Chapter 67 - That Which He Never Had.

[Chapter Size: 2700 Words.]

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Third Person POV

Harrenhal, 101 AC.

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Jon would have an entire moon to remain at the farm. Because of that, he decided to make the most of that time as if it were the last he would have with his family.

Everything he had brought was very well received. His father still found it difficult to believe some of the ideas his son proposed.

"I want to invest in the farm. We can expand the land, hire men to clear part of the forest surrounding the farm, and turn that area into new fields," Jon said.

Garrem looked at him in disbelief. "No, Jon. It's not that simple. That land isn't ready for cultivation. The tree roots are still spread throughout the soil, and it'll take years before we can make use of that ground."

Jon merely smiled. "Don't worry, Father. There's a way," he said in a mysterious tone, without revealing his true plans. In his mind, however, he already knew exactly what he would do. He would use his powers over the earth to make that soil incredibly fertile and turn the farm into a far more prosperous estate.

At that point, it had already been a week since his return. Everyone had grown accustomed to the dogs, while the children spent a good part of the day playing with them, especially the four Caucasian Shepherd puppies. The birds also flew over the entire farm, and Jon was taking care of his new horse, a Dothraki horse.

In any case, while the children were busy taking care of the animals, Jon decided to speak only with the adults that day. There was something he had not told them on the first day.

His talent for music quickly became something everyone listened to every evening as they gathered together, and they could not help but be impressed by Jon's skill. They also had questions, mainly because of the lute he had brought with him. The instrument immediately drew attention. It had cost more than a thousand gold dragons and featured enough gold detailing to be worth hundreds of coins on its own.

His father wanted to understand where it had come from. "I'll explain... But you'll have to gather Uncle Roman, Aunt Sarra, and Mother. Only you," was Jon's condition.

Garrem frowned but agreed. Once they were alone, Jon began to explain.

"The old king... Jaehaerys... asked to meet with me several times," Jon began.

Rowena could hardly believe what she was hearing. "The king asked to speak with you?!" Concern immediately spread across her face. They were nothing more than a family of farmers from the North. They were nobody in the eyes of the realm. Why would a king pay so much attention to their son?

Jon continued explaining. He told them that he had met nearly the entire royal family. He had spoken with the princes, the princesses, the claimants to the Iron Throne, and had even seen the dragons up close.

If Mary had been there, she certainly would have started asking dozens of questions about the little princesses, wanting to know what they were like. Sam would have asked about Caraxes and Meleys, the only dragons present at the tournament, and especially about Cannibal's arrival.

Jon also ended up telling them that the dragon had appeared during the Great Council, because that would soon become common knowledge throughout the realm. The men who had been at Harrenhal would spread the story of Cannibal's mysterious arrival, and each person would interpret the event differently.

Some would see it as a good omen. Others would see it as a sign of disaster. Cannibal was not exactly a beloved dragon. It was a wild creature, known for hunting and devouring other dragons, hatchlings, and even eggs. Because of that, most people would certainly associate its appearance with ill fortune. That was now a problem for Viserys and the royal family to deal with, not him.

And in any case, Jon completely concealed his connection to the dragon, even from his own parents. The less they knew, the better.

Jon turned to his mother the moment she asked the question. "Did you know we're the king's great-grandchildren?" he asked, and everyone present looked at him in complete confusion, unable to understand what he was talking about.

Jon continued. "You really didn't know? Grandma Shirley... she's the king's daughter. Father and Uncle are his grandsons. We're part of a bastard branch of the family. There's no point trying to hide it."

The revelation stunned everyone. They had never imagined they were descendants of Jaehaerys. The news was even more shocking when they learned that Garrem and Roman's mother had been one of the old king's bastard daughters. Even the south would have been shocked, since to them, Jaehaerys and Alysanne had always been seen as the perfect example of husband and wife.

Jon then explained. Jaehaerys had fallen in love with a woman from the North when he stopped with his dragon before continuing his journey to the Wall to meet the queen. The two had shared a brief romance that lasted only a few days, but the king's duty forced him to leave, never to return. What he never knew was that he had left behind a daughter on that small farm in the North.

Garrem and Roman's mother had never revealed that story. Because of that, everyone was utterly shocked. Not even Garrem had known the truth about his own origins. Although his mother's violet eyes had always stood out among the Northerners, they had never imagined that characteristic had such a profound explanation.

