AN: This story was inspired by A Video Game of Thrones by Temairine and A Game of Ice and Fire by I'mjusttryingtofindmyway. Both are excellent stories and you should definitely check them out. After reading them I found that there are FanFiction communities dedicated to the "video game" premise and found some really good ones outside of GoT/ASoIaF that helped me decide to give the genre a shot. I do not make any claims to the property of George R. R. Martin or Bethesda. I intend to update this story alongside Just Hold On, if you ship JonSa you should check it out. Anyway, please let me know what you think of the story.

"You, boy, out of the way!" a voice shouted. "We have to get things set up for the performance later."

Lady Catelyn Stark had been overjoyed when the performers had first arrived and requested permission to perform at Winterfell and had insisted that her husband, Lord Eddard Stark, purchase their services for the next fortnight. That Lady Stark could be so fond of a group of strangers while she was so cold and reserved when it came to one of her husband's sons caused Jon Snow's face to settle into a grimace as he moved to comply with the performer's instruction, allowing the troupe to pass by pressing his lean frame tightly against the wall.

After the troupe passed, Jon's body relaxed and he moved away from the wall. Jon was, by virtue of being birthed by another woman, always under intense scrutiny by Lady Stark. If word reached her ear that Jon had interfered with something that she had so enthusiastically supported then he did not want to think what would happen to him as a result.

As a young boy, Jon would play with Robb and Sansa Stark quite frequently. One day, Sansa skinned her knee while playing and Robb thought that the best thing to do was to fetch Lady Stark. Jon had waited with the crying Sansa, holding her and stroking her hair until Robb returned with his lady mother.

Lady Stark, did not ask any questions. She pulled Sansa from Jon's arms with a look of deep hatred on her face. "What did you do to my daughter, bastard?"

"I didn't do anything, I promise! We were playing and she slipped."

Lady Stark's arm seemed to move of its own volition as it rose before delivering a harsh slap to the young boy's face. "Do not presume that you will trick me with your lies, bastard. I will be having words with Lord Stark about this incident."

Tears immediately started leaking from young Jon's eyes from the pain of being hit, from confusion about the word 'bastard' and at the thought that he would be struck for no reason. From that day, Jon did everything he could to avoid Lady Stark as she made it clear that she did not approve of his presence at Winterfell.

This day would be no different. Jon Snow would make sure that he did not interfere with the troupe so that he did not further risk Lady Stark's wrath. The boy moved swiftly down the corridor, away from the keep's main entrance, towards his chamber.

Jon favored dark clothing as it seemed to help him fade into the background, like a shadow. Anything that helped to avoid unwanted attention was coveted by Jon. As such, Jon found himself with contradicting thoughts as he examined a large silver ring that Lord Eddard Stark had given to him earlier that day while insisting that, when he was older, Jon treasure the ring and keep it secret until they had further opportunity to discuss its significance.

On one side of the shimmering black stone in its center, there was a wolf in mid stride with its jaws opened further than should have been possible to set the stone in place. On the other was a dragon with its wings pressed against back, silver fire pouring from its mouth to set the stone in place opposite the wolf.

Jon knew that the ring would draw unwanted attention, so he would not wear it to supper. However, he could not resist the temptation to put the ring on his finger. As the ring slid into place, the loud hustle and bustle of the active castle immediately ceased, as if the world had completely stopped around him.

Hello, player.

Welcome to 'A Game of Thrones.'

Before we get started on your adventure, tell me about yourself.

Are you a boy or a girl?

Two window-like panes appeared in front of Jon with the one options that he had been presented clearly written on each. Thinking that he had gone completely mad, Jon raised his hand and tried to touch the pane with the word 'Boy.' He was surprised to see the pane glow briefly before disappearing.

Player identified.

Jon Snow, Bastard of Winterfell.
Father: Unknown to player
Mother: Unknown to player
Allegiances: House Stark
Enemies: Unknown to player

Description: The fourteen year old, alleged son of Eddard Stark was brought back to Winterfell at the end of the war known as Robert's Rebellion. He strives to emulate the man who has raised him as a son while also doing his best to avoid the ire of Catelyn Stark. He is more special than he knows, for he knows nothing. There is a great touch of destiny about him.

