The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Jaime returned to camp, sullen and drinking heavily.

"Ser Jaime, the Mountain is arrogant and wields too much power. Marching north to fight the White Walkers isn't mandatory for us. Since he holds us in contempt, we might as well go back," the accompanying maester suggested.

"Fighting the White Walkers is a matter of great importance to mankind. I won't violate my oath because of personal grievances. I will not leave Winterfell."

"Yes, Ser," the maester said, bowing his head and retreating.

Jaime's mind conjured the face of another man, not Cersei, not the Mountain, but Eddard Stark.

Between House Stark and House Clegane, Jaime was more inclined to trust House Stark. Between the Mountain and Eddard, Jaime would have preferred Eddard as commander and the Mountain as his second.

But the situation was reversed. The Mountain was the commander, the King in the North Robb was his second, and Eddard had become a pawn to lure the White Walkers to Winterfell.

Would Eddard Stark be killed by the White Walkers in Hearthstone?

In just over ten days, it would be the year 301 AC, and the final battle with the White Walkers would arrive next year.

If Jaime had to say who he trusted most in the Northern Allied Forces in terms of character and promises, it would be Eddard Stark. It was also because of Eddard Stark that Jaime, who had been captured by the Northmen and eventually escorted to the Wall to become a brother of the Night's Watch, had the opportunity to return to King's Landing. Eddard Stark had overruled the objections of others and released Jaime, hoping that Jaime would lead an army to rescue the Wall. However, Jaime had broken his word. In the end, it was the Mountain who led the army to the North!

He wondered how Lord Eddard was doing in Hearthstone. Jaime hoped to fight White Walkers alongside Eddard in Winterfell. Was it a sense of guilt or a desire to prove that he hadn't broken his promise? Jaime didn't know, he couldn't say. He only knew that he really wanted to fight White Walkers alongside Eddard on the walls of Winterfell. Although he hadn't personally led a large army, he had finally arrived.

In Jaime's heart, there were many noble warriors from the North and the South, but the only one he truly trusted and admired was Eddard Stark. In the current situation, he was the only man of integrity in Jaime's eyes.

And at this moment, the only man of integrity in Jaime's heart, Eddard Stark, was sitting by the hearth in Hearthstone, warming himself by the fire. The further north the location, the colder the climate. Hearthstone was the northernmost city.

It was a small bedroom with a hearth where charcoal was burning. Outside, it was already a frozen world, but inside the small bedroom, it felt like a warm spring.

There was another person in the room: Jon Snow.

Snowflakes still clung to Jon's black cloak. He had just returned from scouting White Walkers outside.

"How far away are the White Walkers?" Eddard Stark asked, looking at Jon Snow. Jon had grown a black mustache, thick black curly hair, and was dressed in black robes, with black eyes.

"Father, the White Walkers are a day's ride away."

"How many wights?"

"The wights are a dense, endless mass in the blizzard, about two hundred thousand or more. They are not moving fast, but they will never stop."

Eddard Stark turned to look at the flames in the hearth, his expression pensive. A day's ride, and the wights walking, it would take at least three more days to reach here.

Eddard Stark thought for a long time and decided to tell Jon the big secret buried in his heart. He changed the subject: "Jon, your hair is black."

"Yes, Father."

"Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon all have auburn hair."

"Yes, Father."

"Do you know why?"

"Robb, Sansa, and the others' mother is Lady Catelyn Tully. The Tully family all have auburn hair, and Robb and the others inherited Lady Catelyn's blue eyes as well."

"You're right, Robb and the others inherited their mother's blood in their hair and eyes. You and they don't have the same mother."

"..." Jon looked at his father, his breathing becoming rapid. Was his father about to tell him the secret of his mother?!

"Jon, at the crossroads on the Kingsroad three years ago when I went to King's Landing, I promised you, who came to see me off, that I would tell you who your mother was when I returned to the North."

"Yes, Father, I have always remembered your promise. When you came to the North, you told me that you would tell me the truth at the right time, so that I would know who my mother is."

"Now that the White Walkers are approaching step by step, I will stay in Hearthstone, and you must lead the soldiers of Hearthstone away today."

"No, Father, I'll stay, you lead the soldiers to retreat."

Eddard Stark looked at Jon Snow: "Jon, Robb and the Mountain have already made all the preparations in Winterfell. You must return to Winterfell and fight alongside them."

"Father, you must also return to Winterfell, we can go together."

"Someone has to stay behind to cover the retreat."

"I'll stay," Jon said decisively.

"You go ahead for a day, and I'll catch up with you later." Eddard Stark slightly emphasized his tone, "Jon, I don't want to order you to lead the army away first. Listen to my arrangement, retreat with the army first, and I'll cover the retreat. We must lure the White Walkers to Winterfell step by step for the final battle."

