Babe, there's something wretched about this,

something so precious about this.

Where to begin?

Babe, there's something broken about this,

but I might be hoping about this.

Oh, what a sin.

-Hozier, "From Eden"

"I'm sure Rhaenys will be fine, it's Aegon I'm worried about. He's a little chatterbox."

The bits of dialogue between Dany and her conference call reached Jon's ears as he stared out the window and watched the countryside slip past. They were on their way to another Northern landmark, just the two of them. Their Majesties thought it was a good way for the public to see them acting like a real couple, even though it was far from the truth.

Despite the impending publicity stunt, Dany was seemingly playful. After a week of wedding planning, she was probably ecstatic to get away from it all. And understandably so. He attended a few of the planning sessions, specifically the cake tasting and menu planning. Dany surprised him by taking his opinions into consideration and even Catelyn appeared to tolerate his presence.

They also had their first dance lesson which only reinforced the fact that Jon had two left feet. Luckily, it wasn't a standard ballroom dance so they were both spared any crushed toes. Although there were a few instances of hands missing their mark and ending up in the other's face. They could hardly look at each other the next day without cracked smiles and stifled laughter. Much to the dismay of the Great Wedding Committee who wanted to discuss stationary and rings.

Jon felt guilty after that particular meeting. Even though they were discussing wedding rings, he realized he'd never given Dany a proper engagement ring. She'd taken to wearing a ring of her mother's on her finger so no one would get suspicious about the lack of a real proposal. Dany said people wouldn't question the legitimacy of their engagement if a ring was involved. So Jon employed the help of Arya and Sansa, who were both detrimental in getting Dany's ring size on the sly and helping him choose from the modest selection of jewels. They found a perfect choice after an hour of looking, it didn't even need to be reset. He would've given it to her there in the car but it wouldn't matter. The weather took a nasty dip and it was always cold on the wall so they would be wearing light gloves.

"Oh, thank the Gods!" Dany cried, breaking Jon from his reverie.

"Finally done?"

"Deadzone." she let her phone fall dramatically onto the seat between them and leaned her head on the window.

Jon chuckled. They had crossed into the Gift, a swath of land set aside for the Night's Watch specifically and notorious for its spotty reception. In another hour they would be at Castle Black. He would be lying if he said he wasn't anxious to be back. The remainder of the incident and his subsequent indefinite leave was still fresh in his mind.

Even though he trained and studied like the other recruits, he was never meant to be a ranger. The job was too dangerous for the Prince of the North so Lord Commander Mormont requested Jon be his personal steward. While he still craved the adventure of the rangings, he was willing to concede. However, there was one time he'd gotten a taste of what he could've had if he weren't so damned important.

Shadow Unit was down a man and with no reports of wildling activity in the area, they let Jon ride out with them. The route they patrolled was clear with no sign of any wildling activity. That was how it usually went. In his four years at the Wall the only times there were actually run-ins with the tribes that lived there got too close or Mormont sent the ranging parties further north.

The clear mile between the forest edge and the Wall was in their sights, bringing with it the promise of warmth and rest. The night was still and unnaturally dark and cold, the men in the unit were just as wary of the atmosphere as their mounts. The Haunted Forest was overgrown and wild, making it impossible for bulky vehicles to navigate. And going on foot was worse for obvious reasons so the Watch kept horses.

A rustling in the trees brought their procession to a halt. With no wind to shake the branches, Jon knew at once that they shouldn't have stopped. One of the men went to radio in the activity when dark shapes descended on the front and rear and chaos ensued. Their formation broke into a mess of nervous horses and shouting men. On the narrow trail, there was no way to break through, they were fish in a barrel.

Somehow, in the darkness and confusion, Jon was tossed from his saddle. He landed on the frozen ground and avoided being trampled by his own horse. With no cover and no clear way out, Jon ducked into the trees. He managed to conceal himself and was about to try to contact Castle Black when he was tackled, his radio skidding across the snow and out of his reach. He managed to get his forearms between the attacker and his face but not before his crude knife slashed at his eye.

The shout that left Jon filled the still forest as he forced his assailant off. Jon flipped himself over and tried to crawl to his radio. A searing, fire erupted in his leg and he knew he was a victim to the primitive tool his attacker had. As though it was second nature, Jon drew his gun and aimed.

Even in the dark, he could feel the eyes of his opponent. Jon realized there was a human staring down the barrel of his gun. It was a brief thought, fleeting. Neither of them moved. There was no time to overthink it and without any more consideration, Jon pulled the trigger.

He wasn't shaking like he hoped he would. His breath was even and the pain from his eye and leg was dull but the sensation was growing. But as he laid there in the snow he contemplated what would come next.

