Will of the Will-O-Wisp (ASOIAF/ Addams Family)
Ch 1
The wind's cold fury struck his face, as the young Jon Snow made his way through the woods of the North in search for game praying to find it, but part of him also hoped that he wouldn't.
"Winter is coming." He said the words of his father's house as he made his way through the woods, it was still early spring, but this was the North and winter was always coming.
Jon's single trek through the woods was not just to provide his father's house and family with food, but also as a means to get away, away from Winterfell, away from his father's wife.
The Lady Catelyn had always been at best cold and at worst hateful of him, but even with that Jon could not bring himself to hate her, other wives would have had him smothered in his crib or would have vanquished him long before he would have ever grown into the near man he was now.
There where worst fates for a bastard and despite the cold home, all it took was a single glance at the life of the small folk and any ill feelings to his childhood home was erased with a not ungrateful measure of gratitude for his father Lord Stark and perhaps even a bit for lady Catelyn.
It wasn't so bad most of the times, the men and women of Winterfell where not unkind to him, his step-siblings where friendly with him, with the exception of Sansa, so his life was not truly miserable.
But being out here in the cold reminded him of the warmth of family of affection., of being loved regardless of his birth that he never got, his father loved him as much as he could a bastard son, but he never knew a mother's love and he doubted he'd ever knew that of a wife or children.
He dreaded the idea of forcing any woman or child with the shame of having a bastard borne husband or father. The Night's Watch was a prospect that he was greatly interested in, but that would be a few years away when he was old enough to turn past 18, to truly be a man.
But that was far, far away, and the cold of Winter was so close.
Despite it being spring, The North was still covered in snow, cold, harsh, unforgiving, it was so very tempting to just move on, to hope that no game would ever come, so that he had no reason to turn.
He had heard of the story how during harsh Winters the old, sick, weak, crippled or sometimes born after too many siblings would announce that he was going out on a hunt and never come back.
With the cold numbing his senses, the temptation was there to just let his horse go, find a comfortable spot and wait for the Old Gods to claim him.
"A Snow buried in the Snow of spring. It would sound better had this still been Winter." He chuckled without mirth at his humor as he gazed ahead at the white field of ice covered tries and hills and ground wrapped in a blanket of countless flakes of white.
The snapping of a twig brought him out of his daze and upon spotting the dear, he quickly kicked his horse to run and he followed suit.
The chase went on longer that he cared for and as he rounded around a small hill he saw the dear disappearing into a strange circle of what looked like stone wood frames.
A white light engulfed the dear and for a moment Jon hesitated in following it into this place of strange magic, but it was only for a moment for this was the North, Winter was coming and that dear was food.
Here any morsel of food was worth facing any manner of death and destruction, to bring back to those that need it.
So he kicked his horse faster and galloped into this strange portal, if he succeeded it would be a tail worthy of a hero, even a bastard born and if he failed, we'll he was just a bastard, no one would weep for him.
A flash of light followed as he went through the portal, after the surprise of the light wore off he saw the dear that had stopped from the corner of his eyes, he aimed his bow, let loose the arrow and saw as the animal fell to the ground.
He unmounted his horse and made his way toward the animal, only now noticing that it was not just a dear, but a very big one, not a fully grown stag, but not a small one either.
When he reached the corpse he recalled that he had only shot one arrow.
"Then to whom does the second arrow belong to?"
"That would be me." A voice said from his right and upon hearing this Jon slowly got up from his kneeling position from the deer and with his hands raised before himself he turned towards the origin of the voice, he half expected it to be some snark or grumpling, perhaps even one of the Children of the Forest, what he got instead was the image of girl about his age, who had a face that was more cold and terrifying that any wolf or bear that he ever seen.
"You have a fine shot My Lady."
"I thank you." She replied in a monotone and from that Jon decided that he should have never chased the damn dear into the circle of light, for the girl before him was terrifying, he clothes where finely made, indicating that she was of a noble house and here was he hunting on her lands and he had just put an arrow into her game and from the way she was holding her crossbow it was clear that it wouldn't be too difficult for her to put one into him.
"Old Gods and the New, please tell me that I did not walk into the domain of the Night's Queen!"
As panic set in and his legs were about to make a run for his horse Jon remembered the one cardinal rule that his father had instilled in him, the law that any man in any land would respect it, regardless of creed.