Jon Snow looked at his father. His father's eyes had already explained everything. Once he made a decision, it couldn't be changed. Jon had no choice but to say, "Okay, Father, I'll retreat with the army first today, but you must retreat tomorrow."

"Okay!" Eddard nodded, looking at Jon, "Jon, now I'm going to tell you who your mother really is."

"...Who...?" Jon's breathing became heavy, the secret he had been looking forward to for more than ten years! This was the thing he most wanted to know in his heart.

Eddard Stark glanced at the door. The door was tightly closed, and Stark family guards were guarding it outside, and no idlers would approach.

"Your mother is Lyanna Stark," Eddard said softly.

"My aunt," Jon Snow exclaimed.

"Lyanna Stark is not your aunt, she is your biological mother," Eddard said in a deep voice.

"..." Jon stared blankly at his father, his eyes wide.

"I am not your father either, I am your uncle, and Lady Catelyn Tully is your aunt. Your father is Prince Rhaegar Targaryen."

"The Mad King's son, the great enemy who forcibly took my aunt away." Jon heard his voice echoing faintly in the room. He couldn't believe that the Targaryen family he hated the most was actually his own family. King Aerys Targaryen's hands were stained with the blood of the Stark family. But suddenly, he himself was a Targaryen.

"Jon!" Eddard placed his broad hand on Jon's shoulder, "Calm down first, prepare yourself, and listen to me slowly."

"...Father, I'm ready..." Jon Snow's chest rose and fell, with rapid breaths.

Eddard Stark looked at the flames in the hearth: "Jon, in the year 283 AC, under a tower in the Dornish mountains, for your mother Lyanna Stark, my vassals and I fought a life-and-death battle with the Mad King's Kingsguard."

"There were seven of us, and three of them. I led Howland Reed of the Northern Reed family, William Dustin of the Dustin family, Ethan Glover of the Glover family, Martyn Cassel of the Cassel family, Theo Wull of the Wull family, and Mark Ryswell of the Ryswell family; the other three were led by Lord Commander Hightower of the Kingsguard, and his two Kingsguard brothers were Ser Arthur Dayne and Ser Oswell Whent."

"Ser Arthur, the Sword of the Morning." Jon had heard of Arthur's name. Arthur was a legend. The feats he had established and the battles that made him famous were countless. He had done many legendary things for the country and the people in the Mad King's era. He was once deeply loved by the people of King's Landing for destroying the bandit gang the Kingswood Brotherhood. Arthur's sword was called Dawn, and it was made of meteorite iron. It was a white two-handed greatsword. The title Sword of the Morning also came from this sword.

"Jon, we fought Hightower, Arthur, and Oswell under the Tower of Joy in Dorne, all for your mother. We went to save your mother. She was my sister, kidnapped by Prince Rhaegar to this Tower of Joy in the south. The Usurper's War also started for this reason."

Jon knew the cause of the Usurper's War. Robert had hammered Rhaegar to death in the Battle of the Trident, and the rebel army had achieved a complete victory. When Eddard Stark and Stannis Baratheon raided Dragonstone at night, they encountered a storm, and only the Mad King's two children, Viserys and Daenerys, escaped in the storm under the protection of Willem Darry.

"After the war ended completely, I got news of your mother at the Tower of Joy in Dorne, so I led six brothers to the tower, while Hightower, Arthur, and Oswell were ordered by Prince Rhaegar to protect your mother. In that final battle, we were seven against three, taking absolute advantage in numbers."

"..." Jon Snow had thousands of words in his heart, but he was silent.

"That was a duel I will never forget. In the end, we won. Arthur, the Sword of the Morning, was ambushed and injured by Howland Reed, who was seriously injured and lying on the ground. At that time, he was also gaining the upper hand in a one-on-three fight. Although his calf was pierced by Howland Reed, he still killed my companion and cut my arm. Before that, he had knocked my sword down twice."

"He didn't take the opportunity to kill you?" Jon Snow couldn't understand why Arthur would let his father go twice in a life-and-death battle.

"Arthur stopped attacking after knocking down my sword. He gave me the opportunity to pick up the sword and continue fighting. He was the most outstanding knight I have ever seen, not only because his swordsmanship was unparalleled and unmatched, but also because of his kindness, integrity, and nobility."

Jon Snow heard his father's high evaluation of Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, for the first time.

"Arthur Dayne is the knight Jaime most wants to be, and also the person Barristan respects the most. In the end, Arthur, who was unable to stand due to his leg injury, refused to surrender, so I had to kill him. That was a sad moment. Of the seven of us, five died, Howland Reed was seriously injured, and I was slightly injured. All three of them died in battle."

