[Chapter Size: 3400 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Arctic, 298 AC.
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"Let's go." Arya said, as she looked at the empty area of the castle courtyard, pulling her hood back on and moving forward, leaving through one of the entrances.
It wasn't just her, there was a grown man, also hooded, walking along with two children, with Arya and him each carrying one of them.
"Arya, I don't know if we'll be able to get through without being seen." Benjen said. "We should just tell Jon." He suggested with a serious tone. He didn't even know why he was doing this in such a way.
"And where's the fun in that, uncle? We can get past the gate guards, it's more fun this way." Arya said, while Benjen shook his head. Ned's daughter was less mature than he had dealt with before.
"This is so fun!" Said the little girl in Arya's arms, laughing, as Arya gently touched her head.
"Dad is going to be upset." The boy in Benjen's arms couldn't help but comment, watching carefully and analyzing the situation. They were trying to leave the castle without being seen, even though it was impossible to get past the guard at the only entrance the castle had.
"Let's just see how the gate is." Said Arya, as they walked closer to the entrance. Despite being on an open path, no one had stopped the four of them from moving forward.
It was only when they got close to the gate that someone came from the entrance, startling them and stopping them from sneaking any further.
As Arya looked cautiously, they had been caught, when the royal guard approached directly with a raven on his shoulder and a letter in his hand.
"Princess Arya, you must be careful. Taking both Prince Loki and Princess Lyanna with you through the city, while you're trying to trick us, on the very first day you arrive in Arctic... is a little irresponsible. I remember you used to be quite energetic in those early years... I see that hasn't changed." Said the man, smiling at Arya with the four of them frozen in place, Arya opening her mouth in an O shape, stunned at being caught so easily.
"If you're asking how I know this, well... the king just sent a letter, asking me to deliver a message to you and your uncle, with the instruction that you'd be heading to the gate at this very moment..." He said, opening the small parchment with a dramatic gesture. Then he began to read aloud.
"Notice: Arya is trying to leave with my oldest boy and girl, along with Uncle Benjen, sneaking out of the castle. They should be careful. I'll allow her to leave with both of them this time, since Lyanna seemed quite excited and Loki also has his own interest, even though he tries to behave most of the time."
"I knew you were leaving with them the moment you dressed up and left your room, and I believe you knew that too. Seryna is calm about this, believing you'll keep Loki safe. Ygritte, however, was quite nervous, she even wanted to stop it, but Serena managed to calm her down. And I also trust that you would take care of them."
"I will entrust my two children to you, then. Don't disappoint me, Arya. The same goes for Uncle Benjen. Good luck then, whatever it is you are going to do in the city at night. But this won't stop me from keeping eyes on you the whole time, even from a distance. Just pretend they aren't there, since you want to sneak out like this. Arrive two hours before the wolf's hour, this is not a request, otherwise I'll come for you with a troop of royal guards." Said the royal guard, finishing reading the note, while other laughs came from the gate, as the other royal guards had also heard every word written by the king.
Arya had the decency to blush, while Lyanna and Loki only kept a curious look. Benjen, however, sighed a little regretfully.
"Well, I guess we have permission to leave." Arya said at last, as she began to pass the royal guard who nodded and did not stop them.
"Just stay safe. We'll be watching you!" Said the royal guard, nodding as they moved forward to the outside.
"Good luck, just come back soon." Said the other royal guards, and they advanced toward the city.
"And now, what are we going to do?" Benjen asked, while the children looked on curiously, hidden beneath hooded cloaks, with the four of them entering the busier area.
If some of them saw them leaving the king's castle gate, no one said anything. But Arya knew they were being watched, and that it could come from anywhere — either someone at a distance, or even animals flying overhead. It was quite common to see birds passing around the city, so there was no way to tell which of them might be spying on them, unless stared at intensely.
"Let's take a boat!" Arya said, growing excited again.
