35

Chapter 35: Ch 26 LettersChapter Text

"Do you really think she's a wildling?" A 13 years old chubby boy curiously asked his fellow classmates.

Their teacher, a one-legged veteran sailor, had just freed them from their class where they had been taught how to unfurl the sail. And as they stepped outside, their path led them to the training ground where an enthralling duel was taking place. So all of them had gathered outside the duelling ring to watch the infamous daughter of Lady Mormont, Dacey fending off attacks from a fierce 14-year-old girl.

"She can't be a wildling," declared a confident seventeen-year-old girl, her tall frame and freckled face exuding assurance. "Look at her! She's too pretty for that!"

And indeed, the subject of their discussion possessed an enchanting beauty that captivated all who laid eyes upon her. With flowing locks of blonde, akin to the shade of dark honey, cascading down to her waist, and high, chiselled cheekbones, she embodied a rare wild beauty. Her eyes, a pale grey that could transform into a gentle blue under the morning light, only enhanced her allure.

In fact, she was probably the most beautiful person the people around here had seen for quite a while. The last beauty the Smallfolks had seen was the Southerner wife that Jorah Mormont, their lord at that time had married, the one he ran away with.

"B-But I heard that Jon bought her here just after the Wildling attack?" murmured a smaller boy, his voice tinged with a touch of fear, "A-And she can even speak the Old Tongue." Tales of wildlings, spun by his grandmother, had left him trembling at the mere thought of encountering them.

Val continued to attack Dacey with all her might, and for a girl who seemed to have received no formal training she was doing pretty good with the short sword, but alas Dacey was too good for her and was easily running circles around her and repeatedly beating her into the ground.

"Aye, but she's got the look of a southerner," interjected the tall girl, her confidence unwavering. "Just look at her golden locks and those icy blue eyes."

"Perhaps she's one of those girls they rescued from the clutches of the Ironborn during their last voyage," offered a helpful older girl, striving to shed light on the enigma. "You know, the ones from the Reach."

The oldest boy, wise beyond his years at twenty-five, shook his head with a gruff voice. "That can't be it. I've heard tales of those girls, and she doesn't fit the description. One's too young, and the other's too old."

"So, she really is a wildling?" exclaimed the boy with the prominent nose, his disbelief palpable.

"But why would Jon bring her here, then?" questioned the tall girl, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Doesn't that seem rather dangerous?"

"It's obvious isn't it," The oldest boy said nodding his head sagely, "Young Jon isn't so young anymore, he is now already old enough to know some things. He was probably smitten with her looks and couldn't bear to kill her,"

The tall girl shook her head, countering, "Or maybe she's just from one of the nearby villages. You know how Jon has a habit of rescuing teenagers and bringing them here for training."

"Or maybe... she is..." A mischievous voice whispered from behind, causing everyone to instinctively lean in, their ears pricked to catch the soft-spoken words. Then, the voice erupted, "NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS!"

The group of gossiping teenagers cringed as the loud exclamation assaulted their eardrums. In an instant, they snapped to attention, their bodies rigid, as they realized who had caught them.

Jon Snow stood before them, his gaze piercing and formidable. "Seems like you have plenty of time to waste on gossip," he growled menacingly. "Perhaps the instructors have been too lenient. I'll be sure to remind them to increase your workload when I see them. Now... Go Run around the ground 10 times,"

"Yes," they chimed, their voices a mixture of trepidation and obedience.

"NOW!!!"

Jon bellowed, his voice thundering through the air. The students scrambled into action, hastily beginning to run around the training grounds that would take even the fastest among them about 5 minutes to even complete a single round. So it would probably be hard for most of them to see this through, "Perhaps this will teach them a lesson about unnecessary gossip," he mused to himself.

He turned his attention to Val who was getting increasingly frustrated at her inability to defeat Dacey. There was a straightforward reason behind Jon bringing Val with him to Bear Island, which involved one of his goals.

