AN: Changing pace after the points of view from last chapter. Ot looks like a two horse race right now. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, followed and reviewed and especially Reviewer543 for his continued efforts to make this story something special. Enjoy!
After declaring the death sentence to the traitors of the Nights Watch, Jon began to think that he may have bitten off more than he could chew when he was forced on the defensive by a man that he thought to be a friend and a traitor, Alyn Ryswell and the beady-eyed Warne Stalley. I have little doubt that I could take down either if we were to fight alone but the two of them are experienced enough to give Aiden and Paxton a run for their money in terms of their teamwork. The only differences that separate the two from the twins are that Alyn and Warne are stronger than the Winterfell guard recruits, they have more experience and they are using live steel.
Jon caught Alyn's sword with his own and Warne's on the head of his axe. This stalemate afforded Jon a chance to look towards Rolf, who was occupying Nelsor and Ronas Payne. The glimpse told Jon just how precarious their situation was as it was clear that if either of them was to fall then it would only be a few seconds before the other was overwhelmed by the combined force of the traitors to the Nights Watch.
With the knowledge of his dire situation, Jon let the axe fall from his left hand while dropping to the ground quickly and spinning quickly to kick the handle of the falling axe to launch it at Warne who was not expecting such an unorthodox attack. The axe hit the man solidly in the stomach, and its tip seemed to penetrate the skin from the pained shout and small trail of blood that trickled from a small hole in his leathers.
Warne dropped to his knees clutching his wound as Jon used his momentum to continue his spin and stab his sword out at the man who had pretended to be his friend. "Why did you do it, Alyn?" Jon asked the man as his attack was narrowly avoided. "You were a man of the Nights Watch."
"Aye, I was a man of the Nights Watch," Alyn spat while launching a vertical slash which Jon avoided by rolling to the side before springing back to his feet and striking with a series of slashes that were all met by Alyn's sword. "Do you know what that got me? Let me tell you, it got me nothing!"
"You were sworn to be the shield that guards the realms of men," Jon snarled with a fire in his eyes. "Protecting the Seven Kingdoms is what being a member of the Nights Watch got you!"
"A green boy like you couldn't possibly understand!" Alyn retorted as his blade locked with Jon's. "The son of the Warden of Winterfell, what could you possibly know of wanting more for yourself?"
"The illegitimate son of the Warden of Winterfell," Jon countered as he slashed at Alyn, attempting to open him from his right shoulder to his left hip. "I know plenty of wanting but I also know that it is better to earn the things that I want than to take them at the expense of others."
"Save your words, bastard," Alyn said while launching a salvo of slashes that pushed Jon's defenses to the brink. "The last thing that I take from this village will be your life."
A pained scream tore through the village. Jon's and Alyn's attention was pulled from their duel as they saw Rolf had successfully removed the hand and wrist of Nelsor's sword arm midway to the elbow. Unfortunately, Rolf's success was short-lived as a blow to the back of his head by the hand holding Rona's sword landed heavily to the back of Rolf's head, causing the younger watchman's eyes to roll back into his head as he fell to the ground in a heap.
"What's going on here?" A female voice shouted. "Why are all of you fighting? The Wildlings are gone."
The source of the voice was revealed to be a beautiful woman with striking green eyes, her complexion was fair and her lips were full and pink. Her raven-black hair cascaded in waves down her shoulders creating a mane of sorts that fanned around her hourglass figure and seemed to reach the small of her back. The sheer size of her hair seemed to emphasize the curves of her slender figure even more than the grey corset that clung to her torso above a grey dress that flared at her hip and fell to her ankles above a pair of grey boots that peaked out from under the hem of the dress.
"It looks like the world has made me a liar," Alyn proclaimed, causing Jon to shift his attention from the female who had exited one of the buildings. "She will be the last thing I take from this village."
"You will not be able to stop me, Jon Snow." Alyn challenged while sweeping his sword in a gesture that was different from the sweeping attacks that he had launched so far. "You are outnumbered three to one. If you try to stop me from taking her then you and Rolf both die and I still take her but if you let us go then I will spare your lives."
Jon looked to the downed form of Rolf quickly before his view swung to find Warne and Ronas moving to stand beside their fellow traitor. Warne was holding his wound with his left arm but he was still moving well and did not seem to be overly encumbered by the injury.
"I wouldn't be able to look at myself knowing that I took my safety at the expense of another person's life," Jon concluded gravely causing the Alyn and Ronas to burst into laughter while Warne's mirth was accompanied by a pained wince. "That you would dismiss my words so easily shows that that the Vow you swore at the start of your Watch never truly reached your heart, if you still claim to have one."