It had been a long time since she had traveled through the rivers that cut across the city. As they moved through the crowd, people were returning home or gathering their things, while some shops were still open, selling things here and there. They followed until they reached a spot where they saw some people wanting to board a boat docked at one of the banks, with a man charging the villagers who wanted to cross through the rivers in the middle of the city.
"Come one, come all! For those who want to go to the north of the city on a peaceful ride!" Shouted the man, as he watched the villagers, common folk, boarding.
"We've never been on a boat!" Shouted Lyanna, excited.
"Really? Jon never took you?" Arya asked, a little surprised. She knew they had come to the city a few times with their father and their mothers.
"No." Said Loki, also liking the idea, while Benjen set the little boy down at his feet, still holding tightly to his hand.
When their turn came, the man announced the price: "Three silver coins, one for each head, and two for the two children."
Arya took the pouch of coins that Jon had asked to be placed in her room, so she could enjoy the city whenever she wanted, and now that things had prices, inside it were platinum, gold, and silver. She handed three silver coins to the man, who was satisfied, as they took a seat on the boat.
"It's so beautiful at night! We never see the city at night this close!" Lyanna said excitedly, staring at the city full of lights with the crystals surrounding the whole place.
Soon there was no one else to board the boat, with about a dozen people sitting on its benches. The man guiding it untied the rope and then began to row along the river of Arctic.
"So, are you going to the arena?" Said a dwarf suddenly who was beside the four, looking at the little girl with a friendly tone when he saw Lyanna staring at him curiously from under the hood — which wasn't very common for dwarves, but there were always a few who enjoyed talking to children, even strangers. Since dwarves were generally reserved when it came to speaking with outsiders.
Arya smiled, while Lyanna's eyes sparkled at hearing that. "Yes, we're going there for the first time! Aunt Arya told us she would take us there!" She said, while the dwarf laughed.
"Really, little girl. We're heading there too. You'll see a very interesting race tonight. What's your name?" The dwarf asked.
"It's Lyanna." Said the little girl. "And what's yours?" There was genuine curiosity in her voice.
"Lyanna? How funny, the king has a daughter with the same name and she also has purple eyes like yours, which is quite unusual in Arctic, there's no one else with those eyes..." The dwarf said laughing, while Lyanna, believing the dwarf knew who she was, started laughing, finding it amusing the way he was saying who she was.
Arya and Benjen exchanged a glance. The dwarf continued then.
"My name is Morha, a great and powerful armorer. I work on armor in the forges in the south of the city." He said, flexing his arm, while Lyanna kept laughing joyfully, enjoying the dwarf uncle.
Arya and Benjen said nothing, but they didn't seem to dislike the dwarf's interaction despite him blurting out that he was talking to the princess of the kingdom without realizing it.
"Hey, stop bothering them, Morha. Don't you see you're annoying them?" Said another dwarf beside the first, while Morha elbowed him upon hearing the complaint.
"Of course not! Look at the little girl, she's laughing. And you know I get along well with children. And this one seems like Princess Lyanna, tomorrow I'll tell everyone in the forge that I met the princess." He declared, winking at a delighted Lyanna, before turning his attention to the other boy, sitting on Benjen's lap.
"And you, little boy? What's your name?" He asked, while Loki stared back at him. The dwarf was surprised at the difference in colors in his eyes.
"Holy shit! What beautiful eyes you have!"
"Watch your mouth!" Arya said immediately upon hearing the curse in front of Jon's children.
"Sorry!" Said the dwarf, closing his mouth. "It's just that this was surprising... The little girl's eyes are unusual too... You are peculiar... faces like these are hard to find in Arctic. Only the royal family has them." He said, laughing, while Arya and Benjen couldn't help but frown.
The dwarf didn't even seem to notice the truth. And his companion was still recovering, while Morha waited for Loki's response, who was a little surprised by his outburst upon seeing his eyes, before he could even answer the earlier question.
"Loki." Said the boy in a more cautious tone, while Lyanna was still having fun.
"You look like a strong boy... are you her brother, little Lyanna's?" Asked the dwarf, while Loki nodded.
