Chapter 64 - The Boy and the World Conqueror.

 

[Chapter Size: 3000 Words.]

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Third Person POV

Harrenhal, 101 AC.

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The Isle of Faces had finally been left behind as the boats sailed across the God's Eye toward Harrenhal once more.

Almost no one said a single word, with the sound of the oars being the only thing heard at that moment.

The only one who remained closest to Jon was Rickon, who from time to time let out a quiet grumble, as if expecting Jon to answer the countless questions he asked with nothing more than his gaze.

Jon, however, ignored him. He was far more lost in thought than willing to answer anything about what had happened. He certainly had a great deal to think about after saying goodbye to everyone.

Wind had begged him to return someday to visit her. It was also then that he met the other Children of the Forest within the God's Eye. Eight of them appeared later just to see him. They surrounded Jon, danced around him, and sang in a language he could now actually understand. Although they were not as exuberant as Wind, they all looked at him with hope.

The Starks and the guards merely watched that surreal scene, while the Green Men stared at Jon as though they were witnessing a true miracle.

Jon couldn't blame them for their silence either; the adults were just as full of questions. The looks directed at him throughout the journey made that abundantly clear.

In truth, it seemed the questions had only multiplied. The guards remained uneasy, but Lord Stark had made them swear they would never tell anyone what they had seen in the God's Eye. Not even their children or wives when they returned home.

He made them swear the oath before the heart tree, so that the Old Gods themselves would bear witness to their words, which now seemed more real than they had ever imagined before.

Lyarra also ended up telling Lord Stark everything that had happened between Jon and the black dragon, Cannibal.

The man himself, already expecting just about anything, could only look at her with a certain horror. Knowing that the boy might be capable of controlling a dragon like that was terrifying.

That meant there might not be only two dragonriders at that moment, but also a boy of only ten namedays capable of riding a creature even larger than the other two dragons stationed at Harrenhal.

That troubled him deeply. Even though no one could prove anything. Jon had never had any contact with dragons other than Caraxes and Meleys. He had never even left the North.

Everything might still be fine for now. No one would easily believe that a boy could simply project his own consciousness into Cannibal's mind while the dragon remained across the sea on Dragonstone.

That was absurd in itself. Even so, the mere possibility that Jon possessed some influence over Cannibal was already troubling enough.

House Targaryen would never remain silent if they discovered something like that. Neither would the great lords.

That was why silence was the only choice.

Even so, the questions remained the entire time.

Who was Jon?

What were those visions?

What did he represent to the Old Gods?

Green Men...

Children of the Forest...

Magic...

There was simply too much to take in. Everyone who had been in the God's Eye that morning had witnessed something they had believed existed only in the legends of the North.

All of those ancient myths were alive in that place. They had seen things they had never imagined they would witness when they woke up that morning.

Rickon looked at Jon with his lips pressed tightly together. He seemed increasingly anxious for answers. He wanted to understand more, but Lord Stark had called him over shortly before and asked him to remain silent about everything that had happened.

He had said it was important, and Rickon himself believed that as well.

Lyarra's silent gaze upon her son also said a great deal. Whatever it was, Jon seemed to have an important role. A role in which not even they should interfere, especially when the gods themselves appeared to be directly involved. All that remained for them now was to support him, whatever path he needed to follow.

But one thing seemed clear. A great evil was approaching.

Lyarra realized this when Jon said that, beyond the Wall, he had seen a kingdom built to serve as the first line of defense against the evil that would one day fall upon humanity.

What evil was this? Who was the enemy that had awakened before its time, completely changing the course of the world? Her son had spoken of the Long Night during his conversation with the old Green Man, and everything pointed toward that...

Lyarra was truly worried. Something immense was about to happen. If she had any concrete proof that the danger was real, she would have already taken all that information to the king. At the same time, the Green Man had also made it clear that they would not be the ones to face this evil, but rather those children... and their descendants.

Shortly afterward, they reached the shore.

The fog was no longer as dense after they had left the Isle of Faces behind. Beneath the curious gazes of the men waiting near the lake's dock, they disembarked and headed straight for the Stark camp.

Jon had been summoned to see the king that morning, but since he was still at the God's Eye, it had not been possible to notify him.

Lady Stark approached as soon as she saw them, walking alongside her daughter Lyra to meet her husband.

"Is everything all right?" she asked. As soon as she noticed the somewhat strange expressions on her husband and her goodmother's faces, her concern deepened. "What happened?"

"We need to talk later. Alone," Lord Stark replied to his wife. He kissed her forehead before turning his attention back to Jon.

"It seems the king is waiting for you, boy. I'll send a message to the castle letting them know you'll come this afternoon. For now, let's get something to eat. We still have about thirty minutes."

