Eddard Stark put his hands to his head as he stared at the book on his desk. He was furious, but also unsettled by what he had just discovered. After much research, questioning, and observation, he had learned that his friend Robert's children were not actually his, but were born of an incestuous relationship between Cersei Lannister and Jaime Lannister.
"Damn it!" Ned growled, slamming his fist on the table. He knew this would complicate matters, especially with Myrcella now living with Jon.
He had gone through too much trouble, only to arrive at this point and find this out. He wanted to stop the Hand of the King tournament, which had been held because he had been named Hand of the King. Ned, however, knew that the tournament was just another way for Robert to amuse himself. The amount of debt the king had accumulated didn't matter, nor did the relationships within the small council. Perhaps when Jon arrived, Robert still cared a little about the kingdom, but not now.
"It's best to say nothing, Lord Stark."
Ned's eyes widened as he heard a voice beside him. He immediately moved aside and kicked the chair. As soon as he was standing, he drew his sword.
The person who had spoken stopped the chair with their foot and looked at Ned seriously.
"Who are you?!" Ned asked, carefully observing the man. The person before him had a dark presence. Their skin was pale white, and their eyes were black, almost like an abyss. Their hair was short but neat, and they wore all black.
"Greetings. My name is Umbra. I serve Lord Jon Stark to protect your safety, your father." Umbra bowed, placing a hand on their chest before straightening and staring intently at Ned.
"Jon?... How do I know you're telling the truth? It could very well be a trap."
"I've been watching over you and protecting you since my lord arrived at Winterfell after King Baratheon's visit. The only times I've left you alone are when you needed privacy."
"Why would Jon hire you?"
"My lord fears something bad might happen to you here in the capital. That's why I've been working for Jon Stark."
Ned frowned as he lowered his sword, but didn't sheath it.
"What did you mean by what you said earlier?"
"My lord fears something bad might happen to you here in the capital. That's why I've been working for Jon Stark." "If you say anything about the princess's true birth, not only will you be in danger, but so will your family, especially my lord, who is betrothed to Princess Baratheon."
"I advise you to keep this secret, at least until the two of you are married. At that time, the princess will no longer be Baratheon, but Stark. After all, she is not betrothing my lord; she is being betrothed to my lord and the Stark family."
"Besides, things will soon change throughout the world."
Ned gritted his teeth, hating to keep another such a big secret, but Umbra's last words caught his attention.
"What will change in the world? I don't understand what you mean."
"I am adept at magic, especially shadow magic. Unfortunately, what I can do is very limited at present. However, I feel that magic is slowly returning to this world. Dragons will rise again, as will that monstrosity that will only bring death and an eternal winter."
"And my lord, who is blessed by magic, will be an important part of what may happen."
"Princess Myrcella is apparently also blessed. That the two of them know each other... perhaps it's not a coincidence, but the workings of something greater."
"The Great Other," Ned murmured, a shiver running down his spine.
Umbra simply nodded.
"You can take my advice as empty words; my job is simply to protect you. But you must be careful with your actions, especially when they could involve the entire North."
"In the end, if the North falls, nothing will be able to stop that icy monstrosity."
Ned looked at Umbra before nodding. He believed the man's words, at least regarding the Great Other. He had already seen it in his visions, and now, with this, it seemed that everything was about to begin.
"I understand, I'll take your..." Ned stopped when he saw Umbra's eyes widen and his gaze shift toward the window.
"What's wrong?"
"This is happening much sooner than expected," Umbra remarked as she walked toward the window. Ned frowned and moved a little closer. His eyes widened as he saw a red comet appear in the sky.
"It's an omen... the awakening of dormant things. The beginning of the end. The end of one era and the beginning of another."
Ned felt another chill run down his spine as he saw Umbra's shadow spread across the room, plunging it into near darkness.
"Ha... Ha. Ha," Umbra laughed as she spotted something else in the sky. Ned looked again and noticed the comet changing color as a piece broke off. The scarlet red turned blue, while the smaller fragment shifted to an almost golden hue.
"I knew it! My lord's latent magic was far too great for a mere magic user!"
