A/N. The story is more of a fusion of Jon Snow and the unlucky soul who found himself in Westeros. Crossposted in Spacebattles.
"Hear my words, and bear witness to my vow," he said without even realizing it.
"Night gathers, and now my watch begins." Why am I reciting the Night's Watch's vows?
"It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children." Memories of a life he hadn't known came flashing through him. Names he knew as characters now were known to him as family. Eddard, Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, Rickon and Benjen. And even a new name came into his mind. Jon Snow. His own name.
"I shall wear no crowns and win no glory." his thoughts went to Jon-his mother. Lyanna Stark. He knew her finally. Jo-his mother was Lyanna Stark and his father was Edda-Rhaegar Targaryen. Jo-he wasn't a bastard, he was the heir to the Iron Throne.
"I shall live and die at my post." Memories of J-his own body bleeding in the snow and words ringing in his head. For the watch.
"I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come." The Long Night. He remembered a life that wasn't his own. One of the Bastard of Winterfell, Jon Snow. I'm Jon Snow.
He opened his eyes to find before his eyes as nine carved faces stared at him with their red ruby eyes. He realised where he was. I'm beyond-the-wall in front of heart trees, taking my vows to become a man of the Night's Watch.
He let out loose shaky breaths as the cold met his face. He couldn't believe it, he was in the world of ice and fire. He almost didn't stand up when someone intoned. "You knelt as boys. Rise now as men of the Night's Watch." Bowen Marsh. He remembered or Jon did.
Jon looked left and found Samwell Tarly trying to stand up and immediately helped him up. "It looks like you've seen a bloody ghost, Jon." Sam said good-naturedly.
I wish it was that, he thought as he let out more shaky breaths. "Speaking of ghosts, what does Ghost have there?" Sam pointed behind him and Jon turned around to find a black hand in Ghost's jaw.
"Gods be good," Dywen muttered. "That's a hand." The hand of a wight, he wanted to yell out but the cold had apparently sealed his lips hut.
"Snow, Tarly, head back to the wall and inform the Lord Commander of this. Tell Chett to bring the hounds, we'll be keeping your wolf, Snow." Bowen Marsh commanded them and they did as they were bid.
Along the way Sam, who looked like a carbon copy of John Bradley only with pale eyes, spoke with him, "You seem more scared than I am, Jon."
"If you knew of what I am afraid of Sam. You'd be shitting your breeches." Jon replied and that made Sam cower. The words like breeches came like second hand to him now.
He had a plenty of time to handle the situation, he was in. He was in ASOIAF. Or GOT? That only infatuated him further. He couldn't tell which version he was in. He was in Jon's body or his body and he was a man of the Night's Watch. He was no longer in his cosy home with all of his family. They were gone. Forever.
Even Jon's family would be gone to him for a long time, Jon was a man of the Night's Watch, now. That meant no helping Robb, no saving Sansa, no finding Arya, no helping Bran with his journey, no keeping little Rickon safe. He was beholden to his vows and he didn't mean to break them. He was not one to break promises and to break vows? No. He didn't care that it was a holy oath, he cared because it was a promise. A promise like that could cost him his life if it is kept or not kept, he thought as he remembered the dangers he would be facing as a man of the Night's Watch and the executioner's block if he left. Wildli-freefolk and the Others. Gods help him.
His thoughts were gone the moment his dark grey eyes found the most wondrous thing he had seen in his life. The Wall. It stood at probably two hundred meters(seven hundred feet) it was made of solid ice and seemed to glow pink in the sundown. If it wasn't for Jon's memories he would have gasped. He neared the gate and it opened the dark tunnel. He held a torch in the darkness, Sam beside him afraid.
It almost made him laugh that Sam seeked safety near Jon. He thought that he was not deserving of it, but he was the supposed hero to lead the Battle for the Dawn. He was an insignificant man in this war. Being Jon Snow meant a life of constant danger. Being Jon Snow meant not seeing his father, his sister and his mother ever again. Jon's constant flood of memories kept him from thinking too much on the matter. Jon's fate was a cruel one that G.R.R. Martin. If I don't like the hand that fate's given me then I have to fight for a new one.
