Chapter 8
Jon walked over to his sister who was letting Franky take care of Usopp while she watched. He bent down to her and she turned. The two of them met gazes again and Arya hugged her brother for a second time.
"I've missed you," she said.
"I missed you too," he said and she heard the hurt in his voice. "I thought you were dead. Everyone thinks you're dead."
Arya backed away from him and her eyes darkened. "Dad, Robb, moth-, my mother, Bran and Rickon."
"They're alive," Jon told her with a smile and the girl froze where she was. She hadn't heard word on her younger brothers for years. "At least, they were when I last heard."
"When?" Arya asked in a grim tone.
"Not as long ago as you'd think," Jon said and went into how Sam met with their brother before he went beyond the Wall. He still had Hodor and Summer protecting him along with two other children, so they didn't have to worry as much, and Arya felt another weight lifted off her chest. The good news pouring in was almost too much and she had to stop herself from breaking into tears again.
Edd and the other brothers watched as their Lord Commander talked with the young girl who was somehow his sister. They were stunned the noble girl was traveling with pirates, but more so that the pirates were willing to come this far north just to find Jon.
Tormund was heading towards the robot next to Jon and his sister. Franky stopped working on Usopp once he decided the stitches would hold but he grimaced when he looked at the sniper's left hand. Any worse and he wouldn't be able to shoot anymore, so he was lucky it was only this bad.
"You," Tormund said as he got to the large man with small biceps and huge forearms. Franky lifted up his sunglasses a little with his wrist since his hands had Usopp's blood on them. He looked at the wildling man staring back and the man from the North said, "Mind taking us towards those boats over there?" He pointed where the rest of his people would be.
The large wildling man with red hair looked down at Jon who was still on one knee with his sister. The Lord Commander stood and looked at his wildling friend. "Does your deal still stand Lord Snow?"
The white walkers were all but destroyed, unless they had another army reserve hidden somewhere which they felt was unlikely. Winter was still coming though, and it was going to be a long, long one. The coldest one in recent history by the feel of it, and staying beyond the Wall was still asking for death, especially when dying meant coming back as one of them. "Of course," Jon stood up and smiled at Tormund, "the deal still stands."
"Good," Tormund replied. He looked back to Franky who nodded and went to grab the wheel to take them to the ships.
The red haired man walked over to where the swordsman was lying. Zoro had bandages wrapped around his head, torso, arms and legs, but he seemed to be sleeping soundly. The large wildling man sat down and whispered, "Hundreds more of my people got off shore when we left you behind. We didn't know why so few were getting through to attack us at the shore while they escaped, so we went back to check. We watched you fight and you were prepared to die for us, total strangers." The wildling man wasn't much for this touchy stuff, but it wasn't as weird when the man was asleep. "You saved hundreds, so we couldn't just leave you behind." He stood up and walked away to make sure he wasn't there when the green haired man awoke.
No one had seen Sanji or Nami in a while, but the blonde haired man came out of the cabin while Franky was steering them towards the Night's Watch ships. The chef looked over at the sitting giant, Wun Wun, and then over at Robin who was walking towards him.
He flashed a small smile at her, but it had none of its normal enthusiasm with it. "How is Miss Navigator?" Robin asked Sanji and the chef sighed.
"She's asleep," he cursed under his breath, "I don't know what happened, but I should have been there."
"Don't beat yourself up bro," Franky called over to him from behind the wheel. The two looked back and saw the cyborg clenching the wheel so hard it looked like it would break if he held it any harder. They all wished they had went to shore earlier, but they didn't know how it would have helped against that massive zombie army.
The crew went back to the Night's Watch ships and everyone on board hesitated before checking out the pirate ship. They'd watched it annihilate an army of the undead and were afraid of what it could do to them. Tormund got up on the deck of one of the boats and yelled to all his people. They'd lost so much: their homes, their people, their families, but he told them they had to band together now.