Jon read the words with confusion. Of course he knew his father; Lord Eddard Stark was his father. This was all so confusing to Jon. Of course his mother's identity was a mystery, it was rumored that Lord Stark had even refused to tell his lady wife her identity when he returned with Jon causing frostiness between the two that did not abate until the Lady of Winterfell gave birth to Eddard Stark's second trueborn daughter, Sansa. Allegiences? Enemies? Jon did not think that he had any of the latter and was unsurprised, and a bit proud, to see himself listed as being allegiant to House Stark.

The description caused his brow to furrow beneath his wavy black hair. 'He strives to emulate the man who has raised him as a son…" Of course Lord Stark raised him as a son; he was the most honorable person that Jon had ever met and wouldn't hear of Catelyn's please to send him away.

A touch of destiny? Jon asked himself as the words disappeared.

You are in the great game now.

Jon Snow
Level 1
Experience: 0/100
HP: 100/100
SP: 100/100
MP: 100/100

Choose the perks (10) that will best aid you on your journey.

Strength: 0
Strength is a measure of your raw physical power. It affects how much you can carry, and the damage of all melee attacks.

Perception: 0
Perception is your environmental awareness and "sixth sense,"and affects weapon effectiveness in combat.

Endurance: 0
Endurance is a measure of your overall physical fitness. It affects your total Health and Stamina drain from sprinting and physical actions.

Charisma: 0
Charisma is your ability to charm and convince others. It affects your success to persuade in dialogue and prices when you barter.

Intelligence: 0
Intelligence is a measure of your overall mental acuity, and affects the number of Experience Points that you earn through your actions as well as your total ? points their recovery rate.

Agility: 0
Agility is a measure of your overall finesse and reflexes. It affects your ability to perform in combat and your ability to sneak.

Luck: 0
Luck is a measure of your general good fortune, and affects your ability to deal and avoid Critical Hits among other things.

Jon was dumbstruck by the options before him. Going with his instincts, he assigned one point to each category before pondering what to do with the last three perk points. It was tough but eventually he made his choice.

Strength: 2
Perception: 1
Endurance: 2
Charisma: 1
Intelligence: 1
Agility: 2
Luck: 1

Accept?

Similar to before, to panes appeared. However, this time one contained the word 'Yes' while the other contained the word 'No.'

Jon took a breath before tapping 'Yes.'

Your unique and S.P.E.C.I.A.L. path has been set.

Take some time to familiarize yourself with the main menu before continuing on your path.

The words faded from view and a four pointed star took their place. Above the top point was the word 'Skills,' to the right of the right point was the word 'Items,' below the bottom point was the word 'Quests' and the to the left of the left point was '?.'

Jon tapped skills and nineteen different points of light seemed to rise up from the menu as it dropped to the floor. As he turned in a circle, he read Archery, Blocking, Evasion, Light Armor, Heavy Armor, One-handed, Two-Handed, Lock Picking, Pickpocket, Sneak, Speech, Alchemy, Smithing, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?.

The options that he could read were simple enough for Jon to understand but the last six options were completely incomprehensible to the young boy. He would have to figure them out later. Jon gingerly tapped his foot on the four-point star which had moved to the floor causing the points of light to recede as the menu once again appeared before him.

This time he tapped the point labeled 'Items' and the four-point star once again fell to the floor as another menu opened up.

He saw his name 'Jon Snow,' 'Weapons,' 'Apparel,' Potions,' 'Ingredients,' 'Food,' 'Books' and 'Misc.'

Tapping his name, Jon saw a list of all the items on his person listed as being equipped. Black Cloak, Black Tunic, Black Pants, Black Leather Belt, Black Leather Boots, Stargaryan Ring.

He quickly went through the items and saw that each piece of his attire granted +1 defense for a total of 5 defense. He then turned his attention to the ring.

Stargaryan Ring: This ring was ? to activate when slipped on the finger of the intended wielder. When activated, the Stargaryan Ring will provide an accurate assessment of his/her abilities among other things. The full potential of the ring has not yet been realized by the current wielder. Only the wielder of the Ring can see it once it has been activated.

This is so strange. Where in the seven hells could this thing come from? It all seems so straight forward despite seeming like utter madness. The Stargaryan Ring? That's what the ring is called. Why would someone give it a name like that? There is House Stark and House Targaryen but never was there a House Stargaryan.