The bodies almost made Jon see his breakfast once again. Jafer's right wrist ended in the ruin of torn flesh and splintered bone left by Ghost's jaws. His right hand was floating in a jar of vinegar back in Maester Aemon's tower. His left hand, still at the end of his arm, was as black as his cloak. Othor had been a big ugly man, and he made a big ugly corpse. His flesh was blanched white as milk, everywhere but his hands. His hands were black like Jafer's. Blossoms of hard cracked blood decorated the mortal wounds that covered him like a rash, breast and groin and throat. Yet his eyes were still open. They stared up at the sky, blue as sapphires. Wight. Jon's breath caught in his throat as Jeor Mormont spoke with his men who were suggesting that the wildlings did this, but Jon knew better as he remembered how things escalated in the books and the show.
Ser Jaremy stood. "The wildlings have axes too. "
Mormont rounded on him. "So you believe this is Mance Rayder's work? This close to the Wall?"
"Who else, my lord?"
"The Others." Jon said and eerily silence took Castle Black.
"The Others are only a story, a tale to make children shiver. If they ever lived at all, they are gone eight thousand years." Lord Commander Mormont told him while the men gave out a few chuckles. Jon looked at the Commander straight into his eyes and then looked back at the wight and knew what he had to do.
Jon grabbed Mormont's sword from his belt who was too surprised to act and when he did Jon had already plunged the valyrian steel sword in Othor's belly. Othor or the wight gave a shriek that covered the whole castle. Jafer rose immediately to attack Jon but Jon cut the wight's leg off before he could do anything. He was glad for having Jon's memories of swordfighting at that moment as no one had moved to help him.
When he looked back he saw why they didn't help him. The men of the Night's Watch had turned to simpering babies as they saw the wight behind him who tried to leave the sleigh and attack him. It let out shrieks of rage and the men let out whimpers of fear. Not Jeor Mormont though, he was currently glaring at the wight and Jon or only him , he didn't know, and… was that a look of pride?
"How the bloody hell did you know that the think was….. a wight?" Lord Commander Mormont asked almost as if the word wight was going to spawn more, but Jon had to admit he was surprised of how Jeor Mormont kept his cool while Jon knowing full hand before was still wincing every time the wight let out shrieks.
"It's the blue eyes," Jon said and stopped briefly to think of what he was going to say next while the wight shrieked behind. "Old Nan used to tell me stories of the Others and their wights. She spoke of their blue star like eyes. Othor didn't have blue eyes."
The shrieks were getting louder and no one seemed to know what to do with the half-wight. Heh, Tyrion. Lord Commander Mormont then told them to store away the thing in the cells until he knew what to do with it.
Sam, Pyp and Grenn approached him then and looked scared shitless, it wasn't that Jon wasn't scared but he kept it better then them. The wight was terrifying and it scared him so much he had to act. He was surprised Mormont didn't punish him.
"Have you been reading books like 'shriek' T-Tarly over here?" Pyp asked trying to light up the mood.
"If reading helps you fight these things then I'll be starting to learn how to read." Grenn said.
"You're too stupid to learn how to read." Pyp responded.
"I could help you. All of you." Sam said meekly.
"You'd really do that?" Pyp asked surprised.
"Yeah, when we have free time I'll help you just like you helped me." Sam replied and the group including him smiled at that. It bothered him how everything seemed so normal to him. "The wight was…"
"Terrifying, horrifying, petrifying…" Dolorous Edd joined them with his dry pessimistic humor.
"While I love seeing all of you being scared shitless the Old bear probably has need of me." Jon left them, but he couldn't see their shocked faces afterwards/
"Did Jon Snow make a bloody joke?" Pyp asked dumbstruck while Grenn nodded dumbly.