"So you have a woman's heart to go along with your pretty face, is that it?" Alyn taunted. "Are you upset that we don't want to steal you also?"
"You lot seem to get pretty worked up over my looks," Jon noted dryly. "It sounds like you wish I would go with you."
"The only place you'll be going is into the embrace of the Stranger," Alyn retorted while trying to save face. "No one would ever want a bastard."
"I keep to the Old Gods," Jon informed the traitor while raising his sword in challenge. "I have no use for your Stranger."
"Men, let's see if we can make Snow fall," Alyn prompted his comrades to follow him in the attack. "The one to deal the fatal strike gets to go first with the girl."
Ronas and Alyn were upon him in seconds, easily closing the distance between them and Warne was not far behind. Since he no longer had two weapons of his own, Jon was pushed to his limits evading the strikes to the best of his ability while blocking when dodging was not an option. As Warne caught up to the combat, Jon began to feel the sting of strikes that were not completely dodged begin to land on his arms and legs.
Throwing himself backwards, as far as his legs would take him, Jon rolled backwards before bounding to his feet. Knowing that he only had a few seconds before the men were upon him again, Jon whipped his head behind him and took advantage of his backwards momentum to get a glimpse of the area behind him while channeling his magic with an intent that could only be accessed when success could mean the difference between life and death.
As he felt his magic build, Jon brought his sword up to block the next series of attacks while keeping his legs and torso firmly in place, almost planted to the ground. He didn't bother to count the number of blows that attempted to overwhelm his defense. Instead he focused on his purpose and redoubled his focus, knowing that he would not be able to keep up the frenetic pace for much longer.
"Where did he go?" Ronas asked before his head was severed from his body causing it to fly through the air several feet before finally reaching the ground.
Alyn and Warne immediately moved to stand back to back now that the odds had been turned and they were facing an invisible foe.
"I don't know how you did that," Alyn spat. "What witchcraft is this? Did you cause that wave of light that swept through the wall, demon?"
Jon did not dare to reveal himself by speaking after taking so many small wounds during the initial assault from the treacherous trio. Instead, he focused on moving as stealthily as possible to stand between the men and the dwelling where the young woman was still standing, transfixed by the battle that was raging before her and Jon's apparent disappearance.
Looking around wildly, Alyn's eyes fell to the ground immediately in front of Jon and he smirked before lunging forward with a slash that would have pierced Jon's heart if Jon did not step to the right at the last moment. Though the attack did not succeed in killing Jon, as Alyn intended, it did cause a wound deep enough on Jon's arm that his concentration failed and the illusion dropped.
"Aha," Alyn exclaimed. "Just because you can turn yourself invisible doesn't mean that you can hide your shadow! Now you're injured. You will die like the scum you are and be sent back to whatever hell you hailed from!"
"It seems that you have us confused," Jon corrected with a grimace. "You are the one who will die. Or have you forgotten what happens to those who desert the Nights Watch in addition to the vows that you swore?"
"You should keep quiet about things you don't understand," Warne coughed out. "Those people south of the Wall deserve everything that's coming down for them and more for sending us there in the first place"
Jon stepped forward with determination burning in his eyes. "Maybe I should remind you," he questioned rhetorically as he brandished his sword in his good arm while keeping his left tight to his body to prevent it from becoming an easy target.
"Night gathers, and now my watch begins." He struck out viciously at Warne without warning, causing the man's body to twist as it absorbed the force and causing the bleeding to increase from the wound he suffered earlier as the man slumped to the ground clutching his stomach.
"It shall not end until my death," he kicked out at Warne and knocked the man's left arm into the wound that it was attempting to protect.
"I shall take no wife." Jon parried a slash from Alyn.
"Hold no lands," Jon took the initiative from Alyn and launched an attack of his own which was met with steel.
"Father no children." Another slash met his opponent's steel.
"I shall wear no crown and win no glory." Jon ducked a slash while his sword leapt forward in an attempt to pierce Alyn which was avoided as the man scowled.
"I shall live and die at my post." Alyn seemed to become enraged at the statement as he swung his sword back and forth rapidly in an attempt to stop the words that he was attempting to escape.
"I am the sword in the darkness." Jon surprised Alyn by punching the man in his face with his injured arm. Although the hit was not forceful enough to drop the man to the dirt, it did cause him to stagger.