"Yes, we're siblings." He said, while Morha felt satisfied. But the boy wasn't done yet: "And I'm very strong too." He said with a proud tone, making the same gesture as the dwarf.
Benjen was already pressing his lips at hearing this. Loki was a monster, he knew that. Benjen had spoken with Jon as soon as he saw him, after their reunion when the boy had lifted a stone. Jon knew about it and didn't hide that he was somewhat worried, since Loki could hurt his siblings due to the size of his strength. Jon had to explain that his mother was a giantess transformed into human form. The strength still remained in Seryna and had basically passed down to her children.
Jon was strong, very strong as well. Thanks to his potions, he had greatly increased his physical strength, adding potions for his growth since he had acquired his powers. But there was no doubt about one thing: Loki, or perhaps Seryna's other children, would be even stronger than him and even stronger than their mother, who was stronger than Jon himself.
In terms of raw strength of a being, it was believed that Loki, as he grew and assumed Jon's position, could even become a mighty king.
"So they are your children?" Said the dwarf, turning his gaze to the older human. Though he didn't have the same cheerful tone as when speaking with the children, he still kept the conversation going.
"Actually, they're my nephews. All three. The pair of little ones are my nephew's children on his sister's side, and the girl is my niece on my other brother's side." Said Benjen, while the dwarf nodded.
The journey continued, and the dwarf kept chatting with them, while they traveled along the rivers. The man steering the ferry simply used the current of the waters, flowing directly from the center of the city, to guide the boat. They went straight toward the arenas, which were already bustling with shouts coming from a distance.
They could see the Senate and other buildings from there, but nothing as bright as the arenas. Arctic was full of lights at night, making the environment magical while the giant heart tree glowed, its red leaves reflecting the city's lights around it.
After some time, they finally arrived, stepping off the ferry, which had about a dozen people on board. They followed the crowd toward the arena, already with the intention of watching the games.
"Will we get good seats?" Benjen asked. He had never been there either. "We could show a little of our identity as princes of the realm." Benjen said.
"Or we could blend in with the people." Arya replied, smiling sideways.
"It wouldn't be good for the children, they're too young. Let's get a box or something like that. Jon already mentioned it, he said I could use the king's box when I came to the arena..." Benjen answered, and Arya had to agree with her uncle.
They went to the entrance, where guards were keeping order as people went in. Arya approached one of them.
"I'm here to watch the game with my uncle and my two nephews." She said, while the guards looked at her confused.
"Well, you can go in there... entrance is free for the people." Said the guard, a little dissatisfied with what seemed like a foolish request.
"You can say we're with two princes who are too young to be among the rest of the people of Arctic. We fear they might get scared or hurt. That's why we want a better place. We want the king's box." Arya said, as the man widened his eyes while she revealed more.
"Princes? The king's box?!" The man asked, while Arya turned to take Lyanna from Benjen's arms, along with Loki. Arya placed them in front and pulled back the hood, revealing platinum hair and purple eyes, while the girl stared at the guards, surprised Arya was using her like this.
If the message was to reveal Lyanna's true identity, it worked well. After all, there was only one little girl with those features in the whole kingdom at that age, and only a careless dwarf could ignore that... The only other children who would have the same hair and eyes were the other children of the king — her siblings, due to the strong Targaryen heritage in Jon's offspring.
"Princess... daughter of the king..." The man murmured, while Arya also revealed her own identity. She was known in Arctic.
"Princess Lyanna... I am Princess Arya, can you get that place for us? Also, we want not to be announced. We want as much privacy as possible." Arya asked, while the men looked at each other, nodding.
"All right, I'll escort you inside. I'll secure the king's box, which His Majesty uses when he comes to visit the arena." Said the guard, as Arya nodded, following the man inside along with Benjen and the children.
The arena wasn't unfamiliar to the children, since they had come here a few times with Jon. Even so, Lyanna had cried the first time she was there. She couldn't handle the noise of people shouting all around, and Jon only managed to calm her when he put earplugs in her ears and kept her in his arms for the rest of the night.
