Princess and the Bastard
Castle Black
Ch 21
When Dany had envisioned the Wall, she had pictured a great structure of gleaming white ice, glittering under the sun. However, as they approached on their winged mounts with the orange sun sinking into the horizon, it appeared a dirty shade of grey. Impressive nonetheless, the great barrier stretched on forever.
Little Aemon had long since fallen asleep, his cheek warm against her chest, and she kissed the top of his head. "We're almost there, sweetling."
"It's not as cold as I thought it would be," Arya said from atop Rhaegal.
"That's because you're on the back of a fire breathing dragon, little sister," Jon replied indignantly. "Tell me it's not that cold once you're at the very top in the dead of the night."
"I'll take that wager," Arya said. "And if I win, you have to take me beyond the Wall. Do you think there are giants? Or ice spiders?!"
"The only place I'll be taking you is back to Winterfell. Remember, this is a dangerous place."
Dany snickered. Jon and Arya's banter had been a welcome diversion during the long day of riding. Muscles stiff, she shifted in her seat uncomfortably, eager to stretch her weary limbs. They'd stopped a few times along the way to attend to Aemon, the wild terrain of the northern kingdom growing colder the further they went. Traveling with Aemon turned out to be easier than they'd expected, the babe soothed to sleep whenever they were in the air.
A short distance ahead, Rhaegal began to descend as Castle Black came into view. Unlike any castle she had ever seen, this castle had no outer walls for protection save for the Wall to the north. Snow covered the tops of the stone towers and timbered keeps and excitement rushed through her.
A group of men were gathered in the yard as they touched down with lurching thuds. Barristan's white armor and Ghost's shining white fur stood in stark contrast to the other men dressed in black. The knight offered assistance as Dany climbed down from her scaly mount, and Little Aemon's head popped up. His eyes were red and heavy from sleep, and he looked about with confusion until he saw Ser Barristan. Aemon cooed and gave the knight a gummy grin.
"Little Prince," he said with a bow of his head.
"He remembers you well, Ser," Dany said.
Jon patted Ghost's head before whisking their son out of her hold. "Welcome to Castle Black, Dany," he said offering his arm.
First among those awaiting their arrival was a wrinkled old man wearing a black robe and the chain of a maester. He had thin white hair and clouded, milk white eyes. Aemon Targaryen, she thought as she clutched Jon's arm.
"Uncle Aemon," Jon greeted him.
"Jon Snow," he replied. "When I heard the leathern crack of dragon wings, I thought I might still be dreaming. My brother, Egg, would have loved to see them, he dreamed of them too. Is that my namesake I hear now?"
"Aye, he's travelled a long way to meet you." Jon smiled down at little Aemon as he babbled at Ghost now standing beside them like a sentry. "May I also introduce you to your niece, Daenerys."
Dany swallowed. "Uncle… I am so pleased to finally meet you."
Aemon's smile was bright and disarming and as he reached out to take her hand, Dany's eyes stung with tears.
"You cannot know what comfort it brought me that you were not alone," he said. "And what joy to learn of the light you brought into the world." He squeezed her hand gently before letting go. "I hope you'll join me in the Maester's quarters once you've settled. We can speak more privately there. Jon still knows the way, I should think."
Her spirits were flying. "I would like that, Uncle."
Jon met Theon Greyjoy next with a curt nod. "How are you finding the Wall, Greyjoy?"
Theon shrugged. "It could use more women and better ale."
"Should Castle Black become too rough for you, I trust you know the way back to Winterfell," Jon said before moving on.
Beside Theon was an older man with grey streaks running through his black hair. His eyes were black too and there wasn't a trace of mirth on his face.
"Daenerys, this is Ser Alliser. He's master-at-arms here at the Watch."
Ser Alliser knelt before them, and Jon's eyebrows rose high on his forehead.
"Your Grace. My Queen. Were I not bound by my oath to the Night's Watch, I would serve you faithfully as I did your family before you. It was the honor of my life to fight for your house…" He gave Ser Barristan a sharp look before adding, "Until the bitter end."
Jon was dumbstruck. He'd shared many harsh words about Ser Alliser Thorne and now the man was kneeling before them in reverence.
