[Chapter Size: 3200 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Arctic, 298 AC.
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Jon passed the Wall heading for Arctic over the next few hours, while he wasn't in a rush right away to make Eragon use his wings.
He would prepare a ship for Arya immediately, at the same time the moment arrived.
Jon reached Arctic shortly after, with Eragon advancing toward the castle while landing on the landing strip—if Jon could call it that—since with the dragon constantly moving in and out of the castle courtyard, they always had to maintain the ground, creating an area where Eragon always landed with all his weight, and Jon always set up the terrain with his powers, creating a grassy setting across the area.
Upon landing, Jon left his dragon while he jumped off and gave him a few pats, so he would move out of there, while Jon walked across the terrain toward his corner of the courtyard, where his nest was with the dragons of his wives and children, who also lived there with their riders.
Jon soon saw someone running up to him, as the little girl's legs moved as fast as they could, with Lyanna coming to her father, escaping her guardians.
"Hahahaha!" Lyanna laughed, giggling as she enjoyed fleeing the servant while getting closer to her father.
"Lyanna." Jon said, seeing his daughter nearing him.
"Daddy!" she exclaimed, grabbing his legs and raising her arms directly to him, asking to be picked up.
Jon picked her up as she pulled him closer into a hug.
"My king! My sincerest apologies… she heard the dragon approaching and wanted to see him out here, and she simply ran." the woman tried to apologize immediately.
"It's all right... I'll take care of her." Jon said as he began heading toward the castle with the servant, while the royal guards saluted the king.
"Mommy said you went south… Did you go to Winterfell?" she asked curiously, looking at her father, speaking very well for her age.
"Yes… Daddy went to take care of a few things, but now he's back." Jon replied with a smile after passing the guards.
"Aunt Arya is still there?!" she asked, curious. Even though she remembered little about her, hearing how much she resembled Arya certainly sparked curiosity.
"Yes... and soon, she'll come to Arctic." Jon said.
He entered the castle as he found Rhaenys at the entrance with Jaehaerys standing beside her and a baby in her other arm, while some servants were assisting her along with her lady-in-waiting.
"You returned quickly." she said, as Jon greeted her with a kiss on the forehead and then turned to the two children with Rhaenys—Jaehaerys, almost 3 namedays old, and Visenya, a baby just a few months old.
"When I crossed the Wall, Arya had already killed the Faceless Man." Jon said, as Rhaenys raised an eyebrow at him.
In any case, he proceeded inside, where he was soon met by Loki, followed by Ygritte and Seryna.
Daenerys and Hiyori appeared afterward, coming out of one of the castle's gardens where they had been getting some air, with the Targaryen carrying Aegon and Hiyori still expecting her baby.
Only Seryna and Hiyori were still pregnant—the princess of Yi-Ti would give birth soon.
In any case, he chatted with them for a while and went to take a bath after explaining the situation to them, concerned about what might have happened in the south knowing Jon had gone to deal with a Faceless assassin.
He ended up having Daenerys invade his bath with the excuse that she was "in the mood" after putting Aegon to sleep and wanted to share the next few minutes with Jon.
Jon left with Benjen waiting for him, as soon as he saw Eragon entering Arctic, he went straight to the castle asking for information on what had happened.
"It's all right... Arya handled things and I ended up talking to uncle... Since I was there." Jon said as Benjen looked surprised but sighed in the end.
"Arya handled it? Like, she found him and told Ned?" he asked.
"More than that, she fought him and killed him." Jon simply replied, leaving Benjen stunned by that.
"She did what?!" he murmured, not quite knowing what to say.
"Long story, we'll talk about it later. Anyway, get your things ready, I'm sending you to the Night's Watch soon, uncle, along with the men from the Watch." Jon said.
"Jon... I wanted to talk about that... Can we discuss it later?" He seemed hesitant, and Jon nodded, wanting to get going, with Daenerys heading to her room with little Aegon there.
