Fanfic / A Dovahkiin Spreads His Wings

"You could kill him, Little Brother. You could burn his skin or crush his bones or freeze the breath from his lungs, maybe all three. It would be easy, like snapping a twig; he's just an old man, after all. You know you want to, so why don't you do it? Is it because you worry what could befall the kin of your flesh? Or is it because you prefer to pretend you still possess some sort of morality even as you plot to-'"

— Miraak

Years ago, Jon Snow uncovered the truth of his birth and fled his life, finding himself at the centre of a civil war and the resurrection of dragons in a far-away land. Jon Whitewolf, the Last Dragonborn and Great Thane of Skyrim, returns at his sister's behest for his brother's nameday celebrations, but soon finds leaving — and keeping his secrets — will not be so simple as he planned.

A Dovahkiin Spreads His Wings is a story by VixenRose1996, and a crossover between A Song of Ice and Fire and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, found here on Archive of Our Own and here on Fanfiction Dot Net.

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Tropes found in this fan-work:

• 100% Heroism Rating: Funnily enough, this is averted, with Jon being Guildmaster of the Thieves' Guild in Skyrim. Justified, since he turned to them out of desperation for coin after arriving in Skyrim penniless.
• Abled in the Adaptation: Bran is able to avoid his paralyzing fall because Jon calls him down from the tower he's climbing just moments before he's supposed to discover Jaime and Cersei.
• Abusive Parents:
  • Harkon and Valerica towards Serana, ostensibly for her own good. She advises Jon not to return to Winterfell, fearing that Ned's desire to keep Jon close may lead him to try to actively prevent Jon coming home to Skyrim, ostensibly for his own good. Jon is shocked by the suggestion.
  • Ned slides into this when he attempts to force Jon into staying in Westeros and joining the Night's Watch over returning to Skyrim. To his credit he comes to recognize this and tries to make amends, to some success.
  • Catelyn slapped Bran when the boy defended Jon to her. Bran is still a little afraid of his own mother.
• The Ace: Jon Whitewolf. It comes with being the Dragonborn.
  • Not just with being the Dragonborn, it is also In the Blood, since Rhaegar was considered The Ace as well.
• Action Girl: Serana, Jordis, Lydia; the usual crowd.
• Actually Pretty Funny: Olenna starts laughing when she hears that Sam convinced his father to take their family and leave King's Landing before the start of Cersei's coup by punching him in the face.
• Agonizing Stomach Wound: Robert still suffers getting gutted in the stomach by a boar while hunting.
• All for Nothing: Robb, after learning that Ironborn are raiding the North under the command of Euron Greyjoy, decides to help Theon fake his death, so that his foster brother can go to rescue his sister and mother without the Starks needing to fear sending him to the Lannisters to avoid war. Then they learn of Cersei's coup, which means that war will happen anyway.
• Always on Duty: Jon, as Serana, Elisif and Enzo all point out.
• Anger Born of Worry: Not anger, exactly, but Serana is none too happy that Jon goes back to Westeros, despite the risk of him being forced to remain indefinitely. When he sends yet another letter informing her that his return will be delayed she travels right on over to Westeros and breaks into the Red Keep.
• Armor-Piercing Response/Armour-Piercing Question: When Tywin Lannister asks Valerica Volkihar how long her mourning for her husband will last, she asks him if he is done mourning his wife. Tywin concedes the point.
• Arranged Marriage:
  • Robb's nameday celebration aimed to bring several Northern ladies to Winterfell in order to pick a bride for him. Alys Karstark is ultimately chosen, as the most popular and safe choice.
  • Ned briefly ponders about giving Sansa to the Crown Prince, only for Jon Arryn to outright beg him to find another groom or send his daughter to the Silent Sisters. On the Lannisters' side, Sansa isn't seen as a very attractive potential queen and as such, Margaery Tyrell is the favored option.
  • Tywin Lannister tries to offer his bastard niece Joy Hill to Jon Whitewolf, who panics and claims he's already engaged to marry Serana.
  • Tywin also seeks a Lannister marriage with Shireen to gain access to Dragonstone. He's rather displeased with Cersei's actions towards Selyse and Shireen as it will make them far from likely to accept.
  • Varys sees this as the best way to tie Jon to Westeros and the Iron Throne before he leaves for Skyrim.
• Awful Wedded Life: It's Westeros. The practice of Arranged Marriage inevitable results in a number of these.
  • Much like in the books, Robert Baratheon and Cersei Lannister. Robert never really tried to get over Lyanna's death, and spends his days drinking and fooling around with other women, which Cersei resents him for (among other things).
  • Though they're not quite at that level yet, Ned and Catelyn's marriage has come dangerously close to this. While the two still love each other, Ned's obsession with trying to keep Jon in Westeros, and Catelyn's resentment of him as a representation of Ned's love for another woman has fractured their relationship greatly.
• Beautiful Singing Voice: Jon has a marvelous voice, which he got from his biological father.
• Beleaguered Assistant: Enzo is officially Jon's bodyguard and constantly vexed, because his charge has a tendency to constantly get in trouble.
• Be Careful What You Wish For:
  • Young Jon often pestered Ned to tell him who his mother was. Then he accidentally overheard it while Ned and Benjen were quarreling, took it very badly and ran away from Winterfell.
  • Catelyn always hated Jon's presence at Winterfell and wanted him gone. When he finally did so, the rest of her family was heartbroken, and Catelyn's insistence that they consider him dead soured her relationship with them.
• Berserk Button:
  • Jon is this to Catelyn to the point that she slapped Bran when the boy defended him. The rumors of Ashara Dayne being Jon's mother has made House Dayne this for her as well based on her argument with Ned.
  • Ned Stark doesn't like being called selfish or have his parenting questioned by other people.
  • Insulting Davos Seaworth is this to Shireen.
• Beware the Nice Ones:
  • Jon's quite the Nice Guy... and if you think that makes him weak, he'll happily show you why he is the Last Dragonborn.
  • Shireen is meek and shy... until Cersei disparages Ser Davos, and then she's ready to breathe fire on the Queen.
  • Myrcella is the smartest of the three "Baratheon" children, and everyone agrees that she's a wonderful girl... and when Joffrey kills Tommen, she grabs a dagger and does the same to him.
