Thanks so much for checking out this story! Thanks to the three of you who reviewed my first chapter, it means a lot to me! :)

A Few Quick Author's Notes:

1. Just so everyone is on the same page, Mari's name is pronounced 'MAH-REE' not 'marry'.

2. A reviewer asked if this story starts at the beginning of Season 1, and the answer is no, it starts in the middle-to-end of Season 1. This chapter will help you better place the timing of this story against the show. ALSO: Because part of the key in Ashlin's return to Westeros is the birth of the dragons, Daenerys' scenes are ahead of the rest of Westeros. I.E. Her dragons have been born at this point, before King Robert is dead. I hope that isn't confusing, but if it is and you have questions just ask and I will answer them :)

3. The long segments in italics are dream sequences.

That's all! Thanks again for reading and I really hope you like the story. Please follow me and review! :)

A Tale of Magic and Monsters and Lords

Chapter 2. When Magic Returns to Westeros

Storm

The sky above is clear and blue, and a beautiful bird with bright orange feathers soars in circles as I watch…Suddenly, the bird changes direction, it's happy flight now seems frantic and frightened…it opens it's mouth, but instead of a bird-song, a girl's scream spills out…

I struggle to see what has made the bird so scared, but I am held tightly in place by an unknown force…I hear the sound of metal scraping…I hear a boy's voice, "Bring me his head." …I hear the scream of the bird and the slice of the sword, followed by a dull thump!

I blink and the scene has changed; I am standing alone in a field filled with thousands of corpses. They aren't the corpses of men, though. They are the corpses of wolves…lions…stags…There are so many, piled on top of each other, spread across miles of blood-stained fields, as far as the eye can see…Death.

I blink again, and the field is empty…A single flower rests at my feet; an Iris…It starts to grow…bigger and bigger…and now it is as tall as me. The petals slowly unfold, revealing a girl in her late teens. The girl drops to the ground and lands gracefully on her feet, her long hair cascading down her shoulders in waves of dark auburn. Her honey brown eyes look into mine, and she smiles…

"When a dragon is born during the Long Winter, and magic returns to the realm, she will come back to us," The Flower Girl tells me. She opens her mouth and repeats it again, and again, and again, until the words are spinning around in my head and each time they make less sense than they did the first…

When a dragon is born during the Long Winter…and magic returns to the realm…she will come back to us…Who's she? Who's 'us'? What is a Long Winter? I don't understand…

When I wake, I'm in bed and the room is completely dark. At first, I wonder how it got to be so dark, when I only just woke up a few hours ago…but then I realize this bed is bigger than my usual bed, and it is layered with blankets made of thick, warm animal fur. In fact, it is so warm, my body is slick with sweat and I'm very uncomfortable. I kick and shove at the heavy covers until I've freed my body from their hold, and I sit up. My eyes slowly start to adjust, and I see that it is not quite as dark as I initially thought. There is a small fire burning in a fireplace located across the spacious room, in front of the bed. The flames are low, just embers, like it hasn't been tended to for a while. From what I can tell, the walls of this room are made of stone, as is the floor, and it is so large that all areas surrounding the bed are simply shadows. It frightens me a little, to be all alone in an unknown place.

Where am I?

A shuffling in the shadows to my left has me clutching at the blankets in fear, and I can barely force out a shaky greeting to my intruder. "H-hello?"

"Aha, you have awoken," A gentle and kind voice returns, and the oldest-looking man I've ever seen hobbles into the light of the fire, his wrinkled face bearing a smile. His gentle voice and demeanor put me at ease, and I release the blanket-shield I was holding in front of my body. "How do you feel, my dear?" His eyebrows are furrowed with concern, but his eyes aren't actually looking at me, and after observing him make his way towards the bed and my side, I realize that he is blind.

I sit up and slide backwards until my back is leaning against the pillows and the wooden headboard of the large bed. I am not naked as I was when I dropped into the snow from the sky, but dressed in a long, loose-fitting white nightgown. I wonder if this blind old man dressed me, but I can't imagine how he did so without help. Pushing those thoughts aside, I try and assess my body so that I can answer the man's question. How do I feel? Honestly, I feel fine. I feel better than fine, actually. My headache is gone, and there are no traces of lingering aches and pains. I can't explain how or what caused that affliction, but I am sure glad it is gone.

After what feels like forever, I reply, "I feel fine, thank you."