"All right... I've got a few things to do now." he said as he walked down the castle corridors, leaving his uncle behind.
He noticed a bird on the window watching him as he nodded at it.
"Inform all ministers that tomorrow at first light, I need everyone in the senate, we'll be discussing the next steps." Jon said to the animal, knowing it was Brynden Rivers there.
The animal only nodded, as Jon continued walking with a few guards, asking them to leave him alone as he entered one of the gardens inside the castle that he had created, where he found the blonde.
She was sitting in that garden while looking curiously at the plants and water flowing through the place, being drawn by one of the roots of the sacred tree Jon had placed directly inside the castle to create a very unique environment like that.
"You're always here." Jon said calmly, walking beside her, catching the blonde by surprise as she looked at him and stood up, realizing it was him.
"You..." she murmured cautiously.
"Jon... that's what you always called me, I'd like you to keep doing it." Jon smiled at her as Val looked at him, pressing her lips together.
"Sorry, your majesty." she murmured with some bitterness in her voice as she said those words.
"Jon." Jon insisted.
"Jon." she finally said.
"So, may I sit with you?" Jon asked, still looking almost amused by it.
"..." she only nodded.
Jon kept walking as he sat beside where she had been, with the blonde still standing.
"You seem to like this place." he commented, looking at the plants and flowers with the small stream flowing through.
"It's calm here." she murmured.
Val was certainly very different from all the women he had dealt with in terms of marriage. He felt she was always pulling away from everyone, as if being there felt very strange to her.
Seryna and Ygritte, being women who had lived among the free folk, certainly had a stronger connection with her, and actually managed to have a better conversation than all the others.
But Val always remained distant. She had disdain for all the fancy things she had there since she entered the castle to be his betrothed and live with him to see what would really happen between them, with both agreeing to try to get to know each other before deciding anything.
Unlike Ygritte, who had lived only a few years among the free folk, she had quickly gotten used to the life they could have inside a luxurious castle rather than facing the cold in a hut, afraid of encountering some predator.
Val avoided wearing dresses and usually wore more masculine clothes in her wardrobe. Every day, she had a joyful moment leaving the castle to visit her sister, who now had a house in the city center due to Mance's position within Arctic. But when she was in the castle, she was always dodging people.
That's why Jon decided to talk to her, and came here after hearing about her from Daenerys while they were relaxing in that bathtub, at the same time Jon was trying to find Val and saw her there through some of the animals he kept in the castle to help locate his children who were now running all over the place after learning to walk around.
"How is your sister?" Jon asked, seeing a spark light up in Val's eyes at that moment.
"She's fine, she's having a very good life here and eating much better..." she said with a bit more energy.
Jon nodded at her, still standing, while he looked forward again.
"Her baby will be well cared for, and I'll assign the midwives who handle the royal births to assist her." Jon said.
"You promise? I'm afraid something might happen to her and the baby..."
She sat beside him and looked directly at him.
"I heard that you take care of your wives... could you use that magic one of your wives talked about, to heal Della?" she asked, almost begging Jon to do it.
"I can do that, but it won't be for free." Jon said with a slight smile.
"I'll marry you." she simply said, making Jon look at her surprised, not expecting that.
"Bfff! Hahahaha." he burst out laughing as she raised an eyebrow.
"I wouldn't ask something that extreme, I just wanted you to wear more dresses." he said.
"That?!"
Val looked flustered at that, completely breaking her usually serious demeanor, blushing in embarrassment as she looked at Jon.
After all, there was a big difference between asking her to wear dresses and forcing her to marry him.
He knew she kept up a distant and serious façade, while deep down, she always snuck glances at him, watching him from afar, not knowing how to act in this new kind of life—it wasn't that she truly hated being there.
"Why do you want me to wear that kind of clothing... they're so loose and strange... I feel like a kneeler, like the women south of the Wall." she commented, and Jon knew his wives had clearly already talked to her about it.
