Chapter 2: The Dragon Rises

The cold wind's of the North blow throughout the night, making the already unbearably cold location just seem more so. The high-pitched howls of Ghost could be heard through the winds and as Jon's corpse lay in the snow. Ghost could sense the death of his Master and pawed at the door where he was kept, whimpering in sadness.

Davos, hearing all this, exits the room he's staying in to look outside. He sees Jon's body and rushes down the balcony and over to him, stopping just a few feet from him.

Eventually, one of the brother's not part of the conspiracy walked outside since the howling had woken him up. "It's coming from the courtyard", he said to his buddy. Ghosts' howling continued as the two members came outside to see Jon's body! "It's the Lord Commander!" Edd and another Night's Watchmen also see Jon.

Davos says to them, "Help me get him inside." The direwolf's howling continues as 3 men as well as Edd and Davos line the room, all surrounding Jon Snow's corpse.

"Thorne did this" Edd said bitterly as he gazed with anger at the corpse of his best friend, placing a hand over his wounds. He also closed Jon's eyes.

"How many of your brothers do you think you can trust?" Davos asked.

"Trust?" Edd scoffed before looking all around, "The men in this room."

"Does the wolf know you?" Davos asked while Edd nodded, "We need all the help we can get." Edd didn't need to be told anymore as he went to go free the Direwolf before Alliser's cunts tried to kill him as well.

A knocking was heard as the door, causing everyone to draw swords. "Ser Davos", said a woman whose voice Davos could never forget. They let her in and Edd exited to get Ghost.

Melissandre looked at Jon's solemnly, touching his face and said, "I don't understand. I saw him in the flames fighting at Winterfell."

"I can't speak for the flames but he's gone," Davos stated, the reality of the situation still difficult for even him to accept.

The next morning

The Mess Hall

The remaining members of the Night's Watch were all gathered in the Mess hall arguing amongst themselves, while Thorne, Bowen Marsh and Othell Yarwyck sat at the high table.

"He was our Lord Commander!" One brother shouted.

"He never should have been!" Another shouted back.

Alliser, having listened to this all morning, pounded the table, getting them all to shut up and focus on him. "You all know why you're here."

"Jon Snow is dead", he informed them.

The men murmured amongst themselves for a few moments before one brave soul asked the question that everyone was thinking. "Who killed him."

Thorne's facial expression did not change as he announced, "I did." The shouting resumes while Alliser continues "And Bowen Marsh and Othell Yarwyck and the other 8 officers in this castle."

"Oathbreakers!"

"Murderer's!"

"Traitors!"

Alliser pounded the table again as he started a long speech. "You're right!" The shouting stops as he continues. "We've committed treason, all of us. Jon Snow was my Lord Commander. I had no love for him. I never tried to make that a secret. But I never once disobeyed any of his orders."

"Loyalty is the foundation on which the Night's Watch is built. And the Watch means everything to me. It's all that I have left. I have given my life, we have all given our lives to the Night's Watch. Jon Snow was going to destroy the Night's Watch. He let tens of thousands of wildlings through our gates as no Lord Commander in our history has ever done before. He gave them the very land on which they reaved and raped and murdered for generations."

"Lord Commander Snow did what he thought was right, I've no doubt about that. And what he thought was right would have been the end of us. He thrust a terrible choice upon us. And we made it."

Back in the building

Ghost was whimpering with tears in his blood red eyes as he gently nudged his dead Master's head, as if trying to make him wake up. It was almost as if the poor Direwolf couldn't understand his lifelong companion was dead.

"He'll have seen we didn't come", Davos stated, "Thorne will have made it official by now. Castle Black is his."

"I don't care who's sitting at the high table," Edd said, "Jon was my friend. And those fuckers butchered him. Now we return the favor."

"We don't have the numbers." Davos said.

"We have a direwolf." Edd stated.

"It's not enough. I didn't know Lord Commander Snow for long, but I have to believe he wouldn't have wanted his friends to die for nothing," Davos said.

