Chapter 47

He could feel the earth on his feet, the air was cold and fresh, he could detect so many smells, his hearing was so acute. Somehow he knew he was dreaming, but it was so real. He felt free, running through the trees, aware of every sound and scent. He knew where he was once he looked upon the ancient Weirwood. He had said his vows to the Nightwatch here.

His view was different now, lower, he then realized that this wasn't his body, he looked down at the ground, Ghost's paws. I'm Ghost? Somehow this felt natural, his immediate anxiety began to ease as he felt the wind blowing through his fur. He heard the wind in the leaves and some deep part of his being heard a faint, familiar voice. He walked to the tree, the face of The Watcher gazed down at him. He felt such peace and comfort. The mouth of the face was gaping, so large, he could easily walk into it. He allowed himself to drift in the serenity of The Old Gods. Curling up within the shelter of the tree, he drifted into another dream, inside this one.

His dreams were of the past and future. Of things he had no memory. A beautiful dark haired woman with grey eyes, so like his own. A man, strong, tall, handsome. Long silver hair, knowing, lilac eyes. So much wisdom was seen in them. He felt like an intruder watching them, they seemed so in love. He watched as the man placed a strong hand, lovingly, on the woman stomach, a baby. He felt a happiness he couldn't ever remember feeling. The dream changed, scenes flew by so fast he could barely follow them, a battle on water, the man dying, he felt his sense of failure and loss, such sadness then acceptance.

He barely had a chance to take a breath when he saw the woman on a bed, blood all around her and he wanted to cry as she died. There was a dark haired man kneeling bedside her, crying. The man seemed familiar somehow, but he couldn't know him, he didn't know these people. The man stood and turned, it's his Father! He's holding a bundle...it's a baby! Somehow, he knew it was him! He called out to him but he didn't hear him.

He didn't have time to think as memories flashed by, his childhood, youth, adolescence. He then saw his Father, he witnessed what Sansa had to watch, his Father's beheading. He saw the death and destruction at Winterfell, the murders at the Red Wedding.

He couldn't wake up, he couldn't stop it! He then heard a familiar voice, little Bran! He saw Bran, Rickon, Hodor, a wildling woman and two young people he was not familiar with, he saw Summer and Shaggydog as they left Winterfell. They're alive! He heard Bran again, "Yes, Jon. We're alive. So is Sansa and Arya."

Jon was so overcome with relief and joy, the dream didn't stop though. He felt himself flying, water everywhere, it was dizzying, then he was in a city he has never been to. Sand, heat, so strange and foreign. He was drawn to a young woman, she was so familiar but he didn't know her, did he? She was beautiful, small seemingly fragile but he saw in her eyes, a strength that belied her age. He felt her fears and doubts but he also felt love, compassion and determination. He felt an overpowering need to protect her.

She reminded him of the man he saw earlier. Silver hair, lilac eyes. Haunted and knowing. She was staring out across the sea as if she was waiting for someone, something. She turned and it was as if they are looking into one another's souls. A small smile played across her full lips as they both turned and watched images pass, some fast, until they were watching as they saw a young man, golden and glorious being Knighted by a regal silver haired man. The same one he had seen earlier. They watched as he was sent away, clearly confused and disappointed, to watch over a young woman and child. They watched as he stood guard outside a door, anger and hatred clearly etched on his face, as they heard a woman clearly being raped, and mad laughter sounding in response to her screams of pain.

They watch as The Commander of the King's Guard looked away from the young man after he has begged him to let him help her, "We're supposed to protect her!" They hear the reply," Yes, but not from him." Jon can feel the horror and disbelief the Golden Knight was feeling at this realization.

The dream changed again, and he saw an older, beaten version of this Golden Knight, talking with a woman, in a bath house, he listened to their conversation as if he was there," Aerys would have bathed in wildfire if he'd dared. The Targaryen's were all mad for fire. After the Battle of the Bells, Aerys realized that Robert Baratheon was no mere outlaw, and that the Targaryen's faced their greatest threat since the Blackfyre Pretenders. He began to disperse his King's Guard to take command of the army, he recalled Rhaegar from the South, and sent letters to Casterly Rock. But my Father never responded. As the Targaryen's were losing the war, Aerys commanded his pyromancers Rossart, Garigus and Belis to place caches of wildfire all over King's Landing: under the Great Sept of Baelor, under the slums of Flea Bottom, under houses, stables, taverns, and even under the Red Keep itself. Lord Chelsted, the current Hand, found out what was going on and tried to stop Aerys from continuing along his mad course, but Aerys had him killed and named the pyromancer Rossart, the man who had burned Rickard Stark alive, his Hand. After Robert's victory at the Trident he marched on the capital city, but my Father arrived there first, leading the entire Lannister army, and promising to defend the city. I warned Aerys that my Father was never a man to choose the losing side, that this must be a trick and he should surrender the city while he still could, but the Mad King refused to listen. Nor did Aerys listen to Varys when he gave the same warning that Tywin couldn't be trusted - but he did listen to Grand Maester Pycelle, who convinced Aerys the Lannisters were there to help. Aerys opened the city gates, and the Lannister's proceeded to sack the city. I again begged Aerys to surrender, but the Mad King ordered me to bring him Tywin's head, and his pyromancer (Wisdom Rossart) to set the city ablaze with the hidden wildfire, burning its five hundred thousand inhabitants to death, rather than lose the the city to the rebels. "Burn them all," Aerys said, "Burn them in their homes. Burn them in their beds." The Golden Man was so earnest, so broken, clearly trying to make the woman know that was his breaking point and asked her what she would do if her precious Renly had commanded her to kill her own father and then stand by and do nothing as he murdered thousands of innocent people; the woman only sat in shocked silence. The man went on to say that he killed the pyromancer first, then drove his sword into Aerys' back as the Mad King tried to run for his life. Even as he was dying, the Mad King kept raving "Burn them all...Burn them all..." Seemingly shaken at the memory, the Golden Man speculated that King Aerys didn't believe he would die in the blaze; in his lunacy, the Mad King believed he would be reborn as a dragon in the fire, granting him the power to burn his enemies to ashes...so he finished Aerys off by slitting his throat in order to make sure he died, concluding that Eddard Stark found him at that point.