Jon enjoyed his time at Castle Black for the most part. Occasionally he'd take to the yard and help some of the men, though found no one of a par with any of his companions, bar Sam who used that time to train with his bow. The rest of their time was spent eating, sleeping, in the library, touring the castle or meeting with Aemon or Jeor or both.
It was short, but when they made to leave Jon exchanged a firm hug with Aemon in his quarters before leaving for the yard. Aemon came to watch Jon and his companions mount their horses, giving the boy a nod before Jon turned and left Castle Black.
They were on the road heading south when they came across Benjen and Tyrion with other recruits bound for the Wall. The smile Jon wore upon seeing them fell away when he saw not only was Benjen clearly uneased, but so was Tyrion. His confusion broke when he heard that Bran had fallen and been left in a coma.
"How?" Jon asked, shaken as he looked between the men.
"As far as anyone knows," Tyrion said carefully, "he fell."
Jon looked to him and saw the doubt in his eyes. He suspected someone had pushed Bran. Why? Who? His mind quickly settled on Joffrey.
They watched his jaw set and his hands snap into a fist, his eyes darkening as they looked do the ground. "I should have been there."
Tyrion frowned. "And what would that have changed? You wouldn't have been guarding the boy every moment of every day. You can't know or assume your presence would have changed anything." Seeing the boy shake his head, unable to say Tyrion was wrong, the dwarf put on a smile. "Hopefully your journey was successful? I heard you went to the Wall."
Jon nodded. "It was. I told them I'd try to speak to my father and the king about sending men to the Wall."
"Ah, yes, surely many a man will be willing to give up their lives for a chance to live amongst rapers and thieves."
"If their king commanded it they might," Jon said full of doubt.
"The Wall has served its purpose keeping out wildings for thousands of years. Would more men change that?"
"And they slip through all the time," Jon noted. "What if wildlings aren't the only thing the Wall keep out?"
Tyrion laughed. "You fear grumpkins and snarks sneaking past the Wall and swarming Winterfell?"
"The world is grand and cast in shadow," said Jon, "for all we know there are Others and ice dragons and giants beyond the Wall waiting to bring it down and claim us all. Unless we go beyond it who can say?" At that Jon looked to Benjen, sparking Tyrion and the others to do the same.
"Don't look at me. I tend to worry about wildlings more than Old Nan's tales."
"I'm sure people worried more about bandits than dragons," Jon said crossing his arms, "but when Aegon came they felt a fool."
Tyrion furrowed his brow and snickered. "You expect us to be facing dragons soon?"
"We know they lived, yet because there are none here people assume they've all died, but can anyone say for certain that's true? That there aren't dragons in the west waiting to fly here?" Jon looked to Tyrion. "We can't know what we don't know of the world, so who is to say there aren't giants roaming the deep north or a pack of ice dragons waiting for a long winter to fly south?"
Tyrion laughed. "The Wall really got to you, hasn't it."
"I spent much time with the maester reading in his library," Jon said, laying seeds for later. "He's even spoken of writing to me."
When they made to leave, Jon said farewell to Tyrion before Benjen took him aside to a private goodbye that became a brief talk. "I heard you took a piece of two," he said carefully, "have you decided if you'll take the rest?"
"In time. I can't let Joffrey take the throne. I'd rather die running him through and let Tommen take it if not for Cersei."
After a moment he nodded. "You'd be good, I know it."
"I've talked to Aemon, he knows."
"I figured."
Jon glanced to where Tyrion was speaking with Sam before looking to Benjen. "I may be sending a dragon your way soon."
Benjen's eyes widened. "You can't be serious."
"I'm going to try, but if I do I can't keep it in the Red Keep, so I'll try to send it North to let Aemon care for it."
Benjen frowned. "Write to me. Let me know what you can."
"I already planned to write to Aemon," Jon said with a smile, "he'll tell you the code we've worked out for anything important. Otherwise I'll write when I can." Meeting the man's eyes Jon near pleaded, "Be safe, uncle."
Benjen smiled in relief. "I feared you'd hate me and Ned."
Jon shook his head. "It seemed you didn't know, and he did what he could I suppose."
"He tried."
"As will I."
Jon gave his uncle a hug before mounting and departing, giving a wave to Benjen and Tyrion before moving quickly south.
It was still days before they reached Winterfell.
"Open the gate!" Men called out as Robb made his way to the yard with Rickon, Theon, Grey Wind, Shaggydog and Bran's pup behind him.
His somber smile grew to confusion when he saw Jon, Dom and Sam ride through the gates of Winterfell with a white direwolf pup at their side. The moment they saw each other the direwolves ran to the white wolf, who sank down before meeting them and sniffing wildly at one another.
Jon dismounted and Robb nodded to the wolf. "Where did you find that one?"