"I am the watcher on the walls." Alyn was now losing ground to Jon's dogged pursuit.
"I am the fire that burns against the cold," Jon truly began to feel the fire of the words and felt as if he was empowered by the statement.
"The light that brings the dawn!" Jon's strike found purchase but it was merely a flesh wound.
"The horn that wakes the sleepers!" Jon slammed his sword against Alyn's with as much force as he could muster causing a hole to appear in the man's guard.
"The shield that guards the realms of men." It was time to take advantage of Alyn's rushed attempt to move his sword back into position and Jon did so by attempting the disarming maneuver that Ser Rodrik had taught him what felt like a lifetime ago.
"I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch." Jon kicked out and his blow landed squarely on Alyn's chest, forcing the man to take a seat on the ground.
"For this night and all the nights to come." Jon pushed the tip of his sword into Alyn's throat hard enough to draw a tickle of blood.
"Yes, yes, we know the words," Warne wheezed as he pressed a dagger into the throat of the young woman who had been paralyzed at the sight of the men fighting while holding his wound with an urgency that had not been there before. "You let Alyn go or else this one dies."
Alyn was broke from the stupor caused by Jon reciting the Vow by Warne's words and he started to laugh. "We'll be taking our freedom and the girl and there is nothing you can do to stop us."
"All your efforts for noth…" Warne stopped short as an arrow embedded into his eye causing him to fall to the ground and drop the knife.
Apparently, that was the breaking point for the young woman as she screamed and fell to her knees. With one hand, she clutched her face and, with the other, she pointed in the direction from which the arrow had been fired.
Jon's sword did not leave Alyn's throat as he followed the pointing finger to see a sight that made him gasp.
The last person that Jon expected to see was standing no more than 20 paces away with her bow held aloft and her eye towards her target. Ygritte had found him.
Quest Completed!
Village Vigilante: Defend the village of Dawnstar against the Wildling invaders that seek to enslave the men and do worse to the women.
Rewards for completion: Fealty of Dawnstar, information about the Free Folk and 100,000 Experience.
Blocking +3600
Sneak +2000
One-handed +5200
Speech +4500
Evasion +2600
Light Armor +800
Illusion: Magical Distortion +10000
You have reached level 20. You have 5 perk points to distribute. You have 200 points to allocate to health points, stamina points and/or magic points. Open menu to distribute points.
If I don't do it now then I don't know when I will have time to do it in the near future and, with how often I have found myself in battle since winding up beyond the Wall, I can't take the chance . Jon reasoned as he opened the menu. 100 points each to health points and magic points would even out the three stats. My health points seem to be more than enough between my offensive skills, my blocking and evasion skills and my magic ward. Plus Restoration magic seems like it will do even better at protecting me as I level the skill. Instead, I'll put 50 points towards my stamina points and 150 points towards my magic points to bring their totals up to 350 each.
Jon made the adjustment to his stats quickly and was redirected to his perks.
The perk points are a bit trickier. Jon considered his options. Currently, my perks are pretty even: Strength 6, Perception, 6, Endurance 6, Charisma 4, Intelligence 6, Agility 5 and Luck 4. I know that I can raise Strength, Endurance and Agility the old fashion way through pushing my body to its limits. I can also increase Intelligence by reading but that takes much longer even with the Read-Absorb ability. Charisma, Perception and Luck are the perks that are the ones that I haven't found a way to increase naturally yet.
I like the idea of bringing Charisma and Luck to 5 so that all my perks are at least level 5. There is definitely something to be said for being well rounded especially since I don't know what the future will hold for me, if the past months have taught me anything it's that anything could happen.
Then again, the mysticism ability causes magic points to regenerate based on the level. Between my higher number of magic points and the fact that right now they would only regenerate at the rate on 6 points for minutes, it would take almost an hour to get back to 300 points if I was to use all of them at once. Plus more intense magic seems to need more magic points to cast, so it makes sense to start preparing with all the different types of magic that seem to be available.
I'll raise Intelligence to level 10 and see if that unlocks any other abilities and the figure out what to do with the remaining point.
Jon added 4 points to Intelligence and was happy to see a notification appear before him.
Intermediate Mysticism – Allows recovery of MP at a rate double to your current Intelligence level per minute outside of combat.
That was lucky! Alright, that settles it. If 4 Luck will do that, then I am perfectly willing to see what 5 Luck will bring.
Jon added the final point to luck and waited for an ability notification to pop. Apparently, all the luck was used on the unlocking of Intermediate Mysticism as no new notifications appeared before him.
