Chapter 3

Davos I

Davos had slept like the dead. Considering he'd been awake for two days it wasn't that much of a surprise. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times trying to make them focus before they were ready. The light coming through the small glass window seemed grey but then it was Castle Black in winter, the light was always grey and you had to rely on your stomach to tell you what time of day it was. Davos didn't feel very hungry so assumed it was early. His first thought was of Jon; the lad had been in a terrible way the night before and he considered checking on him but wanted to find Edd, Tormund, and Melisandre first.

Davos found himself thinking about her and how their relationship had changed. She'd always had an unshakeable belief in her visions and when Stannis died, her air of invincibility disintegrated. In a way it was a relief but it also disturbed him and whilst he had no interest in the Gods of this or that Davos had to hand it to her, she'd certainly exceeded expectations by bringing Jon back. He'd have to put a stop to all this 'prince that was promised' bollocks though, that's not what Jon needed.

His musings were interrupted by his body pointing out that it was freezing bloody cold so Davos dragged himself out of bed, splashed his face with icy water, straightened his clothing and despite realising he probably smelt like a small farmyard, left the room and headed down the slippery wooden steps to seek his companions. He decided to start with the mess hall and by happy coincidence, Ed and Tormund were there. He gave them a nod of greeting before helping himself to a small plate of cheese and black bread, and a horn of ale.

"Morning lads" he said in greeting as he settled himself on the bench beside Tormund.

"What are you so bloody cheerful about?" asked Edd.

"What are you so bloody miserable about," Davos replied "he's alive isn't he?" Tormund smiled into his ale in amusement.

"Have either of you seen Lady Melisandre?" Davos said looking around the room.

"No, why?" Edd asked.

"Because I don't want her bothering Jon with all the Lord of Light crap" Davos said in a conspiratorial whisper.

"Are you his mother?" Tormund enquired. Edd chuckled. "Jon can look after himself. He's lived among the free folk, fought the living dead and killed a white walker so I'm sure he can handle the red woman".

"How was he last night?" Edd asked.

"He wasn't the best" Davos replied, not wanting to go into details.

"I still can't believe he's left the Watch," Edd exclaimed "he's our leader, we need him."

"Give it a little time lad, he's just come back from the dead. That's not a thing a man expects to have to deal with" Davos said. He found himself thinking he might take Jon some food but stopped because Tormund was right, he wasn't his bloody mother, Jon would make an appearance when he was ready.

"He can stay at Castle Black as long as he wants and I've already said as much," Edd stated "but we can't guard him day and night. There are still people here that want him dead."

"He can stay with us," Tormund offered "he saved a lot of lives at Hardhome and the free folk won't forget that, he'll be safe."

"Or is it just that you want to keep me all to yourself Tormund?" a familiar voice said over his shoulder.

"Your breasts aren't big enough for my liking" Tormund shot back trying not to smirk as he stood and pulled Jon into a friendly hug and slapped him on the back before sitting back down and taking a huge mouthful of cheese.

"He's definitely not right," said Edd looking straight at Jon "that's two jokes in less than a day and they were both funny." Jon smiled and gave Ser Davos a nod of acknowledgment as he walked over to get some food. A hush fell over the mess hall and the three men discreetly placed their hands on the hilts of their swords. Jon returned safely and sat opposite Sir Davos, next to Edd. It didn't escape any of their attention that Jon was no longer in black.

"Have you seen Lady Melisandre this morning?" Davos asked Jon. Tormund rolled his eyes theatrically.

"No, should I have?"

"Not really, just wondered." Jon didn't say anything in response and went about eating his breakfast. A slightly uncomfortable silence followed made worse by the sound of Tormund's loud munching, then Edd spoke.

"So how are you feeling, you know, the wounds and everything?"

"They hurt," a typical Jon response "and I'm not sure if they're going to heal well. I've six holes in me including one through the heart and I was dead so…." Jon trailed off and despite passing it off with a shrug, Davos could hear the anger simmering underneath.

