The King of Winters

The Soaring Falcon

The mountain road can be dangerous even in the broad daylight and Jon Arryn knew his lands better than anyone. The descent from the Eyre had been long, by the chain winch and then a ride by the mules before they could ride their horses. As High as Honor were the words of House Arryn and the Arryns had lived up to it in almost everything they did. 

They had crossed the perilous mountain road with the help of Mya Stone and her mules. Robert's firstborn was an exact copy of her father. From her looks of black hair and the blue eyes of Robert, to the courage and the absolute fear for nothing, everything she had taken from Robert. 

Though Mya was Robert's firstborn, she was a Stone and a bastard. But that didn't stopped Jon from taking her into his home and his service. He loved and saw Robert as his own son and his children as his grandchildren. And Jon Arryn loved Mya Stone as his granddaughter as much as he loved Robert's trueborn children as his grandchildren, even the stupid and arrogant Joffrey. And Mya even reminded him of Robert sometimes, by her timidness and stubbornness yet she lacked the fun loving character that her father had possessed greatly. 

For the last eleven years life hasn't been easy as he had thought it would be. From the moment Aerys executed his friend Rickard Stark with his heir Brandon Stark, Jon found out that the rumors about the King was true. Aerys was Mad and worse he'd summoned him to give up his boys, Robert and Ned whom he loved like his own children. When he'd gotten Aerys' letter Jon burned the letter up in the fire just like Aerys had done to Rickard and refused to give up his foster sons. He was even ready to call his banners if the King chose to get them by force. 

But to make the matters even worse Rhaegar and Lyanna came out from their hideout, showing their true colors for all of the Seven Kingdoms to see. But even that had a positive look to it. Just because they chose to come out and confront Aerys a major war was prevented but only for a time. 

Robert was so angry with knowing that they ran off together. At first he had even refused to believe that Lyanna had chosen the Dragonspawn, as he liked to call Rhaegar, over him. But when they made their marriage publicly before the eyes of the people of Westeros, over the corpses of Rickard Stark, Brandon Stark and Catelyn Stark along with Princess Elia and her children's, everything became clear. 

Ned was afraid at first, then confused but when his sister emerged happily, hand-in-hand with Rhaegar Targaryen over the dead bodies of their family, Jon had never seen the calm and collective Ned so angry as that before. Both of them wanted justice. The northerners demanded justice for the murders of their lord and heir. The stormlords were enough of the slights the Targaryens had inflicted upon them. And both Ned and Robert wanted war and justice. 

But he had known that was not the time for that. Though they might've joined most of the men against the dragons they were in the vulnerable state possible. Robert had Stannis and Renly as his heirs, one of them who was only a child. He only had Elbert as his heir. And Ned's situation was even worse with no heir to take up the mantle of Lord of Winterfell after him, after his brother Benjen had offered to join the Night's Watch for helping Lyanna Stark in her tryst with Rhaegar Targaryen. 

So it fell to Jon to calm both of them down and to make the necessary things to make that happen. He made the match of Robert and Cersei joining Tywin Lannister into the fold. Ned's marriage came in the easy way. He had already married the Lady Ashara Dayne before the Heart Tree at Harrenhal and they chose to solidify it in the eyes and laws of the men. The Daynes were one of the oldest houses in Westeros, from the time of the Age of Heroes. Legends even states that the Daynes hailed from the line of Gods and they came with the blood of royalty. An unison between the two of the oldest houses in Westeros would have the heads of the people turned towards them and it would increase their prestige and power among the Lords and the people of Westeros. And it did. Ned's marriage with Ashara Dayne had been the talk of the people all the way from Dorne to the Wall. And lastly Jon himself married Lysa Tully after Lord Hoster himself proposed the match wanting justice for the murder of his eldest daughter.