Chapter Text
293 A.C.
They had just finished their lesson with Maester Luwin when he said to Jon "Your father said to find him in his solar after the lesson, he has something to tell you". Jon and Robb were going to go the nursery after the lesson since Lady Stark would be at the Sept praying around this time. He felt a bit annoyed but hoped whatever it was didn't take much time.
Jon nodded and followed Robb and Theon out. "Why does he want to talk to you?" Robb asked. Before Jon could answer Theon laughed "He is probably sending you away to the Wall."
Jon didn't say anything, only glared, but Robb said, "No he's not!"
Robb went to the nursery, and Theon Greyjoy to Winter Town, specifically to the brothel. Jon went to his father. Alyn and Fat Tom were standing guard outside. "Father," Jon said as he entered "You asked for me?"
Father was sitting in his chair, looking out the window in a trance. His father's desk was clear save for one parchment. "Yes," said Father "Please have a seat." Jon did as told.
"A raven came from Bear Island," Father said slowly, Jon remembered Maester Luwin's words about Bear Island, it was an island with oaks, pines and thornbushes. And it was home to bears, many bears. It was House Mormont's seat, and the current Lord of Bear Island was Lord Jorah Mormont.
"Jorah Mormont has requested to foster you."
"Truly?" Jon was surprised while there had been many offers of fostering for Robb there hadn't been one for him. He was aware of bastard children being fostered. Like a bastard of Hornwood being fostered at Deepwood Motte and even a King's bastard was a ward of his brother in Storm's End. No lord ever asked to foster a bastard though, they preferred trueborn children as it formed deeper alliances.
"Yes," Father said quietly "House Mormont has served House Stark for many centuries and faithfully."
Jon nodded along.
"I have decided to send you to Bear Island to honor them with our trust," Jon stilled at those words. There had been many offers to foster Robb and Father had refused them all, but he accepted the first offer that had come for Jon. He caved in, Jon realized.
"You will serve Lord Jorah Mormont as his page and squire." Father continued, "We will leave for Deepwood Motte in a moon's turn, the Lord and Lady Mormont will be waiting for us,"
"I thank you, Father," Jon knew what has to be said when your Lord and Father makes a decision for your future "For the offer you have made and accepted for me." Jon was aware his words sounded hollow.
His father looked at him confused, "Are you not happy?"
"I am," Jon lied, "May I have your leave?"
Father sighed. "You may."
As the door closed behind him, Alyn asked "What did you do, lad?"
"Nothing!" Jon snapped, he never did anything wrong, he obeyed and followed and stayed out of trouble and avoided attention, he always tried to stay out of Lady Stark's sight. "I am being shipped away to Bear Island!"
Jon turned on his heel. "Never thought Lord Stark would send one of his children away," Fat Tom said almost in a whisper.
"Aye but the boy's a bastard" Alyn replied but not maliciously. He almost sounded sorry.
Lady Stark would still be at the Sept. He can go to the nursery and play with Bran and Arya and Robb, but his feet took him to the Godswood instead. He stayed there all noon and didn't go for his midday meal.
Jon was throwing pebbles in the water. He had burst into tears when he had come here, he had cried so much that his eyes still burned and were probably red. He didn't want to go. He knew why he was being sent away. It was Lady Stark. No wife likes her husband's bastards running around with her trueborn children. He knew she didn't like him or his presence. She had wanted to send him away for a long time, everybody knew that. She had asked his father to send Jon away to be fostered but he refused every time.
Knowing that his father would never cave in had always been a comfort for him. Now it was gone.
There was a sound of small footsteps. He looked up and saw Arya running to him. Her dress was covered in dirt and mud and her hair was a tangled mess. But Jon realized she was crying. He opened his arms, and she hugged him. "Arya," he said "Is everything alright?" he wondered if she had been told about him going away. He closed his eyes. He hadn't thought what he was going to say.
"Am I a bastard?" Arya sobbed. Jon was confused.
"No," he said at once pulling her away to look at her, he still had his hands on her shoulder. "Why would you say that?"
