AN: Special thanks to Reviewer543 for the help on the chapter. Not only did he help me map the chapter initially but he also gave me feedback on different scenes and helped make the story flow much better than it could have without his help. I feel that many of the pain points from last chapter are addressed in this chapter. Anyway, read and let me know if you enjoyed by reviewing.
Fortunately, Jon and Ghost were able to make it the final league to the river without incident. Unfortunately, their streak of good luck was broken when they reached their destination. Coiled, floating on top of the river was a giant, blue and white snakelike creature with frost blue eyes that seemed to be following Jon and Ghost's every movement.
Quest Alert!
Subduing the Serpent: Saphiron, the sea serpent, is an ancient creature that has long lain dormant at the bottom of the seas in the coldest part of the world. He has woken due to a recent resurgence of magic in the world and will do everything in his power to bring an eternal winter where his power would be irresistible. Defeat this monster before his plan can come to fruition.
Rewards for completion: Sea Serpent Scaled Boots of Winter. +30 Defense. +50% resistance to frost, -50% cost to ice-based attacks, MP doubled.
Penalty for failure: Saphiron will find others sympathetic to his goal of bringing an eternal winter to the world. Eventually all will fall and winter will exist without end.
Jon quickly accepted the quest and considered the enemy for a second before opening his inventory and taking a second to rearrange his armor. He didn't make any changes to his legs but he adjusted his upper body so the Apprentice Robes of Destruction were under his Winterfell Captain's Jerkin and the Blackflame Cape of Wanton Destruction was draped across his shoulders. Though the change was subtle, adding the Blackflame Cape of Wanton Destruction granted some serious status buffs: +30 defense, +50% resistance to fire, -50% cost to fire-based attacks, +30% resistance to physical attacks and projectiles.
Since the monster was floating on the water, Jon knew that he wouldn't be able to attack with his swords unless the monster made its way to the shore. So instead of rushing the beast with swords drawn, he pulled the Hawksflight bow along with his quiver of steel arrows from his inventory.
He knocked an arrow and pulled back on the drawstring with his full strength. Before he was able to fire the arrow, the sea serpent roared and a barrage of icicles was launched at Jon's position causing him to relax his draw as he leapt to the side, clear of the projectiles.
Upon landing, Jon quickly drew and fired an arrow at the snake. Though his shot was true and the arrow struck the serpent squarely on the snout, the scales that covered the creature's body were much too thick to allow the arrow to penetrate. The sea snake took Jon's ineffectual attack as a signal to launch its own attack in the form of a chilling blast of frost that shot from its mouth as one would expect fire from a dragon. Again, Jon's body moved instinctively and he was able to avoid the breath attack.
The glacial blast seemed to suck all warmth from the air, making Jon much colder than he expected to be on such a sunny day. On the ground that had been touched by the frost breath, there were large frost crystals sparkling in the sunlight.
Jon drew another arrow while thinking of his desire to be warm. As he pulled back the drawstring and released, the head of the arrow was enveloped by a layer of fire. Again Jon's aim was true but, this time, the flaming arrow pierced right through the sea snake's scales on it snout. The successful attack caused the massive serpent to rear back, writhing in pain, coiling and uncoiling its massive body apparently indignant that such a puny opponent could cause it to experience such pain.
While the snake thrashed about on the water's surface, Jon readied another arrow and tried to channel fire magic directly into the arrow head before letting the arrow fly. Unlike before, the entire shaft of the arrow in addition to the head seemed to become a tightly rotating cylinder of fire when it was free of the bowstring.
The magically augmented arrow flew through the air and plunged into the side of the great beast despite the protective layer of scales meant to protect it from attacks. Again, the snake thrashed about with the onset of the physical pain and, this time, it locked its eyes on the source of its discomfort. Opening its mouth wide, it roared out in challenge and fired a barrage of wickedly sharp looking icicles at Jon, causing the young warrior to dodge lest he be impaled by one of the spear length pieces of ice.
Though it was close, Jon managed to dodge all of the projectiles and let loose a series of three flaming arrows all of which found purchase and lodged into the body of the angry serpent. It seemed that something changed within the serpent as it did not trash about when the arrows sunk into its flash. Instead it threw its head back and roared, causing a light snow to begin to fall as clouds converged above the battle field.
Slithering much faster than its size would suggest it capable of moving, the serpent abandoned its position atop the water to and began to actively pursue the fool that had dared to attack it when it was sitting on its magical throne.
Jon managed to shoot one more flaming arrow at the serpent before storing the Hawksflight bow in his inventory and equipping an Ancient Sword of the First Men in each of his hands.
Since the flames allowed Jon's arrows to penetrate the serpent's thick scales, Jon channeled fire magic into the swords causing an orange-ish glow to appear around the blades. Within seconds of storing the bow and equipping the swords, the large serpent had traversed the distance between Jon and its initial position.