"On our way to the Wall," Jon said walking up to wrap his brother in a quick embrace. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here."
"You've heard?" Robb asked stepping back with a hint of surprise.
"We ran into Benjen and Tyrion on the way here." Jon noted Robb's face darken when he said Tyrion's name. "They said Bran fell and even if he woke he would never walk."
Robb frowned. "Aye, but there's more."
"Someone sent a catspaw after Bran," Theon revealed. "Would have cut his throat with a valyrian steel dagger if not for his lady mother and the direwolf that tore out the assassin's throat."
Sam gasped while Domeric's brow furrowed in a flicker of anger and Jon stepped back shaking his head. Had Joffrey sent an assassin to finish the job?
After taking a breath to calm himself, Jon looked to Robb. "Is there any sign he was pushed?"
That made Robb and Theon exchange glances, though Robb smirked. "Luwin says it's conjecture, but the day he fell everyone had gone hunting except for Jaime Lannister."
Jon's brow rose, shaking his head. "Why would he push Bran?"
"Why would he be in the First Keep?" asked Robb. "Bran might have overheard something he wasn't meant to and so he pushed him."
Jon shook his head. "What of Joffrey?"
Robb's brow knit before tilting his head in thought. "No, he was on the hunt, I think."
Jon wanted to say it couldn't be Jaime, but remembered Aemon's words of the world being cast in shadow. It would be folly to deny something he couldn't know, to assume that because Jaime was someone he looked up to as a swordsman that he would not have reason to do something so cruel. After all, who would think that Jon was a trueborn Targaryen preparing to go to war for the throne?
To Jon's relief Catelyn had left, apparently traveling to King's Landing with Rodrik Cassel to inform Ned of the attempt on Bran's life. However Jon couldn't stay in Winterfell long, he had to travel south.
"Are you sure you won't stay?" Robb asked when Jon found him in the lord's solar that night, his now that Ned was bound for King's Landing.
"I have things I need to do," Jon said walking to sit in a chair across from Robb. "Things I may need your help with, brother."
Robb arched his brow. "What things are those?"
Jon sighed, glancing at the satchel he'd brought with him."Robb I need you to make me a promise first."
"What kind of promise?"
"What I tell you can't be shared, not for a long time. You can't tell anyone, not Theon, not your mother, no one."
Robb saw Jon needed this from him so nodded. "Okay. I promise."
"Do you swear?"
"To the old gods and the new," Robb assured.
Sitting up Jon asked, "You know I went to visit the Wall, right?"
"I'd heard," Robb said with a smirk. "Also heard you bought Arya a sword."
"She told you? Good."
"I gave her a few tips but it's not like I could take her out to the yard and train her with mother around." Robb chuckled, "Though I guess she's lucky you'll be in King's Landing once mother returns."
"She is lucky," Jon said deciding to just dive into it. "She'll be able to use her sword while mine will have to be hidden away."
Robb looked confused. "What are you talking about? Why would you have to hide a sword?"
Jon reached over to open his bag and remove the valyrian steel sword as he said, "Because they might wonder why I have Dark Sister."
Robb's eyes grew as big as saucers as he leapt from his seat. "How did you get that? Is that why you went to the Wall?"
Jon shrugged. "In a sense."
"What does that mean?"
"I went to meet Aemon Targaryen. My uncle."
Robb stared at him for a moment before sinking back into his chair. "What?"
"Before I left father told me of my mother," he said carefully, "and of my true father."
Robb gaped at him before shaking his head. "No."
"You're still my brother, Robb," Jon said quickly, "and we share Stark blood, only mine is from my mother's side."
Robb's brow furrowed. "Aunt Lyanna. That means… Rhaegar?"
"Benjen saw them wed on the Isle of Faces," said Jon. "He never stole her. Father brought me back and claimed me a bastard to save me from the fate as my half-siblings."
Robb sat forward, his head in his hands. "Are you sure of this?"
"They told me themselves. I can show you the letters Rhaegar wrote to her if I must. I hoped to read them all before leaving."
After a minute he sat up. "Jon, if you're his son and they were married…"
"I'm going to make a claim," Jon said to Robb's shock. "I can't let Joffrey take the throne. It's why I need your help." He glanced at Dark Sister laid across his lap and smirked. "I can't well charge into King's Landing with this and try to kill him and the king. I need to work slowly and gather allies where I can. With Father in King's Landing you're the Lord of Winterfell now, so I'd ask you to be the first to pledge for Aegon Targaryen, sixth of his name, and work at my side when I ride to war."
Robb stared at Jon for a moment, his smile seeming so odd on the face of a man who just declared intent to commit treason. After a moment Robb scoffed and shook his head. "You have to ask? I'm always on your side, brother."
