[Chapter Size: 4300 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Reach, 300 AC.
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"Lord Willas, please gather all those of noble blood in the Great Hall. I imagine all the ladies are already there with their younger children. In the meantime, I will have every corner of the castle searched, looking for any danger that might pose a threat to any of us. Now, gather everyone," Jon said calmly, while Willas nodded.
"Please, Garth, gather everyone." He spoke to the castellan.
It was not as though all the enemies within Highgarden had simply disappeared. There were years of resentment among some of those men over everything that had happened, and besides that, there was still the maester.
Jon stopped directly in front of him. "Maester, this will not be easy to hear, but I do not trust you. You will be placed in the dungeons," Jon ordered, staring at the man.
"Your Majesty, I ask that you reconsider. Our maester is loyal to our House, he will do nothing," Willas interjected, but Jon merely shook his head.
"You say that because he is your relative, but his oath is first to the Citadel, not to your House. Besides, I can sense how much fear and anger he feels toward me, I cannot blame him for that, but neither can I take unnecessary risks. Take him away."
The Arcticans themselves stepped forward and Willas, having no other choice, asked some of his men to show them the way to the dungeons, while more and more Arctican soldiers entered Highgarden and the Kingsguard remained around the king. Willas could only manage a somewhat sad smile at all of it.
The smallfolk also began leaving the castle at that moment under the direction of Arctican men. Perhaps the fact that the Arcticans had not killed the older men who remained in the city nor looted their homes, those actions had given everyone a little more confidence, and so they began obeying Jon Arctic's demands, leaving through the walls while the army entered from the other side.
Of course, there were still people who were angry, many had lost brothers, sons, and fathers in the last battle, but Jon's men made sure to remind them that he had offered an opportunity for everyone to leave that field alive.
Jon gathered everyone in the Great Hall, his guards immediately took positions around the place, keeping everything under control while uncertainty remained evident in the eyes of the nobles and knights.
Jon Arctic entered under everyone's gaze, spoke to no one, and simply made his way to the high table, taking the place they had reserved for him.
Then he stopped. No one said anything, while he looked at everyone present. Jon had been in that hall before and recognized some faces, people he had met years ago, during his first time in Highgarden.
"I believe I need no introduction, but even so, I will make one. As all of you know, I am Jon Arctic, the current King of Arctic, a kingdom beyond the Wall."
He paused briefly.
That was obvious, everyone had already heard of him over the past few years, but now his green eyes swept over every person in that hall and, to some, there was something almost ironic about the sight.
Jon even looked like the very incarnation of Garth Greenhand, the legendary King of the Reach from the Age of Heroes, described in the ancient tales as a man capable of making trees bloom, crops grow, and all manner of plant life thrive wherever he went.
"Or, as some of you recently learned, my uncle declared me to be Aegon Targaryen, son of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark through marriage."
Jon swept his gaze across the hall, waiting to see if anyone would try to challenge him on that claim, but no one was able to say a word. The ladies merely swallowed hard and, even if they had their own thoughts or doubts about it, they were unwilling to voice them at that moment out of fear.
"I know you have your doubts, and I also know that the judgment of many here is clouded by anger because of what happened years ago," Jon continued in a more reasonable tone, offering a faint smile. "But what do you truly know about what happened that day?"
No one answered, only a few low murmurs spread through the hall. "Then let me tell you exactly what happened, because I will speak of this only once. No matter the outcome of this war, what I say must leave this hall and spread throughout the Reach."
Jon's tone grew more serious. "Lord Hightower had spoken with me briefly when I was in these very halls, along with some of you whom I still recognize. At the time, we were negotiating my goods in exchange for all the metal you possessed, along with other items and, most importantly, animals that could be easily bred for food, as well as horses, which ended up representing the largest purchase I made during that period."
At the time, Jon needed to acquire many things that simply did not exist in Arctic, which was why he had also come south with the intention of establishing trade relations and obtaining more gold coins, something his kingdom was only beginning to use. The Free Folk had never truly needed coins, for generations the tribes had simply traded what they possessed among themselves, but at that moment, Jon ruled a growing kingdom and needed food, horses, animals for breeding and, most importantly, metals.
He had purchased every kind of ore he could find, taking it back to Arctic, where it would be worked and turned into weapons, armor, tools, and everything his people needed, managing, at the time, to equip a large portion of his army.
"When I mentioned that I was also looking for books, Lord Hightower seemed to see a business opportunity and told me that Oldtown would be the best place to purchase a large quantity of them. After all, we were expanding our kingdom at the time and there were many things we simply could not find north of the Wall."
