"What are you, scared?", Theon mocked Jon, the older boy swinging his sword in lazy arches, "then again, what can i expect of a bastard? Cowards, the whole lot"
Jon scowled. His pride didn't allow him to back down now. He would show Theon the truth, how superior he was. He was a prince of Asgard, the god of mischief! Jon silently picked up a spear and jammed it into the ground, "you wanna play? Okay, let's play"
Theon chuckled, "as ever, a cowards choice… too scared to face me with a real weapon?"
Jon let out a quiet sigh before abandoning his favorite weapon, instead taking up a longsword from one of the nearby guards. He was nowhere as good with it as with his spear or daggers but for his pride, he would risk it. He swung the weapon a few times. It was as light as a feather to him, as were most things nowadays.
"Ready, Snow?", Theon grinned manically, an expression which he shared, "to kick your arse? Always"
Theon made the first move, lunging at him with an overhead strike, which Jon dodged to the right, landing a kick to his knee, causing the boy to fall to the ground. He could end this right now, place his sword to his neck but he wouldn't learn his lesson like that, would he now? He waited for Theon to stand back up. When he did, he tried feigning a strike to his right before switching to the left at the last moment. With his enhanced perception, it was easy to look through, so he blocked the strike with his sword in one hand and punched his chest with the other, just enough for it to hurt. If he were to go all out, he could shatter his ribcage but he didn't want to live with that, it would be too much trouble.
"Argh!", Theon in his rage kicked at his balls. That won't happen. Jon dodged the kick and smiled, "now it's my turn"
Jon swung at him with speed. His fighting style relied on many fast but shallow cuts. Theon had no time to recover. He may have blocked a few strikes but moment after moment, the wounds on his body accumulated until he raised his sword to the older boy's neck, "I win"
Theon, still in fight or flight mode, took a few moments to realize what happened. His face changed from determined to confused, "you- you must've cheated! No way I'd lose to a bastard! What did you-"
*clap* *clap* *clap*
The two of them looked up, seeing Lord Eddard Stark standing above them, clapping slowly, "well done Jon… come to my solar in an hour"
"Yes father", he was intrigued. What could Ned want with him? The part of Jon in him wished he would legitimize him but he knew that wouldn't be likely. But what else could he want?
Jon lowered his sword and walked off. Behind him, Theon was fuming. The older boy jumped up and swung at the retreating bastard but ser Rodrik intervened, intercepting the strike.
Later, Jon walked towards his father's solar. The servants around him were whispering, "I heard it was the king himself!", "no, I heard it was Lord Arryn", "are you stupid? It was the Dornish, who else would give this kind of offer to a bastard?"
They didn't know it but with his enhanced senses, he could hear every bit of it. His brows furrowed. What was going on?
He walked past the guards, into the Solar, "ah, Jon, good, you made it"
The solar was a big, circular room with a large desk in its middle and bookshelves lining the walls. Above the fireplace hung Ice, the greatsword of house Stark. The maester was standing by his father's side, holding a message in his fingers, handing it to Jon, "go ahead, read it"
Jon snatched the paper from his hand and read.
'My dear Eddard. My health has been deteriorating these past years. My heir however is nowhere near ready to succeed me, he is only eight. He won't be able to protect himself once I am gone, so I am writing to all my friends with bastard children, if such people truly exist. We have fought on different sides of the war but I know you are honourable to a fault. I am suggesting to you and my other allies that you send your bastard here, to become knights. I heard your son is a prodigy with the spear, we can cultivate that, make him something more than just another bastard.
-with hopeful intentions, Rick Dayne'
There was the seal of house Dayne, a white sword and falling star, crossed on lilac.
"So, what do you think?", his father asked.
Jon's mind was racing. It was a gamble but the rewards far outweighed the risks. As a knight, he coul get landed, one step closer to a proper lord and in Dorne, he could live freely. Bastards weren't looked down upon. There was always the risk that his true heritage was discovered but fuck that, he wanted to feel warmth again. Sure, the cold didn't bother him any more but still, he missed the sun's warmth.
"I know, it is a lot to ask and I can understand if you don't want to but-"
"I want to go", Jon nodded, to the surprise of Eddard. He had presumed Jon still wanted to join the night's watch. This sudden change was unexpected but in retrospect it made sense. Jon had played knights ever since he could swing a wooden sword and in Dorne, he could cultivate his skill with the spear way better than in the North.
"Very well, I'll send a raven as soon as possible. A small troupe will escort you to Starfall in a week. It should take two months at most for you to get there", Lord Stark nodded.
Jon was excited. His journey was only starting to begin.