Jon let out a relieved breath. "Good. Maybe you can help me keep another secret in time."
"Another?" Robb asked watching him put the sword away and remove a large scarlet egg. "Is that a dragon's egg?"
"It is," Jon nodded, setting it on his lap. "Aemon has offered to look into everything he can of dragons in hopes of me hatching it. But when I do I can't well keep it in King's Landing without being found out, so if I can I'll send it to the Wall so Aemon can try raising it until I can claim it. But that's assuming I can figure out what to do with it. Until then it'll be hidden away with Dark Sister."
"What should I do then?"
"For now? Nothing." Jon put the egg away. "We can't rush this. We need to make sure we can win before doing anything. It's why you can't tell anyone. Dom and Sam know because I felt it wrong to lie when they came with me to the Wall, but other than them and Aemon you're the first I've come to with this. I may not even tell Loras since Renly is his lord and could tell Robert. You're the first I've asked for help, but it isn't help now. It's help in the future.
"I need you to act as if I'm still your bastard brother rather than your cousin. No one can know I'm not just Jon Snow, nor can they suspect a dragon lay among them. I'm going to work to be knighted and garner a name, try to gather what allies I can and see who may be willing to go against the crown. It will be slow, but it's the only chance we have of doing this clean and smart." Jon hoped it wasn't to obvious he was repeating Domeric's words there.
Robb nodded. "We need to be careful."
"We can do this," Jon said leaning forward. "Winter is coming, and when the snow falls and the white winds blow…"
Robb smirked finishing, "The lone wolf dies but the pack survives."
They spent most of the evening discussing what to do going forward and what they intended to do. Robb wanted to tell Theon but respected Jon's distrust of him and wariness to share such a secret with him, so agreed to keep it. Robb had expected the main reason for his mother's exclusion would be her dislike of Jon, so was surprised to find it was due to her likely willingness to share the secret if it came between Robb's life and giving up Jon as much as it was for her ties to Lysa Arryn.
"She's unstable," Jon told him. "She clung to her child near constantly in paranoia. I understand the boy is sickly and weak, but it was different, Robb. He is near six and still at his mother's teat."
"That's near Bran's age," said Robb. "Twice Rickon."
Jon nodded. "There is also her closeness to Littlefinger, the Master of Coin in the small council. I wouldn't trust the man to clean my chamber pot without digging through it for something he could use against me."
Rather than head to the room Robb gave him, Jon sneaked into the crypt once again and spent most of the night going through Rhaegar's letters to his mother. It felt so invasive, but he wanted to have a chance to know the man, however little he could. From them he found his father was poetical at times and blunt at others, speaking of prophecy and yet speaking of their will. He seemed to adore Lyanna, and even spoke well of Elia, saying he feared for the life of her and his children imprisoned by his father.
There were also hints of what his mother had written him through his responses. Twice he spoke of Elia in response to Lyanna asking after her well being. Rhaegar promised he wore her favor every day, and Jon was shocked when Rhaegar referred to her as the Knight of the Laughing Tree, follow shortly thereafter by a bawdy comment about Lyanna that made Jon decide he would never let others read that particular letter.
By the time he finally went to bed he found himself wishing he could meet them, if only once. He would give up near everything he could think of for a chance to embrace his mother and hear her voice or to spar with his father and show him the man he would be. Jon had never hated Robert more than he had in that moment.
As far as he could tell Lyanna never loved him, yet he spewed such filth about his father and told the world Lyanna had been the love of his life, but never that he wasn't the love of hers. Maybe Joffrey's cruelty and vanity wasn't all from Cersei after all.
They spent an extra day there to gather supplies for the trip south as well as to give Ghost a chance to play with his siblings. Though they considered them siblings much like Jon still considered the Stark children siblings, it was hard to imagine they would take so quickly to a direwolf if it weren't their kin. Robb thought he might have overlooked him since Ghost was so quiet, saying he'd had a dream or two that they'd forgotten something there but thought it guilt over not finding another direwolf for Jon.
Jon sat at Bran's bedside for a time, telling him of the Wall, even telling him that if he could he'd try to make sure Bran rode his dragon. He wouldn't need legs to fly.
Gathering at the gate of Winterfell Jon hugged his brother one last time. Looking to Jon's eyes Robb wore a somber smile. "Take your time. I swear we will wait for you, brother, and so long as I live House Stark and the North stands with you."
Jon nodded, patting his shoulder before they separated and he left Winterfell for King's Landing once again as a new man with a house pledged to his secret cause. He passed through the Ruby Ford as his fifteenth nameday came and went, assuming it was even his true nameday and not another lie. They'd rode to Brindlewood before they saw the king's procession and Jon felt a mix of relief and fear at what lay ahead.