"Don't let Mary find out about this," Sarra said with a nervous laugh. "She'll go running around shouting to everyone that she's a Targaryen."

Rowena ended up smiling as well, trying to ease the tension that had settled over the room.

Garrem and Roman, however, remained silent. The two simply stared at Jon, unsure what to think.

"Did he say anything about us?" Garrem finally asked in a cautious tone.

Jon shook his head. "I told him a little about my life. But if you're asking whether there was any sudden interest in our family to the point of bringing the king himself here... no. There wasn't."

He paused briefly. "The interest was always in me."

His words made the room fall even quieter.

"There's one more thing..." Jon continued, looking at everyone. "The king invited me to go to King's Landing in the future. He said Viserys would welcome me with open arms at court."

This time, his parents simply stared at him in complete astonishment. It was already difficult enough to believe that Jon had been taken in by the Starks. Now, learning that the king himself had invited him to King's Landing to spend time with the king, the royal family, and all those wealthy nobles was even more unbelievable.

The royal court was a place where not even a commoner dared dream of setting foot. That small gathering gave the adults a great deal to think about.

Jon merely shrugged. There was not much he could do. His words still did not carry the weight he wished they did, especially since he was only a ten-year-old boy.

In any case, he decided to take advantage of exactly that. During that month, he wanted to be nothing more than a ten-year-old boy.

He began spending time playing with Sam whenever he could. His brother still carried a certain resentment over the fact that they had grown up apart during the past few years, but Jon did everything he could to earn his trust and show that he still cared about him, more than ever.

In his previous life, he had never had a brother. He had had a sister, of course, but never a real brother, since his had been brutally murdered. There had not even been anyone like that in Winterfell.

The closest had been Robb Stark, but the relationship between the two had changed greatly over the years, to the point where they grew completely apart, especially after everything Catelyn had done and Jon ended up being treated as the scapegoat for events that Theon Greyjoy and Robb Stark themselves had been responsible for.

Now it would be different. Sam was his blood brother, the son of the same father and mother. Jon could not hide his happiness at finally having the chance to experience that.

He found the boy feeding the two largest Labradors.

"Hey, Sam. How have you been?" Jon asked as he approached.

The boy looked up and gave him a small smile. There was still a bit of resentment, that was true, but over those past few days, Jon had been breaking down that barrier little by little with the toys, the animals, and all the time they spent together.

"I'm taking care of them," Sam replied, a little awkwardly.

Jon kept smiling. "I was thinking... How about we let the tiger out? He's been caged for too long already. It's time for our parents to start getting used to him. We just... can't tell anyone. What do you think? I could use some help."

Sam's eyes lit up immediately. He was already eight years old and completely fascinated by all of it.

Jon had told him stories about the tournaments, the melee fights, the jousts, and all the adventures he had experienced in the south. Sam also constantly asked about the archery tournament. He said he wanted to become an archer like his brother and win as many gold dragons as he had.

Naturally, a bit of childish greed sparkled in his eyes. Fifteen hundred gold dragons seemed like a fortune that could make him rich for the rest of his life.

Jon just laughed. It was not that simple. He had defeated experienced archers, men who had trained for decades and possessed physiques specifically shaped for that kind of competition.

Even so, he made a promise. "During this month, I'm going to train you."

Sam broke into a wide smile. Jon was probably the greatest archer alive in that world. In addition, the memories he had recovered had granted him even more knowledge about shooting techniques, posture, and training.

If he taught Sam the right way from the very beginning, the boy would become an excellent archer. In the future, he would naturally surpass his own father when he went out hunting.

During that month, Jon also prepared several potions using the herbs he had bought during the journey. He had already begun taking them daily while feeling his body gradually grow stronger. He also intended to give them to his family.

At the same time, he needed to train his own body again until he recovered the strength he had possessed in his previous life. His magical domains also needed to be developed once more.

He believed he would also be able to awaken part of Sam's potential. After all, Sam was his blood brother. Jon was certain that, because he had been born first, a small spark of his power had remained within their mother and had eventually been absorbed by his younger brother. It was something extremely faint, almost imperceptible, but enough that it could be strengthened.

Sam would probably never be capable of doing what Jon could, but he could form a deep bond with an animal—or animals... He could become an excellent warg, capable of controlling at least a dozen different animals.

