Three days had passed since Tristan, Jon, and Tyrion had made their decision.
Only three days, yet they had been enough to change many things.
Winterfell was preparing for King Robert Baratheon's departure, and the castle was filled with servants, knights, horses, and wagons. The sounds of steel, the neighing of horses, and the shouts of soldiers filled the courtyard.
In one corner of the stables, Tristan was tightening the saddle on his black horse.
Tyrion appeared behind him, carrying a bag filled with books.
Without turning around, Tristan said:
"Tell me you didn't pack an entire library in that bag."
Tyrion replied:
"Not an entire library. I left behind some books I don't need."
Tristan turned toward him.
"And how many books did you take?"
"Seven."
"Seven?"
"Eight."
Tristan shook his head.
"We're going to be travelers, Tyrion."
"That is precisely why I need the books."
Jon arrived at that moment, carrying a small bag and his sword.
He looked at Tyrion's bag, then at Tristan.
"Is there a problem?"
Tristan said:
"Tyrion thinks we're going to travel with a wagon full of books."
Tyrion raised an eyebrow.
"You two simply don't appreciate knowledge."
Jon smiled for the first time in a long while.
"I suppose that's true."
Before the conversation could continue, Robb Stark appeared.
He stopped in front of Jon, then looked at Tristan.
"So you're serious."
Tristan replied:
"Very."
Robb approached his brother.
"Jon…"
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"No matter what happens down there, remember that you will always be my brother."
Jon looked at him.
"I know."
"No."
Robb said seriously.
"I want you to really know it."
Jon said nothing.
Robb placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't let the people in the south decide who you are."
Then he stepped away.
Tristan looked at Jon but said nothing.
He knew that some words needed no explanation.
Jaime and Tyrion
Elsewhere in the castle, Jaime Lannister was preparing to leave Winterfell with the king.
Tyrion entered the room.
Jaime was fastening his sword belt.
He looked at him and said:
"I heard you're leaving."
"I am."
"With Jon Snow."
"Yes."
"And Tristan Waters."
Tyrion smiled.
"I'm beginning to suspect you're keeping an eye on me."
"I'm only trying to understand why you want to travel with the Stark bastard and Waters."
Tyrion stopped.
Then he said:
"Because I'm tired."
Jaime's expression changed slightly.
"Of what?"
"Everything."
Tyrion sat down on a chair.
"King's Landing. The court. The nobles who laugh when I enter a room before I've even said anything. Men who see my height and decide they already understand my entire mind."
Jaime said:
"You're a Lannister."
"And that is exactly the problem."
Jaime fell silent.
Tyrion continued:
"Everyone knows my name, but no one knows me."
"I know you."
"You're my brother."
Tyrion gave him a small smile.
"That makes you biased."
Jaime stepped closer to him.
"What do you want?"
"To see the world."
"You've seen the world."
"From the window of Father's carriage."
Jaime fell silent.
Then he said:
"You don't know what's outside Westeros."
"That's why I want to go."
"You could die."
Tyrion raised his cup.
"We could both die tomorrow. The difference is that at least I'll die doing something I wanted."
Jaime sat across from him.
"Do you trust Tristan?"
Tyrion thought for a moment.
"I haven't known him for very long."
"But you trust him."
"I trust his mind."
"That's worse."
Tyrion laughed.
"Why?"
"Because strength can frighten a man. Intelligence can make him dangerous."
Tyrion looked at his brother.
"That's why I want to be with him."
Silence filled the room.
Then Jaime asked:
"What about Father?"
Tyrion's smile disappeared.
"Father won't stop me."
"You know him."
"I know him very well."
"And he doesn't like losing control."
Tyrion stood.
"Perhaps it's time he learned that I'm not one of his soldiers."
Jaime stared at him for a long moment.
Then he said:
"I'll miss you."
Tyrion stopped.
He looked at his brother.
"You?"
"Don't make this emotional."
Jaime smiled.