Jon had three vague goals that he had created for himself since his toddler days when he had been confined to his crib, goals that he felt were essential for him to survive and live a life in this new world that he wouldn't regret.

The first goal was an obvious and basic one which was to make sure that he and his family( The Starks mainly) survived the unfortunate events and wars that they didn't in canon. As he grew older that group had expanded to include more and more of his friends from the north which made the task even harder.

His primary strategy to accomplish this goal was to prevent the war from occurring in the first place. And if it were unavoidable, then make sure that he somehow ends up on the winning side.

Now the second goal of his was a lot less noble and a bit selfish and it was a goal that a lot of dreamers across all the worlds had in common. The goal, that he had in his mind since his last life, was to travel around all the unique locations of the world but sadly he passed away before he could do that, but now that he had a new chance in this life in a world that was even more exotic and mysterious than the precious one he desired it even more and he wasn't going to let it pass through his hands this time.

He had been working very hard for his second goal and his dream over the last few years. He was of course talking about the fleet of ships he commanded which he hoped to someday enlarge enough to create a shipping company sometime in the future. And while he could have gone for the solo route and just taken off on any random ship to Bravoos or Pentos with a few gold dragons, that would have likely been a very short trip for him with him probably ending dead behind some bar somewhere in Essos considering how dangerous this world is.

So he had decided to go for the safer and more complex route to achieve his dream of travelling the world which would not only provide him with a lot of money it would also help him with his first goal as anyone with even a bit of knowledge about history could tell you that whoever had bigger and better fleet would prevail in most wars and situations.

And finally the last but definitely not the least one, was to somehow survive the White Walkers and their hordes of walking dead. And this goal was the one that had left him stumped for a long time as he had had no idea how to even go about countering a magical zombie. And the only thing he could think about for a long time was to just buy a lot of obsidian from Dragonstone and to create a shit ton of spearheads and arrowheads from them.

So while he knew he would somehow have to remove and reduce the number of bodies available to the Walkers beyond the wall, he had no idea how. As one thing he was sure about was that the moment any of the wildling leaders even took a glimpse of him they would kill him first before they would ask any questions.

The moment Jon had realised who he had inadvertently stumbled upon, a bolt of lightning went through his brain and almost immediately he was bombarded by a lot of ideas on how to work through his third goal, all of which had the teen girl, sister of Mance Rayder's wife, as the middleman. He had almost immediately decided that he would have to somehow bind her to his cause and make her help him.

So Jon had somehow managed to persuade Val that if she somehow managed to defeat him or Dacey in a single combat in the yard, he would bring her over the wall and deliver her safely to her sister. And considering that she knew that she likely wouldn't survive the journey to the wall and over it alone she didn't have much of a choice but of course, she had him take an oath in front of the old gods before she believed him.

"Y'know..." A voice interrupted Jon as he was lost in his thoughts, "They won't be the last ones to ask, Boy. And you can't intimidate all of them with extra training,"

Jon turned to Maege who came to stand beside him and said with a smirk, "We'll see about that,"

Maege just rolled her eyes at his cheekiness and asked nonchalantly, "So... did you really take a liking to her because if you did then I need to tell you that you're still a bit young for things like these—"

"Seriously... Even you!!" Jon interrupted with a scoff.

"I am just asking, Boy," Maege said with a raised eyebrow not at all bothered by his frustration.

"Maybe... I just took pity on her and decided that she didn't to die after all," Jon said with a shrug as he couldn't exactly tell her that he wanted her to be a go-to between the people on the other side of the Wall and that if it went according to his plans then there would be a lot more wildlings to deal with than just this one.

"As if..." The Mother-Bear scoffed his excuse away with a scoff and said, "And I wouldn't really care about if Lord Stark hadn't left you in my care otherwise how would I explain to my liege that he somehow became a grandfather suddenly at that young age—"

"W-What?" Jon spluttered with a red face at the insinuation. While he was somewhat older mentally his body was at that age where it would even blush at the slightest mention of birds and bees.