"This truly means the end of the world…" Dolorous Edd quipped grimly.
Jon walked to the Lord Commander's Tower alone, with a curious sense of apprehension. The brothers on guard eyed him solemnly as he approached. "The Old Bear's in his solar," one of them announced. "He was asking for you." Am I going to get punished for how I acted?
When he entered the solar, Mormont's raven screamed at him. "Corn!" the bird shrieked. "Corn! Corn! Corn!"
"Don't you believe it, I just fed him," Lord Commander Mormont growled. He was seated by the window, reading a letter. "Bring me a cup of wine, and pour one for yourself."
"I'm not fond of the taste, my lord." Jon replied.
Mormont lifted his eyes from the letter to stare at Jon with pity. "That was a command, boy."
Jon poured the wine in the cups and seated himself afterward. Mormont commanded him. "Drink."
"Your father and the king," Jeor rumbled. "I won't lie to you, it's grievous news. I never thought to see another king, not at my age, with Robert half my years and strong as a bull. " He took a gulp of wine. "They say the king loved to hunt. The things we love destroy us every time, lad. Remember that. My son loved that young wife of his. Vain woman. If not for her, he would never have thought to sell those poachers. " Jorah Mormont.
Oh, Edda-fath-uncle was imprisoned. He remembered from the books that it was the time that Ne-fa-uncle was imprisoned. One part of his mind was screaming to go save his fath-uncle and also to punch him for lying to Jon through all those years.
"Have a drink, damn you. That's a command, Snow," He took a sip even though he despised alcohol. "Lord Eddard has been imprisoned. He is charged with treason. It is said he plotted with Robert's brothers to deny the throne to Prince Joffrey. "
Jon let out a shaky breath and the Old Bear seemed to be surprised of how Jon took the news, "My father is no traitor of that I am sure although I doubt how much good it will do to him. Lord Commander we need men like my father at the Wall. Send a raven to King's Landing for my father to join the Night's Watch."
Jon had hopes of N-his fa-uncle coming to the Wall although that seemed to be a fool's hope. If I give up hope then all I'm saying is that he's already dead .
"Well said, boy," the Old Bear appraised him. "The boy king . . . I imagine he'll listen to his mother. A pity the dwarf isn't with them. He's the lad's uncle, and he saw our need when he visited us. It was a bad thing, your lady mother taking him captive—"
"Lady Stark is not my mother." Jon said. Lyanna Stark is.
"This could not have happened at a worse time. If ever the realm needed a strong king . . . there are dark days and cold nights ahead, we saw it today that man… not that was no man." He gave Jon a long shrewd look. It made Jon think of the possibilities of joining Robb and becoming King of Westeros. "I hope you are not thinking of doing anything stupid, boy."
Jon wanted to say he was his father he ought to do something, but he knew better. He was his uncle. The honorable Lord Eddard Stark who lied to boy for fifteen years. He did it to protect Jon. But now he was a man of the Night's Watch and there was naught he could do.
"Your duty is here now," the Lord Commander reminded him. "Your old life ended when you took the black. " His bird made a raucous echo. "Black. " Mormont took no notice. "Whatever they do in King's Landing is none of our concern. "
"I am a man of the Night's Watch now, Lord Commander." Jon answered and the Old Bear stared at him and nodded.
"You're free to go. I'll have no further need of you today. On the morrow you can help me write that letter."
Jon went to the common hall for the evening meal. Hobb had cooked up a venison stew, thick with barley, onions, and carrots. When he spooned an extra portion onto Jon's plate and gave him the crusty heel of the bread, he knew what it meant. He knows. He looked around the hall, saw heads turn quickly, eyes politely averted. They all know. World travels fast in Castle Black. Although it seemed everyone was distracting themselves from the shrieks that echoed through Castle Black.