"I look like you," she sniffed "And you are a bastard then I must be too." Jon took a deep breath to gather his thoughts, he remembered Sansa avoiding him after learning what "bastard" meant. He wondered if it would be the same with Arya and then with Bran when he is older.
Jon motioned Arya to sit beside him, when she did, he asked "Do you even know what a bastard is?" Arya looked at the pool as if in deep thought then shook her head in a no.
"A bastard is someone who is born outside of a wedlock," Jon said "It means Father never wed my mother." Saying this left a bitter taste in his mouth. "And that means you are not a bastard, Father wed your mother in the Sept in Riverrun with the gods and men as their witnesses."
Arya let out a puff of air, "Truly?" she asked in a small voice "You are not lying?"
"No." Jon made himself smile. Arya then hugged him with such force that he almost fell into the pool.
"Thank you!" she said.
"Of course," Jon said laughing "Shouldn't you be with Septa Mordane?" he asked. Arya looked at him remembering "Yes!" she said as she ran out of the Godswood. Jon looked at her go and smiled a. He wondered how much longer before Arya understood what it meant for him to be a bastard. What it meant for her mother. How much longer before she also stops talking to him and avoids him in the halls, how much longer before Bran catches up to them. He didn't know. He didn't want to know. He knew he wouldn't be able to bear it.
He thought that maybe going to Bear Island wouldn't be so bad. When the time came when Arya and Bran understood. It wouldn't really matter because he won't be here. He would miss them terribly though.
****
His last month at Winterfell ended really fast. Father had told Robb later that night; in front of Father, he stood tall and congratulated Jon on his offer and wished him well but behind closed doors he had hugged Jon and cried begging him to stay. Arya had not understood what it meant and kept asking when he would be back.
A week before his journey, he and Robb played a small trick on the little ones when Jon dumped a whole bag flour on to himself and Robb brought the children to the crypts where they scared them. They had laughed so much that they couldn't even stand upright.
The time to leave came faster than expected. Jon would be travelling to Deepwood Motte with Father and Robb and Theon Greyjoy; from there he alone would sail to Bear Island with the Lord and Lady Mormont. The goodbyes were bittersweet Arya had cried asking him to come back soon. He wasn't able to say goodbye to Bran because Lady Stark threatened to call the guards, if he didn't leave the nursery. Sansa was as courteous as ever and wished him a safe voyage.
****
Deepwood Motte was a motte and bailey castle on a hill, Robb and Theon had been here before. Robb had said it was nice while Theon had said it was a pisspott on a hill. They received a warm welcome there. There they learned that Lord and Lady Mormont would be arriving in three days times, due to a storm in the Bay of Ice.
There had been a feast that night. He noticed that people would look at him and whisper. That made him uneasy. The next two days he spent in the company of Larence Snow the bastard of Hornwood and Galbart Glover's ward as Father had matters to discuss with Lord Glover and Robb had to be there as heir to Winterfell and Theon was doing whatever it was he did. Larence told him he was probably away with Lovely Larra who worked in the kitchens. Larence was only three years younger than Jon and closer in age to Sansa, but he made for good company.
Larence showed Jon every single corner of Deepwood and told him about whose ghost resides in the wine cellar. Soon they were exchanging stories, Jon told him about Winterfell and his brothers and sisters and Larence told him about the Glovers and how he loved them and how it sometimes got lonely without children his age. "Don't you miss your father and brother?" Jon had asked.
"At first I did but then it didn't matter because they never come." Larence answered quietly "I don't even know what it's like to have a brother."
Jon felt sad for him "Maybe I can be your brother. We have the same name." Jon smiled what he hoped was a reassuring smile,
Larence gave a small smile too. "Can I write to you in Bear Island?"
"Of course," Jon had meant that. He had come to like Larence and would be sad to part from him so soon.
"I heard that Lady Maege's daughters are fathered by a bear" Larence whispered looking around,
Jon laughed "That's not true."
"It is true!" Larence insisted "Her daughters can also skinchange into bears!" Jon just laughed. Later that night he told Robb about it, and they laughed together.
****
The sky was cloudy as the Mormonts arrived. Jon stood between Robb and Theon as they welcomed the Mormonts. Lord Jorah Mormont was older than Father, his wife Lady Lynesse Mormont, who was only 21, looked like child compared to her husband.
