Chapter 73 - Training for the Tournaments of the South.

[Chapter Size: 2700 Words.]

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Third Person POV

North, 105 AC.

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It could be said that Lyra had become quite excited by the conversation between her and Jon. Although almost no one in Winterfell knew exactly about the plans for the future, with Rickon miraculously not having spread the news throughout the castle yet, everyone noticed that the Starks' only daughter was skipping through the corridors while chatting animatedly with her mother.

And Jon was not the only one who had a conversation with Lord Stark that day, which explained why Rickon was not running around shouting that his sister was engaged to Jon. Lord Stark had forbidden that for the time being and had spoken with his son about something more serious: what Jon had said earlier about traveling South.

Meanwhile, late in the afternoon, Jon was entering a room, finding two older women waiting for him. He couldn't help but be curious at the sight of Alys staring at him as though she were looking at prey while sipping some tea.

"Sit down, Jon," Lyarra said beside her, with a small smile for him.

Jon approached and sat down before the two women, knowing very well what would be discussed there.

"I heard you had a conversation with my daughter," Alys began. Obviously, Lyra had gone to speak with her, pulling her aside for a private conversation that afternoon.

Jon sighed, but showed no hesitation in his gaze or even any shame on his face. He simply stared at the older woman. "I believe we had to have that conversation. After all, we're basically bound together now by a betrothal. I just wanted to make it clear to Lyra that she had no obligation to marry me, but that, if it did happen, she would have a good husband who would take care of her. I also wanted to make sure that she was truly willing to do this because, you know... I don't have any name. I'm the son of farmers, a Snow at best..." Jon said, without showing any expression of self-pity or shame.

"Are you ashamed of your origins, Jon?" Lyarra asked.

"Of course not, Grandma. I'll shout to the whole world that I'm the son of Rowena and Garrem, two farmers who have no great lands or wealth, just people who live in a forgotten part of the North. But they are still my parents, my family, and I wouldn't hide that even if I wore a crown on my head," Jon said, making Lyarra smile.

"With a crown on your head? You're quite bold to say something like that, Jon," Lyarra said, staring at him while Alys also wore a smile.

"You've always been a special boy, Jon. Your parents are certainly very proud of you," Alys said with a sweet smile. "And that's why, when my husband came to talk to me about the suggestion of marrying you to Lyra, I couldn't have asked for anyone better. I know you're a good boy and that you'll take care of Lyra as she deserves."

"I'm glad, my good-daughter, that you think so. Besides, I've told you that a thousand times. Our Jon is far better than that son of your cousin." Lyarra said sarcastically.

"Mother!" Alys couldn't help but exclaim. It was common for her to call Lyarra mother all the time. After all, Lyarra was her good-mother.

Jon couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. If he wasn't mistaken, he had heard something about Alys's uncle, Lord Karstark, wanting his grandson to marry Lyra in the future and pressuring Lady Stark for a betrothal.

But it seemed the Stark family had other plans. Jon just didn't know how the North would react to that. Perhaps Lord Stark would hold back such news until Jon officially became a lord or, better yet, now that he was close to gaining permission to travel South, perhaps he would wait until Jon had built a name of his own before the Seven Kingdoms.

"Either way, you'll soon be part of the family, Jon. You've already been with us for six years, so it's not as if this is all that strange. But I'm glad. I know you must have some very important role to play in the future, a role we may not be here to see. Still, you wouldn't mind having two women talk to you and give you a few tips on how you should properly treat your betrothed and future wife, would you? Who, by coincidence, happens to be my little granddaughter..." Lyarra suggested, giving him a wink.

'The she-bear was making her threat...' Jon said to himself, amused.

In truth, Jon knew that he was there between two fierce she-wolves at that moment, making sure he would take good care of the younger wolf. Otherwise, he would feel their teeth. Jon wanted to laugh at the situation, but decided to play along.

"Of course. You must already know that I intend to travel. I might be away for a few years, right?" Jon said.

"Yes, we already know that. That's why we need to talk to you even more," Alys replied. "I don't want you to make my daughter cry, understood? After what I saw earlier... I've never seen that smile on her before your conversation. I don't want her to lose that smile... I can't say a marriage won't have its ups and downs, but I don't want to see her crying because you decided to go around being an idiot, understood?"