The afternoon brought a meeting with Lord Commander Mormont. He wasn't in command of Shadow Unit, nor was he leading the ranging so Jon had no idea why the Lord Commander would want to talk with him about the incident. At least that's what he told himself to keep the dreading feeling away. Mormont was going to tell him his time with the Night's Watch was over and he was going back to Winterfell.

"You wished to see me, Lord Commander?" Jon asked as he stepped through the door.

"Have a seat Jon."

He didn't want to. He wanted to be ready to leave the moment the Old Bear said the words but the ache in his leg was still too bothersome to ignore.

"I'm sure you know that your father was alerted about the attack last night. Once he heard of your involvement and subsequent injury he commanded that you be placed on leave indefinitely and sent back to Winterfell."

There it was. "What did you say to him?"

Mormont sighed, "I tried to convince him to let you stay but my explanation of the events did little to sway him."

"I can't go back there." Jon shook his head.

He knew he would return eventually but he hadn't planned on it being so soon.

"Neither of us has much choice in the matter," the Old Bear reminded him, "We must all answer to the crown."

At court, he felt like everything was handed to him. Even his claim to the throne was presented like a gift on his name day. While any other man would've taken advantage of it, Jon came to resent it. He found it to be one of the many reasons for the disdain surrounding him. It didn't help that bastards were considered treacherous, even a legitimized one.

Serving with the Night's Watch gave him the chance to earn something. Even if it was the least exciting of the positions, he put in the time and effort to achieve it. Hearing his name called and reciting the word beneath the grove of heart trees was the most gratifying experience.

Jon found himself in much the same position again, though this time it was a woman the Crown placed into his life. Like an invitation for a week-long hunting trip on Bear Island only significantly more permanent and harder to refuse. And they were both real people with their own wants and needs but some selfish pricks higher than them decided that none of that mattered; reducing him and Dany to mere pawns in the ever-evolving game.

The view outside the window changed with the first signs of Mole's Town, several roofs and chimney stacks sticking out of the ground. To help protect against the cold homes were built underground and the public buildings were connected by tunnels. In more recent years, people began constructing their houses into the sides of man-made hills. It seemed the only structure to be seen from the road was Castle Black, standing stoic and dark against the gleaming ice of the Wall.

Once a simple fortification of towers and scattered rooms, the years saw it transform from ancient keep to proper military base. Not that there was a great war to be expected from the folk beyond the wall, Castle Black was really a form of discouragement from trying to sneak through the wall.

"Seven hells," Dany muttered as they passed through the gates, "That is a lot of ice."

"Wait until you see the view from the top," Jon said.

"We're actually going up there?"

"Of course. Wouldn't be a trip to the Wall without it."

There was a media frenzy in the courtyard. As part of the agreement between the press and the Royal Family, Jon and Dany would give them enough time for a photo op as they were greeted by the Lord Commander and then they expected peace and quiet for the day and a half they were there.

Jon was surprised they were willing to accept such a quick and easy deal since it was the first public sighting of the newly engaged royals. A pair who were supposedly so in love, they decided they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together in the span of a week. Luckily, decorum helped them avoid any public displays of affection and bed-sharing as their accommodations provided two separate rooms.

Brother's of the Night's Watch paused along the walkways to view the flashing cameras and the two people all the fuss was over. Jon didn't recognize any of the faces. He doubted he would, a lot could change in two years. He at least expected to see Edd Tollett walking alongside the Lord Commander, complaining Mormont's ear off. But the Lord Commander arrived alone, dressed in the ceremonial blacks with the bear of Mormont set among the various pins and medals.

"Your Highnesses, it is an honor to have you at Castle Black."

The camera flashes increased as Jon shook Mormont's hand and they posed for a good minute afterward, smiling and acting gracious. The press was ushered out of the courtyard and Mormont dropped the pretense.

"So, this is the young lady you've decided to spend the rest of your life with?" Mormont sizing up Dany, "A spectacular choice."

Jon saw her smug smile. When she noticed he was looking at her, she nudged him with her shoulder.

The loud, high-spirited sounds that accompanied a returning patrol unit drew his attention away. Ghost Unit, he could tell. The two friends he made in his time at the wall, Grenn and Pyp, were in that group.

"Well if it isn't Lord Snow!" one of them called.

He shook his head. The nickname was meant as a mean tease and it stuck. Jon should've corrected them, reminded the men that he deserved the respect of his rank, but it brought back a wave of nostalgia he was grateful for.

"Aurochs and Pyp-squeak," he greeted in the same mocking tone.

"We were about to head to Tormund's if you wanted to join us," offered Grenn, clapping Jon on the back.

