*This chapter overlaps the previous in time frame.
Ice I – Jon Targaryen
Smoke filled the air of his over crowded chamber clogging his throat. By the door, his newest friend coughs uncontrollably. Bent over, Asha holds the door knob by the door and gasps for air, while Grenn eyes her bottom in an appreciatively manner. Jon throws a glove at his head. The Greyjoy and her men had been a farewell gift from Stannis, but the girl had grown fond of Jon the minute he had saved Theon from being burned alive. Often she thanked him for his fast sword stroke that freed her brother from the King's fire. And he liked her too, more than he would have guessed. She has guts that one, the girl always gave Jon a fare good fighting with that axe of hers and had brains that matched her looks.
His thought are diverted by Pypar bickering at the left side of the room by the fireplace, the slim young man is waving his hands around and begging loudly for Lady Melisandre to put out the goddamn fire. The priestess though is paying him no mind, Jon notices. Her red gleaming eyes remained focused on the black and red flames that dance around smoldering them with ash. The heat filled room makes him want to puke; the king's tower was too crammed for his taste. Ghost, his on shadow had already left the chamber and now stood on the door looking in. Jon himself would leave if he could, but there were important matters to discuss.
He moves towards the oak table at the center where Mance Rayder and Sam are seated, smoke lingering heavily over their heads and clogging up everything. –'It is too hot' his fat friend says sweating like a pig. Jon clasps Sam's fat shoulder in acknowledgement. He his glad for the plump man's return, even if his news where horribly bleak. Back at oldtown, Tarly had found a book rumored to have belonged to his father Raeghar, on it was a long lost tale about Targaryens, Azor Ahzai and the end of light. When he found it, his friend Samwell was so disturbed that he had rushed back to Castleblack with not only the prophecy, but also the sword that a Maester had given him.
All Jon thought this day's was about that sword, they had hidden at the vaults and that idiotic prophecy. What they needed were the Dragons that Melisandre supposedly saw in her fire, this meeting had been called because of her sight and was extending far to long for his tastes. He watched the red priestess in the corner, her body swayed in rhythm with the flames, her ruby throbbing in a steady manner like a heart beating. He looks to the blaze and gets a flash back to Ramsay Bolton being burnt. The red woman's voice reaches him in his mind, - 'Lord of Light!' she prays; he squints his eyes and shakes his head trying to rid himself of the melting skin memory.
Dancing with the flames Melisandre continues: -'We thank you for this vision! Help us in our fight against the Other, we beg you R'hllor! Keep Jon safe, grant him strength! Grant him courage! Grant him wisdom!' The fire seemed to respond to her voice, burning higher and higher. Jon groans she will burn the whole goddam tower if she continues, the heat and smoke now are so unbearable that he can not take it anymore and complains:-'Are there more dragons in your God fire, when will they be here? Say what you have to say and be gone. I grow exhausted of all this waiting and burning.' Finally Lady Melisandre's eyes turn away from the fireplace and she stares at the door.
Heart beating wildly, Jon turned his head in the door's direction. A frightened black robbed man stood outside by ghost, his voice was shaking when he said: -Lor..Lord Comman…der... There…Dragons… OUT… outside the wall!' Mance stood up at the same time as Sam, but the fat boy's coat was caught under the leg of the chair and he was left sprawled on the heated stoned floor. The kid got to his feet quickly, but Asha was already roaring in laughter. Melisandre was looking at Jon in a triumphant way, by her side Pypar was looking scared as shit. Jon himself did not know what to do, but managed to say: -'Where?' Trembling the man responded: -'They where spotted at the gate from the tower of the guard. One claims to be Ser Jorah Mormont, the late commander son'
A sharp pain spread through his shoulder, what was he supposed to do now. The red priestess did tell that the dragons would come to him soon, but he had not believed her. Now they stood at the gate and his people waited for his command: -'Lady Melisandre you saw them coming before they had arrived. It would be best for you to meet them first. Tell them, I will be down shortly. Pypar make sure no warm comes to her'. He could hear the fire diminishing as Melissandre left the room. He turned to face Mance and commanded: - 'The rest of you are dismissed, wait for me with swords at the front yard. All men should be prepared'. As every man turned to leave, Jon shouted out: - 'Except you Asha, please stay'. The girl gave him a large smile and nodded.
