Tormund
News of the oncoming Clan Leaders from the Dreadfort worried Tormund. There were more than twenty thousand Free Folk and over sixty giants, of course there would be trouble. But of what kind was the concern. They were south finally, but they intended on remaining free. Jon had told him some of many laws of the North that would have to be followed and some of them were not pleasing to the Free Folk. Only Jon ever had the ability to convince them to do things they've never done whether they liked it or not and Tormund was always there to support him. But now he would have to handle things alone, and he had little faith in himself to do it since he too did not fully understand some of the restrictions.
Despite his willingness to try and handle things on his own, he knew he would need someone he trusted to support him. The only problem was, there wasn't anyone around he had much trust in. The Starks were friendly with him, but they didn't understand the Free Folk as Jon did and none of the other lords of the North had any care for the them, only tolerance. But it seems even that was fading away. However, this gave him the perfect opportunity to have a talk with the blonde beauty Brienne. Since he wasn't allowed to steal her, he would have to get to her the way southerners did, by bonding.
From what he was told, she had taken watch duty somewhere on the eastern battlements of the castle. He walked along them hoping to find her, but he was unsuccessful. Something that caught his attention was the dragon that he rode on, returning from its disappearance, flying over the castle. Tormund heard some commotion from the fields and looked out to them and saw Brienne and two of the guards with her. He could barely hear her shouting at them as she dug through the snow at someone wearing a crow's cloak. "Get help! The King is alive!"
Tormund became dumbstruck for a moment having to repeat what she said in his mind. She was digging out Jon from the snow. He immediately ran as fast as he could down from the battlements and to the gates. The two guards that were with Brienne met him and were both in as much shock as he was. "Wilding!" one said, "The King's returned! Help him in with the lady while we get the maester!"
"Get out of the way then!" He told them, but before any of them could do anything, they all heard a deafening screech Tormund hoped to never hear south of the Wall. "Fuck no," he said as he ran through the gates and stopped to see Brienne being choked by a blue-eyed demon that had stolen the face of Jon. "NO!" He ran as fast as he could at them, faster than he'd ever run away from the wights. 'Damn you, damn you, damn you, GODS DAMN YOU!' When he got close enough, Tormund tackled Jon off of Brienne, letting out a howl and he plummeted into the snow and wrestled with him. Jon growled and screeched as they fought against one another.
They both got their feet and faced each other, Tormund not recognizing what stood before him. Jon was dressed in the fur boots and breeches he wore beyond the Wall, but his chest and arms were bare, revealing the scares of his first death. He let out another inhuman screech as he charged forward. He didn't have Longclaw at his side, so Tormund had no reason to draw his sword. He easily stepped to the side and slammed his arm against Jon's head, knocking him into the snow. The cloak he wore slid off from Jon's body and into the snow. But Jon's speed was great and his movements were like a wild animal. He got back up to his feet quickly and grabbed hold of Tormund. With an unnatural strength, Jon threw Tormund behind him into the snow and run at him again. Jon jumped into the air as Tormund got to his knees and was brought back down.
Within an instant of being tackled, Jon sank his teeth onto Tormund's left ear and ripped it off. Tormund yelled as he threw Jon off his body and ignored the injury. What he didn't notice was that Jon managed to steal his sword from him. Jon slashed as fast as he could and Tormund could only dodge, but the snow they were in was deep enough to slow him down. Jon managed to land a nasty cut across Tormund's right cheek, just barely getting his nose. Tormund rushed to Jon and grabbed the wrist that held the sword with one hand and grabbed Jon's neck with the other to keep his teeth away.
From behind Tormund, Brienne rushed to Jon and pried Tormund's blade from Jon's fingers and tossed it far away. She got behind Jon and wrapped her arms around Jon's and locked her hands behind Jon's back. Jon kicked and squirmed violently before throwing his head back and slamming it into Brienne's nose. She failed to dodge the blow, but even as the blood poured from her nose, she wouldn't let go.
Several guards finally arrived before things got worse. One of them was smart enough to bring a rope and began to bind Jon's legs while the others just stood with their swords drawn at the ready. "Drop your fuckin weapons!" Tormund ordered. They all looked at him questioningly, not obeying. Tormund looked at each of them directly. "If you don't, I'll do to you what I did to that Umber cunt when we fought the Bolton bastard." Everyone frightfully sheathed their swords as Jon's hands were finally tied and he became incapacitated. He had enough damaged done to his body, he didn't need any more scars. The guard who bound Jon picked up his feet, struggling to keep his grip as Jon wriggled constantly. "Take him to the courtyard. The people need to see this."
"Are you sure?" Brienne asked, surprised he would suggest such a thing. "Cover his chest at least, they don't need to see the wounds the dead gave him."
"Yes, they do." He looked at her fully composed of seriousness for the first time.
"Why?"