"I am glad to meet you, Ser," Dany interjected. "Your bravery shall not be forgotten."
Jon's face lit up as they moved along to a group of four young men. One was much larger than the others, round and soft like Lord Manderly. Samwell Tarly, she guessed.
"Good to see you lot are still alive," Jon said happily, giving each of them one armed hugs while still holding his son. He reached out to Dany. "This is my wife, Daenerys… and this of course is Aemon… Daenerys this is Ed, Sam, Grenn, and Pypar."
"Grenn's the ugly one," the smaller man japed.
"At least I don't have ears like a bat!" The taller man spit back. Grenn, she assumed.
"I'm happy to be in your company," Dany added, biting the inside of her cheek. "Jon's told me so much about all of you."
"Never thought we'd see you again," Grenn said to Jon. "And not flying through the sky on a dragon."
Ed clapped Jon on the back. "Dragons, a pretty girl, and the world at your feet. Why in seven hells did you come back here?"
Jon barked out a laugh. "We heard you could use the help."
"We're glad you're here," Sam said. "It's not been the same since you left."
Sadness transformed Jon's features. "I received word that Commander Mormont was betrayed just before we left. What happened?"
"Murdered," Ser Alliser said bluntly. "By craven turncloaks."
Jon scowled, his jaw becoming a hardline. "Who?"
"Karl Tanner, and Rast," Ed said. "They're holding up at Craster's Keep. Enjoying his food... and his daughters."
Grenn shook his head. "Poor girls. Bet they never thought they'd miss their father."
"It'd be wise to bring them to justice before Mance and his men find them," Ed added. "Who knows what secrets they'd tell."
"Aye," Jon replied grimly. "Let's see what Tanner and Rast make of dragons."
After Jon had made the decision to leave the Night's Watch, he thought he had laid eyes on the Wall for the last time. Now he found himself back there at the edge of the world, surrounded by the three most important people in his life, as they gazed in wonder at an endless snow covered forest.
Arya wore a wide grin, her hands laid out over the top, grey eyes drinking up the wild lands beyond. "Now I've been to the top of the Wall and rode a dragon. Not even Robb has done that! I can't wait to tell Bran." She raised an eyebrow at Jon. "And it's not as cold as I thought it would be up here either. You have to take me beyond the Wall!"
Jon rolled his eyes. "I think not, little sister."
Dany's hood was pulled over her head, her nose and cheeks having turned pink, as she stood back from the edge with Aemon bundled up in her arms."Does it snow often?" she asked. "I'd like to see the snow fall."
Her question tugged at his heart. "Aye," he said, kissing her forehead. "I promise you'll see it snow." Little Aemon hummed in dismay as Jon lifted him from his mother's arms. "Look," he told his son. "The haunted forest... and out there past all those trees is the Land of Always Winter."
There was a loud squawk and a rustling of black feathers as a great raven landed on the Wall before them. "Snow!" the bird shrieked. "Snow! Snow! Snow!"
Jon jumped, holding little Aemon protectively. "Where in seven hells did you come from?"
Dany drew to his side instantly.
"That's a big raven," Arya said, resting her hands on her knees to get a closer look. "He'd be worth a lot of coin in Flea Bottom."
Jon blew out a breath. "It's Mormont's old raven…"
"Corn!" the raven demanded. "Corn! Corn! Corn!"
Little Aemon giggled in delight, squirming about and reaching after dark feathers.
"You like that dusty old bird?" Jon asked, the joy on Aemon's face lightening his mood. "Shall we go find some corn for him?"
"Corn!" The bird chirped as it landed Jon's shoulder. "Corn, corn, corn."
Dany whisked little Aemon back into her arms. "That is a strange raven."
"Let's get back down below," he said, shooing the bird away. "We'll find him some corn another time."
Ser Barristan was standing dutifully outside of the iron cage as the winch brought them back to the castle grounds. The knight would entertain his little sister while he and Dany attended to business of their own.
Jon led his wife and son through the grounds, past new recruits in the training yard and men toiling with various tasks. Eyes lingered too long for his liking, and he shot threatening glares at the most brazen onlookers. His shoulders relaxed when they reached the rookery above Uncle Aemon's stout wooden keep.