"However, when we arrived in Oldtown, we were ambushed by maesters and septons, with a group of archers prepared to try to kill us. Obviously, we fought back, especially after they practically took my pregnant wife hostage and tried to make us renounce our religion and the Old Gods. That only gave us even more reason to cause all the chaos we caused and, to make this perfectly clear to all of you, we do not regret it."
Jon kept his eyes on those present as he continued.
"We had no intention of attacking anyone in the south, only doing business at the time, but it seems I underestimated Westeros back then. People are petty on all sides, and I realized that very clearly when we were returning to our kingdom, after all, it was not merely a conflict with Oldtown. The Westerlands attacked us, and even people within the King's Council were plotting to try to destroy us the entire time, as if Dorne showing us a bit of chaos during our visit there had not been enough, and after everything we encountered in the other kingdoms, they even made the Dornish seem pleasant."
Several glances crossed the hall.
"Either way, I merely retaliated against their attack and answered it with plunder. We needed books and, if the Citadel decided to attack us so brazenly, then we would act in the same manner."
"I am making my position very clear here, we will not regret anything that happened years ago, after all, we did nothing wrong beyond responding to the attack that you started. We did not pay coins for those books, we simply took more than enough after what they tried to do to us."
Jon had done far more than simply steal a few books, hundreds of thousands of them had been taken from the Citadel, its treasures had been plundered, and it seemed that practically none of the maesters had dared to reveal everything that had disappeared that day.
Much less speak of the dragon eggs and the Valyrian steel lying within the main vault...
At least Jon had never heard any rumors about it in Westeros, but, thinking about it more carefully, that must certainly have caused some panic among the maesters who knew about the theft, especially after he had been declared a Targaryen by his uncle and the Arcticans had appeared with evidence of the actions and conspiracies of the maesters' organization.
That alone already gave his words some weight before those present, after all, the maesters had proven themselves to be far more than a simple organization dedicated to knowledge, there was evidence that they were attempting to influence and control events throughout all the kingdoms.
Jon could see many people thinking about that in the hall. "Well, either way, that is my explanation for what happened in Oldtown."
He did not even give anyone time to comment before continuing. "But do you know something interesting that I managed to acquire amid all of that?"
Jon turned his gaze toward Barristan Selmy, who had been carrying a bag since arriving in the hall. Barristan took it, opened it, and pulled out a book before handing it to the king.
Jon held the closed book before everyone. "My uncle did not need to die for me to discover who I truly was. After what happened in Oldtown, one of the books we found caught my attention. This is the journal of High Septon Maynard, who held the position at the time of the Rebellion," Jon explained and, to the surprise of some, brought the book over to Willas, opening it to a specific page. "Read this aloud."
Willas seemed somewhat unsettled, but took the book, examining the writing and the condition of the pages, certainly, the ink was far too old for it to be something produced recently.
"Prince Rhaegar came to me and asked that his marriage to Elia Martell be annulled. I granted his request and, some time later, in a secret ceremony held in Dorne, I joined Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark in the bonds of matrimony," Willas read.
The rest of the account spoke of Lyanna's pregnancy, including records that she believed she was carrying a boy, while Rhaegar hoped it would be a girl.
The entire hall fell silent.
Jon asked for the book back and Willas handed it to Barristan Selmy, who put it away again as though he were carrying one of his king's greatest treasures.
"I discovered this book before I even returned home, but I read its contents in Arctic, I knew that, somehow, it would change my life forever before I even began reading. Much happened after that, as you can probably imagine."
"But I did nothing with that information in the years that followed, I simply continued my travels across Essos, trading and buying every kind of material that could help us in the war that was to come, a war that did not allow me to look south until I had finished it."
He paused briefly.
"The war against the dead, which I imagine some of you have already heard about and probably even mocked when you heard the stories, but I assure you, my lords and my ladies, that war was real. My men and I fought things that would make most men flee in fear, you yourselves could see the signs when the days grew shorter and shorter, to the point that nearly the entire day was consumed by darkness, while the sun shone in the sky for only a few hours before disappearing."
"I swear upon my word that war was real," Barristan Selmy raised his voice, immediately drawing everyone's attention. If there was anyone in that hall whose word could carry even more weight than that of the King of Arctic himself when telling such a fantastical story, it was him.
"You may not believe it, but I saw it. I used my own blade to kill reanimated corpses with blue eyes, I saw with my own eyes Rhaegar's son, now my king, kill the enemy king with his own Blackfyre. It is a sight I will never forget and it surpassed everything I have ever seen in my life," Barristan Selmy declared in a tone filled with pride.
A few quiet laughs and smiles appeared among the guards and men of Arctic present in the hall, all of them shared memories of that war which, to the people of the south, seemed like impossible tales.
The men of the Reach, on the other hand, turned their gazes toward Jon, silently considering whether any of it could truly be real.
