Test-running this the same way I did NHAT's first chapter!
Keep in mind, this is not specifically RhaeLya or anti-RhaeLya. That said, Rhaegar, by virtue of being raised as more of a 'boy prince' than actual prince, has a characterization you may not agree with! But I don't care, it's my fic lol.
Not a lot happens in this first snippet, it's more to establish the home-life Jon is coming from, the dynamic between Rhaegar and Lyanna, and because I find writing from this perspective funny. There is not a lot of Jonrya and only the set up for conflict.
Enjoy! Please, tell me what you think.
Itâs an age-old story. A real crowd favorite. Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. Boy sings a sad song. Girl cries. Boy gives her roses. Girl looks pretty with flowers in her hair. A classic love story, one for the books.
Things may have progressed a little quickly after. But, still, nothing truly out of the ordinary. Girl got pregnant. Boy proposed. Well⊠Boy had to get a divorce first. But it was a quick divorce.
Sure, maybe after the shotgun wedding, Boy and Girl had to hide out in the desert for a while, disappeared from the public without telling anyone where they went, resulting in a media-fuelled frenzy, a nation-wide search party involving everyone from paparazzi to armed police to private investigatorsâŠ
Maybe her family had publicly accused him of kidnapping before the dust had settled. Acquitted of all charges, both in the legal court and that of public opinion.
Still, when Rhaegar looks back at how he and Lyanna first met, first fell in love, it really did feel that simple, that⊠uncomplicated, at the time. The politics, their respective family drama, the music scene and the industry bullshit, the age gap that was only a little less scandalous at the timeâŠ
He hadnât cared about that. Neither had magazines, or newspapers. If anything, theyâd eaten it all up. It only made them more sympathetic. For the most part. According to all the important publications, anyway.
Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen had been... the love story to end all love stories. Had been, as in, werenât anymore, because, as anyone could tell you, they hadnât been married for, say, like⊠a decade now? Somewhere between a decade, and thirteen years, four months, and twenty-one days.
And yet, it still smarts to think about it. Better not to, if he can help it.
Unfortunately, thereâs nothing in the great, empty expanse of fucking woods heâs staring down to distract him. Why does Lyanna live out here again? Shouldnât someone running a non-profit live somewhere with actual people around, in need of help?
Frankly, he never understood why they divorced in the first place. But I respected her wishes. Because I loved her.
Obviously. He wouldnât be leaning against his car, waiting for his son to finally emerge from his aloof (second) ex-wifeâs cabin in the woods if that wasnât the case, all so he could spend a weekend enjoying the kidâs brooding company, pointedly not asking questions about how his mother was and what she was doing in her spare time when she wasnât too busy saving the world and ignoring his calls.
Rhaegar taps his foot. Crosses his arms. Checks his hair in the passenger window. Uncrosses his arms. Checks his phone, again. Nothing. He texted Jon about his arrival three minutes ago.
Maybe, sometimes their conversation verged into discussion-of-Mom territory. But there was only so much for him and Jon to talk about. The kid was almost sixteen, permanently unimpressed with him, and he made no secret of the resentment he felt for him.
Rhaegar wanted to connect, he did, but he also had to acknowledge certain limitations to his position. The one thing they both shared was Lyanna. It made sense to fall back to common ground in lieu of any other options.
And heâs curious. Sue him. The woman is a bank vault when it comes to her personal life. Always was. Just ask the press. They'd tell you.
Rhaegar checks his phone. Four minutes. He thinks he can get away with ringing the doorbell. Thereâs literally ice on the ground. Even his openly embittered son doesnât actually want him to freeze to death.
Well, he assumes. But the void of interest in Jonâs gaze as he opens the door and claps eyes on him might make him reconsider.
âHey, champ.â Rhaegar forces out, and pretends like he isnât internally grimacing at his own words. âUh, I texted, butâŠâ
Jon nods, already turning around, walking away and leaving the screen door to drift shut on his father. âI know.â
Rhaegar wedges a foot in before the heavy screen can shut him out completely, then shifts awkwardly in the doorway, propping it open. âYou ready to head out?â
âAlmost.â
He takes that as an invitation to step inside. Jonâs disappeared into a door beyond the stairs - the den, or the dining room? Itâs been a while since Rhaegar got to really see the place. Heâs never gotten an actual tour, technically, has maybe been in the kitchen twice, ever, let alone the rest of the place. Technically, it's a converted ranger station from back when the family held private ownership over the woods. For all he knows, it's an armory back there.
He glances around surreptitiously for a second, wondering if he has enough time to poke his head around - innocently, of course - only for Lyanna to skid into view before he can even move past the wet room. His pulse quickens, but before he can pull out a greeting as equally as cringeworthy as the first, she interrupts.