"If you were planning to see tomorrow, you picked the wrong room" countered, "We all die today. I say we do our best to at least take Thorne with us when we go."

"We need to fight, but we don't need to die. Not if we have help" Davos hinted.

"Who is gonna help us?" Edd asked.

"You're not the only ones who owe your lives to Jon Snow," Davos stated, "There's 40,000 of 'em sitting just outside Castle Black."

Edd realized what he was getting at. He addressed one of the brothers, "Bolt the door. And don't let anyone in. I'll be back as soon as I can." He left to try to get Tormund's help.

Winterfell

Ramsay Bolton was sitting beside the bed that Myranda's corpse lay on. Maester Wolkan was standing in the doorway.

"She was 11 the first time I saw her." Ramsay said, "The kennelmaster's daughter. She smelled of dog. I wasn't much older, but everybody was already afraid of me."

"You certainly were." Ramsay said to Maester Wolkan.

"Myranda wasn't, though. What could I do to her that those hounds couldn't? She was fearless. There was nothing she wouldn't do." Ramsay laid a hand on her cheek, gently stroking the dead flesh.

"Your pain will be paid for a thousand times over, my love." Ramsay said, a lone tear trailing down his left cheek, "I wish you could be here to watch."

"Shall I have a grave dug for her, my lord? Or would you rather the men build a pyre?" Maester Wolkan asked.

"Buried, burned? This is good meat" Ramsay got up and walked out. "Feed it to the hounds." Causing Maester Wolkan to be a bit horrified.

Later

Bolton father and son were walking down the halls of Winterfell to the Great Hall, discussing the aftermath of the battle.

"Your command of the cavalry was impressive. Thanks to you, the false king Stannis Baratheon is dead. Do you know who struck the killing blow?" Roose asked.

"No." Ramsay answered.

"A shame. I'd reward the man. Still, a great victory. Do you feel like a victor?" Roose asked coldly, causing Ramsay to look at him.

"I rebelled against the crown to arrange your marriage to Sansa Stark. Do you think that burning wagons in the night and mowing down tired, outnumbered Baratheons is the same as facing a prepared and provisioned Lannister army?" Roose asked rhetorically.

"No," Ramsay said.

"A reckoning will come," Roose said as he tried to explain the Bolton's, at best, shaky station as overlords of the North, "We need the North to face it. The entire North. They won't back us without Sansa Stark. We no longer have Sansa Stark. You played your games with her. You played your games with the heir to the Iron Islands and now they're both gone."

"I have a team of men after them with some of my best hounds. They won't get far." Ramsay said.

"I'm glad to hear it," Roose said, but he sure didn't look happy, "Without Sansa, you won't be able to produce an heir. And without an heir, well...let's hope the maesters are right and Lady Walda's carrying a boy."

Castle Black

Thorne and several of his conspirators were outside the room that Jon's loyalist's resideded in. "Ser Davos, we have no cause to fight. We are both anointed knights."

"Hear that, lads? Nothing to fear." Davos said sarcastically.

"I will grant amnesty to all brothers who throw down their arms before nightfall. And you, Ser Davos, I will allow you to travel south a free man with a fresh horse." Alliser said, though if one were to look outside, the conspirators had weapons drawn.

"And some mutton", Davos said jokingly, "I'd like some mutton."

"What?" Alliser dumbfoundedly asked.

"I'm not much of a hunter, Davos explained, "I'll need some food if I'm gonna make it south without starving."

"We'll give you food." Alliser said hesitantly. "You can bring the Red Woman with you if you like. Or you can leave her here with us, whichever you choose. But surrender by nightfall or this ends with blood.

Moment of silence follows before he hears, "Thank you, Ser Alliser. We'll discuss amongst ourselves and come back to ya with an answer."

Alliser and the traitors walk away. "Boys, I've been running from men like that all my life. In my learned opinion, we open that door- And they'll slaughter us all."

"They want to come in, they're gonna come in." One brother said.

