AN: Well.. This one took a while. There are excuses but you don't want to hear them. Many thanks to everyone who reviewed since the last chapter went up, I can't say how much your support helped me when I hit a wall and couldn't seem to get on track for this chapter. If you forgot, I still don't own GoT, ASoIaF or Skyrim. Please let me know your thoughts on the chapter!
After the introductions were finished, Jon tried to gauge Arachne's feelings on their new traveling companions. Like Ygritte and Ysolda, Arachne immediately took to the presence of his improbably large direwolf. Unfortunately, her feelings about Ygritte and Ysolda were harder to gauge. While she seemed to appreciate Ygritte's independent, adventurous side, she seemed less than impressed at various comments and gestures that the girl who had been kissed-by-fire had made towards Jon that, he had to admit, could seem a bit possessive. On the other hand, she seemed to empathize with the situation that led to Ysolda leaving her home. Though the touches, that Jon interpreted as Ysolda trying to reassure herself that he was really there after she saw him disappear, caused Arachne to raise her eyebrows on more than one occasion.
Though it was unlikely that their large group would have any trouble with the monstrous direwolf prowling the perimeter of their campground, Mance still felt it necessary to assign a sentry rotation throughout the rest of night to alert the campsite if they fell under attack by man or beast. Naturally, Jon volunteered to take his turn at the watch but his offer was rebuked with a laugh as Mance reminded Jon that he had already done more than enough for the night.
Mance and the Free Folk seemed to be in extremely high spirits since the deserter had been taken captive. There was something in the irony of the Free Folk being the ones to deliver a member of the Nights Watch who had forsaken his vows to justice that had an incredibly positive effect on morale.
As Mance explained it, "The men who take the vows of the Nights Watch do not always choose to do so for what many would consider the 'right' reasons. In many cases these men are running away from the consequences of their actions and taking what may, at first, seem like the easy way out by going to a Wall far beyond and removed from what they had learned in their lives. To think of the Wall in such a way is folly. Life is not easy on the Wall. There, you are made to say flowery words that are meant to symbolize your commitment to your new life but the meaning has been lost."
Jon remembered nodding at that proclamation while thinking of the members of the Nights Watch who had forgotten their vows and betrayed the realm.
"Even though the signs of unrest have been there for years, the leaders of the Nights Watch have chosen to ignore them. They would rather use their time, energy and resources feuding with the offspring of the brave men and women who chose to make a life north of the Wall as the first line of defense against the true enemy rather than keeping to the true spirit of their Vows and fighting against the common enemy of men. That was one of the reasons that I chose to leave that life behind me." As the words left his mouth, it was as if his stare was focused through time directly onto the events of the past.
"I'm sure you've heard the stories about the most famous traitor to the Nights Watch, Mance Rayder. Before I left my post on the Wall, I told a steward who would eventually become the Lord Commander, Jeor Mormont that I thought that the Watch had lost its way. He agreed that the Nights Watch would need to be better prepared if what I imagined came to pass but, at that point in time, there simply was not enough information to be sure."
"Wait," Jon had asked as his brain tried to keep up. "You were a member of the Nights Watch before joining the Free Folk?"
"Aye, it seems like a lifetime ago. Back then there were only hints of the true enemy returning but it was enough for me to know that the ranging done by the Night Watch would fail to provide the warning that the Nights Watch would need to mount a substantial defense. So in the dark of the night, Jeor opened the door for me so I could begin the true ranging. It is my hope that when the true enemy makes his move the Old Bear will open the gates and all men can stand as one to defeat the forces of evil that seek to take all that we hold dear."
Though he couldn't see his face, Jon felt his mouth fall open and thought it likely that he had done a fair impression of a fish caught out of water at Mance's statement.
"It may be unfair to put this burden on the shoulders of one so young but you have proven yourself, Jon. I would give you advice and hope that you take something of value from it; a man isn't made good or evil because of where he is born. A man born north of the Wall is just as capable of kindness and treachery as one who was born south of the Wall. It is the circumstances in which a man finds himself and how he responds to those circumstances that speak to his character."
Having sensed the verbal queue, Jon nodded solemnly.
"Remember these words; hopefully they will serve you well in the future," Mance's weathered face had broken into a roguish grin." Now, that's enough of that. If my eyes did not deceive me, you have found yourself three very beautiful women than many here would love to steal from you."
Jon chuckled at Mance's assessment of the situation, "It's not like I'll be settling down to a keep any time soon. Ygritte will probably not want to leave you and the Free Folk to venture south of the Wall. Ysolda is just accompanying me until we find her brother. Arachne… well Arachne will probably be sticking around for a while."
Mance gave Jon a wry smile before shaking his head. "I suppose you will find out when the time is right. At this point in time, you should return to their company, lest the men start questioning why you would be spending so much time with a grizzled, old man when there are three very lovely and very female alternatives."
At that, Jon had left in a hurry, hearing Mance's booming laughter coming from then tent he had just left and ran into Ysolda. After steadying her and angling them back toward their bedrolls, he found words to address the concerned look on her face, "Ysolda, I hoped that you would have been able to get some sleep after I had kept you up worrying tonight."
Ysolda mumbled a reply that Jon was unable to make out. Upon seeing the questioning look on his face, she stopped walking and placed a hand on his arm which caused him to stop walking as well before she repeated herself, "I thought that you had left me alone again and I didn't want to be around them anymore."
