Might
Disclaimer- Game of Thrones and Campione do not belong to me. I am just borrowing them. English is not my first or second language so please be gentle with me.
"Normal Talk"
'Thoughts/internal monologue'
"Telepathic conversation"
"Gods/Goddesses Talking"
"Shouting"
'Chant'
Enjoy
293 AC
Jon was enjoying his trek in the woods. Lately he had taken to just roaming in the north without any destination in mind. He would be gone for more than a fortnight and sometime a moon. He felt free out here.
His father protested this but Jon was able to hide it underneath the reason to curb the banditry. It would help him gain experience. While his father wanted him to stay inside Winterfell, there was nothing he could do to stop him. It had become point on contention between father and son. Eddard had tried reason to reason with him and all it earned him the promise that wherever he may go he will always return. Then he tried force which did not work, at all.
His father asked the guards to man the gates leading outside, he jumped from battlements. Ned tried locking him in his chambers, he climbed out of the window. Ned Stark soon realised that the more he tried to bind him, the more he rebelled. He let him do as he pleased after that but not before making him know that his actions will reflect on house Stark and he had to think before acting.
His usual route used to be the area surrounding Winterfell but he gradually increased his radius. His siblings were always delighted to hear his adventures. Robb was at first upset with him for leaving him. He took him to godswood and recanted the talk he had with their father. He asked him for a promise to never repeat anything before revealing the secret about his mother. Robb wanted to confront his father but Jon stopped him. He understood his reason but reminded him of their promise to each other.
Bran wanted Jon to take him to re-enact Dunk and Egg while Sansa wanted different wild flowers from him when he returned from his latest jaunts. Arya was the most adventurous and sometimes hid in his backpack. She had declared him to the best brother much to the chagrin of Robb as Bran agreed with her.
He forced his mind to the present as he saw the woods darken and looked towards the sun. It would soon be dark so he decided to look for a spot to set up his camp. He spied a thick trunk of a healthy tree and went towards it. He touched the trunk and concentrated, it slowly parted to make room for a small person. He inspected the space and was happy that it was not too cramp.
He thanked the child of the forest for teaching him this trick. Though they called it singing, Jon had an unparalleled grasp on the nature magic. He still remembered the day clearly when met with the child and green-man.
He was running away from his father and had ran into the wolfswood where they had been waiting for him. At first he thought they were there to attack him. They were quick to reassure him that they were not there for any conflict. They just wanted to know his intentions. Apparently he had done the impossible when he had defeated the Warrior. They wanted to come to an agreement that he would not turn his sword towards the slumbering old gods. He denied having any thought of doing so and promised he will not attack anyone unless to defend himself. While they were still sceptical they came to an agreement, the child would teach Jon nature singing and in return Jon would not raise the sword against the old gods.
Jon asked them if they had any idea of what he was. While the green-man, who were guided by old gods, had no idea; the child had some clue. There were rumours of powerful individuals of Valyria, rumoured to have defeated gods. Not much was known as the knowledge was guarded heavily by the valyrians. Though the child assured him that gods do not descend to mortal planes as it was a taboo, sometime they freed themselves from their myth and risk madness. The descending of the Andal god and that too in north was unprecedented. They asked if he knew anything but he kept quiet and reassured them that the situation was handled.
They told him that while a god's power is determined by their myth and number of worshippers, they were restricted to the area of their worship and the only reason that andal god was able to set foot in the north was because of the sept built in Winterfell. They speculated that the only reason that Jon was able to defeat him because the Warrior had sealed his own power to avoid notice of the old gods.
When Jon asked about why the child called the old gods 'slumbering' they deflected the question and told him he was not ready. Jon was reluctant to accept the answer but did not force when it became clear to him that he would not get any answer.
Before leaving him they asked Jon to keep their meeting a secret. Jon agreed because he knew no one would believe him. He still told his siblings about it, for them it was as good as stories from old nan.
