Feel like it's going well so far ! Chapter 2 is already ready for you so here you go! I'll probably get these up one chapter a day during week days (so think mon-fri around 12pm EST). My weekends are always sporadic so if you don't get one Saturday or Sunday I promise I'm working hard !
Tormund had woken Jon early to ask him to go hunting with a few of their clansmen, but he had chosen to stay. He snuck in and out of breakfast, getting a hand full of nods and bows as he grabbed his food and then headed back to his room. He ate alone and cleaned his mess from the previous night before headed out to explore Widows Keep. The snow had melted a lot during their march north, and more and more green seemed to return. It was even warm enough for Jon to walk the homestead without his heavy black pelt. He kept watch as the clan they came North with traded and offered assistance to the woman of the keep. He wondered long enough before finally finding Rosemary by a well.
"Good morning, Snow." Rosemary greeted Jon with a big smile. A sign to him that no one heard his mental breakdown the night before. She was carrying a large wood basin of water, and she could see the confused face he made when he noticed it. "It's for the new mom, hard to bathe yourself after you birth a new babe."
"Need help?" Jon offered out his hand to carry the basin for her, but Rosemary nodded no.
"No offense, my Lord, but I haven't needed a man's help in a long time." Rosemary smiled at the way Jon chuckled, he understood the kind of woman she was and the respect between them was well in check. Looking past him, Rosemary nodded her head for him to look back. He turned to see a small fenced-in space with a little hut in the middle. "Parsley might need some help though. She's taken over Gilly job of caring for the rabbits, and to be honest she's quite terrible at it."
Jon smiled, nodding goodbye to Rosemary before making his way over to the rabbit pen. As he got closer he could faintly hear Parsley's voice coming from the little hut. he entered the gated pen and then opened the little hut to find Parsley on the floor struggling to take a rabbits life.
Jon couldn't help but laugh. She wasn't at all a child but she sure did look like one. "You look like you could use some help."
Parsley shook her head no, "The new mum from the other clan doesn't want pheasant. She wants rabbit. Rosemary told me to kill a rabbit for her."
He got down to her level and watched as the rabbit squirmed in her hand, at this rate she'd at least strangle it eventually. "Even a rabbit deserves a quicker death than.. whatever you're doing here."
Parsley held down the rabbit for a little longer and Jon could see the pain in her face that it brought her. It got to the point where she even started to get a touch teary-eyed, which was enough to make Jon stop her. He placed his hand on Parsley's and she let go of the rabbit, who ran off to the corner of the hut. She sniffled a bit then rubbed the tears from her eyes, "I don't like the killing bit."
Jon sighed heavy, "Neither do I."
Parsley looked up at Jon, inspecting him, "But you look like you're good at it."
People like doing what they're good at.
"Doesn't mean I like it." He tried to smile, but it was hard. Her words dug deep into his chest, like nails into the skin.
Parsley could see his face go grim and changed the topic. "I heard you've seen Gilly."
Jon wiped the expression off his face happy to talk about something else. "I have. She married now, to my best friend. They live in a beautiful castle and are expecting another baby."
"I imagine they have good midwives in this fancy castle." Parsley smiled.
Jon stood up and offering a hand to help Parsley. "Not as good as Rosemary, I'm sure."
Completely forgetting about the rabbits, Parsley followed Jon out if the hut. She continued to express her love for Gilly, giving Jon the impression that they were once very close. Which made sense, since Parsley also was born from Sage. He followed her as she talked back to the main house, where lunch was being served.
"Parsley there you are! Rosemary's looking for that rabbit!" The girl who approached them looked exactly identical to Parsley. Jon had no idea she had a twin.
"She can eat pheasant like the rest of us." Parsley crossed her arms, looking at her feet as she pouted.
Her sister stared back frustrated. "But Rosemary said rabbit."
"You want the rabbit so bad, you go kill it." Parsley kept calm for the most part, still refusing to look her sister in the eye. Without a word her twin huffed and stomped off, slamming the door behind them. Once she was gone Parsley sighed, rubbing her face with both hands. "I'm sorry, Thyme has no manners.."
"Time?" Jon questioned.
Parsley chuckled, "No Thyme.. like the herb."
"Right," Jon questioned for a moment Sages particular baby naming methods but figured it's hard to name all those babies especially alone. Without goodbyes, Jon started to head back to his room but without missing a step Parsley followed. She followed for a while without saying a word, which impressed Jon now that she realized how talkative she was.
"So.. no lunch for you today?" She asked to break the tension of her trailing along.
Jon's reply was a bit more curt then he wanted it to be. "Probably not.."
"Right.." She slowed for only a moment but then picked up her pace till she was walking side by side with Jon. "Will you be staying with us for a long time?"
Jon glanced at her, there was a different twinkle in her eye than before. For a moment he wondered if this sweet girl was already infatuated with him after what was hardly a day of knowing him. "I don't know, Tormund is scouting the best location now. Somewhere that isn't too far away but far enough to keep the peace. Its a hard thing relocating a clan of his size."
"Oh..." Parsley played with her skirt as she followed him, "Well... no rush though, right? You're always welcome here for as long as you need."
"Thank you, Parsley." He chuckled as they finally reached his room. "I'll see you later, right?"
She smiled much bigger now, "Right! I'll see you later Jo-.. my Lord." She shook her head, probably embarrassed, and hurried off as quick as possible. As Jon entered his room and shut the door behind him he took a deep breath. Being 'okay' in front of people was emotionally exhausting.