It didn't take a maester to figure out who Ysolda was referring to, "Is Ygritte giving you a hard time? From what I know about Arachne, she wouldn't want to cause you any more grief after what you went through."
Ysolda's eyes narrowed, "How much do you really know of her? You said that you just met her when you happened upon that deserter." She said the word with such vitriol that he was momentarily taken aback before he remembered just how much had been taken from her because members of the Nights Watch had chosen to go against their vows. That thought naturally led to the irony of the fact that she had been saved by another member of the Nights Watch who was thought to have betrayed his vows but he schooled that reaction as he could tell that now was not the moment for levity and he did not want to betray Mance by sharing information that was given under the understanding of confidence between the two of them. "Are you sure that you can trust her? You haven't known her long and she could just be trying to saying what you think that you want to hear."
Jon quirked his head and did his best to keep his tone light and amicable as if he was jesting, "I haven't known you for very long either. Would it be a mistake to put my trust in you?"
Ysolda huffed and crossed her arms in frustration, "It's not the same. You saw what they did to me, you know why how I came to be here and you know why I chose to travel with you. Can you say the same about her?"
Yes, yes and yes, Jon thought as Ysolda listed off her questions but, sticking to the narrative that had been presented to his other traveling companions, he did not voice his confidence in knowing the what, how and why he believed Arachne to be trustworthy. Instead he chose to appeal to Ysolda's sympathy, "I'm not sure what Arachne has done to make you think that she is untrustworthy but I would do anything within my power to prevent a woman from being harmed by a man and that goes double for a woman who had no one else that was able to protect her. She was ripped from her home and found herself at the mercy of what was supposed to be a protector. Now she is truly alone in this world. If traveling with us is what makes her feel safe then I won't be the one to take that option away from her."
Ysolda shuffled uncomfortably. Though Jon had not raised his voice, it was clear to her that he would not be swayed against the new traveling companion that had found her way into their midst. "You are special, Jon Snow. You didn't have to let me travel with you and you don't have to let Arachne travel with you either but you seem to have the strength of heart to take on others' burdens. If you trust Arachne then I will do my best to trust her as well but I can't help but feel that there is more to why you trust her than what you are telling me."
It was Jon's turn to shuffle uncomfortably and he did so for a moment before trying to present an air of confidence, "I think that she deserves to be given the benefit of the doubt. If she gives us a reason to question her then I would understand if you were hostile but, until then, I ask that you try to be there for her. She is truly all alone in this world and would probably benefit greatly from having a friend who has gone through a similar experience."
Her mouth opened and closed several times as Ysolda seemed to search for the right response before she settled on a quick nod. Taking this a sign that they had said the words that needed to be said at this time, Jon gently placed a hand on her back to guide her back to their sleeping furs. The pair covered the distance in a companionable silence that was broken as they got closer to their destination by the voices of Arachne and Ygritte.
"…Is that what you think?" Ygritte's eyes were narrowed as she stared down Arachne.
Arachne met the glare with a matching intensity, refusing to give an inch to the slightly taller red-head. "It's what I know, little girl."
"Well, there he is now," Ygritte broke eye contact with Arachne and gestured aggressively at Jon before returning her glare to Arachne. "Go ahead and tell him your plan to share his furs for the night. He was raised in a castle and he would never let a girl that he just met do something like that!"
Arachne narrowed her eyes and Jon worried that she was about to say something that would blow the cover story that he had crafted to explain her presence so he left his place next to Ysolda and moved between the two arguing girls. "Don't worry Arachne; you can take my furs tonight. It's a warm night. I can sleep on the ground."
For the first time, Arachne, Ygritte and Ysolda seemed to be in agreement as their voices rose to voice their displeasure with Jon's compromise. Instead of getting into a drawn out discussion about where he would sleep, Jon found a particularly lush looking patch of grass and plopping down unceremoniously.
Eventually the voices of the girls faded from his consciousness and Jon surrendered himself to sleep.
22-22-22-22-22
When Jon woke up, he was surprisingly warm. This combined with the cool northern morning made him very reluctant to open his eyes and embrace the day. As he started to push himself up from his place on the ground, Jon felt the pressure on his jerkin that he had inadvertently become accustomed to tighten considerably, as if trying to prevent him from leaving from his current location.
Though the resistance was quite formidable, Jon found the strength to raise himself to a sitting position. Looking around, he noted that the girls had apparently concluded their argument from the night before by vying for sleeping positions close to him. The hand that gripped his jerkin belonged to Arachne which made sense to Jon as he knew that she had a well of strength to draw from that was unmatched by the other girls.
Closing his hand upon Arachne's hand and applying a slight pressure was enough to wake the girl and cause her to release her hold on her jerkin. As she stirred, Jon pushed himself into a standing position and he noticed that Ysolda had taken the spot on his other side with Ygritte sleeping peacefully on her other side.
Knowing that his actions would certainly wake the girls who had taken their places at his sides, Jon stood up and made to step over Arachne who was far more aware than he would have suspected of someone who just woke up from a dead sleep. Seeing that she was awake, Jon offered her a hand to help her stand before efficiently rolling his furs and stashing them in his inventory.
The sounds of Jon up and about caused Ysolda and Ygritte to stir. Though the pair had been almost categorically opposed to each other since the less than ideal situation that had led to their meeting they seemed to have found common ground in their opposition of Arachne. Apparently the truce was temporary as the two kept shooting glares at one another and Arachne as they rolled up their own furs.