It was an impressive speech and the wildlings started chanting his name when it was done. He didn't look like he expected it, but even the other elders and clan leaders that were in the meeting before were chanting his name too. It wasn't a happy, celebratory cheer, but a low toned chant of Tormund's name over and over again. They were choosing him as their leader and he was up to the task.
Wun Wun was growling out Tormund's name over and over and the Night's Watch brothers looked around at all of the wildlings. Jon walked up alongside him and Tormund announced they would be heading south. After the slaughter the wildlings just witnessed, none of them wanted to stay here anymore. They were all for going south of the Wall and farming the lands there, making new lives for their children that didn't involve freezing to death or being eaten by zombies.
The ships were really crowded with wildlings, but the trip to the Wall wasn't a long one. With Zoro, Luffy, Nami, and Usopp passed out, the chain of command on the pirate ship was confusing. It looked like Sanji should be in charge, but he did whatever Robin said so she seemed to be leading them. However, the woman wasn't good at giving out orders and stayed very quiet as they sailed down the coast.
Everyone who wasn't a pirate was off of their ship now as Tormund and the crows got on different ships. Only Jon remained on board as they sailed. He was talking to his sister and trying to get information on where she'd been for the last six years out of her.
The girl was being just as concealed to her half-brother as she was the rest of the crew. She kept her secrets to herself and gave Jon vague responses about places she'd been. Arya looked over Jon's head as they were talking and her eyes went wide.
The curly haired man turned around and looked stunned to see Luffy out and about already. "Your injuries," Jon started and the pirate laughed.
Luffy swung his right arm around in little circles, "What, that little scratch on my shoulder? Don't joke around," he grinned and held up his arms, "That can't stop me!"
It sounded like whatever painkillers Chopper gave him were pretty potent and he sat down between the two Stark children. "So Jon," Luffy said and grinned wide at the man, "you're joining my crew right?"
The man with pitch black hair stared at the pirate and recalled the younger man did ask him that before all shit broke loose in Hardhome. He said I had to join him if he destroyed the white walker army, and I agreed. I thought he was joking.
Arya looked up at her older brother and tilted her head. He looked at the captain sitting cross legged on the floor and then at his younger sister. "Arya, you should come with me to Castle Black. I'm the Lord Commander now, I can keep you safe there."
Luffy frowned and looked at Arya to see her response. The girl was looking down a little and the top of her black hair shadowed her eyes, "I don't want to be safe." The pirate captain smiled again and Arya was still frowning at her older half-brother while they made eye contact. "I won't run anymore."
The man of the Night's Watch furrowed his brow. This wasn't the same child he knew when she was a girl. She'd matured into a young woman, but she still had the fire in her eyes that she had as a girl. I shouldn't have thought she would stay at the Wall, Jon thought and sighed. He'd missed that fire, it was what he missed more than anything at Winterfell. More than his father's wisdom, his older brother's competitive streak, Sansa's girlishness, or even Theon's snide remarks, he missed Arya's defiant, strong, and rebellious attitude the most.
"So what are you going to do?" Jon asked her. He wanted to force her to come with him, but she could make her own decisions and he had no right to stop her. He looked down at the sitting pirate who had a snot bubble coming out of his nose.
The girl looked down at Luffy too and a smile appeared on her face. The exhausted pirate started snoring and she couldn't help but laugh. "I'm going to stay with them," Arya said and looked up at her brother. "They want your help too."
"My help to do what?" Jon asked. A minute before he saw a horrible darkness inside his sister's eyes, but this man and his crew seemed to be able to help her with it. He looked down at the man with the weird power and felt nervous. The man didn't seem like he would hurt Arya, but he was too powerful to feel safe with her alone with him.
Arya seemed a little nervous about telling Jon this next part. She hesitated and then whispered, "Take the Iron Throne."
Jon dropped his jaw and looked at the teenager sitting between him and his sister. He looked up to see if his sister was being serious and she was. "You realize how insane that sounds?"
"That's what I thought," the girl whispered quietly, not wanting to let the other pirates know she didn't believe in them at first. "But you've seen what they can do," the girl started ranting about the ones he hadn't seen too and Jon could see she really believed in these people.
