[Chapter Size: 3500 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Reach, 300 AC.
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Eragon arrived in the morning. Jon prevented him from advancing toward the army farther to the south.
He still couldn't reveal his presence.
The dragon flapped its wings and headed for some mountains in Swyft territory, still in the southern Westerlands. As soon as he landed, his enormous weight made the ground tremble.
There was a small village there, where the inhabitants raised goats and sheep. They certainly saw the dragon and immediately began screaming in fear.
Eragon, however, paid no attention to the people.
He was more concerned with the heat. He didn't particularly like that climate, in a way, but after a few hours he showed no sign of discomfort. He simply remained there, staring south and waiting for Jon's orders.
Jon didn't fail to send a raven to those people.
"I'll pay for the sheep later." Those were his only words to the villagers through the talking raven before Eragon began devouring the village's sheep.
The people still couldn't understand what was happening and fell into despair as they watched a large part of their livestock being consumed in that manner.
Jon would give them money later and would also replace the animals with new sheep. More than that, he would compensate those people, but he needed to feed his dragon for the coming days.
He also needed to keep Eragon a secret for a while longer while he prepared everything for the war. When the right moment came, Eragon would fly to the battlefield.
Later, he would send some men by ship to make the payment, whether in gold or with new animals, to the people of that mountain village.
In any case, the army broke camp, and they resumed their march the following day, heading toward Castle Durwell.
Jon was welcomed just as Lady Durwell had promised. He approached as a woman wearing an elegant dress waited beside a young girl, probably her daughter.
The woman wasn't very old. Despite already having a fifteen-year-old son, she couldn't have been much older than thirty. She was quite beautiful, although her face clearly showed fear.
Jon had spent the past several moons dealing with noblewomen older than himself in every castle he had conquered. Many cried, begged, and sometimes tried to do the same things so many others had done before he destroyed their castles throughout the Westerlands.
They were women who, in a way, reminded him of Catelyn. They were pompous, proud, and carried themselves with a posture that made Jon remember Lady Stark of Winterfell all too well.
But they all fell into despair when confronted with something they couldn't understand. Something they could no longer control, in a way, after his reputation had spread.
Jon wasn't someone who harmed people who had nothing to do with the problems he was dealing with, but he no longer cared much for the women's lamentations over their castles. It wasn't as though he was unjustly killing those women or burning their children, who hadn't even gone to war.
He only wanted the castles. Later, he planned to rebuild every destroyed territory. But before that, he wanted to leave an extremely clear message for all of Westeros by wiping those ancient stone strongholds from the map.
His plan went far beyond spreading fear. In a way, he wanted to make all the lords of the Westerlands practically surrender to him in the future.
When the time came to rebuild the strongholds, Jon would have the opportunity to use the Bank of Arctic to place each of those houses under an enormous debt.
Rebuilding castles with the dwarf race wouldn't be a problem—a race that had built Arctic, the greatest city in the world, even if it wasn't the most populous at the moment, in just ten years.
Raising small castles and fortresses in the south would be even simpler. They wouldn't have to wait decades to see them completed. Jon knew they could build everything at an astonishing speed using all of Arctic's technology and still do so at a much lower cost.
Even so, he intended to make sure they became indebted to Arctic, a debt that would only grow over time.
That was, essentially, his way of putting a noose around those lords' necks. Far more effective than simply destroying their families or threatening them with dragons.
The woman approached cautiously. It was clear that she was gripping the little girl's hand tightly while trying to maintain her composure. The girl was undoubtedly terrified.
Jon had only entered the castle walls after his men had inspected the entire place, while the fortress's soldiers laid down their weapons.
They couldn't risk leaving even a single hidden archer behind. Once everything had been declared safe, Jon entered and removed his helmet as he approached.
"Lady Elyse Durwell..." he greeted.
The woman immediately knelt. "Your Majesty." Everyone else followed suit at once. "The seat of House Durwell now belongs to you, Your Majesty. I only ask that you spare this place," she said, her voice turning pleading at the end.
"Rise. I have no intention of harming you. I've already decided that," Jon replied.
