Game of Thrones

Blood Betrayal

The White King: Chapter 4

"Looks like we're The Night's Watch now."

They called this place Whitetree. The closest wilding village to the wall, a huge Weirwood, with a bone white trunk dominated the village, a laughing blood red face carved into the woods thousands of years ago. Whitetree. The Freefolk called things how they saw them, there was no pretence here. Jon always felt a kinship with the Freefolk for that, no ceremony or pretence, their words meant something. It had taken them days to drag the stone back here. White Tree had become a gathering point for the Freefolk. Its true they like to wander, and in time they would go further, and claim all of this untamed land, but for now it was winter, and they had lost so much. The freefolk had a hope for spring, so did he, at least he did, before the burning star fell to earth. He sat in a small wooden shack, a small fire burned, keeping the winter bite away. Jon sat in a chair, looking at the large black stone, the reflection of the flame danced across its oily black surface. Ghost lay at his feet, enjoying the warmth of the fire. The rickety door to the shack creaked open, Tormund stepped into the dim glow, Ghost reared his head up for a moment, and immediately lay back down when he saw it was a friend. Jon continued to stare at the stone.

Tormund pulled up a chair and sat opposite Jon, the oily black stone between them. He let out a sigh "You've hardly said a word since we found you. You just sit there, staring at that rock. I know you, I've fought with you… and against you, I've followed you into war, and beyond the wall to peace. Tell me Snow, what is it that troubles you so."

Jone raised his eyes from the stone for a moment and then carried on staring at it "I touched the stone after it landed, i saw things… visions. The Great War is not over… Winterfell was only one battle… It's still winter. The Long Night may yet come."

Tormund breathed out heavily "The Night King is dead… your sister killed him… took his whole army with him. His wights… his walkers… his dragon. We won Snow, the living prevailed."

"Aye… Arya killed him, but it's not over. I've seen it."

Tormund nodded "You were out in the cold by yourself for a long time, we all felt that star hit the ground, you were close to it, maybe it knocked you senseless… who knows what you dreamt."

"It wasn't a dream. It started before the star hit. Tormund, how many wargs have you known?"

"Too many." He sneered as it took a drink from his horn

"Have you ever seen them become their beasts?"

"They all become their beasts Snow." He passed the horn over, Jon hesitated before he drank from the horn and passed it back "That's the point."

"I don't just mean live inside the beasts, I mean actually turn into them… transform."

Tormund laughed slightly "There hasn't been a real skin changer for thousands and thousands of years… warging is all that is left of it."

"I saw a Tiger, with two razor sharp teeth…"

"What's a tiger?" Tormund asked taking another drink

"They're from the East… the very far East, I saw a picture of one in a book when I was a boy."

"And you think this tiger walked all the way here." Tormund asked with a raised eyebrow "That doesn't seem likely… what do these tigers look like?"

"They're big cats." Jon sighed "White fur, black stripes… big teeth."

"You saw a snow cat." Tormund laughed "Not many left but you see them from time to time."

"It wasn't a snow cat." Jon sighed in frustration "It was big…"

"You saw a big snow cat." Tormund interrupted him

"It was too big to be a snow cat." Jon snapped back "It was huge."

"You're a very small man." Tormund shrugged "Everything is huge to you."

Jon shot him an unimpressed look "It was a tiger." He said definitely, Tormund rolled his eyes and held up his hands in surrender "It turned into a woman."

"And what was this woman like?"

"Pale white skin…. Pale white hair… purple eyes… though for a second they were…"

"Blue?" Tormund asked the fear present in his voice "You're saying you saw a Walker?"

"No" Jon shook his head "She wasn't the same as a Walker, but she wasn't different either. All I know is that her and her beast were one and the same, she told me to follow the burning star, and it fell to earth."

"Anyone else told me that…" Tormund sighed in frustration "... i'd think them mad, or drunk. But i've seen you come back from the dead, I've seen you ride a fucking dragon, and I've seen you find a fallen star. So I will listen to you Snow… what did the star show you?"

"Everything… " Jon's voice was empty "... but I saw into the heart of winter, the source of the Night King's powers… the darkness in the world. It came from the far North. The Night King is gone, but the power that made him is still here… its coming back."

"It's here… In the North?" Tormund spoke nervously

"No… it's gone South. But I dont think it's staying there. Not now it can fly"

"Fly?" Tormund asked confused "A dragon?"

Jon swallowed hard, he looked up from the stone, straight into the eyes of his friend "A raven."

Tormund's eyes widened "Your brother?" He gasped

"Aye… whatever has happened between Bran and the Nightking…I think part of him lives on in Bran."

"He sees everything." Tormund spoke ominously

"Aye… he knows I know." Jon nodded "This war is not over. This fallen star is important… I don't know how yet… I just need to get back to The Wall."

"You're a deserter." Tormund reminded him "The crows will kill you."

"There aren't many crows left." Jon gave a hollow laugh

"Even so, you won't be going alone." Tormund reached out and put a hand on his shoulder "You brought the Freefolk south of The Wall. They know you saved them, they know you came back from the dead, they know you rode a dragon, they followed you into battle twice, and they followed you back here. Like it or not Snow, you are King Beyond the Wall. And if this Long Night isn't over, they won't trust anyone else to lead them."

"Why do you think I left.?" Jon Snapped "I don't want to be your King, I…"

Tormund held up a hand to stop Jon "It's not up to you King Crow." Jon gave an uneasy nod "So we take you back to Castle Black?"

"No" Jon shook his head "We make for The Nightfort. I'm not sure why, but I need to go there."

"Very well, The Nightfort it is." Tormund nodded "Even with The Smallfolk and The Watch, you do not have much of a fighting force. You are not the only one in The North with a Crown. Your brother is not the only Stark with a Crown."

"Sansa…" Jon whispered "... No, not yet."

"You can't run away from her forever." Tormund chided him "Not when we need her. It's about time you faced up to things… You followed that Dragon Queen when she sacked that stinking city… you still followed her after she killed all those people. You didn't stick your knife through her heart until she threatened to burn Winterfell."

"Sansa and Arya are my sisters…."

"Except they're not are they… Aegon?" Tormund looked straight into his eyes "I was there in Castle Black when you were reunited….she's kissed by fire that one, don't tell me you dont like that."

"I loved Daenerys…"

"Aye… you loved her. And now she's dead. You need The Queen in The North Snow."

Jon looked back at the stone for a moment "We march for The Nightfort tomorrow. We'll send word once we get there."

…..

The oily black stone sat on cart, the hundreds of Wildlings following the cart took it in turns to touch the star that fell to Earth. They followed the cart in a long column, the last of the fighting men of the freefolk, spearwives marched alongside them. They had been joined by a few survivors who managed to hide from the Night King's march. Two adolescent giants amongst them, several feet taller than even the largest of The Freefolk, but still not fully grown.

At the head of this band, on horseback, with a direwolf between their mounts, Jon Snow and Tormund Giantsbane lead the Freefolk out of the Haunted forest they had led them through barely a year earlier. As Jon's horse trotted out from the canopy of the wild looming trees, a sprinkling of Snow fell upon him. He looked up at the seven hundred foot behemoth that stood before him, the post he had abandoned, he was back at The Wall, and he knew his watch was just beginning.