The child whose name was Leaf assigned him a tutor, a child named Pine. She lived in the godswood and Jon would meet her in the wolfswood thrice a sennight to learn nature singing. While he learned, he came to know that the world was whole lot bigger than what he had imagined and how little he knew. This sparked his interest in wanderlust and the freedom that it gave. It had taken him two and half years to learn everything that Pine had him to teach. They still met but not as a teacher and student but as a companion. He learned more about the children that she had avoided in his teachings.
They lived beyond the wall and were rather limited in number. She talked about how the first men arrived from essos, the war of dawn, the age of heroes and the coming of andals. All the stories that he heard from old nan were true. She had abundant more to tell. Before coming of andals, the children lived and tended the weirwood trees of the north but when the andals came, they burned the trees in south and drove the remaining children north, weakened.
Until recently they relied on the limited reserves of magic of the nature. When Jon had slain the Warrior, the nature absorbed the residual divine energy and thus revitalised them to a limited extent. Not enough to ascend them to their previous state but enough that they were not in danger to fade away as they had previously feared. They were primarily caretaker of the nature gods and worked as their hands. She did not talk about their origin, saying that they were just there.
He had asked her if there were any more beings like the children but she shut herself at the question. He never asked again out of respect. They had talked about the war between the children and the first men and he speculated that the first men hunted down other mythical beings and only the children managed to survive. He dared not to discuss the topic again in fear of offending her. She was his first real friend outside of his family.
While he was content wandering the wilderness of north, he wanted more. His travels told him that there was a vast world out there beside the north. He wished to go beyond the wall, to see the home of Pine and Leaf.
Speaking of her, he felt her manifest nearby. He had already started a fire to roast two hares that he had caught. She silently made her way to the fire and sat down on the broken trunk lying on the forest floor. Jon produced a bag of nuts and berries for her as the children did not eat meat. They silently ate their meal taking comfort in the silence.
After their meal Jon laid down with a clear view of the night sky with a thoughtful face. Pine looked at him with a questioning look. He could not ignore the stare and broke the silence.
"What?"
"Nothing, I was just wondering what is going on inside the head of yours." Jon closed his eyes.
"Why do you ask?"
"One should always be aware of the thoughts of powerful individuals. More often than not they tend to run with their half thoughts to make a mess."
"You think I would make a mess?" He asked lightly. Pine went silent for a moment thinking of a delicate way to put her thoughts into words.
"You are the most powerful individual Jon, we have never witnessed someone like you before. You will make mess, a very big mess." He chuckled at her deadpan tone. After the battle he began to fear his power, it had taken Pine quite some time to break him out of that fear. While he still had a brooding nature, he began to look for pleasure in simple things.
"The sky is endless isn't it Pine?" He asked after a few moment of silence.
"Yes"
"Do you recon that gods live there? Watching us mortals and passing judgement?"
"I would not know. Our gods live here in the trees, the rivers, the ground and the very air we breathe. You can say that they live with us but separately. I think that it may be same with other gods too." The answer did not satisfy Jon. The Warrior had warned him about the other gods. It had been five and half years and he did not meet other gods, aside from worshippers of old gods. He asked Pine about it.
"Gods rarely tread in other rival god's territory, unless there is something major to gain. You are the song of ice and fire, your power of your blood must have attracted the Seven." Jon did not comment. The children and green men often said that he was the song of ice and fire. That his blood contains the Ice of the North and Fire of Valyria.
"Will the gods attack me if I were to journey to their place of worship?" Pine looked at his face and found what she was looking for.
"You want to leave north." It was not a question. Over the years Jon felt that his father wanted to keep him out of public attention. He was forbidden to be present when other lords arrived and was warned to not enter great hall during their visit. He always believed that it was because of his bastard status. Bastards were usually kept out of public eye so as to not offend the other lords. It did not matter to him and he was happy to be kept out of public eye.