Jon Snow heard his father talk about this battle for the first time, and he could see his father's heavy mood. Even after more than ten years, when his father mentioned that battle, his face was still solemn, and his eyes concealed sadness.

Was his father sad for Arthur Dayne? Or sad for the misfortune of his mother Lyanna Stark? Or both.

"I helped Howland Reed into the Tower of Joy. We saw your mother. She was lying in a pool of blood, and you were lying in her arms. You didn't understand anything at that time, and you were looking at me with a pair of black eyes. At that time, your mother already had a high fever and hemorrhage. I could only hold her hand...Jon..." Eddard's eyes were full of sadness, "Please forgive me, I was powerless at that time, and I could only watch your mother leave..."

Eddard's eyes turned red, and the corners of Jon's eyes twitched slightly.

The two men were silent for a long time.

"Jon, you are not a bastard," Eddard said softly.

"I'm not?" Jon raised his head, his eyes falling on his father's face. Although he now knew that Eddard was his uncle, in his heart, Eddard was his father.

"Before your mother died, she wanted me to raise you and protect you from harm. She told me that Prince Rhaegar had secretly divorced Elia Martell. He brought your mother to the Tower of Joy in Dorne to find the High Septon of the Citadel to marry you. Prince Rhaegar and Princess Elia chose not to announce their divorce in order to prevent the political alliance between the Targaryen family and the Martell family from being destroyed."

Jon Snow stared at Eddard Stark in stunned silence. He couldn't believe it. He had been despised for more than ten years, and the training officer called him a bastard when he was training at the Wall, all because he was a bastard.

But in fact, he was not a bastard.

"Rhaegar and Lyanna were legally married, and the High Septon of the Citadel has their legal marriage documents. At that time, Robert Baratheon had already ascended the Iron Throne. In order to protect your safety, I took you back to the North and publicly declared that you were my bastard."

"Father!" Jon said, feeling moved in his heart.

Eddard had also been burdened with a bad name for his sake. For Eddard, who valued honor above life, he had endured too much criticism. Catelyn Tully had once asked Eddard to drive Jon away. As long as Eddard drove Jon away, Catelyn was willing to pay the price, but Eddard sternly refused. The quarrels and heartaches between the two couples stemmed from Jon Snow's existence.

Jon bore the name of a bastard, and his father Eddard also bore the infidelity of betraying his marriage.

"Father, my father, what kind of person was he?" Jon asked hoarsely.

"Rhaegar was brave and extraordinary. He was recognized as the best king of the future. He was both civil and military, and he liked poetry. Arthur Dayne's swordsmanship was invincible, but his marksmanship was no match for your father. In a joust, Arthur broke twelve lances, but in the end he lost to your father; in the Tourney at Harrenhal, Arthur was defeated by your father again."

Jon had always regarded his father Eddard as an idol since he was a child, and he never doubted Eddard's words.

Jon Snow's face glowed.

"Your grandfather Aerys Targaryen had been betrayed and held in the dungeon of Duskendale Castle for half a year by Lord Denys Darklyn, the Lord of Duskendale, who refused to pay taxes. At that time, Duskendale had been surrounded by Tywin Lannister, but he dared not attack, because as long as he attacked, Denys would kill Aerys."

Jon listened attentively. He didn't know about these things.

"It was half a year later that Barristan Selmy finally found an opportunity to sneak into Duskendale and rescue your grandfather. Duskendale was subsequently sacked, with only Dontos Hollard spared at the request of Ser Barristan. From then on, your grandfather's personality changed drastically. He no longer trusted anyone. He became cruel, bloodthirsty, and capricious, killing many loyal subjects. He heard that there was a eunuch named Varys across the Narrow Sea who was skilled in gathering intelligence, so he hired him into the royal palace as his master of whisperers."

For the first time, Jon Snow learned how the eunuch Varys from across the Narrow Sea had entered the Red Keep.

"Compared to your grandfather, Prince Rhaegar was the complete opposite. He was loved by the people, a skilled warrior, and loyal men such as Arthur Dayne, Willem Darry, and Barristan the Bold were his close friends. At the Tourney at Harrenhal, he fell in love at first sight with Lyanna Stark, who was already betrothed to Robert Baratheon at that time. Robert Baratheon also deeply loved her. Rhaegar secretly eloped with Lyanna Stark, and no one knew the inside story. My brother Brandon Stark naturally refused to accept this and went to the Red Keep to demand her return... You know what happened after that... Your grandfather killed my brother and father, and demanded that my foster father, Jon Arryn, hand over my head and Robert's head..."