Jon tapped his foot on the four-pointed star on the floor again to go back to the previous menu. Then he tapped Quests causing the menu to fall to the floor again before the words Active Quests appeared before his eyes.

Quest Activated (Recurring)!
Dinner with the Starks: Attend dinner with the Stark family and their well-wishers. Present yourself with dignity as your actions will reflect upon House Stark.
Reward for completion: 100 experience and increased reputation with the Stark family and others in attendance
Penalty for failure: Increased disdain from Catelyn Stark, slightly diminished reputation by the other attendants of the dinner.

Jon tapped the four-point menu on the floor to go back to the previous menu and searched for a way to exit the Stargaryan Ring menu. There was not an exit option anywhere in sight, so he tried to pull the ring off of his finger. The ring did not budge but his attempts caused his finger to graze the black stone in the ring's center which caused the menu to disappear. All at once, the sounds had faded away when Jon first activated the ring could once again be heard. It was as if no time had passed since its initial activation.

To test his theory, Jon brushed the dark stone causing the meu to appear as all sounds immediately stopped. He touched the stone again and all the sounds of activity immediately picked up where they had left off when the menu was opened.

"This is insanity," Jon murmured as he exited his chambers and proceeded to the dining hall. When Jon entered, he took his customary place for formal occasions at the lower table with the servants. With his mind focused on the strangeness that he had encountered when he put on the Stargaryan Ring, Jon was not paying close attention to the other people at the table.

"Isn't that right, Jon," asked one of the boys at his table. Jon's concentration was broken as he looked up from his food upon hearing his name. What he saw made his response die in his throat. There were words floating above the head of Winterfell's Master-at-Arms' grandson.

Jory Cassel, Grandson of Winterfell's Master-at-Arms
Level 1: S. 1 P. 1 E. 1 C. 2 I. 1 A. 1 L. 3
Reputation: 4%

Not wanting to draw attention to the strange floating letters, Jon apologized for missing the question. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"The troupe that arrived here will be staying for the next fortnight?"

"Oh, yes. That's right."

"Are you excited for the performance?"

"Well it will certainly be interesting to see what they do to entertain Winterfell for that long."

Jon's first instinct was to return to his musings about the ring. However, the writing that had appeared over Jory's head could not be forgotten. His gaze scanned over all of the people attending the dinner. Jon found that when he focused on a person, those words would appear over their heads. It seemed that, in general, older people had higher levels and S.P.E.C.I.A.L. perks

Eventually, his gaze fell upon Lord Eddard Stark, himself.

Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North
Level: ?: S. ? P. ? E. ? C. ? I. ? A. ? L.?
Reputation: 30%

Jon found it strange that he could not see any of Lord Stark's stats but did not dwell upon the fact as the man stood to make an announcement.

"Good evening, men and women of Winterfell. By now, many of you have probably noticed the performing troupe that has arrived. They will be performing for us over the next fortnight. Be sure to treat them with respect as they are our guests and I would not have it said that Eddard Stark does not abide by guest right."

The dining hall broke into cheers at Ned's proclamation that the performers would be performing for a whole fortnight. Jon also couldn't help but to grin at the information that he already knew being verified. The performing troupe would be a welcome distraction and would help prevent any unwanted attention from falling upon Jon, as long as he managed to stay out of their way.

As the dinner came to a close, Jon felt a tug at his sleeve.

Quest Completed (Recurring)!
Dinner with the Starks: Attend dinner with the Stark family and their well-wishers. Present yourself with dignity as your actions will reflect upon House Stark.
Reward for completion: 100 experience and increased reputation with the Stark family and others in attendance
Level Up!
Open Skills Menu to Level Up

"Jon, with everyone so excited about the performers we can finally practice archery in the training grounds without having to worry about being caught."

Jon turned and saw the youngest Stark daughter.

Arya Stark, Arya Underfoot
Level 2: S. 0 P. 2 E. 1. C. 1 I. 1 A. 2 L. 3
Reputation: 72%

"That may not be the best idea, Arya," Jon cautioned.

"But Jon, if not now, then when will we be able to start?" Arya asked while giving Jon her most adorable and irresistible puppy-dog look.