He later learned that he had earned the reputation of the 'elusive bastard'. He did not know about it but apparently most of the lords and their heirs that came to Winterfell wanted to meet him. Robb had told him about the complaints of some of the lords and heirs that came there. Even when the maesters from citadel came to examine the blade, his lord father him to just conjure the sword in his solar and make himself scarce. He was also to avoid any mentions of magic. The maesters asked him to visit oldtown when they realised they could not move the sword without him. Lord Hightower had sent a contingent of knights to guard the maesters. The leader of the Knights, Ser Humfrey Hightower, offered him a place as his squire after seeing the sword. It was a huge honor for a bastard and would open various doors for him. But it also meant leaving the north and venture to the place of worship of the Seven.
His lord father had already declined both offers before he could sort out his thoughts. He did not think about it much back then, just glad to get out of the situation without offending the knight and the maesters. Looking back, he was sad that his father had not asked about his opinion and reject the offer without giving it much thought.
He thought of meeting the lords despite his father's orders but choose not to. They were a pack and despite his disagreements with his father he did not want the lords to see the friction between them. While it was true that recently he felt distant from his father but he was closer than ever to his siblings and would not do anything to tarnish their reputation.
While it was not the main reason, his father's recent decisions regarding him had added to the reason for him to leave north. There were other reasons too.
He saw Pine straighten and listening to something alertly. He waited for her to inform him of any trouble that he needed to take care of. He did not lie to his father that he would be hunting bandits and wildlings, he just did not tell him that it was not the main reason. Pine could talk with trees or in her words hear them sing to warn him about the location of bandits or wildling attacks.
The look on her face told him that he was needed. The question was where.
"Three leagues to the east. Four adults with a pack of dogs." Hunting dogs were new. He wondered if there was a warg among the bandits. Normally it was a skill commonly attached to the wildlings. But they did not usually have hunting dogs with them. He did not give it much thought as he would soon find out. He began to sprint towards the direction and thought not for the first time if he should have taken Hullen up on his offer for a horse. But he banished that thought because he could outrun any horse in the woods. His enhanced reflexes allowed him to avoid obstacles without losing speed while running between the woods. Pine rode on his shoulders as to not lose him, not that Jon minded.
The location was odd too because they were in Bolton lands and bandits generally avoided the land. The smallfolk did not have much to loot from.
They soon came across a male body. It had multiple bite marks and it looked like the man had gone through torture. Sounds of barking reached his ears and Pine pinpointed the direction from where it came. He came across the river and saw a pack of dogs encircling a women along with her two children on the other bank of the river. Pine climbed down from his shoulders to hide in the trees.
Jon picked up some rocks and threw them in quick succession at the dogs with pinpoint accuracy, hitting them directly on their heads. Even injured the dogs did not relent from their attacks and one of them bit one of kid on the ankle. He drew his wooden sword and jumped across the river. He dispatched the dogs in quick succession before they had any chance to respond. He leaked small amount of his power and the dogs quickly ran away in fear. He turned towards the women when the sound of whistling arrows reached his ears.
He jumped towards the woman to intercept the arrows with his sword. After making sure they were okay he turned towards the direction where the arrows came from. Standing on the edge were four figures with bows in their hands. They looked surprised to see him. One of them drew another arrow but before he could place it on the bow Jon threw another stone at the attacker's hands.
"Surrender in the name of Eddard Stark, Warden of the north." He may not want to admit it but he was influenced by the tales of knights of old. One of them signalled his companions to encircle him while pulling out his sword.
Jon shook his head, it was not like he had not expected them to surrender easily. They never do but it did not mean he would stop giving them a chance. He jumped towards them with his wooden sword extended. It caught the one who was apparently their leader in the midsection. Before they could realise what had happened Jon gave a jab to one on his right. His foot lashed out to hit another one on his head, Jon pulled back his sword and brought it down on the last attacker's head, breaking his sword. They were all quickly disabled before they could act on the signal.
