[Chapter Size: 3900 Words.]

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Third Person POV

Arctic, 281 AC.

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“The challenge is for you three!”

The mysterious knight issued a challenge to all three at the same time, while everyone watched, surprised and rather pleased, seeming to enjoy the unfolding events.

And so, the contests began, and everyone immediately started commenting on them, watching the mysterious knight, who called himself the Knight of the Laughing Tree.

His opponent was from House Blount, and he believed he would easily handle the “short-statured” knight, but in the first lance pass, the man gained no advantage. On the contrary, he had to make a great effort to remain in his saddle after his shield was struck by the lance.

Everyone was astonished and immediately cheered for the mysterious knight, for he had fared much better than his opponent and far better than anyone had expected.

Quickly, they prepared for the second charge, while Jon knew that his uncle Benjen was still helping his sister away from everyone’s eyes, handing her new lances.

She returned once more, and again their lances clashed. But this time, the opposing knight seemed more prepared. Lyanna did not have a man’s strength, being a woman, but she certainly displayed great mastery over her horse, and that gave her an advantage—it was her greatest strength.

It was in the fifth tilt that she finally unseated the knight, making everyone immediately burst into applause.

She exchanged a few words with him and then began to leave the field, while the crowd was still clapping, and Ser Blount looked irritated—though no one knew if it was because he had lost or something else. After all, the mysterious knight did not demand ransom for his opponent’s armor.

“What a bore.”

Aerys muttered from his chair, in the main area of the tournament, on the royal podium, as he continued to observe these small contests with an utterly uninterested look.

The tournament went on, while the main names kept winning one after another, with bards playing songs about them, and the people celebrating and placing bets.

It was only when Jaime Lannister made his debut and defeated a knight that something different happened. The king called him personally, ignoring Tywin’s intense gaze as he watched his son approach.

Something that shocked everyone took place—there was a vacancy in the Kingsguard. At that moment, Aerys simply knighted Jaime and, immediately after, announced him as a member of the Kingsguard, after asking the boy what he wished to do. Everyone could see the murderous look in Tywin’s eyes directed at Aerys.

And thus, under everyone’s gaze, young Jaime Lannister became the youngest member in the history of the Kingsguard.

“Aerys is doing this to hold him as a hostage… It wasn’t a foolish move, politically speaking.”

Jon commented beside Jojen, at a distance, while ignoring the shocked looks exchanged among the nobles, as this would halt a marriage and an alliance between the Lannisters and the Tyrells.

Jon could see the grimace on Jon Arryn’s face, among the other nobles of the Vale.

Ignoring that, the tournament continued, and once again, the Knight of the Laughing Tree made his appearance, challenging the next house.

Lyanna, still in disguise, and the knight from House Haigh quickly competed, and once more, the short-statured knight surprised everyone, defeating his opponent in their fourth tilt, unseating him with the charge driven by her skilled riding.

Everyone began praising the knight as an astonishing horseman, for that was how she had triumphed over her taller and stronger opponents.

In the end, that day’s tournament concluded, while the people celebrated euphorically—cheering both the great names who had been victorious and the mysterious knights who had shown remarkable performances.

The banquet that night was lively, but the king seemed troubled by the mysterious knight with the Weirwood tree on his shield, after finally noticing him during the second match. Jon saw the conversation he had with Varys, while the eunuch failed to discover the knight’s true identity, leaving Aerys quite disappointed.

“That knight is mocking me, I am sure of it! He is acting against the king himself!”

Said Aerys, furious.

He then offered, in the middle of the banquet, a good sum of gold coins to anyone who unmasked the knight the next day, making several immediately agree to it.

One of them was Robert Baratheon.

Lyanna, however, shrank upon hearing that, while her brother Benjen and Howland looked quite worried. But Lyanna seemed determined to continue, as she still had one more opponent to defeat.

On the next day of the tournament, while the great names once again stood out, the mysterious knight reappeared, facing his final challenger, from House Frey.

She nearly fell in the fifth lance pass, until, on the seventh tilt, she finally managed to unseat him, as he lost his balance and fell from his horse shortly after.