"Because the dead didn't give him those, the Night's Watch did." Tormund picked up the cloak and folded it under his arm as he led everyone back to the castle, Jon continuing to growl and squirm. The moment they entered the gates, everyone in the castle within eyesight turned their eyes and immediately stopped what they were doing, horrified at what they saw. Tormund stopped in the middle of the courtyard and waited for as many people gather around. On the balconies, Tormund saw Sansa and Rickon Stark with the Queen, Jorah Mormont, the Tarly crow, and the foreign lady. At the front of the crowd around him, the Lannister Dwarf, his bald friend, and the Hound pushed their way through and gazed at their King. Tormund didn't say anything, he just let everyone take in what was before them.
Finally, he gestured his hand to Jon. "Do you see this?" He spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. "The Night King did this! His magic defiled your King after death!" He then pointed his finger at the scars on Jon's chest. "But these, these were given to him by his so-called brother crows. They did this to him after he let us Wildlings through the Wall! He died once for doing the right thing! And he died again to make sure every one of you southerners would finally realize that the things you still believe to be stories are in fact a living nightmare!" Tormund reached inside of his furs on his chest and pulled out a dragonglass dagger he kept with him at all times. "No one should have to suffer this, especially not a great man like him!" He looked up to the Dragon Queen, mentally asking for permission to free Jon from this condition. Tears were already on her cheeks, but she kept her emotions to herself. She nodded ever so slightly to him.
Tormund raised his dagger high, but as he brought it down, someone called out to him. "Stop!" The tip of the dagger was mere inches away from Jon's heart before Tormund stopped. He looked to who shouted and saw the Red Woman walking through the crowd as people parted ways for her. She was followed by her escort and the Brotherhood men.
She walked up to Jon's bound body and he seemed to turn his attention towards her, trying to bite at her. "If you break the spell with that dagger, then he will be lost to us forever." She kept her gaze on his eye's mesmerized at the color.
"You brought him once, you can do it again." Tormund said confidently.
"The fire within him hasn't gone out yet, it is only embers. He still has time before they fade into the darkness, but if you use that dagger, the effects will only quicken his fate."
"Then how do you plan to bring him back?"
At this point, Daenerys had walked down the balcony and up to the Red Woman. "You can save him?" She asked desperately.
The Red Woman looked at Daenerys knowing she already knew the answer. "I brought him back once, but this is different. He is dead, but the Night King's magic has turned death into a cage around the fire within him. We can't break it down or open the door. It has to melt from the inside out."
"How?"
"You already know the price for such a thing. Only death can pay for life."
Daenerys clasped at her belly were her babies within her were growing. "I can't give up their lives. I won't." She began to look fearful of the Red Woman. "Jon would never forgive me again if I sacrificed his children's lives for his."
The Red Woman smiled at her, remaining calm. "You have nothing to be afraid of, my Queen. The payment shall be given, but it won't be you or your children that suffer such a fate." She turned her gaze to Brienne. "If you could, take him back to the fields, but farther out."
Brienne looked over to Daenerys, not sure if she should obey. The Queen looked at her and nodded. Brienne and the guard both adjusted their grips before walking back the way they came through the gates, the Red Woman following closely. Only a few followed them out to the fields of snow, Tormund, Daenerys, Jorah, Tyrion, and the bald man. Everyone else climbed to the battlements and looked over the walls or stuck close to the castle gates.
"Lady Melisandre," the bald man called out. She stopped and turned to face him as he approached her while, Brienne and the guard continued to carry Jon out into the snow. "I have never been a believer of gods, and I believe those that preach of them even less. Yet why is it that I have faith in you?"
"Ever since a mistake I made long ago, I've been careful about what I do. I follow visions, but I wait for the answers rather than guess them. I saw that my purpose was here, and now here I am, to fulfill my duty and my punishment."
"Then I assume that this is goodbye."
She simply smiled at him. "It's never truly goodbye. We may see each other again one day."
He bowed his head to her, looking at ease. "Then if that's the case, I shall not say it."
She turned back and began to return to the ones who carried Jon, but hesitated after a few steps. "Do you remember the name you heard in the flames?" She didn't even turn her head when she asked.
"I never forget a thing."
"The one who it belongs to is coming, make sure she hears it." She resumed to walk to Jon's body. The bald man remained behind with the dwarf, but Tormund continued to follow with Daenerys and Jorah.
"That's far enough!" Melisandre called out to Brienne and the guard as they stopped at a thin layer of snow. Melisandre turned to Daenerys and everyone who followed. "This is as far as you go." She took Daenerys's hand and held it softly. "Have no fear my Queen, for dragons do not fear the power of gods." She released her hand and walked to where Jon was being kept which was only about forty paces away from them.
