Jon Snow had asked Robb for some time alone after their return, and instead of taking that time to be alone, Jon ventured to Maester Aemon's chambers. What Robb had revealed to Jon the other night had left Jon consumed with so many different thoughts that he did not know how to process.
One thought that had popped into his head was the realization that Aemon Targaryen was his relative…and could offer wise insight into Jon's predicament.
He had been worried about disturbing the Maester, but was relieved when the door opened shortly after his knock.
"Jon Snow?" Aemon asked curiously, his soft voice still commanding such authority despite his age.
"Maester Aemon. I'm sorry to disturb you, I wished-…I just wanted to talk to you about something I learned." Aemon tilted his head, before nodding and stepping aside to allow Jon into his chambers.
"Speak your mind, Jon Snow. Is this about your parley today?"
"Yes. No… Its about a few things…" Jon sighed, taking the seat that Maester Aemon gestured to as he hobbled to sit across from Jon.
"Don't be so vague, boy. What is it?" Aemon coaxed from the young man.
"I learned who my father is, and its…its not Ned Stark. I am…I am the bastard son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, born when he kidnapped my mother and took her to the Tower of Joy." Jon declared heavily, avoiding Aemon's gaze as he stared the floor.
"My fath-…my uncle, Ned Stark took me in as his own to protect me. I-…I know this is hard to believe, but…I feel like I always knew something was different, and I think you knew as well. King Robb brought this news to me from Lord Howland Reed, the only living man who went to the Tower of Joy when my mother died." Jon's explanation was slow, he stopped constantly to flick his eyes up at Aemon who remained expressionless.
"The Prince of Ice and Fire…" Aemon said with a touch of woe in his soft, wise voice.
"Maester?"
"I did know, I knew… There was a Targaryen spark in you, I could not tell why. But now it does make sense…" Aemon sighed, shaking his robes off his wrists before looking back to Jon with his near-blind gaze.
"The horror that was wrought on Westeros because of this prophecy, on my House because your father believed that a Stark was the key. Rhaegar…Rhaegar had the madness in his own way…and his madness led to much chaos. I do not blame you, Jon Snow. I feel sorry for you, for you should have been a Royal Prince, not downtrodden as a bastard."
"Maester, it matters not now. What does matter is Daenerys, my aunt. She languishes in chains in Qarth, and the only way to stop the Walkers…is by dragonfire."
"And dragonglass, Jon Snow. Samwell destroyed one with an obsidian blade."
"I know, but where are we to find more dragonglass?" Jon asked hopelessly
"Dragonstone, which I believe is now under King Robb's control. There is an infinite amount of dragonglass on Dragonstone that can be mined and turned into weapons. The King should order that to happen at once." Aemon advised, sitting back in his chair to be closer to his fire.
"I will speak to Robb, but what of Daenerys. I am told that I must venture east with Robb and a force of his men to free her from her chains and return her to Westeros, and together the three of us are supposed to defeat the Others when they finally march on us." Jon said, causing Aemon to sigh and clasp his hands atop his chest thoughtfully.
"Who told you this?" Aemon asked curiously
"Robb, who was told by Jojen Reed. The boy claims to be a greenseer and has seen many things that have come to pass. Robb is not the kind of man to believe in magic and myth, but if he says this is true, I believe him."
"How will you venture to Essos, Jon Snow? When you know full well your oaths to the Night's Watch keeps you here."
"My oaths have kept me in an ice cell." Jon said impatiently rising from his chair to pace the room.
"You broke your sacred vow-." Aemon began with a tired sigh.
"Have they not? Have they not ridden to the Mole's Town brothel? I loved her…and I still rode back to warn the Watch of the danger we faced. I have sacrificed much for the Watch, to prove to them that my loyalty is true and all I have earned is hatred…I needed to come here to learn of the Wall, but…but I truly believe my destiny is now by Robb's side. I cannot deny this feeling anymore than I can deny my love for Ygritte, Maester."
"Well. Aren't you lucky your brother won the war and is now the only King in Westeros. His word means much for the Watch…if you must leave, then leave, Jon Snow. But if you go to Daenerys then there is much you and I are going to discuss about dragons and our family lineage that your poor aunt must know." Aemon said, leaning forward to whisper at Jon.