The knight made his horse rear up in a gesture that surprised everyone.

Aerys finally reached his limit and exclaimed as he saw the knight leaving.

“Arrest that knight right now!”

As Lyanna was leaving the area, her brother ran to her to warn her.

“Flee as fast as you can!”

Jon looked quite worried at the scene, as he also witnessed everything up close, while Lyanna sped away from the tournament grounds.

Prince Rhaegar, along with some of the Kingsguard, volunteered to go after her, and so they did, following the tracks left behind.

Lyanna was hiding near a Weirwood tree, focused around Harrenhal, in the middle of the forest, while she tried to rid herself of everything she had, for she clearly did not want to be caught.

That was when sounds began to approach—horses drawing near.

“They’re going to catch her…” Jojen murmured, while Jon narrowed his eyes toward the forest.

It was then that Lyanna found herself surrounded. The Kingsguard and Prince Rhaegar had found her.

“You are under our custody. Take off your helmet slowly and reveal who you are.”

Prince Rhaegar requested, seeming calmer than someone truly giving an order to his father’s prisoner.

He did not see a traitor before him, for he knew his father’s madness. And he had the trusted Kingsguard at his side.

With no choice, Lyanna removed her helmet, revealing herself to be a woman, causing the prince and all the royal knights beside him to look stunned.

“Who might you be, my lady?”

He asked, with curiosity and a hint of admiration.

“My name is Lyanna Stark, daughter of Rickard Stark, Lord of Winterfell.”

She murmured.

There, Jon saw his mother and father meet for the first time.

Rhaegar did not take her to Aerys immediately. Instead, he asked why she was at the tournament, why she had been acting as a mysterious knight.

When she began to explain that she was there to defend a friend who could no longer compete and that she had taken his place, the prince was quite impressed.

In the end, he asked her to discard her armor, while one of the Kingsguard would escort her back to the Stark camp.

Rhaegar would take the knight’s shield to his father, saying he had not found the Knight of the Laughing Tree. Even though Aerys would be enraged by this, it was madness to think that, because of a shield, he was being attacked or mocked.

Regardless, Lyanna did exactly that and returned to the camp. Later, Benjen, along with Howland, came to see her, relieved that she was well.

Lyanna mentioned that she had met the prince to her little brother, who was quite surprised by this.

And so, the day ended, while the main events that fueled all the gossip that night were Jaime Lannister’s ascension to the Kingsguard and the mysterious knight who managed to escape the king’s orders and the prince’s hands.

That night, almost no one noticed the prince’s specific gaze toward the Stark table. Some thought he was merely curious about the wolves of the North, but his gaze was directed straight at the girl who tried to ignore him, as she talked to her brother and paid no attention to her betrothed, who was drinking and reveling alongside Brandon.

The next morning, before the tournament continued, Jon saw his mother receiving a letter delivered by the prince, asking to meet her precisely at the Weirwood tree from the day before.

Benjen and Howland accompanied Lyanna there, but remained at a distance.

The prince, curious, began asking Lyanna several questions, and they started to get to know each other from that moment on.

She spoke about her life, her dissatisfaction with her betrothed, as he was a womanizer and already had bastard children—something she detested.

She said she did not want to marry him, but her father insisted that it had to happen.

She talked about her life in Winterfell and how she wished to be a warrior like her ancestors.

The prince ended up speaking about his own life as well.

He mentioned the court, prophecies, and even sang to her, which made her laugh.

In the afternoon, the tournament resumed.

Prince Rhaegar advanced to the round of sixteen, along with almost all the Kingsguard.

Jaime ended up losing.

No one truly believed he was fit to be a member of the Kingsguard with his current skills, despite having potential.

It became clear that Aerys’s decision had been purely political.

Tywin barely said a word after that.

Many reported that the old lion of Casterly Rock was furious.

There was one more day of the tournament beyond what was expected, as the initial schedule was for only three days.

Prince Rhaegar once again looked toward the Stark table, making even his wife wonder what he was observing so intently.

On the fourth day of the tournament, Prince Rhaegar was in the final, while the crowd cheered excitedly for the decisive match.