"Perhaps Lady Melisandre might be able to help," Davos suggested "I've seen her do things you wouldn't believe, including bringing you back." Jon nodded his head in agreement. Davos didn't really want to involve her but helping Jon was more important than his concerns about her religious beliefs.

"I'll bring her to your quarters after we finish eating then."

"They're not my quarters anymore" Jon said matter-of-factly.

"We haven't had a vote yet so they're yours until then" Edd said with conviction.

"Jokes aside, you're welcome to come live with us" said Tormund.

"and I appreciate it but I've decided to head south". Tormund stopped eating mid-chew.

"But you can't," said Edd alarmed "what about the white walkers and the army of the dead marching on the Wall?"

"That's for the new Lord Commander to deal with" Jon said calmly.

"Where will you go?" Davos asked, trying to keep his composure.

"My family are all dead, I've lived in the North all my life but the Bolton's are liege lords now so I can't stay and anyway, I'm tired of the cold" he said with a small smile. "I want to see more of Westeros, perhaps I'll go to High Garden or Dorne".

"Dorne" Tormund said incredulously.

"I know you'll miss me terribly Tormund but I promise to come and say goodbye before I go." Tormund nearly dropped his ale.

"That's three, this one's not funny though" Edd said getting angry. Davos knew he needed to take the heat out of the situation. Jon had finished eating which presented a small opportunity.

"Have you finished packing?" Davos asked Jon.

"Not quite."

"Why don't you do that and by the time you've finished I'll be there with Lady Melisandre."

"Sounds like a plan," Jon said as he stood slowly "I'll see you all later." They sat in silence and watched him walk out of the mess. Edd looked at Davos.

"Have you finished packing!" Ed repeated back to Davos, exasperated.

Tormund sighed heavily. "I thought he would be the one to lead us through the long night. I must have been wrong" he said, demoralised.

"Listen the pair of you," Davos said "it's not over yet and getting angry with him is only going to push him in the wrong direction."

"He's packing!" said Edd raising his voice. "What am I supposed to do about the leadership of the Night's Watch?"

"Organise the vote for two days' time," said Davos quietly "it will settle the men and buy us some time. It will also show Jon that the Watch is moving on and it might give him the jolt he needs."

"And it might do the opposite" Edd protested.

"We don't really have a choice," Davos whispered in reply "and Tormund, you should stay, Jon has a lot of respect for you but it might ease tensions if your men go back. I'll test the ground with Jon when I take Lady Melisandre to him".

Tormund nodded despondently and left. Edd got up a moment later and hesitated. Davos could tell he wanted to throw something, quite possibly a punch, but he controlled himself, and walked out of the mess slamming the door behind him. Davos took a deep breath and followed him out heading for Melisandre's room.

It was clear to Davos that Jon wasn't thinking straight. He'd seen leaders make some awful decisions over the years, usually based on greed, the desire for power, impatience or fear. He hadn't seen Jon display any of these before, something Davos considered quite rare, but this was surely fear talking. One of the first things Jon had said when he came back was that he'd failed, yes, he was having a crisis of confidence alright and it was going to take time and the right approach to fix it.

Davos took the steps to Melisandre's room two at a time and knocked boisterously. She opened the door looking tired and like she'd just got out of bed.

"Did I wake you?" Davos asked as he walked in.

"How is he?"

"Quite calm, some anger, he's decided he's leaving and going south, he's packing."

"What?" she said looking confused and slightly panicked. "He can't."

"I know, but that's where he's at. It's not over yet" he tried to reassure her. She clearly felt the same as the rest of them. "He's in pain from the wounds, can you do anything, perhaps delay him for a day?"

She thought for a moment, "I'll try".

"I'm going to head over to his room now, give me a little time to talk to him," he turned to leave then hesitated "listen, I know you believe this is all part of a prophecy but I'd greatly appreciate it if you didn't bring it up with him again, it's not the time."

"Then when is the time?"

"I don't know but I know it's not now." She paused and stared into his eyes which made him feel uncomfortable, finally she nodded.