"Aye, but we don't need to make it easy for them." Davos said.

"Edd is our only chance." One brother said.

"It's a sad fucking statement if Dolorous Edd is our only chance." Another brother said.

"There's always the Red Woman." Ser Davos said.

"What's one redhead gonna do against 40 armed men?" The one brother said.

Ser Davos looked at that brother and said, "You haven't seen her do what I've seen her do."

Castle Black Courtyard

Night

The Night's Watch members allied to Thorne were poised with crossbows pointed at the room Davos and the other Night's Watch members faithful to Jon resided in. Thorne was outside the door to the room, accompanied by several others who are loyal to him. Inside the room, Jon's body remains on the table. Davos, the faithfuls, and Ghost are all standing.

"It's time, Ser Davos." Alliser said, "Open the door and the men inside can rejoin their brothers in peace. We'll even set the wolf free north of the Wall where it belongs. Nobody needs to die tonight."

Davos turned to address the Night's Watch faithfuls. "I've never been much of a fighter", Davos announced to them. He picked up Longclaw and grasped it's hilt. "Apologies for what you're about to see." Davos unsheathed Longclaw. The faithfuls follow suit, drawing their own blades.

Thorne hears this and turns to address a Night's Watchman. "Break it down." He orders. The brother grasps the sledge hammer and starts slamming it against the door. Ghost began to growl and bark and bark at the door. Davos and company ready themselves for their inevitable battle. After a number of swings, the Night's Watchman with the hammer breaks a hole in the door. A loud thudding can be heard somewhere behind Alliser and his crew. They turn to see what the noise is. The thudding is coming from one of the courtyard's main gates.

At that moment, Wun Wun breaks down the gate and 2000 of the Wildlings led by Tormund and Edd rush into the courtyard. The Night's Watch loyal to Alliser have bows drawn at the Wildlings but do not fire. They back up slowly.

"Attack!" Thorne shouts.

Thorne draws his sword. One poor fool charged Tormund. Tormund parries his sword before slicing the Night's Watchmen in the neck, killing him. The other Night's Watch members become too scared to retaliate, seeing as there are more than a thousand of Free Folk.

"Fight, you fucking cowards!" Alliser Throne shouts in frustration.

One Night's Watchman on the balcony shoots Wun Wun in the shoulder with a crossbow bolt. Wun Wun turns to face the poor sap, then grabs him by the legs pulling him out of the balcony, slams him against a wall, causing his head to explode. He then tosses the headless corpse to the ground in front of Thorne. The Night's Watch members allied to Thorne begin dropping their weaponry. Tormund and Edd approach Alliser, swords still drawn.

Alliser looked at Edd with fury shining in his eyes as he said, "You fucking traitor."

"The only traitors here, are the ones who shoved their knives into their Lord Commander's heart." Edd said

"For thousands of years the Night's Watch has held Castle Black against the Wildlings." Thorne said.

"Until you." Tormund mocked.

Olly shouts and charges at Tormund with his sword. Tormund grabs Olly and disarms him, then tosses him to another man who restrains him. Two men take Thorne by the arms.

"Throw them into the cells where they belong. We'll deal with them later." Edd says.

The men drag Thorne, Olly and the 10 Night's Watch betrayers away. Tormund, Edd and Davos entered the room where Jon's body was. They stared down at him and his wounds.

"Took a lot of knives." Tormund remarked. "I'll have my men get the wood for a pyre ready." Tormund walked out after that.

Winterfell

Dining Hall

Roose, Ramsay and Harrion Karstark were gathered at the dining table, talking. Ramsay and Harrion were standing, while Roose remains seated at the head of the table.

"We came upon the bodies on our way here", Harrion Karstark, current Lord of Karhold informed Roose.

"Half a dozen men? Your best hunters? Really?" Roose drawled out at Ramsay.

"They obviously had help." Ramsay defended.

"I didn't think lady Sansa killed them all by herself." Roose deadpanned before addressing Harrion Karstark, "Thank you for this report, Lord Kastark."

