[Chapter Size: 2200 Words.]
Third Person POV
North, 98 AC.
Jon stepped out of his house, not letting go of the strap of the leather bag he carried along with some clothes and his books. His family was already outside, waiting, while the horses, with riders and guards, stood by the gate.
Jon walked forward with a certain look of uncertainty, especially upon seeing his entire family staring at him with sad expressions.
His mother was wiping away tears after crying all night, his brother looked even worse, and Mari also couldn't hide it — she tried not to sob, but her eyes were watery.
Jon couldn't help but lower his head. He felt somewhat guilty about all of this happening. His family was certainly sad, but another part of him still insisted that this was the right thing to do, that he had his own path to follow. Jon would never stay with the farm, nor would he take his father's place. Sam should take care of that place. It wasn't the lifestyle for him.
He walked on, and Ghost came right behind him, letting out a soft, sorrowful sound as well. The wolf seemed torn — he had grown used to living there, but he would go wherever Jon chose to go.
So, Jon hugged each member of his family, starting with his mother, who clung to him tightly, pressing him against her chest as tears streamed down.
"My boy, I can't believe you're leaving... But please, stay firm and strong. We will be in Winterfell at some point to see you, and we'll also be waiting for you here," she said, kissing his cheek a few times before placing one last kiss on his forehead.
Jon also felt tears in his eyes. "Mom... I'll see you all as soon as I can," he said with a certain sadness.
Jon stepped back a little from her and saw Sam beside Rowena, with a hand resting on her back. He was hesitating and crying. He stepped forward and hugged his brother tightly, while Ghost licked Rowena's face.
"I'll miss you too," Rowena said to the wolf, running her hand through the fur on his head.
Jon remained there, hugging his brother in silence. Neither of them said anything.
His brother had asked the night before why he had to go. Jon ended up sitting with him on his bed, explaining, and even told a story from a book to calm him down, until he fell asleep.
'You can't come with me...', Jon had said. Someone needed to stay with their parents. And it wasn't that simple... Jon was an exception because of the direwolf. The Starks wouldn't open their doors to everyone.
"You promise you'll come back?" Sam broke the silence.
Jon smiled lightly. "Of course I'll come back, little brother. I'll always be your brother, Sam. I'll never forget you."
"You promise?" he asked again.
Jon nodded, touching his head. "Of course."
After that, Jon went to Mari.
"You're not going to get into trouble, are you?" she asked, awkwardly.
"You know me... I can try," Jon said, giving a small smile.
She tried to smile even with tears and let out a small laugh. "Right... you idiot. Are you sure you're going to try?", she muttered.
Jon then stepped away and met his father, hugging him as well.
"Good luck, son. We will always be here waiting for you," he said, as Jon tightened the embrace.
"I'll come back as soon as I can, father. I love you," Jon said, when his father pulled away, smiling at him.
Uncle Roman opened his arms, and Jon hugged him. "Oh, my nephew, go there and do your best. You will certainly win them all over," Roman said.
Then, Jon went to Sarra, who was pregnant, and hugged her. "Come back soon. I wish you could be there for my childbirth. You know, things usually go very well when you're around," she commented.
Jon let out a small laugh. "Alright, I'll try. And I hope the little one comes soon!", he said, looking at her belly.
He stepped back a little and looked at Lord Stark, who was waiting for him. Jon didn't have a cart, so he would ride along with the lord — or on Ghost, since he was used to riding him.
Lord Stark nodded to the boy, confirming that everything was ready. Jon looked back once more at his entire family, watching as Ghost moved away from Mari and Sam, then came to him.
"I'll be going then. As soon as I can, I'll be back... or, if you go to Winterfell, come visit me," Jon said with the most sincere smile he could manage, but tears were falling from his green eyes at the same time, while everyone nodded.
"Don't forget your grandmother, Jon. Visit her in the city as soon as you can," his father said. He had already spoken with Lord Stark about the middle-aged grandmother who lived in the city. Jon had never visited her, but at least he would have a close relative, and as soon as they could go see her, they would also go to Winterfell to visit Jon.
"Alright... thank you for everything. See you."
With those words, Jon couldn't help but hold back some tears. He closed his eyes and turned away.
"Come on, Ghost." Ghost went with him, and the two stopped in front of Lord Stark.
"Now, boy, you are under the protection of House Stark. Take pride in that and learn everything we can teach you," Lord Stark said.
Jon nodded, holding back his tears.
"Come with me." The lord took the boy and led him to the saddle, placing him in front before mounting behind Jon.
"Ghost can carry me...", Jon murmured.
Lord Stark simply laughed. "That's a terrible idea in your current state, leave it to me...", he joked.
Jon simply nodded.
"Move out, men. We have a journey to Winterfell," he quickly said to the rest of his men.
The horses began to move under Lord Stark's lead, advancing along the road, while Jon looked at Ghost, who followed them. It was a strange feeling to be surrounded by men carrying banners. Jon observed everything: the clothes they wore, the weapons they carried, the banners... every detail. To him, it all seemed almost magical.
Thus, they entered the village. Jon noticed how people looked at them in astonishment, making way and stepping aside as they cleared the streets for their passage.
Lord Stark noticed Jon's gaze on that. "Do you see how the people of the North respect us?", he asked the boy.
