Chapter 15
Jon Snow had not slept well. Worries over his little brother Bran kept him awake for most of the night. However, the sun had been up for some time, so he wouldn't get more sleep anyway. Hence Jon grouchily stood up and got himself dressed. His first instinct was to go and visit Bran, but last night had made it clear to him he was not welcome at his bedside. Jon couldn't even blame lady Stark for snapping on him, seeing as Bran's injuries would have hit her even harder than they did Jon.
Instead, Jon walked to the dining hall, planning to eat some food before relieving his frustrations in sword practice. As lady Stark wasn't there to tell him he didn't belong at the high table, Jon seated himself next to Robb and Arya. Just like Jon, both of them clearly hadn't slept well and seemed out of it.
"Did one of you visit Bran this morning? And was he any better than yesterday?"
Arya shook her head in denial. Robb, however, answered: "I visited him after I woke up, mother was still at his bedside and didn't seem to have slept at all. Bran was still unconscious, but seems out of life danger now."
Not much else was said during breakfast, with Bran's fate hanging over them. However, when Jon finished his food, he saw one of the foreign ambassadors, Patrick Mertz if he remembered it right, approach his Lord father.
"Lord Stark, I have a proposal from the German government for you, pertaining your son Bran. Could we perhaps discuss it in your study?"
What did the foreigners want from his little brother? Did they want to foster him, if he woke up as a cripple? Or were they offering to send one of their healers to Winterfell?
After some thought, Jon's Lord father answered: "I'll hear your proposal. However, as it is also pertains their family, Catelyn and my other children will join us in my study."
The ambassador responded quickly: "That's completely agreeable. In fact, it is better that lady Stark also hears of this proposal."
After this statement, Lord Stark stood up: "Arya, get your mother to come to my study. Sansa, Robb, Jon, come with me."
Jon was happy to be included in Bran's family here. He didn't envy Arya's task however, Lady Stark seemed inseparable from Bran during Jon's brief visit yesterday.
As expected, after they entered his father's study, it took more than ten minutes before a very annoyed looking Arya came in with Lady Stark. Lady Stark looked even more weary than Jon, Robb and Arya, with her face stained by dried tears and her normally pristine looking dress wrinkled.
As Lady Stark looked angry at both her husband and the Ambassador, she exclaimed: "Please tell me what is so important for me to hear that I have to leave poor Bran's side for it!"
"My apologies, Lady Stark, but this proposal is about Bran and his future. Yesterday evening, I passed on that Bran had fallen with grievous injuries to my superiors in the German government. This morning, I received their reply. They offer to treat Bran at the University Hospital Düsseldorf, which is one of the best hospitals in Germany. Bran will be treated to the best of their ability, and depending on his injuries, he might be able to walk again. Even if he remains paralyzed, they will provide tools to assist him in his mobility."
On one hand, Jon was happy with this proposal, the foreigners' hospital would likely offer the best chance for Bran to wake up and walk again. On the other hand, this help was not likely to be free, and Jon was afraid the foreigners would ask a lot for it.
Eddard Stark seemed to be of the same opinion: "Before I consider accepting your help, I first want to know what the price for your help is."
The ambassador was quick to reply: "In this case, it will cost you nothing. This offer was made out of goodwill and with the goal to foster trust between Germany and the North."
Jon's Lord father didn't seem completely reassured by this, which Jon understood. He had after all told Jon and Robb at a young age that there was no such thing as a gift without strings attached when dealing with other Lords.
"I will have to think about this. Could you leave my study for a moment? This is something that has to be discussed with family."
The ambassador complied: "Of course, Lord Stark", and left the room.
After the door closed, silence reigned for a moment. Robb was the first to speak up: "Father, this might be the best chance for Bran to ever recover. No matter how capable Maester Luwin is, the foreign so-called doctors are better. After all, they have studied medicine, and only medicine, for years and have better tools for it."
Lady Stark agreed with Robb: "Maester Luwin told me he couldn't do anything more than hope Bran woke up, and said that there was no way Bran could walk again. If there is even the slightest chance the foreigners could heal him, we must take it! I will accompany him to that Düsseldorf place and check if the foreigners are keeping their word!"
"No Catelyn, even if we accept the deal of the foreigners, we cannot afford to lose you for who knows how long. The King is going to stay here for a few more weeks and we need you to keep the household running in the meantime. Instead, I would send some of our household guards to keep an eye on him."
"What?! You ask me to leave my Bran alone in the middle of an foreign empire?! When he wakes up, he will be alone, confused and without a friendly face to comfort him! No, we are going to accept the ambassador's offer and I am accompanying Bran!"
Jon's father didn't seem happy with Lady Stark's reaction. He seemed unsure how to reply until his eyes settled on Jon. "Catelyn, I agree Bran should have a friendly face with him when he wakes up. However, it doesn't need to be you. Both you and Robb are needed here, while Sansa and Arya are too young to accompany Bran to the other world. However, Jon is also Bran's brother, and is certainly capable of looking after him both before and after he wakes up."
"You are trusting the bastard to accompany our son!? He can easily kill Bran while they are gone and make it look like he died from his wounds, bringing him one step closer to Lordship!"
Jon was furious at this. There was no way he would ever betray Bran and become a kinslayer! Before he could shout this at Lady Stark, his father interrupted her.