Tormund and the others could barely hear what she was saying from where they were. "Set him down and go be with the others." Brienne and the guard followed her instructions and laid Jon in the snow. He struggled constantly to be free, but to no avail. Melisandre waited for Brienne and the guard to be next to everyone before looking out to the castle. A moment later, the winds began to blow, but the force wasn't natural. From behind, all four of the dragons flew to the field and landed in the snow, surrounding Melisandre and Jon. She knelt down to him and began to say her prayer that was near a whisper, but was heard by all by some mysterious power.
"Lord of Light, come to us in our darkness. The light within him fades and must be returned. Guide him through the shadows and back into life." She placed a hand over his check and Jon suddenly held still. "Baptize him in fire that his embers may become an inferno to battle against the ice. Baptize him in heat that he may warm those he protects against the colds of winter. Baptize him in light that he may lead his people out of the darkness and into the dawn. For the night is dark and full of terrors."
The brotherhood and the escort repeated Melisandre's final words in a chorus. Without given any form of order, all four of the dragons pulled their necks back before unleashing a fury of fire from their mouths. The flames consumed Jon and Melisandre and the after a second of burning, the fires turned from yellow and orange to a crimson red. Melisandre could barely be seen with her eyes closed and smiling before she turned she was turned into sparks that glided away from the flames and into the sky. Jon's bounds broke and he stood up, screeching as the fire continued to surround him but unaffected his body. He looked directly up to the sky as his voice echoed all the way to the castle.
Moments later, his screeching began to morph into shouts of pain that were made by the living. He fell to his hands and knees right before the fire stopped. The snow around Jon had melted, but the grass beneath it was untouched. The dragons began to growl nervously as Jon slowly stood up. He looked at those who watched him, the cold blue of his eyes gone and the brown returned. The dragons all screeched loudly into the sky, sounding victorious.
Jon began to breathe deeply as he started to walk forward, but after only taking three steps, he collapsed onto his front and didn't get back up. Tormund wanted to rush after him, but the heat radiating from where Jon had just been was still too much. The only one who could go after him was Daenerys and she did so, quickly. She knelt down to him and turned him over, resting his head on her lap before breaking down in tears, but she was happy and he was alive.
The heat suddenly vanished, allowing for everyone else to assist the King and Queen. Tormund slid to his knees as he got next to Jon and Daenerys, looking at his condition. He looked alright, in fact he looked like he was only sleeping. "Let's get him inside." Tormund suggested before a hand firmly grasped his shoulder.
"We'll take him inside," Beric said, "you and Lady Brienne get your wounds looked at. Your still stained with your own blood." He moved past Tormund and knelt down to Daenerys's lap. "Forgive me, your grace." He said as he slid his arms underneath Jon's back and lifted him up at his shoulders. Anguy lifted Jon's legs and they began to walk back to the castle. As Brienne helped Daenerys up, Tormund took the cloak from under his arm and quickly wrapped it over Jon's body.
"We don't need the entire North to see their King's pecker." He earned the amused smiles of the brotherhood and even Daenerys. The dragons behind them waited until they were a good distance away before spreading their wings and flying back to their nesting area on the other side of the castle.
While Jon was being examined by Maester Wolkan in his solar, Tormund and Brienne were being looked at by the Tarly crow. The lad did a fine job of cleaning their wounds and stitching Tormund's check. He was currently examining Brienne's nose while Tormund sat down with a cold wet clothe pressed to his head where he was missing an ear.
"Alright," Tarly said as he positioned himself infront of Brienne with his hands near her head, "I'm afraid this may hurt more than you'd like."
"Just do what you need to." Brienne told him.
The Tarly boy carefully placed his hands onto Brienne's cheeks and positioned his thumbs on her nose. "One quick question, is that sword Valyrian steel?" his eyes looked down to the golden hilted sword strapped on Brienne's hip.
"It's called Oathkee-" the Tarly boy pushed her nose back into place and after a quiet pop sounded, a loud roar followed as Brienne fell forward grasping at her nose. "Fuck that hurt!"
"More than you'd like?" He gave her an innocent look as she glared at him. She starting to laugh at him after the pain began to fade.
"Yes, it did."
Tarly smiled at her as he set a bloodied rag into a water basin. "It looks like you also have some bruises around your neck. I'll get some ointment that will help heal them quicker." He left Tormund and Brienne and the two of them were alone together in the room.
There was a long awkward silence that lasted longer then it should have. It felt like Tarly was taking his sweet time. "It was a brave thing you would've done." Brienne said openly.
"What?"
"Choosing to use the dragonglass to free Jon from being an undead soldier. I don't think there would be many who knew him well who could do it."
"No one should be one those things. I've lost friends and family to the Walkers, and I've had to kill them all the same before they could turn me into what they'd become." He looked directly at her. "I expect anyone who considers me a friend to do the same if I turn. I won't become a slave to the fucking Night King."
For the first time, Brienne didn't look uncomfortable by Tormund's presence. "Then promise me you'll do the same if that happens to me."
"I promise."