It would seem that either someone had left the camp to hunt and gather herbs and spices or Mance had made sure that his wagons were provisioned with food for their travels. One of the women that had traveled north as a part of the group that succeeded in finding Jon was ladling out a hardy looking stew into bowls and handing them to the camp's early risers. Following along with the actions of the Free Folk, Jon approached the woman and got a bowl of the stew.
As he stepped away and blew on the stew to cool it down so he would not have to face the evils of a scorched mouth because of the hot liquid. He tipped the bowl to his mouth and noticed that Arachne, Ysolda and Ygritte had followed him and gotten their own bowls of stew as some of the people who had preceded them returned their bowls to the woman who neatly stacked them to the side of the kettle and gestured for one of the other members of the Free Folk to take them to the nearby stream and wash them clean.
Not wanting to prevent anyone from having a bowl, Jon quickly finished his stew which tasted of rabbit, lentils and sage and returned his bowl before seeking out Mance. It didn't take much time to find the leader as he was the center of hustle and bustle in the impromptu campground. Upon seeing Jon approach with the entourage of the horse-sized direwolf and the girls, the crowd parted to allow him to approach their leader.
When Mance saw Jon, his face broke into a smile. "There you are, I was beginning to think that you were planning to sleep the morning away after your moonlit adventures."
Jon scoffed as he thought exactly how apt Mance's description was for a night that had been so much more from his perspective. "Not a chance! I have to get back to Winterfell. Hopefully you didn't use up all of your energy pushing to get here as quick as you did in the first place."
There was a grumbling from the people that had heard his comment but it was Mance that laughed in his response. "The Free Folk were made for travel. If anything, I would recommend that you and your little pup doing your best not to fall behind. After all, how would it look if we got back to Winterfell and his blood just couldn't keep up with the riffraff of the north?"
Shaking his head as he scoffed at Mance's words, "We'll just have to see about that. I didn't plan to leave Winterfell and have been away far longer than I expected. Now, I am eager to get back. I'm ready to leave whenever you give the word."
Mance seemed to catch the eye of all of the assembled Free Folk as they bustled into motion as he responded, "You're anxious to get back and I'm sure that you family is anxious to see you returned. The camp will be packed up in short order and we will be off."
True to Mance's words, it seemed that as soon as he stopped speaking one of his men reported to him that they were packing up the last remains of their camp and, had it not been for the fire pit that had been thoroughly suffocated with a fresh layer of dirt, Jon would scarcely have known that there had been a camp at his current location. After a few more minutes had passed, the camp had been fully packed and Jon and the girls were directed to the horses that they had requisitioned from the traitorous members of the Nights Watch.
22-22-22-22-22
Jon could scarcely say how many miles or leagues had passed over the weeks that the group had traveled. Over that time, Arachne and Ysolda were focused on not delaying their journey and had struck up an uneasy friendship while Ygritte's superior expression all but proclaimed that she found the opportunity to prove her superiority at riding to be just what the maester had ordered and contented herself with shooting looks at the other two as if to say, "You will never be able to compete with me as a rider." Still, the Free Folk pressed on and Jon felt the warmer temperature that indicated a return to the more southern, northern region where the Starks had staked their claim upon the land.
There travel had been uneventful and uninterrupted to this point but the was not going to last as a host of northern bannermen with their house banners flying proud were positioned in the middle of the Kingsroad to intercept them on their return voyage to Winterfell.
"Halt in the name of Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell," called a bearded man with white side-burns that were tied together under his chin in place of a beard and thick furs spanning his broad shoulders at the head of the procession called. "Until such time as his bastard is returned to him, no parties are to be allowed to travel this road without stating their purpose."
Sensing the anxiousness of his traveling companions, Jon urged his horse forward to speak to the assembly, "This group has been acting on behest of the Lord of Winterfell seeing me safely home from a journey that had many unexpected turns."
The face of the old man, who had initially spoke, broke into a smile as Jon rode into view. "You know, if you wanted to get out of training so badly, asking your Lord father would have been far less inconvenient to far fewer people."
The words of Winterfell's weapon master caused Jon to smile, "Aye, I'll be sure to keep that in mind in the future. Though, from what I hear, going beyond the Wall, dealing with sea serpents, escaping from cannibals, meeting the commander of the Shadow Tower, saving a village from Treacherous brothers of the Nights Watch and saving a woman from her fate with one of those traitors are generally accepted reasons for missing training."
Rodrik's face, and the faces of his companions, went through a bevy of emotions ranging from incredulity at the Jon's claims to outright anger at the concept of members of the Nights Watch forsaking their vows, to sympathy at the thought of a woman left at the mercy of a man who had already forsaken the vows that he had sworn to the realm. Again the men deferred to Rodrik to respond to Jon's proclamations, "Even with all of those experiences, you are far from experienced." Rodrik turned an appraising eye toward Jon and then noticed the girls that were flanking him, "Although you are decidedly not the green boy that I once knew training with the new recruits for the Winterfell guard."
Jon looked to the traveling companions that he had assembled before deigning to respond, "After crossing live steel with tried brothers of the Nights Watch in actual combat, I feel like I've come much further than the distance that I've traveled to get back here."
His statement caused Rodrik to pause and stroke the tuft of hair beneath his chin where his sideburns were braided together. "A man is tempered through the fires of the situations that he is faced with throughout the course of his life. You have faced things that many would never think to expect in their lives and came out stronger for the experiences. Now, what say you, we get you back to your family at Winterfell?"