"Stop, Catelyn! I know you don't like Jon, but this goes too far! He has never lifted a hand against his siblings and he obviously goes along well with Bran. There is no way he will not try his uttermost to watch over Bran. No, my decision is final. Arya, can you bring back the ambassador?"
Catelyn looked utterly furious as Arya left the room. Jon, meanwhile, was perplexed and happy by his father's defense of him against his own wife. He then realized just what his father had decided for him. Jon was going to the land of Germany in the other world, something no other Westerosi had done. Although he would spend most of his time accompanying Bran, he was still going to see that fantastical world!
When Arya came back with the Ambassador, Lord Stark was quick to reply. "Ambassador Mertz, I have decided to accept your proposal. However, Bran will be accompanied by five Stark guards, as well as his brother Jon Snow. I trust Germany is able to provide accommodations for their stay in your lands?"
"That is certainly agreeable, Lord Stark. I will inform my superiors that you accepted the deal, and a helicopter will arrive here in five hours or so to pick up Bran and his entourage. However, before I do that, there is another piece of information I have to share with you. In five days, a new delegation will arrive in Winterfell. This one will consist of diplomats from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. However, this delegation will be much smaller than the one of the European union and will only be focused on establishing communications between the Seven Kingdoms and those countries."
Jon could visibly see his father getting tired. Another delegation arriving while his Lord father was already busy was not something he would look forward to. However, with the knowledge that the United States was the most powerful empire on the other side of the portal, refusing was likely no option.
"I'm not happy with this, Ambassador, but I don't think I have much choice in the matter. Go inform your leaders that I accept their offer for Bran."
"Very well, Lord Stark." Said Patrick Mertz before he quickly left the room. Once he was gone, Jon's Lord father dismissed his wife and children to deal with the headache that was the new foreign delegation.
After Jon parted ways with Robb and his sisters, he realized he was being followed. When he turned around, he was suddenly and painfully slammed against the wall.
"You may have coaxed my husband to let you watch over Bran, but I want to make something very clear! If Bran dies, no matter if the foreigners say it's an accident or not, you better stay in that other world! If you come back without Bran, I will make sure that you will follow him to the grave!"
Jon had never seen lady Stark so angry at him. He wanted to retort, to say he would never hurt his Brother, but the fury and grief in Lady Stark's eyes told him that was a bad idea.
"I, …, I understand."
"Good, now get out of my sight bastard!"
Jon quickly made his way to the training grounds after that, ignoring his throbbing shoulder.
It was late in the afternoon when the helicopter arrived. Bran, lying on a makeshift bed, was carefully being carried by the guards that were going to accompany Jon and him on their journey. Maester Luwin had protested once he was told that Bran was going to leave his care, but went silent when he was asked if he could make Bran walk again.
Before they left Winterfell, Maester Luwin took Jon aside and asked him to pay attention to the way the foreigners would be treating Bran. Jon accepted, but told him not to expect anything useful, since Jon only knew the bare minimum of Medicine.
The loud helicopter noises startled the direwolves, making Summer howl again. It was a pleasant surprise for Jon that he was allowed to take Ghost with him. The only thing the foreigners asked in return was some time to inspect the two direwolves, as they were extinct on the other world and they were very curious about them.
As the doors of the machine opened, both soldiers and some guys wearing weird yellow jackets came out. After a quick discussion in their native language with the ambassador, they grabbed some sort of bed on wheels out of the helicopter.
Ambassador Mertz explained what was happening: "The people in the yellow jackets are professionally trained medics. They will move Bran on the helicopter and keep an eye on him during the flight. Once we are at the hospital, a group of specialists will check over Brandon and begin his treatment."
At this point, Lady Stark bursted into tears and hugged Bran for the last time, muttering his name and apologizing for leaving him alone. Once the medics arrived, they were unsure how to proceed, as they didn't seem to want to interrupt Lady Stark's farewell.
Luckily for them, Lady Stark stopped hugging Bran on her own and let the medics take him, although not without saying "You foreigners better do your best to heal him and let him walk again!".
Suddenly, Jon himself was attacked by a small bundle of Arya. She was hugging him and even let out some tears. "I don't want you to go Jon! Why couldn't dad just let mother go with Bran?"
"Because Mother is needed here in Winterfell, and I'm not. Besides, it's not like I will stay gone for long. In a few months, I will return with a fully recovered Bran!"
Jon then started to whisper: "When you're bored, you can always try to practice needling. If you want a sparring partner, you can always rope in Mikken, the butchers boy, or one of the stable boys. They won't talk if you ask them not to."
Arya brightened after that, although she still didn't release Jon for another minute. Once she let go, Bran and his wolf were already loaded into the helicopter, and Jon had to hurry up before they left without him.
As Jon got around to saying goodbye to his Lord father, something happened that would keep his mind busy for the whole journey. As Jon hugged his father, he could see him hesitate before whispering a sentence in Jon's ears: "When you get back, we'll talk about your mother."
During the walk to the helicopter, and the taking off from the ground, Jon's body still made the motions, but his mind was elsewhere. After all, he was finally going to get an answer to the question that plagued him for his whole life.
AN: As always, thanks everyone who favourited/followed/reviewed my story!