Little Aemon squealed at the ravens surrounding them in their cages. Uncle Aemon and Sam were there already, Sam tossing pieces of raw meat to the hungry birds.
Dany's face was alight with happiness as she greeted her uncle. "I think my son has developed a fondness for ravens."
Uncle Aemon laughed. "So like dragons, birds are, and safer to handle."
All the Targaryens left in the world were together now, and a quiet contentment spread through him. Lingering longer than he meant to, Jon nodded to Ghost who lay curled at Dany's feet before pulling himself away and making his way to the common hall with Sam.
Fond memories of times spent with his would-be brothers came flooding back as they made their way. It was warm inside the hall, the smell of mulled wine filled the air as brothers diced and drank around them. They sat near the fire with mugs of ale.
"You can't know how happy I am to see you again, Jon," Sam said. "I knew you were meant for greater things."
"I'm glad to see you again too, Sam. I'm sorry for the way I left… I didn't know what to say, only that I needed to leave."
Sam averted his eyes. "It's alright. I can't imagine what it was like… learning something like that. And you're a husband now… and a father… didn't take long, did it?"
Jon laughed and shook his head. "I don't deserve them."
"I can't understand it though…" Sam leaned closer. "If I were you, I'd never have returned to this place."
"Daenerys and I came here to help… something dark is coming."
"You don't need to tell us, Jon… wait until you learn the things we've seen."
Jon was surrounded by familiar faces in the hall, but those who weren't present were also on his mind. "The Lord Commander is truly gone. I keep expecting to see him come around a corner."
"Yes," Sam nodded somberly. "And I shudder to think who will take his place."
"Alliser Thorne?"
"A dreadful thought."
"He's a hard man, but he's brave and capable. Could be a fine commander," Jon said.
Sam's eyes grew wide. "Never thought I'd hear you praise Ser Alliser."
Jon took a swig of the bitter ale. "Tell me everything that's happened since I've been away. Tell me what you saw beyond the Wall."
Sam blushed as he told him of Craster's Keep and a Wildling girl named Gilly he brought back with him.
"The babe… is it yours?" Jon whispered.
"No!" Sam said quickly. "She was pregnant when I helped her escape… said her son would be killed if she stayed."
"Killed?"
"Craster has many daughters, but no sons… he sacrificed them to the gods."
Jon grimaced. "What of the dead?"
Sam told him of the vile Craster and his keep of daughter-wives, of walking deadmen, wildling attacks, mutiny and his own slaying of a white walker with a dagger of dragon glass. His once craven friend had found his bravery when he needed it most, to protect someone he loved. Jon had never been able to relate to him more.
"You've changed, Sam."
"You've no idea. Without Maester Aemon's mercy, they might have branded me an oath breaker." Sam reached into a pocket and handed Jon a crude dagger with a black rippling blade. "This is one of the daggers we found at the Fist of the First Men. Take it and keep it close if you mean to go out there. The children of the forest used to gift a hundred obsidian daggers to the Watch every year."
"How do you know that?"
"I read-"
"You read it in a book. Of course, why did I ask? What else have you read about them? Do they have other weaknesses? What about dragon fire?"
"I haven't read anything about the Others and dragon fire… I wonder if anyone's ever tried?"
"Keep searching. I don't think we have much time." He told Sam of Dany's dreams and what they learned at Greywater Watch.
"If three dragons cannot save us, I don't know if anything else will," Sam said wearily. "We need you here. I'm glad you've come."
Little Aemon turned about in her arms, trying for a better view of the winged black creatures around him. Uncle Aemon's face lit up as Aemon squealed and babbled. "Might I hold him?" he asked.
"Of course, Uncle." The smile fell off little Aemon's face as he was placed in the lap of someone unfamiliar, and Dany braced herself for his cry. Uncle Aemon touched his small round face, and the babe cooed, reaching out to do the same.
Uncle Aemon laughed. "We Targaryens know each other, don't we little one?" Sadness clouded his features then. "It's hard to be so old. And harder still to be so blind. What color is his hair?"