And, at that moment, his very appearance seemed to lend some credibility to the story. The bearing of a king, Valyrian steel armor covering his body, and those glowing green eyes that definitely did not seem to belong to an ordinary man. He had not been like this the first time they met him, but now, more mature at around 20 namedays... He was even more impressive.
"Either way, you are the first before whom I declare this since I came to Westeros," Jon said. "I did not stop in the North. While my men slaughtered the Ironborn, I went to the Iron Islands and destroyed them, then I traveled to Seagard, negotiated with House Mallister, which knelt and raised my banner, then destroyed House Frey when we discovered that they were planning, together with the Boltons and the Lannisters, a betrayal against the North and even an attack under the laws of hospitality."
"Then we entered the Westerlands. As you should know, we first took Casterly Rock and Lannisport, then destroyed the seat of the Lannisters and advanced through the Westerlands for a moon, destroying their castles."
"Then we entered here. Our objective in the Reach was always to conquer this castle, while we faced the Lannister army in the north of the kingdom, my intention is not to harm any of you until the end of this war, but, obviously, afterward you will have to deal with some demands from me, after all, you allied yourselves with the Lannisters."
"We had no idea, Your Majesty," said a woman, clearly fearing for the lives of her husband and son, something that was not uncommon among the ladies present.
"You did not know of my power or the true strength of Arctic, I imagine, but you certainly knew that my uncle had made a declaration, and his words should have been more than enough for you to believe it, after all, my uncle was once considered the most honorable man on the entire continent, even if he had his flaws," Jon replied.
No one managed to hold his gaze for long. Willas said nothing either, nor could he. The Tyrells had followed the Lannisters even after Lord Stark's death.
"Either way, my objective here is simple, my words still stand. None of you are required to remain in Highgarden, you may return to your lands and no harm will come to you."
"And what about King's Landing?" another woman asked, the fear evident in her voice.
"The men of the Reach who are in King's Landing will wage war against my main army, as you should already know. There is nothing more that can be done about that."
"Your Majesty, surely if you warn our army, they may think twice before continuing this madness," said the same woman, a lady of House Inchfield who held a young girl tightly in her arms.
"Unfortunately, that is unlikely. My army will launch the attack two days from now, the war is inevitable, my lady, and I myself will be there to lead it."
Willas, like many others, stared at Jon with a certain disbelief, some even grimaced, but no one wanted to risk offending him.
"Your Majesty, I do not believe that just two days is enough time to reach King's Landing, not even with the fastest horse," Willas said.
Jon merely smiled. "Do not worry, I have other ways of getting there," he replied, looking at everyone present. "And tomorrow, all of you will know exactly what it is."
Jon had Caraxes and Eragon, who still remained hidden to the north.
Either way, Jon ended that meeting with those mysterious words and asked that the castle continue operating normally, while his men essentially took over most of the servants' duties and also remained alert for any action that might pose a threat to Jon Arctic. Even Jon's cooks took over the kitchens, and a feast was prepared for that night.
Jon also provided food and supplies to those who decided to travel back to their lands, taking the smallfolk by surprise, at the same time, he also allowed them to use part of the food stored in the castle. There was enough to sustain his men during the moons they would still remain in control of Highgarden and, since Jon had not harmed any of the fields, the Reach would still have enough food for both the nobles and the smallfolk. After all, there were many ways to harm the Reach if he truly wanted to, he could simply have advanced while burning every crop he came across, especially because winter had not yet arrived.
Many people truly decided to return to their lands, but most preferred to remain in Highgarden, now more curious and with other interests, rather than being kept there.
Jon returned once again to the Great Hall that night for the feast, making his way to the high table, not even Willas lost his place at the high table, continuing to represent the lord of the castle while receiving a king. Everyone was seated comfortably, Arya remained to Jon's right, while his Kingsguard remained spread throughout the hall.
Jon should not have been surprised when the ladies themselves began approaching to speak with him, perhaps that was something common in that kingdom and he had simply never experienced the same in the Westerlands, after all, he had driven practically every noblewoman from their castles before destroying them.
There it was different, they were far more open to conversation, some introduced their sons and even their daughters with rather obvious intentions, with many of them having a gleam in their eyes, despite their fear and embarrassment, even after Jon had already declared that he had wives.
In truth, that only gave the women more to talk about, as they began asking about them and about his life in Arctic. Certainly many were merely trying to obtain information, while others showed genuine interest.
"You should get used to this," Willas commented, more relaxed.
