authorsnote: here we goooo.

I hope you enjoy, let me know if you do, or let me know if you don't! but pls keep it constructive. seriously one more bitchy pm about how I suck for not updating daily, or how I'm writing this story all wrong then I'm killing jon off I swear it (lol can you imagine, I'd have no story).

anywhoo, please enjoy, follow/fav if you do!

songrecs: my tears ricochet - taylor swift (folklore is srsly amazing, go listen to it).

'The Ink is Dry'

He tossed and turned when sleep took him, images flashed across his gaze, the Wall, the Red Woman, a swirling blizzard of snow. Other pictures came to him, his brothers, Stannis burning Mance, Giants and Mammoths, but again and again the Wall, the Red Woman, and the blizzard of snow.

'Different roads sometimes lead to the same castle'

His brothers cheering as he unsheathed Longclaw, the Red Woman's eyes on him as he loosed the arrow to end the King Beyond the Wall.

'There is no shame in fear'

Giving out orders at Castle Black, climbing the Wall heart pounding, the blue eyes of the Others.

'The only time a man can be brave is when he is afraid'

A knife to the gut, a knife to the side, a knife to the heart.

'The Ink is Dry Jon Snow!'

'The Ink is Dry!'

A gasp left his lips as those words boomed in his head, he awoke, a gasp on his lips, only a fraction quieter than the one that had woken him up here for the first-time weeks ago. He lifted a hand to his chest, but where scars should have been, there were none.

Already his dream was fading in his mind, running away, not to be remembered. 'The Ink is Dry' that he could remember, that constant phrase, but what did it mean?

He rolled over to look out of the window and could see it was dark now, he'd slept for far longer than a nap. He glanced over at Ghost who was also fast asleep, clearly warging was harder on the body than he had realised.

He smiled a little then – warg, he would never have thought, and yet as he looked over at Ghost, he knew, it was right.

The connection he felt with Ghost, it made sense that it manifested into his warging abilities. He was half Stark after all, they had always had a connection to their wolves, and now Jon did too. He felt proud of that, to follow his ancestors.

With a yawn he knew he needed to rest some more, and so he patted the bed and the slumbering Ghost awoke to jump onto the soft sheets, to settle down next to him. Already the dream had faded, leaving only those words, the words he was so sure were important but had no idea what they meant.

And so, with little learned he rolled over to go back to sleep, he still felt tired, better to sleep some more, wake fresh in the morning and go from there.

Sleep came quickly, and this time he dreamt of Winterfell.

Come morning Jon felt refreshed when he awoke. It was early he could tell, dawn just barely breaking through the clouds. Still, he felt good. Warging might have taken it out of him but sleep had restored him, he felt better, and ready to go about the day.

He knew soon the King would be coming, and then there was the tour, a lot was happening, and he had to keep on track with the book as well. Honestly, he had thought his old life was stressful, as Lord Commander his decisions had been key to ensuring the Long Night did not come again, but here? The stress was worse.

He had a unique chance to save his family and ensure the future did not fall into darkness as the last had. He had a chance to change things, and so the pressure was the most he'd ever felt.

It was terrifying, the amount of pressure, the consequences if he messed up, the chance he had been given. But what else was there to do but try?

With a nod to himself he stood up from bed, left Ghost slumbering and got ready for the day. A hot bath was a nice way to start, and by the time he was done he felt even better than before, he could feel a little fire in his veins, he'd need to train today, among everything else he had to do as well.

He then sat down on his bed and pulled out the book, this felt like a constant part of his day now, and yet it was good, he was sure without a guide he would have no idea what to do.

He thought about that for a moment, what would he have done if he had arrived back here but with no explanation? Gone mad? Worried? Panicked? Probably all three. As he lifted his book, he felt some warmth rush through him, yeah, he was glad to have this with him.

He flipped through, resisting the temptation to read over some of the stuff he'd looked over before, instead he flipped straight to the 'quests' section, he had a lot to do, he couldn't get distracted. Tonight, he'd make sure to read through it some more, but for the day he needed to focus on other things.

Current Quests!

Where to Go?

Prepare for your Tour by researching Old Valyria.