"It's dark like Jon's…and he has violet eyes."
Maester Aemon's smile returned. "A perfect prince. I counseled Jon that love was the death of duty. What is honor compared to a woman's love? What is duty against the feel of a newborn son in your arms? It seems he brought you with him to reconcile the two."
Hope sprung in her heart to be in the presence of another person who could truly understand her. "I've had dreams uncle… dreams of death, betrayal… of the dead walking beyond the Wall and an unending winter… and before that… I used to dream of dragons… of Jon…"
"I see dragons in my dreams too, Daenerys… I hear the beating of their wings and feel the heat of their breath on my skin... My brothers dreamt of them… each and every one… their dreams killed them… but not you."
She told him of Greywater Watch and the strange creature they'd met. "What do you think it means, uncle?"
"Prophecies are often such that no living man can interpret. Your brother Rhaegar tried, and so he did not see what was happening around him. Your dreams brought you here. Perhaps that is all you need to know."
Little Aemon's chest rose and fell peacefully inside his crib. His dark wisps of hair were growing longer and beginning to curl like his father's. Dany brushed her hand softly across his chubby cheek. "Do you think he'll get too cold in the night?"
"No," Jon said, scratching Ghost's ear from where the wolf lay beside the crib. "He has the North in his blood." He offered her a smirk. "I'm more worried about you."
Leaving her son with a final kiss goodnight, she climbed into their bed with Jon following close behind. The room was darker and more plainly furnished than their cozy chambers in Winterfell, and the floor was cold even with a fire burning in the hearth. Still, it was not the worst castle they had visited in Westeros.
She shivered and curled into her husband's warmth. "We're finally here… white walkers… deserters… rangers lost beyond the Wall… Where do we even start?" Jon welcomed her into his embrace and her body calmed.
"Those who killed the Lord Commander are still out there...The deserters need to be dealt with... If the wildlings find them, there's no telling what secrets they might tell."
"Dreamfyre and Rhaegal would make short work of them."
"Without a doubt."
"You'll not try to stop me?"
"I've given up on stopping you."
Dany hummed in satisfaction. "Good." Her eyes turned about the room. "So this is where you'd be if you'd not gone to Essos."
He snorted. "No, I'd not be staying in the King's Tower. My sleeping cell was in Hardin's tower."
"The broken one with a lean to it?"
Jon chuckled. "I didn't mind."
She laid her head against his shoulder. "It's not as lonely as I imagined… You're surrounded by friends here… even Ser Alliser… I thought you said he hated you?"
"No one is more surprised than me… He was sent to the Wall for his loyalty to our family… If either of us had known what we know now, I think our first meeting would have gone differently."
"You've charmed him. You seem to have that effect on people. I think it must be your pretty hair."
Jon's eyes narrowed at her, pursing his lips to hold back a smile, and she giggled at his distress.
"You think that's funny, do you?" He asked, wriggling his fingers into her ribs. "If anyone's charmed him, it's you."
"No!" She squeaked, twisting herself up in the bedding. "Stop! You'll wake the baby."
He snorted at her pitiful excuse but halted his assault and pulled her flush against him. "Using our son to fight your battles?"
Aemon was a sobering thought as she caught her breath. "We'll have to leave him…"
Jon was silent for a moment. "Not for long… He'll have Ser Barristan and Ghost to protect him and Uncle Aemon and Arya too."
Closing her eyes, she willed the thoughts away. She had insisted they come, knowing they might be separated from their son at times. Whatever was coming, she and Jon were meant to face it together.
She waited for Jon to meet her eyes. "This castle is not as warm as Winterfell…"
The glint in his eyes told her he caught her meaning. "You must be the first southern girl to come this far North since Queen Alysanne."
"And if I freeze to death, no southern girl will come again."
"We can't have that, can we Dany?"
It was easy to forget her troubles as his lips brushed hers, and she was ready to surrender herself to him when a queer voice called her name in the dark. They both sat up with a start, the figure of Mormont's raven barely visible in the corner.
"Dany!" shrieked the nuisance raven. "Dany! Dany! Dany!"
