A/N: Thank you so much, I have been overwhelmed by the amount of love for this story and I just want to give a shout out to a very special reviewer: BloodyBlondeVamp, who is not only my most frequent reviewer but gives a lot of insight into their views on the story! I'm not sure what I think about this chapter, I may re-do it at a later date because it feels very messy to me, let me know what you guys think, yeah? SO WITH THAT…. LET THE DRAMA BEGIN.
Arielle was lying facing away from the door, her head throbbing and tears dripping slowly onto the blanket covering her bed. She was unable to move, unable to speak, unable to even think. She was stuck in a state of perpetual numbness but to her, it was easier than feeling at the moment. In the morning, she would be departing Winterfell forever, departing her home. She might never see Robb, Bran, Rickon, Lady Catelyn or any of her friends ever again. She had been told that Lady Sansa and Arya were to accompany their father to King's Landing which was a small mercy. But she was to be a servant, not even a handmaiden. A servant to the Prince no less, who already hated her. She wouldn't be surprised if she died within the week. Arielle was lost in her thoughts, ones of self-loathing and regret. If she hadn't been so tired or so damn clumsy none of this would have happened. She had received a message earlier which she had taken blankly in a stupor, notifying her that her punishment was to walk the entire journey to King's Landing with her hands bound behind the horse of the King. If the journey didn't kill her then the amount of shit she would step in certainly would. She would probably catch some disease of some sort and die. Then again, that would be better than living life as the Prince's servant.
Whilst pondering her fate, the door of her room swung open with a crash, causing Arielle to flinch but not move otherwise. She knew who it would be. It would be one of Joffrey's bloody guards here to punish her further 'off the record'. She raised herself into a seating position and closed her eyes tightly as the room spun before her. Her injury had left her seeing stars and was no doubt swollen to the size of an egg by now. Arielle grimaced at the thought, but pushed onwards through her vertigo until she was standing, which of course left her even more unstable. She turned to face the source of the interruption, only to find out it was not at all what she had expected. Standing in the doorway of her bedroom, clad in the same clothes she had dressed him in this morning was Jon. He had a face like thunder and was squared up, angrier than Arielle had ever seen him before. With a sigh, Arielle took a step towards him. "Jon-" She began.
"Don't." he cut her off, shutting the door behind him. "How the hell could you be so stupid!?" He cried once the door was securely shut. Arielle recoiled in horror… this was not the conversation she was expecting from Jon. She was expecting sympathy, comfort, a friend. She wasn't expecting… this? "Are you out of your Goddamn mind?! Your bloody clumsiness couldn't have just taken a trip away for one night? You're a bloody useless handmaiden if you can't even walk straight, because you spilled wine on the bloody Prince of all people! You're a nightmare! No wonder your bloody father left you in the middle of the forest!" Jon was shouting at her but then stopped as soon as he realised what he had said. His mouth gaped as he floundered for something to say, the anger driven from his expression replaced with regret. "Arielle… I-"
"Don't." Spoke Arielle softly, repeating his actions from earlier. Tears were cascading down her cheeks in waterfalls, her heart was pounding painfully in her chest to match the throbbing in her head. And here she had thought that she couldn't possibly feel any worse. Jon opened his mouth to say something else but Arielle cut him off before he could speak. "Don't even bother Jon." Her self-pity was replaced by a new form of anger now, a defiance she only wished she could have when confronted by the Prince. "Do you really want to know how today went down?" She spat at him. "Today, I was not only forced to confront two Lannisters, but four. One of them was passed out drunk, the other was eye fucking his sister who I had to prepare for the feast tonight and the other slapped me across the face leaving me this!" Arielle pointed aggressively to the left hand side of her face which was coated in tears and blood. "And I'll tell you what Jon Snow, I've worked bloody hard today, I've done my job bloody well despite the challenges I've had thrown at me. But because I was exhausted for one bloody night and spilled wine on someone, and because it just so happened to be that one bloody little cunt of a Prince, I'm being shipped off to King's Landing at first light with your father! I'm going to walk behind the King's horse the entire way, stepping in shit and being stepped on by shit. And then there's you. My supposed friend who has the audacity to then come to my chambers and lecture me on being clumsy?! The very same friend who's abandoning me in the morning?! Fucking great day, I'm having."
Arielle's energy was spent as she stood facing Jon Snow. She had taken several steps forwards during her rant, until her nose was level with his chin, and she was just under a metre away. Her nostrils were flaring with anger and her face had flushed to an angry shade of scarlet that Jon had never seen on her before. Her once beautiful hair was matted with sweat, blood and tears, all of which were still cascading down her cheeks. Jon stood there aghast, feeling horror for his outburst at her, but more so for the news that she had just dropped on him like a cannonball. He felt guilt settle in his stomach as he stared at the woman, a horrible feeling causing him to feel smaller than a mouse. Outside the door he barely heard Ghost whining at the conflict.
"Arielle… You…. You can't go to King's Landing." Was all Jon could say. What he was really trying to say was that she couldn't be too far away from him; he didn't want her that far away from him, but he couldn't force the words out of his mouth.
"Well I have no choice in the matter Jon. I leave at first light." She sounded exhausted, her shouting match with Jon draining the last of her resources so she plonked herself down onto the stiff mattress of the bed. Jon moved warily to her and gently sat down next to her, as though trying not to wake someone up. She smiled wryly. "I forgive you by the way. I'm sad that you're going still, but I forgive your outburst." Jon sighed in relief.