âOh, good. Youâre here. Iâm heading out then.â She pushes an earring in with lethal precision and force, not even sparing a glance at the conveniently-placed hall mirror, calling back into the house, âJon? Iâm heading out! Did you hear me?â
Rhaegar almost has a heart attack when Jon pops his head in from the nearest room - he couldâve sworn the only way to the back was through the main hall, last time he was here - with a furrowed brow and a playful scowl on display. âYeah, Iâm right here. You donât need to yell.â
Lyanna is doing her eyeliner, but she pauses to raise her own brows at him in warning. âSometimes I think you could do with me yelling at you more, actually.â
He rolls his eyes. âIs that even possible?â
She smacks her hairbrush in his general direction in response, a fruitless gesture so familiar to Rhaegar it hurts. âWould you get out of here? With your⊠teenage⊠attitude? Ugh.â She fixes her lipstick then shoves her tools in her purse.
âBrutal, mom. Do you have my charger?â
âOur charger,â she insists. âItâs in the den. Go watch some dumb, scary movie, would you? Have a good time with your dad. And get out of my hair!â
Jon gives her a brisk salute as she hurries past.
âWe will! Uh, have a good time,â Rhaegar assures her, but his eyes get caught on her cocktail dress, as she scoots past him, adjusts the skirt, and grabs her coat. âWhere are you off to? Didnât think you were even allowed to leave the woods.â
She gives him a slightly withering glance, then shrugs, smiles. âI have a thing.â By now Jon has joined them in the wet room, and she turns to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. âLock up when you leave. Iâll see you two later.â
âGross.â Jon waves from the door as she sidesteps the ice in her heels on her way to her truck. âBye, mom. Be safe!â
âNo worrying, kiddo! Have fun.â
âI know. But still.â
âThanks, honey,â she clambers into the truck, blows a big, fat kiss from the window, intentionally over-the-top. âMwah.â
Rhaegar follows her out, takes advantage of her patting around the front seat to plug her phone in. âSeriously, we never talk anymore. Whatâs the big occasion?â
She gives him a look he decides is indecipherable, then sighs. âJust meeting up with old friends of the family.â She finds the right chord to plug in her phone, then shoos him away from the window. âOkay. Really, this time - Iâll see you guys later.â
By the time sheâs pulled out, and heâs shaken himself from his suspicious stupor, Jon is joining him out in the driveway. He shakes his head, then turns and gives him a fond, knowing look. âWhere is she actually going?â
Jon, shrugging and hiking his backpack up his shoulder, returns the knowing look, if... decidedly less fond. âSome kind of double date.â
âWhat?â Rhaegar scoffs. âWith who?â
âUncle Ned and Aunt Catelyn.â
Interesting, but irrelevant. âNo, who is she going with?â
âI donât know. One of the Baratheons.â Jon is walking toward the car at this point.
âShit!â Rhaegar jolts to follow, stops and curses as he almost slips on the ice, resumes his path with more caution. âShit. Which one?â
âI donât remember,â Jon says, popping open the trunk. He throws his luggage in the back.
Rhaegar rubs the back of his neck, exhaling a little in relief at just making it to the car without face-planting. âIt canât be Robert, is it? Thatâs insane.â
Jon pauses getting into the passenger seat to slip his backpack off his shoulder and spare his father a faintly exasperated look. âDadâŠâ
âLook, I - I know your uncle and him are friends, Iâm sure heâs⊠fine, but⊠your mom hates him,â he rushes to clarify. Jon rolls his eyes and gets in the car, and Rhaegar scrambles to follow suit. âShe always has.â
âI mean, itâs really none of your business.â
âRight, but⊠Right. Iâm not saying she canât. Iâm just saying it would be stupid, and I hope your uncle hasnât convinced her to give him another chance, when -â
âAre we going?â Jon interrupts, then sinks into his seat with a strange expression. âArya and I have been waiting to see this for ages.â
âUhâŠâ Rhaegar blinks. Thinks. Starts to dig out his keys. âYeah, we can goâŠâ He starts the engine, but doesnât take it out of park. âJust, let the engine warm up⊠How is Arya doing, lately, by the way? She wants to see this film?â
âYeah,â Jon answers, slouching in his seat. âHas wanted to, for a while, now.â
âHowâs she doing? You get to see her much, now sheâs getting older?â
Jon turns to pretend to look at something out the window. Rhaegar knows heâs pretending. He was staring at the same goddamn woods waiting for a text for four minutes, so. âNot as much.â
Rhaegar takes this as an opportunity to change the address on his phone. âIs she busy tonight?â
âNo.â No uncertainty. Not even a pause.
âYou want to invite her along?â
âSeriously?âÂ
âWhy not?â Rhaegar starts backing out of the driveway. âSheâs allowed to watch scary movies, right?â
âYeah, we watch them all the time.â Good. It was a fifty-fifty bet, considering what Catelyn and Ned are respectively like as parents.
âWhy donât you text her? Weâre early anyway. We can start heading down that way, and if she says no, weâll just⊠You know. Course-correct.â
âOkay. Yeah. Iâll text her.â
âGood. Great. Weâll just⊠head for your uncle Nedâs.â
And if they happened to run into Lyanna when they got there, well... that's a non-issue.