"This is the proof! A fate not even the gods anticipated."
"Oh, R'hllor, your champion is no longer yours."
"Oh, Great Other, only a bitter end awaits you."
...
Jon Stark and Myrcella Baratheon didn't know what was happening. Just moments ago, they had been standing before the weirwood tree near Castle Aeternum, but now they were surrounded by whiteness. There was no sky or earth, only pure white all around.
"What is this place?" Myrcella asked fearfully as she took Jon's hand, trying to find some reassurance.
"I don't know," Jon said, frowning as he squeezed Myrcella's hand.
"This is the place between the mortal world and the world of the gods. You humans can only come here with a god's permission. On the other hand, the gods can go wherever they want."
The couple's eyes widened as a woman appeared before them. She appeared as she descended slowly before her fingertips touched the ground.
The woman was the most beautiful thing the two of them had ever seen. Her dress seemed made of gold, so brilliant was its brilliance; her skin was white, and her features appeared finely sculpted, making her unparalleled. Her eyes were an unusual orange color, like two bright suns. Her dress, with its long, flowing sleeves, moved slowly as her faint smile widened slightly upon seeing Jon and Myrcella.
Oddly enough, the couple couldn't think anything bad about this woman. Many men and women would feel attraction and lust upon seeing such a beautiful woman, but these two could only feel respect and a touch of fear.
"Who... are you?" Jon asked, squeezing Myrcella's hand tighter.
"My name is Astria. You can consider me the goddess who stands above all other gods in the universe."
"The Old Gods, the Seven, the Drowned, and the gods of Valyria—all of them are beneath me and must respect me."
Jon glanced to the side for a moment before looking at the goddess Astria.
"Are you...the person who helped me years ago?"
Astria smiled and nodded. "I helped you. My friends helped yours."
"Why?" Jon asked, unaware of the goddess's reasons. He had simply asked to try and find out something, but he never expected that this goddess was actually the one who had entrusted the group's system to him.
"That's something you'll discover in the future. Now there are other important things to discuss."
"Important?" Myrcella asked, confused. She was still trying to understand the whole situation. Not only was he facing a woman who claimed to be the supreme goddess of all deities, but he had also just heard that she had helped Jon.
"Behind you," Astria raised her hand and pointed.
Jon and Myrcella turned their heads and saw something they couldn't quite comprehend. Several people and beings were kneeling. A man, a woman, a warrior, a maiden, a blacksmith, an old woman, and a figure that seemed to change its appearance from male to female and vice versa. A little further away, there were strange figures, one as if made of earth, another as if it were water in human form, and so on with various things related to nature.
What caught the couple's attention, even more than what could have been other gods, was a crucified man. This man had his eyes open as he stared upwards. His body was engulfed in flames as he seemed to be suffering a torture unlike any other. Golden liquid oozed from his wounds before it burned and evaporated, but then his wounds seemed to heal before they could be burned.
"W-what? Who are they?"
"All the gods they worship on Planetos," Astria replied.
"And the one being punished is R'hllor. He thought he could take you as his champion when he had already taken you as mine. Now he is suffering under the flames he was once so proud of."
"Why do you want us here? And what do you mean by your champion?" Jon asked immediately.
"You are my champion, but that's something you'll understand in the future. You don't have to worry, because I won't hurt you. The stronger and happier you are, the better my future will be, so don't be afraid, I have no ill intentions toward you."
"As for the reason for bringing you here, it's because it's time for you to know certain truths and awaken the true power that lies dormant within you."
"Power? I don't feel anything, I've never felt any power within me," Myrcella said nervously. Astria just smiled at her and looked back at Jon.
"I feel nothing, I've never felt any power within me." "Why don't you tell her what your eyes see?"
Jon frowned immediately before sighing.
"Jon?" Myrcella asked, full of doubt.
"My eyes are special. I can see people's potential in the form of an aura and colors. I can also see when someone is lying to me. Although, now that we're here, these eyes of mine have something to do with this woman."
"Myrcella, you have the greatest magical potential I've ever seen, even higher than Eira's. I can't see my own, so I can't give you a comparison."