"SO..." Maege raised her voice over his sputtering, "I need to make sure that you're not taking the wrong path or something like that," she took up her mace while speaking and walked into the nearby ring and said to him after raising her weapon in a challenge, "Now, show me if you're tuff enough to be a man,"

'Of course, she would decide that with a duel,' Jon thought sarcastically but he went to pick up a practice sword smilingly as the one thing he was confident about was his battle prowess so he came in front of her and answered her, "With Pleasure!"

....

After a gruelling training session in the yard, Jon wearily pushed open the door to his room. Instantly, his fatigued expression transformed into one of delight as his gaze fell upon a magnificent snow eagle perched on his window sill, delicately preening her feathers. With a few quick strides, Jon crossed the room and greeted the majestic bird with a warm smile. "Hey there, girl. Do you have a letter for me?"

The snow eagle nodded, gracefully extending her talons to reveal a tied scroll. Jon deftly untied it and placed a small bowl of water before the bird, who gratefully began drinking. Finally, Jon turned his attention to the letter in his hands.

It was a substantial missive, consisting of multiple pages. The first one bore his father's distinctive handwriting, replying and giving him permission to negotiate any deal in the Reach that he felt would be beneficial to the North. He was particularly forceful in telling him to be careful of Olenna Tyrell. He even urged him not to go in front of her at all if he could help it as he felt that she was too astute and cunning and if she somehow managed to find out about his parentage then it would be a disaster.

Eddard had revealed Jon's parentage during one of his previous visits to Winterfell when he realised and saw Jon doing things that would leave most of the adults in the North stumped. So when Jon asked him for his Mother's identity nonchalantly one day, Eddard felt secure enough to tell him about it as he judged that Jon knew the danger associated with it and that he wouldn't blurt it out the next person in a fit of rage or excitement to prove that he wasn't a bastard.

The subsequent letters came from Robb, updating Jon on the happenings around Winterfell. Robb mentioned the progress of the factory, his improvement in the training yard, and his lessons with Emily, who was teaching him the art of warging in Jon's absence. Robb concluded the letter with a playful challenge, inviting Jon to visit soon so that he could finally beat him in the yard.

The following letters carried a similar tone, each written by Sansa, Arya, and Emily. Sansa expressed her gratitude in an elegant script for the silk dress Jon had sent her from Lannisport. Arya's note, though shorter and messier, implored Jon to bring her an assortment of sweets, swords, and perhaps even a unicorn— but he couldn't be too sure as the word were too crooked.

Emily's had been about how she was coming along and how she was having trouble keeping Becca and Arya in line and how Old Mark was doing as well as how little Tom had finally managed to warg into a small tomcat.

As the snow eagle soared back toward Winterfell, Jon reread the letters with a contented smile. His reverie was interrupted by a knock on the door. Jon placed the letters safely in his desk drawer and invited the visitor inside. "Come in."

Tara the maid from Reach entered the room, gracefully bowing before meeting Jon's gaze and presenting him with another letter. "I finished writing the letter, Jon, just as you asked."

"Ah... Thank you for that," Jon replied, accepting the letter. He could see that it was addressed to the Tyrells in Highgarden, located in the Reach.

They would be leaving for the trip to Reach in a few days so Jon had asked her to write a letter to Lady Alerie or Olenna or whoever was in charge of her so that she could explain the circumstances in which he had found them so they wouldn't be too worried or surprised when he showed up on their shore with the two people who had probably been missing for a while now.

Tara lingered for a moment, her curiosity getting the better of her. Observing Jon placing the letter on his desk, she hesitated before inquiring, "But Jon... How do you plan to send that letter? I wasn't aware that anyone on this side of the North had a raven from the Reach available on hand,"

Jon's lips curled into a mysterious smile as he responded, "Oh, don't worry about that. I have my ways."

Tara left the room at that with one more puzzle in her mind about the Bastard of Winterfell who was like an onion, with too many layers and secrets.

...

