Jon was lost.
Yes, the men of the Night's Watch spent their entire lives defending against the threats beyond the Wall.
But now those threats had been subdued, and the Wall had lost its purpose.
They were like warriors whose backbone had been ripped out, still armed with all their martial skills, yet no longer knowing where to direct their swords.
Just as Jon was about to ask more about that new continent, the study door opened.
Ned Stark walked in.
His steps were hurried, and the face that always seemed etched with "honor" and "duty" bore a complexity Jon had never seen before.
Excitement, relief, and a trace of deeply buried guilt.
The moment his gaze fell on Jon, time seemed to freeze.
"Jon."
Ned's voice was a little hoarse.
"Father."
Jon answered instinctively, then remembered his station. His lips moved, but in the end, he silently dropped to one knee.
"My lord."
Sam bowed as well.
Ned walked around Daenerys and ignored Lynn. His eyes held only the young man kneeling on the floor with his head bowed.
At last, he reached Jon.
He extended a hand, only to leave it suspended in midair.
"I made you a promise."
"The next time we met, I would tell you who your mother was."
The study was so quiet that a pin dropping would have been heard.
Benjen shuddered slightly. He raised his head and looked at his elder brother, his eyes filled with bewilderment.
Sam held his breath.
He knew he was about to witness a secret that could change his friend's entire life.
A hint of curiosity also appeared in Daenerys's beautiful violet eyes.
Lynn had told her about Jon's background: the bastard son of a northern duke.
What earth-shattering secret could there be about a bastard's mother?