"The lady can come too."

Pyp nodded toward Dany, who stood by Jon's side.

She laughed, "I would love to but one of us should stay for the tour from the Lord Commander."

"You don't mind if I go?"

"Of course not. You've probably seen enough of the place anyway."

Jon thanked her, which she waved off in her casual way before leaving with Mormont.

Tormund's little pub was one of the busiest attractions in the underground village of Mole's Town. The atmosphere was humid and hot with all the bodies stuffed in the small space. When Jon inquired about the increase in people, his brothers laughed.

"It's because of you and your sweetheart. As soon as news broke about your visit up here they all decided to make a weekend trip just to catch sight of you two." Grenn informed.

Jon noticed there were quite a few people wandering around up top. They were probably hoping to get close enough to the base but would have to wait until the photos were released. For once the strict policy on royal/press policy.

The group found an empty table somewhere, Edd ended up joining them later. He wished he could enjoy their company like he used to but they kept asking him about the wedding and Dany and he found himself dodging questions, unable to relax.

"Can I come to the wedding?"

"You can come to the reception."

"What if I'm your supporter?"

"Robb's already got the job, Pyp."

"Okay but what if-"

"If you don't shut up I'm going to throttle you," Edd threatened, as tired of the wedding talk as Jon was.

He managed to flip the conversation back to them by asking Grenn about his possible promotion. Grenn launched into a long-winded rant, with added talking points by Pyp, about the placement of new recruits and new training requirements. All was going well until Tormund found out they were at his establishment.

Jon heard his warhorn of a voice call 'Crow!' from across the packed room. There was more grey in his orange hair than Jon remembered but that didn't stop him from plucking the Prince out of his seat and nearly crushing him in a hug.

"I thought I'd seen the last of you when they shipped you back south. What the hells are you doing up here?"

"He and his fiancée are here to see the wall."

"Fiancée? Well, what are you waiting for crow, show me a picture of this special woman," Tormund demanded.

Jon pulled out his phone to find a picture of Dany and realized that he had none on his camera roll. He tried to search the internet for one but Tormund spotted him.

"You don't have a picture of her on your phone?"

"They've only known each other a week," Pyp chimed in.

"A week? Gods you work fast," echoed Tormund in disbelief.

"It's a long story that I'd rather not get into," he tried to defend.

He wasn't allowed to reveal the exact nature of his and Dany's relationship, no matter how far-fetched it seemed to other people.

Edd broke in with, "I think we know why Lord Snow fell so fast."

The tone in his voice reminded Jon of someone who was about to tell a bad joke. When he gave Edd a questioning look, he shrugged.

"When we found out who you were engaged to we did some digging."

"The deep web is a wonderful, wonderful place," came Pyp's addition.

"The situation is much more complicated than that."

Jon tried to sit down but Tormund pulled him back up and threw an arm around his shoulders.

"At least he's found himself a girl to share his time with. Unlike the lot of you, sitting in my pub every weekend in the same spot and leaving together. If I didn't know any better I'd say you're more like to warm each other's beds."

Groans and protests went up from the group, mostly accusing Tormund of similar bachelor behavior. Jon patted Tormund's shoulder, relieved that the conversation was off of him.

When he returned to Castle Black with Grenn and Pyp, the sun had dipped below the wall, the sky making its nightly shift from orange to pink to purple to black and casting the southern half of the wall in shadow. The breeze had a harsher bite to it and Jon shoved his hands in the pockets of his coat. His gloved fingers brushed against something small and odd-shaped. The ring. He'd almost forgotten about it.

In a streak of luck, Dany was crossing the courtyard with the Lord Commander. He called out to her and she stopped to look at him.

"We were about to go up top," she said, "Everyone says now is the best time."

Jon doubted it. The air would be colder and the wind rougher but there was something he needed to do.

"I can take you up."

"Are you sure? Lord Commander Mormont said he would do it."

"I'm sure."

The Old Bear backed off and let Jon take Dany's arm.

Despite the creaking and rattling from the winch, it was an unbearably silent ride. One that left Jon with nothing to do but fiddle with the piece of jewelry in his pocket and watch Dany readjust her scarf from the millionth time.

No matter how much he'd seen it during his four years at the Wall, the view from the top still impressed him, especially then. The horizon burned orange, lighting the soft clouds yellow and making the purple-blue of the sky look electric. The light reflected off the trees and light snow of the lands beyond the wall.

"The Lord Commander told me there are still people who live out there. What will they do when winter comes?"

"They've survived the cold and snow for thousands of years, they can handle one more."

Silence settled between them again.

"You were right. It is beautiful."