Rewards: +5 to High Valyrian Reading, 50XP.

Failure: -5 to High Valyrian Talking, -100XP

Brothers Prepared.

Discuss your Tour with Robb.

Rewards: +5 Relationship with Robb, 50XP

Failure: -100XP

So, the second one was new, but something he had intended to do anyway. The rewards were small, but he was noticing that the smaller quests were getting a little stingier with rewards, he just hoped the big quests continued to offer large rewards.

He supposed it made sense, the more XP he gained and the more he levelled up and improved his skills the harder it would be. It made sense, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

For today he'd complete the 2nd quest at lunch, and the 1st before bed. That left him a lot of time, and he wanted to train. He wasn't sure why today, but he felt a burn to get out and spar, to work his muscles hard.

Sometimes he'd get like that at Castle Black, a fire in his belly to train and train hard. Sure, Master Rodrick wouldn't drill him as hard as Ser Allister, but the man certainly did his job.

Clean and ready for the day he left Ghost slumbering and made his way for the door. First breakfast and then to training.

At breakfast he was alone, it was early, very early. The servants bustled about, setting up for when everyone else would pile in. He was happy with something small, he never liked to train on a full stomach, he'd eat his fill at lunch later.

And so, he ate down some bread, bacon, and potatoes before wiping his hands, washing it down with a large cup of water, before heading out.

It was cold today, very cold, but he knew he'd soon work up a sweat in training. He was soon out in the yard, and deep into his warmup when the rest of the castle began to rise.

He remembered Castle Black, even as a Steward he had drilled daily on his combat skills, to make sure he was strong and ready for whatever came.

As he did push up's he remembered Pip, struggling to do 10 and groaning as he hit the mud. As he began to do crunches, he remembered Grenn, lamenting the small breakfast and dreaming of lunch. As he jogged on the spot to warm up his legs he thought of Ed, rolling his eyes. As he began to hit the practice dummy with his sword he remembered trying to teach Sam and giving up as soon as he realised there was no chance he'd get anything, instead it was better to focus on his books. And then as he began to practice his archery, he felt a pang as he thought of Ygritte, readying an arrow, laughing as it fired, red hair of fire, smiling.

He missed them all, so much, and yet in this world they didn't even know him. His brothers, his first love, they didn't have the memories he had and likely never would. He knew he would just need to cherish said memories, hold onto them, make sure he didn't forget them.

As he thought about that, about the importance of holding onto his memories, he saw a shimmering silver glow wash over him, the glow he knew came from the book, he then saw the scrawled words enter his vision and then without any more warning than that, he was pulled under.

'Insights into the Past!' The words had said, and then he was gone.

He was Beyond the Wall, he could see that immediately, the rolling snowy hills, the sheets of ice, the cold whip of the air, and yet he felt no cold, not as he looked on, and saw … himself.

He was older than he was now, younger than when he had left his old life, but it was him, and he was smiling, marching with Mance's army, he could see that now, and he knew before he looked, and felt that same pang … there was Ygritte, kissed by fire, by his side, smiling too.

He could see them marching along, laughing, smiling, and then Ygritte spoke, and he nearly fell to his knees to hear her voice again.

'A man can own a woman or a man can own a knife, but no man can own both. Every little girl learns that from her mother' He remembered this, remembered her trying to teach him some wildling words, whilst always laughing that he knew nothing, always telling him he was a kneeler, but also hinting he could be free with her.

'And men can't own the land no more'n they can own the sea or the sky' She carried on, her fire red hair so bright against the backdrop of the snow. He watched himself walking next to her, smiling, only Ygritte had made him smile so freely.

'You kneelers think you do, but Mance is going t'show you different' She finished her words then and shot him a grin before shoving him. He laughed and the scene began to fade, as though disappearing.

"No!" He called, his eyes fixed on her, on Ygritte, and yet even as he yelled, she didn't turn. She only walked with the man he had been, the two marching on, unaware of what would happen. "No!" He yelled again, but then it was gone.

He was back in Winterfell.

He let out a gasp as he came back, but he realised as he looked around, saw the bow in his hands … no time had passed at all. He had been Beyond the Wall, in a memory for a good five minutes and yet no time here had passed. He felt an ache start in his head, and then of course the glow appeared.