"We know where she's going. Her brother's at Castle Black." Ramsay said.

"Ned Stark's last surviving son?" the Lord Karstark asked.

"Jon Snow is a bastard, not a Stark." Roose viciously retorted.

Ramsay gave Roose a look and said, "So was I, Father."

"Your hold on the North will never be secure as long as someone with Stark blood can walk through that door." Harrion pointed out.

"Castle Black isn't defended on the southern side. And the few men left are barely men at all. Farm boys and thieves. With a small force we could storm the castle, kill Jon Snow –" Ramsay proposed but was interrupted by his father.

"Have you taken leave of your sense, boy? Murder the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch? You'd unite every house in the North against us," Roose incredulously retorted. It was an unspoken rule that unless the Lord Commander betrays the realm, the Northern houses don't touch the Lord Commander.

Ramsay had a 'so what' look on his face and said, "We don't need every house in the North. The Umbers, the Manderlys, and the Karstarks, command more soldiers than all the other houses combined. With their support, none could challenge us."

"The Starks lost my house the day King Rob cut off my father's head" Harrion said bitterly, "It's time for new leadership in the North."

Roose looked at both his son and lord Karstark. He got up and stood in front of them. "If you acquire a reputation as a mad dog, you'll be treated as a mad dog. Taken out back and slaughtered for pig feed."

Maester Wolkan then enters the room. "My lords. Lady Walda has given birth. A boy. Red-cheeked and healthy."

"My congratulations, Lord Bolton." Lord Karstark sad, as was customary of a vassal.

Ramsay steps towards his father and they share a hug, "Congratulations, Father. I look forward to meeting my new brother." He made it seem like he was actually interested.

Roose clasped Ramsay's shoulder and looked him in the eye, "You'll always be my son."

Ramsay actually seemed to be genuinely touched by the look in his eyes and the emotion in his voice, "Thank you for saying that. It means a great deal to me."

Ramsay then smiled insanely and stabbed Roose in the gut's three times with a dagger he had hidden in his sleeve. Roose fell to the ground, holding his one hand over his gushing wounds with the other trying to prop himself up.

"Whoo hoo, that felt great. Not as good as when I killed Domeric, but still great," Ramsay said with insanity shining in his face and an insane smile on his face.

"You?" Roose asked. Roose had often wondered who killed his firstborn son, yet he could never figure it out.

"Of course it was me! Domeric had everything I wanted, including being the heir to House Bolton! So I poisoned him so I would be your only son!" Ramsay says in anger.

Roose shows anger on his face for the first and last time as bloods spills from his mouth, "I should have killed you when your mother presented you to me, bastard."

Ramsay smiled and said, "Yes, father. Yes you should have." Roose succumbed to his wounds and died. Ramsay took a cloth from the table to clean his knife.

"Maester Wolkan, send ravens to all the Northern houses. Roose Bolton is dead. Poisoned by our enemies." Ramsay ordered.

The old fat Maester did not immediately respond, staring down at Roose's corpse.

"Wolkan!" Ramsay shouted at the man, waking the man from his stupor. "How did he die?"

Maester Wolkan paused for moment before saying with a fear filled voice, "Poisoned by his enemies." In his fear, he forgot to address Ramsay as Lord.

"You're talking to your lord. Use respect." Karstark ordered.

" Forgive me, my lord." Wolkan begged, as he did NOT want to be Ramsay's next victim.

"Send for Lady Walda and the baby." Ramsay ordered.

"She needs resting, my lord." Wolkan tried to protest, but Ramsay's annoyed glare shut him up. Wolkan resigned the girl to her fate. There was nothing he could really do, not without losing his own life. "At once, my lord." He left to go summon her.

Ramsay stares down at Roose's body, smiling like a madman. He finally was the true master of his house now.

An hour later
Winterfell Courtyard

Ramsay was standing in the courtyard, waiting for Walda and her baby. Eventually, the fat woman came up to him, holding her son in her arms.