With a smile on his face, Jon was content to agree. "It's past time that I returned to Winterfell. There are several matters that I need to bring to the attention of the Warden of the North as soon as possible. During our travels, my companions and I overpowered, and took prisoner, a man that is deserving of northern justice." At that point, Mance nodded towards a group of men that had proceeded to remove a bound captive from one of their wagons.
One of the riders from Rodrik's party surged ahead to inform the Lord of Winterfell that Jon Snow had finally returned from his travels while the rest of the party, along with the new additions, followed at a much more sedate pace. Spirits were high, considering that it was a bastard that had been found rather than a trueborn son of their liege lord. The high spirits and jovial attitude of the traveling group dampened slightly as the group was approached by another party that was moving to intercept them while flying banners that were mostly unfamiliar to those who had spent their lives in the north.
After a moment of confusion, Jon remembered that the King had been riding for Winterfell before his unintended trip beyond the Wall. He assumed that the fat man with the greying beard and a stomach that spoke of too many nights in his cups, and too few mornings in the training yard, under the banner of a crowned stag rode next to the Warden of the North.
Among the riding party there were several men in white cloaks indicating that they were several of the most dangerous men in the realm when they had swords in their hands. Obviously, Jon had never met any of the members of the Kingsguard in person but, like many boys throughout Westeros, he had grown up hearing the legends of the great warriors of the past and the deeds that had made them legends.
One such man was present for the reunion of the Starks, Ser Barristan Selmy the Bold. Though another was conspicuously absent, Ser Jaime Lannister the Kingslayer. The first had captured Bran's attention from the first time the Septa had mentioned him and Bran never missed a chance to "regale" Jon with tales of the man's tournament appearances and his battle prowess during the War of the Ninepenny Kings. The second, missing legend caused a mixed reaction from Jon; while he had a healthy respect for the stories of his skill with a sword, Jon could found it difficult to consider admiring a man who had gone back on his vows and killed the man he was sworn to protect.
Upon seeing Jon, Ned dismounted from his horse and extended his hand to clasp Jon's before pulling him into a manly embrace. "It's good to see you Jon. We will have words about your disappearance when we get back to Winterfell but, you should know, it's good to have you back in one piece."
As the two Starks broke apart from their embrace, the fat man that Jon had taken to be the king was helped down from his position and made his way to the Starks. Jon shot a glance at Ned and received the slightest of nods to confirm Jon's suspicions. Jon dropped to a knee and pulled his sword from its sheath before offering it with both hands to the king of Westeros. "My sword is yours, your grace."
"Yes, yes," Jon felt a hand grab his shoulder and hoist him to a standing position with surprising strength. "Let me get a look at you. You're a spitting image of our Ned when he was your age down to the furrowed brow and the serious expression. You'd think some fresh air from that stuffy old question would help you loosen up but it appears that Ned Stark's blood is strong in you."
"Er…" Jon didn't know how to respond to the king's proclamation. "Thanks?"
The king seemed to be amused by Jon's response as he burst into a wheezing, belly laugh and clapped Jon on the shoulder roughly but not unkindly. "It feels like just yesterday that the uptight Eddard Stark was stammering in discomfort when he met Lord Jon Arryn; you're named for him, boy."
Jon chanced another look at Ned who gave a less discrete nod to indicate that the king spoke true. The Warden of the North responded since Jon had never met the man that he had been named after. "Jon Arryn was the man who taught me what it meant to be a man and how to conduct myself in the field of battle. He was fearsome with a sword and truly lived up to the words of his house, 'As High as honor.' As Hand of the King he has played a crucial role in shaping Westeros since Robert was named King of the Seven Kingdoms."
"Boy," Robert's voice called out commanding the attention of all who were present. Jon snapped to attention but it was apparent that Robert was calling for someone else as a thin boy who looked to be around Jon's age with an upturned nose and lanky, blonde hair moved to attend to the king. "Bring me my wine, Lannister. Ned and I will share a drink with this Jon in memory of the man who made all of this possible."
At the mention of sharing a drink with the Lord of Winterfell and the King of the realm, Jon felt duty-bound to mention a matter that had not yet been addressed. Taking a step back, Jon cleared his throat before he started speaking in a solemn voice. "Lord Stark, your grace, there is a matter of importance that had come to my attention during my travels."
Jon turned his gaze towards Mance who then shouted to his men, causing two of them to produce their prisoner and march him towards the Lord of Winterfell and the King despite him stumbling and attempting to delay the inevitable. Seeing the man pushed forward, clad in the blacks of the Nights Watch, Jon continued speaking, "This man is a deserter from the Nights Watch. We were forced to kill several other deserters when they attempted to abduct Ysolda and had to save Arachne from whatever horrors this traitor had in mind for her." Jon gestured to Ysolda and Arachne respectively to indicate to whom he was referring. "The situation at the Wall is much more dire than we could have expected. On top of traitors, like this one, there is something evil and magical stirring in the north."
The King's head whipped from Jon to his friend much faster than one would expect from a man his size. "I don't like this Ned. First that damned flash of light, then that boy and now your bastard speaks of magic stirring beyond the Wall? On top of that there's word of the whelp across the Narrow Sea marrying one of those damned horse lords…" It looked like the King was about to say something else before he remembered that there were far too many ears that could be listening at the behest of others. "We will talk more of this after you take care of the traitor."
Ned nodded tersely in agreement, "Your grace." He turned to the men who were holding the prisoner and gestured towards a large rock that would function as an executioner's block as pulled the Valyrian great sword, Ice, from its scabbard and took a position next to the rock with the tip of the sword resting on the ground and his hands solemnly on either side of the cross guard that jutted perpendicularly from the hilt.