Jon nodded, curious.
"We have ruled the North for thousands of years. That blood runs in your veins as well, boy. Both the common folk and the nobles respect the Starks. Our role is to make sure that continues, because the North is our home, and we must always protect it."
With those words, they moved on. People kept staring at Jon, sitting in the saddle in front of Lord Stark, while he guided the horse, keeping the boy safe.
"Hi, Jaquel!", Jon said quickly, waving to a woman who appeared just then. She widened her eyes as she saw him pass by.
Jon also tried to spot Borok, but the old soldier was nowhere to be seen. He had already said goodbye to him in the past few days, surprised that Jon was going to become a ward in Winterfell.
Jon also noticed a certain caution in the horses and the men with his direwolf being with them, while Ghost continued at their side. Soon, they left the village, following the main road toward Winterfell.
"Wow!", Jon couldn't help but exclaim as he saw vast pastures. It was still summer, so the grass was all green, with no sign of snow.
"Is this the first time you've left the village?", Lord Stark heard the boy and asked, forming a smile.
Jon looked up and nodded. "Yes... father never let me leave the village."
"Soon you will see many more things, boy. So don't be so surprised in the coming days." With those words, they moved forward, advancing through the North.
Ghost grew excited and even ran ahead of the group. Over the next few hours, they rode throughout the afternoon, until they finally stopped to camp at night.
They set up camp and lit a fire, eating a rabbit that had been hunted. Jon was quite excited, he had never been at a camp before.
Lord Stark ended up talking with the boy for the rest of the day and continued telling him some stories in front of the fire. Jon was there with Ghost, stroking the wolf's head while listening to his words.
"My ancestors used to ride direwolves. They went to the battlefield alongside them. They were invaluable partners, but also deadly, frightening any enemy," he said.
Jon seemed excited upon hearing that, while petting Ghost.
"Don't say that, brother, or he'll get excited and start heading north in search of finding wildlings and fighting for glory! We might see our first direwolf after hundreds of years," said another Stark, none other than one of Benjen's brothers, beside him.
"Don't say that," Benjen scolded, before turning to the boy again. "It's not like you're going to pick a fight, right?", he asked with a playful smile.
Jon quickly shook his head.
"Well, that's good," Lord Stark replied. But he didn't fail to add: "There is an old saying: you could not kill a Stark without first killing his wolf. They can sense danger... poison, assassins... even an arrow. They may simply fall, or go against their master, or die for their master..."
"Wait... are you sure about that?", Jon asked carefully, while the men smiled, and he watched them closely.
"Yes... Don't you remember?" Benjen asked.
"Yes! Ghost can sense danger from far away," Jon stated firmly. "He felt it himself before that black bear attacked us, he warned me!" he said.
Benjen nodded. "That's true. Well, but understand one thing, Jon: you may be of the common folk, but the North still values its warriors, and many will pay attention to you. Nobles from all over the North will see a boy with a direwolf. That is no small thing.
"Being about to have a direwolf in Winterfell, even the Stark prestige will increase, right, brother?", another of his brothers said.
"That's true, but I'm not doing this for prestige. The boy may prove more than that," Benjen replied, not taking his eyes off Jon.
His gaze also turned to the wolf... and to the memory of the heart tree.
He remembered the private conversation he had that very day with Jon's father, who had taken him to the tree. The tree had grown completely, and there was a carved face — something that, in the legends, only the children of the forest made. But there, the face had formed on its own in the tree, and Stark himself felt as if he were in the sacred grove of Winterfell.
He could say nothing more: that boy would likely turn the world upside down. If the old gods were with him, then it was the duty of a Lord Stark to take care of that boy — to open the gates of Winterfell, more than just because he had a direwolf or any possible Stark blood.
"Could he be Theon reborn!?", said another brother, laughing and excited.
"Theon Stark, known as the Hungry Wolf?", Jon asked, excited.
"You know the legends of the North?", Benjen Stark asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I do... I read it in a book!" Jon replied.
The man raised an eyebrow. "You read it in a book? You know how to read?"
That caught him by surprise. Jon's father hadn't said anything about that.
"Yes, yes... I had four books," Jon said. "I had to leave two with my brother and my cousin. I taught them to read too. So I have a High Valyrian book and a maester's journal... but I also read a book about the legends of the North," Jon said.
"Your parents taught you to read?", Lord Stark asked, while Jon shook his head.
"No... I learned on my own." That made Lord Stark and his brothers raise an eyebrow.
"You said you have a High Valyrian book?", he asked again.
Jon nodded innocently.
"You also know how to speak High Valyrian?"
"I can read it."
"And you, I presume, learned that through books?", Lord Stark asked, frowning.
Jon nodded, proud. "Exactly. I learned by reading on my own. First I learned High Valyrian, then the common tongue. Father bought the High Valyrian book without even knowing what it was... but it's quite interesting. It talks about Valyria. I have it with me if you want, it was hard at first, but then I got the pattern of the symbols!", Jon explained.
Everyone fell silent.
Lord Stark simply picked up his cup and drank.
"Well... of course you would learn," he said at last... Not seeming that surprised.
They then went back to eating and, afterward, slept so that the next day they could continue their journey to Winterfell.
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