"How did you get in here, stupid bird," Jon grumbled, climbing out of bed to shoo the bird out of their quarters.
"Stupid," it cried as Jon closed the door again. "Stupid. Stupid."
Dany laughed then and once she started she found she couldn't stop until there were tears pooling in her eyes.
Jon laughed too and shook his head. "On top of dead men walking and wildlings raiding, we now have magical birds to contend with."
She tugged at the collar of Jon's bed shirt until he was lying over her again. "What's one more magical creature?"
When it was time to leave, Dreamfyre and Rhaegal had grumbled and fussed like naughty children as Jon and Dany had urged them to cross the barrier into the land beyond. Viserion remained in the yard, not following after his brothers as he so often did.
Ed, Grenn and another twenty Stark men had set out on foot several days ahead of them. Flying low to the ground as they neared the keep, they came upon their men hiding out in the Haunted Forest before nightfall.
The tall timbered structure that was Craster's Keep stood out in the distance against a darkening sky. White billowy smoke was rising out of the chimney, and there was a faint smell of cooking ham. Rast was bent over a pig pen, shoveling muck, and muttering to himself and Jon smoldered with resentment. He recognized several of the men. Men who would have been his sworn brothers. Men who were sworn brothers of Commander Mormont. Craven oathbreakers.
Were it not for the women, he might have enjoyed letting Rhaegal light the keep up with the cursed men inside, raining down death and judgement from above. But this did not feel like justice.
Jon led the attack on foot, the mutineers calling out shouts of warning to their disgraced brothers, grabbing anything in their reach to use as weapons. Piercing screams and the thundering clatter of steel were deafening. In the chaos, several men tried to run deeper into the forest and instead dropped to their knees as they were met with ferocious fire breathing dragons.
Jon's heart was raging in his chest as he searched for Tanner and Rast. He cast a glance over his shoulder at Dany, still on top of her dragon. She had given her word she would stay mounted on Dreamfyre until the attack was over and Craster's trembling daughters stood huddled nearby.
Fresh blood dripping from his blade, the wooden frame rattled as Jon kicked open the door. He was washed over with warmth from the heat of the hearth, sword drawn as his eyes scanned the room for movement. It was Karl Tanner who stepped into the center of the room, a long dagger in each hand.
"Lord Snow," Tanner said with a mocking bow. "You're the last person I expected to see here. I heard you turned tail and ran before taking your vows. Too soft to take the black."
Jon held his sword at the ready as he moved deeper into the open room.
"You learned how to fight in a castle. How to stand, how to fight with honor." Karl's daggers screeched as he scraped them together in a flurry. "Honor doesn't get you far, Lord Snow. Let's see how your honor fare's against the legend of Gin Alley."
It was full night now as Dany sat atop Dreamfyre observing the skirmish below. A crescent moon hung half hidden by clouds and the stars offered only a dull glow. All around her the ground was covered with white snow, and she was grateful for the heat of Dreamfyre's scales.
The figure of a deserter cloaked in shadow came rushing towards them in the madness, with the women huddled in a protective circle behind her. In all the melee and chaos, he didn't see Dreamfyre's black and hardened scales until he nearly slammed into the dragon's puffed up chest. The whites of his eyes glowed as they grew wide in disbelief and his sword hit the ground with a thud. Dany's heart skipped a beat before she regained her senses. With an utterance of one Valyrian word, the disgraced brother lit up like dry wood.
Dany wrinkled her nose at the smell of burnt flesh, smoke and ash rising around her as Jon and the others overtook the deserters. She hadn't imagined the encounter at Craster's Keep would be so quick. A piercing wail rose to her ears over the hollering and the clanging of metal. It tore at her heart before she recognized what it was. The fresh cry of a newborn.
She turned in her seat and addressed one of the older women. "I hear a babe in the woods."
The woman stared at her blankly. "Pay it no heed. It will stop soon."
Dany gaped at her a moment and her stomach sunk. Jon had disappeared into the keep, and the world around them had begun to quiet. The bodies of deserters and a few Stark men littered the ground. Ed and Grenn had begun finishing off the mortally wounded with sound thrusts from their blades.