"I'm sorry." He chuckled stiffly. It was a bitter sound, one that was angry. He didn't want Arielle to have to suffer through that, he should be around to protect her, always. That was just what he did. He did it with his sisters, he did it with his older brother, and he would do it with her too. He felt like he had failed, like he had let both her and his father down. If he couldn't protect Arielle from herself, and he was leaving tomorrow, what did that say about his capabilities in the Night's Watch? If he couldn't protect a simple clumsy girl, how could he protect his future brothers? Jon sighed in contemplation and the two sat in silence. Neither knew what to say next and neither wanted to be the first one to break the awkward silence. Jon sighed again and stood up as though to leave. Arielle caught his sleeve as he stood and started towards the door. Her eyes had filled with tears once more and the look on her face was heart breaking for Jon to see as he turned back.
"Don't go. Jon please… I don't want to be alone right now." Arielle looked away from him as she spoke her final words in a small voice, her gaze drifting to the floor. She didn't want to be left to her thoughts and didn't want to remember Jon this way if she was never to see him again. Jon's eyes softened as he sat back down next to his friend. His stomach churned with something unrecognisable at seeing her injured and hurt. His stomach twisted with butterflies and eyes pricked and stung with tears threatening to form but he caught himself before they could. He was supposed to be strong Goddamnit. Men didn't cry! A man of the Night's Watch would NOT be caught crying over a girl!
He noticed Arielle's small frame had started to shake and her head was bowed towards the floor. He certainly wasn't crying but Arielle was. The events of the night had taken their toll on the girl and she could hold back the river no more. The slow little jerks of her shoulders turned into louder sobbing, so Jon did the only thing he could think of: He bundled her small frame into his arms and onto his lap. He enveloped the girl in his arms and rubbed her back gently, letting her cry it out. Whilst it was a shock for Arielle to be held in this way, she would not complain. She tilted her head onto Jon's shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist sobbing loudly. The furs he was wearing muffled the sounds of her voice and wiped the tears simultaneously. Whilst the two would be in trouble if found in such an improper position, that was the least of Arielle's concerns right now. She was crying for everything that had happened that day, and soon enough she was crying for reasons she couldn't fathom. It the stress and anxiety that had built up, she guessed. When there was nothing left for her to cry, she simply sat on Jon's knee feeling his hand stroking up and down her back in slow, rhythmic movements. Her mind had gone blank and she was just enjoying the contact she had with Jon. Her stomach was filled with butterflies that seemed to do summersaults when Jon lightly kissed the top of her head, still rocking her from side to side like a child.
Jon meanwhile, had not even realised what he was doing. His actions had become background music to the thoughts in his head. He was attempting to formulate an idea to free Arielle from her punishment but his mind was coming up blank. He couldn't appeal to the Queen, for she would not allow an audience with a bastard; and asking his father to step in would only cause political strain on their relationship with the Baratheons. The only way Arielle could possibly get out of this situation was if she completely vanished from existence. It was as though a light had switched on in Jon's head. He put Arielle back on the bed and jumped up excitedly, an elated grin on his face. Arielle had whined in discontent when Jon had unceremoniously ejected her from his lap, her brow furrowing in confusion. "I have an idea!" crowed Jon, standing opposite Arielle. The girl simply cocked her head to the right looking like a confused puppy. In this moment, Arielle reminded him very much of Ghost. "What if you disappeared?!" Jon threw out. This made Arielle even more confused, and seeing this, Jon continued. "That was badly put. Okay, so in the morning when the party are to leave for King's Landing, what if you didn't exist? What if Arielle Sixsmith was missing? Meanwhile, the two men heading for the Night's Watch became three, because a servant boy from the farms outside of Winterfell wished to come with them?"
"Jon, I don't understand. What are you suggesting?"
"What I'm suggesting, Arielle, is that you cut your hair, bind your chest and dress as a boy for tomorrow, ride north with me to Castle Black and join the Night's Watch and that way nobody will be able to find you when the time comes to leave for King's Landing!" Jon spelled it out for her elaborately, and whilst the plan would probably work, there was just one problem.
"But Jon… I'm puny! I can't fight! I can barely lift a sword, and I don't even want to join the Night's watch!" Arielle cried, slumping in defeat. Jon paused at this, she was right, but it was either die in the north or die in the south, and Jon knew which he could protect her from best.
"Arielle, please. I can help you, train you, we can work together to get you fit! In the north I can protect you but in the south you're all alone. I can't be there to help you if something goes wrong. Please. I know you don't want to be a member of the Night's Watch but you're better off by my side, and not where I can't reach you." Jon got down on both knees in front of her, taking her hands gently and staring into her eyes intently. Arielle weighed it up in her head. Jon was right, he could protect her better in Castle Black, and she could maybe even help him too. In the south she would be completely isolated, and would probably die quicker than if she was beyond the wall with Jon. The Prince had a vendetta against her, so at least she couldn't be found in Castle Black, she would be safe. She wouldn't even exist anymore. She would be a farm boy. Arielle hesitated a moment, rubbing her thumbs against Jon's calloused hands. "Alright." She spoke with conviction. "What first?"
"First, your hair."