As Ygritte's pregnancy advanced, both of the lovers grew more anxious.
Jon worried about his beloved and his baby. There was no maester near their home to help Ygritte through labor. Since they were in hiding, they knew they couldn't go out looking for help either.
Jon didn't know anything about birthing. Catelyn had been the only woman he knew to have children, and he had never been anywhere near her during her labors.
Ygritte had witnessed many births north of The Wall. In recent weeks, she had begun teaching Jon all of the aspects of the birth. His help was vital for her survival.
At first, Jon didn't enjoy the conversations. They made him blush and feel uneasy.
After a few weeks, Jon's knowledge expanded until he knew as much as Ygritte. He was glad he had the capability to be able help his love when she needed him.
Birthing was not something men were supposed to attend, but Jon knew he would never leave her side. He understood that she needed his encouragement throughout the process.
Ygritte's due date was still a few months away, but the young couple had already grown comfortable in their new home.
Jon spent his mornings making repairs to the various broken things on their property. He repaired the fence, rebuilt the stable roof, and fixed the wagon and wheelbarrow wheels.
Ygritte spent her mornings hunting. The sight of Ygritte's growing belly protruding from her furs while she carried a bow always made Jon smile.
His woman was a true wilding woman. She returned by mid afternoon each day with a fresh kill for them to eat at dinner. Although it was usually rabbit, sometimes they feasted on birds or other small mammals.
In the late afternoon, after Ygritte returned, they would work in their garden together. Coaxing the little sprouts from the dirt had been hard work are first, but now their garden had plenty of fresh berries and roots for them to enjoy.
Each evening was spent in their kitchen as the winter winds blew outside. Jon loved Ygritte's cooking. He usually stuffed himself with two plates of food, but Ygritte would easily scarf up three.
Each night was spent together in their bed, passionately loving each other. As Ygritte's body changed, so did their positions.
Jon always made sure she knew she was beautiful and that he loved her. He frequently rubbed Ygritte's back or feet or wherever her body pained her. The massage would eventually lead to arousal, and they would make love all over again.
When they had both climaxed, they would cuddle together and sleep in each other's arms.
Her belly continued to swell as weeks passed.
One day, as Jon was harvesting roots from the garden, he heard a panicked voice call his name from the kitchen. Fear coursed through his veins.
"It's too soon," he thought. "No, no, no, the baby can't be here yet."
He sprinted through the cold wind that whipped his furs around him.
Once at the threshold, he found Ygritte, leaning up against the counter for support with one hand firmly clutching her belly.
"Ygritte!" Jon called as he rushed to her side. "Ygritte, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"
Ygritte smiled. "No, my love, I'm fine. It's the baby- it's kicking me!"
Jon breathed a sigh of relief as a smile spread on his face.
He quickly pulled off his gloves and placed his hands on her rounded abdomen.
Ygritte guided his hand over to a contain spot, where Jon suddenly felt a push into his palm from her inside.
He gasped at the feeling, and then another push pressed into his hand. He couldn't help smiling.
Ygritte grinned, proud of the joy she was bringing to him.
Jon straightened and pressed his lips to Ygritte's, unable to stop smiling through the kiss. Ygritte kissed him back and slid her tongue into his mouth.
The winter winds howled outside their little home, but they didn't feel the cold.
Ygritte frantically began to untie Jon's furs, wanting to feel his secure body pressed against her.
Jon began to untie her furs as well, hastily pulling the layers off her beautiful body. He felt Ygritte lower him to the kitchen floor, her straddling him as he lay on his back.
Ygritte's baby bump didn't allow her to bend and kiss his lips, so instead she started grinding her naked self into Jon.
His skin felt warm against her pink, and soon she felt Jon's legnth harden beneath her.
Hungrily, she guided him into her, not having the patience to wait anymore.
Jon gasped as he felt her smooth, wet walls slide down around him. Even though they had just made love yesterday, he was still surprised at how good she felt.
Ygritte had never ridden him before, so Jon clasped his hands around her beautiful, curved hips and began to guide her over him, back and forth.
She was quite a sight to him. Her body had become voluptuous and curved all over, from her breasts to her belly to her rear. Just the look of her body made him feel close to orgasm already.
Ygritte, now getting ahold of how to ride him, rested her hands on his chest for leverage and pushed her hips onto him, moaning from the pleasure.
Jon slid his hands to the back of her thighs and pulled her into him, never wanting her to leave.
Ygritte's body began to glisten from her work, and Jon ran his hands over her smooth porcelain skin. He loved every inch of her.
His heart raced as his breaths quickened. Ygritte's moans told him she was close, too.
Without thinking, Jon slid a hand to her wetness and began massaging her sweet spot. Her thrusting slowed as she pressed into his fingers.
"Oh! Oh! OOOH!" Ygritte shrilly cried as she reached her climax. Jon felt her juices running down his length as her walls contracted repeatedly, hard and fast.