"MADNESS!" screamed Ser Alliser Thorne
"TREASON, I SAY! TREASON!" Janos Slynt screamed from beside him.
"The Night's Watch will never ally with the wildlings!" First Builder Yarwyck called out as well. Robb sighed, bowing his head as he stood at the high table facing the senior command of the Night's Watch who had been called in with all haste to hear Robb's proposal.
"You are the man who slaughtered my father's men while they believed you to be their ally, you would know treason well, Janos Slynt." Robb said through gritted teeth, causing Janos to dart his eyes around as his black brothers turned to look at him.
"But this is not treason. This is logic. The Others march on us! The Wildlings are no longer our enemy. The Night's Watch will be maybe a thousand strong once I have sent my prisoners of war to the Wall, but that will still not be enough in case you face any early raids from the Walkers while I am away and my army returns home to gather the last harvest. The Wildlings only want protection. They will be allies that the Night's Watch desperately needs when the Long Night comes for us all." Robb declared to murmured across the black brothers.
"This debate is getting us nowhere…" Maester Aemon rose from his seat with the assistance of Samwell Tarly, his words silencing the room quickly.
"There is only one course of action here, we must now have the election for the next Lord Commander, for only he can make this decision." Aemon declared.
"An election? Now?" Alliser Thorne called "Have you lost your wits, old man?"
"Watch your tongue, Thorne!" Donal Noye's gruff words caused the old knight to blush scarlet.
"The senior command of the Night's Watch is gathered here today. An election now will avoid more arguments beneath our roof. A decision must be made. Tarly, bring the tokens and prepare to count." Aemon ordered as Robb stepped off the platform that the high table was stationed upon. Aemon took the Lord Commander's seat to officiate the vote.
Robb took a seat at the back of the hall with Ser Garlan Tyrell and the Blackfish to watch the proceedings. Jon soon came to join him, shrugging off his black cloak in a symbolic gesture to Robb that he was going to accept his brother's offer. Soon all the remaining black brothers of Castle Black had filtered into the dining hall as Sam returned with the tokens and counters for the vote.
Maester Aemon cleared his throat somewhat comically as he rose from his seat and gained the attention of all the hall.
"Does anyone wish to speak for candidates, before we cast our tokens for the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch?" Maester Aemon asked slowly, causing Janos Slynt to rise from his chair.
"Ser Alliser Thorne is not just a knight, he is a man of true nobility. He has been Acting Commander for the last six months, and has been actively organizing our defense against the wildlings. He's a veteran of a hundred battles, and has been a watcher on the Wall almost all of his life. He's the only true choice." Lord Janos said, looking reverently at the older knight, causing Robb and Jon to look at each with similar features of disgust as Ser Alliser's supporters cheered.
"Ser Denys Mallister joined the Watch as a boy, and has served loyally, longer than any other ranger." Said a man who stood up from the Shadow Tower.
"Through ten winters he's served, as Commander of the Shadow Tower, he has kept wildlings, bandits, slavers and reavers away. We can do no better." The man said proudly, before sitting back beside Ser Denys as his own supporters applauded.
"If there is no one else…we will begin the voting…"
"Maester Aemon…I have another candidate." Samwell Tarly called out, causing every eye in the room to turn to him.
"Samwell Tarly, go on." Aemon encouraged with a hint of a smile.
"Sam the Slayer." Janos Slynt called out mockingly "Another wildling lover just like his friend Jon Snow. How's your lady love, slayer?" Slynt asked to a few mocking laughs from around the room. Samwell however smirked at Slynt in return.
"Her name is Gilly. Brother Slynt knows her quite well. They cowered together in the larder when the wildlings arrived." Sam said, causing the room at large to laugh loudly at Janos's expense.
"Lies!" Janos screamed, hunching in his seat slightly as the brothers laughed at him.
"A wildling girl, a baby and Lord Janos." Sam chuckled, glaring hate at Janos Slynt as he smiled "I found him there after the Battle with the Thenns was over, in a puddle of his own making." These words from Samwell caused the entire room except for Janos Slynt to burst out laughing, including Robb and Jon who held onto each other for dear life.