Words appeared underneath Arya's perk information.

Quest Activated!
Archery Practice with Arya: Take the opportunity to help Arya with her archery.
Reward for completion: 400 Experience and increased Reputation with Arya Stark.
Penalty for failure: Decreased Reputation with Arya Stark, potential negative long term consequences.

Potential negative long term consequences did not sound good to Jon, so he accepted. "Alright Arya, let's go and see what you're made of. We should have a couple of hours yet until the sun sets."

Arya beamed at Jon while pulling him away from his not quite finished dinner. The two walked briskly through Winterfell until they reached the door before the guards' barracks where the armory was located.

In the armory, Jon quickly grabbed a pair of bows and two quivers full of arrows. Lord Stark insisted on regular maintenance for Winterfell's weapons, so Jon did not have to spend time sorting through the bows for one that would perform well for Arya.

Backtracking to the previous door, the pair exited Winterfell and found themselves in the training grounds. Jon moved toward the range that had been set up to practice archery while handing a bow to Arya and setting her quiver on the ground.

"Alright, Arya. Archery is a tricky subject. You have to control yourself as much, if not even more than the bow and arrow that you are firing. Go ahead and pull the bowstring back, so I can see where you're starting.

With a heave, Arya pulled the bowstring as far as she could, causing the bow to shake and her breath to become labored, as she exerted herself to keep the string drawn.

Jon couldn't help but laugh as he was reminded of himself when he was first learning to use the weapon. "Very good. You notice that pulling the bowstring is tough but keeping it held is much tougher. You'll need to work on your strength and conditioning before you will be able to make Bran look bad."

"But Jon, I want to learn to shoot. I don't want to work on strength and conditioning."

"Not to worry, Arya. You will be sore as anything in the morning, but the best way to condition your body to use a bow is to use a bow." He reached down and grabbed an arrow to hand to Arya before taking one from her quiver for himself and hitting it to his bow. "Watch me and then, after I shoot, do the same. I'll watch you and we'll see if we can make a proper archer out of you yet."

Jon nocked his arrow to his bowstring and pulled back sharply while taking a deep breath. With his breath held, Jon let go of the bowstring and let the arrow fly. The arrow flew true, hitting the target at the far end of the range. This caused words to appear at the top of Jon's vision.

Skill Level Up: Archery +100
Jon Snow Level 2 : 200/300

Jon almost forgot to watch Arya's shot due to his momentary surprise. However, he knew the girl would be crushed if he did not follow through with his promise and turned his attention to her. He could tell that she was struggling with keeping the nocked arrow steady as her bow wavered with her labored breaths.

"If you want your arrow to fly straight, you are going to need to keep your arm steady Arya."

"Right," Arya replied while taking a deep breath and doing a surprisingly good job of steadying her bow. Then the girl let go of the bowstring and the arrow flew. "Darn"

"It's alright, Arya. It's very good that you even managed to get that close to the target. If you had managed to hit it on your first shot then Winterfell would have had itself a new master-at-arms."

Skill Level Up: Speech +100
Level Up!
Open Skills Menu to Level Up
Jon Snow Level 3 : 300/700

The girls frown immediately turned upside down due to Jon's words. "Just you wait, soon enough I'll be hitting the target with my eyes closed!"

"I'm sure you will, Arya. Let's finish this quiver of arrows before anyone notices that it or you, for that matter, are gone."

Arya nodded and grabbed another arrow. Jon did the same. He didn't know how to explain it, but the process of nocking and drawing the arrow seemed just a little bit easier and more natural to Jon. When he released the arrow, it sailed through the air before thudding into the target, slightly closer to the center of the target than his previous shot.

Skill Level Up: Archery +100
Jon Snow Level 3 : 400/700

Jon smiled and proceeded to shoot three more arrows, each hitting the target, causing another level up notification.

Skill Level Up: Archery +300
Jon Snow Level 4 : 700/1500

This was great! Jon had discovered a super easy way to gain levels. Though he noticed that, each time he leveled up, the amount of experience needed to get to the next level doubled. His first level only required 100 Experience, the second required 200 additional experience points, the third required 400 experience. He could tell that it would be pretty soon that leveling would not be so easy.