"How long have you been with them?" He asked, interrupting her while she was talking about the transforming reindeer doctor.
"Oh," Arya said and thought about it herself. She'd become great friends with them in such a short time, "A little over a week." She went back to talking about Chopper and then moved on to Franky.
She barely knows them at all, he looked back and saw the blonde man talking to the larger guy who was apparently made of steel. According to his sister they were both incredibly strong fighters too. How can I leave her here with these strangers? And they're trying to take the throne?! They're going to get her killed!
"So," someone started on Jon's left. "Will you be coming with us Crow-san?" Nico Robin walked over and looked at the man in the cloak with curly black hair.
He looked back at the archaeologist and to his sister who was watching him expectantly. Then he looked over the side of the ship where a half dozen other ships were sailing around them. "I made a promise to these people. I gave them my word I would get them south of the Wall and settle them in the empty lands there."
"Can't you just tell your men to do it?" Arya asked, really hoping he would come with her.
"I swore an oath," he said and looked harshly at his sister. "If I come with you, I'll be breaking that oath. The men won't be mine any longer," he looked away, "my sworn brothers would hunt me down and chop off my head. Besides, I have to help the free folk. Odds are they wouldn't be allowed to settle peacefully unless I'm the Lord Commander."
Robin hummed thoughtfully, "Mmm, that's a hard decision." The man looked at her and Arya was confused at what Robin meant. It sounded like an easy decision and he was going to stay with his brothers, but she didn't understand how worried her brother was about her. The pirate didn't say anything else about it, but she smiled at Jon before walking away, "Whatever your decision, it will be an honorable one."
The woman headed towards the cabin and Jon was left deep in his thoughts. He was exhausted like the pirates who'd fallen asleep around the ship, but he had too much on his mind. The man smiled at Arya and told her to get some rest.
She wanted to argue and talk to her brother for longer, but fatigue was setting in. She decided to go check on Usopp and Zoro in the med bay and then go to sleep. "Thanks Jon," she said as she walked past her older brother. She suddenly stopped and looked down when she was right next to him, "Needle..."
They'd both completely forgot about the white walker shattering her sword with its weapon. Jon put a hand on her shoulder, "It's alright," he told her, "I'll have the blacksmith at Castle Black make you another one. A better one."
Arya looked up at him and felt some of her sadness lift. Her sword meant so much to her partly because it was a reminder of her brother. He gave it to her when he left for the Wall. Right when she saw him she saved him by plunging Needle into the wight's chest. She was finally reunited with him and it was as if her sword had fulfilled its purpose.
"Thanks, but I don't know if we'll be going to Castle Black," she said and looked towards the cabin where Sanji, Franky, and Robin were gathered.
The girl left to go get her rest and Jon went to the bow of the ship and looked around. All the people in the ships around the Sunny were relying on him to get them south and settle them in the lands he promised. But then there was his sister who was planning on taking on the most powerful houses of Westeros with nothing more than a pirate crew.
He'd seen Stannis's army. He watched it rip through the greatest army the north had ever seen and their trained cavalry barely got a scratch on them. Jon knew what happened when people went against him and he envisioned his sister tied to a wooden cross while the red witch Melisandre set her aflame.
The Night's Watch owed Stannis Baraetheon a great deal, but he himself wasn't too fond of the man. It was thanks to him that the Wall wasn't taken by wildlings, but then he tried to burn Mance Rayder alive for trying to get his people away from the zombie horde. It was a double edged sword with Stannis, but all Jon knew was that he didn't want the man to be his king.
You swore an oath, he reminded himself. He then thought of Robb and grimaced, grinding his teeth together. He tried to run from the Watch once, to go help his brother take revenge for their father and save their sisters. Back then, he was brought back by his black brothers who reminded him of that oath. Whether or not he could have saved Robb, he didn't know. But he never wanted to feel the guilt and regret of not leaving again.
First thing's first, he thought and steadied himself, gathering his thoughts. I have to help Tormund and the free folk. Then... Well, I'll come up with it as I go.
