Hello everyone, I hope you're all keeping well out there. Chapter 2 is here; I hope you enjoy it!
A slight warning of unwanted groping in this chapter, it literally lasts less then a second, but just wanted to make people aware.
I do not own GOT.
Chapter 2
Jon awoke to the feeling of warmth for the first time in weeks. It took him a moment to remember where he was, but a swift lick across his face from Ghost helped to remind him. He sat up, feeling groggy and drained from weeks of hard travel. Reaching out a trembling hand he gave Ghost a swift pat before rising and making for the door, needing to relieve himself.
Outside was as cold as he remembered, the icy wind whipping at his face as he stepped out. He relieved himself quickly before hurrying to the stable to check on Thunder. Who was seemingly enjoying the rest as much as Jon was. Gripping Thunders bridle, he led him out to where the grass was most overgrown through the smattering of snow, tying him to a nearby tree and letting Thunder feast until he was content. Water was the next thing. There was plenty of snow, but it was so cold nothing was melting. Ghost slipped past him and off into the nearby woods. Jon wasn't worried though, he doubted there was much nearby that could harm a dire wolf.
He made his way back into the building he had come from. It looked like it was some kind of communal dining room, so it stood to reason that there would be a kitchen nearby. He wandered, his boots kicking up dust as he walked, until he came upon it. It was huge, probably as big as the kitchens at Winterfell. Like in the dining room everything was decaying and falling to pieces, but he managed to find several pots in varying sizes that would be of some use. Jon made note of the door on the far wall, promising to come back and investigate fully after, immediate needs had been met. He placed two of the pots in the room he had commandeered, throwing another hunk of wood on the fire while he was there, at least it would be somewhat warm when he returned.
Jon knew he could always melt snow if needed, but it would be easier to find a nearby source of water. He doubted the men of the nights watch had built this castle here if there hadn't been fresh water close at hand. He headed in the direction that Ghost had gone, figuring the dire wolf would be thirsty as well. The cold and snow chilled him, leeching out all the warmth he had managed to accumulate during the night. Thankfully he still wasn't faring too badly. Jon marvelled at the ice as it hung frozen off the trees that surrounded him, it really was beautiful. Spotting a mandarin tree, he snagged a few as he passed and shoved them in his pockets for Thunder. He heard a rustling noise and spun quickly, hand reaching for the dagger at his side, before Ghost sidled out of the closest bush.
The dire wolf merely shot him a look before trotting off, Jon knowing enough to follow. Until eventually Ghost led him to a small slow flowing stream. It was honestly a miracle it was still flowing in this cold climate, but he figured everything around here must've learned to adapt. He stooped down and rinsed out the pot he carried, before filling it with clean fresh water. It was more of a struggle to make his way back, his left arm aching and his hand cramping under the strain. He stopped to rest several times before he made it back to where he had started from. Sitting the pot of water down he ran back inside and grabbed the other two, cleaning them as best he could he filled one and sat it down for Ghost, before filling the other and carrying it back inside for himself. The final pot he picked up, thankfully it was now considerably lighter and placed it within easy reach of Thunder, who eagerly took a big drink. He pulled the mandarins out of his pockets, feeding all but one to Thunder before peeling the last and hungrily breaking his fast.
Jon kept busy for the rest of the day, making another trip to the stream to fill up his water skin. Heating the water, he had collected in the pot and giving himself as much of a bath as he was able. It was certainly better than the splashes of freezing water he had managed on the road. Feeling somewhat refreshed he then went about collecting and breaking up broken furniture and bits of wood that he found laying around and creating a healthy pile next to the fireplace in the room he was in. If possible, he wanted to keep the fire going at all times, so that he had a warm place to come back to after being out in the cold. As covered up as he was the cold could still take its toll over time if one found no proper warmth.
Night had already begun to fall by the time he had collected enough wood to last a few days. The days were shorter this far north. Jon knew that tomorrow he would need to explore more, collect more water as well as do some hunting and foraging for fresh food. His food stores would not last long if he didn't replenish them with anything. He put Thunder back in the stables before finding his own rest for the evening.
