Game of Thrones: The Dragonborn - Chapter 55 - I'm Jon Snow.

[Chapter Size: 2600 Words.]

Third Person POV.
Winterfell.

...

...

Jon walked calmly toward the entrance of Lord Stark's solar, where the guards quickly noticed his approaching presence. They raised their eyebrows in surprise at seeing him inside and instinctively reached for their weapons.

He was clean, without any weapons or suspicious items—all stored in his dimensional space—so there was nothing for them to seize from him.

"Hello," Jon began, addressing the guard he recognized. At least, he remembered him as an aspiring soldier at the time. His name should be Jory Cassel; it seemed he had become Lord Stark’s personal guard. Jon continued under the questioning gazes of the guards.

"I am here for the Lord of Winterfell, who seeks me. I was told to come, and here I am," Jon spoke calmly.

The guards exchanged glances before one of them—Jory Cassel himself—entered the solar. A short time later, he returned with a cautious expression.

"You may enter, but we will search and bind you. You are now in the custody of House Stark," he said.

"I am unarmed, but I don’t understand this custody," Jon commented as the guard quickly checked him to ensure he carried nothing.

"You are suspected of committing murders in Wintertown. You didn’t appear when summoned, yet you’ve been seen in the city in recent days, and the murders continued."

"I don’t recall being notified of this. Murders? I don’t know what you’re talking about," Jon replied, keeping his voice calm as the man frowned, feeling as though Jon was mocking them.

"Alright, take him," Jory said finally to the other guard. The nephew of Ser Rodrik prevented any further argument—not that Jon insisted—and the door was opened. The guard led him inside.

Jon paid no attention to his uncle or his uncle's wife at first, only observing the solar. It was very much as he remembered it, having visited a few times for conversations with his supposed father in the past. Those talks, centered on honor, simultaneously hid secrets from him and avoided his questions.

After taking in the room, he was left standing in the middle of the solar, held by the guard, where his gaze shifted to Lord Stark, seated at the table with Lady Catelyn at his side. Both stared at Jon with suspicious eyes.

"Well, well, I’m flattered by the reception," Jon said with a smile, prompting Lady Stark to frown at his words. It was her husband who broke the silence.

"I wouldn’t say that, considering you’re being accused of murder. Usually, I would have you thrown directly into our cells, but since you came to see me, let’s hear what you have to say," Ned Stark said, still eyeing Jon doubtfully, recalling his lost nephew but unwilling to believe it could truly be him.

"My words are brief, Lord Stark. I am simply here to inform you that, unfortunately, I cannot remain in Winterfell and will have to leave," Jon said calmly.

Everyone present exchanged perplexed looks. Lady Catelyn already held a negative opinion of the strange bard. After all, he had first disappeared after defying the king at the banquet—an event many said he had instigated, leading to the chaos at the end. Hours later came the courtyard incident. The situation escalated with the murders and even the theft of beds, a mystery she was still trying to resolve without success.

It was even possible to suspect this bard. The disappearance of the beds was bizarre, and no one knew where they had gone, creating serious problems with the queen, who was furious to find her chamber missing one.

"You speak as if you can simply leave," Ned responded firmly. "Remember, you are now in custody, accused of murder, and must face trial before me and the king."

Jon raised an eyebrow, as if amused by the notion. "Well, you know I don’t need to worry about that. After all, I can resolve everything with a trial by combat. I wonder who will die—a royal guard, or even the man standing next to me? You’ll have the privilege of choosing," Jon said, his voice calm.

Everyone in the room frowned, shocked by his composure. Some even looked at him with frustration.

"It doesn't matter. A trial must be held," Lord Stark insisted but looked at Jon before continuing. "Even so, I still want to hear what you mean by leaving Winterfell. What does that have to do with us?"

"Well," Jon began with a smile, looking at Lady Catelyn and Lord Stark. "I wanted to thank you, after all, I don’t know when we’ll see each other again," he said, and both frowned, confused.

"What do you mean by that?" Lady Catelyn questioned.

"It’s a very simple matter, Lady Stark," Jon replied directly. "Thanks to you, I had an idea of how the world really works, of how cruel people can be. It helped me a lot at the start of my journey."

"And what are you getting at? Speak clearly," Ned insisted at these cryptic words, his tone more serious than any Jon had ever heard from him.