Even so, he knew that the woman was also playing a dangerous game. She had already sent messengers the previous day to deliver information about his army. Now, however, she displayed complete submission while hiding her own plans behind that mask.
Had he been any other conqueror, he might have acted, but Jon wasn't offended by it. In fact, he had expected something like this. It wasn't as if people wouldn't try anything they could to ensure their own survival.
Even so, it amused him to know. And Jon decided to play along.
"Lady Durwell... I must admit, you've surprised me. And I already knew there were many beautiful flowers among the ladies of the Reach," Jon said in a charming tone.
She seemed to relax a little at that moment and offered him a gentle smile, though it was still somewhat tense. "Your Majesty flatters me too much."
"As I said, I have no intention of destroying Durwell." Jon said, putting the woman much more at ease.
It was then that Jon heard someone snort behind him. Of course... Arya, vary your act.
"Anyway, were you at Highgarden when I visited more than five years ago?" Jon asked, unable to remember the woman.
She shook her head. "I was pregnant at the time, Your Majesty. Perhaps you remember my husband."
Jon searched his memories and soon found the man. He had been wearing House Durwell's sigil over his gambeson, and on that day, he had been drinking. He was considerably older than her, at least twenty years. She was his second wife, as far as Jon could tell, since the man had an heir about five years younger than the woman.
Lady Elyse Durwell had a fifteen-year-old son, who was at war in King's Landing at that very moment.
"Very well. Let's negotiate your surrender. You can rest easy about the destruction of this place," Jon said.
She nodded, relieved.
"He's not going to kill us?" the little girl's voice came from beside her, making Jon turn his attention to the child, who was watching him cautiously.
The woman immediately knelt down. "Forgive her, Your Majesty. She doesn't know what she's saying." Lady Elyse Durwell clearly didn't want to offend the king.
Jon merely offered a faint smile. "There's no offense in that, my lady. In any case, don't worry, little one. I won't harm your family today."
The girl nodded, but she continued looking at him with a measure of distrust. She had certainly heard many stories about what had happened in the West. And Jon couldn't blame her for that.
In any case, they entered the great hall and began talking. Jon presented his terms.
Basically, he would remain at the castle for one day so his army could rest.
After everything they had done in the West, his men were exhausted. Even though Jon hadn't deployed the full force of fifteen thousand men, they had still taken part in the destruction of the castles. Only five thousand men had remained with him, while the others were still returning from the north aboard the ships after attacking the Freys. Others remained aboard those ships, carrying out the king's orders to wipe out most of the castles along the coast. They still needed some rest.
The woman nodded, and the remainder of the afternoon passed peacefully as the army settled around the castle.
"I've heard that a force is coming this way, Your Majesty," Lady Durwell said at one point during dinner.
Jon had invited her to dine alongside Arya. The food, of course, had been prepared by the Arctican cooks who always accompanied the army. They accepted no food other than that prepared by their own men or by Jon himself, exactly as they had done during the Riverlands campaign.
"Are you afraid I'll use your castle as a fortress during the siege, my lady?" Jon asked with a faint smile.
"No... I'm not afraid of that. But I believe Durwell wouldn't be very suitable for you, would it?" she replied carefully.
Jon simply nodded. "The castle is far too small to shelter fifteen thousand soldiers. There's no point in sacrificing my men by leaving most of the army outside to face the enemy while only a small portion remains protected behind the walls." Jon explained his reasoning calmly.
"Ah, yes. I understand, Your Majesty. I've certainly heard and seen stories about your armor. In fact, all the rumors say that you possess an abundance of Valyrian steel. Knowledge that should have been lost centuries ago. I don't know how you achieved that, but sending all those men to die out there would only hand that wealth over to the enemy," she said.
Jon shook his head. "More than that, my lady. I'm more concerned about my men's lives than the metal they wield," he explained.
"As for the Valyrian steel... I'm sure you've heard about my travels to the east. I obtained its secret after entering a port in Valyria. I found a forge and discovered how they created that steel. I merely reproduced it in my own lands."