That sounded more like a warning. 'Don't father any children during your travels...' were the unspoken words.

The conversation continued, and Jon left that room 2 hours later.

He found Rickon before dinner.

"We're going South!" the boy shouted excitedly as soon as he saw Jon.

"Really?"

"Yes! My father agreed. I don't even mind becoming a knight. Ser Rickon Stark, of Winterfell! It might sound like a silly name, but I actually like it," he said, raising an invisible sword.

"We'll have to train for jousts. We can prepare some ground outside for that," Jon said. It wasn't a common activity in the North, but certainly, if the two of them wanted to go South and make names for themselves, they would have to train a little. That would help keep them from embarrassing themselves.

Rickon nodded immediately. "Great, great! Let's do it! Wait, when are we leaving?" He realized he didn't know the answer.

"I was thinking... Why don't we talk to your father about visiting the Wall and some castles in the North first? I think that would be better. Besides, I might have to go to Braavos before that..."

"Braavos? Why?" Rickon asked immediately.

Jon smiled. "Well, I have some business there. Why don't we visit Braavos first, then the North, and after that, head South? There will also be a tournament six moons from now at the Eyrie, in the Vale. We could go to it. We need to be knights, but we can manage that during the journey." Jon said confidently.

"You seem very confident..." Rickon looked at him incredulously, as if they could become knights that easily.

"We'll go, and there will also be a jousting tournament in the Reach two moons after the Vale.... We might even see our old friend there," Jon said, while Rickon displayed an even more excited smile. Jon always knew what to do.

They would be able to travel to the Reach in that time and take part in the other tournament without any trouble.

"Great, great! Let's do it!" Rickon shouted excitedly.

The next day, they already began working, gathering several pieces of wood and building an enclosure, as well as clearing away the snow, since they were still in a winter period. The ground soon became flat, while Jon and Rickon ran a few tests. Other people also became interested. Even Lord Cerwyn went to Winterfell with his son, Torren Cerwyn, in the following days, and the boy, despite being younger than the two of them, having 12 namedays, joined in the fun, since the two were well known by everyone in Winterfell and he had always admired them.

And a thinner layer of snow also helped cushion their falls while they trained with real lances, mainly so they could get used to the weight.

Then the first day of testing arrived.

"Hey, Jon! Are you ready to fall?" Rickon shouted from the other side, showing his lance pointed at him.

Jon was also there, wearing leather armor and carrying a shield without any sigil, while Rickon bore the Stark sigil. It was a game between them, but it certainly drew the attention of many people. Since the field was outside Winterfell, several people remained atop the fortress walls watching, while curious people from Wintertown approached to watch, especially the children.

Lord Stark was there, Lord Cerwyn, some guards, and even the master-at-arms, the latter being more involved as a judge, making sure everything went well. Since those boys wanted to train in jousting to travel South, he would have to help them whenever he wasn't busy training the other soldiers of Winterfell.

Jon had his Dothraki horse, while Rickon also had a horse that had been his for many years and was a very good horse, worthy of the heir to Winterfell at the very least.

But Jon's horse was more special. Although everyone already expected his horse to be very good, it still surprised them. The animal had adapted remarkably well to the region, even though it was not genetically suited for that climate and snowy terrain, displaying abnormal speed and endurance, far greater than those of any other horse. No one understood exactly why, but everyone simply said that Jon had been lucky and had a good eye for finding an animal like that.

The next moment, the two horses charged toward each other, while the boys kept their shields raised and the tips of their lances ready to strike their opponent.

The lances struck the shields almost at the same time, and the sound of splintering wood echoed across the field. Rickon staggered a little, while Jon remained much steadier, continuing to the other side as he felt his arms tremble.

"Damn!" he heard Rickon grumble.

The lance had shattered against his shield, just as Rickon's had also broken against Jon's.

Jon realized that he could defeat him easily, but he didn't. He could find several openings in Rickon's stance, even though his own body was still not completely accustomed to those movements. He could also tell that Rickon was very inexperienced and left several openings.

"Jon! Jon!" Lyra clapped her hands beside her father, watching Jon reach the other end before taking another lance.

