I do not own A Song of Ice and Fire series characters nor do I own any Marvel characters. They belong to their respective authors and owners. This disclaimer applies to all the chapters that follow.
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He never felt the fourth knife. Only the cold….
And then he was soaring, soaring above the wall, above the clouds, above the kingdom of Westeros. He was everything and nothing at once, he soared so above that the land started curving, he was looking at a majestic globe of blue and green and white and brown.
His formless form was moving away, he could see the stars now and the sun. He thought to himself that he had never seen anything ever so beautiful but he had never seen anything. He couldn't remember his name, his family, where he was? Why he was here? 'Is this my existence now?' a thought came unbidden.
He moved until he was past all the stars, there was nothing but darkness. He form kept on moving until he could see a small source of light, which got bigger and bigger until his vision was blinded.
He found himself in the great expanse of grass with cows grazing around and wild horses running freely.
Things started coming back to him, a memory of cold daggers came unbidden. He now knew who he was, he was Jon Snow. Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, bastard son of Lord Eddard Stark and he was here because….because…. "I was betrayed?"
His sworn brothers, brothers with whom he had broken bread, with whom he had fought against the wildings were the reason he was here? And what was this place as well?
'Is…Is this some sort of heaven?' his betrayed mind thought.
"Ah! You must be Jon." A voice spoke from behind him.
He turned around to gaze upon a dark-skinned man in queer clothing.
He wore colorful clothing and his hair…they were puffed up?
"Finally, it is so nice to meet you. Though I had hoped it would be sooner not that I am saying that you should have died earlier but…yes...I guess that's exactly what I'm saying." The man spoke as he walked towards him.
"I-I'm dead? If I'm dead then where am I, who are you?" Jon asked confused.
"Ah, I'm Kwaku Anansi, they call me the Spider God or sometimes the Great Weaver. You might not know me…uh huh scratch that, you definitely do not know me but I've been keeping an eye on you ever since I made my way to this world." The now named man offered his hand, his name as queer as himself. Jon thought him a Summer Islander.
If Jon was surprised by the man's epithet, he didn't show.
"Why am I here? What is this place?" Jon fired off questions.
"This is a temporary place offered to me by The One Above All of the multiverse, my own temporary slice of heaven if you would and as to why you are here, I was just getting to that." He said, his hand still hovering, waiting to be taken upon the offer.
Jon hesitantly shook his hand, "Walk with me Jon" the man said as he walked past him and towards a large bonfire that had seemed to have appeared when he was talking with the man.
Jon turned around and quickly caught up, soon they were walking along.
"Yours is a different world, a world no one knew existed up until now. I've been sent as a scout by The One Above All to see if this world can be made a part of the Multiverse. You're here because I, with some help, summoned your soul here instead of it going in the void, it's pretty boring there, trust me I know."
"I-I don't get what you're saying, who is this one above all? What is this Multi-whatever it is?" He asked baffled by this man's words.
"Like for instance, there is your world. Just like yours, there are countless others, some with minute differences and some with major. For instance, in this world you are the bastard son of Eddard Stark..." the man gave him a sly wink at this.
Then he continued, "...but in another, you might have been a legitimate child of your Aunt and the Dragon Prince. Like that world, there are countless others. Mostly they remain same with miniscule changes but there are some where one change creates a whole different world. If you hadn't gone to the Wall, the War of Five Kings might have different outcome, mayhaps you could've been the King in the North." He smiled, "And as for The One Above All, he's as his namesake, he who created the multiverse and watches over it."
Jon felt something in his heart, maybe some joy at hearing that he might've been a prince or even the King in the North, but he subdued it because what could've been, what would've been didn't matter for he was as dead as his Lord Father and he was just a bastard.
"Ah! That's where you're wrong Jon Snow, you are not dead yet, your time has not come yet. You have yet to save your sister, yet to avenge your uncle's family, yet to kill the boy and you're free to do so with your watch having ended." he smiled a gentle smile, though the glow from the bonfire made his smile look somewhat vexing.
Jon was irked inside when the man said 'yet to avenge your uncle's family,' was he so baseborn that he could only relate him to his uncle and not his Lord Father but the other thing that irked him was how the queer man was able to read his thoughts.