Shuffling closer, the old man's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, "Really? You were burning up with a fever when the boys brought you to me last night. Let me see…" He perches on the edge of the bed and reaches for me, somehow finding my head straight away. He places his hands on my forehead and makes a hissing noise with his tongue. He pulls away his hands quickly, almost like I burned him. "Still feverish, I see. Hmm…Here, I brought you some water. You should drink." He reaches for a metal cup which was resting on the small table beside the bed, and he places it into my hands. "You are lucky to be alive, young lady."

I gratefully gulp down the water, only to choke and spit it back into the cup. It tastes horrible! I thought he said he gave me water, but that tasted like a mug full of piss…I put the cup back down on the table and resist the urge to gag. After a moment to compose myself, I wonder, "Thank you…for taking care of me. I'm sorry if this question is strange, but…where am I?"

"You're at Castle Black," He replies, standing firmly on his feet so that he may give me a slight bow as he continues, "I am the Maester here; you may call me Aemon."

"Aemon," I repeat, the name sounding strange and foreign in my mouth. "I'm Storm…Storm Parker." The old man looks as confused by my name as I am by his. "Where exactly is Castle Black?" Noting his accent, I question further, "Is it in England?" How the Hell did I get here?

"England?" Maester Aemon says the word as though he's never heard it before, which makes no sense to me. Even if we're in another country in Europe, he has to at least know of England, and he looks as though he's never heard of the country in his life. "No, no, my dear, you are in North Westeros, at the Wall." He states it simply, even shrugs his shoulders, like it is clear as day.

I can tell we're not going to get much further on this topic. He doesn't know what England is, and I have no idea what 'the Wall' is, so…what does that mean? My head is spinning. The only way for this old man, who must be at least ninety, to not know where England is would be for him to be suffering from severe Alzheimer's, or…or else he's from a different world. But he can't be from a different world. That's impossible. Almost as impossible as me falling through the floor of Patricia and Mark's bathroom...and landing in the snow in a foreign land.

My silence must be troubling, for old man Aemon is leaning over me and quizzing, "Are you sure you're well, Miss Storm? I think the fever has plagued you with hallucinations. How long have you been ill?"

"I'm not sick," I state firmly, "Truly, Mr. Aemon; I'm fine."

I place my hand over his and squeeze gently, attempting to prove to this stubborn old man that I am, in fact, well. Something strange happens when I touch him, though. I feel a heat rushing from my head down my neck and arm, all the way to my hand, and it shoots through my fingertips and into Maester Aemon. His arm jerks as the heat is passed along to him, and he gasps in shock, his mouth remaining open and showing his surprise. At first, I'm scared that whatever just happened gave him such a fright he's gone into cardiac arrest, but then Maester Aemon smiles. He blinks slowly and I watch as the milky white blindness erases from his eyes. He rubs at them in disbelief, blinking rapidly. He stares all around the room, at every corner, and then his wise blue eyes settle on me; his eyes which can now see settle on me.

Aemon's hands come down on my shoulders and he stares upon my face like I am a miracle-worker. "What did you do, girl?" His voice is hushed, carrying a secret he's almost too hopeful to wish for.

I gulp nervously, my hands shaky. "I-I," I stutter, shaking my head rapidly back and forth, "I d-don't know. I don't know. Please, I don't know how that happened."

I made a blind man see. I think, the thought sounding crazy even inside of my head. I made a blind man see. I touched a blind man…and I made him see.

"You have a gift," Aemon states firmly, nodding his head, his smile growing, "You have a gift, Storm Parker. Yes, you do. Ah, I knew you were special when you were brought here; I knew you were special." He steps away from the bed and practically skips towards the wooden door.

"Wait!" I call after him, halting him in his progress. He turns back towards me, and I ask the first thing that comes to mind, "Where is the man who found me? The one with the white wolf?"

-*-*-*-A-Tale-Of-Magic-And-Monsters-And-Lords-*-*- *-

Mari

"Please, good ser, I must see my sister," I beg the knight standing guard at the gate, nearly in tears, forgetting all about my plan to bat my eyelashes and charm my way into the Red Keep. It is too late now for me to try and use my pretty face; it isn't so pretty when my face is splotchy and my nose red from suppressing tears. Pressing on, I feed him a small lie and hope that he buys it, "She works in the kitchen as a scullery maid, ser, and I have urgent news. Our father is ill, and he will pass soon; I must bring her to him."

