A Kiss of Ice and Fire
Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire is owned by GRRM foremost. The plot idea is owned by my brain. You want it? Have Illyn Payne bring you my head.
Seriously tho, don't do dat shit.
Chapter 2
Jon entered the ice cell carefully, keeping the torch in front of him. Jon glanced into the corner to make sure he wouldn't be snuck up on. He may not have saved Ygritte after all, if Thorne got his way. Jon had Edd stand guard behind him, as an extra precaution.
Jon checked the other corner, and Tormund's blue eyes reflected back at him from the torch. The big man grinned and went to sit down, giving up on ambush for the time being. Jon actually grinned a bit himself. Despite being on opposite sides of a long vigil, he liked the redheaded brawler.
"You burn Ygritte then?" Jon's smile fell.
"No," Jon replied. "Something else happened before I could."
Tormund's expression turned to one of worry. Jon could see the big man's thoughts turning. Had Jon buried her, or just tossed Ygritte off the top of the wall. Or was she something else now?
"There's a red woman here with Stannis, from the south," Jon began. Tormund absorbed the news, though he honestly had no idea who the hell 'Stannis' was. "The red woman said a prayer to a lord of light. Before I could burn her, Ygritte came back. Not as a walker, as herself." Tormund stared at Jon for a moment.
"If you're lying to me, crow," Tormund warned slowly. "I'll cut your crow sausage off and stick it where it won't help you so much."
"I wasn't planning on using it very much, anyway," Jon said, japing. Tormund let out a hissing exhale that turned to a great howl of laughter. Jon joined in with his own chuckle. When Tormund's laughter had settled, Jon added more. "I know you don't trust me, but I'm not lying. I swear I'll try to let you see her. One of the officers, Thorne, he's aiming for my head for breakin' my vows, and Stannis is here for something else. I don't know what yet."
"Did you put Ygritte in a cell like this?" Tormund accused, his voice a growl.
"No I didn't," Jon replied. "But I'm not a lord, not an officer. The Lord Commander's gone, there's nothing but me and my friends on the Wall that stops Thorne from killing all of you. I nearly got me and Ygritte killed just bringing her back alive to Castle Black."
"But only nearly," Tormund noted.
Ygritte looked up as her 'cell' door was opened. She'd been put into an empty storm room, with a busted cot and a pair of thin woolen blankets. The door, if it could be called that, was a plank of wood that had been patched on more than once, with a strong bolt mated to it that was probably stronger than the door itself.
A man in a metal helm with a cap looked in. Ygritte watched him carefully. He was a southerner, that was for sure, all andal features. Ygritte thought he was going to walk in and finish her. Then the red woman entered the cell. The door was closed behind her. Her hands were clasped before her belly, staring at Ygritte.
"Did you bring me back just to throw me in an empty room in a castle?" Ygritte demanded, wishing her hands were free.
"I didn't bring you back, girl," Melisandre replied. "The Red God did. You should thank him." Ygritte looked out the window.
"I don't know your red god," Ygritte replied bluntly. "I keep the Old Gods."
"The Red God is the only god," Melisandre replied. "All others are demons and false gods, made by the Other to lead men astray." Ygritte rolled her eyes, bored of this conversation already. "Jon Snow worships the Old Gods and the Seven. Both are false. Only the Lord of Light can save you from the darkness."
"You don't know Jon," Ygritte replied quickly.
"No," Melisandre agreed, equally as quick. "But you do." Ygritte glanced back at the older woman. Why would a red woman want to know about Jon Snow?
"If you want to know him," Ygritte taunted. "Go ahead. He's sweet to girls. He does a little something with his mouth. You'll enjoy it." Melisandre didn't react beyond an amused grin at Ygritte's taunting.
"So good to hear at least one man knows how to treat a woman well," Melisandre replied after a moment. Ygritte's self-satisfied little grin vanished. Every damn word out of the red woman's mouth made Ygritte want to stab her more. "One wonders if Jon Snow will say similar things about you. That's not why I am here."
Ygritte looked away, choosing to play indifference to the priestess.
"My King, Stannis, has come to the wall for men for his war. The Night's Watch are depleted. But your people." Ygritte looked over her shoulder at the red woman. "Will they bend the knee to Stannis and fight for him?"
"Stannis wants them to bend their knees?" Ygritte asked, not understanding.