A/N Hey everyone! Figured I'd post this shorter chapter now and then maybe later today after a graduation party I'll post the next one, if not tom. It was a short one because I originally had the end of the last chapter in here too, and I didn't want to keep pushing the ends back to match Chapter length. A lot of Jon Snow in this chapter... I like Jon Snow... FUCK! Okay, I got it out of my system, but I did have to change a few things in a later chapter to match the unexpected end to this season. Thanks for the reviews and to everyone who reads this story!
GR chapter 7 . Jun 18
Eh, Ussop lost 2 fingers?!
and the beam was/is yellow not blue, look at the anime
2 FINGERS!? I watched the scene in the anime before I wrote it and again just now. There's a white beam with blue on the outside, unless that's just glare or something, but it def looks blue to me.
Erin chapter 7 . Jun 18
Another awesome chapter, and while seeing how the Cree just blasted away the Nights king and white walkers was surprising and made me go wtf I just ended up laughing. Oh luffy meeting Danny is exciting.
I realized it when I was writing that no Saobody meant the Gaon Hou hadn't been revealed yet, and it felt like this was the best time to use it XD. Wonder how I'm going to get the Straw Hats over to Khaleesi's new Khalasar, if that's what the end of her last scene this season meant. Thanks!
Guest chapter 7 . Jun 18
The problem is not Nami and Ussop run from scary enemy. They especially Nami WILL not turn their back on their comrades ( I didn't say Ussop cuz of that whole think in DR). You had Nami just sitting there looking scared and doing nothing while people are dying in front of her, that is not her as of EL and that can be argued as of Skupiea. You had her get on mini Merry and apologies for the comrades she left behind, that is not her. She run, she cries and she will not purposely go to danger but she will not run from danger if it mean abandoning her friends which you had her do.
You got a crush on Nami? Jk XD. You're saying a lot of definites about her, but Skypiea was one arc behind EL, it's not really that long ago. And you say abandoning her friends like she wouldn't expect the boys to make it out of there, though she was mainly just scared. Nami isn't usually thinking of ways to go and save Zoro and Luffy, maybe Usopp but still a long shot. Everyone was running from the white walkers, thousands of battle-trained, experienced fighters, wildling warriors, all running away. Karsi just told her what these things were, then she watched her new friend get eaten, yeah, I think she'd run too. Still, my opinion, maybe Oda wouldn't have had her run, but Idk.
Mazzaxchapter 7 . 9h ago
I wanted to scream at Nami for reacting the way she did, but I suppose I can't really blame her for freezing up like that. As for how Valyrian steel is able to hurt the white walkers, I would propose the possibility of it originally being forged with Seastone mixed into the metal. The magic that is supposedly extinct now could have been people having eaten Devil Fruits, and traits like Daenerys's invulnerability to fire could have been the result of someone eating a Devil Fruit while pregnant, resulting in the unborn child receiving some of the Devil Fruit's power as a genetic trait which they continued to pass down (in that case probably either the Flame Flame Fruit, or a Dragon-Model Zoan Fruit).
Loved this review! The amount of ideas you just threw at me, fucking fantastic. The Dragon-Model Devil Fruit is my favorite and that's going to be fun, and the seastone in the Valyrian steel could be cool, I think to have the characters figure it out, Luffy would have to touch Jon's sword or something and that also gives a big weakness to the otherwise unstoppable crew.
thunder18 chapter 7 . Jun 18
Great chapter Update soon
Thanks! I'll keep updating fast as long as I have chapters in reserve to post.
Vasto-Lorde26 chapter 7 . Jun 18
Ha-ha god I fucking love this story! I can't wait until Luffy starts kicking ass down in the south.
Me either! Thanks for the review, I've been writing this for a while now and I'm finally getting into some battle shit, what happens before then... you'll have to wait till next chapter to find out!
Bobboky chapter 7 . Jun 18
very nice work
Thank you!
Master of Dragons God chapter 7 . Jun 18
Nice chapter
Thanks! And thanks again to everyone who left a review!