• Big Brother Instinct:
  • Jon adores his siblings, but the one he's doting on the most is Arya. He's also protective towards Tommen and Myrcella when Joffrey tries to bully them.
  • Theon's knee-jerk reaction when he stumbled on a butcher about to fondle a young Jon was to jump on the paedo and break his face. He also kills a raider for gloating his sister Asha is currently suffering a Fate Worse than Death.
• Big Brother Worship: Arya for Jon, obviously. She disobeys her mother's orders to never contact him in the hope that he might come home for just a while and begs her father to let her come to King's Landing to be with Jon while he's in Westeros, then proceeds to agree to Ned's conditions and keep to them. She would even have been willing to go to Skyrim with him if he had allowed it.
• Big Damn Heroes:
  • Jon saves Mycah from Joffrey through a very subtle use of magic.
  • Jon, Enzo and Sandor also save Loras from The Mountain during the Tourney at King's Landing.
  • In a flashback, a thirteen-year-old Theon barged right in time to rescue kid Jon from sexual assault by a butcher.
  • Valerica and Sam save Shireen and Davos from the Lannister guards, although it was too late to help Selyse.
  • In separate incidents, Enzo and Jon save two of Robert's bastard children and their mothers.
  • Gendry first, and Syrio later, save Arya from the Lannister thugs sent to kidnap her on Cersei's orders.
  • Howland saves Bran from the killer who set the library on fire.
• Bodyguarding a Badass: Enzo is a giant able to flatten anyone on his path, and he swore to protect the motherfreaking Dragonborn - a bonafide demigod.
• Boomerang Bigot: Cersei, as usual, in chapter fifteen, the first interlude. Doubles as Psychological Projection.
• Both Sides Have a Point:
  • Surprisingly Ned's and Catelyn's argument about Jon has shades of this. While Ned is correct in that Jon wouldn't harm his siblings in any way like Catelyn fears, Catelyn is equally correct that he shouldn't try to force Jon to stay in Westeros when Jon wants to return to Skyrim.
  • Howland Reed later points this out as an attempt to close the growing distance between Bran and Catelyn. However due to being Locked Out of the Loop on the full context of his parents' argument but knowing it was about Jon, causes Bran to soundly reject this as he believes that the argument was just about Jon's bastard status.
• Boy Meets Ghoul/Interspecies Romance: Between mortal man Jon and vampire Serana.
• Boyfriend Bluff: Jon panics when Tywin offers him Joy Hill's hand in marriage, claiming he's already engaged to Serana. The vampiress decides to reinforce his cover after being informed of the reason why he did so.
• Bring It: When Cersei's guards threaten to use force against Valerica, the vampire lady invites them to use it with a Grin of Audacity.
• Broken Masquerade:
  • During Cersei's coup, Jon reveals his magic by flash frying two Kingsguards and eight Lannister solders. Sam witnesses all of it.
  • Serana and Valerica do not shy from utilizing their Super-Strength and vampiric speed, and throwing spells around.
  • Enzo uses magic and a Shout to save one of Robert's bastard children and his mother.
  • Arya uses a protective spell to prevent injuries when she jumps out of a carriage, and frost magic to force a Lannister thug to release her.
  • Jon starts using Shouts as well, including the Storm Call Shout.
• Broken Pedestal:
  • Jon admired Ned as a child, before finding out his life was a lie. His resentment finally exploded in a letter responding to Ned's request that Jon return to Winterfell despite having built a life in Skyrim.
  • Zigzagged in regards to Catelyn and her children. She's this for Bran after slapping him when he defended Jon by destroying her "bastards are untrustworthy" argument (See Kid Has a Point). Robb, Arya, and Rickon are a mix of being deeply disappointed, angry, and vexed by her actions towards Jon. Even Sansa shows signs of this when she tentatively points out her mother's hypocrisy on rejecting Jon's gifts to her when she maintains that it is rude to reject gifts.
  • Myrcella used to be very close with her mother, spending a lot of time with her and wearing matching dresses as her. Over time, however, Cersei started acting both distant and controlling, which made Myrcella realise that her mother only sees her as an extention of herself, not as her own person. The pedestal gets broken even further when Myrcella sees the lengths Cersei has gone to in her obssession with keeping the throne.
• Canon Welding:
  • The story tends to mix the book series and show regarding Westeros; for example, the Stark children found their wolves at their literary ages but a timeskip ensured they're currently a bit older than their live-action counterparts. Similarly, Ned Stark fits Martin's description of him while Jon Snow is explicitly based on his actor.
  • Plus several personal arcs seem to have already happened at an earlier date and in different circumstances, such as the formation of the Brotherhood without Banners, Thoros resurrecting Beric Dondarrion at least once, Euron taking over the Iron Islands or Daenerys hatching her dragons.
  • Additionally, several characters who were Adapted Out of the show exist within this fic, with the second interlude confirming Victarion Greyjoy is present, and an earlier chapter showing that Theon's sister is Asha as opposed to Yara.
  • Chapter 25 sees several Northern Lords who only appeared in the books showing up, such as Barbray Dustin and Harwood Stout.
• Catapult Nightmare: Jon starts having them about the Others shortly after returning to Westeros.
• Central Theme:
  • Obsession with the past, how unhealthy it actually is and needing to let go and find closure.
  • The need to let your children grow up and make their own choices.
• Chocolate Baby:
  • Jon actually isn't a younger Ned Stark's carbon copy. Several characters comment on the fact he's black-haired and eyed and far too pretty, contrasting with Ned's brown hair, grey eyes and plain looks.
  • The royal children, of course. Several people definitely noticed something is amiss just by comparing them to their supposed father — and noticing the glaring lack of resemblance.
• Cool Sword: Jon's birthday gift for Robb, an ice-steel Stahlrim longsword. Jon and Enzo's ebony weapons also count. In fact, basically any weapon from Skyrim counts as a cool weapon by Westerosi standards.
• Comes Great Responsibility: Jon's ethos - he can help, so he should. It's gotten him into some trouble in the past and keeps on doing so in Westeros.
• Cover-Blowing Superpower: Downplayed when Thoros of Myr accidentally sets fire to Jon's leather armour, yet the youth isn't burned in spite of being exposed to wildfire. Beric Dondarrion reminds his friend the Targaryens being completely immune to heat was mostly talk, but Thoros still suspects something is fishy.