After the deserter was thrown to his knees with his head turned to the side so his cheek rested on the rock, Ned spoke again. "In the name of Robert Baratheon, first of his name, Protector of the Realm and King of the Seven kingdoms, you are charged with breaking your vows and deserting the Nights Watch. The penalty for deserting the Nights Watch is death. Do you have any last words before your sentence is carried out?"
The young man's eyes grew wide as he was gripped with the finality of his situation and his mouth opened and closed rapidly as he seemed to search for the words that would save him from his fate, "Death by sword is a far kinder fate than what is coming for all of you from beyond the Wall. The dead are rising. They won't stop until all that live are dead. Flee! Forget your lands and the promises that you have made. Take what you can and go South! If you're lucky, you may get to live a little bit longer."
The Warden of the North merely shook his head in disappointment though his face briefly flashed with another emotion before he hoisted the great sword above his head before bringing it down with all of his strength to separate the deserter's head from his shoulders, causing it to roll away from the stump with a look of horror frozen on its face.
After wiping the blood from his sword onto the headless body, Ned gestured to his traveling party and a group of men collected the body and started building a small pyre. Seeing the men go to work, Ned turned back to the king. "It seems that we have more to speak on than Jon's return. Rodrik, when we have returned to Winterfell, see to it that this group that has seen Jon safely returned to Winterfell is fully provisioned and rewarded appropriately."
"It will be done, my lord," Rodrik nodded as he moved to Mance and began a hushed conversation to see his lord's orders through.
After the king mounted his horse, the combined party which now numbered over 200 people began the march to Winterfell. Since it was already decreed that further discussion on serious matters would be put on hold until they could be assured of their privacy, the chatter was kept light and positive.
Ned may have been surprised that Jon had acquired three lovely traveling companions but he was far too practiced in schooling his emotions to let that surprise show on his face beyond a small smirk that was gone a moment later. The king, on the other hand, was positively delighted that apparently Ned's blood which flowed so strongly through his veins had apparently not been enough to create a shield of honor that would prevent a man from satisfying his many urges with many women.
The girls had mixed reactions when it came to the two men that had just entered their lives. Arachne and Ysolda both took to Ned. His solemn nature, calm demeanor and the fact that it was like looking into Jon's future put both of the girls at ease in a way that they could not be with many people after the atrocities that had occurred in their lives.
In contrast, and perhaps more surprisingly, Ygritte seemed to have struck up a fast friendship with the king. The two chatted merrily of hunts and shared stories of enjoying the spoils of their hunts with copious amounts of alcohol afterward. Their friendship led to a bit of tension when the king offered Ygritte a drink from the flagon that the Lannister boy had recently provided which she took with relish only to spit it out with an angry look on her face before she called him a southern twat who didn't drink alcohol, but rather too-sweet grape water.
The White Cloaks and several others who had traveled north with the king almost drew their swords at the perceived insult to the king but he waved them away as he was booming with his wheezing laughter. Instead of reacting with anger, as many had expected, the king's mirth was evident as he addressed Jon, "Now, that's the type of fire that I have missed since I have become king. If I was not already married and a few years younger, then you would find yourself faced with serious competition for this fair lady's hand."
Being called a lady was too much for Ygritte and she burst out laughing. The laughter didn't stop until tears fell from the corner of her eyes and she grabbed her side to hold a stitch that had apparently developed from the activity. "I'm no lady," she was eventually able to muster before breaking out into laughter anew.
After that, the conversations were light hearted but quite tame and the miles passed easily with surprisingly little fanfare despite both the King of the Realm and the Warden of the North traveling in the riding party. Jon would have expected there to be people lining the streets to get a glimpse of the king that was more story than man so far from the capitol in Kings Landing.
Despite the unusual silence that seemed to have taken hold of the north, eventually, a lone rider came into view on the horizon from the direction of Winterfell. Though the young rider's pale skin and dark hair, spoke of a life in the north, Jon did not recognize him but a voice sounded out from his side.
"Yohan!" Ysolda as she surged forward on her horse to intercept the young man's path. Jon urged his horse forward to match the stride of his companion but the other horse's lead proved to be insurmountable as Ysloda and her mount reached the rider several seconds before Jon was able to catch up. "I can't believe you're here! The village… it was attacked. Everyone is gone…"
A heaving sob wracked Ysolda's body and Jon reached out a hand to steady her only for a jagged shard of ice to pass through the space that his hand would have occupied if he had moved a moment faster.
"Get your hands away from my sister," the man, Yohan, shouted. "You could not hope to understand the power that I wield."
Jon saw the blueish white aura emanating from Yohan's open palm that indicated frost magic and didn't know whether he should scoff at the prospect of anyone claiming that he wouldn't be able to understand intermediate destruction magic or if he should be amazed and concerned that someone was showing such an advanced grasp of magic so soon after his decision to open the door to magic for the realms.
For the sake of Ysolda, Jon tried to keep his voice level when responding. "Easy there. If you are Ysolda's brother then your sister has been through a lot recently. No need to cause her to go through more for a petty squabble."
"What do you know of my sister or the hardships that we have faced?" Yohan snarled, his disdain of Jon evident in his gaze as he viewed the fine pieces of armor that Jon had accumulated. "I won't let a brute like you lay a hand on my sister!"
"Well maybe you should have thought about the before you left," Jon replied before thinking. "Since you weren't there I'd say that I know a fair bit more than you about what she's had to go through."