After all the defeats and the stress of the last few days, he finally seemed to have managed to relax a little. He was now a prisoner in his own castle, but he could not help smiling as he watched Jon Arctic become the center of attention among his own defeated adversaries and struggle under the pressure of the older noblewomen. Now that the fear of being killed, robbed, or even violated by the men of Arctic had diminished considerably, everyone seemed much more at ease.
Jon returned to his chambers that night with a sigh, remaining on the balcony of one of the towers as he watched the Arcticans working to find the best way to repair the destroyed wall and gate, they still needed to hold the castle for a few moons. The camp remained standing outside and there were men of Arctic moving through the city to keep everything under control without harming its inhabitants, even some Arcticans ended up becoming involved with local women, but, as long as nothing was forced and there was consent on both sides, Jon would not interfere.
The door opened behind him.
Jon did not even need to turn around to know who it was, even without seeing through the eyes of any animal, for there was only one person who could enter his chambers without the Kingsguard announcing her or asking permission.
Jon found Arya gazing at the scenery before she took a few barefoot steps, wearing only a robe, to pour some of the wine that came directly from Arctic, far better even than the stocks of Golden Arbor found in Highgarden.
She filled two golden goblets and walked over to Jon, handing one to him as she leaned her shoulder against his and gazed out over the entire landscape. Her eyes also turned toward the garden, where there was a heart tree.
"Let's go see that heart tree tomorrow, together," she declared.
"As you command, my lady," Jon replied.
"Princess," she corrected him.
"Princess," he repeated with a smile.
The two remained there for some time, drinking and exchanging a few words, enjoying a tranquility they had not had for days.
Arya had changed greatly over the years, leaving behind that skinny girl who had been constantly teased throughout her childhood to become a woman with a striking presence, capable of drawing the eyes of any hall she entered and even causing wars between kingdoms for her attention.
The potions Jon had shared with her as she grew had also influenced that, giving her strength, health, and immunity far superior to that of an ordinary person. Arya had been taking them since she was eight namedays old, just as Jon had begun at nine. He had also later shared them with his wives, though not the same dose as the Kingsguard, despite the effects being more evident in the two of them because they had begun using them during their development.
Thinking about all of that, Jon fell silent for a moment and stared at her.
"Arya... should we really do this?" he asked, breaking the silence.
Despite his words, his gaze showed that the doubt did not come from what he felt for her.
Arya held his face between her hands. "Jon, you want this too, I know you do, and I want it as well. Those days in Winterfell are over, I am no longer that little girl and we have not even treated each other that way for years, so why keep hesitating? You want me and I want you, as a woman desires a man. I do not care about being just another one of your queens, perhaps I do not even need to be one of them."
"Nonsense. You are already practically a queen even without marrying me," Jon replied.
Arya's status within Arctic was already obviously elevated, more so than that of most queens. Even though she had not been there at the beginning of the kingdom, she had grown up there beside Jon, had taken part in much of its history, and knew practically every important person in Arctic, being treated with enormous respect by its people, she was loved. It was no wonder that her fights in the arena always drew packed crowds.
"Then there is no problem at all... I challenge you, my king... to say that you do not want me. I know you feel the same, you desire me too..." Arya declared. "I have already told you how I feel and now you will have to take responsibility for making me fall in love with you and ruining my chances of marrying anyone else."
"I will not leave you as merely a princess. If this is what you want, then we will marry," Jon said, looking into her eyes, still feeling her fingers against his face.
An excited gleam appeared in Arya's eyes, completely different from the girl who had always shown disgust whenever anyone mentioned a marriage proposal to her. This time there was genuine happiness in her expression, perhaps the problem had never been marriage or the betrothal proposals, but simply the fact that they had never come from the right person.
Like now.
"I accept, Jon. I want to be with you, I do not care about being another one of your wives, but I want one thing as well," Arya declared, keeping her eyes on him. "I want you to give me a child. Just one, but one of our own..."
Arya had never been a traditional woman, after all, she was a warrior like the heroines from the stories she admired so much and perhaps, by that point, she had even surpassed some of them, but that did not mean she did not wish to have at least one child with Jon, she wanted to use part of her youth to build that with him without having to abandon who she was.
"We have barely even slept together properly and you are already thinking about that?" Jon laughed, but could not stop himself from smiling before kissing her on that balcony.
It was the first time they had finally admitted so clearly what they felt for each other. All the tension of the last few days had been pushed aside because of the army's march, the battles, and the goal of conquering Highgarden, but now that they had finally achieved what they sought, there was no longer an immediate war standing between the two of them and what they desired.
"Yes..." she said timidly.
Jon set his goblet aside and did the same with Arya's, before taking hold of her waist, lifting her, and carrying her to the bed, where she removed her robe, revealing a rather revealing nightgown, before beginning to kiss him with her hands on him, removing her own clothes.
The king claims his seventh queen.
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