And, for those who hoped the crown prince would emerge victorious, they were not disappointed, as he unseated his opponent—none other than Ser Barristan Selmy of the Kingsguard.

After his victory, Prince Rhaegar helped Barristan to his feet and returned to collect the crown of the Queen of Love and Beauty.

He began walking past the stands, and everyone expected him to stop before his wife, Elia Martell.

However, a murmur erupted among the spectators when he simply passed the royal box and continued forward until he stopped before the Starks.

Then, he declared:

“Lyanna Stark, I name you Queen of Love and Beauty.”

At that instant, all smiles died, and an awkward silence fell over the assembled nobles.

Even Lyanna looked horrified, staring at the prince with pure indignation.

Princess Elia, on the other hand, appeared embarrassed and humiliated by her husband’s behavior.

It was said that Oberyn Martell became so furious he wished to strike the prince for shaming his sister in such a manner.

And so, the tournament ended in a rather uncomfortable way.

The only one who seemed happy about it was Robert Baratheon, who cheerfully said:

“My Lyanna truly deserves such an honor!”

The days that followed brought more encounters between Rhaegar and Lyanna.

She seemed extremely upset about what he had done, but their meetings became frequent while Aerys returned to King’s Landing.

Meanwhile, the nobles continued with their plans, hoping to use the king’s madness, which had been evident during the tournament, as encouragement for a future war against the Targaryens.

As much as Jon wished to see more of his parents, he turned his attention to the schemes devised by the lords of the coalition of the Four Kingdoms.

In the end, the tournament came to a close, with Rhaegar returning with his family to King’s Landing.

Benjen left for the North, while Brandon and Lyanna remained in Riverrun, awaiting the wedding between Brandon Stark and Catelyn Tully.

Jon watched as his uncle Ned departed for the Vale and learned some interesting things about him.

Ned was known as the “Quiet Wolf,” due to his shy nature at that time.

He also saw the young man trying to get closer to Ashara Dayne, whom he was completely in love with during that tournament.

He even had the help of his brother Brandon, who encouraged him to approach her during the banquets and ask her to dance.

However, something happened that left Jon outraged.

His uncle Brandon ended up drinking too much one night and took Ashara to bed.

Jon felt disgusted by what had happened, and Ned found out everything later, unable to even speak to his brother after the incident.

Brandon seemed somewhat regretful, but what was done was done.

After that, Ashara and Ned drifted apart.

It was a shame for his uncle, and Jon felt a certain pity upon seeing the woman whom Ned had begun to envision as the future Lady of Moat Cailin—since Ned planned to build his life in the North—having slept with another man.

And worse, his own brother, who was already betrothed and would soon be married.

Things seemed normal in the following weeks, until suddenly, something unexpected happened.

Prince Rhaegar appeared again in the Riverlands, in secret, and asked to meet with Lyanna.

“I want you to be my wife. We can flee from this marriage with Robert.”

He declared.

In the end, Lyanna accepted.

She went to speak with Lysa and Petyr Baelish, with whom she had formed a certain friendship during her stay in Riverrun, and handed over a letter to inform her brother.

She also sent a letter to Winterfell, explaining what was happening and hoping that her father would understand she was running away of her own free will.

But, in the end, those letters never reached their intended recipients.

Lyanna’s disappearance quickly became public knowledge.

Then came the news that Rhaegar had abducted Lyanna Stark.

Jon saw that Baelish and Lysa Tully had hidden the letter.

The maester who received it in Winterfell did not deliver it to his lord; instead, he burned it and began sending ravens to the Citadel, informing them of the situation.

That was when Jon began to see the maesters’ schemes falling into place, along with those of the nobles.

Brandon went to King’s Landing as soon as he heard the news.

Upon arriving at the Red Keep, he demanded before the king:

“Bring Prince Rhaegar here and hand me his head! He abducted my sister!”

Immediately, Brandon was imprisoned, along with his men.

This shocked all of the Seven Kingdoms.

Rickard Stark quickly rode down from Winterfell and advanced toward King’s Landing.

Jon witnessed one of the most cowardly scenes he had ever seen in his life.