In that world, that alone would already be extraordinary. In Arctic, however, it was relatively common among the great wargs. There, where such abilities were abundant, the most powerful could maintain bonds with twenty or even thirty animals at the same time.

Even the Royal Guard of that era had this as a requirement. Its members formed bonds with wyverns, creatures smaller than dragons that required no blood connection, unlike the Targaryens. Even so, they were capable of flying through the skies carrying their riders, allowing the Royal Guard to accompany the royal family during long journeys.

As the decades passed, virtually every member of the Royal Guard came to be chosen for their ability to become a warg as well, since mastering a wyvern was considered essential to fulfilling that role.

Naturally, such a thing could never be replicated in the south. If Jon truly wanted to build a force like that, he would need to found his kingdom in the North and recreate that entire society built around magic.

Even so, he was certain that Sam could become a very capable warg while living in the south.

The two walked toward one corner of the farm. The heart tree had grown even more since the last time Jon had been there.

He stopped before it and placed his hand on the white trunk, immediately feeling that familiar energy flow through his body. Whenever he remained close to the tree, he could feel his magic growing a little stronger.

Every day, he made a point of speaking with the Old Gods in his own way. After a few moments, he stepped away from the tree and headed toward where the tiger remained.

As soon as the animal heard his footsteps, it immediately calmed down. Sapphire had been quite irritated lately from being kept confined. Jon used to let him out from time to time, but an entire week inside the cage had certainly been enough to leave him frustrated.

This time, however, Jon opened the cage. Sam held his breath.

Jon took his brother's hand, startling the boy. "Don't worry. He's tame. Come on."

Sam hesitated, but eventually followed his brother. Jon was absolutely certain that the tiger would never attack anyone on that farm. As he looked directly at the animal, he silently conveyed an order through the bond they shared.

'This is my brother. You must never harm him. Do you understand?'

The tiger simply remained still.

"His name is Sapphire," Jon explained to Sam.

"Sapphire..." Still somewhat nervous, Sam slowly reached out and touched the enormous feline's soft fur.

The tiger was magnificent. His white coat, marked with black stripes, contrasted with his striking blue eyes as he watched the two brothers in absolute silence.

Sam fell even more in love with the tiger after touching him. He could not stop walking around the animal afterward, examining every detail of its massive frame, completely fascinated.

Jon then led Sapphire to the front of the farm under the anxious gaze of his parents, who immediately demanded an explanation.

The tiger simply lay down beside Jon. Sam, now much more confident, climbed onto his back, just as Jon often did with Ghost.

"Sapphire... Stand."

The enormous feline obeyed immediately, and Jon began laughing at his brother.

Sam's eyes widened in surprise for a few moments as the tiger began walking slowly. Before long, the fright gave way to laughter.

Jon simply smiled, pleased by his brother's reaction. Mary also ran over to them.

"I want to too!" She was already wearing one of the dresses Jon had brought from the south and practically begged to play with the tiger.

Meanwhile, Garrem and Rowena continued casting worried glances at Sapphire, repeatedly asking Jon whether the animal was truly safe.

Jon simply answered with a calm smile. Around them, the birds soared over the farm, while the Labradors—two adults and four puppies—came out of the barn wagging their tails and running from one side to the other.

Jon silently watched the entire scene.

He was content.

This was his home in this life.

The sorrow over the losses he carried from his previous existence was finally beginning to fade.

There was also much to achieve in this world.

Whatever the future had in store for him, he was determined to make the most of the present.

Jon remained with his family for an entire month.

He did not mind at all spending much of that time accompanying his mother. On the contrary, he practically became her shadow during those days, while Rowena was more than happy, cherishing every moment beside the son who had spent several years away from home.

At the end of that moon, however, he returned to Winterfell. Throughout that entire period, he kept in constant contact with Rickon and Lord Stark through ravens. He also established contacts in the south. The Tarly heir kept in touch with him, and Jon surprised him with a letter.

In any case, when he returned to the castle, he already had plans of his own. Lord Stark had already begun organizing reserves and supplies for various projects, while Jon divided his time between strengthening his own body, training his magic, and several other activities.

He even spent a good part of his days in Winterfell's forge.

With the memories of his previous life becoming more and more complete, he had become far more skilled than before in every aspect.

In any case, the moons continued to pass.

The years began to slip by quickly.

Before Jon realized it, four years had already passed since the Great Council held at Harrenhal.

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