"Now stay still while I check upon your victims." He quickly bound them using the string of the bows they were carrying. He noted that they were better dressed than the normal smallfolk or bandits that he had encountered. The woman was looking at him in fear while the captives were groaning around him.
"You don't know who you have messed with bastard." One of them growled. Jon directed his gaze towards the voice. He was the same one who had signalled others to encircle him, confirming he was their leader.
"I get the feeling that I would soon know. Get on your feet, we are going to Dreadfort." He was surprised when the woman shrunk and pulled her children in her arms in fear. His captive began to laugh.
"Please we just wanted to get out. Please don't make us go back milord." The woman pleaded. Jon could not understand. They were going to the lord of the land to get them justice. He felt a bit of unease, he never had any reason to venture deeper into the Bolton lands. He tried to reassure the woman.
"My lady, you were attacked by these bandits. We found a body not far from here which I believe was another one of their victims. Nothing will happen to you or your children while you are under my protection."
"My husband, Will" the woman sobbed. "We just wanted to leave these lands but lord Bolton forbade us. They will never let us leave these lands."
"You should have listened bitch. I am going to make a cloak out of your children and gift it to you then I am going to skin this bastard for interfering my hunt and harming my girls."
"You are pretty talkative for someone who is bound and about to lose their head. I have heard that lord Bolton is pretty harsh in his punishments." Most of them did not feel confidant when they were threatened to be handed over to the lords.
"As I said bastard you do not know who you are dealing with." The man was getting on his nerves and Jon kicked him in the teeth.
"Prisoners should not talk, I am not above removing your tongue." Jon threatened him again. The woman, Jalla, disclosed the identity of the attackers.
"He is Ramsay Snow, bastard of lord Bolton. His attack dog." Jon was startled by this information. It looked like he was going to visit Dreadfort to get to the bottom of the matter. The woman vehemently refused to go near Dreadfort and no amount of assurance could change her mind. Jon relented and signaled Pine to keep an eye out on her and her children. He forced his prisoners to move after breaking hands of two of them when they tried to force their hands out of bindings.
Before he could go further Pine warned him to be on lookout, something about the songs being not right. He did not know what to make of it. It was the first time she had warned him about something, normally nothing could harm him but he decided to heed her words.
Jon noted that Ramsay was sweating profusely. Though that did not stop him from threatening all the way to the village. The threats were becoming more explicit and his voice was becoming rough from all the shouting. Jon contemplated whether he should have acted on his threat of removing his tongue but discarded the thought. It would not do to antagonize one of the major lords of the north.
Just before they reached the edge of the village, Ramsay began convulsing. Jon would not be surprised if it was an act. Before he could check on him Ramsay began to pull his hands apart to break the bindings. Blood began to flow from his hands but he did not stop, Jon feared that he had cut his wrists while trying to free himself. His companions were looking at him worriedly. So it was not a normal behaviour.
The strings snapped and Ramsay was free. He let out a blood curdling scream and jumped towards his bound companions and stabbed them in the torso with bare hands. Jon looked disbelievingly as their flesh began to peel and took a shape of cloak. He numbly wondered if his threats of peeling off his skin to make a cloak had some truth in it.
Ramsay had gone under a transformation. His skin too peeled off and half a dozen tentacles of flesh shot out of his body. He let out another scream and Jon was hit with a force of divine energy. Soon the cloak adored itself on Ramsay's body and he stood tall in a gruesome glory. The creature was looking at him and Jon was rooted on the spot.
He had hunted down bandits and wildlings in the last five years but he never met something so repulsive. His hands began to shake and sweat flowed down from his brows. He wanted to run and never look back but he was rooted on the spot. His blood had become frozen in fear. One of flesh tentacles shot towards him and he forced his body to duck. He was feeling contradicted. The creature was radiating divine energy but he felt as if the creature had come from hell.