The woman made no effort to hide her surprise. "I've heard several lords speak about it. They say you acquired a fortune that no one else ever could. Many people tried to enter Valyria, yet none returned. Only you came back with millions of gold coins. More gold than most houses in Westeros possess," she remarked, looking at Jon.
Jon continued the conversation calmly and also included Arya, who, as he noticed, seemed a little jealous of the woman but still knew how to conduct herself like a true princess.
When night fell, Jon went to sleep in his chamber. Then, in the middle of the night, one of the Kingsguards surprised him by knocking on the door.
"Your Majesty, Lady Elyse Durwell is outside. She requests an audience."
Jon sighed as he got to his feet.
He certainly wasn't foolish enough not to recognize the way the woman had been looking at him since they first met. Perhaps it had been his compliments and the glances he had given her. In a way, he had already expected this, even though he had never intended for it to happen.
"You may let her in."
She entered wearing a cloak to protect herself from the night's cold. She walked timidly, but it was obvious that she had brushed her hair, applied a pleasant perfume, and carefully prepared herself.
Jon knew very well that many noblewomen used their appearance as a weapon. Especially in Westeros. Even the most reserved among them understood the influence they could wield over a man and how to use it to their advantage.
"Your Majesty, thank you for receiving me at this hour," she said with a seductive smile.
Jon simply nodded. He was wearing only light clothes for sleeping, a gambeson.
"How may I help you, my lady? It doesn't seem very appropriate for you to come to a king's bedchamber during the night."
She maintained her faint smile, but looked at him with the eyes of a woman who desired the man before her. "I only wanted to thank you, Your Majesty. To thank you for sparing Durwell."
As she spoke, she began removing her cloak, revealing only a very thin nightgown underneath that openly accentuated the curves of her body.
Jon had to admit that she was a striking woman. Through that garment, he could see her breasts and even her private parts.
Even so, she was nothing compared to his wives. He was already accustomed to beauties capable of driving men to war and plunging entire kingdoms into conflict and civil wars. As beautiful as Lady Durwell was, even after having given birth to two children, with her lovely brown hair and blue eyes, her appearance didn't impress him all that much.
"Lady Durwell... I don't think this behavior is appropriate for a married woman," Jon said calmly.
The woman merely exchanged her smile for a shy one as she stepped closer to him. Without saying a word, she placed her hands on his shoulders.
"Unfortunately, from the moment I saw you, Your Majesty... my heart hasn't stopped beating like this. My husband has been away for moons now. I can't say he's a handsome man. Compared to you... no man in the Seven Kingdoms can compare." She took a deep breath before continuing.
"I only wish to thank you. I ask for nothing more than a single night. No one will know. I'll drink moon tea, and you can continue your conquest the next day. But I ask that you share your bed with me."
Jon stepped closer, gently placed his hands around her waist, and drew her a little nearer. He knew very well how to stir a woman's emotions. A faint smile appeared on his face as she seemed to hold her breath.
It was obvious that she wasn't pretending the attraction she felt. Even so, Jon didn't allow himself to be swayed. When she closed her eyes, expecting to feel his lips meet hers in a kiss full of passion, Jon merely leaned toward her ear.
"I'm sorry, my lady... but the moment I saw you send those knights yesterday to report every detail about my army, I lost all interest in that idea." Jon slowly stepped away.
The horrified expression on the woman's face only made him keep his faint smile.
"Go get some rest, Lady Durwell. Nothing will happen to you. Just return to your chambers and wait for your husband to come back from the war..."
The woman remained frozen for a few seconds. Only then did she manage to react. A deep blush spread across her face. She quickly put her cloak back on and left the room without saying another word.
Jon couldn't help but chuckle softly. "I miss my wives quite a bit... but I'm not going to sleep with a married woman..." he murmured to himself.
He walked over to the fortress window and looked down at the camp below. Outside, even some of the guards seemed to be suppressing discreet laughter. They had probably already guessed what had happened when they saw Lady Elyse leave in such a hurry.
Jon was about to return to bed when he heard another knock at the door.
"My king... the child is here."
Jon sighed.
"Let her in."