'You have just experienced the Insights into the Past PERK! This perk is useful for studying your past runs but remember a man who lingers in the past may get lost there!'

So that explained it. He felt the urge to try and trigger it again, to see Ygritte again, or perhaps to see his brothers, but he remembered the last line with warning … lost.

He knew it was true, he knew he could get lost in memories of Ygritte, and he as much as he wanted to, he knew he couldn't. He had to be here, in the present, now. He had to focus on what needed to be done, on saving his family, on saving Westeros.

Perhaps one day he would see Ygritte again, but he knew he couldn't go chasing her memory.

With determination now, and yet that hollow sad feeling still present, he lifted his bow and fired another arrow.

2 hours later and he was exhausted, training had been hard, but it had been worth it. He could feel aches in his muscles that would strengthen them, and the breakneck pace he had set ensured he was distracted from his little trip down memory lane.

It was approaching lunch now and he knew Robb would be emerging from lessons. Jon had lessons too, but less than Robb, the Heir. Jon knew it would be best to catch up with Robb at lunch, to set a time to discuss the tour. With a nod to himself he knew he had some time and decided to head for a wash first. He had worked himself hard after all.

One quick bath later and he was back dressed again and heading for lunch. The book had been quiet today, which was odd, but he knew what he needed to focus on, the tour, it would be important, vital even for his future.

And so, once he reached the hall, he was glad to see Robb just sitting down, the only one at the top table, he wondered where the rest of the Stark's were, but was glad to have Robb's full attention.

He slid in the seat next to his brother and smiled at him. He still thought of him as his brother, even now he knew the truth. He and Robb were brothers, even if not through blood. Robb smiled back and patted him on the shoulder before starting to spoon lunch onto his place, Jon followed suit.

For a few minutes they sat in silence as they loaded their plates. Robb went for his usual of sausages, potatoes, a little veg, heaped with gravy. Jon, who had become used to the simple fair at the Wall knew he had to be careful not to eat too rich. He went for sausages too, but with bread, chunks of swede on the side, with only a dribble of sauce on top.

As soon as they started to eat, Jon spoke up, "So, any thoughts on the Tour?" Better to get Robb's opinion before giving his own.

Robb nodded immediately, and answered, "Well, I think the Free Cities should be our first stop, and then maybe further East?"

Jon nodded in return, he liked the idea of going to the Free Cities, there was a possible Valyrian Steel sword in Bravos after all, Blackfyre at that! But that wasn't only where he really to go, no… somewhere else offered promise too.

"I like the sound of that" Robb seemed pleased by that, and speared his sausage, Jon picked up his bread before continuing, "But how do you feel about going further South, maybe try and see some ruins?"

Robb seemed a little confused then, "Which ruins?"

"Valyria" Jon knew he just had to come out with it, this was where he wanted to go, it offered so much promise, he remembered the perk 'Home Away from Home', he hadn't taken it, which part of him regretted now.

He had read about Valyria as a boy, but he knew now it offered much more than he had realised. Also, the book clearly wanted him to go there what with the prompting of the research quest. And then there was the locked quest 'The Doom', would that trigger if he went to Valyria? He wasn't sure, but he wanted to find out.

There was also the temptation to go to Valyria for the Valyrian Steel, after all he could see Valyrian Steel on the map, would he see it there?

Either way, his aim for this tour was to return with Valyrian Steel, no matter where he got it.

Suddenly he felt the book's heat again, and the silver glow, and he watched as script wrote in front of him, he was a little confused, as he already had a Valyrian Steel quest, but as he read it he realised what had changed. This wasn't a new quest, just slightly amended.

Quest Alert!

Modified Quest: Obtain a Valyrian Steel sword.

The possible sword's you may obtain are as follows:

Longclaw – Quest: The Nights Watch.

Dark Sister – Quest: Egg.

Blackfyre – Quest: The Merchant.

New! Brightroar – Lost in Valyria.

Reward: A Valyrian Steel sword, and +10 to Valyrian Steel skill, +10 reputation with all people (excluding pacifists), +1000 XP.

