[Jon chuckles, once, quietly. A “friend” who’s “extraordinary”? Tewkesbury isn’t him, but most times Jon himself would have used those words about a woman, it would have been to cover that he wanted to be more than her friend, though his reasons for keeping it to himself might have varied.]

I didn’t grow up as royalty: I am a bastard. I grew up with my father, his wife, their trueborn children. I was never meant to be his heir. Not heir to anything. It was my brother Robb who was going to be the lord.

So aye... in some ways, it was hard to make friends. I had my brothers and sisters, but... I didn’t make it easy on myself when it came to anyone else. I knew that people think baseborn children are low, that you can’t trust us. I wanted to prove that I could be as honorable as any man, as honorable as my lord father. But knowing people might assume otherwise... well, I spent a lot of time sulking in corners as a boy.