Jaehaerys looked down from the sky at Winterfell. It had been his home for more than a decade. "Home" was perhaps not the right word; residence would be better. Still, it was impressive. Jaehaerys could almost smell the magic in the air. But he felt uneasy. He felt his dragon shake uncomfortably.
"I'm going to take Bloodraven out," thought the prince.
After the prince went to the Isle of Faces, he learned about the life of the three-eyed raven, who now possessed the body of Bloodraven, a famous bastard of House Targaryen. The powerful Greenser had contaminated the Weirwoods, leaving them without a connection to the old gods. To purify them, he needed to water their roots with Weirwood sap from Argentstone.
Jaehaerys had hesitated to do so. After all, it would be an advantage for his house if he claimed to maintain the only purified Weirwoods on his lands. He could decide to be selfish and not purify others. But that was impractical for him.
On the one hand, the improvement to the crops would not work at all, or it would work only slightly and would not be what the prince had promised. On the other hand, there was the possibility that there would be some damage to the Weirwoods at Argentstone. There could always be unforeseen events, and having insurance would never hurt. His descendants might need it.
And then there was the Starks' inability to fully harness the magic of the trees. That was for now; Jaehaerys wondered if a Greenser could gain the knowledge. But that didn't mean that not purifying the tree would do any good.
The dragon landed outside Winterfell with a thud and a tremor in the earth. Another similar body fell beside him. Daenerys dismounted from her black dragon, Blackfyre. Jaehaerys was sure Rhaegar would be sweating cold if he were alive. But at that moment, his whole body was cold. 'Ah, what a shitty joke,' thought the prince as he climbed down from Moonfyre's back.
His wife had insisted on accompanying him, partly because she didn't want to be far from him and partly because she wanted to ride on the back of her dragon. Daenerys threw herself beside him, and Jaehaerys passed the cloak that covered his shoulders to hers.
"It's colder than I imagined," she said, her teeth chattering.
Jaehaerys nodded as he took her hand and they walked on.
"Ouch! Damn it!" he heard another voice complain.
"I forgot you were coming with us, Brandon," said the prince with a mocking laugh.
The bastard hadn't managed to land completely on his feet. He fell on his ass in the snow. Jaehaerys looked at his friend's leg, still wrapped in a bandage, just as a precaution. The bandage was reinforced with protective runes. He had healed well; he could walk from Winterfell to the Wall if needed.
The same clothes the prince and princess wore were covered in runes. They were discreet, made of threads soaked in red sap. Daenerys herself had embroidered them.
Brandon traveled with them on the dragon to keep the princess safe. It wasn't that he distrusted the Starks, but there could always be a snake lurking, looking to sink its fangs.
'Daemon,' Jaehaerys wondered if he would be there to greet them.
His absence had been felt during the Greyjoy rebellion. A few lords said he was too frightened by the defeat to want to see the prince again. Others said he was angry with his half-brother, Aegon, for giving the position of Hand of the King to Jaehaerys and not to him.
Aegon had lifted his younger brother's exile, but the Rogue Prince had not returned home.
"Prince Jaehaerys!" There was Lord Stark. The three of them entered through the castle's enormous gates, having landed close enough to walk.
"Can I ride your dragon?" Arya seemed to have put aside her apprehension about the prince as she asked her question.
"Arya, come back here," her mother scolded her harshly.
Her blue eyes were cold as she looked at the prince.
The girl shrank back a little, but her eyes continued to beg the prince to take her flying through the skies.
"You look the same as the last time I saw you," the prince greeted them. He shared a nod with Lord Stark as he took bread and salt, and with them the rights of guests.
"It's a pleasure to have you back, my prince," Lady Catelyn greeted him. Despite her words, the last thing in her voice was pleasure. She seemed angry, probably because a bastard granddaughter was the last thing she planned to have from Sansa. "I'll show you to your chambers," she said as she turned away.
It was not a warm welcome on her part, but she did not insult them in front of all those who had gathered to welcome them. There were minor lords who had come to Lord Stark to resolve minor issues, some men-at-arms and knighted knights, though few. New faces and faces that Jaehaerys had known for most of his life.
But Daemon was nowhere to be seen.
The prince followed Lady Stark, Daenerys at his side, and she remained silent. She didn't feel entirely comfortable there, with the possibility of meeting Daemon and Lady Stark. The look Tully gave her was even worse than the one she gave Jaehaerys.
Lady Stark left them in their quarters, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then left.
"Pleasant, just as I remember her," Brandon said, a little mockingly.
Brandon and his twin brother were not to her liking. They were bastards, stains on their parents, cursed in the name of the Seven.
"Perhaps the letter will soften her a little," Jaehaerys said. He had brought letters from Sansa for each of his brothers and his parents.
---------------------------
Lady Stark, despite her anger, organized a feast worthy of her guests. At the main table were Dany and Jae, both chatting with Lord Stark. Jaehaerys almost threw a dagger at Robb, who was looking at Daenerys as if she were the most beautiful woman in the world.
Well, she probably was.
"How long has it been?" asked Jaehaerys to Lord Stark.
"The expedition began three moons ago... the scouts returned a few weeks ago, but none of them have any news about him; they only talk about the failure of the expedition," said Eddard, his expression somber.
Daemon had gone to the Wall. Jaehaerys found this curious; it was as if fate could not keep him away from the black, well, not fate but the Three-Eyed Crow. Of course, Daemon had not taken the vows; he had only gone to kill a few wildlings, but apparently, it had been more than he expected. Lord Mormont, who was the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, organized a raid to obtain information from the wildlings.
The results were disastrous, with half the men missing and now presumed dead. Jaehaerys had spoken to Aemon, the maester of the Watch, his great-uncle. He had warned him about the White Walkers. He passed it off as dragon dreams, and the old man seemed to believe him. The prince had sent gold so that the guard could regain some glory, but he did not pay enough attention to it.
Now Daemon is missing. Jaehaerys would not lie and say that he was saddened by his disappearance. But he couldn't help feeling bad when he thought of Lyanna and Visenya.
How would he break the news to them?
"Has the King been informed?" Jaehaerys asked.
"Yes. I await his response, but I have already ordered the men to prepare for another, larger-scale expedition." his jaw was tense. "Winter is coming... I am placing great hope in you," he said to the prince.
"I know, the resources that will be spent on the expedition will make winter difficult," the prince nodded. "It will work. But I need to look at the Weirwood first," said Jaehaerys.
Eddard nodded, trusting the prince when it came to his religion. He knew he followed the Old Gods and would not harm the Weirwood.
"Bran..." Eddard said, but stopped, unsure.
Jaehaerys let the slip pass. He looked at the boy, who frowned as he looked at the prince, seeming fearful. If history had run its course, the boy would have ended up crippled, unable to walk. He would have traveled north of the wall and become the next Three-Eyed Raven. The prince wondered if the boy had BloodRaven inside his head, whispering that he should distrust him.
It didn't matter. After tomorrow, the Three-Eyed Raven would lose one eye at Winterfell.