Failure: -20 to Valyrian Steel skill, -1 AGI, -1 LUC.

This is an active quest; active quests are ongoing and do not have to be selected, thus they are hard to fail. Failure will only be determined if the quest becomes impossible to achieve.

Jon's mouth near dropped open as he realised how the quest had been modified – there was another sword available, and it was Brightroar, the famous sword of House Lannister! And it was in Valyria! Well if he hadn't wanted to go before…

As the script disappeared Jon turned back to Robb, and was glad to see his brother in contemplation, having missed the moment Jon had gone silent and being staring off into space. Now though Jon shoved his shoulder, and Robb turned to him.

"Isn't Valyria supposed to be dangerous?" Robb asked, concern etched across his features.

"We won't go in" Jon said with a convincing scoff, even if said words were a complete lie. Lying hardly sat right with him, but he remembered the new perk he had, 'What Needs to be Done'. Sometimes, unfortunately lying was necessary, and here it was necessary. "Just to look"

Robb seemed a little mollified by that, but still not convinced, "But why? We could go and explore Qarth, Volantis, hell even go to the Summer Isles!" Robb rolled his eyes then, "But you want to go look at some ruins we can't even explore?"

"Well we could explore brother, if you weren't so chicken" Jon teased a little, and Robb spluttered in indignation before giving him a good shove, which Jon laughed at.

"Why then Jon?" Robb asked, and Jon knew lying here wouldn't cut it … perhaps just bending the truth.

"Just imagine it Robb" Jon said, he knew now was his one chance to convince Robb to do this, he knew it was now or never, "Imagine seeing the place we've only heard about, the place where famous Valyrian Steel comes from, the place people always speak about in wonder?" He smiled a little then, and could see Robb looked a little wistful, perfect. "Just imagine seeing it, something we'd have never thought to see aye? Imagine"

Robb nodded then and Jon had to stop himself from grinning, and instead just nodded and smiled. Perfect.

"Aye alright" Robb said, and Jon did clap him on the shoulder in thanks. He was hardly surprised to feel the heat of the book then, see the glow and the script appear. Robb turned back to his food, and so Jon turned to look at what the book was offering now.

Quest Alert!

Explore Old Valyria.

Explore the ruins of Old Valyria to uncover some interesting secrets and trigger the quest 'The Doom'. Careful, this quest will be extremely difficult, and 'The Doom' even harder.

Rewards: Trigger the Quest 'The Doom', +1 LUC, +1 MAG, Unlocks Full Map of Valyria, 500XP.

Failure: Quest, 'The Doom' is locked, -2 LUC, -2 MAG, Full Map of Valyria is locked.

This is an active quest; active quests are ongoing and do not have to be selected, thus they are hard to fail. Failure will only be determined if the quest becomes impossible to achieve.

Jon near chocked on his food then as he read those words. This quest seemed crazy. Difficult and yet the rewards were amazing, the failures even worse though. He wasn't sure what 'The Doom' quest would look like but he sure as hell wanted to find out.

He knew he needed to be careful then, hell the book had given him a warning! He had to be cautious here, and yet he felt a little giddy. Surely Valyria offered all kinds of opportunities, as dangerous as it would be.

This tour would surely be amazing.

With a nod, he knew researching Old Valyria some more would be necessary, and he resolved to start the quest Where to Go? Tonight.

"So, Bravos, Old Valyria, where else?" Jon asked, and Robb shrugged.

"Well, Valyria will take a while, so maybe do the Free Cities, go a little East, round to Old Valyria and then home?" Jon nodded then, it was a good plan, and he smiled, as did Robb. He could see his brother was excited, as was he.

"Great" With that he felt the book again, and that same silver shimmer, but this time he knew what was coming.

Quest Completed!

Brothers Prepared.

Discuss your Tour with Robb.

Rewards: +5 Relationship with Robb, 50XP

Current XP: 1000/2000XP, Relationship with Robb +5 = 90

With that they both tucked back into their lunch, and soon the Hall began to fill, and they were joined at the top table. First by Arya and Sansa, and Lady Catelyn (who at least didn't order Jon to move, as she had before), and then his Uncle joined them, he knew Bran and Rickon were likely napping or in lessons.