Asha Greyjoy was beautiful long-legged woman with short black hair and ocean blue eyes, whose company pleased him greatly. However, much more for her wits, than for her looks. It was hard to believe the girl was Theon's sister. She leans against the door near Ghost; he walks towards where she stands and kneels next to the white wolf. Looking deep into its red eyes, Jon ruffles its fur coat and asks: -'How the hell am I supposed to claim a dragon?' The woman watching him from above snorts and poses a joking question: -'Is Ghost supposed to answer that or myself?' Jon looks up, smiles at her and retorts: -'If it knew the answer, also would I. But I am at loss, my lady.'
The Greyjoy girl scowled at him, hands at hips, she raised her perfect nose up while whining: - 'I told you not to call me that. I am an Iron ship captain, for the Drowned God sake'. Shaking his head, Jon laughed at her: -'There are so many Gods these day, I can barely keep track. Still you are a lady.' He looked at her expression of distaste, she reminded him deeply of his little sister and it saddened his heart a little. But before he could dwell on that thought, Asha spoke: -'First how to find a Dragon, now how to claim the Dragon. You wanted to find the Dragon, yet it was the dragons that found you first. And now you want to claim a Dragon.'
Jon growled up at her, glaring and said through his teeth: - 'What else can I do, everyday the white walkers are one step closer.' Asha kneels next to him and puts her hand on top of Ghost's head. He knew she pitied his distress and enjoyed the caress. He is hardly aware when she speaks softly: - 'You are always asking the wrong question, Jon. First let's see this Dragon and get it not to kill you'. Jon felt foolish for not taking one step after another, a sound advice she had given him. He sighed according to the Prophecy he was meant to be a hero, but often he did not feel like one. Standing up he bowed his head to Asha and said: -'You are right Asha, let's go meet this visitors first.'
They made their way down the loose rocky stairs of the Kings Tower in silence. Ghost ran up and down anxious with anticipation; it could already smell the dragons and also something sweeter like lilac. Jon slipped inside only for a second and stumbled in one of the steps. Asha kept him from falling and joked about his clumsiness. Soon they were walking outside towards the center of the yard, Jon was glad for the cold breeze touched his face and cleared his head from all the heat from Melisandre's visions. The central yard was full of crows and wildlings forming almost a perfect circle around a curious group a people. He signaled to Mance and Grenn to tail him, then told Asha to keep Ghost back and moved forth.
He could not have his wolf biting away this people. Approaching them, he could distinguish a small party: a tall strong knight, a small blonde haired woman, both with their back to him and a dwarf. He smiled when he spotted Tyrion and rushed his steps to meet him, followed closely by Mance and Grenn. Before they could reach them, the small Lannister called out in exclamation: -'By Gods the bloody bastard is still alive'. Jon felt as if he had gone back in time, when they first came into the wall and pulled Tyrion upwards into a hug while responding: -'If it isn't the Lannister house dwarf!' He was glad to see the man, maybe negotiations would not be so hard after all.
However, his hopes are broken when the knight said: - 'I will speak to the lord commander my father'. Jon stares at Mormont's son; his stern gaze is the same as the late commander's. Grief takes a hold of Jon when he thinks of the old bear, but he has to manage his feelings and tell this man his father is dead: -'Lord Jeor Mormont died in defense of the Kingdom.' Glancing sideways while thinking of the respect he held for Lord Mormont, he is startled by the sight of the woman standing in front of him. Gorgeous would not be enough to describe her, he thought as his heart thumped loudly at his chest.
His eyes could not pull way from the beautiful silver haired girl, but he did manage to continue what he was saying: -'Now, I am the one who commands the wall'. She looked frail under a too big bear fur coat, but he noticed her dazzling purple eyes shone with strength. A Targaryen no doubt about it, Jon cringes with suspicion at the thought of an imposter or another mad relative like Aerys. The girl seems to notice his edginess and narrows her eyes at him, lines forming between her eyebrows. Hurtfully he takes his eyes off of her and speaks to Tyrion: -'I was told you bring Dragons, not Queens. Take what ever little shelter and food you can find, Lord Tyrion. After your company is rested, we will talk about the dragons'.