Prince Aerys stood before them and, when Rickard Stark demanded trial by combat, the Mad King said:

“Let fire be your champion!”

Rickard was then burned alive, while Brandon strangled himself trying to break free from his bonds to save his father.

At that point, nothing could stop the war anymore.

Ned advanced to the North and gathered all his men at Moat Cailin.

Then, he marched south, seeking vengeance for Brandon and Rickard Stark.

He was named Lord of Winterfell and set out with the goal of rescuing his sister, whose whereabouts were still unknown.

Ned was forced to marry Catelyn Tully, in Riverrun, to cross with the Northern armies and gain the support of the Riverlands.

The wedding took place in Riverrun.

The Vale and the North united there, along with the Stormlands, beginning their advance by ships and marching toward the Trident.

Robert was named the leader of the alliance, for he had the best claim to the Iron Throne.

Aerys took Elia as his prisoner and made Dorne bring twenty thousand spears to the war.

He did not let Elia leave the Red Keep, sending only Rhaella, pregnant, along with Prince Viserys, to Dragonstone.

Meanwhile, Rhaegar arrived at the Red Keep and then advanced north, leading the king’s and House Targaryen’s forces.

The Reach also declared support for House Targaryen, but instead of marching directly to the battlefield, they marched toward the Stormlands, besieging Storm’s End with an army of fifty thousand men against only five hundred soldiers defending the castle.

Stannis Baratheon led the garrison, and his younger brother, Renly, was also there, taking part in the defense.

They endured a year in that situation, nearly starving to death.

But, thanks to a man named Davos, who managed to smuggle food through the castle’s secret passages, they survived until the end of the war.

At the Battle of the Trident, Jon closely watched the unfolding of the war.

He observed the decisive battle, where the Targaryen forces and their allies tried to push back the armies of the Four Kingdoms.

Only Tywin Lannister remained neutral, supporting neither side at that point.

It was then that Jon witnessed the fight between his father and Robert.

He saw when Robert finally managed to defeat Rhaegar Targaryen, crushing his chest and shattering his entire torso with his warhammer, sending all the rubies from his armor scattering everywhere, falling into the river near them as well.

In his final moments of life, Rhaegar only whispered while looking at the sky the name of his beloved.

“Lyanna…”

Those were his last words before he died.

As soon as the news of Rhaegar’s death spread, Tywin acted quickly and marched toward King’s Landing, raising the army of the West to arrive before Robert’s forces.

Upon reaching the gates of the capital, he was denied entry.

However, Grand Maester Pycelle managed to convince King Aerys to let them in, under the pretense that they were allies.

As soon as Tywin entered the city, he gave the order.

“Sack it all!”

And chaos broke out.

Seeing the beginning of the sack, Aerys fell into despair, having no defenses left.

He ordered the pyromancer to prepare the wildfire explosion to destroy the entire city and his enemies.

“Burn them all!”

The only Kingsguard member by his side at that moment was Jaime Lannister.

Jon raised an eyebrow as he watched Jaime draw his sword and, without hesitation, drive it through the pyromancer with a strike, killing him before he could give the order.

Immediately afterward, Aerys felt Jaime’s blade pierce his back.

He killed Aerys II, the Mad King, right there, in front of the Iron Throne.

At that moment, Robert’s forces, Jon Arryn, and Eddard Stark had already arrived and also invaded the city, trying to contain the brutal advance of the Lannisters during the sack.

His uncle Ned arrived in the throne room and found none other than the king dead at the foot of the chair, while Jaime Lannister was sitting upon it.

Horrified by the scene, Ned Stark exclaimed.

“Kingslayer!”

He immediately ordered Jaime’s arrest.

Although Jon did not judge Jaime the same way his uncle did, he witnessed another scene that marked him deeply: his sister’s escape and the death of Elia Martell and his brother.

Rhaenys managed to escape thanks to Oberyn Martell, who led her through the secret passages of the castle.

To cover the escape, they placed another dead child from the sack in her place.

Furthermore, Oberyn killed the man who had been sent to kill Rhaenys, to avoid raising suspicion, and left the other child’s body in his niece’s place.