Jon's face muscles contracted and his head pulled back as he felt the waves of pleasure. He cried just as loud as she did as he thrusted himself up into her and his seed pulsed into her body. He gasped for air as his orgasm swept over him, warming and relaxing his muscles.
For a moment, Jon and Ygritte stayed there, on the kitchen floor, with Ygritte's legs spread across Jon's hips. Their bodies heaved in gulps of air as they tried to catch their breath.
Ygritte raised her hips so Jon's length slid out of her. She laid on the floor next to him, wrapping her arms around his chest.
Jon turned his head and gave her a tired smile. She lightly kissed his lips as he stroked her hair.
The sun had set outside, leaving them with just the faint starlight from outside.
Ygritte was now too heavy and bulky for Jon to carry, so Jon helped her to her feet and held her hands as he guided them to their bedroom.
They slept blissfully in each other's arms.
The following morning, Jon rose from bed first, as he always did these days. Ygritte had grown tired and clumsy during her pregnancy, so she used her hunting time to get more sleep.
Jon put on some fresh furs and went to go check the traps he had laid around their home. Ygritte's inability to hunt had caused them to use other methods to trap their food.
With two fresh rabbits in hand, Jon returned to the house, anxious to kiss his love good morning.
Ygritte's time drew near. Jon refused to let her leave the house without him, knowing it was too dangerous for her and the baby.
She often teased him about being so careful, but didn't object when he insisted on walking with her outside. Her belly had grown very big, and she couldn't see where she stepped anymore. Jon's guidance was greatly appreciated.
At night, after their lovemaking, Jon would cuddle close to Ygritte, trying to keep her warm. The freezing temperatures outside were beginning to creep through their little house. They often fell asleep to each other's warmth.
One night, not long after they fell sleep, Jon felt Ygritte sit straight up next to him.
Hardly awake, Jon turned to her, unable to make out her face in the darkness. "Are you alright?" He mumbled dreamily.
"Yes, love. Go back to bed," Ygritte responded. She waited for Jon's breathing to slow as he fell back asleep.
Then she silently slid to the edge of the bed and went to sit in the front room.
She had woken with a sharp pain in her belly; she knew she was going into labor.
She wanted Jon to be fully alert during the coming day, for he would be needing just as much focus as her.
As soon as she lowered herself into one of the great chairs, another contraction seized her.
Her hands tightened on the armrests and she slowly breathed through the pain.
Jon woke the following morning alone in the bed. He hastily rose and went to find Ygritte.
Once in the front room, he saw just the top of Ygritte's fiery red hair over one of the chairs facing away from him.
"Good morning, love," he called to her. "You're up early this morning."
"I have good reason to be," she responded.
Jon walked over to his beloved.
First, he noticed a determined look in her eyes, similar to the one she had when she was hunting. Her face, however, was bright with excitement. Her skin was lightly glistening from sweat, and her cheeks were red from effort.
"You're in labor?" Jon asked, feeling a little guilty that he wasn't around earlier to help her.
Ygritte smiled and nodded, obviously proud.
Jon was about to hug her when her eyes squeezed shut and her hands flew to her bump.
Jon watched as she handled the contraction; she breathed deeply and evenly, focusing on the task at hand. Jon wished there was some way he could help.
Ygritte's face turned almost as red as her hair, but then her face muscles relaxed and her skin returned to it's normal shade.
Jon kissed her damp forehead, incredibly proud of the work she had done so far. He went out to the well to fetch her some water.
He had almost returned to the house when her heard a large splattering sound from the front room.
"Jon!" Ygritte cried.
Jon returned to the front room to find Ygritte standing in wet furs and with a puddle beneath her.
"My waters broke!" She exclaimed.
"Don't worry about it, love. I can clean it up later." He handed her the cup of water and began to kiss her. "Wait here, I'm going to bring you something," he said, before he disappeared up the staircase.
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," Ygritte called after him.
Jon soon returned, carrying a beautiful baby cradle down the stairs. "I found this in one of the closets upstairs," he said, "so I put a little work into it and made it functional again."
The cradle was made of a dark wood, and rocked slightly when you pushed it.
"It's beautiful, Jon!" Ygritte exclaimed.
Jon reached out to embrace her.
Ygritte gasped as another pain hit her. She leaned on Jon for support and squeezed his hands. She rested her head on his chest and focused on slowing her breathing.
A small gasp escaped her lips as the strength of the contraction surprised her.
As her body relaxed, Jon asked, "Can I get you anything?"
"I think I should get into bed. Can you help me take some furs off?"
Jon steadily walked her into their room and gently eased off her soaked pants. He also changed her top into a lighter tunic in order to let her cool off.
As Ygritte progressed, Jon never left her side. He held her hand and rubbed her back and wiped the sweat from her face.
She was a strong wildling woman; she never uttered a cry or a scream, but she didn't have to. Jon saw her facial expressions with every contraction, and understood she was in a great amount of pain.
All he could do was kiss her hand and stroke her damp hair from her face.