XXXIV.

The prince nodded and smiled tenderly at Sansa, then fixed his purple gaze on Ned again, make him feel naked.

"Along with the gold I have brought correspondence from across the Narrow Sea that has to be hand-delivered by me to Lord Stark. There are parchments, scrolls, missives and some official communications that I have kept until the day that I had the opportunity to make the delivery in person. Due to certain communication problems between House Targaryen and House Stark in the past that led to terrible events, for me as a prince of the Dynasty it was my duty to come and deliver said correspondence. Correspondence that you should also have before the harvest festival took place. That's the main reason for me being here." Finished in soft voice Aemon Targaryen.

Rykker, meanwhile had returned to his position in the opposite corner of Ned's solar, after closing the heavy door, behind which surely would be Ser Andrew and Jory Cassel or his uncle.

"But this can't be!" Robb suddenly exclaimed, rising abruptly from his chair and pointing the right hand at the Targaryen prince. "If you were whom you say you are, you should look like an old man, not nearly my father's age!"

Ser Jaremy tensed and immediately made the gesture of heading towards Robb, something that made Ned tense. However, Aemon looked behind him to where Rykker was standing and shook his head. Turning his gaze to the left, the prince looked at Ned's son with some reproach, but a fatherly reproach.

"Who are you?" Robb asked quietly, almost in dread after seeing the interaction between the King's Guard and the prince.

Ned didn't know whether to intervene, but a glance from his brother Benjen let him know that it was best to let Robb get explanations from Aemon Targaryen. A full tooth smile quivered on the prince lips.

"Once I was only a maester of the Citadel, bound in service to Castle Black and the Night's Watch. In a time, I put aside my house name when I took my vows and don the collar." The prince brought the left hand around his neck, a place where a golden cord was hidden under the wool and leathers that dressed the prince and from which hung a gold ring with a rampant three-headed dragon engraved in rubies.

"Four times the destiny saw fit to test my vows. Once when I was a boy, once in the fullness of my manhood, once when I had grown old and once when I thought that the only thing my fate had in store for me was a death during my sleep. By the third test, my strength was fled, my eyes grown dim, yet that last choice was as cruel as the first. My ravens would bring the news from the south, words darker than their wings, the ruin of my House, the death of my kin, disgrace and desolation. What could I have done, old, blind, frail? I was helpless as a suckling babe, yet still it grieved me to sit forgotten as they cut down my brother's poor grandson, and his son, and even the little children..."

All were shocked to see the shine of tears in the old man's eyes.

"Nine moons ago, fortune or fate brought me a new test of my vows. My great nephew's son had survived, my great nephew had returned to the land of the living and dragons were once again roaming the sky and this time the test is not the greed of some lords, or a war to see who sits on the throne of swords forged by the fires of Balerion. This time the test it's the war for the Dawn." Aemon Targaryen intoned soberly, somewhat recovered from the emotion that had just assailed the prince

"My father was Maekar, the First of his Name, and my brother Aegon reigned after him in my stead. My grandfather named me for Prince Aemon the Dragonknight, who was his uncle, or his father, depending on which tale you believe. Aemon, he called me...All the vows that I have sworn in my life had as their first duty to help and defend others and the weak. What better way to defend everyone than to be whom I once was? Who has more power to make changes? A maester from the Watch or a prince of house Targaryen whose domains now have more than sixteen million citizens? Now I am who I once was, because the situation needs me being Prince Aemon Targaryen." the prince said courteously, but firmly.

"But how is it possible for you to look like this? In my family's correspondence before leaving the Wall I was told about Aemon Targaryen. A man of almost a hundred days of his name..." Robb replied totally confused at what he was seeing in front of him.

'No wonder. If it's not because I'm starting to immunize myself against the effects of magic present in the world, it would have been hard for me to accept so easily that he is who he says he is.' Ned mused to himself.

"Lord Robb, since it is being a recurring theme tonight and that for the benefit of all it would be best if we concluded this talk quickly, I will explain why I look like this." Aemon Targaryen interrupted Robb softly.

The prince rolled up both sleeves of his black robe, displaying gold bracelets on each forearm with a huge rhomboid ruby in the center of each one. The bracelets appeared so tight that they should cut off circulation to the prince's arm, yet his skin did not show any color indicative of a lack of blood.

"These bracelets and the spell that allows me to look like this while wearing them in exchange for an offering of my own blood are a gift from one of my nieces." Aemon Targaryen said, as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"As descendant from the Forty have magic in my blood. The more magic circulates in the world, the more powerful the magic inherent in each of the beings that possesses magic in the world. You," the prince said, gesturing with his right hand at Robb and Sansa. "You must know it by now better than anyone. Or do you deny having dreams in which it seems that you are your direwolves? We now live in a world where there are dragons, wights, Others, Direwolves, and Children of the Forest. What is a simple visual spell on a descendant of the Forty?"