At that moment, he was grateful that he hadn't done what Lady Durwell had intended. He wouldn't have wanted her daughter to witness a situation like that.
The little girl entered, still somewhat cautious, looking around the room as though searching for someone.
"Hello, little one. What can I do for you?" Jon asked with a faint smile.
"They said Mommy was here," the little girl replied, still searching the room.
"She was, but she's already gone. Shouldn't you be asleep?" Jon asked in a calm, curious tone.
The girl thought for a moment before simply nodding.
"Did you come here to protect your mother from me?" Jon asked, amused.
The little girl simply nodded again, still very cautious.
"What's your name?" Jon hadn't asked yet, and Lady Durwell hadn't introduced her at the entrance, perhaps because she'd forgotten after the little girl had asked whether they were there to kill them.
"It's Alyssa Durwell..." the little girl said.
"Well then, Alyssa, you don't need to worry. I'm not going to hurt you or your mother. Did you know I have a daughter your age?"
The little girl's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked, unable to hide the curiosity and surprise in her voice.
"Yes. In a way, she's a lot like you."
The little girl had blonde hair and blue eyes, but there was something about her that reminded Jon of Lyanna, his eldest daughter and, without a doubt, his greatest headache as a father.
"What's she like?" the little girl asked eagerly.
Jon had already been thinking about sending her back to her room, but he couldn't help smiling.
"Come here. I'll tell you a few stories." He spoke like someone who missed his own children. It had been moons since he'd last seen them, and he couldn't help missing having children around.
He had the little girl sit on the bed and began telling some of the stories he used to tell his own children.
Perhaps they would never meet again, but even so, he wanted to leave a good memory for that innocent little girl, who had absolutely nothing to do with that cursed war.
"So you saved the princess?" It didn't take long for her to become completely captivated by Jon's stories about his travels in Yi Ti.
"Yes. It seems that beautiful princess ended up falling for me. I'm a lucky man, as you can see..." Jon said.
"But you saved her country. You were the hero!" the little girl replied, bouncing on the bed.
Jon laughed. "Maybe. But most women of the high nobility don't get the chance to marry just for love, you know? So she and I were fortunate."
"I'll have to get married someday too. Mommy said it's my duty."
Jon couldn't deny it.
That was the way things worked in Westeros. Even so, many fathers genuinely cared about choosing good husbands for their daughters, and marriages lasted because of that. He hoped Lord Durwell was one of those men.
"Not everyone gets to choose whom they marry for love. But a marriage is also built on respect, loyalty, and trust, Alyssa. More than passion, what matters is staying together through both the good times and the bad. Do you understand?"
She nodded.
At that moment, the door opened. Arya entered wearing a light cloak and raised an eyebrow.
"How can I help my beautiful cousin?" Jon asked with a smile.
"They're looking for the little girl. I thought I should let you know," Arya said.
Jon nodded. Arya had probably watched everything through one of the rats she controlled inside the castle. She had most likely also seen Lady Durwell try to seduce him.
"Well then, my beautiful Princess of House Durwell, it seems you'll have to return to your room."
The little girl let out a small giggle. She was much more at ease now than when she had first entered.
Jon walked her to the door and asked one of the guards to escort her back to her chambers.
After that, he turned his attention back to his cousin.
"What are you doing here at this hour?" Jon asked when he saw her lie down on his bed and pull a blanket over herself.
"I'm afraid some woman might try to sneak into this room again tonight. I only didn't come in sooner because of the little girl," Arya replied.
Jon knew very well that she was only teasing him. Ever since she had shown a hint of jealousy, those little provocations had become more and more frequent.
"That's not appropriate," Jon remarked.
Arya simply ignored him. She knew she was probably the only person in the world who could ignore the King of Arctic like that.
Jon merely sighed and lay down on the other side of the bed. As he slept peacefully, his consciousness once again moved through the eyes of the birds he had scattered across the region.
That was when he saw Kevan's army receive new scouts bearing fresh information.
"They stopped at Castle Durwell," the men announced as they entered the camp.
"Let's see what they have to say..." Jon murmured as he watched the scouts enter the camp and make their way toward Kevan Lannister.
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