• Culture Clash:
  • In Skyrim, women can carry and train with weapons without any problems, as well as hold property, have their own titles and even inherit the throne. In Westeros such things are unheard of outside of Dorne.
  • Jon reassures Loras Tyrell and Renly Baratheon he's not going to denounce them as sodomites, since Tamriel is very much a free-love land — it's only a problem when the heir can't marry and produce a successor.
    • On related note, in Tamriel nobody would bat an eyelash on a couple sleeping in the same bed even without marriage. In Westeros such thing is unheard of.
  • Short hair on a woman is thought as a show of mourning in Westeros, while in Skyrim it's merely a fashion choice.
  • Rhaegar actually decided to invoke the long-dead Targaryen tradition of polygamy in order to marry Lyanna Stark. His first wife Elia was fully aboard the plan, as she was familiar with a Dornish custom of paramours and feared she would not live long — leaving her children without a mother and an ally in the court. Needless to say, it would have shocked the Seven Kingdoms if known.
  • Children in Westeros are expected to Honor Thy Parent, and to marry spouses of their parent's choosing with little say for themselves. Arya is quite perplexed to see Serana sassing, critisizing and talking back to her mother like they're equals.
• Curbstomp Battle:
  • Jon vs the Mountain. Jon uses Shouts from the beginning to send the Mountain flying before draining him of is strength. Jon then bashes his head in with a candle stick.
  • Serana and Valerica completely slaughter the Lannister guards sent to arrest them.
• Cutting Off the Branches: Jon's titles and thoughts confirm that he sided with the Empire during the Stormcloak Rebellion and chose to spare Paarthurnax
• Death by Adaptation:
  • Stannis is already dead at the beginning of the story.
  • During Cersei's coup, several people that survived the event die here.
    • Boros Blount and Preston Greenfield when they attempt to arrest Jon.
    • Gregor Clegane also dies at Jon's hands, after the Mountain kills Jon Arryn.
    • Selyse Baratheon is lethally injured by the guards trying to capture Shireen, and given a Mercy Kill by Valerica.
    • Joffrey kills his brother Tommen by throwing him against the floor, cracking his head on the courtyard stone path.
    • In revenge for the above, Myrcella grabs Serana's dagger and stabs Joffrey in the heart.
    • Cersei uses a letter-opener to lethally stab Tywin in the heart.
    • An Ironborne's comment to Theon indicates that Balon was murdered by Euron much earlier than in canon.
• Deliberate Values Dissonance: Arya's misgivings about the idea of being married off for the good of the family are presented as something she feels guilty about, calling herself selfish. Of note, beyond the modern audience, characters from Skyrim are more sympathetic of her plight.
• Did Not Think This Through:
  • Jon freely admits that his run-away plan was very stupid and he's very lucky he didn't die during those first weeks.
  • Catelyn wants to conceive a child that would make everyone forget about Jon. Before she can entice Ned into bed she starts an argument with him over Jon, ensuring that Ned leaves for King's Landing without sleeping with her.
  • Tywin wants Shireen to marry a Lannister in order to gain access Dragonstone. Cersei decides to be passive aggressive towards Selyse and Shireen and insult Davos. According to Stannis's will, Davos has the final say in who Shireen will marry, something which the likes of Tywin note that Selyse isn't contesting. Thus suffice to say Tywin is rather displeased with his daughter.
• Domestic Abuse: Implied, of the psychological variety. Jaime's thought process and needless guilt in his interaction with Cersei in the first interlude will be familiar to any victim of Gaslighting. By the time Cersei's coup happens, he's so entrenched in this that he can't bring himself to leave her, even when completely aware that she's manipulating him into becoming her Hand so he'll always have to stay with her.
• Double Standard: In-Universe acknowledged regarding Jon's feelings towards the people who personally murdered his Targaryen relatives — yes, he hates Robert for killing his father, but it was a fair fight between two skilled warriors and it could have gone in Rhaegar's favor, while he is largely indifferent towards Jaime Lannister for killing his grandfather (probably because said grandfather, by all accounts, deserved it). On the other hand, Gregor Clegane and Amory Lorch messily butchered a frail woman and her small children, and Tywin Lannister ordered them to.
• Dramatic Irony:
  • Catelyn's hatred for Jon is based on the fact he's a living reminder of her husband's affair and his love for another woman, while Ned was actually completely faithful to her and uninterested in others. Moreover, she's completely convinced that Jon schemes to steal Winterfell from Robb (along with his hypothetical wife) when he obviously wants to leave Westeros and never come back.
  • King Robert's enthusiastic affection for Jon Whitewolf is rather awkward for the ones aware that the boy was fathered by Robert's most hated foe, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. Also, Jon really does not appreciate the attention and would prefer to be left alone.
  • Catelyn strained her relationship with her children by forbidding them from writing to Jon after he cut off contact with Ned, under the belief that Jon wanted something that Ned wouldn't give him. In reality Jon pulled back because Ned was demanding that Jon abandon his life in Skyrim and return to Winterfell.
  • Catelyn counsels Sansa to make friends with Myrcella by complimenting her looks and asking about her family, while worrying that Arya's tomboyish personality would get in the way. Cue Myrcella telling Jon that Sansa is boring because she's acting exactly the same as all the other girls in the court - and making friends with him, and later Arya, because they actually talk with her.
• Dramatically Missing the Point: Ned is so blinded by his guilt over driving Jon away and his desire to have him close that he argues with multiple people that Winterfell is where Jon belongs and where he can build his life, completely ignoring that Jon is a wealthy, successful, famous hero in Skyrim and more than happy with his life.
• Driven by Envy: When Serana arrives Cersei develops an immediate dislike. Word of God states that it is due to Serana being more beautiful and (seemingly) younger.
• Entertainingly Wrong:
  • After Jon cut off communication with his family, Catelyn became convinced that it was because he demanded things that Ned would not give him. It actually was Ned that demanded things Jon would not give him (namely, giving up his life in Skyrim and return to Westeros).
  • Many people in Westeros are convinced Ned Stark sired his bastard on Ashara Dayne, but the timeline doesn't add if looked closely. Jaime is from the opinion that Ashara truly is the mother, but thinks the father is likelier to be Brandon Stark.