The blades seemed to burst into flame with each strike that Jon landed against the vicious serpent. Though the sword strike combo seemed to be effectively whittling away at the serpent's health, Jon noticed that the swords seemed to be failing between the combination of the magic that Jon was channeling into them and the serpent's sturdy scales.
Assuming that the swords would not be usable after the battle, Jon stabbed the swords into the monster's side with all of his might causing them to plunge into the serpent's body with little resistance due to the fire magic. Instead of canceling the flow of magic, Jon channeled more MP into the blades until the handles started to shake violently at which point he gave a final magical push before jumping backwards to put some distance between him and the beast.
The massive serpent gave chase briefly before a pair of explosions sounded from the side of the snake causing the serpent to fall heavily to its side with its own blood dripping from its mouth as it coughed and attempted to move its body to pursue the being that had caused it such tremendous agony.
Fortunately for Jon, the serpent's mobility had been seriously reduced due to the massive damage caused by the swords magically exploding in its side moments before. It was able to raise its head but it was not able to move from its position on the ground.
Jon withdrew another pair of Ancient Swords of the First Men from his inventory before cautiously advancing on his injured opponent. The snow was now falling harder and the air currents around the creature became much more intense, causing Jon to struggle to advance upon the wounded beast.
Still, Jon pushed on while channeling flame magic into his blades. Hearing a roar, Jon looked up and saw the Serpent towering above him with a wild and enraged look in its eyes as it plunged down with its mouth gaping, intent on turning Jon into his next meal. While Jon was able to jump backward, he was not quite able to escape the attack as two fangs managed to slice through his right eyebrow, just missing his eye before continuing to cut halfway through his cheek before the momentum from his leap took him out of the range of the attack.
Due to the sudden pain, Jon lost his footing and landed on his butt before rolling backward and regaining his feet before wiping at his wound with the back of his leather gauntlet. Unwilling to let the wounded beast get the best of him again despite the lethargy setting into his body, Jon readied his blades and locked his eyes on the silhouette of his adversary before charging.
Jon channeled magic and created a magic ward to protect him from the heavy snow and harsh wind while allowing him to close the distance between him and the injured serpent. Jon sent is magic into the sword in his left hand, causing it to glow a now familiar orange color with the flame magic. Like he did with the swords that he stabbed into the serpent to cause the first major injury to the creature, he did not stop when the blade and hilt started to vibrate. Instead, he took the vibration as a queue to whip his arm forward to send the sword that had been overcharged with magic at the serpent.
The sword flew through the air without any rotation, cutting through the intense wintry conditions that were intensifying around Saphiron. The sword breached the serpent's scales and glowed for a second before a reverberating explosion sounded through the clearing as the serpent collapsed.
After throwing the sword, Jon raced after his weapon, intent on taking advantage of any opening that may present itself. He reached the serpent shortly after it had collapsed and channeled his magic into his remaining sword causing it to vibrate before stabbing the weapon into Saphiron's skull before taking a few large steps backwards to make sure he was clear from the potential blast radius.
With the explosion that resulted, Jon received a notification.
Quest Completed!
Subduing the Serpent: Saphiron, the sea serpent, is an ancient creature that has long lain dormant at the bottom of the seas in the coldest part of the world. He has woken due to a recent resurgence of magic in the world and will do everything in his power to bring an eternal winter where his power would be irresistible. Defeat this monster before his plan can come to fruition.
Rewards for completion: Sea Serpent Scaled Boots of Winter. +30 Defense. +50% resistance to frost, -50% cost to ice-based attacks, MP doubled.
Archery +3,200
Magical Manipulation +12,500
Flames +11,000
One-Handed +8,000
Light Armor +500
Magic Ward +500
By the gods, the Sea Serpent Scaled Bots of Winter are as effective as the Blackflame Cape of Wanton Destruction. Jon thought while admiring the boots that seemed to be made from Saphiron's scales. These need to be used immediately instead of spending time in my Inventory.
Jon equipped the boots and immediately felt a wave of magic race through his body as his MP was doubled by the magic of the boots. However, as the adrenaline of the battle started to leave his system, the throb of his wound and lethargy that he had been experiencing after being raked by Saphiron's fangs seemed to become more and more intense. As his vision started to fade, Jon collected the other loot that Saphiron had dropped not caring to look at the descriptions of the items. Bones, scales and teeth were just deposited into his inventory as his world faded to black.
As Jon's vision faded to black, he found himself thinking of home. Black gave way from the remains of the now dead serpent Saphiron back to the castle of Winterfell. His vision shifted to his father, leaning over the table, in his study.
"The king and his men are only three weeks away. I cannot afford to send a garrison of men to search for Jon if Winterfell is to be ready for the king's arrival. Why would he boy disappear at such a time as this? I told him that the king was set to arrive."