Rhaegal moved restlessly on his hindquarters nearby, and then the cry came again. No one will come near them while Rhaegal is near, she reasoned.
She willed Dreamfyre forward, staying low to the ground, thankful he was still small enough to glide through the trees. Every so often she stopped and listened. The pitiful cry filled her with urgency as she envisioned a babe, cold and alone. The trees grew thicker, and when the wail sounded nearer, Dreamfyre stopped abruptly.
"Come on, boy," she urged him. "Just a little farther."
He hissed and huffed, but didn't budge.
I'll be quick, she told herself as she dismounted, her boots slipping onto the snow covered ground.
She wasn't used to walking on the icy terrain and she stumbled a time or two as she trekked under dark and gnarled trees. An owl hooted overhead, and the cries and creeping of other creatures were all around her, but the desperate cry from the unseen child allowed no room for fear in her heart.
There on the snow covered forest floor, lay a babe. Tiny legs and fists kicking, swaddling cloth mishappenly placed, leaving him exposed to the fierce cold. Without a second thought, she darted out of the treeline and scooped the infant into her arms, wrapping him with her fur cloak. "It's alright, sweetling," she whispered. His cries began to calm as he squirmed for warmth. "Hush, little one."
A bitter chill surrounded her then, piercing her bones as her whole body shivered. The world grew darker as though the light of the moon had gone out completely. She sensed a presence and her heart was hammering before she looked up. A towering creature, clouded in shadow. It was like a man and yet its eyes glowed in the dark. Her hair stood on end as the white monster with ice blue eyes stared at her and the babe in her arms. The bones of his hulking rib cage were protruding and it had long colorless scraggly hair.
Her feet were frozen in place, as she opened her mouth to call for help, to call for Jon, but she couldn't make a sound. The white walker took a step forward, and she jumped back, losing her footing, and falling hard on her backside. The babe in her arms began to cry anew as she crawled backward on one hand, the other keeping a tight hold on the infant.
The creature studied her curiously before stalking towards her. Dany screamed, scrambling to her feet, she had to reach Dreamfyre. The forest was so dark she couldn't see the path she had taken. Dreamfyre let loose a furious roar, flames of the dragon's anger bloomed in the dark, and she dashed toward them. Her lungs began to sting and her legs felt stiff and weak.
Suddenly her name echoed through the trees. "Jon!" she tried to call back, her voice strangling in her throat and her breath visible on the air. Jon appeared in the night, bolting to her side like salvation. He darted past her and faced the assailant.
The monster stood his ground as Jon drew his sword. "Run, Dany!" he yelled. Unwilling to leave him, she hid behind the black bark of an ironwood tree while she bounced the whimpering babe in her arms.
The creature stood more than a head taller than her husband, and came at him with a hacking swipe. Dany screamed as Jon jumped back to avoid the blow.
"Dany, go!" Jon demanded fiercely. Their blades cracked like thunder.
The monster knocked Jon off his feet and her insides twisted as she cried his name. Penetrating blue eyes found her in the dark and black hate trembled through her body as she stared back.
Jon clambered to his feet, sword in hand and quick as lightning swung a mighty blow into the white walker's side. Dany held her breath as Dark Sister made a clean break, cutting the creature in two. Its shriek was deafening as it shattered into thousands of ice crystals. Then Jon was standing alone in the clearing.
He was still panting when she reached him, blood splattered across his face. Her eyes traced his body for injury and found a weeping gash on his thigh.
"You're hurt." She said.
"Aye," he told her, eyes surveying the surrounding woods. "A parting gift from the legend of Gin Alley. Where did the babe come from?"
Dany looked down at the babe who had fallen asleep. "I found him out here in the woods… I could hear him crying… Dreamfyre stopped… it was like he couldn't come closer… Was that a wight?"
"No. A white walker." He fingered the rippled pattern on his blade before resheathing it. "Valyrian steel. Must work like dragonglass against them… let's get back."
The stench of blood and mud was thick in the air. Only a few of the mutineers surrendered to be brought back to Castle Black for trial, and Jon helped the others drag the bodies inside for burning.