The next few days continued along in a similar manner. It actually went quicker then he thought, by the time he collected water for the day, hunted, explored, spent time with Thunder and Ghost then prepared their food it was already dark again. He hadn't found anything much of note in his exploring, everything of value had obviously been taken when the nights watch had abandoned the strong hold. He did clear a space in the dining hall to practice with his sword every day. He didn't want his skills to get rusty. It had taken a long time and a lot of work for Jon to gain the abilities that he had with the injuries to his left arm and hand. It was difficult to handle and manoeuvre the blade, but he'd persevered and was very proud of how much he had managed to achieve, even if he may not be as good as what he could have done if he'd never been injured. He knew his limitations and was not ashamed of them. Jon found that he actually wasn't too lonely, though he did spend an inordinate amount of time speaking to Ghost and Thunder, but he wasn't too concerned about that just yet.
He figured he would spend a few weeks here, hopefully anyone who might be looking for him would've given up by then. Then he would start to make his way slowly south, avoiding Winterfell as much as possible.
He sat contemplating where he should travel too when he leaves this place. Somewhere where he wouldn't be recognised, which meant leaving the north. The thought sent his stomach churning, the north was a part of who he was. Jon wasn't even sure he could stand to live in the hot humid lands of the south. He pulled the shirt he had been washing from the pot and laid it on the ground in front of the fire as he thought. It was good to have relatively clean clothes but drying them took a long time in this weather.
He paused as Ghost twitched beside him, the large wolfs head popping up and ears dropping back. He stopped what he was doing, straining his ears for any sound, but he couldn't hear anything. Ghost slowly got to his feet but before Jon could reach for his sword, sure now that something was wrong, the door burst open, and four men barged inside. One man leapt on Jon, pinning him to the ground before Jon could reach for his sword.
"Oof" he gasped as the heavy weight pressed him down.
He could hear Ghost snarling, "fucking hell!" One of the men growled and Jon smiled, at least Ghost wasn't going down easily. A rough hand gripped his curls and dragged Jon to his feet, he twisted and turned trying to throw the other man off, until he felt a blade push firmly into the side if his neck.
"Call the mutt off or I'll slice you open!"
Jon hesitated for a moment, the knife nicking his throat before he spoke.
"Ghost, stop."
The dire wolf immediately stopped, his eyes didn't leave the men though as he backed away, a small growl rumbling though his chest.
"Took a bloody chunk outta me arm" groaned one of the men, lifting his arm to show torn sleeves and blood dripping down his arm. Laughter came from one of the others, "be a nice scar though!"
Jon looked around at the three men he could see and felt apprehension claw at his insides. They were tall and large, muscular and wild looking. Their clothes were thick and sturdy and in a style he hadn't seen before.
The man who had laughed turned to face him and Jon couldn't help the small gasp that escaped him as he took in the huge man's wild red hair and beard.
"Now what do we have here?"
Jon swallowed thickly but didn't attempt to move, not with the knife still pressed to his throat, a trail of warm blood running down to is collar.
"With that pretty face and those curls, I'm not sure if we've got a northern lord or a southron lady" the man with the bite chortled as he wrapped a torn piece of fabric around his wound.
"Definitely a lady" one cackled as he reached out and groped Jon through his pants.
Jon flinched away, causing the knife to nick him again and Ghost to stand up.
"Hands to yaself, or you'll lose em" the redhead growled, trying to wave a calming hand at Ghost and only narrowly avoiding having his fingers being bitten off by the snarling dire wolf.
"You part of the nights watch?" The redhead asked as he eyed Jon suspiciously.
"What? No!"
"You look like one, all dressed in black like that. They send you to scout out for wildlings, report back to them of our whereabouts?"
Jon froze for a moment as it all clicked into place. Wildlings. These men were wildlings. He had been brought up on stories of wildlings, they were nothing like the stories he'd heard.
The redhead continued to stare at him, waiting for an answer.
"No, I- I just needed to escape home for a few weeks, so thought I could hide out here. I didn't realise anyone would be around."
"Well too bad for you little crow, because we're around."
"Right, well I know that now. If you'd just let me, go, I'll leave. You won't be bothered by me again."
"And what if I want to be bothered by you?" The redhead asked, eyes trailing heatedly over Jon.
Jon hesitated, unsure what to say to that outrageous statement.
"Bind his hands, he's coming with us. We can ransom him back to the nights watch or his family."
Jon felt fear run down his spine as his hands were bound roughly behind his back, only then was the knife removed from his throat.
"Don't do this" Jon pleaded. "I am worth nothing to you, just let me go." He tried to tug uselessly on his bindings, but this only cause them to tighten painfully around his wrists. The large red head loosened the bindings again. "Don't be stupid," he growled.