As they fled, Rhaenys cried desperately.

Jon saw the moment when Oberyn, to calm her and prevent her from drawing attention, delivered a blow to the child’s head—strong enough to make her pass out.

Only then were they able to leave the city unnoticed and board a ship to Dorne.

However, Oberyn also wept.

Just as Jon had, he had seen what happened to the boy and to Elia.

The Mountain had smashed baby Aegon’s head against the wall and then raped and killed Elia Martell.

Those scenes would mark Jon for the rest of his life.

Jojen had never seen Jon’s face so disturbed and enraged as when he watched him witness that scene.

“I swear… I swear they will all pay!”

Jon spoke with a hatred he had never felt before in his life.

In the end, the bodies of Rhaegar’s children were brought to Robert.

He only looked and said.

“Dragonspawn…”

Robert passed no judgment on the murderers, even though one of them was already dead.

Jon felt the urge to draw his sword and kill him right there, just as he wanted to attack Tywin, who stood beside Robert, but he knew he could do nothing.

In the end, his uncle Ned was sent south to liberate Storm’s End.

After completing that mission, he continued to Dorne, where he was informed that his sister was at the Tower of Joy.

Jon saw the brutal fight before the tower, where his uncle Ned, accompanied by his Northern companions, faced Arthur Dayne and two other members of the Kingsguard.

Arthur Dayne was the last to remain standing, slaughtering almost all the Northern lords.

In the end, Ned survived thanks to Howland Reed, who wounded Arthur from behind.

After the battle, Ned found his sister dying.

Jon watched that scene, seeing Lyanna lying in bed, pale and weak after childbirth.

Beside her was a newborn baby—himself.

Lyanna held Ned’s hand and murmured.

“Protect him… Promise me, Ned… Promise me…”

And then, she died.

They left that place and headed to Starfall, where Ned returned Arthur Dayne’s sword to his sister, Ashara Dayne.

Jon saw the pain in her eyes.

He also learned that Ashara had become pregnant after the night she spent with Brandon Stark.

She had lost the child shortly afterward.

Ned could not look her in the eyes, and she could not face him either, consumed by shame and grief.

In the end, they left the seat of House Dayne and went their separate ways.

A short time later, Ashara took her own life, throwing herself from the tallest tower.

Ned took Jon as his ‘bastard’ son and returned to King’s Landing with Lyanna’s body.

Robert seemed furious when he saw that Lyanna had died, but shortly after, he seemed to forget, as he drank and slept with prostitutes.

“The Targaryens… They killed my Lyanna!”

He raged in a strangely pathetic way that even made Ned angry.

Cersei Lannister, on the other hand, seemed pleased, knowing that she could now become queen to satisfy Tywin.

And so it happened. Robert married Cersei, and the new queen was crowned.

Ned returned to the North with his sister’s body and with Jon, presented as his bastard.

Upon arriving in Winterfell, he was received by Catelyn, who did not hide her displeasure at seeing the boy.

She believed Jon was the result of an affair during the war.

Finally, everything seemed to settle after so much death and misery.

But Benjen Stark felt guilty.

“I am responsible… If I had warned them or done something… Maybe all of this could have been avoided.”

He said to Ned, overcome with guilt, but Ned never told him that Jon was Lyanna’s son.

Ned tried to comfort him.

“You don’t need to join the Night’s Watch. We are the last Starks… We need you here.”

But Benjen did not accept it.

He felt so guilty that he saw no other way but to join the Night’s Watch in an attempt to redeem himself.

The vision finally ended there.

Jon and Jojen returned to Greywater Watch, touching the Weirwood tree.

Howland Reed was standing before them, watching, as if not even a minute had passed.

However, Jon and Jojen knew that more than a year had gone by as they witnessed the entire story of Robert’s Rebellion and how it all began.

Raccoon Here:

So as not to go into too much detail, I skipped the full war, only giving a broad summary of everything I knew about it.

————-Nexts Chapters —————-

Chapter 239 – Destroying Khal Moro.

Chapter 244 – The Mountain Trial.

Chapter 254 – An Offer to the Free Folk 01.

Chapter 263 – The Pact.

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