"I'll miss the only person in the family who can annoy me without making me bored."
Tyrion laughed.
Then he stepped closer.
"Jaime."
"What?"
"Will you let me go?"
Jaime sighed.
"If I told you no, would you listen to me?"
"No."
"Then go."
Tyrion smiled.
"I knew you were the best of my siblings."
"I'm your only brother who can tolerate you."
"That's what I meant."
Arya and Tristan
In the training yard, Arya was striking a wooden dummy with a stick.
One strike.
Then another.
Then faster.
A voice came from behind her.
"Your feet."
She stopped.
Then turned.
Tristan was standing there.
"What about them?"
"You move quickly, but you reveal the direction of your attack before you strike."
She frowned.
"You're always criticizing."
"Because you want to become better."
She raised the stick.
"Show me."
Tristan smiled.
He picked up a wooden sword.
The sparring began.
This time, he did not defeat her immediately.
He gave her room.
Arya moved around him, trying to strike his leg, then his shoulder.
He blocked her.
"Better."
She attacked again.
"And you're slower."
"I'm letting you get close."
"Liar."
He laughed.
Then knocked the stick from her hand.
She said angrily:
"Again."
"We have a journey."
"Five minutes."
"Five minutes will become an hour."
"Then an hour."
He looked at her.
"You're stubborn."
"I know."
He sat on the edge of the yard.
She sat beside him.
"You're really leaving."
"Yes."
"With Jon and Tyrion."
"Yes."
"And I'm not going."
He looked at her.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because you're not leaving your family."
She was silent.
Then she said:
"I want to see the world."
"You will."
"When?"
"When the time is right."
She stared at him.
"And you?"
"What about me?"
"When will you return?"
Tristan stopped.
He had no answer.
"I don't know."
Arya lowered her head.
"Then come back."
He smiled.
"I'll try."
"No."
She raised her eyes to him.
"Don't try. Come back."
He did not answer.
But his smile disappeared.
Sansa and Theon
On the other side of the castle, Sansa was speaking with Theon Greyjoy.
Theon said:
"I heard the little prince has decided to become an adventurer."
"Tyrion?"
"Who else?"
Then he added:
"And he's taking Jon Snow and Waters with him."
"Tristan."
"Yes, him."
Sansa smiled.
"You don't like him."
"I never said that."
"You didn't have to."
Theon laughed.
"The man killed the Hound."
"I know."
"And he defeated Arya."
"She says he didn't defeat her."
"She says that because she doesn't want to admit it."
Sansa smiled.
Then she said:
"Tristan is different."
Theon looked at her.
"Different?"
"Yes."
"How?"
She thought for a moment.
"He doesn't behave like the men I've met."
Theon said:
"And that makes you interested in him?"
Sansa's face reddened slightly.
"I didn't say that."
Theon smiled.
"You didn't have to."
She glared at him.
"Stop."
He laughed.
But beneath the jokes, there was something else.
Everyone could feel that Tristan was strange.
Not only because of his strength.
But because he seemed as though he belonged to something greater than Winterfell.
The Night Before Departure
That night, while everyone was asleep, Tristan stood alone in a small room.
A blue light appeared before his eyes.
[New Quest]
Quest Name: The Price of Truth
Objective: Reveal to Tyrion the secret the Lannisters have hidden from him.
Reward: 300,000 Gold Dragons.
Tristan froze.
Three hundred thousand.
The amount was enormous.
It was more than the wealth of many lords.
He read the line again.
Then another message appeared.
[Warning: Completing this quest will have a major impact on the original timeline.]
Tristan raised an eyebrow.
"So this isn't just about money."
The system disappeared.
But he did not forget the quest.
King's Landing
After leaving Winterfell, King Robert Baratheon's procession traveled south.
Tristan, Jon, and Tyrion traveled together.
The first few days were peaceful.
But one night, Tristan and Tyrion sat beside the fire.
Tyrion said:
"You've been quiet for a while."
"I'm thinking."