"Here you go, boy," Lord Cerwyn said, handing him one.

Jon nodded as he prepared himself, circling around the fence to return to position. Rickon did the same thing, taking another wooden lance before readying his horse.

Then they both charged again.

The horses raced across the field and, a few seconds later, the two collided in the middle of the track once again, making everything tremble.

Jon struck from lower down, raising his lance and knocking Rickon backward. The boy began to stagger before tumbling from his horse, drawing applause from many people around them, while Jon quickly turned around, making his own horse jump over the fence to the other side before circling around the end of the track.

Until then, Jon thought Rickon was fine, but he certainly wasn't. The boy had broken his arm, and Jon realized it immediately as he groaned in pain.

"Stay still," Jon said, approaching. "This can happen, but be careful when you fall, Rickon. Don't try to use your arm like that again." He had tried to cushion the fall with his arm and ended up breaking it by landing on it the wrong way.

Jon had spoken quietly as he adjusted Rickon's arm and began casting healing magic. His hands turned green, making Rickon's eyes widen when he saw it. It was the first time Jon had shown him that healing ability.

Jon placed a finger over his own lips, signaling him to remain silent. Rickon, who had been in tremendous pain, suddenly stopped feeling it when he realized that his arm, broken during the fall, was back to normal. He raised his hand, opening and closing his fingers to test it.

"Jon, you..." he murmured.

"Don't tell anyone about this. I know you've already seen me turn into an animal, but this is something else and could bring even more trouble, understand? Not even your parents know about this," Jon said quietly.

Lord Stark quickly approached along with other men to check on his son's condition, ready to call Maester Lorren. Lyra was also coming alongside her father. Jon stood up and offered Rickon his hand, which he accepted, getting to his feet while watching his father approach with an analytical gaze.

"That was quite a first fall, son. Are you all right?" Lord Stark said, staring at him like a hawk.

Rickon gave a crooked smile. In truth, it had been a horrible fall. He didn't even want to imagine what would have happened if he had been left with a broken arm after his first joust. And he would have been unable to train for months, knowing very well how slow the recovery from a broken bone was.

"Do you still think you can continue?" Jon said, looking at him.

Rickon nodded. "Of course we can continue. And I'm going to knock you down this time, Jon!" he said, while the children around them seemed increasingly delighted when they realized the spectacle would continue.

And so, they continued training for days, then weeks, until an entire moon had passed. Rickon and Jon grew more and more accustomed to jousting, increasing the intensity and speed of their gallops, without allowing it to interfere with any of their other responsibilities, such as their studies, work, training, and duties in the courtyard.

It was even strange, and people began to wonder, even Lord Stark, how the two of them still seemed so well after all that daily intensity.

Rickon was certainly taking quite a beating from Jon during their training, but he continued to improve. Even so, some of the falls he suffered should not have allowed him to simply get back up as if nothing had happened whenever Jon always went over to check on him. Jon was always there. He would say something and, shortly afterward, Rickon would get up to continue. Not once did he seem to break a bone or seriously injure himself.

Jon continued healing Rickon in secret, even with everyone's eyes on them, and the boy was getting better and better, although he had never managed to defeat Jon. Even so, the two of them had already reached a sufficient level to compete without embarrassing themselves.

And everyone thought Jon was a true prodigy. His skill on horseback and the force with which his lance struck Rickon's shield made him seem almost like a monster, far stronger than he should have been for his age. His horse was no less impressive. Jon had named him Lightning, and soon the entire North would know his name.

It was well known that he had won the archery tournament at only 10 namedays, so imagine if he won the joust as well.

Lord Stark decided to move their training inside Winterfell, as the situation was becoming somewhat unbearable, with nearly everyone from Wintertown intruding to watch. Some had even begun using the area where they trained, while constant maintenance was necessary because of the snow. Obviously, Lord Stark could always order his men to take care of it, but doing everything inside Winterfell would be much better.

They trained like that for another two weeks before, finally, a letter arrived from White Harbor. Lord Manderly had managed, after a month and a half, to secure an audience with a representative of the Iron Bank. It wouldn't be a keyholder, but Jon was certain that as soon as his product was presented, they would immediately try to contact someone more important.

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