A few days passed, and Jon found himself seated on his bed, his luggage neatly packed beside him. The preparations for their journey were underway, and their ships for the trip were being loaded at that very moment, and Jon was supposed to be there to supervise it but he had left the work midway to hurry back to his room.

Once safely inside, he sat on the edge of his bed and closed his eyes to warg inside Frost with the full focus of his mind for the first time in a while because he needed to do something special this time.

When Jon finally opened his eyes again, he was greeted by a picturesque view of clear blue skies, lush greenery, fertile crop fields, and meandering rivers—the stunning landscape of the Reach. Frost soared above the clouds, following the path of the Mander River. It didn't take long for the magnificent and captivating Highgarden to come into view.

Perched on a broad, verdant hill overlooking the River Mander, Highgarden boasted three concentric rings of white stone walls. The crenellated curtain walls increased in height as one ventured further inward. Nestled between the outer and middle walls was the renowned briar labyrinth, which served as entertainment for House Tyrell in this age but was probably made by the House Gardeners to slow down invaders.

Jon didn't immediately fly into the castle with his message as Frost's size and uniqueness would probably give some poor maid or Maester a heart attack, instead, he wandered through the surrounding trees until he discovered a suitable raven perched among the branches.

Silently and skillfully, Jon guided Frost to land on the crown of the tree without disturbing a single leaf. After they were close enough Jon focused with all his might and tried the relatively new skill that he had figured out a few months ago and only practised a few times.

He sent a weak mental wave using Frost as the tower towards the Raven, it took him a few tries but eventually, he managed to find the small consciousness of the Raven. The Raven in question was immediately startled by the intrusion and squawked and flitted about on the branch with its gaze darting anxiously. Fortunately, Jon swiftly used his mental influence to calm the raven, sending reassuring thoughts that settled the bird within seconds.

'Oh... It worked,' Jon thought with relief when his new skill which he called 3G warging worked as he didn't have that much confidence in it.

With newfound confidence, he had Frost glide over to the branch where the raven perched. Placing the letter carefully in the raven's claws, Jon then took the raven for a brief trial flight. After a few initial hiccups, the bird obediently followed Jon's instructions, soaring smoothly through the air. With the letter secure, Jon had the new messenger immediately fly towards the castle's rookery.

At that moment, Jon found himself engaged in a delicate form of multitasking. His mind was divided into three unequal parts: the largest portion remained within his physical body, dormant; the second largest resided within Frost's mind, coexisting with the majestic creature; and the faintest connection lingered within the raven. The strain on Jon's mind was immense, making it impossible to sustain for an extended period.

Warging into an unfamiliar raven felt distinctly different from his experiences with Frost, Pegasus, or Tiger. When he connected with those familiar companions, it felt as though their minds had developed a comfortable space to accommodate him over the years. It was akin to slipping into a cosy pair of shoes. However, with this raven, it felt as though he was attempting to squeeze his foot into the shoe of a three-year-old—only managing to fit in a single toe and having to awkwardly walk with that. Despite the limitations, he could still issue simple commands, such as "fly left," "fly right," "land," or "grab that." Fortunately, for the task at hand, these instructions proved sufficient.

Within a short time, the raven arrived at the castle's rookery—a significantly larger one compared to Winterfell's, but then again it was probably because the Southerners were a lot more talkative and gossipy than the Northerners.

Inside, Jon spotted a lone figure, dressed in the attire of an acolyte, diligently copying a book.

Directing the raven toward the acolyte's desk, Jon had the bird promptly drop the letter in front of him. Startled by the sudden appearance of the raven, the acolyte exclaimed, "Wah... Where did you come from— Wait! Don't run away!"

The acolyte made a swift motion, attempting to capture the raven, but the bird effortlessly evaded his grasp, flying toward the window after successfully delivering the letter. Perplexed, the acolyte muttered, "What a stupid raven," before refocusing his attention on the letter. Recognizing the sender's name as the missing maid atop the parchment, he immediately dashed out of the room, shouting, "Maester!"