Well the Intermediate Mysticism perk definitely makes up for not getting anything specific for Luck.
I should probably get back to the real world to see how Ygritte came to be in Dawnstar.
Jon closed the menu and immediately regretted not taking time in the paused reality that he entered to access the menu of the Stargaryan Ring to think of something clever to say. "Uh, Ygritte?"
"Aye, is that you Jon?" She asked adjusting her aim from the now downed form of Warne to the man that Jon was holding at sword point. "How did you come to be so far from Winterfell? Who is that man? Why are you here? How did the prettiest boy I know come to look like hell?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Ygritte arched her eyebrow in a way that clearly was meant to indicate that he would need to give a better explanation than that. "The man is a deserter from the Nights Watch who tried to kill me when it was revealed that he was selling people to the Cave People across the Wall. He and some other men of the Watch were to take me as far as this town as their way of seeing me safely returned to Winterfell. As you can tell from my looks, he and the other traitors have a very different understanding of the word 'safely.'"
"We'll see what Camen has to say about all of this," Ygritte processed his answers with a look on her face that Jon could not quite place as she held her bow at Alyn as if daring him to give her a reason to shoot. "I thought you ran out on me, Jon Snow."
"Ran out on you?" Jon was confused by the statement. "I didn't have any way of knowing that I would be leaving Winterfell. If I did, I would have told you."
Ygritte's face seemed to soften ever so slightly at Jon's words before she whistled a tune that seemed like a song from a bird, causing the other members of the Free Folk to enter the village from their places behind the trees on the southwest side of the village.
Foremost among them with his long grey hair, aged face with the mid-evening stubble and posture as straight as any lord that Jon had seen was the man who called himself Camen, Mance Rayder.
"Jon Snow, imagine seeing you here," the leader of the Free Folk smiled as he greeted Jon. "You caused quite a stir at Winterfell when you went missing. After the kindness you showed to our Ygritte, you Lord Father agreed to my request to help look for you before King Robert arrives at the castle."
"Thank you for coming," Jon wanted to express his gratitude. "Ygritte has done more than enough to pay back any debt that was owed, as you did when you gave me the Hawksflight bow."
"We do not forget kindness that is given freely to us," the old man responded with a shake of his head. "Even if you don't realize what you are doing. By bringing the Stark children into our camp, your presence was enough to convince the small folk that our services merited their coin. We left Winterfell with our purses considerably fatter than when we arrived and I intend to put the coin to good use."
"What would a man like you want with coin?" The words slipped from Jon's mouth before he realized their implication. "I only mean…"
Mance's face grew hard as he raised a hand to cut Jon off. "I expected as much. If you were able to guess the true name of the bow then it was not much of a leap to think you would figure out mine also. Let me formally introduce myself. Mance Rayder, leader of the Free Folk, at your service."
"When we spoke last time, you spoke as if the Free Folk were more than just a traveling theater troupe." Jon attempted to explain how he could have known that Camen was more than he appeared. "It was as if it was a way of life."
"That it is, Jon," Mance smiled before shifting his gaze to the man at the point of Jon's sword. "It seems that you have caught yourself a Crow."
"This is Alyn Ryswell, a deserter from the Nights Watch." Jon said, taking a step back and letting his sword arm drop to his side while taking care to remain in striking range in case Alyn tried anything. "He was selling people from this village to a group of Cave People beyond the Wall about a day of riding away from the Shadow Tower."
"Beyond the Wall, you say?" Mance questioned with an inscrutable look on his face. "What do you know of the lands beyond the Wall?"
"Not much," Jon admitted. "I found myself in the Forbidden Forrest of White Tree when I woke up from whatever took me from Winterfell. After coming to, I was injured in a battle against a sea serpent and taken prisoner by the Cave People. That's where I first met Alyn who was also a prisoner. Together we escaped and rode for Shadow Tower."
"So he was a prisoner too?" Mance mused with an amused smirk toying at his lips and a twinkle in his eye. "It is fortunate that you managed to escape. I happen to know the group that you speak of and I have not known them to keep prisoners alive for very long."
"That's what Ser Denys said also," Jon answered causing Mance to turn the full intensity of his gaze upon Jon. "He then sent me with a eleven members of the Watch to take me as far as this village on the way back to Winterfell."
"Eleven? Where are the others?" Mance asked casually as he seemed to become much more alert. "Why would they leave you with them?"