Yohan didn't respond with words but he was more than willing to let his fury be known with the fury of destructive frost magic. Jon dove from his horse to prevent himself from being impaled from an icicle spear that had been fired in his previous position.
Evasion +200
Just as Jon as deciding whether or not he should meet him magical attacker with equal force, he was interrupted by a shout. "Stop this, in the name of your king!"
Jon was absolved from deciding to reveal his magical abilities by the king's words and he turned to face the king after dodging another icicle spear. "Yohan, that's enough!
Though Yohan had very apparently not let go of his hostility towards Jon, he heeded the command of the king and dropped his hand and settled on an angry look focused on Jon.
"What is this about?" the king asked, clearly not interested in an answer. "If I hadn't brought you into my company, you would still be wandering the lands and this is how you choose to repay me, Yohan? By attacking the son of one of my closest friends after he was just reunited with his family after going missing for months?"
Jon failed to stifle a laugh at the expense of the boy getting chasised by the king ad inadvertently turned the king's ire onto himself.
"And you, bastard, even if you are the bastard son of the Lord of the North, you should know your place. If it wasn't for your father, you could be flogged for preventing an envoy of the king from delivering his message."
Properly chastised, Jon nodded before chancing a glance at Ysolda who was looking at him with much more aggression than he expected. "I give my apologies to you, your grace. I only wanted to make ensure Ysolda's safety as she rode out to meet an unknown rider."
"He is not unknown to me, Jon." Ysolda gritted out, her voice conflicted. "He's all I have. He's my brother, Yohan."
"Ysolda," again, Jon reached out without thinking to lay a comforting hand upon her shoulder. Unlike before, he stopped short upon remembering how her brother had reacted the last time he tried to do such a thing. Instead, he dropped his hand while turning his head sharply to look at Yohan then and slowly looking back at Ysolda. "How could you brother come to be in the kings service?"
Ysolda did not have an answer for this question, so she turned to Yohan, inquisitively. Though the young man, who Jon could now see shared Ysolda's skin and hair coloring along with her facial shape, continued glaring at Jon but elected to answer the question. "When I left Dawnstar, I had planned on seeking the aid of the Lord of Winterfell to protect our village since the Nights Watch had failed at that task so miserably over the years. However, when I arrived, the guards at the gate refused to grant me entry. So, rather than waste precious time trying to plead my case just to get into the castle to possibly be turned away by the castle's lord, I continued my journey south. One day, there was the flash of light and I was brought before the king. I pledged myself to his service in exchange for his agreement to send me with 20 troops to reinforce Dawnstar if I proved myself loyal over the next year. "
Jon and Ysolda both nodded in understanding but it was Ysolda who spoke, "A year is a long time, brother, there is no one left to protect in Dawnstar. There is no need to hold the king to that promise anymore but what am I to do? If you are sworn to the king then what is to become of me until your service ends?'
Yohan turned to the man to whom he had pledged his service. "Perhaps, since the agreement that caused me to pledge my service is no longer needed then the king would release me from his service so that we can find a new place to live since Dawnstar no longer needs protecting but you do."
The king's face turned grim. "I wish it could be done, boy. What happened to your village is a shame. I will see to it that the dungeons are scoured when we return to Kings Landing to reinforce the Nights Watch to prevent such a thing from occurring to other villages like yours. All the same, I cannot release you from your vow of service."
The bluish, white glow encompassed his hand upon hearing the king's words but a subtle shake of the head from Barristan Selmy, who had his hand on the hilt of his sword, caused the glow to fade away though the angered expression hardly lessened on Yohan's face. "It's not fair. I would not have pledged myself to your service if I knew that there was no hope for my village."
Ned rode forward to Robert's side to answer the question since he knew the king's feelings on the "fairness" of life. "Stand down, boy. It is a great shame what happened to your village and your desire to protect your village is to be commended. I understand why you would seek release from your pledge of service but think of how many villages you could save and how many families you could serve by continuing in service to your king. Sometimes, we find ourselves on different paths than we could have ever imagined and it is up to us to make the best out of those new paths."
Although the prospect of being able to save others from the fates suffered by his village and his family seemed to temper Yohan's anger, there was still something in his eye that Jon would not trust. "That was magic, wasn't it? How could you learn to do such a thing?"
At this, Yohan's expression shifted to reflect the haughty superiority he felt. "Not that it's any of your concern but after the flash, I found myself set upon by a trio of bandits upon the road. They proved to be superior swordsmen and were able to disarm me and would have taken my life, in addition to my purse. In that moment, I felt a power unlike any I had felt before coursing through my body so I raised my hand and willed that power to shoot outwards at my attackers. Back then, the power would only come out as a snowy blast but it was enough to slow the bandits until eventually they would never set upon another wary traveler again."
The implication of Yohan's words was not lost on any who heard him speak. Apparently, the king was willing to pardon the deaths of three of his less scrupulous subjects in exchange for having Yohan pledged to his service. "That's enough of that, Yohan. Why were you riding from Winterfell? I left you specific instructions to study with the Maester to see if there was anything more you could find out about the mystical arts until I returned."
As realization struck that the king was changing the subject from the people that lost their lives when he had figured out that he had access to magic, Yohan followed suit. "Yes, your grace. I was studying with the maester. It took some time to find any books with mentions of magic and what we found were mostly histories with vague mentions of actions that could possibly have been magic but it is not stated anywhere in the text for us to be sure."