Jon decided to finally speak the truth. "I’m saying that living with you in this castle, as cruel as it was, helped me understand how people can be. I wanted to thank those responsible for that," Jon said directly, revealing who he truly was.

The entire room fell silent as everyone tried to process those words. Jon could see the color drain from both Lord Stark’s and Lady Catelyn’s faces.

It took several seconds before they finally reacted.

"Jon?" Ned looked at him, stunned. "This… this cannot be true," Ned murmured, incredulous.

"Do not call me by that name," Jon warned in an unfriendly tone. "After all, only those close to me can say those words. You have no right," Jon replied, his smile fading.

Lord Stark still stared at him, bewildered. "This is impossible!" he said, clearly confused. "You don’t look like a sixteen-year-old boy."

"Logically, I’m not. After all, it’s been eight years for you. But where I was, time can pass differently," Jon shrugged. "Anyway, uncle..." he continued.

Ned grew even paler upon hearing Jon call him "uncle." But he couldn’t even respond because Lady Catelyn exploded, completely ignoring what Jon had just revealed.

"You are a damned bastard who should be dead!" she screamed, and Jon could see the fear and rage in her voice. He watched her, raising an eyebrow, thinking how this woman could still be so foolish.

"Yes, yes, Lady Catelyn, I am here. But don’t worry, I’m not interested in rocks like Winterfell or in your grudge," Jon said in a mocking tone.

"You came exactly for that! Don’t lie!" she accused, stepping closer to Jon with anger. "You should never have returned here. I’ll make sure you’re punished for the murders happening around here! You’re here to destroy my family!" Catelyn simply blamed him for everything that was happening upon learning he was her husband’s bastard son.

"Big words, Lady Catelyn. I’m so scared of you!" Jon mocked, his voice dripping with irony. "And to think I was afraid of an arrogant old woman when I was eight years old." Jon simply looked at her, facing her without fear for the first time in his life. He even offered her a closed smile.

This made her frown, surprised. She still couldn’t comprehend how that once-cornered boy could now be so different, and it left her even more frightened.

"You… you..." she tried to speak, but her rage prevented her from completing the sentence. Her emotions were completely out of control as both fear and anger dominated her, expecting to see Jon dead in a trial.

"I will not let you disrespect me here!" Catelyn exclaimed. "Guards!" she shouted, demanding that Jon be arrested immediately. The guard at his side seemed to tighten his grip on Jon, and Lord Stark seemed to think the same, as he looked toward the door, expecting Jory to open it.

However, in the following seconds, nothing happened. The door remained untouched, and the silence was broken when Jon began to laugh.

"You really think you can arrest me like this, don’t you, fool?" Jon said openly, his voice echoing through the solar. Everyone frowned, confused by his calmness.

"Imagine that..." Jon continued. "No one here seems to understand what’s happening."

"You...?!" Lord Stark started to speak, but Jon interrupted him.

"Well, in any case, it’s a shame I can’t stay any longer," Jon said, turning his attention to his uncle. "I’d like to have a longer conversation with you, uncle, but that will have to wait for another time."

With a swift motion, Jon freed himself from the ropes binding him. The guard stared at him, stunned, not knowing how to react as his grip on Jon escaped. Before anyone could do anything, Jon struck the man with a punch, knocking him to the ground unconscious.

Lord Stark immediately stood and grabbed Ice, the greatsword by his table, looking at Jon with a grim and worried expression. By his side, however... Lady Catelyn’s expression shifted from rage to pure fear. She retreated instantly but was already within Jon’s reach.

"You know," Jon said, looking at her with a cold smile. "I heard you prayed to the gods for my death. Perhaps you even did something to make me disappear. Who knows?"

He shrugged casually, but before she could respond, Jon slapped her across the face. The impact sent Catelyn to the ground like a stone, unconscious, her face marked red.

"I’ve always wanted to do that," Jon murmured, mocking as he ignored the woman lying on the floor. His eyes turned to Ned, who now stared at him with a fiercer look than Jon had ever seen.

"Do you have any idea what you just did?" Ned exclaimed, but no one moved while Jon stood over Catelyn.

"Lord Stark... or should I call you uncle?" Jon responded with a defiant tone. "Do you really think this could stop me? You have no idea what I’ve been through or what I’ve become."

Ned glanced at his wife, lying unconscious at Jon’s feet. He had never raised his hand against her, yet there she was, unconscious after being struck by Jon.