I had thought it would take only a week to travel from Highgarden to King's Landing, but unfortunately I ran into problems and it took double the amount of time. By the time I arrived outside the gates to the city, I was very dehydrated and had long since run out of food. I had to sell the horse I stole for my journey, at a very unreasonable price too, simply to buy food and water so I would not become ill or worse, die. I traded one of my dresses, a pretty pale blue with lace trim, for a plainer and more practical brown shift, so I will fit in as one of the commoners living within the city gates of King's Landing. After that, I passed through the King's Gate with no problems. It took me all morning and most of the afternoon to walk from the King's Gate to the gates of the Red Keep, and now that I've finally reached my destination it seems I will not be granted entrance. I saw my sister within the castle walls in my dream, though, and I won't turn around now that I am so close…

"What is your sister's name?" The armored knight asks gruffly. It might not seem like progress, but I've been pleading with him to listen to me and had no response until now. I am hopeful that he will allow me in, now that I've got him talking.

Quickly, I think of a common name and reply, "Pippa, ser. Pippa Longley."

"I know of no scullery maid with that name," The knight comments sternly, "Now, off you go, girl." He shoos me away from his post with a wave of his hand, but I am not so easy to be rid of.

"Please, ser," I insist, "My sister is in there, and I must see her. Perhaps you have forgotten about her? She is a quiet, small thing…"

"Or perhaps," The knight interrupts rudely, "You are a liar."

My shoulders sink in defeat, and the knight notices, a crooked, rotten toothed smile appearing on his face. I drop my gaze to his dirty boots, and then snap them back up to his face again. "I have some coin," I suddenly remember, feeling under the folds of my common dress for my coin purse. "It isn't much," I warn, hoping he'll be desperate enough to take the bait, "But if you let me in to see my sister, I'll give you all of it." I open the small coin purse and flash him the currency inside. I don't know how I'll eat later, or how I'll get Ashlin and myself home without money, but we'll figure something out. As long as I find her, everything will be fine.

Scoffing, the knight slaps my hand away, causing the coins to fly from the purse and clatter to the stone stairs below our feet, most rolling all the way down the stairs and disappearing into the dirt. I stare, open-mouthed, at the knight in shock as he reprimands, "You'll not be bribing your way into this castle, stupid girl. Not on my watch. Now, get lost before I toss you down the stairs as well." He gives my shoulder a shove and I stumble backwards, nearly losing my balance and tumbling down the stone stairs that lead up to one set of the castle gates.

Shakily, I bend to retrieve three silver coins that fell from my purse, a lone tear leaking from my eye and trailing down my cheek. I don't bother to wipe it away; let the awful knight see that he made a girl cry, what do I care? I sigh as I start down the stairs, my mind already working to figure out how I'll eat tonight, where I'll stay, and what I'll have to do to get to Ashlin.

At the bottom of the stairs, a man stretches his arm out in front of me, holding the remaining four coins from my purse in the open-palm of his rough and calloused hand. "I believe these are yours," He states, waiting patiently for me to take them.

I blink in surprise, looking up at the stranger who has chosen to show me kindness instead of pocketing my coins for himself. I find myself staring into eyes that are a smoky grey in color, and although I can see why some might think them cold eyes, I can see warmth in them now. His dark hair falls to his shoulders, somewhat thick and unruly, but his graying beard is trimmed and neat. His face is hard and holds the lines of a man whose life has been tough and stressful, but right now he holds a look of softness, of concern. I don't realize at first that he is flanked by three personal guards, and pinned to his vest sits the mark of the Hand, but I know immediately who he is.

I straighten up quickly and curtsy respectfully, greeting, "Lord Stark!" I bow my head as I come up from the curtsy, and then finally take the money from his hand. "Thank you, my lord. You did not have to bother yourself with that."

"It was no trouble at all, Miss…" He replies, prompting me for my name.

The knight I attempted to bribe is still within earshot, and even though I know it is wrong to lie to a lord, I assume it is all right to do because my everyday name is already a false one. "I am Mari Longley, my lord." I cannot meet his eyes, but I hope that he accepts the name as truth and continues on his way.

"Was Ser Devon giving you trouble, Miss Longley?" Lord Stark asks curiously, while his guards wait patiently behind him.