He felt a sharp pain in his side and his hands caught a flesh stem piercing from his side. Another pierced his arm and he was forced to jump away to avoid more. He heard screams coming from the village and witnessed smallfolk running out of their homes. They were attacked by scores of fleshy tentacles that burst from the ground. He watched helplessly as the villagers were attack by the tentacles and had their skin flayed. The screams were too loud but Jon was rooted in fear. He could only watch as the tentacles attack and flay the smallfolk. He was grabbed by the neck by one of the tentacles and lifted towards the demon. The sharp edge dug into his neck.
"Campione" the voice came out of the entity. It was painful to hear, as if it were the screams of its victims. Jon struggled but another tentacle bound his hands in a painful grip.
From an outside perspective it was a scene of pure horror. The villagers were getting slaughtered with nowhere to hide. The sky had a red hue and the only one who could fight the horror was frozen in fear.
The demon gave a sharp toothed smile as he brought his knife life finger to his face and stabbed him in one eye. Jon gave out a loud cry and the demon let out a mad laughter.
A sound of crow suddenly filled the air as one attacked the demon in the head. It attacked the eyes of the entity and it gave Jon opportunity to break free. Jon fell on the ground and another crow flew towards him.
"Get up and get away!" A voice sounded in his mind. Jon jerkily looked around to identify the speaker.
"Get up, we don't have time." Jon realized that it was the crow that was speaking, it had three eyes. The loud screams again reached his ears and he looked towards the village.
"The smallfolk…-"
"Get to the edge of the woods. You are no help right now!" Jon was reluctant to agree but he could not deny that he was useless right now. He limped towards the edge quickly as he could while keeping eye on the demon. A murder of crows were keeping it distracted.
As he reached the edge he felt the shift in the surroundings, it felt lighter. He felt his trembling stop and mind becoming clear of the fear. He inspected his wounds. They were not as grievous as he thought they would be, instead of deeper cuts they were minor at best and his eyes were uninjured. It had been years since he had bled it would have been a novel experience if he was not in the dire situation. The crow was sitting on his shoulder.
"Are you feeling better?" Jon nodded his head.
"What is that?!" Jon asked furiously. He had not thought that he would be attacked so suddenly after years of peace.
"Spirit of this land, one of the old gods." The crow answered briefly.
"But why is it attacking now? I thought I had an accord with the old gods!" He feared that the old gods had reneged from their deal.
"Old gods are the collective spirit of the land and are numerous. This is the land of Boltons, for centuries they flayed their enemies and spread the fear. It shaped the spirit of these lands giving birth to flayed god. The old gods regained some power when you defeated the Warrior and when you crossed the boundary of Bolton lands, the flayed god awakened. The fear you are experiencing is the effect of that. He tricked your mind into seeing and believing things that are not actually true." Jon was not sure if could fight such an entity.
"It is not the time to doubt yourself. Only you can kill him, if not then it will slowly regain its full power."
"But how? How could I fight him when I cannot even see through the tricks?" Jon despaired.
"You have defeated the Warrior, his authorities are yours now. Look deep within yourself and awaken the power you have neglected for so long. You were caught in his aura unaware but you are ready now. Feel the divinity fill inside you and release the wrath of the Campione that you are!" Jon was not sure but decided to listen. It was true that he had not tried to delve deeper into his authorities, after all there was no need in the face of mortals. He had no other options, he will get the answer after he had dealt with the god. He could already feel divinity flowing inside him and he concentrated on the aspect of the warrior and spoke out the incantation
'Shield unbreakable as my will,
Brought forth by my might
No blade sharp enough to cut me
Deny their existence as is my right.'
Golden light filled the area attracting the attention of the flayed god. When the light died Jon was clad in a golden armor. It had intricate patterns all over the body with seven pointed stars on the torso. His head and face was covered in by a helmet and face guard but it did not impede Jon's field of view. He could feel the helmet and faceguard but he could still see clearly. He willed his divine sword into existence and felt all the doubts and fear leave his mind. He felt confidant because he knew that the god would not be able to pierce his armor.