"Kid, in every world that I've ever been in, there has always been a Web of Life that was ever present. The Web of Life is fate, it shows the future and the various possibilities that could've happened. This world's future, as it is, is dire. Winter is coming kid, and the world needs a savior and that's where you come in.
'Winter is coming. Stark words' Jon thought
"The reason I've been keeping an eye on you, the reason Red is so interested is because at the center of the Web lies you and one other, the one with the dragons. Yours is the song of Ice as hers is Fire. Ice is betrayal, Ice is revenge, Ice is all the cold inhumanity that's happening in the world but yours is also a bit of Fire as well, Fire is love, Fire is passion, Fire is justice and all of these things. You, kid are the Azor Ahai as Red likes to call you but you might be something else as well…hmm…I won't spoil it for you."
"I don't follow, I am dead, aren't I?" Jon asked confused with this talk, wasn't Stannis supposed to be Azor Ahai….
"Red won't let you die easily kid…You will be born again and to aid you in the fulfillment of the prophecy, I and Red bestow this gifts upon you. We'll meet again kid." The man said as hundreds of tiny little spiders started coming out of nowhere and started moving towards him, crawling over his legs. He desperately tried to swat them but then they started biting him, they were all over him now and under his skin somehow, burrowing towards his head and then the man pushed him into the fire and everything went black.
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He could not see, could not hear but feel…..feel heat all over him, entering his pores and rejuvenating him from the tiredness he had felt. He felt stronger than he'd ever been.
There was crackling of fire burning and as all his senses finally returned, he heard. "…and now his watch has ended."
He could hear people muttering and talking amongst one another. This felt nice, the feeling of taking a hot bath after a cold day in the winter, that was how he was feeling and he was content to stay there.
"…he isn't burning." "…SHOW ME THE COCKLESS COWARDS WHO KILLED LORD CROW..." He heard snippets of people talking over the loud crackling of fire.
Then he remembered, he had been betrayed, betrayed his sworn brothers, brothers with whom he had broken bread, with whom he had fought against the wights were the reason he was here.
He remembered the dark-skinned man, his words '…with your watch having ended.'
Was he free then? Free to save his sister, free to avenge his Lord Father, Robb and Bran and little Rickon?
Then he remembered the wriggling beneath his skin and remembered the sensation of those insects creeping all over him and the man pushing him in fire and its blistering heat. The feeling was so overpowering that he sat up on the bedding only it wasn't a bedding, it was a blazing pyre, fire all over him and then he screamed.
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Satin had been at the armory, preparing Lord Commander's belongings for his ranging to Hardhome when he heard the bellowing of a man in mortal peril. It seemed to be coming from Hardin's Tower, where the wildling princess resided. He rushed out and saw that other sworn brothers were coming outside following the commotion. The Queen's men and the Red Lady as well were converging on the source of the noise.
There were people trying to fight near the giant, wildlings against the Night's Watch brothers all the while the giant was moaning, but his moans were akin to boulders rolling down a mountain. He couldn't see but hear the sound of cursing and screaming.
"LET ME AT THEM CRAVEN PIGS" one of the free folk called.
"THEY KILLED LORD CROW." A spearwife said as she was being restrained.
He pushed forward, pushing aside his brothers and the Queen's men until he was at the forefront.
There laid the body of Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. The man who had seen past his past and raised him to be his steward lay dead…or dying in front of him as blood was pooling around him.
His mind went numb for few moments, his eyes glistened with tears that he didn't know were there.
By then, Grenn and Pyp had come forward as well, they checked the Lord Commander's breath and were wroth when they realized that he was truly dead.
Grenn was raging and so were the others loyal to Lord Snow, which meant that most of the wildlings as well, who would be screaming for his sworn brothers' blood.
In that chaos, someone suggested that they burn the body lest he turn into a wight. Few agreed for most wanted justice for the one who had given them shelter.
That's when the Queen came forward, "Men of the Night's watch and ….the freefolk, the false Lord Commander is dead. In his place, we shall elect a new Lord Commander who is more in line with King Stannis's views and who shall along with…" she paused, as if finding the following words too distasteful "…the freefolk march on Winterfell to save King Stannis."
"The king is dead and Night's Watch doesn't take no part in the realm's matters." One brother said.
The Queen's mustache quivered and her jaw clenched, "By the King's decree you do, I speak with His Grace's voice and the placeholder for the position of Lord Commander will be the Lord Steward, Bowen Marsh until a vote can be held." She ordered.