"Kneel," Melisandre explained.
"We don't kneel," Ygritte replied, looking forward.
"They will die if they don't," Melisandre replied.
"Then we die," Ygritte countered. Melisandre took a deep breath, as if she knew Ygritte would answer like that.
"You won't die at first," Melisandre replied. "Stannis's men will tie your King to a stake. I will light a the pyre beneath him. The smoke will steal his breath." Melisandre didn't move, didn't circle Ygritte to appear intimidating. "You will see his eyes widen as he struggles to keep breathing, as the fire begins to go from warm to hot. Only a few men hold their fear in check."
Ygritte kept her eyes and face forward, feeling the distant sun warming part of her face. Even so, her mouth had opened, picturing it in her head. It wasn't pretty.
"A few scream as soon as their legs catch fire," Melisandre related. "The few that never scream, I've always respected in a way. Most do, eventually. Truthfully, the fire never kills a man. The burning does. The pain. Causes a man's heart to stop. The skin falls away." Ygritte felt her eyes watering.
Mance won't scream, she told herself. He's different.
"Most scream. But they all die, eventually."
Mance won't scream. Ygritte's eye had opened like a dam. Mance won't scream.
"You'd be surprised how long they can scream," Melisandre replied. "When all that you see of them is a black shape of a man, even then they still scream."
"Mance won't scream," Ygritte hissed, keeping her face hard, despite the fact that she knew her tears were visible.
"He may not," the red woman agreed. "He seems a strong man. Many people seem strong. Even you are strong. You may not scream either. Women have always been stronger. But it will hurt a great deal."
Mance won't scream. Tormund won't scream. Ygritte wouldn't scream. The free folk were all strong. Melisandre turned and rapped on the door lightly. The bolt was opened and the door swung wide, and Ygritte turned to watch the red woman go.
"I will scream," Ygritte growled. Something in her tone made the red woman look over her shoulder at the wildling. "I'll scream a curse on you. To curse you to a death in the cold and the dark, surrounded by the dead. You'll never be burned. You'll rot to nothing and no one will bury you."
Melisandre's expression didn't change, but she still glared silently at Ygritte. Then there was a slight curve to her mouth. Almost as if she was impressed.
"Mance Rayder will kneel to Stannis or burn," Melisandre declared. "When night comes. Jon Snow must convince him. Night is coming. And it is dark. And full of terrors."
"I know," Ygritte replied. "I've seen them." Ygritte finally saw fear in the red woman's eyes at that. "You should be afraid of them as I am." Ygritte was smiling at her.
Melisandre left at this, perturbed. Ygritte looked back, satisfied with herself.
Jon Snow stepped from the lift. The wind buffeted him like a storm woud at Winterfell. Jon was used to them at this point. It made Jon realize he truly belonged to the Wall now. Perhaps whether he liked it or not.
He found Stannis standing side by side with another man, both with their backs to Jon, looking out beyond the Wall. The wind had cleared out a lot of the clouds that normally would've obscured the view. They could see the rest of Mance's host, a great black smear, broken in a million pieces of free folk.
"You wanted a word," Jon greeted. The man at Stannis's side turned.
"I'm Davos Seaworth, hand to the true King, Stannis Baratheon," Davos greeted. Jon nodded at the man, before Stannis turned. Jon went to his knee.
"Do you know who holds Winterfell now?" Jon winced at Stannis's question. Maester Aemon had told him.
"Roose Bolton," Jon answered, rising. Aemon had also told him what Roose had down, at the orders of Tywin Lannister. Robb was gone. Jon felt a great stab of pain in his heart at that.
"The traitor who put a dagger in Robb Stark's heart," Stannis added. Jon didn't wince, but the knife just went deeper into Jon's own at being reminded. "At the hands of Tywin Lannister. The old Lion is dead, no one to protect Bolton anymore."
So Stannis meant to take Winterfell from Bolton. It was becoming clear what Stannis wanted. Then Stannis asked for more men, confirming Jon's thoughts.
Stannis turned back around to look over the Wall.
"I need more men," Stannis added further.
"The Night's Watch is nuetral," Jon reminded.
"Forget the Night's Watch," Stannis declared brusquely. "What about the damn wildlings? If they fight for me, they come south of the wall. When they help me win the throne, I'll give them land to live on."