His lady wife moved to stand behind him and slide her hand from his elbow to the back of the hand rested on the table before she responded. "The boy's actions are not wholly unexpected. He has always been so prone to sulking about the castle with that sullen look about him. Maybe he does not wish to be found."
"I know you have no love for the boy, Catelyn, but, for my sake, do not assert that he would abandon Winterfell and his family without as much as a word."
"He only has one who he should consider family here," Catelyn bristled. "Is it not better for the Stark children to be rid of such a nuisance?"
Now it was Ned's turn to bristle in his irritation. "Jon has been doing an admirable job of proving himself as a man. Ser Rodrick has given nothing but praise since I instructed him to take over Jon's education. At the very least, he will make a splendid captain for the Winterfell guard. If his skill with weapons continues to increase at the current rate then we may have a new Master-At-Arms ."
"You would have your bastard installed as the new Master-At-Arms?" Catelyn asked with incredulous fury. "You would have me look at him until my dying day?"
"Catelyn, remember, Jon sees Robb and the others as his brothers and sisters. He would never try to take their positions for himself."
"Be that as it may, his very existence here is a continued slight to my honor. The Tully words are Honor, Duty, Family. As my husband one would say it is your duty to remove this stain upon my honor from my presence."
"Catelyn, be reasonable. If Jon was ever going to be a threat to your true sons then he would have shown himself as such by now. For you to continue to antagonize the lad when he has done nothing to earn your ire is the only stain that I see upon your honor. As your lord and husband, I command that you abandon the disdain that you are showing the boy, or at least just let him be, when he is successfully returned to Winterfell."
"How could you ask me to do such a thing? I waited dutifully for you to return from the war and when you did it was with a babe that you claimed to have sired on a wench! Your duty is to me. Your honor should have prevented you from brining such a babe to Winterfell. Your dedication to our family should have been enough prevent his birth."
"Enough!" the uncharacteristic shout reverberated through the chamber. "You will honor me, your lord and husband, by ceasing your vendetta against the boy. Though I can't make you love the boy like a mother, I can ask that you let him be if he does nothing to merit your ire. If anything is to happen to the boy because he fled the castle due to the Lady who has been poisoning the attendants against him then what would become of your honor?"
Lady Catelyn's blue eyes grew wide at the question posed by the Lord of Winterfell but she was quick to regain control of her regal features. "As you wish, my lord."
Ned shook his head while keeping his eyes leveled at Catelyn Stark. "I know that it is no easy thing that I'm asking but I wish you could see what I see in the boy. He would do anything to help Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran or even baby Rickon. He is not a threat. He is family."
"As you say, Lord Stark." His wife agreed demurely with a look of skepticism in her eyes. "I hope that you are right."
"That remains to be seen but so far he done nothing to make me suspicious that he is anything more than an eager boy doing his best to prove himself a man amongst those whose judgment that he values. Please Catelyn, give him the benefit of the doubt."
"As always, I will do what you say, Lord Stark." Lay Catelyn agreed while moving to her vanity to run a bush through the long red locks of hair that she had become known for since reaching maturity. "Pray that he never does anything to prove you wrong in your assumption of his character."
When Jon woke up, he found that his hands were bound and he was in a sitting position in a cave across from a man dressed in black from head to toe with a leering expression, cruel eyes and hands bound behind his back.
Quest alert!
Broken Bindings: Escape from your captors and earn your freedom.
Broken Bindings Sub-Quest: Help ? escape and return to Shadow Tower.
Reward for completing main quest:75,000 experience. Access to Shadow Tower.
Reward for completing Sub-Quest: Obtain an ally within Shadow Tower
Penalty for failure: Your death as part of a ritual to appease the spirit of winter.
Jon groggily accepted the task as he heard a voice.
"Finally decided to wake up, did you?" The man asked in a gruff voice with a fair amount of derision. "They took your sword, so don't bother looking for it. For some reason they weren't able to remove your cloak or your boots, so thank your gods for that."
"Where am I," Jon asked groggily as he tried to push himself to a more upright position. "Who are you?"
"M'names Alyn Ryswell. You have the look of Ned Stark about you," Alyn declared while simultaneously seeming to puff himself up with his introduction and eyeing Jon with suspicion. "To my knowledge, the only Stark that is currently part of the Nights Watch is the First Ranger Benjen Stark. I may have only met him once but I know that you aren't him."
"Nay, Benjen Stark is my uncle." Jon said, concluding that this man was a member of the Nights Watch, like his uncle. "I was just exploring a cave and don't know how I got here."
"Ah, that was probably your first mistake." The man determined with a slight scoff, as f indicating that he would never be caught in such a way, while nodding at Jon's story. "On the Wall, we call them the Cave People. They're a group of Wildlings that paint their faces and mostly stick to the caves. If they catch you, you end up like this and, most likely, you are never heard from again."