  • When he sees Sanguine's mark - a rose - tattooed on Jon's hand, Loras delicately inquires about Jon's mother possibly being a Tyrell.
  • Black clothing and short hair on a woman are signs of mourning in Westeros, and it being publicly known that Serana's father died the previous year, people of course assume her mother and her are still in mourning. In reality, she is the one who killed her father and considers it one of the best things to ever happen to her.
  • Between Renly being obviously smitten with Loras and singing praises of Margaery, Jon assumes that the man is bi and in relationship with both Tyrells.
• Everyone Can See It: Enzo, Robb and Theon can all tell that Jon likes Serana. Really likes her. Enzo thinks it's obvious she likes him back and they should just get on with it already.
• Everyone Has Standards: For all his bitterness towards the Warden of the North, Oberyn Martell never wished for Ned to know the pain of losing a child through Jon running away.
• Exhaustion-Induced Idiocy: Jon hatching the dragon eggs he found after leaving King's Landing was done after he collapsed from exhaustion from overusing his Shouts. Despite that, Enzo still gives him a slap and an earful for hatching fire-breathing creatures while they're at sea on a wooden ship.
• Experienced Protagonist: Since Jon has put an end to Tamriel's civil war, slew Alduin and beat the First Dragonborn, Westeros would be well-adviced to brace itself...
• Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Jon Whitewolf wonders why someone stopped their poisoning of Jon Arryn before realising the timeline matches with Stannis Baratheon's death.
• Eye Scream: During Cersei's coup, Margaery Tyrell loses an eye when a Lannister guard slashes her face with his sword.
• Face Palm: Jon's reaction when the newborn dragons escape from his ship cabin just before he can reveal his true identity to those present.
• Fake Relationship: When Tywin offers Jon a marriage to his bastard niece Joy, Jon knows that refusing would be too dangerous and suspicious, so lies to say he is already engaged to Serana. Alas, he truly does have feelings for her, and she has hidden ones for him. Fortunately, this gives both of them a chance to actually talk about their feelings for each other, and they finally confess.
• False Flag Operation: Two of these happen with 'bandit attacks,' which sharp-eyed individuals note are not only riskier than what most bandits would tolerate, they are also better supplied, and healthier than they should be too. The first is at King Robert's party heading home to King's Landing, yet it is unclear who their primary target is. For the second, it is Tyrion's travelling party, with only him and Bronn escaping.
• Fluffy the Terrible: Jon's huge, vicious bird-of-prey is called Sweet Roll, and he names his three dragons Little Blue, Ebony and Smokey, although this one is justified since they're still very young and adorable.
• Fight Magnet: Jon just can't seem to stay out of trouble. Not that he goes looking for it, honest!
• Foil:
  • Both Cersei Lannister and Ned Stark tend to smother and coddle their children out of a misguided desire to protect them, and can be prone to vicious bouts of temper. Where Ned acknowledges his behaviour is unhealthy for a continued relationship with his family and tries to make amends, Cersei stubbornly persists in her toxicness and doesn't see why this is a problem.
  • Enzo Vlast and Ned Stark play a Parental Substitute to Jon and deeply worry about his welfare, secretly thinking how the boy would be better off to cut the bridges with the other continent. Still, Enzo is ostensibly in a subordinate position and rather proactive regarding Jon's wellbeing, while Ned started mucking his relationship with his nephew.
  • Catelyn Stark and Elia Martell are married women whose spouse's infidelity led to a relationship with Jon Snow. Cat immediately hated the boy for being a living reminder of her husband's "unfaithfulness" and constantly wished for him to disappear from her life in spite of cohabiting with him, contrasting with Elia who embraced her upcoming sister-wife and very much loved her unborn stepson yet never got to meet him.
  • Valerica Volkihar and Olenna Tyrell are strong-willed matriarchs associated with flowers and running their entourage ragged, and skilled poisoners. But where Olenna has several children and grandchildren who deeply love her and is content to be The Woman Behind the Man, Valerica has only one estranged daughter and is rather more direct in involving herself.
  • Enzo Vlast and Sandor Clegane are giants of men ostensibly serving a younger boy from higher birth. Where Sandor is foul-mouthed, rather unpopular and resentful towards his Royal Brat of a charge, Enzo is polite, appreciated for his manners and deeply attached to his troubled charge.
  • Jon Whitewolf and Joffrey Baratheon are young men born into a royal lineage with incest playing a role in their antecedents. Jon is very much a Princely Young Man who loves his siblings and who's not interested in ruling in spite of his strong claim to the throne, Joffrey is a horror of a Royal Brat who bullies his siblings and covets a crown he has no rightful claim to lay. Even their physical appearances contrast, since Jon is dark-haired and short while Joffrey is blond and tall for his age.
  • Sansa Stark and Joffrey Baratheon are both children of privelge that are spoiled rotten by their mother figures, have a very distant and neglectful father figure, refuse to see any fault in their actions, and have a little sibling their own gender who they don't get along with. The primary difference is that Sansa's family care enough about her to try fixing these problems when they know them, as opposed to Joffrey's who just ignore and even encourage them.
  • Selyse Baratheon and Valerica Volkihar are both stern mothers who don't get along with their daughters and are not sure how to fix their relationships. While Valerica can at least spend the rest of her life making amends, Selyse dies regretting that she was never able to do right by her daughter.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Jon decides to take, on a whim, Dawnbreaker with him to Westeros.
  • Tywin is very interested in the fact that Jon Whitewolf became rich in Skyrim and is very insistent on getting a betrothal to Joy from him.
  • Cersei thinks that she must make preparations for Joffrey's eventual ascension to Throne. Come Chapter 20...
• Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: Once Ned finally tells Jon the full truth about his parents and sincerely apologizes for hurting him, Jon makes it clear that although he still loves him, their relationship will never be completely fixed, and that he can't call Ned his father though he is willing to call the man his uncle.
• Friend to All Children: Befriends Tommen and Myrcella, friendly to the local kids in Solitude and funding Honorhall Orphanage out of his own pocket (and tricking Maven Black-Briar into doing the same)? Yeah, it's Jon.
• Godzilla Threshold: Jaime, who hates being called Kingslayer for his killing of Aerys the Mad, acknowledges that he will probably have to kill Joffrey should he become king, even though he's his nephew/son.