He had been alone in that room for a long time. Not fully sleeping, but just trying to keep calm and relaxed. Jon never fully slept anymore so it was strange when a knock at his door still managed to make him jump.
The first few knocks were softer and timider, but the second was much stronger and seemed to be frantic. Jon finally got up and went for the door, standing on the other side was Tormund and Parsley.
"He said I took too long to get you.." Parsley sheepishly told him, her hands fiddling with the with her dress.
Jon looked at Tormund with a touch of frustration. "What is it?"
"There's someone here... and you're going to want to see them." Tormund's voice was stern but posture gave away that something was wrong.
Jon went back to grab his sword and sheath and then together the three of them walked to the main room. Standing in the middle of the large room was Sage, Rosemary and much to his surprise: a red priestess.
The red priestess was the first to turn around, a smile on her face as she bowed. "Jon Snow."
"I'm sorry... I don't think I've met you before." Jon was taken aback. A part of him felt that she was a good omen, the other felt she was bad news.
"No of course not." She pointed at her chest, her movements were airy and elegant. "My name is Kinvara. High Priestess of the Red Temple of Volantis, the Flame of Truth, the Light of Wisdom, and First Servant of the Lord of Light."
Tormund stood side by side with Jon, one hand on the hilt of his blade. "Aye, we've had our run-ins with your kind. So what is it that you want?"
Kinvara smirked, "Only to do the Lord's work, I promise."
"And what is it that the Lord of Light wants from us now?" Jon face had a sort of grimace to it now, "I've done my part for your Lord already."
"Oh no Jon, you're part in his plan is still unfolding even as we speak." Kinvara approached the two men, glancing between the two of them. "There is still so much for you to do, and only so much time for it to be done."
Tormund was getting annoyed by her lack of clarity. "What are you going on about now?"
"I've seen things in his flames, great wars, bittersweet victories, uneasy farewells, and agonizing reunions." She chuckled and the way she looked at Jon made him uncomfortable. "And in all these visions there is one constant that never changes, a balance in the world. Ice.. and fire."
"What are you saying?" Jon could feel his heart start to pick up and suddenly he was stressed and anxious.
"The world was not ready for the end of Daenerys Targaryen, and neither is the Lord of Light." At her words, Jons heart really started to race. No one had spoken that name in months, and hearing it now at this moment he didn't know what to feel. "The Lord has sent me to you so that together we can bring back the Mother of Dragons and restore order."
"The Dragon Queen was killed because she brought disorder," Tormund got aggressive when Jon couldn't even speak, he knew his friend was angry for him. "What Jon did, he did for the realm."
"The Lord of Light thinks otherwise, and as long as she stays dead the ice will continue to consume the world. Kinvara spoke her words as if they were already written in stone. "This is your second chance, your only second chance to make things right."
Finally, Rosemary butted into the conversation, "The Night King has been defeated and the Long Night is over. Spring has finally come True North. There is no more ice."
"What are the words of your mother's house, my Lord? Winter is Coming? You know winter always returns, and if it returns to a world with Fire and Blood the light of this world could truly go out forever." Kinvara's knowledge of Jon's true lineage took him for a loop.
Suddenly Jon's ears started ringing. The argument that seemed to form in his hour started to become just a bunch incoherent words as Jon's head became to spin. He was just trying to understand what was going on. Kinvara was trying to tell him she was here to revive her, but that didn't make sense. Jon killed her for the greater good. For the protection of the realm.
He did what needed to be done. What he had to do. He had no other choice. There were no other options. What he did was the right thing to do.
Wasn't it?
"Enough!" Jon yelled, getting all the bickering to stop. "I.. I murdered her for the realm. What is done is done. This is how it had to be. I had no choice." Jon's words shook out of his mouth, at this point he was visibly shaking. "I-I can't just… bring her back. Like nothing happened... For what?" Jon took a deep breath, trying to hold in the tears as best as he could "Then what was it all for?"
Kinvara put a hand on Jon's cheek, her smile now a lot softer. "For this moment. Whatever wrongs you did you can make right, isn't that more important?"
Jon looked from face to face at those that surrounded him. He couldn't take this pressure. This choice was too much. "I-I can't.." Jon turned around and rushed back to his room. He was sure he heard either Parsley or Sage call for him to come back but his feet could only take him forward. He moved so quick that at one point he was realized he was running back. When he reached his destination he didn't waste time opening his door and slamming it shut behind him. Once he stopped moving, his hands over his head as he stared at the door, all the emotions caught up with him. Jon started to sob. He didn't deserve a second chance, yet here it was at his door begging him to let it in. A few moments later a bang on the door startled him.
"Snow!" It was Tormund. He banged again when Jon didn't immediately open the door. "Alright fine. Don't open the door, but your gonna listen to me, Crow, so listen good!" Jon sucked in the tears, listening to his friends' words. "For as long as I've known you, you have done nothing for yourself. Every stupid decision you have made has been for the realm and its people, and look where it's got you!" He could hear Tormund growl in frustration from the other side of the door. There was a moment or two of silence, but then his voice broke through again. "Maybe it's time to make some stupid decisions for yourself. Be greedy for a change, little crow, you deserve it."
Tormund's last words radiated with him. Jon could hear the heavy footsteps of his friend walking away just as his own breath seemed to calm down. Everything he's done has been for the greater good of others, maybe it was worth just for this one moment to be greedy.
What did he have to lose?