They were soon led to the best spot in the entire arena, located in a VIP area, used by ministers or high-ranking Senate officials and other dignitaries of Arctic.
Jon had this box for obvious reasons, since the royal family had the right to watch along with their relatives, and the place was quite spacious, able to hold 30 people.
As they followed the arena guard to the box, Arya spotted, in one of the other VIP sections, Bari and Jill, who couldn't help but stop when they saw her, surprised. Their eyes widened even more when they noticed the eyes of the king's children.
"Arya... wait... it's the princess! And the prince!" Jill murmured, looking around nervously, then back at Arya.
"This is a secret." Arya said, signaling for them to stay quiet. "Wait, are you two together there, alone?" Arya smiled at the pair, who were clearly lovers.
They only laughed, shrugging off the comment, but the damage had already been done to their secrecy, as other boxes were now staring at them in shock.
Arya simply ignored it and continued with the guard to the main box, while the entire arena roared with shouts echoing throughout the place.
After the other guards were informed about the presence of the royal family, the fact that the box meant only for the king was occupied was already a strong indicator that those four were indeed members of the royal family.
Down below, as they settled in their seats, they watched the race the Arcticans were holding, with horses pulling chariots as riders stood in them. It was called a chariot race. That was the event of the night, after all, the arena held many different games — chariot races, gladiators, battle simulations, and others.
The horses ran as fast as they could, with men striking their reins over four horses, each team driving a quadriga, the two-wheeled chariot fastened behind them.
The race went on until soon some men approached the box.
"Princess Arya, I am Jilm, the organizer of the event. I came as soon as I learned of your presence, we are honored, princess. I heard of your arrival today. I see you are with your uncle, the king's uncle as well, and also with the crown prince, Loki, and Princess Lyanna." Said a man with a mustache, the highest authority there, who came personally to greet them.
"I came here to know everything you might need. I will leave a man here to attend to all your requests and needs. You will find here everything you need to eat and drink, just ask him to bring it."
"Thank you, Lord Jilm. We will keep that in mind." Arya replied. Even though Benjen was older, he was still a stranger to the Arcticans. Despite being known as the king's uncle, Arya was far more important in their eyes. She was loved by the people and only overshadowed by the king himself and the queens, especially the first two.
"Then I will leave you at ease. If you need anything, you may call me personally as well." Said the man before stepping away.
They stayed there, watching the show begin after that race, another starting while someone stood to announce to the entire arena. There was always some story told, sometimes even about Jon and his battles, before the race began.
The VIP boxes started betting while the crowd roared when one of the quadriga crashed after colliding as they tried to overtake each other. It was also a very competitive and dangerous sport.
The sound echoed throughout the place, louder than a real battlefield. Lyanna was having some difficulty; she didn't seem to enjoy the noise much and asked Arya for some earplugs. Arya requested them from the man Jilm had left, and they had some cotton stoppers for the girl, which made her feel much more relieved.
They also ordered food and drink, managing to enjoy the show. Benjen had to admit he had never seen anything like it in his life. He had been invited to the arena before, but never attended. He had to admit that the tournament at Winterfell seemed dull compared to hearing more than 100,000 people shouting at the same time in that crowded arena, as the race ended with its new champion while people wagered platinum coins against one another. The games were very different from those of Westeros, but far more entertaining.
Some people came to greet Arya in the box in that area, since she had arrived that very day and was seeing some faces she hadn't seen in years.
When they left, she wanted to return before Jon could send the troop he had promised. She wasn't surprised when she saw a group of ten royal guards waiting for them at the end, ready to escort them back to the castle immediately.
And so they did, with carriages already prepared to take them back. Lyanna and Loki were sleepy and tired, which was a welcome thing as they returned to the castle.
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Author here:
Sorry for stalling, but this fanfic has as its central point the kingdom of Arctic, I wanted to write more about it and how people live in it. Now let's start organizing some chapters with Jon finalizing the preparations before the war.
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