"You know my uncle, Benjen Stark?"
"Aye, I know him. I had gone ranging with him quite a few times in the past before I was sent to the Shadow Tower." Alyn answered before pulling his knees to his chest to help stave off the cold that was present in the tent and gazing intently at one of the walls of the cave, as if it held the secrets of his past. "Before I found myself at the Wall, there were several banquets held to honor the Starks at the Dreadfort. My mother was always invited to such festivities, so I first met Benjen when we were both green boys. His father was a proud man and did not want his children playing with the children of the Bolton's bannermen. Still, I remember the way the Stark children seemed to carry themselves as if they were better than everyone else since they carried the name Stark. Eventually, many years later, I would meet Benjen again when we were both fresh recruits to the Nights Watch."
"Men like Benjen and Ned Stark would not look down on people just because of their name. Ned Stark even let me, a bastard, live at Winterfell despite the wishes of his wife."
Alyn seemed to consider Jon's words before shaking his head and responding. "Maybe that is the case now but, back then, they could not be bothered with those of us with less prestigious names.
"I'm sure that was not their intention," Jon attempted to placate the older man. "Maybe there was another reason that they were not able to interact with you when you first met."
"We weren't good enough to merit the attention of the Starks," Alyn said bitterly as he spat on the caves floor. "Anyway, bringing up the past won't help us in our current situation. The Cave People are known to be ruthless with their prisoners. If we don't find a way to escape then it is extremely unlikely that we will live to see the coming of the dawn."
"Right, so how did a man of the Nights Watch come to find himself in the clutches of these cave people?"
"I'm sure it was most likely in a very similar way to how you were captured by them." Alyn answered with a dark look on his face that seemed to twist with his words. "My commander sent me to get information about the clan since I am one of the most experienced rangers at Shadow Tower. I was to determine their number and if it seemed probable that they would launch an attack on the Shadow Tower."
"Is this group really that dangerous?"
"The Wildlings are always dangerous. I can't tell you how many Brothers that they have killed in the time that I've spent with the Watch."
"But the Wildlings are men too. Doesn't it make more sense to work with them than to hunt them just because they were born on the wrong side of the Wall? Does looking at them in anger make you any better than the people that you felt looked down on you when you were younger?"
"What would you know about any of that? The Starks looked down on me just because of my house's name and the Wildlings will kill me just because I've taken the black. In just the same way as they will kill you."
"Why would they wish for my death? I've given them no offense and been taken against my will."
"The only offense that they need to justify your death is that you are not one of them. Simply by living, you go against all that they stand for and their way of life."
"Surely, they wouldn't attack without provocation?"
"Did you provoke them before you woke them up in this cave?"
"I can't see how anything I've done could be seen as an attack against them."
"That's because your existence itself is seen to be an attack against them."
"Why would that be? I have never done anything against them?"
"Maybe that's true. Either way, it doesn't matter. You are their captive now and will most likely die unless we can figure out a way to escape."
At this call to action, Jon tried to stand but his strength failed him causing him to fall to his knees. "I might have a way to escape but I can't seem to stand right now."
"Judging from the cuts on your face, I suspect that you have fallen victim to the poison that the Cave People use to take down their enemies. From what I've heard, there is a spring that has been poisoned by an ancient beast that dwells in its depths. They dip their weapons in the poisoned spring and are able to take down their enemies with even the lightest of blows."
Jon thought of Saphiron and how the massive snake had raked his face with its teeth. "I don't recall any of the Cave People striking me with any of their weapons."
"So you decided to give yourself hat little beauty mark by yourself?"
"Not quite, I found myself in battle against a great serpent and wasn't quite fast enough to get out of the ways of its teeth."
"If you say so. I've seen the kind of scars that their weapons leave behind and can recognize them when I see them."
"You may not be seeing what you think," Jon countered. "I think I would remember if one of these Cave People managed to slice my face with one of their weapons."
"Say what you will, Stark. Your injuries tell a different story."
"Think what you will. I'll do what I need to get us out of here."
"Did you have any weapons hidden on your person?"
"No but I think I can probably get out of this binding."
"How would you do that? I saw them bring you in and bind you and it looked like the bound you tightly enough that even if you had a weapon hidden somewhere on your person that you would not be able to escape."
"Err, maybe," Jon answered while shaking his head to clear his mind for the delirium that Saphiron's poison was causing. Jon turned to block the view from of his hands from the member of the Nights Watch. Calling up his magic manipulation, Jon was able to force his magic to cut the bindings hat held him captive. With his hands free, Jon turned back to face Alyn. Maybe they didn't do as good of a job binding me as they thought."
"You must have been blessed by the seven. I have been trying to free myself from the accursed bindings since before you were even brought into the room but haven't been able to make any progress. Now that your hands are free, could you free me from my bindings?"