With confidant steps he leaped towards the mad god with a challenging roar. The armor was light and did not impede his movements at all. The mad god answered his challenge by another roar. Ground shook as they clashed. The mind numbing fear was absent and Jon felt relieved that he could fight with a clear mind. The god attacked with all his tentacles but they slid off his armor. Jon swung his sword to cut his tentacles but another took its place.
"I will flay you Campione. Your skin shall be my greatest trophy!"
"Stop talking and go back to hell that you came from." Even while fighting Jon felt excitement. This was the first time that he had to use his full strength. Sparing had become dull to him but this challenge was exciting. He felt alive in the moment.
The god could not harm him but Jon's attacks were not doing much good either. It had become a battle of attrition and he was not sure the smallfolk would survive before he could finish off the god. Jon thrust his sword towards the enemy's torso but it was blocked by his hands. Jon channeled his divinity into the sword and exerted pressure. The sword began to glow intensely in golden light and burned the god's hand. The mad god jumped away to avoid the blade. Jon was quick to follow and swung his sword on the neck. The god dodged at the last moment but his shoulder was caught in the attack.
Jon increased his pace and cut off his hand. The creature let out a loud wail and Jon noticed that the hand did not regenerate unlike the tentacles. The flayed god tried to leap away towards the village but Jon did not want to give him any chance. He leapt on top of the god and plunged his sword in base of his skull.
The flayed god became still and Jon gave out a relieved sigh. His moment of respite did not last long however. The screams did not stop. He looked towards the village and saw the attack of tentacles did not stop after the death of flayed god.
He did not spend much time thinking as he ran towards the village and began cutting down the tentacles but he did not feel like he was making much a difference. The more he cut, the more they sprouted from the ground. He began to focus of saving as many smallfolk as he could and directing them towards the edge of the woods. He looked around for any clue to stop the carnage but he could not find anything aside from death and destruction.
He could see that the portcullis of the Dreadfort were shut and guards standing alert atop the battlements. He could not see any help coming from the castle. He was bitterly thankful for that as he could limit the amount of victims but he was alone in protecting the smallfolk. He did not need their help per se but he was mentally drained.
He searched for the crow that had helped him before. He gave a relieved sigh when he saw the crow flew down on his shoulder.
"What happened? I thought after killing the god the attacks would stop."
"What you fought was just a body possessed by the flayed god. You would have to strike at its root of power."
"…And?" if Jon did not know any better he would have thought that the crow was being irritating on purpose. On second thought Jon really did not know any better.
"Where else will the power of old gods reside but in the Weirwood in the godswood. You have to strike down the Weirwood tree of Dreadfort."
Jon was looking at the crow worriedly. What the crow had suggested had serious consequences.
"You know what you are suggesting, right?" harming a Weirwood tree, especially in a godswood was a taboo.
"It is up to you to act upon the idea. You can of course run away with the smallfolk and leave the north before the flayed god breaches the boundary of the lands of Boltons or you can stop the mad god before he fully awakens as it is within your power.
"In this entire known world only you have the true freedom of choice. You fear the consequences are the only thing that binds you to the laws of mere mortals."
Jon already knew what he was going to choose. He tighten his grip on the sword and prepared himself.
"I will have to fight my way to the godswood, don't I?' The crow gave an equivalent of shrug.
"To properly slay a god one must allow it to descend properly. If not then the god in question will end up in suspension, not fully descended yet still part of their domain. You must allow the flayed god to descend properly."
"Why?! What happens if the god will not descend properly? This carnage will still stop if I stop him before he descends, right?! Why should I care if the god is stuck?" Jon wanted to get this over with. Let the god be stuck in half life for all he cared at this point. He had met exactly two gods at this point and so far they were all deranged.