âŠ
Thanks so much for reading! Hope it piqued your interest, even though there wasn't a ton of Jonrya right away. It's partly written but not enough to share for feedback. I'm curious to get feedback on the Rhaegar and Lyanna dynamic - I know the characters have huge fans and huge antis and frankly I'm half curious and half worried as to how either party will be reacting to the situation, lol! Anyway, thanks again.
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Please heed the warnings before proceeding. Adult themes in most chapters, up to explicit in certain parts but not this chapter in particular. This one is rated Teen and Up.
Summary: Three years after the Wars of Ice and Fire, all the players are back in the game as Jon and Arya will be forced to deal with court and intrigue, first with another Northern plot, then next with the reconvening of the Southern council. In this chapter, Robbâs will shall finally be read in Winterfellâs court.
And then finally, there, in the distance, she saw a man with solemn features dressed in leather breeches and a simple grey cloak with fur lined around the neck. He was riding atop a black horse, his hair and beard dark.
Her heart soared and she gasped, hardly believing it. And as he turned his head toward her, she could see shock, disbelief and then finally relief and happiness as he smiled at her with a longing that mirrored hers.
They dismounted their horses at the same time and ran to one another at breakneck speed, so close now. And when they finally made contact, it was with impact for they both had not held back. It winded her as she slammed into his solid chest, her arms wound around his neck as tight as she could. In turn he lifted her up like before, making her laugh brokenly at their antics. But her eyes were wet as she buried her face on his neck, inhaling his familiar scent, so warm and masculine. And in turn, she felt wetness on her own neck where his own face was buried.
The wind continued to whip around them as if they were in the midst of a tempest but it was only tree petals that surrounded them and she could scarcely appreciate its wild beauty as her whole world was reduced to this one man, this person that she loved the most in all the world.
Arya whispered to him now, desperately trying to convey all the years of longing, regret and hurt between them, and trying vainly not to let her voice break. âI missed you, big brother.â
His arms tightened around her waist until there was no space at all between their bodies, as if to make up for the long separation. He too whispered to her ear, âI missed you too, little sister.â
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He had always wanted someone to share his thoughts with, and that is exactly who he was given.
Or Jon and Arya meet at a tourney for the first time, and find themselves opening up to each other: mind, body, and soul. Not on purpose, of course.
Words: 50,125 I  Chapters: 10/? I  Language: English
Fandoms: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Warnings Apply
Categories: F/M
Characters: Jon Snow, Arya Stark, Aegon VI Targaryen, Rhaenys Targaryen, Rhaegar Targaryen, Elia Martell, Ned Stark, Rickon Stark, Edric "Ned" Dayne, Jaime Lannister, Myrcella Baratheon, Jon Connington
Relationships: Jon Snow/Arya Stark, Aegon VI Targaryen/Rhaenys Targaryen
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Rhaegar Lives, Elia is Queen, Soulmates, Jon Snow is a Targaryen, R plus L equals J, Tourneys, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Aegon is a wingman, Jon Snow knows nothing, Strangers to Lovers, Cousin Incest, Sibling Incest
Every time I read A Heartâs Home, my world feels better. I didnât come to this as a Jonarya shipper (in fact, I was probably an Arya fan first, then a Gendrya fan), but your story is so well-crafted, Iâm here for the ride! Thank you for all the time you put into your writing.
đ„°đđ„°đ Thank you so much! Youâre very kind to say so. To be honest, I never thought I would love Jonrya as much as I do but it felt to me like falling head over heels in love with the pairing. Like you, I was an Arya fan first then a Gendrya. This was because I was a show only first. But the show has let me down so much so I went to the books instead. What I found was the purest and most beautiful love between Jon and Arya. The longing for each other throughout all the books and the purity of their relationship was so heartbreaking and heartwarming. I canât believe this was never explored in the show but I can understand it as well. Itâs a very controversial subject and the pairings they did explore was controversial enough.
It was fun to meld the showâs ending with book canon since book Jon and Arya would never part that way after longing for each other so much, or if they did, theyâll always find a way to return to one another. Jon is Aryaâs home, and Arya is Jonâs heart. This was already mentioned in the books so why not go further and fix the showâs ending with Georgeâs original outline in mind? Plus with the leadership potential not only of Jon but Arya? And with Robbâs will coming into play?
The writing is definitely time-consuming with a lot of research involved and edits but it is a true labour of love for me too. I love it and Iâm happy that you and other readers have enjoyed it as much as I have. I wish I could end it at Winterfell in the next few chapters but the Red Keep is waiting as well, along with a mountain of other characters (including Gendry). Iâm just sorry I canât dedicate all my time to it since I have a busy life outside of fandom and Iâm getting set to do an international move in the next month.
So thank you! It wouldnât be what it is without all the reader inputs and the interactions Iâve enjoyed with you all since I started writing a year ago. đđđ