"Aye," Jon agreed with a shake of his head as he moved to stand behind the member of the Nights Watch. "Bend your head down. I wouldn't want to cut your fingers."
"We speak of this to no one if we manage to escape," Alyn proclaimed as his smile at the thought at being freed twisted into a snarl and he proceeded to do as Jon bid. "Get it over with."
Jon took Alyn's hands and jerked up, as if he was getting ready to cut through the binding. Again, using his Magic Manipulation, he was able to cut though the binding.
"It's done then," Jon stated while letting Alyn's hands fall apart. "How did you plan to get out of here now that your hands are unbound?"
"Now we must try our best to sneak from the camp without being discovered. If we are spotted then we will most likely be overcome by sheer numbers."
"Alright," Jon agreed though he had no way of knowing how many enemies were allied against them. "I'll follow your lead."
"See to it that you do. I have no need for an untested Summer Child getting in the way while I make my escape."
Hearing the insult, Jon couldn't help but reply, "This Summer Child was able to free you from your bonds after you had tried and failed."
"So, you have some skills. Just try not to get in my way."
"Are you always such a charmer or do I just bring out the best in you?"
"Quiet," Alyn commanded, clearly used to being in command. "Now is our chance to escape. They will be getting ready for the ceremony. If we can get out of this cave now then we have a good chance of being able to make it to the Shadow Tower."
"Hopefully you know the way to Shadow Tower because I was just panning to go south until I reached Winterfell again."
"That's pretty much the way from here. If we go south and follow the river, it will take us to Shadow Tower. However, to do that, we will need to get out of here. Can you stand?"
Jon pushed himself to his feet, causing the room to spin slightly before he shook his head to right his vision. "Aye."
"Right, we will have to make our way from this cave and then put a good amount of distance between ourselves and the Cave People before we can begin to feel safe."
"Fine," Jon agreed, his spins returning. "Do you know the way out of this cave?"
"The same way that we came in, of course."
"My memories of being brought here are severely lacking, lead the way."
"Right, follow me."
Alyn stood and walked to the darkness of the cave, crouched to minimize the noise that he made while moving. Jon followed at a much slower pace than he would have regularly been capable of if he had not been poisoned by the serpent.
Jon was focused on walking and did not realize that Alyn had stopped until he lightly bumped into the Nights Watchman. "Watch where you're going, boy, and keep it down. The path to the entryway goes through an area where the Cave People come together, drink and have their meals when they are not out raiding. We will have to go through that room to get out of the cave."
"Alright, how can we get past them?"
"That is the question. If they find that we have escaped they will sooner kill us than ask questions."
"Do you have anything that we can use to make a distraction?"
"They took my crossbow. Other than that, nothing on my person could have caused a big enough distraction."
Jon looked beyond Alyn and saw a large cavernous chamber that was well lit with torches at the end of the path that they were following. Seeing the torches, Jon looked along the walls and found that there were also several torches along the path, just like those he had seen in the caves around Winterfell.
Moving slowly, Jon reached towards the torch and received a notification.
Use 50 MP to put out the torches?
"I think I have a plan," Jon stated while putting a hand on the wall to steady himself. "I saw a rune on the wall that I noticed from my studies. If I'm not mistaken, it is meant to link all of the torches flames together that provide light to the cave. If I put out one of the torches, all of the rest should go out as a result."
"Where did you see such a symbol?"
"It was on the wall along the way, somewhere back there," Jon gestured vaguely. "Do you think you could get us out if I am able to get the light out?"
"What do we have to lose? I'll take your word on the symbol. Yes, getting us out shouldn't be a problem if you can somehow put the torches out."
"Right," Jon nodded as he raised his hand to his mouth and licked his palm before bringing it close to the torch. "Grab my other hand and get us out of here when the lights go out."
Alyn did as Jon instructed and grabbed his left hand as Jon cupped the torch with his dampened hand seeming to snuff it out. Then slowly but surely all of the other torches also went out, leaving the cave in darkness.
Jon felt a tug and let himself be pulled along by Alyn through the dark cave.
While the Cave people could not see the escape, there was quite a ruckus as the cave suddenly went dark.
"What witchcraft is this?" a man's voice shouted from the darkness. "How could all of the torches go out at the same time? It's not natural!"
"It's never happened before!" a woman's voice shouted. "The Children must be stirring."
"If the Children are stirring then staying put is the best thing for us!" a different man's voice suggested. "We don't want to bring their wrath upon us by defying them if they have decided to take our light for the night!"
"What if it's not the Children that made it happen?" the woman countered while her voice shook. "What if it's the Others?"
"The Others haven't been seen for over 1000 years," the first man's voice argued. "What would they want with us now?"
"Maybe it's the boy?" The second man voiced. "When is the last time that we had a green southerner in these caves?"