Jon simply nodded. Then he walked toward his tent to change his clothes. Rickon followed right behind him.

The boy didn't say a word. He simply entered the tent alongside Jon and sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

Jon took off his linen shirt and put on better clothes for his meeting with the king after lunch.

Rickon remained silent. Jon turned to look at him, and the two boys simply stared at each other for a few moments.

Then Lyra appeared at the entrance of the tent with a smile.

"Lyra, could you leave us alone for a moment?" Rickon asked.

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"I need to talk to Jon."

"No!"

"Please!" Rickon practically begged.

Jon didn't respond, instead coming to Rickon's aid.

"Ghost, go play with her. Go." Ghost looked at Jon, then at Lyra.

"I need to talk to your brother," he said as he watched Ghost approach the girl.

Lyra left reluctantly, but Ghost practically forced her to go with him. She ended up laughing when the direwolf attacked her with a lick across the face.

"Smart..." Rickon commented before turning his attention back to Jon.

"Now we can talk..." Jon said in a weary tone. Even so, his voice was still very childish, making Rickon wrinkle his face into a slight grimace upon hearing it.

Perhaps that was the greatest contrast of all in Jon. He now possessed the memories of an adult man, one who had lived for a very, very long time... yet he was now trapped inside the body of a child of only ten years.

"What exactly is going on?" he asked, as Jon sat down on the bed.

"I don't know, Rickon. I wish I knew as much as you do." Even carrying all those memories, the life he had lived, the memories of that other man, and the certainty that a great evil would come to this world, Jon was still lost. He didn't even know where to begin explaining all of it.

"All I know is that I lived another life, Rickon. A life filled with wars and battles. You could say... a life of glory, magic, power, and wealth unlike anything any man has ever possessed." He gave a small smile as Rickon raised an eyebrow.

"A life belonging to a man who conquered the entire world. Would you believe me if I told you that he ruled from the Lands of Always Winter, far beyond the lands we know beyond the Wall, all the way to the Shadow Lands in Asshai and the Jade Sea?" Jon asked. "He wasn't a ruler by name, with everyone kneeling before him. Naturally, there were kings and lords in those lands, but he controlled everything, and not merely through the threat of military force..."

"That's nonsense," Rickon replied.

Jon simply smiled. "Yeah... it really does sound like nonsense. Because that man conquered far more than the known world. He went beyond it. He encountered other empires. He discovered lands in the west where no one from this part of the world had ever reached. Continents on the other side of the world. Even Sothoryos was explored and conquered, despite its deadly wildlife and diseases."

"There was an empire at the center of one of those continents. Did you know that dinosaurs live there? Wyverns... gigantic winged creatures, and many other things?"

"What are dinosaurs?" Rickon asked, confused.

"They're difficult to describe since there's nothing like them here, but they're giant reptiles like dragons. Maybe not as large, and they don't have wings or breathe fire, but they're powerful predators." Jon paused, almost laughing at Rickon's expression.

"There were even enormous red worms in Valyria, five meters long, capable of swallowing a man whole. There were also many diseases, and the stone men, creatures consumed by greyscale who are completely bestial... They attack anyone, and their skin is difficult to cut..." Jon fell silent for a moment.

Rickon merely shook his head. It was obvious he didn't believe a single word.

"Believe it or not, Rickon... I have that man's memories. Perhaps I was him." The smile disappeared.

"But there isn't only glory and power." Jon lowered his gaze. "There's an enormous emptiness inside me now. I remember every woman I loved. Those who married me... and those who didn't and became my lovers. I remember my children, the children I raised and taught..."

His voice grew quieter. "I remember every single one of those children." He closed his eyes. "And they're all gone. Rickon... it hurts in a way I can't control."

His voice was heavy with sorrow. "It's as though I've lost all of that."

Rickon remained silent for a few moments. The sadness he saw in Jon's eyes was real. "Jon... whatever is happening to you... or with these visions of that man who conquered the world..." He made a slight grimace as he said it.

It was still difficult to believe any of those words. Even so, he couldn't ignore the sincerity written across his friend's face.

"I'm your friend. You're my brother. Even if we don't share the same blood directly and our parents aren't the same... you're still my brother. Never forget that," Rickon said.

Jon stood up and embraced him. "I know... I'm lucky to have you as my brother too, Rickon. You're my brother as well." He replied firmly as he hugged him.

After some time, Jon answered Lord Stark's summons. The two of them had lunch together. The atmosphere remained somewhat uncomfortable. Lyra and Lady Stark noticed it immediately. Although they tried to keep a conversation going during the meal, the mood remained heavy.

Several lords also came to speak with Lord Stark and ended up joining the group. Lord Mormont, Lord Umber, and Lord Karstark began discussing the tourney as well as the selection of the candidates for the throne.