"Would you break bread and salt with me?"
This got a raise eyebrow from her and what looked to be the smallest hint of surprise, thoguth in was hard to tell
He slowly reached for his hip pouch that contained a few piece of bread if for if he got pekish and couldn't reach his main rations on the horse, invoking the ancient law of guest rights, true that normally she would have to offer him the bread and salt, but this was hardly a traditional situation.
He slowly and methodically took out the bread and with the knife in hand he cut it in half, he didn't have salt on him, but salt was put in the bread and he hoped that was enough.
He slowly walked towards her, and reached out to give her one half of the bread, all the while not breaking eye contact with her.
The girl received the bread and took a bite of it, Jon did the same, she then took out from he own pocket what looked to be a piece of meat.
She took a bite out of it and then handed it to Jon.
"She offered you food, just take a bite and give it back, ignore that it still raw and bloody and that it's a heart and that it's still beating!"
Jon thought to himself as he ripped a piece, swallowed it with some difficulty and gave it back to the girl.
The girls seemed to have been impressed by the his behavior, thought he face was still cold and merciless.
"My Lady, from the debts of my heart I apologize for intruding on your land and shooting your game, as this is your deer I would remove my arrow and leave it for you to do as you please and as compensation for my crimes I offer my horse and saddle to be yours." He said and prayed to the Old Gods, the new and to whatever was listening for everything to turn out ok.
His statement seemed to have worked as the girl relaxed her crossbow and raised her chin slightly signaling that she had been impressed and pleased with his behavior.
"The deer is big enough for both of us and I would not deprive a skilled hunter such as you of your horse and saddle, let us divide it between us." She said and pulled out a great skinning knife from her belt.
"I thank you for your generosity my lady, please allow me to carry your half of the deer to your domain."
"Are you saying that I am incapable of carrying back to my house?" she asked with a raised eye brow.
"N-no of course not my Lady, I am merely repaying your kindness and generosity, and even if you would have not been such to me, I would have still offered to help, for as my father said: Always lend a helping hand to anyone you meet, be they friend or stranger, that is the only way for a man to live." He said hoping that he was not in danger once more.
Jon noticed the look of indecisiveness on her face as she gazed at him, all the while judging what he verdict would be, he had seen that look at Arya many times and sensing that he must do more he quickly added.
"But if you do not wish for my help, then I will not press the issue, the choice is you're my lady."
"Very well then, you may carry my half back home, try not to die on the way, getting bloodstains on the soil is very difficult." She said and together they loaded the deer on his horse, deciding that they woulddivide it once they returned to her home, and started walking back on foot.
"What is your name stranger?"
"Jon Snow my Lady."
"And how did you get here Jon Snow, this is private property."
"I chased the dear into a strange circle of stones that transported me here My Lady."
"I see, you're a brave man Jon, few would cross the portal for a mere deer."
"Winter is coming and with it so is hunger and the cold, no danger is great enough that I would not face if it meant providing my family with food for the winter."
At that Wednesday paused and looked at him.
"You care that much for your family?"
"How can I not, it's the only thing that truly matters in the world."
The girl gave an approving nod as they continued on their path.
"Wednesday."
"Pardon?"
"My name is Wednesday; please use it instead of My Lady."
"You did not have to share your name to a worthless wretch like me My Lady."
"For your grace of conduct and style have made you worthy of knowing it and I wanted to share my name, also I have know worthless people and shot them, hacked them to pieces, you are not one of them Jon."
"Arya and her would get along like a house on fire."
"I-I thank you for your kind words My-" a stare from her made him pause. "Wednesday." He added and the word brought a smile on her face, one that was disturbing to most, but quite pretty to Jon.
"It is an honor and a pleasure to meet you Wednesday."
"Likewise Jon, and I am sure my family will like you as well."
She replied as they reached a fence, that made Jon take a step back as it opened of its own accord to reveal one of the strangest castles he ever saw.
"M-magic! And in seven hells am I surprised?"
He hesitated for a moment, but only for moment, curiosity got the better of him and as the cold wind blew and night fell he once more reaffirmed the thought that went thought his mind as he crossed the portal.
He would either have a great adventure here or die, either way it was better than nothing.
So with courage in his breast he crossed the gate, so focused was he on what lied ahead that he failed to notice the musical sound of an organ and fingers snapping as the gates to the Addams family mansion closed before him.