"Because you look more feminine and beautiful than in that training outfit." he said as he saw her look away.
"Really?"
Val might have been older than Jon, but she never had the luxury of romantic interaction with anyone, and she now looked like a little girl.
"Yes... I wanted you to try talking more with my other wives... This castle is far too big for you to be wandering around alone." Jon said with a more solemn tone now, looking at the vegetation of the place.
"They always seem busy with their children..." Val said, but Jon knew it was just an excuse.
Val liked almost no one except her sister, and Jon understood why.
After all, they had gone through a lot after their mother died and barely survived.
Only young Val and Della had stayed together during those shadowed moons for them, until they finally found Mance's camp in the beginning—Mance fell in love with Della, and Val had always protected her sister, even from Mance at first.
That was the story she had told.
"I'm sure it would be good for you to help them too. The children always ask me who that blonde woman is that's always alone in some corner of the castle." Jon said, opening a mischievous smile.
"Liar..." Val murmured, but honestly, she knew that could really be true, given how she behaved with everyone.
Jon fell silent after that, and so did Val. It wasn't an awkward silence, just the two of them there, enjoying each other's company.
"Can I fight in the war?" she suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
"Yes... it won't be a war fought head-on, it'll be simpler. We have some plans to deal with the dead. The problem is if they surround us, and we're forced to defend the walls." Jon said, fully aware that this wouldn't be quick and could last a long time if Arctic were surrounded and they had to split their army against the dead.
"Couldn't you release those dragons of yours?" she asked.
"The dragons are already big... but not for a war." Jon said.
They were already the size of a house, but not suited for a confrontation like the one about to unfold.
They could be hit by those blades the White Walkers threw at Eragon, trying to bring him down.
And Jon didn't want to see a dead dragon roaming around, nor lose one of them, already having grown attached to the dragons since he had raised them himself, just like his other animals.
"I see... but even so, I want to help. I don't want to just sit around." she said.
"Alright... but I want you to stay close to Arya, who will also fight and stay by my side." Jon said.
"Your cousin from the south... I heard you went to visit her." she commented.
"Yes... She'll be coming to Arctic soon. Anyway, shall we seal our deal?" he turned his gaze to her.
"About that type of clothing... Fine, as long as you guarantee that Della will be okay." she said.
"Of course, as long as you go to your classes." Jon didn't let that part slide, after all, Val had been avoiding her lessons—just like Ygritte used to do. In that, the two had a lot in common.
Val looked at him as if Jon were asking too much.
"You already asked for the dress." she murmured.
"Sure, but I also want you to study." he said, not wanting an unprepared queen for her duties.
"I don't like the classes." she said with a stubborn tone.
"How about this—there's still time before the dead are here. You'll study with me two hours a day along with my children. I'll teach you myself." Jon said, placing Val among the children. He wasn't going to waste his time while running the kingdom.
"You want me to learn with the children?!" she made a strange face.
"It won't be so bad. We'll start with the basics. I could even teach you to fight better, since you've already shown interest in sword fighting and learning more. I can set aside a moment before bed, and we can train in the castle tower." Jon said, and that actually sparked the blonde's interest.
"Alright... I'll think about it." she murmured, not wanting to admit it.
Jon just smiled before turning his gaze to the door next to him, and even Val looked over curiously.
The next moment, the door began to open as a small head started peeking inside—it was a little girl with platinum hair.
"You found me... come here." Jon said, seeing Lyanna once again running up to him.
She was growing very attached to him, running all over the place looking for him.
She came in and pushed the door closed with both hands, then walked over to Jon, who was seated beside Val.
Jon picked her up and placed her on his thigh, while she looked at Val with some curiosity and even shyness, not knowing her very well.
Val looked back at her, studying Jon's eldest daughter.
She did resemble him, but her features didn't fully match Jon's or her own mother's, looking more like another of his platinum-haired, violet-eyed wives.
