Love is the Death of Duty

Chapter 9

The sky was a pale blue as Daenerys's horse crested the hill. Winterfell loomed large in the distance, it's ominous grey walls reflecting the mood of the castles occupants. Her army came to a shuddering halt behind her as Daenerys sucked in the crisp, morning air. She could see her breath in front of her face. Missandei reigned in alongside her, her fur lined cloak pulled tightly across her shoulders: clearly this cold weather disagreed with her.

Dany smiled at her closest friend.

"Not exactly welcoming, is it," Daenerys mused, a slight smile creeping across her face. Missandei let out a small moan, her eyes shut tightly. "As long as it's warmer in there," her handmaiden said, shivering, "then its the most welcome sight I've ever seen." Dany laughed, a high, tinkling note. "We best get down there, lest you freeze to death" she said, eyeing her friend with amusement and mock concern. She spurred her horse on towards the Northern stronghold, her army following suite. Her heart beat wildly as she got closer and closer to the castle walls.

Soon.

She could make out the stark banners that snapped in the northerly wind: she could the faces of the arches that stood along the castle parapets. She could hear the sounds of life that flowed over the walls in front of her: the clamour of voices harmonized with hollow sound of footsteps. A voice hailed her from atop the gate, and the portcullis began to slowly lift, creaking and groaning as it did. Slowly, the main gate of Winterfell opened, and she laid eyes on the procession that awaited her. Dany was used to the attention of the masses: it was part of being queen. Today, however their unsure stares unnerved her. Her heart felt as though it was going to burst as she slowly moved into the castle, the lonely sound of her horses hooves accompanied by the dim murmur that began to rise from those who were gathered. Her eyes scanned the mass of people in front of her, and her heart twinged when she failed to spot the King in the North. At the head of the welcoming committee, where Jon should have been, stood a beautiful red headed woman.

"Welcome, your grace," the woman spoke, her soft voice given edge by her distinct northern accent. She smiled sincerely, but Dany thought that it never quite reached her eyes. "I am Sansa Stark," the red head continued, "Thank you for traveling such a long way: I hope your road here was smooth." The red head was clearly a practiced diplomat. Perhaps that's why she was in Jon's place: the northern lords expect a certain measure of formality.

Dany swung herself down from her horse, her hair glowing like spun silver as it caught the pale morning light. Dany began to walk towards Sansa, stopping a foot away from her Northern counterpart, smiling brightly at the red head.

"Thank you, Lady Sansa. I am very glad to know you: our travels were thankfully unperturbed. We understand the gravity of our situation: of mankind's situation, so we made no delays in coming here," said Daenerys, holding the lady of Winterfell's gaze. Sansa nodded in consent, an awkward silence falling over all who were gathered. Dany cast her eyes around the people in front of her, hoping to see those familiar grey eyes. "I do not see King Jon amongst the crowd, my lady," Dany said respectfully. Sansa's mouth turned up at the corners, a small smirk creeping onto her face as she looked at Dany knowingly.

"Come," Sansa said, extending her arm to Dany, "I will take you to him."

….

The fire in Jon's solar burned brightly, illuminating the faces of the men who huddled around the hastily put together War Table. Jon was frustrated: they had been deep in discussion for hours, yet the king in the North felt as though they were making no progress. Davos had always told Jon that he was too impulsive for his own good, and even now the wizened old smuggler called for patience as they discussed how best to proceed with the defence of the North. Jon, however, was sure that now was the time for action: Tormund had been missing for weeks, and Jon knew in his heart that he was never coming back. That is why I must go looking for him, Jon thought. Tormund had stood by Jons side through many hardships: they had climbed the wall together, they had fought for the freedom of the North against the Boltons together. Tormund had been with Jon at hardhome: he had seen what was to become of the entire population of Westeros should the Night King prevail. Tormund had stood by Jon even in death: and now Jon was worried that he had his friend to his.

No, he thought, I'm not giving up on you just yet, Tormund. For my sake, and your daughters.

….

The passage ways of Winterfell were made of stormy grey cobblestone. The air inside the castle much much warmer than it was outside, which Dany was eternally thankful for: the weather in the north didn't really agree with her. The rising sun shone through the windows that lined the wall to her right, painting the corridor with a light yellowish hue. Danys heart pounded in her chest as she walked with Sansa Stark. The Lady of Winterfell had been talking at Dany for the past few minutes as they wound their way through the Northern Stronghold, droning on about grain supplies and other pressing matters. Dany didn't have the mindset to deal with important things at the moment: her brain was entirely occupied with thoughts of Jon Snow.