The sound of a clearing throat seemed to remind Yohan that the king had posed a question that had not yet been answered. "There was an accident at Winterfell. A boy was climbing the towers and fell. He has not yet woken up. The Lady of Winterfell is quite distressed and the maester sent me, along with several other riders in other directions, to tell Lord Stark what has happened."
Jon gasped at Yohan's words prompted a notification.
Quest Alert! Return to Winterfell
Main Objective – Failed: Make it back to Winterfell within two months.
Secondary Objective – Completed: Raise Conjuration, Alteration, Illusion and Restoration skills to level 10. Rewards for Secondary Objective: Chance to save Bran from a life as a cripple. Unlock Emergency Restoration quest. Unlock Vengeance is Coming quest.
Tertiary Objective – Failed: Reach level 25 by the time that you reach Winterfell's gates
The fact that he failed the Main Objective and Secondary Objective was lost on Jon as he read that he still had a chance to save Bran from a life as a cripple. He could hardly contain himself as two more notifications popped up.
Quest Alert! Emergency Restoration
Primary Objective: Put your restoration skills to the test and heal the wounds that Bran suffered from his fall.
Rewards for Completion of Primary Objective: 50,000 Restoration experience, freedom to travel to and from Winterfell at your leisure
Penalty for Failure: Bran never regains the use of his legs
Quest Alert! Vengeance is Coming
Primary Objective: Investigate Bran's fall and determine who was responsible for the fleet-footed Stark's fall. Deliver vengeance to that person with the fury of winter.
Second Objective: Deliver your vengeance in a way that does not compromise Hose Stark's standing amongst the great houses of Westeros.
Tertiary Objective: Let the tears weep over their halls with no one left to hear. Destroy the house root and stem so they can never again threaten the realm.
Rewards for Primary Objective: 500,000 experience
Rewards for Secondary Objective: 1,000,000 Sneak experience
Rewards for Tertiary Objective: 250,000 to Archery, Blocking, Evasion, either Light Armor or Heavy Armor and either One-Handed or Two-Handed
After waving the notifications away with a quick flick of his hand, Jon immediately pushed his horse into a high speed gallop in the direction of Winterfell. Despite shouts from other members of the riding party, Jon was unwilling to let Bran hurt any longer because of further distractions so he pushed his horse all the more. After several minutes, Jon heard the beat of horse hooves behind him and chanced a glance over his shoulder to see that it was the other person who would be as desperate to make sure that Bran was alright as he was, the Lord of Winterfell, Eddard Stark.
Jon slowed slightly to allow the man who had raised him as a son to draw even with him though he kept pushing his horse to get back to the castle as soon as possible.
"Jon, slow down," Ned shouted over the pounding clatter of horse hooves. "There is nothing that you can do now. Bran will be attended to by the best Maester in the north. If anyone can make sure that Bran comes through this alright, it will be Maester Luwin."
"That's not true," Jon countered with a shout of his own. "The Ring will let me do far more than the maester for Bran. If I don't get back to him then Bran will spend his life as a cripple. All he wanted to do was to climb, to see the world and to prove himself on the field of battle. I was too slow in getting back to prevent the fall in the first place but I am here now! I won't be the one that makes Bran have to give up on his dreams!"
"How can it even be possible? I have no doubts that you have grown since the last time that I saw you but can such a thing be possible?"
"You saw the magic that Yohan was able to call on before he finally got around to telling us the actual reason that he rode out to meet us. Comparing that to what I can do is like comparing a rookie trainee to Ser Barristan Selmy. I can heal him, just as long as you're willing to take the chance."
"If you say you can do it, then I trust you to give it your best effort, Jon. What happened to you? You didn't say anything, there was that flash of light and then I'm receiving ravens from the commander of the Shadow Tower."
Jon wanted to tell his father-figure everything but the castle was steadily coming into view, so he settled on answering the questions posed to him content in the fact that he could go into further detail later. "While exploring the Wolfswood, I found a cave that was hidden by magic that housed four doors. Since there were no other ways out of the part of the cave with the doors, I was forced to choose one. After opening the door, there was the flash that caused Ghost to grow to full size and transported me north of the Wall. At that point, I knew that I needed to get back to Winterfell so I made my way through the north, training when I could, until my path crossed with Camen and his troupe. Together, we traveled south until we encountered Rodrik's traveling party and then you and the king."
"You've come a long way. We'll have to test your mettle in the yard to see just how far you have progressed with your training."
"If only I hadn't let myself become so distracted in my travels, I could have made it back in time to save Bran from his fall."
"Don't do that, Jon. You got back as soon as you could. Even if you somehow knew Bran was in danger, can you really say it would have been possible for you to get back sooner than you did? Did you know that Bran was going to be hurt?"
"No!" Jon's face morphed into an expression of horror. "The Ring made it clear that someone would get hurt if I didn't get back within two months but I didn't know who it could have been. If I knew it was Bran I would have done everything in my power to make sure that he was never hurt in the first place."
"People get hurt every day, Jon. Even though we always hope that the people getting hurt won't be the ones close to us, sometimes there is nothing we can do to protect them. When that's the case, we owe it to them to be there for them as they recover and do what we can to help them along that road. Beating yourself up because of what happened won't help anyone."
Their conversation had taken them to the gates of Winterfell and Ned announced their arrival and let the guards know to expect the rest of the traveling party in short order. One of the stable boys emerged to collect the horses and, as soon as he had their reigns in hand, Jon and Ned were off in a hurry, rushing to Bran's side.