"I won't follow no traitors, he killed Lord Snow." Leathers yelled.
"We don't need you to follow us, you filthy savage." Wick Whittlestick yelled back.
A fight ensued between the Master at Arms and the mutinous steward but were separated by the Queen's men.
"You will follow Lord Commander Bowen Marsh or you will march back to your filthy lands." Ser Narbert said coolly
"Bugger that, I fight for no kneelers and the king is dead, we all heard the crow. I would've fought for Lord Crow but he's dead ain't he?" Soren Shieldbreaker said.
"Shieldbreaker's got the right of it. Har!" Tormund yelled in agreement.
"Why do you call Lord Commander false, he was merely doing what King Stannis had started?" Satin asked, making the Queen uneasy. She was about to retort something when….
"The King lives yet, I have seen so in my visions." Lady Melisandre said, "And I had warned Jon Snow that he was in danger as well but he didn't heed my warnings."
And just like that, the chaos ensued.
It was the horn blown by the Lady Melisandre's man amongst them that brought forth silence.
"Bring Jon Snow's body to Maester's chambers." Was all she said before she turned back and walked away.
Half the men accompanying Queen Selyse obeyed and started half carrying-half dragging his body towards Maester Aemon's chambers.
The wildli-err-freefolk and some black brothers started clamoring that they be given the killers to bring justice but their demands went unanswered.
One of the black brothers who had seen the event unfold from far away and who was loyal to Lord Snow named the men who stabbed him. The likes included Bowen Marsh and Wick Whittlestick and many other builders and stewards. They had been apprehended against the Queen's orders and would be tried for the mutiny by the black brothers themselves.
Maybe the knight was drunk, maybe not but he should've known that he didn't stand a chance when there were almost a five hundred wildlings and more rangers loyal to Lord Snow inside the courtyard and yet Ser Lambert unsheathed his sword even though he and the fellow knights were outnumbered 130 to 1.
It would've been a blood bath…no a massacre of the Queen's men but fortunately for the, Ser Perkin found his wits and laid a hand on Ser Lambert's shoulder.
The tension was thick, the Queen's men looking at the injured giant with bloody eyes and the wildlings in turn looking at the Queen's men with anger, as if itching for a fight.
Few minutes later, the men who had left with Lady Red had brought his body back and had started building a pyre.
They had laid his body and his bastard sword Longclaw with him.
Many were now standing by the pyre, saying prayers of their own, the wildling princess was there as well, looking unnaturally solemn, keeping her hand rested on her bone knife.
The growing tension was bound to affect them all, it burning them from both ends. The Queen's men had tried to attack Wun Wun but the wildling princess as well as Toregg the Tall and his accompanying men had defended him and fight had broken out had taken Ser Lambert as a temporary hostage. 'The Queen's men would try to have their vengeance no doubt but would they live to tell the tale?' Satin thought.
Grenn was the last to give his eulogy and then they all chorused, "And now his watch has ended."
Tormund Gianstbane once again started his demands for the 'cockless cowards who killed Lord Crow' and then something either horrifying or miraculous happened, Lord Commander sat up on his pyre and then he screamed a scream of a man in mortal agony.
"WIGHT! He's come back to kill us" a black brother said as he tried to run away but for the black brothers holding him.
The 'Old Pomegranate' started weeping on his knees next to Satin even as he was restrained by another black brother, he eye was starting to swell and he had a broken nose courtesy of the Grenn until the others had stopped him. "I-I didn't want to but it w-was necessary, for the Watch." He said between snobs with frozen snot crusting in his mustache.
Lord Snow had stopped screaming and was now his body seemed to be…..consuming the flames?
Another horn had been sounded and there was silence, Lord Snow walked a few feet, his clothes smoldering, and the sword still in pyre.
"Someone should kill that thing, it isn' right, a dead man comin' back." One of the mutinous black brother said, he was silenced by the growls of Ghost, Lord Commander's Direwolf. The fact that he got out was surprising as Lord Snow had had him kept locked in his rooms.
Tormund and Grenn rushed forward to Lord Snow's aid as Ghost padded close to his master's lying form
After checking his vital signs, Grenn yelled, "He's alive, blistered but breathing! He isn't a wight, thank the Gods!"