Davos breathed a sigh of relief and headed quickly to Jon's room. He stopped at the door and was about to knock but found himself closing his eyes. He didn't believe in the Gods, he'd never prayed to any of them yet but there he was whispering to them "help". He gave a double knock on the door and Ghost barked.

"Come in."

Davos opened the door and walked in not quite knowing where to start. "You're looking a bit better today."

"I slept heavily" Jon said with a small smile and sat at the table indicating Ser Davos should sit opposite.

"I understand the decision you've made, the practical reasons, but leaving the Night's Watch and free folk to face the dead alone?"

"One more person isn't going to make a difference."

"You don't know that, and you're not just any person, you're their leader."

"I was the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch; Tormund leads the free folk."

"and Tormund follows you meaning you're their leader". Jon put his elbows on the table, interlaced his fingers and leaned towards Davos.

"What difference does it make who the leader is Ser Davos? We are outnumbered by at least ten to one, probably a lot more. I sent letters to every Lord in the North, the Liege Lords of all the other kingdoms and the King himself explaining the situation and asking for more men, none came. The dead will kill everyone at the Wall and add them to their number before climbing over it and marching through Westeros. Do you disagree with that assessment?"

"No, I don't," Davos conceded "but I believe you are the only man that can give us a chance."

"How?" Jon stood and stared at him, a definite hint of irritation in his words. "Do you think that there is some miraculous strategy that only I can come up with that will save us all? I tried, I gave everything I had, including my life. There is no strategy that can change the fact that they are too many and we are too few. If you think there is, perhaps you should take the black and put yourself forward to be Lord Commander."

Davos took a deep breath. Whilst Jon had certainly lost confidence in himself he couldn't disagree with anything he'd said. It was a rational assessment from a proven battle commander and leader.

"Do you not have a wife, a family?" Jon asked more gently.

"I have a wife, in Kings Landing".

"Do you not love her?"

"I love her very much" Davos replied somewhat affronted.

"Then why are you not leaving on the fastest horse to go to her?"

It was really quite frustrating to try to argue with someone as intelligent as Jon who kept asking good questions. Why wasn't he on his way back to his wife?

"Because I believe in you, I want to follow you and help you in any way I can" Davos said honestly "and I'm no coward".

Jon spoke to him softly "Neither am I and I'm grateful for your faith in me, truly I am, but this is a battle we cannot win. I have proved my valour on numerous occasions, to others and to myself, now I want to embrace what life I have left. Perhaps you should do the same."

There was a knock at the door and Melisandre walked in, looking Jon up and down.

"Take off your clothes."

Jon was clearly taken aback and Davos couldn't help but smile.

"Don't worry lad, I'll stay and protect your honour."

Davos knew he had been defeated. Jon was a quietly formidable young man and Davos liked him immensely, even more so after the conversation they'd just had and he understood why he was respected, and feared. Jon began to take his leathers off, but Davos saw he was struggling so he walked round the table and started to help. The wounds in his chest looked no better.

"They must be cleaned and stitched, I will do it now then you must rest." She had bought some bottles of liquid of who knows what and started to clean Jon's wounds.

"I'm not sure what to say to you," Jon said to her honestly "I'm not exactly pleased you brought me back but I do appreciate the effort you made and I'm sorry if I've disappointed you by choosing to leave."

"I saw you in the flames in a battle at Winterfell."

"Maybe the Bolton's catch me."

"There were thousands of men, they will not catch you."

"Could you be wrong?" Jon asked leaving out the word 'again'. She hesitated.

"I have been wrong before, but not about this."

"I suppose we'll find out in time" he said and took a sharp intake of breath as the first stich went in.

While he watched Melisandre stitch Jon up he contemplated what it would be like to see his wife again after so long and whether instead, he would die fighting the dead with the men of the Night's Watch. He must have been daydreaming for some time as he suddenly noticed Melisandre had finished. Davos went to help Jon dress; he was covered in sweat from the pain of the stitching.

"Before you put that back on lad best wash yourself down, I'll give you a hand".

"You must rest today. Tomorrow we will see if you're doing better" Melisandre stated.