Jon is surprised by Mormont son, having coming out of the daze of his father's death news, the man harmfully grabs his arm whilst demanding: -'I will have news of my lord father and I will have them now'. In a second all of castleback's men draw up their swords, he has to do something before this turns to bloodshed. Angry, Jon rips his arm out of the grasp, signals Asha to lower her axe and slips inside Ghost skin to keep it from jumping at Jorah's throat. But before he can straighten things up with the man, the Lannister dwarf speaks: -'I am sorry Jon Snow, or is it Lord Commander now? Regardless, it has been a long flying journey all the way from Dragonstone. This is Daenerys Storm born, the rightful Queen of Westeros'.
Jon frowns at the girl and watches a strand of white hair fall in her heavenly face as she slightly bows her head to him. His world froze and he was confused when the air slipped out of his lungs in the moment he heard the sound of her mellow voice: -'You must excuse us. We will take the shelter and food. Ser Jorah is a fool, but will not misbehave henceforth. You can trust me, my lord'. Trust her she said, Jon realized he blinded by her beauty. It angered him that he had lost focus of the situation, just like a boy, but that would not do. He did not even know this people, he needed to be man. Irritated by the situation he spoke without thinking: -'Who to trust that's for me to say'.
He knew he had being too rude from the moment that the words came out of his mouth. There was no need for Asha's hand in his shoulder to bring him down a notch, but he was glad for the support, so he turned his head towards her and smiled. When he looked back the young Targaryen Queen was already striding half way across the yard. The elegance in which she walked mirrored that of Melisandre and spoke volumes about her power. Jon observed flabbergasted as her red fur coat dragged in the melting snow and her fair hair floated in the winter winds leaving a scent of lilac spring in the air. The wall is no place for this girl, he thought.
Men and women were whispering all around him, disturbed by the girl's storm off. He cursed himself for his behavior and the trouble it initiated. Concerned he calls out to his most trustful friend: - 'Sam, please follow Lady Daenerys and tend to her needs'. His wolf paddles over and nudges Jon with his noose, bringing him some comfort. As he broods shuffling Ghost's hair, Tyrion says: - 'Your beast has grown amazingly bigger, but not bigger than a Dragon'. The sound of threat present at the little man voice, did not go deaf in his ears. Yet it did not bother, for Jon knew he had done wrong, so he replied: - 'That is true. Please forgive me, you are my guests. But I have had my deal of deceit for more than one lifetime, my lord.'
Tryion nodded looking pleased with his answer, Jorah looked agitated with his hand on his sword, but Asha looked bored as she groaned and rolled her eyes. Jon knew she was tired of hearing him talk about betrayal and mistrust. Breaking the silence the Greyjoy says: -'Enough with this non-sense, you are a bunch of oversensitive girls. Let's go see these Dragons already.' Jon shakes his head at Asha's outburst. Iron people had a too reckless approach to things, sometimes he forgot. However Tyrion is snickering up at the girl and answering: -'I like her Jon, for a bloke at the wall you did well. Go see the Dragons, I go after their mother'.
The small leaves them in almost the same discomfort as Daenerys did. –'We are not together.' Jon says much more to Lord Mormont, than to Tyrion, because the dwarf is already distancing himself in short quick strides. Asha shakes her head disapprovingly and looks away. The younger bear man stares at him and brusquely turns while spiting with hatred: -'Follow me.' Jon fastens his walk as to accompany the almost running man and compassionately says: -'Your father was a mentor to me. This sword I bear he gave to me.' That caught Ser Jorah's attention and the man slowed his pass as Jon continued: -'His own men betrayed him, just like my men betrayed me. Lord Mormont died in the arms of Samwell Tarly though, who remained loyal until the end'.
The younger bear man had stopped mid-stride and was looking at him with unshed tears in his eyes. Uncomfortable Jon looked away at the gate's direction, Grenn was ordering the crows to open it and Ghost almost digging a hole in the ground the way his frenetic paws hit the earth. He could hear growling noises outside and was anxious too to see these Dragons. But before the gate opened, he managed to tell Ser Jorah one last thing: -'Lord Mormont entrusted Sam to give you his pardon. After we see the Dragons, you may go to Tarly. Grenn will take you.' Jon knew he did not have to indulge the knight in any of this, but he knew the anguish of not knowing things.
However, he did not answer as the Lord said: -'Thank you'. For the doors where already opened and in front of him stood the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in his word.