However, there were still plenty of arrows in the quiver for Jon to level up and Arya was quickly becoming exhausted. "Great work so far, Arya. We'll have you shooting like an expert in no time."

Arya beamed in appreciation of Jon's supportive words and shot three more arrows before releasing a tired sigh and turning to watch Jon shoot. He proceeded to loose the arrows in quick succession each one slightly closer to the center of the target than the shot that had preceded it. When the eighth arrow hit the target, the words that Jon hoped to see appeared before him and caused Jon to loose another arrow in celebration.

Skill Level Up: Archery +900
Jon Snow Level 5: 1600/3100

"Let's go back, Arya, before anyone notices that you aren't where you are supposed to be."

"Alright, Jon," Arya said with a yawn. "Thank you for showing me how to shoot. Mother insists that I be a proper lady and she would never let Robb teach me."

Jon ruffled Arya's hair before grabbing the empty quiver and leading her back to the castle. When they got inside, Arya departed with a gleeful smile leaving Jon to return the bows and quivers to the armory.

Quest Activated!
Archery Practice with Arya: Take the opportunity to help Arya with her archery.
Reward for completion: 400 Experience and increased Reputation with Arya Stark.
Jon Snow Level 4: 2000/3100
Open the menu to upgrade skills and to add perk

Jon walked to the armory and closed the door behind him before running his finger over the stone of the ring to access the menu.

Instead of the four-point star that Jon expected, he saw the perk menu.

(1) Perk point to add

Strength: 2
Perception: 1
Endurance: 2
Charisma: 1
Intelligence: 1
Agility: 2
Luck: 1

Jon thought for a moment before adding the point to Perception. He believed that greater perception would probably help his aim but did not spend too much time thinking how increased perception would affect the other facets of his life.

Strength: 2
Perception: 2
Endurance: 2
Charisma: 1
Intelligence: 1
Agility: 2
Luck: 1

Accept?

Jon quickly accepted and the menu changed to show his HP, SP and MP.

40 Points Available

HP: 100
SP: 100
MP: 100

I don't know what MP does but HP and SP are pretty self-explanatory. I'll split the points between the two options, Jon thought.

HP: 120
SP: 120
MP: 100

Accept?

Jon quickly accepted and was greeted with the regular skill menu, which indicated that he had four points to apply.

Archery (1)
Overdraw level 1: Bows do 20% more damage.

Blocking

Evasion (1)
Evasive Tactics: 20% more likely to evade enemy attacks

Light Armor

Heavy Armor

One-handed (1)
Armsman: One-Handed weapons do 20% more damage.

Two-Handed

Lockpicking

Pickpocket

Sneak (1)
Stealth: You are 20% harder to detect when sneaking.

Speech

Alchemy

Smithing

?

?

?

?

?

?

Accept?

Jon pressed the pane with the word 'Yes,' feeling very pleased with his choices. He wanted to put all of the skill points on archery but he would have had to have a level 20 archery stat in order to add the second skill point and much higher than that for the third and fourth skill points.

He tapped the four-point star to go back to the main menu before opting to view his Items. He saw that the long bow and iron arrows were currently listed as equipped in addition to his regular clothing. On a whim, he unequipped the bow and arrows and felt his jaw drop when they simply disappeared. Sure enough, they were still in his inventory but they were no longer on his physical person.

Skill Level Up: Sneak +100
Jon Snow Level 5: 2100/3100

With a grin, Jon exited the menu before picking up a castle-forged steel sword and one of the shields with the Stark sigil. Grazing the ring again and opening his inventory, Jon unequipped the sword and shield and saw them disappear from his hands while appearing in his inventory.

Taking a deep breath, Jon equipped the castle-forged steel sword and was delighted for it to appear in his hand before he unequipped and made it disappear again.

"That will be useful," Jon said as he set the empty quiver with the other quivers and quickly left the armory.

Jon moved through the corridors on the way back to his chambers with his thoughts ruminating on the Stargaryan Ring. He really should tell someone about it, but if it was correct, and he had no reason to believe that it would be wrong, then no one but him would even be able to see it. No one at dinner had commented on it and neither had Arya during archery where its presence would have been especially obvious.

So, putting his faith in the fact that the ring was invisible to everyone but him, Jon entered his chamber and settled down for the night. Excited for the prospect of a new day.