"That's a dangerous habit."
Tristan looked at him.
"I want to tell you something."
Tyrion raised his cup.
"If you're about to tell me that you're secretly a lost prince, I'll be disappointed."
Tristan did not laugh.
Tyrion's expression changed.
"What is it?"
Tristan said:
"Tyrion… your wife was not a whore."
Tyrion's hand froze.
"What did you say?"
"You heard me."
He stood.
"How do you know that name?"
"I don't just know her name."
Silence.
Then Tristan said:
"Tysha."
Tyrion's entire expression changed.
"Don't say her name."
"She wasn't a whore."
"Stop."
"Jaime lied."
Tyrion fell silent.
Then he said quietly:
"What did you say?"
"Jaime told you she was a whore."
"I know."
"But he was lying."
Tyrion began breathing slowly.
"Why?"
"On your father's orders."
Tyrion stared at him.
"You're lying."
"No."
"Who told you?"
"That doesn't matter."
"It matters more than anything in the world to me."
Tristan said:
"Tysha loved you."
Tyrion's eyes glistened.
"No."
"She loved you."
"Stop."
"Your father wanted to destroy that."
"Enough!"
Tristan fell silent.
Tyrion sat on the ground.
He stared at the fire.
After a long while, he said:
"All these years…"
He could not finish.
Then he said:
"I believed she was just a whore who tried to deceive me."
"I know."
"I thought everyone had deceived me."
He looked at Tristan.
"But Jaime…"
The pain in his voice was unmistakable.
"Jaime was the only person I trusted."
Tristan said:
"Ask him."
Tyrion stood.
For the first time since Tristan had met him, there was no sarcasm in his face.
"I will."
The Truth About Jon
The following day, Tristan asked Jon to walk away from the others with him.
Jon said:
"What is it?"
Tristan looked at him.
"I want to tell you who you are."
Jon frowned.
"I'm Jon Snow."
"That is the name Ned gave you."
Silence.
"But your true father is not Ned Stark."
Jon took a step back.
"What are you saying?"
"Your true father is Rhaegar Targaryen."
Jon froze.
"No."
"And your mother was Lyanna Stark."
The world seemed to stop around him.
"No."
"Ned hid the truth to protect you."
"My father wouldn't lie to me."
"He didn't lie to hurt you."
"Why?"
"Because Robert would have killed you."
Jon said nothing.
He slowly sat down.
He stared at the ground.
"Targaryen…"
He said the word as though it were unfamiliar.
"I'm a Targaryen?"
"Yes."
Jon raised his head.
"Why are you telling me?"
Tristan remained silent for a moment.
Then he said:
"Because you deserve to know."
Jon stared at him.
Then asked:
"And you?"
Tristan did not answer immediately.
Then he said:
"I'm a Targaryen too."
Jon's head snapped up.
"What?"
"My real name isn't Tristan Waters."
The system appeared before his eyes.
[Major Quest Activated]
[Reveal the Scion of the Dragon]
[True Identity: Tristan Targaryen]
But Tristan did not need the system to tell him the words.
He said calmly:
"I am Tristan Targaryen."
Jon did not speak.
Then he let out a short, confused laugh.
"So… me and Tristan…"
"Yes."
"Targaryens."
"Yes."
Silence.
Then Jon said:
"And Tyrion?"
"He doesn't know yet."
Jon looked into the fire.
"Everything has changed."
"Yes."
Jon raised his eyes.
"And you? Do you want the throne?"
Tristan shook his head.
"I don't know."
"But you could claim it."
"And that is exactly why I don't want it."
They returned to camp.
Tyrion was waiting for them.
He looked at their faces.
"All right."
He said:
"Either you two found a treasure, or you discovered something worse."
Tristan said:
"The second."
Tyrion sat down.
He looked at Tristan, then Jon.
Tristan said:
"Tell him."
Jon hesitated.
Then said:
"I'm a Targaryen."
Tyrion's eyes widened.