I glance to the knight standing guard at the castle gate and then return my eyes to Lord Stark. I didn't miss the threatening glare from the knight, but I decide I will be truthful this time. "N-no, Lord Stark. He was only doing what he's told, I'm sure. I am looking for my sister; she's in the castle, and I have urgent news, but I am not allowed in."

Eddard Stark studies me for a long while, so long that I start to feel uncomfortable beneath his scrutinizing grey eyes. Finally, he shares his thoughts with me, "I would like to hear about your sister, and the urgent matter for which you seek her. Come with me, Mari; I will see what I can do."

-*-*-*-A-Tale-Of-Magic-And-Monsters-And-Lords-*-*- *-

Storm

Jon Snow. I picture his face in my mind as I repeat his name in my head. His name is Jon Snow. It is strange to put a name to the face after all these months. I suppose there are stranger things, such as where I am and how I got here, but I am trying to focus on one thing at a time. I don't know how I got here, but I'm here, and there must be a connection between my appearing in this place and Jon Snow. Otherwise, why did I dream of him for three months?

Maester Aemon left and promised to return with the Lord Commander, Joer Mormont, who is the leader of the Night's Watch. According to Maester Aemon, the Night's Watch rule over Castle Black and the Wall, and protect everyone south of the Wall by keeping everything to the north in the north. I don't understand one bit, but it was nice of old man Aemon to try and fill me in on my whereabouts and how things work around here. Aemon was also supposed to bring Jon Snow to me, so I could thank him, and so that I can get another look at him and know that he's real, that my mind isn't playing tricks on me. Aemon has not returned though, and it has been hours. It has been hours and hours. In fact, it's been so long that I'm almost positive it's nearly dinnertime. I ate a small bowl of mush a fat boy named Sam claimed to be porridge, and a sweet brown bread, which was actually not bad, this morning right after the sun came up. Sam didn't stay long, and he didn't say anything more than a stuttered hello, introduction, and then he excused himself. No one else has come to my room since Sam, and it's been a very long, lonely, and boring day. Now, the sun is lowering in the sky, causing the room to be shadowed in darkness, and I'm beginning to feel hungry again.

When I can't take it any longer, I climb out of bed and search for warmer clothes, because I know I can't leave the room in nothing but this thin nightgown. With all this snow and cold, maybe I should have asked if we're in Alaska…or northern Canada, or something. Do they have a Wall up there? Maybe somewhere in Russia does? Could it be that I…no, no; none of that makes any sense! Without any luck finding other clothes, I grab the top blanket from my bed, a fluffy thing made of some kind of animal fur, and wrap it around my shoulders tightly, holding it to me close as I open the door. I peek my head out into the hallway, or...corridor, I guess, and look left to right; there is no one in sight. I listen carefully and judge that most of the noise is coming from the right, so I'll have a better chance running into Maester Aemon, or someone else who can feed me, if I head in that direction.

I follow the voices to the end of the corridor, down a long spiral staircase, and through the large open doors of what appears to be a dining hall. There are at least a hundred men in the room, ranging from early teens to middle-aged men. They are talking loudly amongst each other, but a hush falls over the room when they notice me in the doorway. I halt in my tracks, resisting the urge to run away and hide, but am unable to walk any further into the room. With the way these men are staring, you'd think they haven't seen a girl in their life...

"Storm Parker, I presume," A deep voice booms from across the entire dining hall, and my eyes immediately find the snow-haired man it belongs to. He stands from the table at the head of the room and announces, "I am Jeor Mormont, Commander of the Night's Watch. I have been meaning to come by your room to introduce myself. I've heard some...things about you from Maester Aemon that I'd like to discuss with you." I don't see Aemon, but I assume by things Jeor Mormont means my ability to miraculously heal Aemon of his blindness. I shuffle in my space while Jeor looks me over. "First though, how are you feeling? You must be famished."

"I..." I glance around nervously before nodding, "I am hungry, yes."

"I'll have some supper brought up to your room," Jeor replies. "You should be in bed; the Maester says you are running a fever. Do you need assistance getting back to your quarters?"

I feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment as I admit, "I guess so..." I am beginning to regret coming down here in the first place. I should have waited for Aemon to return. Now I have all these eyes on me while I stand in a dining hall full of men in a thin nightgown covered with a blanket, and it is uncomfortable, to say the least. All I wanted was to get some food, and meet Jon Snow, but I don't see him anywhere.

