"I must go," Jon decided as he turned to her. Worry was in his eyes, he had a shadow of doubt in his voice.
-You can't – Sansa said as she settled into the chair – You can't and you shouldn't –
- I owe myself to my people, to the North. I can't turn my back on the help we need –
- If you leave, you'll be turning your back on him. She is the daughter of the Mad King. How do you know she's not like him? –
"She won't hurt me," Jon shook his head, refusing to accept that possibility, "And she's a dragon." If I refuse, we can wake him up –
- The North has chosen you, not Daenerys Targaryen – Sansa protested – It was you who has been granted that honor, you can't spit in their face by leaving –
- Honor? Jon laughed bitterly.
- Yes, honor -
- I did not ask to occupy this position -
- No – Sansa said – but they chose you. Now you are King in the North and you have to do your duty, whether you like it or not –
Jon pulled away from her and looked up at the sky again. He stared into the darkness of the night. Perhaps he was looking at the moon and stars, or perhaps at the sentinels on the wall.
Sansa was touched when she saw her doubt. Jon Snow had been chosen King in the North by his Stark blood. He was his brother, his blood, but the shadow of the
Snow name still hung between them.
She was about to go to him when he turned, frowning.
- If the Wall falls, we won't be able to defend Winterfell – Jon said – Daenerys Targaryen has three dragons. Fire kills wraiths –
- And men - she replied - Father went south once to answer the call of a king. He never came home. The same thing happened to his father before him –
- It was another time - said Jon - other kings -
"Wait a while at least, until we see how she acts" Sansa asked.
"I've waited a while," Jon replied. "The last time a letter came with his stamp, it was on Dragonstone." She now he sits on the iron throne –
- We have to repopulate the castles of the Night's Watch – protested – we have to prepare the defense of the wall -
- You can do that too -
But I don't want to do it alone
- I told you that you would never be alone again -
Sansa got up to hug him.
- I'm sorry Sansa – Jon said – I have to go. If I don't go now it may be too late next time –
He was right. she knew it. But that didn't make it any less painful. She had lost all of her family, her parents, her brothers and her sister. She only had Jon left. She didn't want to feel the weight of loneliness again.
"I understand" was all she had to say.
JON
Jon walked slowly up the stairs, taking advantage of the solitude to think. Ghost walked silently beside him. Outside, snow was swirling and drifting through the castle gates. In the patio everything was noise and chaos reigned. But between the thick stone walls, silence reigned.
Val waited by the door in the predawn chill wrapped in a bearskin cloak big enough for Sam to fit in. She had a hot broth in her hands and an open wineskin.
"I have decided that I will go south" Jon said as he closed the door.
She rose to her feet, letting her golden braid fall over her shoulder. She was dressed all in white, like a princess. She wore white woolen breeches tucked into tall white leather boots and a white tunic with bone clasps. Even her breath was white. "A princess warrior", Jon decided, "not some little creature who sits in a tower brushing her hair until a knight comes to rescue her."
- And what are you going to do in the South, Jon Snow? - she asked, approaching two feet from her face.
- I will seek the help of Queen Daenerys Targaryen - "I don't think it's enough" - I'm here to say goodbye and to tell you that you can stay in Winterfell as long as you want -
- Stay? – She snorted – I'm going with you-
- It may never come back, I don't want you to risk it for… –
- I assume the danger. I'm not a southern lady, I'm a Free People woman –
''I hope so''.
- So will you come with me? –
- If my lord allows it. A captive must obey. As long as you don't lock me in a tower again by order of your king –
- I have no king -
- Oh, that's right – Val looked at him with wide eyes and a mischievous smile – Now you are a king, the King in the North –
- I'm still the same, Val –
- Do I have to kneel before you? - she asked - Will I be able to laugh if I have to? –
- You can't laugh. This is not a game. Death is coming for us. If we are not prepared we will not survive the winter. I have been forced to betray the vows of the Night's
Watch to allow you to pass. Even my own men stabbed me... -Jon looked into her eyes - I need the support of the free people and her princess -
Val's playful smile disappeared.
- You have my word, Lord Snow. I will be a suitable wild princess for this king –
- Then come with me, we have to prepare the horses -
They left the tower to be greeted by the cold of Winterfell. The spearmen posted on either side of the door greeted Jon with knuckle rubs on their foreheads, but they stared blatantly at Val. The wild princess paused for a moment to gaze at the courtyard where the men were preparing for war. The dim light from the sun made Val's honey-blonde hair appear silver and her cheeks white as snow. She took a deep breath.