Jon wanted to stay to listen to what the Cave People believed to be the reason that he could have brought the Others to their cave but he did not want to risk being separated from Alyn for fear that he would be left alone with the Cave People once they mastered their fears and started lighting their torches again.
After ten minutes of walking, Jon was able to make out the starry night sky in the distance through the mouth of the cave. From the whinnies that Jon was hearing, it seemed that the Cave People kept their horses housed in the mouth of the cave. Alyn made his way to the horses, keeping hold of Jon's hand to keep the pace up.
"Can you ride?" Alyn asked. "If we don't take the horses, then I don't think it likely that we will be able to get to Shadow Tower before the Cave People find us again. If they get to us before we get to the Shadow Tower then I doubt they will be forgiving about our escape."
"I'll manage," Jon answered while making his way to a horse that was already saddled. "I think I'll take this one."
"Suit yourself," Alyn responded while throwing a curious eye at Jon. "Though, I would expect that horse to have been ran pretty recently if it is still saddled. You would be better off with a fresh horse even though it would mean you have to get it saddled up."
Jon nodded and moved to a dark horse that seemed to blend in with the shadowy mouth of the cave. Looking around its pen, he found a saddle draped over one of the pen's walls. He unlocked the pen's gate and raised a hand for the horse to sniff.
The horse butted its nose against his palm and gave it a lick which Jon took as permission to proceed. With a heave he removed the saddle from the side of the pen and put it on the horses back before tightening the straps that secured the saddle on the underside of the horse and settling the bridle into position.
Pulling on the reigns, Jon led the horse from its pen to the place where Alyn was standing before putting his left foot in the stirrup and slinging his right leg over the back of the horse to mount himself. "Alright, let's get going."
Alyn did the same before responding. "Right then. Follow me and don't fall behind."
"I'll do my best," Jon answered while fighting off the blackness that threatened to swallow his vision. He leaned forward and whispered to the horse. "Alright, you, be sure to follow your brother."
Alyn set off at a very sedate pace with Jon following behind him. After a few minutes at that pace, Alyn seemed to determine that they had put enough distance between themselves as the slow trot gave way to a full-fledged gallop.
Jon held the reigns tightly and kept his legs tight around the horse's midsection. The moonlight revealed that the horse was of such a dark brown coloring on its body that it could be mistaken for black if not for the brownish sheen that could be seen as the light caught on the coat. The coloring on its legs was black as if it had waded through the inkiest black of pitch.
Jon tried to focus on the details of the scenery around him but it was an endeavor doomed to failure as, with each step, the darkness that had been encroaching on his vision since he had waken in the cave took more and more of his vision. Jon tried to call out to Alyn to let the Nights Watchman know of his weaning consciousness but that it was unlikely that he would be able to keep up the pace much longer with the effort that he was exerting to keep his seat on the galloping horse.
It was not to be, as Jon's vice failed him in that moment. With his last conscious thought, Jon thought of the feeling of magic he had felt in the cave when he struck the unpainted door with a blast of pure magic. He felt the magic building within his body as the seconds passed and gave one subconscious command to his body before being overcome by the darkness. "Do not fall."
Magic Manipulation +1,500
Flames +500
As the darkness had fallen upon Jon, it had also fallen upon Winterfell. While Robb and Sansa were well on their way to being considered as a man and woman grown respectively, Bran, Arya and Rickon were still children in body and mind. Though the mystery surrounding Jon's disappearance had hit the older Stark siblings it was much more difficult for the younger siblings.
As such, the Stark children had snuck into Robb's chambers to seek comfort in the night since they were considered to be too old to seek comfort in their parents' chambers at night. Robb's four siblings had piled onto his bed and were speaking of the subject that had caused what they assumed to be a fairly serious disagreement between their mother and father, if the frostiness between the two was anything to go by.
"Why did Jon have to go?" Bran asked. Rickon's head perked up at the mention of Jon's name. Though he was still not speaking in a manner that his mother approved of, the youngest Stark was clearly missing the older brother who had played with him and been so nice to him. "It isn't like him to just disappear."
Arya inclined her head at her little brother and scooted his way before speaking conspiratorially. "Jon has been acting strangely over the last month. All he does is train and read. I've followed him after he leaves the training grounds and almost every day he goes to Maester Luwin's chambers and stays there for hours reading boring old books."
"Unlike you, I appreciate that Jon is trying to become more cultured," Sansa said, causing her siblings to look to her in surprise. "He even helped me find Lady one afternoon when she had disappeared. He did not give me the details of what happened but, from the gash in his shirt, I suspect that Lady was in more trouble than just being lost in the Wolfswood."
Robb listened to Sansa's words and nodded. "Ever since he beat me in a spar it's like a different side of him has come out. While I have no doubt that he would still do anything to protect his family, it seems like every day he is pushing himself to his limits to become better."