Jon saw Mance gesture at Alyn, the corpses of Warne and Ronas and the downed forms of Nelsor and Rolf. Jon pointed at Rolf, "He's one of the good ones. The others were injured in a battle against a mirelurk and returned with their dead to the Shadow Tower."
Mance's eyes widened at the mention of a mirelurk before he seemed to breathe a sigh in relief at Jon's words before addressing two of his men. "Tie up Jon's captive, check on the others. The one Jon pointed out does not need to be tied up at this point. If either of the others survived then bind them as well."
"Thank you, Mance." Jon sheathed his sword as the men followed Mance's words and gagged him for good measure. "There is one thing though. How could you, and the Free Folk, have made it here so quickly from Winterfell?"
Mance smirked at Jon's question. "Let's just say that the Free Folk are used to travel in much harsher terrain than you find in these parts. Other than that, you have things that you are not sharing with me, I think it fitting that I don't share the specifics with you."
Jon nodded in understanding, appreciating the fact that Mance did not push for more answers than he was willing to give. "Right then," he agreed while turning his attention to the crumpled form of the girl who was almost kidnapped by the traitors to the Watch. "I have to make sure that the people of this village know that the danger has passed before we can return to Winterfell."
"Do what you must," Mance said while following Jon's gaze to the young woman's sobbing form. "I would have some of the men help you but I don't think our presence would be appreciated by the people of this village."
Jon cocked his head to the side, momentarily confused by Mance's proclamation before realizing that having the Free Folk deliver the news that the Cave people have gone may incite more panic than it settled. "There don't seem to be many people left, so I don't think this will take long."
"Take care," Mance cautioned while gesturing for his people to fall back. "These people have had quite a fright. Keep your sword at the ready and don't let your guard down."
"I'll have my eye on you, Jon Snow," Ygritte promised. "And my bow."
Jon nodded, with a brief look of trepidation at the second part of Ygritte's promise, and moved towards the girl that had almost experienced the worst that the Nights Watch had to offer, first hand. As he got closer to the girl, the muffled sound of her sobs became easier to discern. "Hello, my name is Jon Snow. Things will be alright now."
The girl looked up and the sight of the tears running down her cheeks took Jon's breath away. "How can you say that? They killed everyone!"
"You're still here," Jon tried to refocus the girl on her own survival. "There must be other survivors as well."
The girl seemed to consider Jon's words before shaking her head to deny his statement and dropping her gaze to her lap. "We've been raided before but there is no one left for them here after today."
"It must have been hard to live with such a threat to your village." Jon moved to sit next to the girl. "Those beasts should have been put down long ago."
The girl nodded and sniffled, seeming to regain a bit of her composure. "Over the last year, there must have been at least half a dozen raids like the one you saw today. Each time, more and more of the villagers disappeared. Today was the last stand. Counting me, there were less than twenty people here when the sun rose this morning. My father was the village's leader and he led the men against those monsters when they attacked."
"He sounds like he was a brave man."
The girl gave a hollow laugh. "Brave, maybe. Stupid, there can be no doubt. He refused my brother when he was told that we needed to leave the town if we wanted to survive."
"Was your brother a part of the town's defense today?" Jon asked quietly.
"No," the girl seemed to gain strength as she answered. "When father turned down his plan for us to abandon Dawnstar, he was sent to beseech the aid of the Lord of Winterfell and continue down to Kings Landing if the Lord of Winterfell would not take action against our foes."
"We're heading back to Winterfell," Jon offered, seeking to give the young woman a sense of purpose and desiring to keep her close to offer protection. "If your brother was heading to Winterfell then you could come back with us to meet him there."
"You don't even know me," the girl looked suddenly shy. "You've already bled for this village. You do not owe me anything."
Jon looked at his arms and legs and took a deep breath while thinking on his injuries and how they likely paled in comparison to what would have happened to the young woman if the traitors to the Nights Watch had been able to take her from the village. "I took these wounds because I was unwilling to let those men do whatever they had in mind for you. I couldn't live with myself thinking that something ended up happening to you because you tried to make the trip by yourself."
"I just want to wake up and find that this was all a dream," the girl said breathily while pulling her knees to her chest. "At least that would mean that everyone was still alive."
Jon tried to be as reassuring as he put his left hand on her right shoulder and caused her to jerk her head towards him with her eyes wide. "Can you feel my hand?" He asked, prompting a shaky nod and her face to fall. "As terrible as all this was, it was real. Despite all the bad that came out of the day, you survived. Your brother is out there and you will find him."