His friends rallied to him. "We asked the septon to light a candle for your father," Matthar told him. How much good that'll do to him, Jon thought. "It's a lie, we all know it's a lie, even Grenn knows it's a lie," Pyp chimed in. Grenn nodded, and Sam clasped Jon's hand, "You're my brother now, so he's my father too," Sam said. "If you want to go out to the weirwoods and pray to the old gods, I'll go with you."
The weirwoods had no power in the south that Jon knew and Jon knew his f-uncle's fate was dim. They are my brothers, he thought. As much as Robb and Bran and Rickon… As much as the family he had back in his world.
And then he heard the laughter, sharp and cruel as a whip, and the voice of Ser Alliser Thorne. "Not only a bastard, but a traitor's bastard," he was telling the men around him.
"Aye, I'm a bastard, but the traitor part that's fake news." Jon responded to Ser Alliser with a smirk.
"The letter that came here told us otherwise." Ser Alliser replied through gritted teeth.
"And on whose word was that letter written? Good King Joffrey's? Who couldn't swing even swing a sword when I saw him in Winterfell? All of you would be wiser to take the word of a known honest man over some boy's."
"I'd rather believe the boy than your traitor father." Ser Alliser, you just played yourself.
"So, you're telling me that the men should take my word, a word of some green boy, over yours? A proven man of the Night's Watch?" Jon asked and when Alliser didn't reply, he knew he had won. The whispers after that was just confirmation.
Later that night, when he was heading to his sleeping cell, Mormont came down to see him, raven on his shoulder. "You handled yourself very well today. From what I saw and from what I heard. Here. You're ready for this."
The Old Bear gave him what seemed to be a bastard sword, as he recalled from Jon's memories, in a black scabbard which had a wolf's head for a pommel. Longclaw. Jon let out a gasp. He hadn't really expected to receive after he revealed the wights.
"Claw," the raven cried. "Claw."
"This is Longclaw, House Mormont's ancestral valyrian steel blade." Jon told Jeor.
"It is," the Old Bear told him. "It was my father's sword, and his father's before him. The Mormonts have carried it for five centuries. I wielded it in my day and passed it on to my son when I took the black."
Jon couldn't speak, he was dumbstruck.
"You handled everything wisely today. . . and more to the point, you thought quickly. Valyrian steel! Fire!" He didn't remember mentioning the wight's weakness to fire. "Yes, damn it. We ought to have known. We ought to have remembered, but you and that Tarly boy remembered." It was Sam. I should have know. "The Long Night has come before. Oh, eight thousand years is a good while, to be sure . . . yet if the Night's Watch does not remember, who will?"
"Who will," chimed the talkative raven. "Who will."
"My lord, the sword can be given to your sister or to your nieces." Jon remembered.
"My sister and her daughters have a preference to maces and we need this more at the Wall than they do in Bear Island. Take it, I'll hear no more of it, is that understood?"
"Take it," echoed his raven, preening. "Take it, take it."
"Yes, my lord." Jon mind went to Longclaw and it's adventures it had with Jon Snow.
"I want no courtesies either," Mormont said, "so thank me no thanks. Honor the steel with deeds, not words. You'll want to wear that over the shoulder, I imagine. It's too long for the hip, at least until you've put on a few inches. And you'll need to work at your two-handed strikes as well. Ser Endrew can show you some moves. "
"Ser Endrew?" Jon almost smiled in victory. His plan was in the works.
"Ser Endrew Tarth, a good man. He's on his way from the Shadow Tower to assume the duties of master-at-arms. Ser Alliser Thorne is going to leave in the morrow for Eastwatch-by-the-Sea with that half-wight. That'll probably make the Imp laugh."
"You're sending Ser Alliser Thorne to Eastwatch so he can show the wight to the king?" Jon asked full-well knowing the answer.
"You've become bloody quick in the mind, Jon Snow. First time, I see a man being changed by his vows immediately. 'Rise as man of the Night's Watch.'" The Old Bear mumbled the last part to himself. "Now go sleep, tomorrow's going to be a long day."