"How are you both?" His Uncle enquired, and the two brothers nodded.

"Good" Robb replied, as he speared a potato, "We were just discussing the tour"

"It's not fair!" Arya interjected, and Sansa rolled her eyes at her little sister, having clearly heard Arya's opinion on this before, and by the look on her face, it had been many times before.

"Why can't I go?" Arya demanded, and Robb laughed, Jon almost did too but managed to smother it at Arya's glare. "Why not? Why not?"

"Because young Lady you are not old enough nor is it appropriate" Her mother snapped, evidently, she'd heard this argument too.

He could see Arya, turn red, gearing up to argue, but his Uncle stepped in before his little sister (as yes, he still considered Arya to be his sister) could erupt.

"Arya" Was all he had to say and she slumped down, deflated, sure she'd go toe to toe with her siblings, even argue with her Mother, but she knew when it came to her Father it was pointless to argue, it was pointless to even try.

Eddard Stark had always been like that, if he had made up his mind, he did not change it, which was concerning for Jon, considering how he had to go about convincing his Uncle soon to refuse the summons South.

Ugh, he reached for another sausage then, he didn't even want to think about that, his head hurt every time he contemplated that task.

And yet, at his Uncle's next words, he knew he had no choice but to think about it and think about it now.

"I do have news" Eddard Stark said, placing down his fork, and turning to his children, wife, and nephew. Jon placed his hand on his inner pocket then, waiting for the book to respond, for knew whatever this news was would make it do so.

"I received a raven, the King is a week away now, and that message was sent two days ago, which means he'll be here in five days' time"

For a moment there was silence, and then the room broke out into chatter. Sansa was grinning from ear to ear, Arya was looking petulant and glaring at anyone who looked her way, Lady Catelyn had jumped to her feet and was hurrying off to talk to the servants, and Robb immediately struck up a conversation with his Father.

Jon however spoke to no one, and just waited. Seconds passed and his brow furrowed? Would the book have something for him? He was sure it would. It seemed with every major change in his life there was a quest or a perk or something.

He felt something then … panic. He knew he needed to not overly rely on the book, and yet it was his guide, he couldn't be without it. He looked down at his lap then, his eyebrows knitting together. Thankfully, his family were more used to seeing him brooding than smiling, so he was left be as he contemplated the absence of a quest.

Fortunately, he didn't have to worry for long, as, as soon as Eddard Stark rose and exited the main hall, the familiar wash of silver appeared.

Jon felt acute relief as the script began to write in front of him, but also a little bit of worry remained. He knew this book was his guide, and following it was wise, but he also knew he couldn't be ruled by it.

He thought then, was this book letting him make his own decisions? Well yes, it was just advising him on what was the best path forward not deciding the path for him. Mollified Jon felt a little better, and then, the script that had appeared before him disappeared, before a different set of sentences took the previous writings place.

Own Man (Perk!)

You have gained a new attribute.

You know how important it is to make your own decisions and not rely on others. This determination to decide your own fate is brave, and yet may sometimes lead you to trouble!

+1 PER, +5 Bravery.

Jon smiled then, it was good to know he was being rewarded for wanting to make his own decisions, and he intended to do just that. This book was his guide, not his decision maker.

He had to remember that he had to make the decisions, the book couldn't do it for him, and he knew he had many difficult decisions to make going ahead.

Once the script denoting his new perk faded, the previous script returned, and Jon glanced around then, Robb still sat with him but was in deep contemplation of his own, Sansa and Arya were gone, and so Jon knew he could seem to look off into space without any questions.

Quest Alert!

The Pack.

Stop your Uncle, Eddard Stark from going South with the King.

Reward: Eddard Stark remains in the North, you gain +10 relationship with him, +10 relationship with Lady Catelyn. +10 Persuasion, +1 LUC, +200XP

Failure: Eddard Stark, Arya Stark and Sansa Stark go to Kings Landing. There descent will have deadly consequences that will play out in the future. -1 LUC, -500XP.