She rubbed her face with the palms of her hands to clear it of the tears that had been steadily falling since Warne had held a knife to her throat. "There is nothing for me here now. I will go with you and find my brother." Her breath seemed to catch in her throat before she continued. "Someone needs to tell him what happened here."
Jon let out a breath that he did not know that he know he was holding. "I'm glad that is your decision. Is there anything that you wish to take with you? We can go whenever you are ready."
"There are some things that I'd like to take with me before leaving. Would you come in with me?" The young woman asked nervously. "I don't want to be alone right now."
"I don't even know you name," Jon blushed at her offer to join her alone in her home. "I don't know that it would be appropriate for me to be alone with you in your house. Maybe I should get one of the women?"
"My name is Ysolda Darklyn." She introduced herself with a a hint of a frown creeping onto her face at the mention of her family name. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Jon Snow."
"The pleasure is all mine, Ysolda." Jon remembered his courtesies. "Are you sure about this?"
"After the attack, I'm not sure of much," Ysolda admitted with a shake of her head that caused a lock of hair to slip from behind her ear. Involuntarily, Jon's hand moved from her shoulder to tuck the stray lock of hair back into place. Apparently his actions were not appreciated as an arrow embedded in the house just above his head. "By the Children, when will this nightmare end?"
Jon did not have time to answer before Ysolda grabbed his hand and pulled him into her home before slamming the door and dropping a heavy bar into place to protect them from the perceived danger. After the fortification was in place, she sunk to the ground with her head buried in her hands and her eyes wide.
Jon immediately moved to soothe Ysolda after the perceived danger. Again, his left hand found her left shoulder but this time his right hand found her left shoulder. "It's ok, Ysolda. That arrow wasn't fired by anyone who would want to hurt you. It was my friend Ygritte."
"Why would a friend shoot an arrow at you?" Ysolda asked with a look of skepticism. "It doesn't sound like she is a very good friend."
"I've seen her shoot before," Jon remembered how the arrow plunged into Warne's eye. "If she was aiming for either of us then she would not have missed."
Ysolda's brow furrowed in a way that reminded Jon just how attractive the young woman was. "Why would she shoot at us in any case?"
Jon blushed again as he remembered how unhappy Ygritte seemed when she thought he had left Winterfell without saying goodbye to her. "I'm not exactly sure. I don't think she liked it when I put your hair behind your ear."
Ysolda's mouth gaped in incredulity. "Is she your woman?"
"No, no, it's nothing like that," the words fell from Jon's mouth before he stopped to consider. "When she arrived at Winterfell, I saved her when she found herself on the nasty end of a bear."
"It sounds like she took your actions to mean something else," Ysolda shook off Jon's hands from her shoulders as she pushed herself to a standing position and began to walk towards a staircase. "It makes sense."
Jon didn't know how to answer so he kept his silence as she reached the stairs.
"I told you that I don't want to be alone, come on." Ysolda motioned for Jon to follow her up the staircase. "Your woman can wait a bit longer."
"I told you that she isn't my woman," Jon grumbled through the blush that Ysolda seemed to be able to conjure on his face at will. "I can only imagine what the Septa would say if an unmarried woman was to allow an unmarried man into her private quarters at Winterfell."
"The Seven have no place in the north." Ysolda stated as she seemed to swing her hips a bit more with each step causing Jon's attention to be drawn to the swaying form of her derriere. "She can say whatever she wants; she holds no influence over me."
Jon didn't know what to say that would not give Ysolda the impression that he had ulterior motives for accompanying her into the house so he kept quiet. The stairs led the two of them to a small landing with a small cabinet and a door immediately to the left of the top of the stairs and another following the landing to the door leading to the second room on the top floor of the house.
Ysolda opened the door to the left on the landing and entered the room. Jon looked around and saw a bed that could comfortably fit two people with two smaller cabinets on either side a large trunk at the foot of the bed and a sizable armoire on the wall to the left of the door.
Ysolda first went to the cabinet on the right of the bed and took out a good sized leather bag. Then she walked around the foot of the bed and propped open the trunk before withdrawing some linen garments that caused Jon to blush realizing that he had just caught a glimpse of Ysolda's small clothes as she stuffed them in the leather bag. Ysolda also pulled several tough looking leather garments from the trunk and turned to Jon with a strange look on her face.
"My mother was a warrior and when she passed, my father wanted me to have her leathers to keep me safe and keep her spirit alive," Ysolda explained. "Turn around and don't peek as I change."