• Going Native: Jon fully embraced Skyrim as the land he wishes to spend his life. Some people feel rather disgruntled about this, such as his family.
• Gold Digger: Tywin wants to marry his bastard niece Joy Hill to Jon in order to get access to Jon's wealth and connections in Tamriel.
• Green-Eyed Monster:
  • A lot of Catelyn's hatred toward Jon stems from the fact that Ned was supposedly in love with Ashara Dayne, Jon's rumored mother, and actually wanted to marry her.
  • It's rather obvious that Joffrey is jealous of the attention Robert pays to Jon Whitewolf.
  • When pressed on it, Sansa pretty clearly shows that despite all her efforts to be a proper lady that society expects her to be, pretty much everyone likes her sister more.
• Hate Sink:
  • Joffrey. His mother is the only person to love him in some form, everyone else wants him to drop dead for yesterday.
  • Also Catelyn, since she takes Wicked Stepmother and resentment of Jon quite far.
• Heel Realisation: Ned has a minor one when Catelyn and Jon actually agree that he should not pressure Jon to stay in Winterfell. Similarly, once he learns about Jon and Serana's betrothal he feels badly, since from his perspective his son was too afraid of his reaction to inform him of the fact.
• Heir Club for Men: A very deeply ingrained Westerosi social tenet. It results in Varys deeming three candidates to the Iron Throne (Myrcella, Shireen and Daenerys) as very unlikely to be popular and Cersei is flabbergasted to learn Elisif is High Queen of Skyrim in her own right instead of regent for a younger claimant.
• Heroic BSoD: Finding out he's the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna leaves Jon in quite a funk and is ultimately the reason he decided to run away.
• Hidden Elf Village: All of Tamriel has some aspects of this to Westeros. Although they're aware it exists, pretty much nobody in Westeros, even the best spymasters, know anything about it. Jon got there by just being caught in a storm and somehow found himself in Skyrim.
• Hide Your Gays: In-Universe example with Renly and Loras, since Westerosi culture is rather hostile towards queer people. Jon has to speak in metaphors to let them understand he will keep their relationship secret.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Cersei murders Tywin, spreading his blood on the floor. When she later attempts to murder Tyrion, she slips on Tywin's blood, giving Tyrion a chance to run away.
  • Also, her coup (which she started so she could crown Joffrey) causes Joffrey's death.
• Hostage Situation: Arya reflects on how great an opportunity Cersei would have had to force a terrible one in her favor had Jon's efforts not succeeded in evacuating most characters out of King's Landing at the key moment; the total hostages would have included the Starks, the Tyrells, Renly, Selyse, Shireen, and Jon Arryn - enough to force most of the Kingdoms to accept her rule. Although it is implied she still got some, albeit from lesser families.
• Hypocrite: Catelyn is this when she rejects Jon's gift, after teaching her children to always accept them as it would be rude to reject them.
• I Need a Freaking Drink: Ned grabs one after he fails Jon's Secret Test of Character.
• Ignorance Is Bliss: A huge tenet of Ned Stark's viewpoint, which leads him to lie and hide things to his children because he wants to protect them from the world's cruelty. It's deconstructed as Sansa is shown to be painfully naive, Jon lost trust in him for not being truthful and Arya feels insecure about her future since her father doesn't tell her anything.
• Important Haircut: Myrcella has Arya cut her long hair into an uneven bob and further dyes her hair dark, to distance herself from Cersei and assume the faked identity of Myra Volkihar.
• In Spite of a Nail:
  • Ned, Sansa and Arya travel to King's Landing, though for different reasons.
  • Lady still dies at the Ruby Ford, but here it is all but stated that Joffrey was the one that killed her.
  • Lysa Arryn runs away to Vale with her son, even though her husband is still alive.
  • Cersei starts her coup after Robert's death.
  • Bran still becomes the target of a killer who burned Winterfell's library to distract the people.
• In the Blood: Musical and martial talent, and love of books is shared between Jon Whitewolf and Rhaegar Targaryen. Miraak's echo also taunts Jon with the fact he's Hearing Voices just like his Axe-Crazy grandfather.
• Irony: Sansa told Cersei about Ned wanting them to leave because she wanted to stay in King's Landing and marry Joffrey. One of the consequences of Cersei's coup is Joffrey's death.
• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • Catelyn verges on being a full-blown Wicked Stepmother towards Jon Whitewolf, yet she's the only one who seemingly acknowledges he's happier in Skyrim and supports his living there full-time. She's utterly incredulous when Ned insists on Jon staying in Westeros, despite knowing the youth wants nothing more than to leave.
  • Tywin violently demeans his daughter Cersei's intelligence and considers her an awful mother who spoiled her eldest to the point he's completely Stupid Evil and out of control. And he's completely right.
  • When Sansa learns that her father lied to her mother about Jon, she becomes angry because the lie needlessly hurt Catelyn, who could have helped Ned in protecting Jon but was deprived of the ability to choose since she didn't know the truth.
  • She also points out that Jon's dragons are tiny and cute right now, but they are eventually going to grow up into creatures that love to kill and eat people.
• Just Friends: Jon and Sapphire once had a sexual relationship before it got too serious. However, they are Amicable Exes and good friends to this day. When Jon tells Robb and Theon the story, they joke about him liking older women. If only they knew...
• Kid Has a Point:
  • In a flashback, Bran outright demolishes his mother's argument that Jon will betray his trueborn siblings merely because it's in his bastard-born nature by naming the Heroic Bastard Bloodraven and Orys Baratheon as faithful to their half-brothers, and the trueborn Aegon the Unworthy and Maegor the Cruel as full-blooded monsters.
  • A disgruntled Arya decides to stop treading on eggshells and bluntly asks to their grieving father how the Stark household is supposed to act once the King will die. Ned is rather shocked by her behaviour but concedes she deserves an answer, telling they will stay for the funeral before going back home.
• Killed Off for Real: So far, Robert, Joffrey, Tommen, Tywin, two of Robert's bastards and their mothers, Jon Arryn, Stannis and Selyse Baratheon, and enormous swathes of the Stark and Tyrell retinues in the Red Keep.
• Locked Out of the Loop:
  • The Tamrielic visitors decide to keep quiet about any of the weirder aspects of their life, such as beast races and magic use, because they would not be believed. It ends up being for nought when they have to use their magic to escape the city during Cersei's coup.