"You're my champion! Of course you're superior to everyone on that planet of yours!" Astria snorted before putting a hand on her hip and pointing at Jon.
"I can't see my own potential, so I can't compare you to her." "Myrcella is a very rare case of birth. She doesn't come from a family that was skilled in magic or studied the mysteries surrounding those arts very much. But even so, she was born with an astonishing talent," Astria said with a smile before murmuring something the couple couldn't quite hear.
"But Robert Baratheon, the king, is descended from Rhaelle Targaryen. The Targaryens were known for their use of magic and dragons," Jon stated seriously.
"Some of that should have passed on to Myrcella."
Astria shook her head.
"Myrcella isn't Robert Baratheon's daughter."
"Huh?" Jon blurted out. His gaze immediately shifted to Myrcella beside him. She wore an expression that clearly showed her shock.
"N-no... that's a lie. It has to be a lie!" Myrcella exclaimed, clutching the hem of her dress. Her knuckles turned white from the force she was using.
"If that were true, then I wouldn't be a princess! My father isn't a man who simply accepts his children so easily. If he did, he'd have all his bastards close by."
"It's because he knows nothing. Your mother, your uncle Jaime, even your grandfather have hidden it. You, Tommen, and Joffrey are all your mother's children with her brother Jaime Lannister. That's why I said you're a rare case when it comes to magic. The Lannister family has hardly any magical ties, and yet you were born to be a superior wizard."
Myrcella went completely pale when she heard about her mother and uncle. Then, her mind went completely blank, as did the place where they were. Every thought seemed to vanish before she registered that everything in her life had been a lie, from her birth to her mother's words.
Jon had to lift Myrcella's body when he saw her about to fall to her knees.
"I'm sorry, child. But you had to know. Now you'll have time to think about it. You would have found out in a worse way."
"Is this what you wanted? Is this the truth you were talking about?" Jon asked angrily.
"No," Astria said gravely. "There's still you, Jon Stark. Or perhaps it's better to call you by your birth name, Aegon Targaryen."
"Targaryen?" Jon murmured before fixing his gaze on Astria.
"Tell me everything. Now." Jon's jaw tightened after she spoke. Was he a Targaryen? How exactly did that happen? He didn't know. All his life he'd wanted to know who his mother was, and some people even said it could have been Ashara Dayne. But now the goddess said he was a Targaryen.
Jon's mind was racing as he tried to recall anything that might be important.
"You were born when the man you think is your father tried to save his sister. Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen had married; his previous marriage to Elia Martell was annulled, and you were born of that union."
Jon stared into the distance as he remembered something.
"You have Stark blood..." he murmured, remembering when his father had once told him that. Jon's face twisted with anger for a few moments, but then his mind cooled. Lyanna Stark, Rhaegar Targaryen, Eddard Stark, and Robert Baratheon—all those names flashed through his mind in an instant, causing him to begin to calm down.
"Did my father hide it to protect the family?" Jon asked.
"My father... hid it to protect the family?" "Robert Baratheon wanted to kill all the Targaryens. Can you imagine what he would have done to you if he'd found out? To him, you would only be the result of a rape of the woman he loved most. His friend, the person he trusted most, lied. He hid what really happened in that tower, he lied about you, he lied about Lyanna. Eddard Stark lied and lied before keeping the whole truth to himself, just to save the only thing his sister left behind, his nephew."
"And what do you want me to do about this?" Jon asked with a grimace before looking up at Astria. "Change my name? I can't do that anymore. Even if he lied, he still saved my life and gave me a roof over my head. He could have let me die, but he didn't."
"He gave me the chance to know brothers. Even when I didn't feel completely safe and content for years, things improved a lot before I left for the New Gift."
"I'm sorry, but I won't give up the Stark name."
Astria She smiled before nodding.
"That's fine. I never intended for you to abandon your current name. My intention in telling you the truth is for you to reflect and become truly whole people. Now you are no longer lies created by others; you know the truth of your births and, therefore, you can now become whatever you want."
