared.
"There are many strange things coming from King's Landing," Hoster said at last. "They say the execution of Ned Targaryen happened and that he was killed... But at the same time, there are strange reports that Jon Snow saved him, causing chaos and destroying the entire square with magic.
Some say he put Ned on a boat and fled... others say he took horses and is on the road. I don't know anything anymore, Catelyn. The news is being restricted."
Communication with King's Landing was completely cut off. They were still doing everything to keep any news from getting out, shooting down any raven leaving the city or arriving, filtering all information. Only rumors had begun to emerge from travelers.
The only certain thing was that the news that an area near the Sept of Baelor was burning was true—the smoke could be seen from miles away, rising into the sky. But even so, the city was locked down. The queen herself had closed the walls, trying to maintain the appearance that she still had Ned Stark and his two daughters under her control.
"What should we do, father?" Catelyn murmured. Even Roose could see the fear in her eyes—a fear he had never seen before.
"I don't know, Catelyn... Honestly, I don't know how to deal with someone like that. We know nothing about Ned. We'll have to wait. But about this Jon..." he hesitated. "I don't know how you dealt with him. I don't blame you for the way you treated him in Winterfell, no matter if they're Stark or Targaryen bastards. As you can see... they are evil beings.
This one reeks of death, and may be worse than Daemon Blackfyre."
"But father... That same evil being wants to kill us now. And it's all my fault." She lowered her head.
"I don't blame you for what happened. But we will certainly deal with him. And I will recover everything he stole." Hoster replied in a serious tone.
"Yes, sister... I will cut his throat myself." Edmure said with conviction, although the Blackfish thought he would only find death if he truly tried to face that man.
Robb remained silent. He didn't know what to think. They said he was mad for reporting what had happened... but seeing so many wounded men was proof enough. Robb still didn't want to believe Jon had become that kind of powerful, almost inhuman sorcerer—how he killed those Lannister men, how he treated the Mountain himself...
And he could even see the fear in his uncle's eyes from the account of what he had witnessed.
"And about the West... Two castles were destroyed in one night, found in the morning as piles of stone and corpses covered in ice... They say there was a beast in the sky, some say it was a dragon..." Robb commented about what they had heard from that region. Even if it was enemy territory, hearing about that certainly made them cautious—someone who could destroy entire castles.
The room immediately grew tense upon hearing Robb's comment, as there was only one suspect.
"And if he really has, somehow... a dragon..." Brynden murmured, since even though no one had actually described a dragon yet, it seemed reasonable as an explanation for how he could travel so quickly from one place to another and how he disappeared—at the same time, it sent chills down everyone's spines.
A Targaryen with a dragon after so long... that certainly wouldn't be a simple threat. It could put everyone in danger.
"We're fucked..." Hoster said, finishing what his brother was going to say. "May the gods protect us... We already had an Aerys without a dragon, now we have a sorcerer monster who has a dragon and seeks vengeance."
He felt fear just thinking about it.
Either way, they settled in the castle for the next few hours. A feast was prepared with the main members of the North, along with the noble houses of Riverrun, who were there supporting the campaign against the Lannisters.
Robb, however, noticed his mother's absence. He left the banquet and went to the sept, where she used to spend most of her time.
"Please, protect us from this demon..." Robb heard the whisper as he saw his mother, kneeling before the statues of the Seven.
Robb approached her.
"I don't think the gods will protect us the way you're asking..." Robb murmured.
What he had seen was far beyond comprehension. No god had protected him when his men were dragged like dolls. He himself only survived because Jon had shown mercy.
"You said he'll return... and that he'll fight you in the North. I'm praying the gods can protect us, Robb." She murmured, standing up, looking fearful.
The woman who once held anger and hatred had been completely replaced, in the past week, by fear, caution, and horror. Each new report about Jon frightened her more—both what had happened to Robb and the rumors that Jon was seeking vengeance against the Tullys for how he had been treated in his childhood.
The last news about Jon was that 15 Grand Maesters had been found murdered. The Citadel was in chaos at that moment, and they had discovered it had also been looted, just like the Tullys had been, while the vault was found empty.
The idea terrified her. Hearing her son say that Jon might declare war made her nervous. She imagined Jon destroying the entire Stark family, killing her children without mercy, and leaving her there, alone, to suffer before their corpses.
"We'll deal with this, mother. Don't worry. For now, let's focus... until we get news from father and deal with the Lannisters." He said, as he guided her back into the castle.
The whispers came from nobles and soldiers as they entered — the subject was, once again, none other than Jon Snow, or Daemon Targaryen, as he now presented himself.
Jon had defeated the Mountain and an entire group of Lannister soldiers, and shortly after, Robb's men — while the great leader of the army returned like a kicked dog, his giant wolf walking on only three legs.
Robb could feel the fear and caution growing among his men. He was in a delicate position to maintain control of his army after all these reports.
But he had to stay strong.
He had to rescue his father, his sisters. And later, he would find a way to deal with whatever vengeance Jon might bring upon them.
In the military camp outside the castle, Jaime Lannister had not been having an easy time in recent weeks, but in the last one, he had begun to hear about Jon Snow. He still didn't know what to think about this man, who gave him chills every time he remembered his last words in Winterfell.
He knew the reason why Jaime had killed the Mad King and condemned him just the same for not helping Rhaegar's children. That guy... made Jaime feel fear... he knew that by the way Jon looked at the Kingsguard, there was no way Jaime could deal with him — and it showed that the bard truly was too dangerous.
Later, it was reported that it had been Jon Snow, Ned Stark's bastard son, but he disappeared shortly after. Rumors continued, and when Jaime left King's Landing after his conflict with Ned Stark, he heard the defamatory whispers involving him and his sister — like Joffrey being his bastard, and many other slanders about the council members.
Even his own men looked at him differently, with some believing he really had fathered a bastard with Cersei. At the same time, Jaime had punished anyone who dared speak of the matter — with several lashings.
Then more news started coming in — Robb's death, Ned Stark's imprisonment, sorcery within the city, and men being killed every day.
He had spoken to his father about it and warned that the Jon Snow he met in Winterfell was extremely dangerous, while Tywin scoffed, believing it was all nothing more than rumors.
Then he was captured by the wolf who supposedly knew nothing about war, and had remained that way until he heard about Jon Snow again — now in Riverrun, with the Mountain captured by him like an animal. Jaime couldn't imagine anyone treating the Mountain that way, but the report said Jon Snow himself had cut off his leg for fun.
When he saw Robb Stark's visit, he wanted to laugh at his crushing defeat — but he didn't. How could he? He himself was afraid of Jon Snow at that moment.
Hearing that one man could strike fear into an entire army — as he was now hearing after Robb's group returned, and after seeing what had happened to the Mountain — it wasn't funny to Jaime Lannister...
Then came the shocking news, while Robb himself warned about the castles destroyed in the West.
"House Lorch and House Clegane... Two places that vanished in one night..." Jaime murmured.
"It can't be coincidence... the way he spoke in Winterfell about Rhaegar's children... his eyes were purple... it can't be..." he concluded that night, inside his cell, wrestling with his own fears.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 109 - Uncle Benjen.
Chapter 114 - Dealing with the Faceless Men, Leaving Braavos.
Chapter 124 - Hunting 02.
Chapter 133 - Letters
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