"Shaene," Jeor Mormont addresses a man at his table, "Please help Storm back to her room." Jeor then returns to his meal, although his suspicious blue eyes never stray from my face, until Shaene rises from his seat and leads me out of the dining hall.

Shaene is a tall and thin, but broad-shouldered, man with light brown hair and dark brown eyes. He appears to be in his late-thirties but the hardness in his face and eyes makes him look older. He doesn't smile nor say anything in greetings as he passes by me, simply strides quickly down the hallway at a pace I am nearly jogging to keep up with.

Finally, Shaene says to me accusingly, "You're from beyond the Wall?"

"No..." I reply slowly, getting the feeling that if I were from beyond the Wall, I would not be quite so welcome in Castle Black as I am now. "I'm from Chicago. Illinois."

"Huh?" Shaene squints at me over his shoulder.

"It's in the U.S." I elaborate nervously, wondering if Shaene will deduct I'm a complete crazy person and throw me in the dungeon. If this place has a dungeon...I imagine it does because it's a huge castle, and castles usually have things like that. Right?

"Essos?" Shaene mispronounces. "How did you cross the Narrow Sea?"

Essos? Narrow Sea? What?

"Yes...Essos," I nod, deciding to go along with his answer. At least it's something he's heard of, and he won't accuse me of making things up...even though I am making things up. "I came on a boat, with my family, but...we got separated. I don't remember what happened."

"You were attacked," He concludes flatly, seeming uninterested now with my answers.

"I don't know," I say, "Maybe."

"You were lucky," He states, "That you were found on this side of the Wall. And not the other."

"What is the Wall?" I inquire, "Can you show me?"

It is clear to me that I have surprised my guide, and he doesn't give me a direct answer, but I think we've changed direction. My thoughts are proven correct only a minute later, when instead of heading up the spiral staircase I came down, Shaene leads me to a door. When he opens it, a gust of wind carrying a flurry of snowflakes rushes in. He motions for me to step out first, and when I do I gasp at the sight before me. Beyond the Castle Black is an epic and mighty structure that I know without asking is the Wall. I am so awed that I forget to keep hold of the blanket wrapped around my shoulders, and it slips to the snowy ground.

"Are you crazy?" Shaene queries as he stoops to fetch the blanket for me. "You'll catch your death!" As he enfolds me in the warm fur once more, his hand brushes against mine, and a strange picture plants itself in my mind: a much younger Shaene, holding a tiny baby girl in his arms, and smiling.

I pull away, mumbling, "Sorry," as I do. But I am not sorry for dropping my blanket, I am sorry for what I saw. It was an image of Shaene's past, a personal image, and I doubt he'd like it if he knew I had seen it. I can't help but wonder if that baby was Shaene's, and if so, what happened to it? Is it why he's here now? Is it why he's so sad?

"Come now," Shaene instructs, "You've seen the Wall, let's get you back to your room. I expect your supper will be waiting for you. Wouldn't want it to get cold; doesn't take long in this place."

Upstairs, Shaene locates my bedroom with no problem at all. My supper is waiting on a silver tray, just as Shaene said it would be, and I immediately dig in. I don't care at all that this brown stew tastes strange and the bread with it is stale, I am starving, and anything would taste good right now. Shaene excuses himself while I eat, but I find my thoughts are still on him and his smile as he gazed down upon the baby in his arms. I feel an ache in my heart for him and his loss, because somehow I know that baby was lost to him.

Some time after I finished eating, there is a knock on the door. It must be Jeor Mormont. "Come in," I call out. When the door opens, I see that it is Aemon, and not Jeor, as I thought. "Aemon," I greet the old man with a smile, "Where did you disappear to earlier? I thought you were coming back, and you never did."

"I am sorry, my dear," Aemon apologizes shamefully, "This place has been a mad house today. You would not believe what happened here last night, but it is not a story I should be telling young ladies such as yourself. There is no need to frighten you, you are safe here with the Night's Watch." I don't know what he's blabbering on about, but his next words have my attention: "I brought a guest to visit with you..."

Sorry to leave you guys on a semi-cliff-hanger...Next chapter will start off in Jon's POV though, so hopefully that will keep some of you happy(:

Reviews feed my brain, so please don't make it go hungry.

-MissCarolineForbes