"Jon is the greatest," Bran exclaimed with a gleam in his eye as he remembered the spectacle that Jon had caused in the training ground on the day that he had defeated Robb in the spar. "He is like one of the knights from the tales that mother sometimes tells from the South."
"Just like one of the knights from those tales, Jon took it upon himself to rescue Lady at nothing more than a simple request," Sansa agreed while turning her head to the side and seeming to get lost in the fantasy of being the pretty lady who was rescued by a gallant knight before looking slightly ashamed. "Even though I have been pretty awful to him since finding out what it meant for him to be a Snow."
Arya giggled at Sansa's confession. "You were pretty awful to him," she declared after regaining control of herself. "That he would brave danger for your sake just to make you happy again does sound like one of the knights that mother would speak of in her stories."
"That's just how Jon is," Robb added after a chuckle at Arya's remark. "He will be a good man when he's grown and father's looks become even more pronounced when he commits himself to his training."
Apparently the mention of Jon's resemblance to their father reminded Bran of his absence as the boy did not join in the merriment of his sisters. "Then why did he go?"
"Jon loves Winterfell," Arya promised, becoming serious. "He would never leave here without saying goodbye unless he was forced to go."
"Who would force Jon to leave?" Sansa questioned innocently. "Even if there are people who do not approve of how he came to be here, it is well known that father would not hear of sending him away."
"What if he was kidnapped?" Arya speculated wildly. "He looks like a younger version of father. Maybe someone saw him and thought that he was you, Robb. The firstborn son of the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North would fetch a handsome ransom. Mother always warned us to be wary of people who may try to steal us away from Winterfell."
Rob folded his hands together and looked on his knuckles as he appeared deep in thought to his sisters. "Jon has become more fearsome with a sword than any man in Winterfell. It is not likely that a man with the skill to capture him could have arrived at Winterfell without some word of his coming."
"Or her coming," Arya added while making a face at her eldest brother. "Girls can be just as good at swords as boys can be. I'm going to be the greatest swordswoman that Westeros has ever seen."
Robb chuckled and tousled Arya's hair as Jon would have done if he were there. "Aye, perhaps it was a swordswoman."
"What about that performer that you told me he seemed to get on with?" Sansa asked. "He would be the knight and she would be the princess; they could run off together, start a family and live out their days happily until they grow old together."
"Sansa, this is Jon we're talking about," Arya reminded while gently nudging her sister with her elbow. "There is no way that he would run off like one of the knights in those stories that you enjoy so much without telling us his plan first."
"If he didn't choose to leave and he wasn't made to leave then what other reason could there be that Robb, father, Theon and the other riders that went looking for him didn't find him?" Bran asked impatiently. "The best hunters in Winterfell couldn't hunt him down."
"What if it had something to do with that blast of light that passed through the castle?" Arya asked suspiciously. "I had never seen anything like that in my life."
"Who has ever heard of a flash of light causing someone to disappear?" Sansa raised her eyebrow critically. "It simply can't do such a thing."
"I'm not so sure, Sansa," Rob countered while thinking of where he was when the blast of light passed through Winterfell. "That didn't feel like normal light. When I felt it go through my body while I was sparring I felt more alive than I had ever felt before. It was like I was sleeping and the light somehow woke me up."
"I felt the same thing!" Arya exclaimed. "When the light passed through my body, I felt like I could do anything."
Sansa seemed unsure of herself at her siblings' words. "I don't know what I felt when the light passed through me. I was in such a state of shock that nothing else was registering in my mind."
"I felt as if I had just climbed the tallest tower in the world," Bran declared, seemingly forgetting how the siblings had arrived on the topic. "I felt like I could do anything."
"Me!" Rickon pointed to himself with a mischievous smile reminding his siblings that he was there too and perhaps trying to tell them that he had also felt something when the mysterious blast of light had passed through him.
"You too, Rickon?" Robb asked. "Well then, it sounds like we're in agreement that something strange is afoot. Maybe Jon's disappearance did have something to do with that blast of light, maybe it did not. I've learned that most of the adults would not hear more than a child's fantasy if we were to make such a suggestion without presenting evidence to back the claim."
Arya's face fell when Robb mentioned that, without proof, claiming that Jon's disappearance had something to do with the blast of light would be ignored by the grownups. "What if he's out there and he's hurt and there is nothing we can do to help him?"
"Then we hope that all of his training was good for something," Robb said in an attempt to console his youngest sister. "If there is anything that I know about Jon Snow it's that he would do everything to make his way back to Winterfell if he was taken by foul play."
"Jon will return to Winterfell," Arya stated with a determined look on his face. "Even if he had the misfortune to be born a bastard he is still a Stark. As father would say, Winter is Coming. The lone wolf dies while the pack survives. Jon is part of this pack. Even if he is separated from the pack for a time, I believe with all of my heart that he will return here, to us."