Dany tucked her chin into her scarf as the wind picked up, swirling her loose hair around. She gathered it in her hands and wrestled it under her scarf. A few pieces managed to escape and as she turned to look at him they brushed across her face. Her cheeks and nose were pink from the cold and her eyes were starting to water. Jon lost his nerve.

It was too romantic, he decided. There was nothing he wanted less than to seem like he was trying to woo her. Not to mention with their security officers present and the possibility of a watchman passing by, it was too public.

"We should head back down," he offered.

She agreed and they descended, heading directly for their guest quarters. The pair of bedrooms with a common space between was fully furnished and a welcome retreat from the oncoming cold. There was even a fire burning in the fireplace. Castle Black had a modern furnace system but nothing truly beat the cold like a roaring fire.

They parted to peel off their outerwear and change. Jon waited a good few minutes, sitting on the edge of the bed, examining the ring and trying to get his nerve back. He finally stood, walked into the living space and said, "Hey Dany, can you come here for a second."

She appeared in the doorway. An oversized brown flannel hung from her shoulders, dwarfing her small frame, and she wore a pair of hot pink fuzzy socks on her feet.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, heading straight for the sofa in front of the fire.

Dany pulled her legs up beside her and twisted so she could see him. Her hair had a frizz to it, he noted. The light from behind caught in it, surrounding her make-up free face in a halo of gold.

"Yes," he answered without thinking, "I mean, no… Yes and no."

Her eyebrows raised as she eyed him.

Jon moved to sit on the sofa with her, "When we talked about wedding rings this week, I realized that I forgot an important part of engagements."

He realized the error he'd made in waiting until then. While the scene on the Wall was romantic in a trope riddled teen romance movie way, the low light and Jon and Dany in their sleepwear was much more intimate. And Jon cursed himself for it.

"Uh, it's fine? I'm not really sure which part of the engagement you're referring to."

"That would be the proposal. I mean, you deserve a real one."

"No, I don't."

"Well, that's a shame because I have this…" Jon held the ring up.

"Oh, I'm fine with the one I've been wearing. You didn't have to-"

"I know." Without another moment's hesitation he continued, "Daenerys Stormborn the First of House Targaryen, Princess Royal of the United Kingdoms of Westeros and Lady of Dragonstone, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

A laugh escaped her, good-natured and light, "I thought you'd never ask."

"Considering the wedding is in three weeks, I figured I'd better squeeze it in at some point."

"Talisa was right, you are such a sap."

"If that's the case, I'll be taking this back." he started to put the ring back in his pocket but Dany reached for it.

"No, no, no, you proposed and I said yes, the ring is a fair exchange."

She still had on her mother's ring, so she took it off and put it on her other hand.

"Here," Jon offered, taking her hand and sliding the real engagement ring onto her finger.

It wasn't anything extravagant or glamorous, a simple kite-shaped diamond with flecks through it (something Sansa called a 'salt-and-pepper diamond') set in silver. The shape reminded Jon of the tiara Dany wore to the charity gala, as well as the dragon sigil of her house.

"It's a beautiful ring," she said with a soft smile, still twisting and turning her hand to watch it catch the light.

"It was my Aunt Lyanna's."

"What happened to her?"

"She renounced her title. After Uncle Brandon died the succession skipped to my father. She was never meant for the princess life anyway, it was too stifling for her."

"Where is she now?"

"We don't know. Sansa thinks she fell in love with a Myrish merchant and took off to be with him in Essos."

Dany's face took on a thoughtful look, she dropped her hand to her lap and looked to the flames.

"I was engaged once."

"Really?"

Jon was shocked. As far as he was concerned, Dany had never been in a serious relationship. She just flitted from one man to another.

"I was fresh off my first semester of university and it was my first time in Meereen. The Grand Masters invited me to a gala of theirs and the Dothraki Khal happened to be there. We hit it off right away, although he didn't speak a word of the common tongue except 'no'. Ser Jorah had to translate everything.

"When I returned to Meereen the next summer, he invited me to Vaes Dothrak and I spent more time with him than I should have. It wasn't a proper proposal, there was nothing planned about it. No ring, no kneeling, no pretty words. It was spur of the moment and I said yes."

"What happened?"

"Rhaegar found out. I haven't seen or heard from Drogo since unless you count that tell-all article."

"I'm very sorry."

She looked, eyebrows furrowed.

"Why? It wasn't your fault, it wasn't anybody's fault but my own." There was a bitterness in her voice.

"I guess I… have sympathy for you," Jon admitted.

"Well thank you for that. And for the ring."

She paused, like she was contemplating something more, then got up and disappeared into her room. Jon gazed at the closed door. He sighed and departed for his own bed.