  • Played with. Most of Winterfell is this in regards to the full scope of Ned's and Catlyen's argument. However, they do know that Jon was probably the subject of the argument which causes Bran to reject the notion that both his parents had a point like Howland Reed claims.
  • Also downplayed for Arya who knows that her father must be making some kind of plans for her future marriage but was not informed by him about any details. She feels distinctly insecure due to this lack of knowledge.
• Like Father, Like Son: Rhaegar and Jon. Pretty boys that sing beautifully, like books and are good at fighting.
• Likes Older Women: Robb and Theon tease Jon for being this. He does not deny it.
  • Justified due to him having to grow up far too quickly due to his turbulent life experiences. Girls his age or younger likely seem far too immature to him.
• Lineage Comes from the Father: Much of Jon's looks and behavioural traits are inherited from Rhaegar. It's hinted Ned is deeply upset about it and would rather see Jon take entirely after his mother Lyanna.
• Machiavelli Was Wrong: Jon isn't really convinced by Tywin claiming a lord has to be feared, pointing that resenters and ambitious starters will pounce on the first sign of weakness that they find and as such, making people love you or feel they need you is much safer and surer. Tywin considers this viewpoint "interesting".
• Malicious Misnaming:
  • Baelish persists in calling Jon a Snow in spite of the youth introducing himself as Whitewolf.
  • Downplayed with Serana bungling Sansa's name into "Sanda" — she's more indifferent than truly hostile, but the vampiress is aware Sansa is the sister her friend Jon likes the less, compared to Arya.
  • Not only does Cersei continue to call Jon by his bastard name, she butchers Serana's name every time she's addressing her. Valerica doesn't appreciate this kind of behaviour towards her daughter.
• Manipulative Bastard:
  • As expected of the man, Littlefinger makes several attempts at this.
    • He aims to lead Ned through the chain of evidence to ensure he discovers the truth of Cersei's incest, as he would find that more convincing than being told outright. Also plotting to ensure Ned would make his canon failed attempt to arrest the queen.
    • After the coup, Littlefinger tries to influence Catelyn into pushing her son into disobeying his father's orders of staying behind the Neck, and marching into the Riverlands and the ensuing chaos of a civil war. While Robb stay's faithful to his father, citing how the man is still the Lord Stark, it still damages his relationship with his mother at how her advice is dismissed, yet he listens to some of the Northern lords.
• Medication Tampering: How Jon decides to kill Gregor Clegane as he doesn't want to bring unwanted attention on the Mountain's demise. Learning the brute drinks poppy milk by the jugfull to deal with his headaches, spiking it with poison would lead everyone to believe Clegane accidentally overdosed. It doesn't actually comes to pass.
• Mugging the Monster:
  • During Jon's trip to Westeros, his ship is set upon by some pirates. Just to give an idea, Enzo beats off several of them with a broomstick.
  • Serana and Valcerica are targets during Cersei's coup. It doesn't take long before the guards sent to seize them are promply splattered on the walls.
• Mysterious Parent: Par for the course for Jon Snow.
• Never My Fault: Sansa steadfastly refuses to accept that she played any role in Cersei's coup, repeatedly stating that she shouldn't be blamed for making a mistake. Ned and Arya are understandably furious with her for this.
• Obnoxious In-Laws: Jon thinks his sweetheart Serena's mother Valerica is pants-shittingly terrifying. On her side, she actually respects him but constantly snarks at him.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Prior to Cersei's coup, Sam convinces his father to take his family and leave the city by punching him in the face, which makes his father understand how dire the situation really is considering how normally docile Sam usually is.
• Original Character:
  • In canon, 'Enzo Vlast' is a hidden final boss who only appears when you reach level 80, with no details about him other than he is a redguard. Here, he was an incredibly talented warrior and yet absolutely bored out of his mind, so challenged the Last Dragonborn to a duel to die well. Instead, after one of the most grueling and prolonged battles of Jon's life, he spared the man's life and Enzo swore Undying Loyalty to his saviour. He serves as Jon's spymaster, bodyguard, and babysitter, although he is seen more as a best friend/favourite uncle by the younger man.
• Out-of-Character Alert: During Cersei's coup, Arya gets a note, purportedly from Jon, telling her to take a carriage back to the Red Keep. It isn't until she's in that she realizes the trap, because the note is signed by Jon Snow instead of Jon Whitewolf.
• Our Dragons Are Different: In-Universe, there's a world of difference between the Tamrielic dragons (divine and sentient, able to converse, huge but reasonably so) and the Valyrian dragons (animals incapable of speech, never stop growing).
• Parental Favoritism: Cersei dotes on Joffrey so heavily she barely gives her other children a second glance. When Joffrey and Tommen are killed in the coup, she doesn't even look at her youngest child, or worry for her middle one, instead saving all her focus and tears for her beloved first-born.
• Point of Divergence: In-Universe, Jon muses on this. If he had just been able to sleep the night that he ran away, he wouldn't have been wandering the corridors, which means he wouldn't have overheard Ned and Benjen's conversation and learned of his true parentage. This means that he wouldn't have run away and ended up in Skyrim, and his life would have been very, very different.
• Psychic Dreams for Everyone: The Stark children are prone to that. Jon is the most experienced example (courtesy of being the Dragonborn) but Bran currently has these dreams about a three-eyed crow...
• Rage Breaking Point: Joffrey murdering Tommen is this for Myrcella, who stabs Joffrey multiple times while declaring her hatred for him.
• Refuge in Audacity: The basis of Cersei's plan, where she kills or captures the non-Lannister nobles within King's Landing to remove their opposition, takes their children hostages, and blames it all upon those she has killed. She could then gaslight or coerce the hostages into agreeing with her version of events. If she had actually pulled it off, she might have held onto her rule for a few years, but even Tywin was stunned and horrified at what she was doing.
• Replacement Goldfish: Catelyn wants to conceive another child, which she hopes will be a Stark looking boy that would make her husband and children forget about Jon.
• Royalty Superpower: "Fire can't burn a dragon". It's downplayed as Beric Dondarrion claims the Targaryen bloodline never manifested complete immunity to heat, but Jon certainly enjoys his bathwater boiling hot and escapes wildfire burns with barely pinkened skin, the latter making Thoros quite suspicious.