Davos turned to Snow now. "You've spoken to Mance Rayder, you earned his trust, his respect. You took a wildling girl as a lover. If you convince Mance Rayder to kneel to the King he'll live."
"If I fail?" Davos frowned at Jon's question.
Stannis turned back to the bastard now.
"Then Mance Rayder will be executed for treason," Stannis declared. "The Lady Melisandre will burn him as a sacrifice to the Red God."
"How long do I have?" Jon replied quickly.
"Until nightfall. The days are short this far north. Speak quickly." Jon spun at Stannis's declaration, heading back to the lift.
Nightfall came fast, in the end. Mance was dragged out into the yard of Castle Black. Baratheon soldier had spent the latter day building a pyre around a stake. Mance had been stripped of his furs, clad only in a pair of worn trousers. Jon looked over.
Tormund and the rest of the free folk captives were here, including... Jon's eyes settled on Ygritte's. She was glaring at him, accusing him. She was beautiful, in a red dress, with a cloak of fur about her shoulders. Except her expression made his heart twist.
Mance was brought before Stannis, who stood just before the stake, standing before everyone. The two kings were similar in some ways, perhaps.
"Kneel, and swear loyalty to me and you and your people can fight for me. You'll be rewarded with lands and your lives." Stannis declared a truncated version of the offer he'd told Jon Snow. Mance didn't seem tempted.
"My people don't deserve to fight in a foreigner's wars," Mance declared. "If it were just me, Aye, I'd kneel to ya. I don't want to die. But I look out for my own. They'll fight to survive. But not for a man to sit the Iron Throne." Mance glanced to his right, over Stannis's shoulder to where Tormund and Ygritte were standing, watching.
"Mance Rayder," Stannis declared. "I, Stannis of the House Baratheon, sentence you to die. Do you have any last words?"
"Aye, just a few," Mance replied, smiling sadly. "Hangings work pretty well for getting rid of traitors, if you want to spare the wood for later." Jon sucked in a surprised breath. Mance Rayder was japing about being burned alive. A grin crossed Jon's face a moment. He glanced over to see Ygritte giving a smirk along with Tormund's dirty chuckle.
Mance was dragged to the stake, his arms chained behind his back. Melisandre stepped forward, receiving a torch from a baratheon man at arms as she stepped closer. She turned and addressed the assembled Night's Watch, wildlings, and the Baratheon host.
"To each of us, falls a choice," Melisandre began.
"For fuck's sake, get it over with," Mance growled. Jon's grin disappeared as a thought struck him. Jon didn't hear much of the red woman's speech after that. Something about choosing between good and evil. Then he saw her lighting the wood beneath Mance, and his attention focused on the King Beyond the Wall.
"Don't scream, Mance!" Ygritte was shouting now.
Mance's eyes were open, and Jon could see he was focusing on something. Blocking out eh fear, Jon realized.
"I'm not gonna watch this," Jon declared, turning and going up the walkway. Dolorous Edd looked at him as he left. Ygritte saw and pointedly ignored him.
Mance's legs were engulfed in flames now. He wasn't screaming.
He wouldn't scream. Ygritte knew it.
"This is unnatural," Tormund whispered. Ygritte glanced over and saw that the big man was horrified. Ygritte looked back and realized why. She'd been focusing on her king. She hadn't seen that he was now surrounded by a solid ring of fire, even as it began to burn his legs. Mance's eyes were wider than she'd ever seen.
"He won't scream, Tormund," Ygritte insisted.
"How can he bloody not?" Giantsbane had his answer, not the way Ygritte had intended.
An arrow struck Mance in the chest, right where his heart was. Jon lowered the bow as Mance looked up to meet his eyes. The old man gave a smile. Then he died and went slump. Jon looked down to see everyone looking at him.
"He was a traitor to the Night's Watch," Jon declared. "But he fought for his people, no matter which people he chose to fight for! He was a sworn brother, a ranger. Then he became a man of the free folk, a King beyond the Wall. Now his Watch has ended."
Jon saw a few men nod. Sam and Edd in particular were grinning back up at him.
"And now his watch has ended," the pair intoned.
Jon's eyes went over to Tormund and Ygritte. Tormund's expression went from surprise, to approval. Ygritte was grinning, though it was more like she'd been proven right.
Mance Rayder burned silently.