Shortly afterward, Jon left the camp and made his way toward Harrenhal Castle, escorted by two Stark men.

Usually, a servant accompanied by a few soldiers would check whether he was carrying any weapons or dangerous objects before leading him to the king's chambers. As usual, Jon carried only the lute the king had given him as a gift.

But before he could enter the castle, a child approached him. "Hey! You! The champion of the archery tournament!"

Jon turned to look at the boy. He wore the sigil of House Strong, the Lords of Harrenhal, on his chest. "Hello. Who are you?" Jon asked.

"I'm Harwin Strong. I heard you're a great swordsman in the training yard despite your young age," the boy replied.

"I'm Jon Ar—" For a brief moment, Jon almost added Arctic to his own name, but hesitated. The boy noticed the brief pause.

Jon took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a moment, and smiled. "I'm just Jon. Jon, of the smallfolk." There was a different kind of pride in his voice.

Before, he used to say that in a neutral tone, as though his origins didn't matter. Now, however, it was different. For the first time, he felt proud to have been born to a loving father and mother. He had a family in the North.

And to him, that was worth more than any title that could ever accompany his name. Being a boy of the smallfolk had never truly bothered him, but now he carried it with pride.

He still had a family, and he would always be proud of them. Even if his parents were nothing more than insignificant farmers in the eyes of the realm.

Even if he was destined for greatness, Jon would never deny who they were. He would never deny being their son.

Young Harwin nodded without seeming disgusted by his origins. "Then I wanted to know if you'd like to exchange a few lessons with me in the training yard. They say I'm very good too. I want to see what the North's prodigy is capable of," he said.

He looked to be around fourteen namedays old. There was no malice in his voice, only anticipation and a gleam of challenge in his eyes.

Jon couldn't help but smile. "I'm going to see the king now. But if you're still here when I come out, we can spar. I wouldn't want to appear before His Majesty all dirty and sweaty after training. That wouldn't be very pleasant, would it?"

The boy simply nodded. He knew very well why Jon was there. Everyone did. What no one understood was why the king insisted so strongly on receiving a mere child from the North. Bastard or not, Jaehaerys always made a point of seeing him.

"All right. Then we'll meet later. I'll be waiting for you, Jon of the North," the boy replied.

After thinking for a moment, Jon smiled. "Jon of the smallfolk is good enough."

The boy laughed. "Then see you later, Jon of the smallfolk."

As Harwin walked away, Jon noticed another boy watching him from a distance. He was younger, but there was something about that gaze that immediately caught his attention.

The boy, younger than Harwin, also bore the sigil of House Strong upon his chest. But his gaze was cold, calculating. It reminded Jon very much of Bennard Stark's. Jon didn't like that kind of look. Even with all the memories he now possessed, he had learned that people who watched others that way rarely had good intentions.

In any case, he continued walking. Shortly afterward, he reached the entrance to Harrenhal, where a servant and a member of the Kingsguard were waiting for him. The two of them escorted him to the king's chambers.

Jaehaerys smiled as soon as he saw him enter.

Jon was fortunate that the king didn't ask where he had been that morning. As usual, he picked up the lute and began to play.

The music seemed to please the old king, who closed his eyes for a few moments before beginning another conversation. Now, Jon found it much easier to talk than before.

Even so, he needed to be careful. He couldn't simply start talking about places, knowledge, and experiences he had never mentioned before.

Still, the king asked curious questions, especially about politics and administration. Sometimes he asked Jon's opinion about minor lords, disputes between noble houses, or the best way to deal with certain problems.

It was strange to see a king asking a child's opinion. But Jaehaerys had already realized that Jon possessed abilities far beyond what was normal.

When he left the castle late that afternoon, he found Harwin Strong waiting exactly where he had promised.

The boy was holding two wooden swords. Jon raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you weren't coming," Harwin said with a smile.

"I gave you my word."

"Then let's head to the yard."

The two quickly made their way to one of the training grounds. Harwin immediately assumed his stance. Jon did the same.

It didn't take long before a small group of soldiers, squires, and servants looked on in surprise as they rapidly exchanged blows, though no one paid them much attention at first, thinking they were simply watching two boys training.

Jon quickly realized that the boy truly was skilled, and he enjoyed it.

It was a challenge, but to Jon, that hardly mattered, no matter how chaotic his life had become since that morning.

There had always been one thing capable of calming his mind—a sword.

From the moment he assumed his fighting stance, everything else disappeared.

The doubts...

The memories...

The pain...

All of it was pushed aside, and in that moment, only the fight existed.

And Jon immersed himself in it completely, surprising Harwin as his attacks became faster and more precise with every exchange.

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