• Running Gag: People threatening Jon's hair in various ways.
• Sadistic Choice/Conflicting Loyalty: Robb Stark is put into a minor example of the trope. When the people of Winterfell begin to gossip about Catelyn's resentment of Jon Snow/Whitewolf, Robb is torn apart on the inside about which side he should take: should he embrace his role as The Dutiful Son and defend his mother, or should he embrace his Big Brother Instinct and become angry at his mother because she hates Jon?
• Sanity Slippage:
  • Catelyn is this for a while, having taken to locking herself up in her rooms, not talking to anyone and ignoring her duties as Lady Stark. It takes the later crises, particularly Bran nearly burning alive, to get her out and doing her duties once more.
  • It's quite likely that Cersei's undergoing this very quickly, to the point that she gleefully murders her own father because she sees him as an "obstacle" to Joffrey's reign.
• Secret Secret-Keeper: Varys quickly guessed the too-honorable Ned Stark was actually protecting his sister's child through Rhaegar, and is currently seeing the boy as his secret ace to ensure peace and prosperity in the Seven Kingdoms. The narration also hints Barristan Selmy and Jon Arryn figured it out but are keeping quiet about it for their own reasons.
• Secret Test of Character: Jon gives one to Ned, telling him he might consider staying in Winterfell longer, IF Ned finally answers the question that Jon always asked when he was younger; the truth of his parentage. Ned fails.
• Share the Male Pain: Gendry cringes when Arya accidentally stabs the training dummy she's attacking in the groin.
• Shared Family Quirks: Jon and Rhaegar have marvelous voices, a love for sad songs and a tendency to be moody.
• Shipper with an Agenda:
  • Tywin really wants for wealthy people to marry into the Lannisters in order to stave their imminent bankrupcy. To this end, he commands Cersei to get Margaery Tyrell as a bride for one of his grandsons and tries to offer his bastard niece's hand to Jon Whitewolf.
  • Varys would like to see Jon enthroned as King of Westeros and believes an Arranged Marriage to Arianne Martell or Margaery Tyrell would be a good way to tie the youth back to the realm.
• Shout-Out:
  • "Brundi and the Sea" is actually the slightly renamed Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) by Looking Glass.
  • Arya's reaction when Jon confesses he can do magic is asking if Jon can turn into animals, just like Atreus from God of War (PS4) did after learning his father's godhood.
• Spanner in the Works:
  • Serana Volkihar to Varys and Tywin. Both men really want to tie Jon back to Westeros through Arranged Marriage, but the vampiress being officially his betrothed kinda puts a crimp in these plans.
  • A while before Ned visits the Royal Library, Jon and Sam saunter around and find the copy of the lineages book Baelish intended Ned to consult, and at the Librarian's smarmy reticence at the idea of lending the rare volume, Jon swipes it and switches it with a similar book, resulting in Ned not having the proof he needs to immediately go off and confront Cersei.
• Spared by the Adaptation:
  • Syrio survives Cersei's coup.
  • Jon paralyzes Ned Stark to ensure he won't get himself captured and killed.
  • Barra and Dustun (two of Robert's bastard children), as well as their mothers, survive the massacre Cersei orders.
  • Based upon Jon's thoughts in Chapter 23, Sahrotaar didn't get his soul devoured by Miraak.
• Spotting the Thread:
  • The bandits that attacked the royal caravan were a little too clean and healthy to be real bandits, and their weapon were of high quality. Plus, no real bandits would attack a heavily defended party when there are easier targets.
  • Several people point out that the timeline for Jon's birth is really unlikely and too many things don't match up.
  • Ser Barristan Selmy and Lord Varys are noted to thoroughly detail Jon's features after hearing him sing a sad song. Similarly, Jon Arryn takes a good, long look at Jon's eyes.
• Succession Crisis: Currently brewing in the background: Joffrey is ineligible by virtue of being Axe-Crazy (and a bastard and dead); Tommen is too meek to make a good King (and also a bastard and dead); Myrcella is a girl, which the lords of Westeros would never accept (and also a bastard); Stannis suffered a nasty case of Death by Adaptation; his daughter Shireen is too meek and sickly (and a girl); Renly isn't a warrior and very unlikely to produce an heir, and currently in a coma indefinitely; Viserys was too insane and is currently dead; Daenerys is potentially unstable (and a girl); and Jon Whitewolf would be the perfect heir if only his greatest desire wasn't to happily return to Skyrim.
  • Cersei is pushing hard for Myrcella to be recognized as queen though, with of course herself ruling as regent. But she is of course insane too, broken far too many laws of conduct, and is, once more, a girl.
• Suspiciously Specific Denial: Bran remarks that to himself that Meera Reed has really pretty eyes but he hasn't been looking.
• Stealth Insult:
  • Cersei really enjoys doing that to people she dislikes.
    • She sends a brand-new dress to Sansa that looks very nice, but the dress is Lannister red. Not only is Ned Stark pissed off to see his daughter wearing the colors of a family he hates, the red horribly clashes with Sansa's auburn hair, and damages her standing at court by proclaiming her to be a part of their House... or their servant.
    • She also orders to serve undercooked meat to Serana. Joke's on her, the woman just loves her steak rare.
  • When Ned starts to imply the Baratheon Chocolate Baby issue, Enzo mentions that he is not as dim as he thought. Ned just waves it off.
• Strength Equals Worthiness: Enzo, the guy who is so loyal to Jon he follows him to an entirely alien continent without a second thought just to attend Robb's nameday? Yeah, he's the Ebony Warrior. You only get one guess for how they met.
• Strong Family Resemblance: It is hinted that Jon is basically a black-haired version of Rhaegar.
• The Runaway: The premise of the fic is Jon Snow becoming the Dragonborn in Skyrim, because he ran away from his family at fourteen years old after learning the truth about his birth. His adoptive father and siblings almost went mad from grief and fear over this fact.
• Technicolor Eyes: Rhaegar had dark indigo ones. It is possible that Jon inherited them and they are camouflaged by his black hair.
• Terrifying Rescuer: Veehsi gives Arya quite the scare when he saves her from a Lannister guard. It's quite understandable on her part, considering it's the first she's ever seen an Argonian.
• These Hands Have Killed: Subverted - Arya doesn't kill the man who attacks her in the forest - Jon does that, revealing his magic to her - but she does stab him. It sends her into a frantic shock until she is calmed down.