At last Ned understood how Aemon Targaryen could have the current appearance. However, he was disgusted to learn, that as it seemed to be with everything related to Valyrian magic, an offering of blood was necessary.

'At least with this spell from Aemon Targaryen it seems that fire and the death of thousands of people in countless wars are not needed.' Ned reflected with some relief.

'But what is it about my children dreaming of being their wolves?' thought Ned with some concern.

"Are you saying that Robb and Sansa are Wargs too?" Ned's brother exclaimed. "What do you mean by too?" Ned questioned Benjen.

"What is a Warg?" Sansa asked worriedly, while she put her hands to her chest. "But they're just dreams..." Robb mused aloud, glancing at his Direwolf.

"Hmm... I didn't know for sure. But the three Starks, and the Targaryen with Stark blood that I have met in the last few moons are. Why couldn't the two of them be, too? And even the little lord. If they are, wouldn't it be better if they found out?" Aemon Targaryen replied to Ned's brother, while Sansa and Robb exchanged glances without understanding anything and Ned looked reproachfully at his brother.

"How you didn't tell me that Benjen?" Ned snapped at his brother. His brother looked at him, shrugged, looked at Robb and Sansa and finally at the prince. Benjen sighed and looked back at Ned.

"I thought it was better for them to tell you. It never occurred to me that Robb, Sansa or Rickon could be too." answered Benjen.

"Father, what is a Warg?" Sansa asked Ned again.

"If I may, my lady." Aemon Targaryen spoke, saving Ned from having to explain something that he thought was a northern myth or legend. Sansa nodded, watching the prince carefully, while Robb began to look curiously for explanation.

"A warg is a person with the ability to enter the mind of an animal and control its actions. Is like a skinchanger, but able to enter the mind of great beast." Explained Aemon Targaryen. "Tomorrow after the Harvest Festival I could try to explain it better to you. But I think that we should speak about the contents of the chest" said the prince while pointing to the chest on Ned's desk.

Ned affirmed what the prince said, something to which Aemon Targaryen responded by taking a key from a pocket on the right side of his robe. Rising from his chair, Aemon Targaryen took a couple of steps to face the desk and inserted the key into the lock on the chest.

A click preceded the unlocking of the padlock, which was deposited on the desk by Aemon Targaryen. After that, the prince opened the chest where there were six leather pouchs that Ned imagined would be full of coins and over these, several scrolls, sealed envelopes and parchments.

Most of the envelopes were sealed with House Stark sigils in gray wax and House Targaryen sigils in scarlet red. Among these, it was highlighted that one of the envelopes whose sealing was the sigil of the citadel and was open before hand. The parchments all came with leaded wax seals bearing House Targaryen sigil, albeit with variations on the three-headed rampant dragon design and the color of the leaded wax. The scrolls looked like personal correspondence, bearing sigils of houses Stark and Targaryen.

The prince took a leather pouch and placed it on the left of the chest, untying the rope that held the pouch closed. As it was opened, gleaming gold, silver, and copper coins began to spill onto Ned's desk.

Sansa, the one closest to the desk, also got up from her chair and went to the desk, picking up a few coins of each type.

As Ned's daughter inspected the Freehold coins, Aemon Targaryen took in his right hand three envelopes sealed with House Stark sigil and four envelopes sealed with House Targaryen sigil. With his left hand the prince took the already open envelope from the citadel and three parchments with a leaded wax seal bearing the sigil of House Targaryen.

"Father, the faces and names of Bran and Arya are on the copper coins and on the backs they have sunbursts crossed by spears! There are also those of uncle and aunt in the silver ones, as well as the one of the dowager Queen Rhaella Targaryen and on the back they have wolves growling! On the

gold ones are those of cousin Aegon and Queen Rhaenys Targaryen and have the three-headed rampant dragon on the back!" Sansa said excitedly, although Ned noticed a certain jealous tone when mentioning her brother and sister.

"Really?" Robb asked in amazement as he got up to approach Sansa and see the coins with her.

Ned's brother, Benjen, however seemed to be more interested in what the prince was holding in his hands, glancing suspiciously in the direction of the envelopes that Aemon Targaryen was holding in his right hand.

"Lord Stark, these envelopes and these parchments are the urgent ones for you to read before the Festival, as they may influence on the Festival. The rest of the parchments with leaded wax are edicts and decrees that have also reached me. The smallest scrolls are personal correspondence, whose addressee is under the seals." The prince said to Ned in a serious tone, completely ignoring Sansa and Robb chit-chat over the coins.

The prince first handed Ned the envelopes from his right hand, which he took with some anxiety.

'Dark clothes, dark words?' Ned thought for a moment when he observed that even if the saying was not exactly like that, deep in his stomach he felt a dread similar to what he felt when the last raven arrived from Jon Arryn.