"There is only one God you should thank, it is by R'hllor's will that Jon Snow lives." Melissandre said as she walked forward towards Lord Snow and touched his arm and frowned.
Satin was happy for Jon Snow, the 998th Lord Commander of Night's Watch, the man who was kind to him, lived again.
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He kept seeing visions in his state of sleep, he saw a man forging a sword, a sword that broke as soon as it was tempered it water.
He forged another sword, but this time he tempered it by plunging it into a lion's heart but the sword shattered all the same.
The man worked on another sword, this time for a long time and when the time came to temper it, he called a woman. She was beautiful, by Gods she was beautiful but Jon could feel a bad vibe about what was going to happen.
They spoke and the woman knelt down and bared her breast.
Jon knew this tale, he had read it in the Jade Compendium, he wanted to scream but all he could do was just mutely spectate this.
The man, plunged the sword through the woman's breast up to the hilt, the woman's cries were both of pain and ecstasy and when the man pulled the sword out, it was glowing a unnatural glow for it was green for a moment than as red as a 'Mormont's Torch' and then bright golden as that of the midday sun. He could feel the heat as well, as warm as Ygritte's embrace, as warm as fresh baked bread.
Then he was in a damp warm cave, there was darkness all around him but he could still see somehow, he could feel a presence, he couldn't explain it but there was something in here with him, all around him.
"Who goes there?" Jon asked as he drew Longclaw.
"Ah! Your Spider-Sense is strong, as it should be, after all, you've killed far more men then Peter." Spoke a voice all around him, a voice he recognized. It was Ananis, the Spider God as he claimed.
He heard skittering of thousands of insects as he saw black spiders converge on a point stone's throw away from him.
They started climbing on top of each other as they started to resemble a man and there was a flash of light as he had to avert his eyes and when he looked back, there stood Annis? Anakin? Ananis, yes Ananis in his red and yellow garb.
"What are you talking about and why are you here again?" Jon asked warily, he hadn't forgotten how their last meeting had ended.
"I'm here because last time we had to cut our talk short and as to what Spider-Sense is..."
Jon was lost in thought by his words when the man threw a dagger at him.
Everything seemed to slow down as it got closer to him and Jon, reflexively bended backwards and as it was flying above him, he caught the dagger as it was flying midair.
"….it's a precognitive sense that warns you of any immediate danger and allows you to react quickly"
"What was that for?!" he asked furiously.
"I could see that you didn't believe me so that was an example." He said as if he just hadn't attacked him.
"Stop! Just stop! Who are you? Why are you here? Why am I here? Why save me when I don't even follow your Red God?! Just why make me suffer through this needless torture?" Jon asked desperately, sheathing Longclaw.
"Whoa-Whoa there! Red is not my god, I don't follow him, we are just two deity who have a common cause and made a deal that benefits us both.
"But I feared as much kid, this is no torture this, this is the result of your mind resisting the gifts I and Red have given you. The vision you saw was of the Azor Ahai, the previous Hero who rose up against darkness. You and He share a bond that spans the ages." The dark-skinned man said, losing his previous care free smile.
Jon was silent, as if asking go on….
"Your soul is trying to convey to your mind to accept the gifts, to let the powers flow through you, to accept your destiny." Ananis said as he gave him a meaningful look.
"But why me? I'm just a bastard, why not Robb? You could've saved Robb, he's a far better man than I am." Jon asked letting his insecurities show through
"I never chose you, it's how it's always been, and it's how fate works and you are so much more than a bastard, you are the man who had to make a difficult choice, the man who kept to his vows even when a king offered to relinquish you of the vows and make you a lord, you are the man who let thousands of people live instead of following your brothers vision of what Night's Watch should be and follow archaic laws." Ananis said as he touched his shoulder
"You have been making decisions with the aim to fight the White Walker threat, you've been fighting the good fight. You are a good man Jon, just like your father had been, same as your uncle. So tell me how it could not have been you, granted that you have flaws like most men, but you are the one of the few whose good outweighs his bad."
Jon was ever so silent, something about this man's words had stuck with him.
"If-If I choose to accept your gifts, I do so because it allows me to avenge my family, to help the good people of the realm. It's not because I was enticed by your word nor was it because I have any other ambition than to avenge my loved ones." Jon said with a look of acceptance.