• Too Dumb to Live:
  • Sansa. As if it wasn't bad enough that she warned Cersei about Ned wanting them to leave King's Landing, she doesn't realize that Joffrey means trouble even after Mordane is killed in front of her eyes and seeing him gleefully having his siblings manhandled.
  • Neither Jon nor Enzo are impressed by Ned's plan to publicly confront the Queen about her adultery in spite of the lack of proof or trustworthy witnesses.
• Underestimating Badassery:
  • Westeros to Jon, by design. He doesn't want them knowing about free-for-all magic, supernatural creatures in daily life, living gods and literal demon-gods who regularly trick mortals into selling them their soul - he thinks they'd just call him a liar at best or a madman at worst.
  • Also, Westeros to Serana. One of Cersei's lackeys calls her a little girl and tries to seize her by the forearm. Serana promptly smashes his head (and helmet) against the wall.
• The Un-Favourite: When Jon ran away Bran told Sansa in anger that Jon did not love her (but loved the rest of them). To this day Sansa believes it and it bothers her more than she likes to admit.
  • As of Chapter 20, Sansa has officially lost the favour of the majority of her family.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Lord Manderly is a somewhat downplayed example. White Harbour was granted a trading charter by the Imperial Trading Company due to Jon pulling some strings. Lord Manderly orders his guards to grab Jon off the streets when the young man is spotted shopping in White Harbour. To his credit Lord Manderly realizes this and seems to fear to lose the trade.
• Villain Respect: Tywin Lannister honestly respects the fact that Jon Snow/Whitewolf, despite being a bastard, was able to create a wealthy and respectable life for himself from practically nothing.
• Was It Really Worth It?: Jon seriously ponders this after learning the affair that sired him resulted in a devastating war for the Seven Kingdoms. Enzo firmly believes that yes, it was Worth It — several thousand deaths is a paltry price to pay in exchange for the Dragonborn who saved the whole world from Alduin.
• Weirdness Censor: Word of God is that outsiders rarely find their way to Tamriel, almost as if it was deliberately hidden. Also, the second moon is seen only from that one continent.
• Wham Episode:
  • Chapter 20. Deals with the aftermath of Robert Baratheon's death. Cue Cersei starting her coup... and a few hours later Jon Arryn, Septa Mordane, Selyse Baratheon and Joffrey and Tommen Baratheon have died, while the Starks, the Tarlys, Shireen, Myrcella (who was the one that killed Joffrey), and their respective entourages attempt to escape from King's Landing.
  • Chapter 21. Cersei also orders the murder of Robert's bastard children, with Enzo only able to save one of them after he takes Lord Stark to the ship. The Tyrells are also attacked, with Margaery losing an eye. Arya is nearly captured, but escapes with the help of Syrio and Gendry. Cersei murders Tywin, and Tyrion only escapes a similar fate by pure luck. Jon escapes with Mhaegen and Barra, and Ser Barristan Selmy joins him after being relieved of his position. Jon busts out the Storm Call Shout to help escape from King's Landing, which combined with the magic he and Enzo used ensure that the masquerade begins to break down.
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • Eddard Stark gets this for his insistence at bringing Jon home, so he can continue to watch over him. Catelyn calls him out for the 'risk' of keeping a bastard around, but for Jon it is his uncle's inability to let Jon live his own life, and continuing to lie about the truth of his parentage.
  • When he finds out that Sansa warned Cersei about Ned forcing them to leave, Jon gives her a slap and scathingly tells her that every death caused by the Queen is as much her fault as Cersei's.
• Widow's Weeds:
  • Selyse Baratheon is wearing black as she lost her husband about six months ago, and her daughter Shireen is mentioned wearing black too and having her hair cut short as a show of mourning.
  • Subverted with Valerica. She did lose her husband, but she just enjoys wearing black. Serana also isn't mourning Harkon – her short hair is a mere fashion choice.
• The World Is Always Doomed: There's at least three apocalypses in this story — Alduin and Miraak had to be stopped by Jon, and the Others are currently preparing to invade Westeros. And that's without taking the backstory of Westeros and Tamriel in account, because the count quickly jumps to half a dozen potentially world-shattering events.
• Worthy Opponent: Jon and Enzo, to the point where they fought each other to the point of exhaustion, hobbled together to the nearest inn, slept for three days and wound up as close as family.
• You Killed My Father: An examination.
  • Yes, Robert killed Rhaegar at the Trident, ensuring Lyanna's unborn child would never meet his birth father... but he had a good reason to be pissed at the dude, both were well-trained warriors and Rhaegar could have won but ultimately didn't in a fair fight. So, Jon does hate Robert but not that much.
  • Amory Lorch and Gregor Clegane are much straighter examples, for mercilessly butchering Jon's stepmother and half-siblings in spite of them being defenseless.
  • There's also Tywin Lannister, whom Jon considers just as responsible for the above-mentioned deaths as he was the one who sent Lorch and Clegane to King's Landing.
  • Completely subverted with Jon feeling rather indifferent with Jaime Lannister killing his grandfather. Rather justified since Aerys was the Caligula.
• Your Normal Is Our Taboo: In Westeros, it's considered taboo for a couple to sleep together in the same room before they're wed. In Skyrim there is no such taboo given Serena's nonchalant attitude of having been staying in Jon's room multiple times in the past.
• You Remind Me of X:
  • The reason why Jaime Lannister firmly believes Ashara Dayne was Jon Snow's mother comes from the boy's gift for swordsmanship, as the only man who ever achieved such mastery was her brother ser Arthur Dayne, Jaime's idol and former comrade.
  • Hinted with Barristan Selmy, who apparently understood who actually sired Jon Snow and seems rather happy to see the young man is a kindhearted person who enjoys music and dotes on his loved ones — qualities Rhaegar also had.
  • Jon Arryn muses that he saw evil in Aerys Targaryen's face once upon a time... and now he can see that same evil lurking behind Joffrey's eyes.
  • After being informed that Joffrey killed two maids on a whim, Jaime compares him to Aerys and has resigned himself to killing him.
• You're Not My Mother: Myrcella finally has enough of Cersei's manipulations and her own identity as a Princess, and as soon as she is able to, assumes the identity of Myra Volkihar.

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