Arya woke up in her bedroom in Jacob's capsule house. She rubbed her eyes, climbed out of bed, and made her way downstairs. The first floor was empty, but breakfast waited for her on the table: a bowl of cereal, sausage and eggs, toast, and chocolate muffins.
She turned on the TV and watched Tom and Jerry, laughing as she ate. When she finished, she went outside to look for Jacob.
She searched the ruined fortress until she heard a loud, deep roar. She followed the sound and found Jacob outside the large front gate, playing with three massive alligators—the creatures her world called lizard-lions.
She stood at the gate, her mouth hanging open, her eyes wide. Jacob was dominating the three beasts with an easy smile on his face. Two of them performed tricks fearfully—one stood on its hind legs, the other cowered while rolling over, both showing clear terror with lowered heads and submissive postures. A much larger, more aggressive lizard-lion was desperately trying to escape, roaring with its mouth wide open, claws deeply dug into the muddy ground, its body straining forward. Jacob had casually grabbed it by the thick tail with one hand, effortlessly holding it back as the creature thrashed, kicking up dirt and splashing muddy water.
Arya finally found her voice. She called out from the gate, not daring to get closer. "Jacob! What are you doing?"
Jacob turned to her. "Oh, Arya, you're awake. I was bored. We've been waiting for Sansa for three days now, and she still hasn't arrived. So I went for a walk and made some new friends."
Arya stared at the massive reptiles. "Friends? You're calling lizard-lions friends?"
Jacob shrugged. "Yeah. They tried to eat me first, so I had to give them a little beating. Now we're friends." He glanced at the largest one. "Well, except for Bowser. He's still trying to run away."
Jacob released the tail of the larger lizard-lion, teleported above its head, and kicked it hard—driving its head deep into the mud. He landed in front of the dazed creature and released a tiny fraction of his dragon aura.
"People in Florida say that gator meat tastes like chicken," he said calmly. "So behave yourself, or I don't mind making some gator nuggets out of you."
The large lizard-lion shivered and lay still, ceasing all resistance.
Jacob smiled. "Good. Now roll over."
The lizard-lion seemed to understand. It rolled over.
Jacob smirked. "Good boy."
He looked at Arya. "Arya, do you want to play with these swamp puppies?" He pointed at each one in turn. "This is Bowser. The one standing is Leatherhead. And the one playing dead is Wally Gator. Don't worry—they won't hurt you."
Arya shook her head firmly. "No. I'm good."
Jacob shrugged and pulled out some Sker Buffalo meat. He tossed it to the three lizard-lions. "Eat. And don't fight."
The three creatures—even the one playing dead—ate the meat. Then they all stood on their hind legs, rolled around, and lay submissively in front of Jacob, looking up at him with longing eyes.
Jacob laughed. "You guys are very smart."
He took out more Sker Buffalo meat and fed them, then walked back to Arya. The three large lizard-lions followed him and lay down a few meters away, like well-behaved giant puppies.
Arya stared at Jacob. "Just how strong are you?"
Jacob winked. "You'll find out one day."
Arya let it go. "By the way, are you sure Sansa isn't already in Winterfell?"
Jacob glanced at the system notification that had appeared when he woke up.
[System Notification]
[Quest Sign-In Available: Host can sign in after saving Sansa Stark from her tragic marriage to Ramsay Bolton by stopping Petyr Baelish from taking her back to Winterfell.
You can meet her at Moat Cailin.
Time remaining for Sansa to arrive at Moat Cailin: 31 hours.]
He dismissed the notification. "I'm sure. She'll pass through here today or tomorrow at the latest."
He looked at Arya for a long moment, his expression thoughtful. 'I've been with her for four days now. She's mature beyond her age—but a life like hers will do that to a person. Still, sometimes she forgets herself and acts like a normal fourteen-year-old girl. And I remember from the show that she's fiercely loyal. I think I can trust her. It's time to make her strong.'
Arya caught his gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Jacob drew his sword. "Stand in front of me."
Arya wasn't afraid. She stepped forward and stood before him. "Do you finally want to teach me?"
Jacob shook his head. "No. I want to knight you. Are you willing to be my Kingsguard? You only need to swear loyalty to me. I will not restrict you if you want to hold land, marry, or have children. And you can keep calling me by my name—no need for 'Your Grace' or 'my king.'"
Arya asked, "What about my revenge?"