The hurried pace took them through the corridors of Winterfell to Bran's quarters which Ned entered first followed by Jon. Inside the room, The other Starks were arrayed around the bed as Maester Luwin fretted over the young boy who was covered by furs, propped up by pillows and looking fare more pallid than Jon had ever seen before.
Despite the tension in the room, Robb, Arya and Rickon were ecstatic to see Jon again. After hugging and promising to tell them where he had been later, Jon was surprised when Sansa's light voice stated that she was glad he was back. On the other hand, his absence had apparently not caused Lady Catelyn's heart to grow fonder of him in his absence as her glare clearly relayed the message that she would rather Jon have been the one in the bed than Bran.
Instead of risking the ire of Lady Catelyn, Jon looked toward the man that had raised him and tried to communicate that he would need the others to leave if he was going to be able to attempt to heal Bran. Though Ned did not immediately pick up on the non-verbal request, following Jon's eyes from Lady Catelyn to Bran then back to Lady Catelyn seemed to get the message across. "While I am glad all of you have been here for Bran, everyone must leave the room it is of the utmost importance."
Immediately, the other Stark children and the Maester made to leave the room but neither Jon nor Catelyn moved from their respective positions. Ned tenderly laid a hand on his lady's shoulder and added, "You will also need to leave, Cat."
From the look on her face, you would have thought that Ned had just slapped her as her face reddened and a vein started pulsing on her temple. "You would try to separate me from my son after what has happened to him?" Her voice was barely higher than a whisper but her tone was absolutely venomous. "What about the boy? How could you be so cruel that you would let him stay when you would make me leave?"
Ned shook his head and raised his hands to stop her protests. "Believe me Cat. I need Jon here for this. Believe me when I say that nothing will harm Bran with the two of us in here to defend him."
Cat's look promised that the matter was not settled and that she would be sharing words with her husband later. However, the intensity of the frustration contained within the look that she gave her husband paled in comparison to the withering look she gave to Jon as she swept from the room without another word.
The Lord of Winterfell chuckled darkly at the actions of his wife before addressing Jon, "Well, I do not want to put more pressure on you before you attempt whatever it is that you are about to do but, with what I'm going to have to go through after dismissing Cat like that, it had better work."
Jon merely nodded before taking the seat formerly occupied by Lady Catelyn and taking Bran's hand and calling for his magic to heal the boy causing a green glow to appear around their joined hands that slowly enveloped the younger Stark boy. As the glow passed over the younger boy's stomach, Jon felt something wrong.
To his great surprise, a golden lion with an iridescent mane sprung from Bran's torso and shot a torrent of golden flames that prevented the healing magic from being able to enter Bran's body to correct the wound. Focusing his magic, Jon attempted to smother the lion with his healing magic but the lion spun rapidly, keeping the green healing magic at bay. Changing tactics, Jon fired small blasts of the healing magic at the lion from all sides. This seemed like it would be effective until the lion roared again creating a force field that the healing magic was unable to penetrate.
Again forced to change his tactics, Jon lashed out against the lion with a whip-like tendril of the green healing energy and managed to wrap it's back leg an partially immobilize it before it was able to turn and bite through the impromptu leash. Seeing his success, Jon lashed out again with a tendril of magic aimed at each of the lion's legs and another at its neck.
The tendrils struck true and, in an instant, the lion's legs were pulled out from under it so that it was forced to lay on its belly. Seeing the lion prepare to roar, Jon elongated the tendril around its mouth to muzzle the magical beast before forming the largest tendril yet and impaling the downed beast, causing it to dissipate before continuing at a more sedate pace into Bran's body.
Though it could not be seen by Ned, Jon was able to feel as the restoration magic permeated Bran's spine and put right what was broken. After the deed was done and Jon was checked to make sure there weren't any more surprises like the lion that was determined to see Bran's dreams destroyed as it had rent his spine in two.
Once he was satisfied that there were no other pieces of foreign magic or injuries left to be healed, Jon drew his magic back to him with a sigh not realizing how much magic he had put into such a small scale battle. Breathing deeply, Jon turned to the man who had raised him as a son and nodded before saying, "It's done. He's going to be alright."
Restoration: Heal +16,000
Quest Alert! Emergency Restoration
Primary Objective: Put your restoration skills to the test and heal the wounds that Bran suffered from his fall.
Rewards for Completion of Primary Objective: 50,000 Restoration experience, freedom to travel to and from Winterfell at your leisure
"I can't even begin to understand what you did just then." Ned started as he moved forward to take the chair at Bran's other side and grab his other hand. "You are developing abilities that I would never have thought possible. If this is a result of your time away from Winterfell then you have my leave to journey forth at your leisure. I will see to it that the guards are notified that you can come and go as you please. Words cannot properly express my gratitude for what you were able to do for our family. If there is anything that I can give you as compensation, just speak the words and, if it is within my power, I will see it given to you."
Jon stood and paced the room for a minute before returning to his seated position across from the man who had took a huge blow to his honor by claiming Jon as his son. After a breath to steady himself, Jon asked the question that he had yearned to know since he found out why he was different from the children that he had been brought up with as a sibling; since he had learned he was a bastard and what that meant. "What can you tell me about my mother?"
AN2: That was chapter 22. At long last the return to Winterfell arc has reached its conclusion. Please let me know your thoughts on the Yohan situation and my take on Jon healing Bran. I'll try to get you an update sooner than later. Thanks for reading!