"Whilst Lord Janos was hiding with the women and children, Donal Noye was leading. He was leading our men against their fears as he has always done, he was guiding the brothers through the darkness as only he is capable of." Samwell Tarly called out, to widespread cheers from the black brothers. Donal was well-loved across the Wall for his fierce reputation, his excellent skills at the forge, and his military skill and strategy despite having only one arm.
Donal himself looked mortified at the nomination.
"He has served the Night's Watch for nineteen years now. In that time he has earned the loyalty and respect of every single brother. He has trained and forged weapons for half of us here, and no man can deny that Donal's counsel is second only to that of Maester Aemon. A good man, a great leader. He is the Commander we need when the night is darkest." Samwell Tarly declared to loud applause as Donal gruffly muttered curses under his breath.
"Very well. The triangular tokens count for Ser Allister Thorne, the circular tokens for Ser Denys Mallister and the square tokens for Donal Noye. It is time to vote. Every brother is granted one vote each."
The brothers got up one by one to pick a token from the three bowls on offer and drop it into the large jug before Maester Aemon. What may have been only twenty minutes passed, but to everyone in the room it felt like hours, until finally Maester Aemon cracked the jug open and began placing the tokens on their counters. The count did not even take ten minutes, for it became clear after a short while that Donal Noye had won the command by overwhelming numbers. The room cheered, save for Alliser Thorne and Janos Slynt as Noye rose from his seat to raise his only hand in thanks.
"DO-NAL! DO-NAL! DO-NAL!" They chanted as Donal Noye took a shaky breath and looked over to Robb Stark and Jon Snow who grinned at him.
"I agree with the King. It is time for peace. The Night's Watch will enforce justice on the wildlings as agreed by the treaty we will sign. Maester Aemon, Ser Denys and Cotter Pyke will join me in signing the treaty on behalf of the Night's Watch. Tonight we celebrate!" Donal declared, his first few words causing great distress in the hall until the men cheered once more.
"Congratulations, Lord Commander." Jon smiled to Donal later that night as he and Robb sat before Donal in the Lord Commander's chambers.
"Damn that Samwell Tarly. This is a burden for a two-armed man." Donal said gruffly, having already donned the great cloak of the Lord Commander, Donal looked very much ready for the role.
"You can do more with that hand than half the country can with two." Robb said, earning a bemused smile from Donal Noye.
"You realize agreeing with you has painted a target on my back." Donal sighed, tapping his fingers on the desk.
"I know, which is why you and I must work together quickly to sign the treat and ensure Mance enforces our terms with his people." Robb said, adjusting himself in his seat.
"But that is not why I come to you today. Alliser Thorne and Janos Slynt still call for Jon's head. He has done nothing wrong, you know that. But if he is found guilty in his trial, after all that he has done, I will not allow him to face the block. He came here willingly, Donal. He will leave willingly as well, under royal order."
"The Night's Watch-."
"Do not say the Night's Watch are beyond royal order, because my latest royal order was to send hundreds of men, supplies, and gold to the Watch when I am back in King's Landing. Jon Snow has risked his life for the Watch time and again, and they have no love for him for it. They call him bastard, they call him traitor. No longer. This…" Robb pulled a scroll out from his doublet "…is a royal edict requesting that, due to the precarious position my House's line of succession is left in following the War of the Five Kings, as well as needing him to accompany me across the Narrow Sea to fetch Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow be released from his vows to the Night's Watch and restored as a citizen of the crown. He is not a criminal, he is not a thief, a murderer or a rapist. He came here for honor, he has acted honorably, and has received nothing but hate for it. He will be discharged from his vows. My brother will be leaving with me, Lord Commander Donal." Robb declared, causing the one-armed smith turned lord to sigh and bow his head. Robb Stark was King now, and with the promise of more men, supplies and gold, as well as Robb's support during the Long Night, Donal had no choice but to accept his request.
After all…what was the service of one bastard boy in exchange for the safety of Seven Kingdoms?
"Very well. Jon Snow. For the lack of trust the brothers of the Night's Watch and have in you, despite your best efforts, and because the King has personally requested you. I relieve you from your duty as Man of the Night's Watch. I revoke your oaths, and restore you as a citizen under the domain of the crown. Should you ever commit another crime, Castle Black will never be open to you again, for now your watch has ended."