Her heart leapt into her mouth when she heard his voice coming from a room down the hall. Sansa glanced at her, a smile pulled tight across her face. The voices coming from the room were exasperated and angry: Lady Stark stopped outside of the door, motioning for Dany to do the same.

"Best not to interrupt," the redhead whispered, giving Daenerys a knowing look. Dany nodded her head and tried to swallow her nervousness. She leant against the rough hewn wall, listening to the shouting coming from within.

"You're can't go after them", A voice she recognized as Davos's exclaimed, "You're King in the North!" Dany immediately felt worried. What was Jon doing.

"Im the only one here whos fought them," Jon's dour northern accent was music to her ears, yet there was a certain sense of resignation in his voice. "I know the true North better than any other man in this room. The remainder of the Free Folk will help us: I'll leave at first light. Sansa will be in charge of Winterfell in my absence, and I will no more on the matter." His tone was one of finality, and Dany heard little indication of the others in the room putting up an argument. The conversation then turned to 'the arrival of the Dragon Queen': Davos was talking, but hearing them discuss her put a smile on Daenerys's face. She turned to Sansa, who pushed herself away from the wall and walked towards the door.

"Shall we?", she said.

….

Jon was roused from his thought by the pale morning light that suddenly burst through the dark room. Sansa stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the light coming through a window in the hallway.

"Someone here to see you, Jon," Sansa said, stepping out of the way as a smaller woman slowly moved into his view. The pale yellow light formed a halo around her silvery hair, her violet eyes set aflame by the hearth that burned on the opposite wall. Her lips were slightly parted as she smiled at him, her white teeth glimmering.

"Hello Jon," Daenerys said.

Jon gritted his teeth.

"Queen Daenerys."

….

The snow crunched under their boots as they walked, the canopy above their heads blocking out the cold, Northern sun. Dany and Jon walked side by side through the Godswood in a comfortable silence. They had been touring the grounds of Winterfell for quite some time. Jon had been happy to "take a break from worrying" as he put it: showing her the ins and outs of the castle that he had grown up in had put him in a much better mood than the one that she had found him in.

Dany was finding it very difficult to not stare at the King in the North: her mind ran wild with fanciful thought that's stemmed from their current state of isolation. When she bumped into Jon's back after he had stopped in front of a pond, she shook her head to clear her mind of those fantasies and apologized, blaming the hard travel for being so scatterbrained.

Jon stared deeply into the black waters below, his eyes crinkling at their edges as he smiled sadly. "My father used to come here to think," he said, his eyes still fixed on the frigid pool, "he said it was nice to get away from the responsibilities of being warden of the north." He paused, looking for the words to say.
"I used to think he was crazy," Jon admitted, his smile wavering, "all I wanted when I was young was to have a purpose. To have a birthright: being lord of the North sounded like a dream come true back then. Turns out Lord Stark may have been right." He laughed, a hollow airy sound that carried little humor.

"Trust me," Dany said, turning to face Jon, "I know how you feel." Jon laughed again, this time much more genuinely. "You've definitely had it worse than I ever have," Jon said, his head nodding up and down. He cast a sidelong look at Dany, and made the mistake of looking into her eyes: what he saw in those violet depths scared him. Clearing his throat, Jon turned to back towards Winterfell. "We should be getting back," the King in the North grumbled, his light hearted tone vanishing like dust in the wind.

"Jon," Dany's voice resonated longing. Slowly, he turned back towards the Targaryen Queen. Dany stared at him, unconveyed passion forming on her lips. She opened and closed her mouth multiple times, her eyes conveying her emotions. Finally, she seemed to give up, her lips unwilling to comply with what her heart wanted to say.

"Don't go North tomorrow," she said instead, "don't go unless you can promise you'll come back."

Jon looked at the snow that was falling fast at his feet, the coldness beginning to seep through his clothing. "I have a duty," he said, "to my people. It isn't about what I what I want." Violet eyes met Grey. "Or who I want," his words broke Daenerys's heart as he left her standing alone in the Godswood.

I am yours, Jon Snow.

I really liked this chapter. I'm a sucker for tragedy, and Jon Snow has always been such a tragic character. I hope the show does him justice in season 8. I was reviewing the road map for this story, and the number of remaining chapters has gone down from five to four. The ones that remain, however, are all brimming with content and should all be between 2K and 4K. I'll start writing chapter ten tomorrow, but the release date I have posted on my story may need to be pushed back. I have a lot going on right now with college, so writing this story has to take a back seat.

That aside, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as a I enjoyed writing it.

Review, Favorite and Follow! Thanks guys.