Jon almost groaned at the blood rushing to his face but he nodded and turned around resolutely. I know that she didn't want to be alone but I would have expected her to have me leave the room before she even thought of changing. Jon thought as he heard a soft ruffle which Jon took to mean that her skirt was now laying on the ground. Even if she holds no affection for the Seven, I have never known a woman to be so bold that she would change in the presence of a man.
"I can't do it," Ysolda exclaimed in frustration causing Jon to turn around. "The tie is struck."
Jon's mouth dropped as he saw a scandalous amount of leg under the shift that ended halfway down her thigh and revealed creamy legs. Jon's eyes darted back up to Ysolda's eyes. "Um, do you need help?"
Ysolda seemed to remember that Jon was there as she gave a slight shriek and bent over with her hands crossed in front of her pelvis, giving Jon a generous helping of cleavage to feast his eyes upon. When she noticed his changed focus, she brought her left hand up to cover her cleavage while her right protected her nether regions. She took a deep breath and straightened while moving her hands to her sides before closing her eyes and nodding. "The tie is stuck. If it would not be too much trouble, would you be able to help untie my corset."
Jon's face was on fire and he had to fight to keep his voice steady as he said, "It's no trouble my lady."
If Jon thought the furious blushes that Ysolda's words and the swing of her hips had caused were bad it was nothing to what he experienced as she pushed her chest forward to give Jon access to the small bow that laid neatly in her cleavage. He did his best to preserve Ysolda's modesty by only using his thumbs and forefingers to grip the small strings that cinched the corset together while minimizing the contact with the fleshy orbs below.
At the small contact, Ysolda's lips pursed though her eyes stayed closed and she did not voice any complaints. Jon redoubled his efforts to pull untie the stubborn bow loose but he was unsuccessful. Clenching his teeth, Jon added pressure to the ends of the tie with his middle and ring fingers, inadvertently pressing his fingers against Ysolda's breasts for a second before he remembered the private nature of the area and lifting the string so neither it nor any part of his hands were in contact with the intimate parts of her body.
With a grunt, Jon managed to pull the bow loose which immediately caused the garment to loosen enough to slide down Ysolda's body revealing the see through shift that she wore underneath. Though Jon would not dare to admit it to her, he could not help but stare at the twin peaks that seemed to want to poke through the shift for a moment before turning away.
Upon hearing Jon turn around, it seemed that Ysolda found her voice again. "Thank you, Jon."
Jon barely heard her as blood pounded in his ears and he tried to stop it from making it way to the lower part of his body by breathing deeply and thinking of things that were considerably less arousing. Lady Catelyn, Hodor, Old Nan, the crypts. "I'm at your service, my lady."
He heard some rustling which he took to be Ysolda donning the leathers. "You can turn around now," Ysolda's voice didn't hide the embarrassment from the last time she felt Jon's eyes on her body.
Jon took a deep breath before turning around and praying to whatever gods there where that he did not appear to be as flustered as he felt. When he saw her in her leathers, all he could say was, "Wow."
Her leather fastened around her neck and left her left shoulder bare while covering her left shoulder. The leather chest piece seemed to be more of a corset than any armor he had seen previously and the hardened leather formed a shapely bust that was no less alluring than what she had previously been wearing. The leather clung to her like a second skin as it tapered down to her narrow waist on which set a large silver buckle for a belt that held a layered leather skirt that fell to her knees. She had traded the grey shoes that peeked out from her dress for a pair of brown leather boots that reached just under her knees.
Ysolda smiled softly at Jon's reply before her lips formed a slight pout. "We should get going before your woman storms the house."
Jon was shook from the thoughts that were raging through his mind by Ysolda's words. "She's not my woman. Did you get everything that you need?"
Ysolda moved to the armoire and grabbed several dresses and stopped them to the leather bag along with the grey dress and shoes that she had been wearing when she first met Jon. She looked around the room briefly before nodding and leaving the room with a gesture for Jon to follow.
Jon followed the young woman and was again transfixed by the sight of her hips swaying as she walked to the other door at the top of the stairs to reveal a similar room to the one that he had just left. Opening the door, she entered and went to a small bookshelf before grabbing a tome titled, "Mine, Pickaxe and Man." He was surprised to see her crack open the book until he realized that it had been hollowed out to hide a sizeable pouch which Jon expected to contain whatever coin the family had been able to save before she put the book back on the shelf ad stored the pouch in her larger leather bag.