This is a time sensitive quest! If you fail to complete this quest before the timer runs out, then you will fail it. Time sensitive quests offer less XP bonus, but generally higher other bonuses. These quests are also known as 'storyline' quests, in that they have a huge impact on the future! They will be rarer than other quests, but it is highly recommended you complete them!

Time Remaining: 5 days.

Just 5 days, 5 days to complete his biggest quest yet.

He had no idea how he was going to do it.

"I think I'm going to lie down" Jon turned to Robb then, and his brother just nodded, clearly keen to be lost in his own thoughts. Part of Jon wanted to stay, to ask Robb what was wrong, but this time? This time he had more important things to focus on.

Prioritising his family was the most important thing, but he could pick Robb's brain for his worries later, for now he had to determine how he was going to save his Uncle's life, because Eddard Stark going South would surely only end one way, and that was with his Uncle's head on a pike on the walls of Kings Landing.

He was quick to hurry back to his room, ignoring everyone he passed, Ghost at his heels, and as soon as he arrived, he ushered Ghost inside, locked the door behind him, and sunk down to sit on his bed, head between his knees.

How was he going to pull this off?

He had no idea.

Ten minutes later and no closer to an answer, Jon was pacing, Ghost was looking at him with barely concealed humour, and curled onto his master's bed, contemplating a nap, whilst Jon was panicking, completely and utterly panicking.

How was he supposed to pull this off? To persuade his Uncle to deny his best friend? To have his Uncle go against his duty? It seemed impossible, and yet clearly the book thought it was possible, he just had no idea how.

He did feel a little reassured at that line of thought, surely if this quest were impossible then the book wouldn't offer it? Every quest he had, had so far had been achievable, and so that suggested this one was achievable, just a lot harder.

He went through a dozen or more ideas through his mind. Fake an injury? No, his Uncle would see that, and it would need to be severe to even get him to stay. Fake his death? It would certainly keep his Uncle North but would create a whole host of other problems! Have Robb plead to him? No, his Uncle wouldn't listen to pleas.

No, he was lost, he had no idea what to do.

He paced back and forth, and then reached sat himself back down on the bed, the jumped up to pace, and then back to sitting down, all with that brooding expression on his face.

An hour passed in that manner, and he knew, he knew then, there was only one way this was going to work.

He would have to persuade his Uncle not to go, and that would require some guilt, some lies, and a lot of luck. With a small sigh he reached for his book and read over the quest again. This would not be easy.

With a deep breath he stood to his feet, he knew his Uncle would be in his solar at this point in the day and there was no use putting off the inevitable, he had just 5 days, not enough time, not enough at all, and so he needed to get started quickly.

An idea was forming now, yes, he would talk to his Uncle directly, but he would need more than that. He was reminded then of when Sam had rallied for him to be Lord Commander, and Jon knew his best chance of completing this quest, keeping his Uncle, Arya, and Sansa safe … was to do something similar.

He'd appeal to his Uncle first, and then, then he'd set it up, sew the seeds throughout Winterfell to have others appeal, just as Sam had sewn the seeds to get the votes to make him the 998th Lord Commander of the Wall, he would need to do the same, to have Eddard Stark bombarded on all sides by reasons to stay.

That was his best bet.

Jon was not a fan of lying, of having to be cunning, to play the game per say, but he knew sometimes it was necessary, sometimes it had to be done, and for his Uncle? For the man he'd thought of as a Father? For the man who'd raised him? He'd do anything.

With that decided he made his way to his door, he grabbed his cloak, opened his door, and made his way through Winterfell, through the weave of corridors, determined and constructing his appeal in his head. Once he reached his Uncle's solar, he paused for just a minute outside of the door, then with a deep breath, and determination in his belly he knocked.

"Come in" His Uncle called, and Jon steeled himself, gritted his teeth and pushed his hand against the wood. He could do this, he could.

And it was time.

cliffhanger? I know I'm the worst muhahahaha.

soo thoughts?

did you love, hate, feel complete apathy towards it? let me know! I appreciate feedback, providing it is constructive.

also I know this is only 5k words, but honestly, I already have the next chapter planned out and 1/3rd written, and this felt like a natural stopping point.

speak soon