Dany carried the sleeping babe to the group of wilding women still huddled together near Rhaegal. "Do you know this child?" she asked. "I found him freezing in the woods."
The older woman stared daggers at her. "You should have left him where he was. He's Craster's last son."
Dany felt her body flush. "He's only a babe."
"You don't know what you're melding with, dragon girl." The lines on the woman's face spoke of long years and hard truths. "That child doesn't belong to you any more than he does to us."
Dany held the sleeping child closer. "I will not leave a babe to freeze to death," she said through gritted teeth.
Jon placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come with us," he said to the women. "We'll find work for you… make sure you're protected."
"Thank you, Crow," the woman said with an air of finality. "But we've never known protection at the hands of any man. We'll find our own way."
The wildling women didn't want to stay at Craster's Keep either. Only fire could cleanse the sins and suffering from those walls, Dany supposed. With the bodies of fallen brothers and mutineers laid inside, Jon commanded Rhaegal to light it on fire. The raging orange flames blacked out the forest around them as the keep was devoured like the manse had been so many nights ago.
She leaned against Jon as they listened to the creaking of burning beams, the smell of smoke filling the air. "We need to return to Castle Black so Uncle Aemon can tend to your wound."
"We'll be back by morning," he said.
Ed Tollett joined them in front of the collapsing keep. "The Lord Commander's sword," he said, handing Jon a bastard sword sheathed in a black leather scabbard. "He was planning on giving it to you after you saved him from the wight… had the pommel changed to a wolf's head."
Jon studied the pommel, the head of a white wolf with red garnet eyes. He pulled the blade out enough to admire the ripples in the smoky steel, same as Dark Sister.
"He never changed it back after you left," Ed added. "Seems to me you should have it." The brother walked off to join the others as Jon drew the sword and tested the balance.
"I should return this sword to Bear Island," Jon said.
"Perhaps," Dany replied. "Though it seems plain he meant to give it to you."
"Aye, but then I left."
"And you're here now."
The Wall glowed a pale blue under the pale morning sun as Jon and Dany returned on dragonback to Castle Black. Filthy and bone weary, Dany's eyes were heavy when Dreamfyre touched down within the gates. Jon went directly to Aemon's quarters for their son and to have his wound tended to by Aemon's apprentices. Dany followed shortly after once she had entrusted the care of the Wildling babe to a nursemaid who travelled with them from Winterfell. The poor child had hardly fussed during their travel.
Peace settled in her heart when she found little Aemon fast asleep in his bassinet, and she threw her arms around her aged uncle in gratitude. Jon insisted Dany return to their chambers accompanied by Ghost while his wound was tended to, and once Aemon had fallen back asleep, she wiped away the soot and grime covering her body.
Aemon would sleep for another couple hours and she hoped to find rest as she buried herself under the furs, waiting for the chill to leave her bones. Shadows from the flames played tricks on her eyes and she imagined gnarled long fingers reaching for her. She would never forget those ghostly blue eyes. To see them in person, had been far more terrifying than her dreams, and she feared to close her eyes and see them again. Exhaustion had almost taken over by the time Jon cracked open the door, a bitter draft coming with him.
She squinted in the dim light to see what he had in his hands. "Come here, Dany girl," he said.
"What is it? It's too cold to get out of bed."
"I have something for you, it will only take a moment."
She left the warmth of the furs reluctantly, rubbing her hands down her arms for warmth.
Without a word, he wrapped a leather belt around her waist.
"What's this for?"
"Dark Sister. You'll need something to hold it with."
"What?" she asked in disbelief, fingering the fine leather. "I thought you said you'd be my sword."
"That was before you had Valyrian steel," he said with a shrug, his hands going to her waist. "It suits you."
"I feel ridiculous."
"Well, you are in a nightgown." His hand moved to her cheek, and there was a somberness to his features. "I don't expect you to charge into battle with it, but... with what's coming… if I-..." he stopped himself and offered a weak smile. "if you ever find yourself alone… you could kill a wight or two... before I get there."
If I fall… the words he wouldn't say cut her deepest. It would never happen, she vowed, but the thought was suffocating all the same.
"Alright," she replied, covering his hand with hers. "A wight or two… until you get there."