"Daddy..." Lyanna murmured, not taking her eyes off Val, before looking up at her father and pointing at the blonde woman.
"Isn't she that blonde lady who's always alone in some corner of the castle?"
Jon said nothing and just looked at Val, who frowned.
After all, Jon had told her his children really asked that, and she had denied it, saying it was a lie—but now Lyanna had said exactly that.
Lyanna had only ever seen her from afar.
Val sometimes sat at the dining table, but Lyanna was so busy with her siblings that she barely noticed her, only catching glimpses of her in the castle's corners, always behaving differently from the others.
"She is... But she's learning to be nicer now. This is Val. Why don't you greet her?" Jon instructed gently, and Lyanna nodded.
"Hello, Val... My name is Lyanna Arctic and I'm the second princess of the kingdom. Are you Daddy's friend? You're very pretty."
She spoke in an adorably formal way, trying to behave properly while Jon gave her a loving smile.
Even Val couldn't help but smile at the nearly 4-namedays-old girl.
"I am..." she said. "And thank you, you're very pretty too."
"Thank you..." Lyanna replied, smiling brightly at her, her baby teeth still coming in.
Jon stayed with Lyanna for a while, and Val ended up answering some of the many questions the girl began firing at her, full of curiosity.
Jon stopped watching them as the door opened once again.
"Brandon!" Lyanna shouted when she saw her brother approaching with some difficulty, still unable to run.
"Daddy!" he walked up to Jon, looking troubled, and Jon gave him a curious glance.
"Something wrong, son?" he asked, still holding Lyanna.
"I asked Mommy something... but she laughed and told me to ask you instead?" he murmured, worried.
"What did you ask that made Ygritte send you here?" Jon narrowed his eyes.
"I'm hearing things!" he said, as if he were sick.
"Things...?" Jon raised an eyebrow while Lyanna and Val went silent.
What could it be that not even his mother, nor the royal guards and servant always with him, had explained—and now he had to come here?
"Yes... I just noticed it... There's a voice in my head! I hear it saying things!"
He looked at his father, hoping he wouldn't say Brandon was sick.
"Oh, that..." Jon smiled, almost wanting to laugh.
The boy had just now realized the voice was his own thoughts in his head.
Ygritte must have barely held in her laughter and found the question so unexpected that she sent him to Jon with it.
"That's called thoughts." Jon said.
"Thoughts?!" he looked curious and slightly confused.
"Everyone has those, brother." Lyanna murmured.
"You hear the voice too?!" he immediately asked his sister, eyes wide, and Jon couldn't hold it—he burst into laughter.
"Of course. Is it funny, Daddy?" Lyanna looked at him, surprised, as she watched Jon laugh.
Even Val began laughing beside them, looking at the two children with emotion…
A feeling of motherhood invaded her more than ever before.
Jon continued chatting with his two children, eventually placing Brandon on Val's lap so she could get used to the boy.
After all, she was expecting a nephew, and Jon wanted them to have some kind of bond.
Despite her initial distance, Brandon was safely kept in her arms a moment later, while Lyanna and Brandon argued about something nearby.
The next day, Jon left for the senate.
It was time to finalize everything and close the kingdom for good, giving orders that they must prepare for war.
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Author's Note:
I initially wanted to make the chapter about Jon preparing the kingdom with stats, but ended up developing things with Val instead, so they wouldn't suddenly be romantically involved out of nowhere without some logic behind it.
I also enjoy writing about Jon's intentions and his children.
We'll have just one more chapter focusing on the current power of Arctic, with data on soldiers and population, weaponry and strategies for preparing for war—and finally, we'll begin Game of Thrones in the next.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 276 - The Daily Life of the Royal Family of Arctic.
Chapter 281 - The Winterfell Banquet 02.
Chapter 291 - Eragon vs Cannibal 02.
Capítulo 300 - A Letter from Jon.
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