"After rescuing Lady, Jon as much as told me I was a Direwolf of Winterfell." Sansa breathed as she looked around in worry as if she was worried the words would be thrown back at her. "Father has always sad that, while the lone wolf dies, the pack survives. Jon is a part of his pack, so he will survive"
"I'm glad you are finally realizing that you and Jon are both members of the pack," Rob joked while looking at Sansa. "If I'd known that was what it would take, I would have done so years ago."
"You would have had to go across the Wall to get a Direwolf." Bran said seemingly missing the joke. "There hadn't been a direwolf seen south of the Wall in 700 years before Jon found our direwolves. Maybe you would have run into Uncle Benjen."
"Right you are Bran," Robb agreed while bumping his shoulder into his younger brother amicably. "Though I doubt any Stark besides Uncle Benjen will be going north of the Wall anytime soon."
Meanwhile, north of the Wall, two horses were approaching the massive silhouette of the Shadow Tower.
"Oi, look sharp," Alyn ordered in a sharp voice. "We're almost there."
Jon stirred for the first time in hours. "Wha?" he asked as he tried to regain his bearings. "Where are we?"
"We made it to Shadow Tower," Alyn responded while keeping his eyes focused on the tower. "You best get your wits about you if you want Ser Denys Mallister and Maester Mullin to let you into the tower."
"Just get me off this horse and I can deal with anything else." Jon said while trying to adjust himself in the saddle. Though the inadvertent magic that he had cast had stuck him to the horse, it had done nothing to assure his comfort over the leagues that the pair had traveled. "I would give all the treasure in Xaro Xhoan Daxos' main treasure chamber for a bed and a place to rest properly."
"I've never heard that name before but with a name like that you better have plenty of gold to back you up." Alyn answered while giving Jon a look that clearly asked where he had heard of such a person. "You should know that men of the Nights Watch swear off holding any kind of titles if you are thinking about bribing the lord of the Shadow Tower and the Maester that advises him."
Jo shook his head while still attempting to regain his bearings. "I have no intention of bribing anyone. It was just a turn of speech."
"Well you had better to give the pair a better explanation than that for how you came to be he prisoner of the Cave People if you ever expect to leave. "Though with concern for numbers, it is just as likely that Ser Denys has you says the words before hearing anything that you might have to say."
"I wouldn't dream of trying to bribe a man of the Nights Watch," Jon was stupefied by Alyn's assertion. "My uncle would never hear of it and I would not dishonor my father with such an action."
"Of course," Alyn nodded. "A member of the Stark family would never do something so deplorable. Still remember yourself and try to limit how much time you spend talking of how you came into the company of the Cave People and how we escaped as possible."
"I have nothing to hide!" Jon protested with a dull indignity though, after the words had left his mouth, he realized that it was not exactly true. "Why would I have to bribe men of the Nights Watch? My father is most likely of all the lords in the Seven Kingdoms in the seven kingdoms to send men to bolster the ranks of the Nights Watch."
"So you think you're better than us young Stark?"
"I'm no Stark," Jon stated brutally, "but I would never sully the name of Stark by attempting such a thing."
Alyn's brow furrowed at Jon's words. "You defended the Stark name but you did not deny that you think you're better than us?"
"A man is only worth what he brings to a treaty," Jon countered as the two drew steadily closer to a massive gate in the Wall. "I have no intention of hiding behind a name."
"Well that's good." Alyn said with a brief nod. "Ser Denys would not suffer a highborn whelp who thought to use his birth as a means to gain standing in the eyes of the Watch."
Jon let out an exasperated breath at the fact that the man that he helped escape from the aggressions of the Wildlings would think him nothing better than a young man seeking glory. "I have done nothing to deserve such suspicion. Since being captured by the Cave People, I have never done anything against you. I freed you from your bonds and then noticed the runes that made it possible for us to get passed the Wildling group without battle."
The two had finally made their way to the gate of the Shadow Tower and they heard the shout, "What business do you have with the Shadow Tower. You may be dressed like Brothers of the Nights Watch but all members of the Nights Watch would know to give the signal before coming upon the door."
"It is Alyn Ryswell, accompanied by friend to the Watch, Jon Snow." Alyn's voice boomed from their position. "Get your twats moving and open the gate."
Though there was not an immediate reaction to Ayln's words, after a log sixty seconds, there was a creaking sound from the wall.
Alyn looked to the disheveled youth that had helped him escape his captivity before saying two words.
"Come on."
AN: Points that I tried to address: 1. How people are taking the spread of magic across Westeros. 2. How people are seeing Jon's journey to be the very best (duh, duh, duh, duh) like no one ever was. 3. Jon's lack of challenge at Winterfell. 4. The progression of the plot. Please let me know your thoughts by reviewing. Even though I don't always respond to reviews directly, I read them ALL and definitely try to give you the answer to your question through the story.