Holding back a sigh, he opened the first of seven envelopes. One sealed with House Stark's sigil in high-quality gray wax.

"Lord Father,

As head of House Stark in Essos, I, Prince Brandon of houses Stark and Targaryen, accept and affirm, that without being coerced or forced and willingly, I have accepted the betrothal agreement between Lady Arya of house Stark - hereinafter known as Princess Arya of Houses Targaryen and Stark- and his grace the lord of Valyria, Aegon of house Targaryen.

The betrothal period will have no deadline and the eight million gold coins of the Freehold of Valyria in dowry offered by the groom, paid for even if the marriage is not consummated. Said marriage will occur only if there is mutual agreement between both parties from the day that Princess Arya of houses Targaryen and Stark has completed the teenth and sixth day of her name or if she has flourished and so wishes.

The betrothal between Princess Arya of houses Targaryen and Stark and King Aegon of house Targaryen may be dissolved without penalty, or loss of honor in either party, from the moment that the requirements for the marriage are met so that it can be carried out.

As head of House Stark in Essos, I, Prince Brandon of houses Stark and Targaryen, accept and affirm, that without being coerced or forced and willingly, I have accepted the betrothal agreement between Princess Daenerys of house Targaryen and Lord Brandon of house Stark - hereinafter known as Prince Brandon of houses Stark and Targaryen-.

With this commitment I make effective the pact of Ice and Fire signed between Jacaerys Velaryon and Cregan Stark in the year 129 after the conquest, and its honor fullfilled.

The betrothal period will not have a deadline and the bride's dowry is deposited in the tomb of Lord Rickon Stark in the crypts of Winterfell. The dowry offered by house Stark for the bride is the payment of five million golden dragons starting the payment in five years from this date and for a

maximum term for payment of twenty years, paid for even if the marriage is not consummated.

The marriage will only take place if both parties wish it once the princess has reached sixteen days of her name, or so the betrotheds wishes.

The betrothal between Princess Daenerys of house Targaryen and Prince Brandon of houses Stark and Targaryen may be dissolved without penalty or loss of honor in either party, from the moment that the requirements for the marriage are met so that it can be carried out.

Witnesses;

Aegon Targaryen, Ser Jaime Waters, Jakob Fugger, Daenerys Targaryen, Brandon Stark.

Prince Brandon of houses Stark and Targaryen. Herald of the Freehold of Valyria and his grace Aegon Targaryen. Third Archon of the Freehold of Valyria. Conqueror of Braavos and Builder of Barad Suvion.

Seventh day of the eleventh moon of the year two hundred and ninety-seven after the conquest. Pentos, Province federated to the Freehold of Valyria."

Ned dropped the parchment on his desk as if it infected the greyscale.

He didn't know what had struck him more in what he had just read. If the fulfillment of a hunch in relation to Arya and her cousin Aegon, the titles that Ned's son Bran now used, the fact that this very son of Ned was engaged to a princess of the Targaryen dynasty between four or five days of her name older than Brandon himself, or that the Pact of Ice and Fire was rescued and used one hundred and seventy years after it was signed.

The dowries and clauses added for the marriage and to be able to dissolve the betrothal, directly left Ned totally incredulous.

'At least Now I understand why the prince had to hand this over to me. After Rhaegar and Lyanna, it's understandable they don't trust ravens for such sensitive matters. And now I know that the gold that has come with the prince is Aegon's dowry for Arya and I see part of it will have to be returned in case we survive another long night. But what does Cregan Stark's father's grave have to do with Daenerys Targaryen's dowry? Who in the seven hells is Ser Jaime Waters? Shouldn't it be Ser Jaime Lannister? And where did this Jakob Fugger come from? '

Ned sat in his chair, his legs shaking. Trying to hold back a sigh, he glanced at Sansa and Robb.

'I don't know which of the two will feel worse about the news. Sansa because this crushes any dreams she had of marriage to Aegon. Or Robb for Aegon and Arya, for Bran's list of titles, or for Bran's betrothed who surely Robb would have preferred to Alys. It seems as if House Targaryen is absorbing House Stark and that the pack is going to break even more than it already is.'

"Lord Stark, I imagine from your reaction, you have just opened the envelope that you should have opened the last." The prince said, drawing all eyes to Ned.

"Father, what does the parchment say? Who does it come from?" Robb asked him, as Sansa nodded to what her brother was saying, still holding a gold coin in her left hand.

Quickly, Benjen took advantage of the fact that the parchment was closer to him to take it, while Ned looked at his children and tried to articulate an answer.

"Well...is from Bran and it certainly brings news of your brother and sister that will be important at the Harvest Festival, as well as explains why we suddenly have such an amount of wealth ..."