Turned to her with a somewhat innocent smile "There he is." He said.

"Isn't he wonderful?" Walda asked, oblivious to what was about to happen to her. She shows Ramsay her son, nonetheless.

"May I hold him?" He asks, feigning interest and care, as if he couldn't possibly want to just bash this babies head in.

"Of course." She said. She held him out, and Ramsey held him. The despite being newborn, had their father's pale eyes, making Ramsey any doubts about what he was going to do to the little babe.

"Have you named him yet?" Ramsey asked, honestly curious.

"I named him Domeric, after Lord Bolton's last son." Walda said.

Though Ramsay had no outward expression, inside he was furious. 'Yep, he's DEFINITELY going to die now.' Still, had to keep up appearances. "Little brother." He said.

Ramsey handed little Domeric back to Walda. "Lord Bolton sent for us. Have you seen him?" She asked. Poor girl, if she had been smarter, she wouldn't have met Ramsey all alone.

"Of course. Follow me, Mother." He said, and began leading her to the kennel's. Ramsay and Walda walk inside. The dogs are all barking at Walda.

"Where is Lord Bolton?" Walda asked, suddenly starting to get worried. Ramsay does not answer her as he walks toward the end of the kennel's. The dogs bark even louder.

"Down!" Ramsay commands his hounds, which they stop barking. The baby Domeric started crying. "It's all right. Come on, shh." Walda said. Ramsey starts opening the kennels.

" It's cold out here, Ramsay. I need to feed him." Walda tried to tell Ramsey. THe man didn't listen as he opened the last kennel.

"Ramsay, where is your father? Ramsay? Where is Lord Bolton?" She pleaded.

Ramsey turns around and faces Walda.

"I am the Lord of House Bolton now, bitch." Ramsey says with a smirk.

The fat crying woman looks at her son then back to him. "Ramsay. Ramsay, please. I'll leave Winterfell. I'll go back to the Riverlands." Walda pleaded, but Ramsey didn't care. "Please. Ramsay. He's your brother." Walda begged for what would be the final time.

"I preferred it when I was an only child." Ramsey said.

Ramsey whistles at the dogs. They exit their pens and attack Walda and the baby Domeric. Walda screams as the hounds slowly tear her and her baby to shreds.

Castle Black

Melisandre's Chamber

Melisandre was sitting at the fireplace. She hears someone knock on the door. "Come in." Davos opens the door and enter the room to see Melisandre sitting in front of the fireplace.

"I'm sorry, my lady. I didn't mean to interrupt." Davos apologized.

"You interrupt nothing." She said solemnly

Davos looks at the fireplace and then at Melisandre. She looked so pitiful right now, wallowing in her own self-pity. "I assume you know why I'm here." Davos stated.

"I will after you tell me." She said, not turning to face him.

"It's about the Lord Commander." Davos said.

"The former Lord Commander." Melisandre corrected.

"Does he have to be?" Davos asked, hinting at what he really wanted.

Melisandre looks at Davos. "What are you asking?" She asked.

"Do you know of any magic...that could help him? Bring him back to life?" Davos asked. He didn't like the idea of disturbing the dead, but Jon was their best chance at surviving the Long Night. He understood the White Walkers better than anybody else, and Davos had learned years ago the Melisandre was capable of things that defy all common sense.

"If you want to help him, leave him be." Melisandre dismissed.

"Can it be done?" Davos asked desperately.

"There are some with this power." Melisandre admitted.

"How?" Davos pressed.

"I don't know." She admitted.

"Have you seen it done?", Davos asked.

Melisandre pondered for a moment before saying, "I met a man who came back from the dead, but the priest who did it - It shouldn't have been possible."

"But it was. It could be now." Davos said.

"Not for me." She said in despair. She stands and walks away from her chair. Davos walks towards her.

"Not for you? I saw you drink poison that should've killed you. I saw you give birth to a demon made of shadows." Davos stated.