There were four more ladies that had come with him, Jon recognized them as Lord Mormont's cousins. Father had told him about the members of his family. The oldest was Lady Dacey who was a year younger than Lady Lynesse, the second oldest Lady Alysanne was only 18, the third Lady Lyra was 15 and the fourth Lady Jorelle 13, it seems the youngest of them Lyanna, only 3, was at Bear Island. They look pretty much human to me, Jon would have said if Larence had stood beside him.
They greeted Father first then Robb and then finally Jon "You must be Jon," Lord Jorah said with a warm smile,
"I am, my lord." Jon nodded.
"We look forward to having you on Bear Island."
"Thank you, my lord, I look forward to being there." Jon also gave a small smile. Lord Mormont moved on to Theon. Lady Lynesse just smiled a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Surprisingly, he remembered her, she had come to Winterfell with Lord Jorah, he could only remember her scornful expression when she looked at him.
"They look kind." Robb said uneasily. Last night after dinner Robb had begged Father to not send Jon away, even tell him of the rumors he had heard about the Mormonts. Father simply told him not believe in any gossip. He was hoping that the Mormonts would turn out to be half bears as the rumors said so Father would be forced to not send Jon.
There had been another feast to welcome the Mormonts, it was smaller than the feast before. The next few days he spent observing his new foster family. Jorah Mormont was polite to Jon and courteous, his swordsmanship was admirable as he managed to defeat Father and Lords Glover and Robett Glover. Jon had talked to Lady Lynesse once, she had been polite enough, but she looked at him with suspicion.
However, the Lady Maege's daughters were by far the most interesting. All of them knew to use weapons that Jon had only seen in the armory: Battle axes, maces, warhammers and so on. They knew how to use swords too, in a spar Lady Lyra had managed to disarm Theon Greyjoy, later he claimed he purposefully went easy on her, which Jon doubted. He noticed people looked at them and whispered too, like they did with Jon.
He also observed how they talked with each other. Lady Lynesse was always present dutifully holding her husband's arm when needed, with him her smile was forced but with her cousins by law her smile was genuine. Lord Jorah on the other hand looked at Lady Lynesse with love but it wasn't the same as Father looking at Lady Stark but more like a rider looking at his prized stallion.
****
The day to leave came sooner than anticipated, they stood at the small harbor of Deepwood. Robb had cried to Jon that morning, begging him to think of some way to stay and go back to Winterfell and that had made Jon cry too but here he stood tall as the heir to Winterfell should. Jon was grateful for that because if Robb cried there would be nothing stopping Jon from crying as well.
"Take care, Jon." Robb said but Jon heard the quiver in his voice, he felt tears welling up in his eyes.
"And you, Robb." Jon said as he hugged Robb, he buried his face on Robb's shoulder, trying to memorize the smell of fresh fallen snow on Robb. He tried to pull away, but Robb hugged him even tighter. Jon felt a tear fall. "Robb." Father whispered quietly.
Robb then pulled away, looking as tall as before. Father put a hand on Jon's shoulder "Take care, Jon." he said gently, "And be good." He wanted to hug Father one last time, but he couldn't because people were watching, it would improper. Even now every word he said to Jon could be seen as an insult to Lady Stark.
"I will, Father." He got an urge to ask his father again about his mother, but it was not the right place or time. He had asked his father this morning and had gotten the same reply "Now is not the time."
Theon caught his eye; he was not looking at Jon but at the ground, he wasn't smiling as he always did, he looked angry, but his eyes were sad.
He boarded the ship with the Mormonts. He had never been on a ship before, he felt nervous. He looked back at his brother and father; he waved one last time as the ship left the dock. He didn't take his eyes off them until they were out of sight. He felt like crying again but he didn't dare to do it in front of the Mormonts.
Soon the land was as small as an ant hill. They were surrounded by the ocean; the storm had cleared the sky, and it was a bright blue. The birds known as seagulls were singing. The wind on his face felt cold and refreshing. Looking at all this he took a deep breath and wondered what waited for him on Bear Island.