"No, I'll be leaving today, but thank you" Jon replied firmly.

Melisandre looked at Davos pleadingly. He understood how she felt but knew they had to let him go.

"I agree Jon's going to need to take a little time to recover but if he wants to leave today we should respect that. Could you let the others know and have someone get his horse ready with some supplies?" She looked a little shocked but nodded reluctantly.

"I will see you again Jon Snow" she said and walked out the door.

"She has a flare for the dramatic that one" said Davos with a raised eyebrow. "You will need to rest up a little though before you get up on that horse, you can still make it to Mole's Town by sundown and head off again in the morning. What about Ghost, are you taking him with you?" Jon froze. He had his back turned so Davos couldn't see his face.

"I can't" he said shakily, especially across Bolton lands, they'll realise who I am and I'll lose my head, or worse. I'll leave him with the free folk, he's not safe here." Ghost seemed to be aware what was happening because he gave a little whine, got up from where he had been laying and started pacing around.

"I don't think any of us are safe anywhere" Davos exclaimed.

"No I suppose not".

"Lie down and rest a bit lad, I'll stay and wake you before the sun reaches its zenith". Jon acquiesced.

It was painfully clear to Davos that if he had decided to leave his wolf with whom he was linked by the very soul, his decision was final. Jon had a stubborn streak and whilst he did seek council from others, once his mind was made up that was that. The only person that could change Jon's mind now was Jon. As the young man slept Davos realised that he was strangely comforted by what Melisandre had said, even though Jon was leaving. He closed his eyes.

"Would you mind helping with this?" Jon was pointing to the small trunk. "I hate to ask but I'm still in pain".

"Of course son. Sorry, I think I dozed off" said Davos rubbing his face.

"Yes, you did" he said kindly. Jon opened the door and a blast of frozen air whipped through the room. Davos picked up his belongings and walked out into the cold with Jon and Ghost behind him. When they reached the yard, Tormund and Edd were already there. Davos started strapping the small chest behind the saddle on Jon's horse and watched him close the space to Edd.

"You'll make a good Lord Commander" Jon said. It was a little awkward.

"Maybe. Take care Jon" Edd hugged him briefly if a little stiffly and walked away towards the mess hall. Davos noticed Jon's shoulders stiffen as he watched Edd walk away before turning to Tormund.

"Take Ghost for me?" Tormund stared at Jon for a few moments in disbelief, finally he nodded. Jon bent down to Ghost.

"Be good for Tormund boy, look after them all for me." He ruffled the fur on his head, pulled one of his ears and kissed him once on the muzzle. Ghost let out the most pitiful sound Davos had ever heard from an animal and he'd heard animals slaughtered. He saw Jon wince in pain, and not of the physical kind.

Davos had finished securing the trunk, he took a deep breath and walked round to the other side of the horse and held out his hand.

"Take care of yourself son" he said warmly as Jon grabbed his hand and shook it.

"You too Ser Davos."

He hadn't known Jon very long but was as impressed with him as Stannis had been. All Jon had wanted to do was protect people. If that meant brokering peace with enemies he did it, it if meant turning left when everyone else turned right he did it, if it meant putting himself in grave danger he did it. Yes, Jon had both courage and conviction and was a natural leader, people saw that in him and wanted to follow him, the free folk saw it, half the Night's Watch saw it, Davos saw it, but his Watch had ended.

Jon climbed on his horse and took a look around the yard. The other men from the Watch were all staring at Jon, some of them acknowledged his departure with a nod, others just stared. Then Jon got on his horse, nudged him gently and the horse started to walk out the gate of Castle Black. Jon looked up to the balcony where Melisandre always stood. He gave her a nod but she just stared back at him. The only sound that could be heard was Ghost. As Jon's horse carried him out the gate the wolf released a howl of such agony Davos's eyes watered. Jon had left, and hope had left with him.

Authors Note: That was a bit of a long chapter! Thanks for all the fabulous reviews and I'm working hard to get the next chapter up before episode 4 on Sunday as I don't want what happens in the TV show to influence my plans for this story. On to Sansa...