"It is not about the suffering of gods that are in suspension but their effects on the mortal plane. When the gods descend they affect the area of their domain, gods of war increase the possibility of war, water gods cause flood. Now imagine a god that is shaped by the myths and sacrifices to be the flayed god. The lands will always bear the scars and the smallfolk will always carry the words of the flayed god. The lands will never be truly free and his myth will spread thus granting him greater influence over other gods. The only true way to end a god is to completely erase their myths." Jon gave a resigned sigh. And to think that he was just about to go to sleep. Don't get him wrong he enjoyed letting loose but he liked his enemies dead when he killed them. The screams from the castle broke his thoughts.
"You should hurry, it seems like the god has found himself another vessel." Jon shot the crow an unamused look.
Jon knew he could not waste time if he wanted to save the residents of Dreadfort. He ran towards the castle and swung his sword to obliterate the gates but there was no one at the gates to stop him. The scene inside was much more gruesome than what was happening in the village. Fleshy tentacles where sprouting from the walls as well as the ground more densely than the village; soldiers and servants alike were lying on the ground flayed. He ran towards the sound of yelling and found some soldiers trying to fight with another vessel of flayed god, more like trying to stay alive. He jumped in to intercept the vessel, he would not give him more chance to cause any more damage. He swung his sword to cut off the hands of the god but the guards stopped him.
"That's lord Bolton!" Jon stopped his strike and was forced to dodge when the god noticed his distraction. Jon was in a dilemma, either he kill the vessel and stop its rampage or he leave the guards on his mercy and move towards the godswood.
His choice was made for him. The vessel stabbed the guards and threw them towards Jon. Jon dodged the bodies and jumped towards the battlements, the vessel hot on his heels. The three eyed crow was in front of him to guide the way. As much as Jon wanted to strike the vessel down, he knew if he were to raise his sword against a lord then he would not be going anywhere except the wall.
Maybe if he could deal with the god then lord Bolton might return back to normal. He could only hope.
He ran away from the courtyard following the crow towards the godswood. There were flayed bodies everywhere; maids, cooks, servants, guards and even horses. No one was spared and Jon knew he was already too late. It would be a miracle if someone were survive in this carnage.
Jon ran into the godswood and saw the changes that it went through. The trees were oozing blood and fleshy tentacles covered them like weed. The Weirwood tree was looking less like a tree and more like a lump of meat oozing blood. The face on the tree had its eyes opened. It was horrific and grotesque and lesser person may have torn out their eyes after seeing the grotesque scenery.
"Campione!" Jon could feel the scream trying to penetrate his protection but the divine armaments held. Jon jumped aside to avoid being tackled from behind by the possessed body of Roose Bolton. Jon tackled and gripped the head of possessed lord. He punched him in the head to knock him down but it proved ineffective. Jon knew that he had no hopes of dealing with the Godtree without dealing with lord Bolton first.
Jon stabbed the sword in the ground and grabbed lord Bolton by his neck and began to hit him with his armoured fist. When Bolton lord tried to defend himself Jon grabbed his tentacles in a clump and began swinging him around. With a mighty roar he threw him with enough power to the other side of the godswood. He knew it did not buy him enough time. The vessel was resilient and the only way to stop them is to kill the vessel and that was something he wanted to avoid. He prayed that the god would quickly descend so he can kill him.
He dodged the strike of tentacles and began to cut them with impunity. Jon noticed that the amount of tentacles had increased as had their thickness and strength. Where before he could ignore the strike, now he had to avoid getting hit if he wanted to stay on foot. It was a great workout and he felt alive in that moment. He made a game out of it and only cut down the fleshy whips that he could not avoid. He had to sometimes remind himself that he was not doing this for fun.