"Everything I believed, the great victory I saw in the flames, all of it was a lie." Melisandre said brokenly. She looks at Davos and said "You were right all along. The Lord never spoke to me."

"Fuck him, then. Fuck all of them. I'm not a devout man, obviously. Seven Gods, drowned gods, tree gods, it's all the same."

Davos comes a step closer to the Red Woman, "I'm not asking the Lord of Light for help. I'm asking the woman who showed me that miracles exist."

"I don't have this power," She whispered.

"Have you ever even tried?" Davos asked, to which Melisandre couldn't answer, because the truth is, she never had tried.

A few minutes later

Davos, Tormund, Edd, and Melisandre were gathered around Jon's body. Ghost was sleeping on the floor. The Red Woman was performing her ritual. She wrings out a wet cloth with which she cleans out the Jon's stab wounds. She cuts some his hair and beard and throws those hairs into a brazier. Then she places her hands on Jon's chest and utters a series of incantations in High Valyrian.

"Please," Melisandre eventually begged her god.

After several more moments of nothing happening, Melisandre lets her hands down slowly. She has tears in her eyes and looks to Davos. Tormund scoffs and exits, followed by Melisandre and Edd. Davos lingers and stares at Jon's body, but eventually exits.

The Next Day

The remaining men of the Night's Watch (excluding those 12 conspirators), Davos, Melissandre, Ghost, and the Elders and leaders of the Freefolk were gathered at the Weirwood tree that the Night's Watch says their oaths to pay their final respects to Jon.

"We are gathered here today before the Old Gods to pay our final respects to Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch", Edd began since he was basically de-facto leader of the Watch until another election could be held. "Jon and I didn't get along when we first met. See, for those of you who don't know, Jon Snow was born out of wedlock, so despite being Ned Stark's son, he was considered illegitimate. While he grew up with his half-siblings, certain people like Lady Stark would go out of their way to make him feel unwanted, even when he was just a kid. This eventually drove him to join the Night's Watch, because he had heard how your birth doesn't matter when you're one of the brothers."

"He came off as arrogant when we first met. He spent most of his life holding back, so he was eager to show how good he was. Me, Grenn, and Pyp almost slit his throat for it. I'm glad we didn't," Edd chuckled, "Jon was a great man. He was the leader we turned to when the Night was darkest. Jon was only one among us brothers willing to make the truly hard choices that nobody else wanted to make or could make. Not Mormont, not Thorne, Jon. He didn't deserve to be stabbed in the back by his own men, simply for doing everything to ensure humanities survival. And now his watch had ended. May you rest in peace, old friend. We'll probably be joining you soon enough."

With his piece done, Edd threw the torch onto the fire and everyone present watched as the pyre slowly started burning. Within a few minutes the entire pyre was burning. They all stood vigil with solemn expression on their faces.

"What's that?" One of the Elders said, pointing at the heart tree. Everyone present turned to see what this elder was pointing at. The eyes of the face on the Weirwood were glowing a very eerie purple. "It's not supposed to do that, right?" One of the Elder's asked. Everyone turned back to Jon's body and everyone realized something.

His body wasn't burning.

Even in the flames, the members gathered could see the color return to his dead flesh, as his clothes had been mostly burned to ash. Though only Ghost could hear it, his once dead master's heart beat for the first time since his death, causing the Direwolf to howl in delight.

THUMP THUMP

The 8 stab wounds all over Jon's abdomen and the one in the center of his chest, closed themselves, showing only scars.

THUMP THUMP

His beard burned off as his chest expanded and contracted, filling his lungs with air again.

THUMP THUMP

His black hair turned such a pale color, that it actually looked as white as snow. It also shortened and changed shape, becoming spiky.

THUMP THUMP

His hands clenched into fists as he eyes squinted, struggling to open.

THUMP THUMP

Finally, Jon eyes snapped open. Instead of his original Stark gray eyes, his irises were now a vibrant shade of royal purple with black sclera.

THUMP THUMP

The Dragon had finally awoken.

Chapter End

Naruto appears next chapter.