He looked at Tristan.
"You're serious."
"Yes."
"Son of whom?"
"Rhaegar and Lyanna."
Tyrion remained silent.
Then he looked at Tristan.
"And you?"
"I'm a Targaryen too."
Tyrion stared at them.
Then burst out laughing.
"Of course."
Jon looked at him.
Tyrion said:
"Of course! Why not? Why shouldn't the man who fought the Hound be more than just Waters? Of course he has to be a Targaryen too."
He stopped laughing.
Then said:
"Do you two understand what this means?"
Tristan answered:
"Yes."
Tyrion said:
"No. You don't."
He stepped closer.
"This isn't just a name."
He pointed at Jon.
"You're the son of the prince who started the war."
Then he pointed at Tristan.
"And you're another Targaryen who appeared out of nowhere."
Then he smiled bitterly.
"And I'm a Lannister."
Tristan said:
"That's why I want us to leave."
Tyrion looked at him.
"Where?"
"Anywhere far from politics."
Tyrion looked at him.
"I'm with you."
Then he looked at Jon.
"And you?"
Jon answered:
"With you."
Arya
The following morning, something happened that no one expected.
Arya stood before her father.
Ned said:
"No."
"I haven't said anything yet."
"I know what you're going to say."
She said:
"I want to go with them."
"No."
"Father."
"Arya."
"I'm not staying here."
"You are."
Jon intervened.
"Lord Stark…"
Ned looked at him.
Then at Tristan.
Then Tyrion.
And finally at his daughter.
"Why?"
Arya said:
"Because I want to see the world."
"The world isn't a game."
"I know."
"You could die."
"I know."
"You could be captured."
"I know."
"You might never return."
Arya fell silent.
Then said:
"But if I stay here, I'll always wonder what I could have seen."
Ned stared at her for a long moment.
Tristan said:
"She won't be alone."
Ned looked at him.
"That doesn't reassure me."
Tyrion said:
"Actually, it should. We have a man who can kill the Hound, a man with a good sword, and me."
Ned raised an eyebrow.
"You?"
"I'm the most important one."
Ned said:
"That is precisely what worries me."
Tyrion smiled.
But Ned did not.
Then he looked at Tristan.
"Will you take care of her?"
"I'll do everything I can."
"No."
Ned said.
"That's not what I asked."
Tristan understood.
"Yes."
Ned remained silent.
Then said:
"All right."
Arya gasped.
"Really?"
"I didn't say I was happy about it."
She smiled.
"That's enough for me."
The Change
That day, everything changed.
Jon no longer saw himself as a bastard.
But that did not make him arrogant.
If anything, he became quieter, as though he was finally beginning to understand why he had always felt different.
He was no longer merely Jon Snow.
He was Aegon Targaryen.
Tyrion no longer wanted to run away merely for the sake of escaping.
He wanted the full truth.
Arya had become even more determined.
She was no longer merely a girl who wanted to escape the life of nobility.
She wanted to see the world for herself.
And Tristan…
He had changed more than all of them.
For the first time, his goal was no longer simply to travel.
He now knew that his blood carried a history capable of starting a war.
Targaryen.
The word alone was enough to change his destiny.
But Tristan did not want to become king simply because his blood demanded it.
He wanted to become something of his own choosing.
The four of them stood before their horses.
Tyrion mounted his.
Arya placed her bag on her horse.
Jon took hold of his reins.
Tristan turned one last time toward the road behind them.
Then said:
"From now on, there is no turning back."
Jon asked:
"Where are we going?"
Tyrion smiled.
"That's the fun part."
Arya said:
"Anywhere far away from King's Landing."
Tristan looked toward the road stretching ahead.
Then said:
"Then let's begin."
The horses began to move.
Four travelers.
A Targaryen.
A Stark.
A Lannister.
And Tristan, who until recently had been nothing more than an unknown Waters.
No one knew where the road would take them.
But one thing was certain.
Their true journey had finally begun.