Jacob said, "You can still have your revenge."
Arya pressed, "And will you teach me to become strong?"
Jacob met her eyes. "I will make you strong."
Arya nodded. "Then I agree." She started to kneel, but Jacob stopped her.
"Don't kneel to me. I don't like that."
Arya straightened. "I swear to be loyal to you."
Jacob raised his sword and placed the flat of the blade against her right shoulder, then her left. He lowered the sword and looked her in the eye.
"Arya of House Stark," he said solemnly, "from now on, you are one of my people. A knight of Serendell. And my Kingsguard."
A flicker of pride appeared in Arya's eyes. But she smirked and said, "I know you're inhumanly strong. But I'm not so sure you're a real king."
Jacob sheathed his sword and smiled. "Oh, you want proof?"
Arya nodded, still smiling.
Jacob's smile turned dangerous. Then, to Arya's sudden terror, he released a fraction of his dragon aura. His eyes glowed red, vertical slit pupils cutting through the crimson, and he let out a low rumbling growl that vibrated inside her chest before she even heard it. When he spoke, his voice was deep and monstrous.
"This is your proof, Arya. So never betray me. Because if you do, I will not show you mercy."
The three lizard-lions nearby whimpered and shivered in fear. Arya's legs gave out, and she fell to the ground. But despite her terror, she stubbornly raised her head and looked Jacob in the eyes.
"I swear I will never betray you," she said, her voice shaking but firm. "I'm not a traitor. I never will be."
Jacob's eyes returned to normal. He restrained his aura and extended a hand to help her up. He smiled and winked. "Sorry about that. But you asked for it."
Arya took a deep breath, calming her still-racing heart. "What exactly are you? Are you even human?"
Jacob said, "Well… kind of. Tell me, Arya, do you know about shapeshifters? I don't mean people who can enter the minds of animals—I mean people who can turn into animals."
Arya nodded. "Yes. But that's just a myth. People used to say my brother Robb could turn into a wolf, but that wasn't true."
Jacob said, "Where I'm from, creatures like that are real. They can turn into wolves, lions, birds. Some of them can control fire and lightning. Krakens are real. Wyrms are real. All kinds of supernatural creatures are real." He paused. "And I am a supernatural creature too."
Arya asked, "What kind?"
Jacob rubbed her head. "It's better to show you. So let me keep some mystery. Wait until that day comes."
Arya persisted. "But can you tell me where you're from?"
Jacob met her eyes. "I'm from another world."
Arya's eyebrows rose. "Is your world like the Lord of the Rings movie we watched yesterday?"
Jacob shook his head. "No. My world is like the world of Tom and Jerry. We have cars and advanced technology. I'll take you there one day to visit."
He pulled out a vial of Mirakuru and held it up. "Now, as my first knight, you can't go around being a weakling and embarrassing me. It's time to make you stronger."
He handed her the vial. "Go to the bathroom and lie down in the tub. Drink this potion. It will make you strong and give you superhealing. Your body will become hot, and you'll sweat a lot during the process. Once your body finishes absorbing it, come out, and I'll spar with you to help you get used to your new strength."
Arya took the vial and examined the green liquid inside. "What's superhealing?"
Jacob explained, "Your wounds will heal in seconds. Broken bones will mend in a minute or two. You'll never get sick again." He held up a finger. "But you can still be poisoned, so be careful."
Arya nodded and headed back to the capsule house. She went to the bathroom, removed her clothes, and drank the Mirakuru.
Her body grew warm. Her skin flushed red. She began to sweat—but felt no pain.
Jacob waited outside. He pulled a chair from his pocket dimension, sat down, and thought, 'System. Sign in.'
[Daily sign-in successful. Rewards obtained:
1️⃣ 5 coins
2️⃣ New York-style pizza x 60
3️⃣ Zatanna Zatara's stockings—still warm. She just took them off after a performance. Enjoy, Host.]
Jacob shook his head. 'Again with the perverted rewards. How many times have I told you? I'm not into women's dirty underwear. And I can't even sell it back to you since it's just a daily reward.'
He sighed, took the stockings from his pocket dimension without touching them, and shot a fireball from his hand, burning them to ash. Then he pulled out a pizza box from his pocket dimension and started eating.
After finishing the pizza, he burned the box and began playing on his Game Boy, waiting for Arya to finish absorbing the potion.
To be continued… 😊
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30 Chapters ahead of webnovel