"You don't have to explain yourself to me kid, I maybe a deity but I won't ever tell you how to live your life. It's a good thing Red's not here, he would have asked you to bow down to him or accept him as your household deity or some crap like that, he's got some fragile ego that one." Ananis laughed
"That reminds me, you asked why I am here? That is because you are bound to me now, a little side effect of you being my champion and all. Red was pissed when he realized that. Ah, felt so good to sneak one into the agreement. I won't ask you to thank me but I just saved you from being a puppet to him, you got all the benefits of being the Azor Ahai without having to be his pawn. You are now under my purview and I don't ask much of my champions except to do what is morally right." Ananis gave him a grin.
"That seems reasonable" Jon said, scarcely believing everything.
"I know you have many doubts regarding myself and the powers that I've given you but believe in these words, 'With Great Power comes Great Responsibility, and Greater Enemies'. I was told that by one of my champions from one of the other worlds we spoke of earlier and I have been preaching those words ever since to every new champion I meet.
"Beware of Red's priests and priestess, they will do anything in their power to turn you away from the path of righteousness, though not because they themselves are wicked, it's because they are so devout that they will believe anything that Red shows them in their flames. As I said he is a sore loser and will try anything to make you his own." Ananis parted with his wisdom.
"Now tell me, what you are going to do after you wake up from this state of unconsciousness?" the man questioned.
"I'm going to march south with the freefolk who have agreed to follow me, I will save my sister and I will avenge Robb and Bran and baby Rickon and my Lord Father. I will make every one pay for what they did to my family!" Jon said with fire burning in his eyes.
"Great! But pray tell me how you are going to manage that when even Stannis's meagre host of cavalry knights rode the freefolk army down and then they had numbered in tens of thousands, now they are at most three thousand in number and that's counting the female warriors." Ananis asked, playing the devil's advocate.
When Jon didn't answer, Ananis spoke again, "It's time you learnt more about your powers, come." he said.
"The first thing you should know is that now you have the strength of hundred men and more, you can lift a mammoth as easily as you lift your cup of wine."
There was a noise, as of a large trumpet had been blown. He looked behind to see a mammoth charging at him.
But Anansi stepped forward and grappled the huge mammoth's tusk and easily threw him over his shoulder, the mammoth went flying off in the distance where he crashed into a cave wall.
Another trumpet later, Jon found himself looking at another mammoth charging at him.
"Your turn now, it might be a bit harder for you as I'm a twenty five tonner and you just a fifteen tonner so put everything you've got in it." Ananis said with a thumbs up and a pat on his back.
Jon looked at the charging mammoth, fear started creep into his vision but he shook it off, 'No, I will not balk from this.' He thought as he himself charged at the mammoth.
Meeting in the middle, Jon grabbed the hold of the tusks and putting all his force into his right shoulders, he lifted the mammoth of its feet and slammed him over his shoulder. The mammoth seemed to be subdued then.
"Great, though I would've suggested that you not go charging, if you had let him come at you, you could've made him fly."
"This is unbelievable! I hope this is not just a long dream." Jon said excited, hearing about something and doing it were two different things.
"Now, there are others, you can go seemingly invisible, it's called spider camouflage. You have all the abilities of a spider short of spinning a web. There are some powers I'm leaving out for yourself to discover. Your powers, kid, if applied properly could make you an army killer!"
"How do I do that? Go invisible I mean?" Jon asked with a curiosity that befit a little boy.
"Just think of something covering your body like a suit of armor, covering every inch and then you and your weapon along with clothes can go transparent." Anansi said in a matter of factly way.
"I-I don't know what to say…..Thank you….for trusting in me." Jon said, swallowing his suspicions.
"It's alright, now go and show them what a champion of Anansi can do!"
"I will take my leave then." Jon said as he seemed to look around for an exit.
"Just will it and it will happen." Anansi cryptically said.
"Pardon…what?" Jon asked, confused.
"You're thinking how to leave this place right? Well just concentrate real hard and you'll be outta here."
"Thank you." Jon said as he closed his eyes and willed himself to do so.
When he opened his eyes, he was in his, previously Donal Noye's quarters at Castle Black.
And he was going to make the Bolton Bastard pay for tarnishing his father's seat.
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Thank you for reading, kindly review and have a nice day :)
This story was beta-ed by Mx4. Check out his 'The First Sparks' ASOIAF fic, it's really great!