"Belarion!" Astria called, looking toward one of the gods behind Jon and Myrcella.
A man stood up and walked toward them. He was tall with broad shoulders. His silver hair was long and disheveled as he got shorter. He wore a black and red robe. His feet were bare, and his fingernails and toenails were long and pointed.
The man looked somewhat wild and rough, but his movements were calm, probably because of Astria's presence, or perhaps for some other reason. Jon and Myrcella didn't know.
Balerion, one of the gods of Valyria, raised his hand without a word. A red light surged from his hand and swirled around it. Jon couldn't help but think it resembled blood before he saw a silver egg appear on Balerion's hand.
"This egg is special," Balerion's voice rang out, a little rough and almost a roar.
"Child of ice and fire, you must care for the hatchling within. It will be larger and stronger than any other dragon."
Jon stared at the egg for what seemed like minutes before Balerion moved his hand closer. Jon simply reached out and took the egg carefully, but nervously.
Honestly, he didn't know what to do with a dragon. He already had Ghost, who was growing very fast. A dragon would be much bigger and more dangerous, and he didn't know where he would put it. The worst part was that there would come a time when he wouldn't be able to hide it anymore.
"Use your blood. Use fire. Only after that can the dragon be born."
Myrcella stared intently at the egg, which appeared to be made of silver scales. Right now, she didn't know exactly what to say or do. She was surrounded by gods and a woman who claimed to be even greater than them. She discovered that most of her life had been a big lie, but Jon wasn't much different. His father wasn't really his father, and neither were his brothers.
They had both been born of deceit and lies.
For a few moments, Myrcella felt nauseous.
"You need to try to stay calm," Astria said gently, touching Myrcella's shoulder.
"Even though you've uncovered some big lies, you have Jon by your side. Likewise, he has you by his side." Astria smiled softly as she said this. Then, she raised her hand, and a flame appeared before an egg emerged, similar to a dragon's egg.
"A dragon won't hatch from this egg, but it will be a creature that doesn't lose its power. You must use fire and your emotions so that it can be born."
"Also..." Astria extended her other hand and touched Myrcella's forehead with a finger. "I will grant you knowledge of magic. I know you're not someone who enjoys battles, so I've chosen something more suitable for you."
Myrcella closed her eyes tightly as she felt a flood of information rushing into her mind. She couldn't compare the feeling to anything else; it was something new. But much magical knowledge now filled her mind.
"I don't understand why you're doing all this," Myrcella said sadly. "What do you gain by telling us the truth? There's no point in you wanting to make us whole. There's no point in you telling us the truth."
"There's an enemy out there that Jon has to defeat. Only when that happens can a true journey to the top begin. And you, my dear Myrcella, are a kind girl. A girl who didn't have to suffer so much. You're both similar in some ways, especially in the lies that surrounded you."
"You can complement each other. You can help each other."
"If it weren't for me, Jon would have ended up being killed by his own comrades at the Wall. If it weren't for me, he would never have become who he is now. And in the same way, you would never have come to live in the North; only a life far from all your loved ones would await you. And then, death in your biological father's arms."
"I chose someone with the potential to overcome obstacles with determination. I chose someone who can accompany Jon while they complement each other and can truly love one another."
"That's why "I chose them to be together! And as Jon says, for all eternity," Astria winked at the end and disappeared with a smile.
Jon and Myrcella looked at each other before realizing they were standing in front of the weirwood tree once again. Neither of them had expected that the place they had chosen to talk and share would be where they would end up learning the truth about their births and receiving gifts from the gods.
"My lord!" Eira came running just in time.
"Eira?" Jon looked at her, confused, until he saw a human figure that seemed to be made only of shadows.
"Umbra? Can you use your magic now?"
Umbra knelt and said, "From now on, I will be able to serve my lord better. I will gather all the information I can from Westeros and beyond."
"Then go, you have a lot of work to do," Jon ordered seriously before looking at the egg in his arms. Then at Myrcella, who felt his gaze and returned it with a small smile. They both knew they had things to talk about, and above all, things to think about. They were still too shocked by what they had experienced.
______________________________