- The air tastes sweet -
- My tongue is too numb to notice. I can only taste the cold –
- Cold? – Val laughed slightly – When it's cold it will hurt to breathe. When the Others come... -
That thought kept haunting Jon. He had sent a dozen scouts who were still missing today. ''It's too soon, they may not be long before they return'' But another part of him insisted ''They are dead, every one of them. You sent them there to die.
- Let's not talk about the Others – asked Jon – Not today –
- As my king commands -
They continued on to the stable, where the cold cut to the bone.
-Val – Jon called her as he checked his horse's saddle – If things get complicated I don't want you to sacrifice your life –
- And what should I do? –
- Flee to Winterfell –
- If things get complicated there will be nowhere to run, Jon Snow -
- Good, but I want you to try -
- If it comforts you to listen to it, I will tell you that I will escape as soon as I see the danger
I'll have to settle for that, thought Jon. He was afraid to think that he would not see his face again. ''If I had wanted her love, I could have had it'' In the free town they kidnapped women to give them children. ''I wouldn't be able to do that'' Besides, Jon Snow had never dared to dream of a son. But if he did, he would call him Robb.
''He could be raised in Winterfell with the son of Sam and Eli, so they would grow up together. Sam's son and mine would grow up as brothers, just like Robb and me.
It was what he wanted. He knew instantly. He wanted it more than he'd ever wanted anything in his life. ''I've always wanted it,'' he thought with a pang of guilt.
"I haven't thanked you yet," Val said suddenly.
- What do you have to thank me for? –
- Many things – Val lightly kissed him on the cheek – You have my thanks, Lord Snow, for having welcomed my people even though you were a raven. You protected me against that king of yours on the wall, you took care of my nephew. And, above all, thanks for the hope –
Their breath mingled, forming a white mist in the air. Jon stepped back and said:
- The only thanks I want is… -
- To keep me safe if there is danger, yes - Val put on her bearskin hood to protect herself from the snow - I want to ask you one last question. Did you kill Jarl, my lord? –
''Jarl, the lover she had when I met her,'' Jon recalled.
- The Wall killed Jarl –
-That's what I had heard, but wanted to be sure –
- I didn't kill him. You have my word -
''But if things had been otherwise, maybe she would have done it'' – He thought.
"I'm glad to hear it," she said almost playfully.
- Jon Snow! – A voice bellowed behind her.
Tormund Giantslayer was not tall, but the gods had given him a broad chest and a massive gut. And Mance Raider always said that his laughter could sweep the snow off the mountains. When Jon met him, his hair was less gray, his face less thin, and fewer wrinkles lined his cheeks.
What he hadn't changed was his handshake. He kept making every bone in him creak.
- So we're leaving tomorrow? – He said, while she put all her effort to reduce Jon's hand to a pulp and bones-To the Wall or to the South? –
-To the South – Jon answered as he released her hand – We need the help of Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons-
- Ha! Tormund laughed. He hadn't changed in that either, he would laugh at the slightest occasion - Men of the free people traveling to King's Landing -
"We don't have a choice." Jon put a hand on Tormund's shoulder.
-I know, little raven – he laughed again – At dawn, then –
"At dawn," Jon confirmed.
Jon removed a black glove, put two fingers to his mouth, and whistled.
- Ghost! With me! –
The white wolf appeared out of the hubbub of the castle courtyard, brushed past her and stood next to Val. ''They seem made for each other.''
- Are you trying to steal my wolf? – He asked.
- It's not a bad idea. If every woman had a direwolf, men would be so much nicer –
- Ha! – Rio Tormund Giantslayer – Do not try to cajole this woman, Lord Snow, she is too smart for guys like us. If you want her, take her away as soon as possible, lest someone else take it -
- I can't take anyone, Tormund, I have been chosen king in the North –
- She doesn't care as long as you keep working like before, don't you, girl? –
Val tapped the long bone knife at his hip.
- Lord Raven can sneak into my bed any night, if he dare. But after I castrate him, it will be more difficult for him to have little raven princes –
- Ha! – Tortmund laughed again – I told you, Lord Snow, you'll have to hurry – The head of the savages shook his head and left for the courtyard of the fortress, followed by Val, who winked at him before leaving.
Jon rested for a while while his horse grazed. ''Am I doing the right thing?'' "As Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, I allowed the enemy to cross the Wall." ''As a brother I have occupied the place that by right would correspond to the legitimate children of my father''. ''And as a king he may not be able to lead my people.''
He would have given everything for the gods to tell him that he was doing what he should. But the gods did not answer.