Jon noticed this and sneered. "Don’t worry, I didn’t say anything more to her. After all, that would be far too easy," Jon said with a sarcastic smile.

"What do you want from us? Why have you returned?" Ned Stark asked, frowning at Jon’s words.

"Simple," Jon replied with a more serious look. "What I want is... revenge on you and everyone involved in the fall of my paternal family. While I agree with the Mad King’s death, there are still unforgivable acts in that story."

His voice was calm, but it left Ned Stark with a grim expression. "So, you plan to murder us?" Ned murmured, looking at Jon as if he were an enemy.

"Murder? Don’t give me that nonsense, Lord Stark. What I want is... a war," Jon said openly. "I plan to bring a war that will engulf the entire realm. I will kill everyone involved and destroy their families."

This left Ned Stark in shock. "You truly think you can do that?" Ned asked, looking at his nephew as though he were mad. To him, Jon had no army, no support. As far as they knew, he had simply appeared out of nowhere.

"You know what’s funny, uncle? What I am today cannot be measured by your standards," Jon remarked before smiling. "I don’t need an army," he said simply.

Raising his hand, Jon pointed at Lord Stark, who didn’t have time to react before he felt his neck being gripped by some invisible force. His body was lifted off the ground and thrown against the wall, dropping Ice.

First came the pain of the impact, then disbelief. Ned looked at Jon, unable to understand what was happening, but it was clear his nephew was doing something that defied all logic, as Jon kept his hand pointed at him, as if physically holding him with some kind of magic Ned did not know.

"It would be so easy to kill you here, Lord Stark," Jon said as Ned began to show signs of desperation, unable to comprehend what Jon was truly doing there.

"What are you doing? I saved you! If it weren’t for me, you’d be dead!" Ned spoke with difficulty, his voice strained with effort and pain.

"You speak of honor, uncle, but I saw what you did at the Tower of Joy. You killed Arthur Dayne in a dishonorable way after losing to him. And you still insist on talking about honor? Don’t be a hypocrite," Jon said coldly, as Ned stared at him, unable to respond.

Jon continued. "And don’t come at me with this nonsense about saving me. You did worse than that. You wanted to see me humiliated, as if you were avenging Rhaegar and even your sister. You hated her so much for the chaos she brought that you decided to treat her son like garbage in this place."

"That’s not true!" Ned tried to argue, but Jon pressed him harder against the wall, making him groan in pain.

"Don’t give me that nonsense. You loved seeing me in that state when I was eight years old. But things have changed," Jon said coldly. "I went to another world, if you must know. It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not. I admit what I went through shaped me and, in a way, helped me a lot. I saw the worst in people, and it allowed me to survive those first years as a child with nothing, in lands with things unimaginable to you or anyone in this world. But that doesn’t matter now." Jon looked at Ned with a dark expression, his face full of disdain.

Ned remained silent, speechless in the face of what he had just heard, but he looked at Jon with fear.

"In any case, I’m not going to kill you here. I want to do it on the battlefield, in the 'honor' you value so much," Jon mocked, his voice dripping with irony. "So, don’t die just yet. I hope to meet you again for a better conversation." Jon paused, staring at him for a few seconds before continuing.

"I’m in a hurry, but remember: I’ll still be coming after you," he said before releasing him.

With a swift motion, Jon pulled Ned from the wall only to throw him forcefully against it again. Ned’s head struck the wall violently, and he collapsed unconscious. Jon left him lying on the floor like an animal, showing no concern.

Looking toward the door, Jon snapped his fingers. The soundproofing field disappeared, explaining why no one had responded to Catelyn’s screams or the sounds of the commotion.

Jon walked to the door and knocked a few times with his knuckles. It began to open, revealing Jory, who looked inside the room in confusion. As he entered, he saw Lady Catelyn and the guard unconscious near the entrance. Further in, he found Lord Stark lying unconscious on the floor near his table, his face filled with utter bewilderment. There was no sign of the prisoner he was supposed to be guarding.

The guard barely had time to react. Before he could say anything, his body was thrown backward by an invisible force, slamming against the wall. He lost consciousness instantly.

"Well, I think I’m done here. Time to get my wolf and head across the sea," Jon murmured to the four fallen individuals, shrugging. He left the room behind him as if nothing had happened.

Jon opened the door and walked out calmly, strolling through Winterfell’s corridors until he exited the castle.