Continuing through the room, she opened the trunk at the foot at the bed and pulling out a pair of daggers which she lifted her skirt to hide in pouched on either thigh. Jon gave up fighting the rush of blood caused by the sudden exposure of skin and just smiled at his fortune, silently thanking the Stargayan Ring for his luck.
It seemed that she had not gotten all that she had intended as she bent over the trunk and pushed things around for several seconds before she withdrew a large two handed sword that seemed preposterously large for her slender build before slinging it over her shoulder and strapping the belt across her chest, drawing Jon's attention towards her bust again.
Trying to shift the get his mind on more practical matters, Jon had a suggestion. "You should find something to tie back your hair if you expect to wield that beast of a sword."
Ysolda gave Jon a genuine smile and he felt himself go a bit weak in the knees. "I almost forgot!"
She rushed back to the first room and grabbed a handful of leather ties from the cabinet to the left of her bed before she plopped down and whipped her hair forward before separating it into three sections and quickly braiding the waves and tying the braid off with the lone strip of leather that she had kept in her hand throughout the process.
The process took less than a minute and Jon was captivated by her sure movements, the way she focused on her fingers' movements and the way the corners of her lips curled upwards at the familiar task. When she was finished, she stood up and grabbed Jon's hand to leave the room before pulling him down the stairs and stopping at the bottom. "Should I bring food?"
That was a very good question and one that Jon was entirely unsure with how to answer. Though he did not have any food, on his person, he knew that there were rations on his horse and he suspected that the Free Folk were more than capable of providing along the way back to Winterfell. "We should be fine, but if there is anything that you want to bring, that fits in your bag, then the choice is yours."
Ysolda's mouth quirked to the right in a look that clearly said she was unimpressed with the answer. "Alright, just a minute."
She went into the kitchen and grabbed several jars with substances of various colors and carefully packing them in her back around the other items to make sure that they were sufficiently cushioned to prevent breakage if the bag had to be dropped suddenly.
"What are those?" Jon asked, intrigued by the contents of the jars. "They looked like jams."
"You'll just have to wait and hope I share," Ysolda teased. "That should be everything that I need. I'm ready."
Almost on cue, there was a banging on the door. "Jon Snow, get out here right now," Ygritte's voice called from the other side, her unhappiness with the situation evident.
Jon grimaced when he heard Ygritte's voice. He realized that she had not been happy when she saw him tuck the loose strand of hair behind Ysolda's ear, because of the arrow that she fired, but he did not want to think what her reaction would be if she knew what had occurred within the house.
"We're on the way out now," Jon shouted reassurance as he looked toward Ysolda who nodded. "She is just grabbing a few things for the road."
"It shouldn't take that long to pack your things!" Ygritte countered her frustration evident. "I don't know what you're doing to Jon in there but you better get out here, if you know what's good for you!"
"If she's always like this, I don't know what you see in her," Ysolda stated in an offhand way as she moved out of the kitchen. "If you saved her life then she should trust you."
"We've saved each other's lives," Jon corrected. "I don't know that she has ever been in a situation where she was saved by another person. She is fiercely independent and would do everything that she could to prevent herself from finding those situations, though that is not always enough to stay out of them."
"I don't get it," Ysolda admitted dejectedly. "She would shoot an arrow at you just because you do something that she doesn't like and then she makes demands of you without knowing if you are doing anything that should cause her to be suspicious."
"I think it's the not knowing that gets her, more than anything," Jon theorized while stroking his chin with his left hand. "We should get going, if you have everything you need. Staying in here won't do either of us any good where Ygritte is concerned."
"So you admit that you care what she thinks," Ysolda smirked before her face fell marginally to a look of minor disappointment. "If I cared about someone, I wouldn't want them locked away from me either."
Jon looked towards the young woman and considered her words. "When you put it that way, it does make a certain amount of sense but, as I said before, she's not my woman. Despite our friendship, she should not have shot that arrow after all you've been through."
"Thank you for that," Ysolda beamed. "I don't like that she would shoot an arrow for something so simple as you tucking a strand of hair behind my hair then, by my estimation, her feelings for you go beyond that of mere friendship."
"You may be right," Jon didn't necessarily disagree but he was hesitant to voice any agreement. Instead, he moved to the door and removed the bar that Ysolda had set after frantically retreating from Ygritte's perceived assault. "Even if the your initial meeting didn't go the way either of us would have wanted, I hope that you two will get along since we will be traveling back to Winterfell together. It's time to go."
AN2: There it is, 17 chapters. Please let me know what you thought an I will do my best to get the new chapter out asap.