After what felt like eternity, he saw that the Weirwood tree had freed its roots from the ground and was quickly making its way towards him. The sky had turned crimson, smell of rotting flesh permeated the air, winds began to howl and droplets of blood was falling down. Jon immediately knew that the god had fully descended but still waited for the crow's signal. The body of Roose Bolton came crashing down as it moved towards the awakened god. The branches held him upside-down in the mockery of House Bolton symbol. The three eyed crow gave out a caw and Jon knew it was the signal. The crow then spoke the last words of guidance.
"Take out your sword, speak the words that ring true in your heart." Jon heeded the words and held his sword aloft.
'Spirits of the land, twisted by the fear and sins
Cursed to be Defiler of the flesh, Deceiver of the oaths
With this blade I absolve you of your sins
Return to your myth free of the madness.'
A golden light arc emerged from the blade as Jon swung his sword, obliterating everything in its path. The red hue of the night parted as if cut by the sword.
The godtree knew that the attack was dangerous and fleshy tentacles rose from ground to block the attack but it was of no use. They did not even manage to slow the attack as it cut through them. The Godtree gave out a loud screech as it resisted the attack for a moment and Jon feared that his attack had failed but the golden arc continued its path and bisected the god.
The god burst into a shower of gore and blood. The good thing was that it evaporated before touching anything. The fleshy tentacles began to shrink and turned to ash, just like the sky that lost its red hue and turned grey. The surrounding slowly returned to normal and the true scope of destruction revealed itself. The gates of the godswood were broken, trees withered and deep trenches ran across the floor of the woods.
He ran towards the godtree hoping against all hopes for the survival of Roose Bolton. He found the flayed body of Roose Bolton strung on the trunk. The flayed body did not look any better but the slow gasps of breath indicated that the Bolton lord was alive. Jon was not sure how to handle it and looked towards the crow for help.
"Are you sure you want to help? There was a reason why the spirits of these lands were so twisted. For millennia Boltons sacrificed their enemies under this very Wierwood, flayed. Even after Flaying was banned, Boltons did not stop the practice. Years of blood, grief and resentment shaped the form of god to what you encountered today." For Jon who had grown under the teachings of Eddard Stark, no matter how much he wanted to deny it, knew that it was not the way. If lord Bolton was guilty of the crimes then he would be judged but he would not let the man die. The crow reluctantly accepted his reason and called forth an elk to carry Lord Bolton to the nearest castle of Hornwood.
Winterfell
Eddard Stark was having a hard time. He longed for the dull normality that avoided him since the Ironborne Rebellion. It all came back to the same topic, Jon Snow.
As much as he had strengthened the place of Starks among its bannermen, he also opened the gates for whole lot of trouble.
He can hardly name any bastard that caused the same amount of trouble as Jon Snow. No, that was not true. Was it not the Targaryen bastards that caused the blackfyre rebellion? Though Jon was not a bastard but it still made sense because he belonged to the same accursed bloodline.
It would have been far easier if Jon would have remained in anonymity. Had he grown unremarkable, he would have encouraged him to take Black with Benjen. Now he feared that Jon had become an integral part of realm politics. Not a moon goes by where he had to not decline another enquiry about Jon. It had taken considerable effort to decline when Robert himself invited Jon for various tourneys.
It may sound selfish but he often hoped that it had been Robb who had found the sword. It would certainly avoid the burden of hiding him.
He had, of course, hidden any and all correspondence regarding Jon from everyone especially Jon himself. He had done everything in his power to keep Jon confided in the North. It would have been better if Jon was confided in Winterfell but he had learned early on that no one could stop Jon from following his whims.
Jon's work as a wandering warrior to cull the bandits and wildlings had already placed him in favour of various lords of the north and many were inquiring about whether or not he was planning to ask Robert to legimatize him. For many it did not matter even if he remained a Snow. Maege Mormont had boldly stated that she was willing to offer any of her daughters' hand to Jon Snow. After the incident with Jorah Mormont they were desperate to strengthen their ties with the Starks.
It was not limited to the north as the various knights had offered to take Jon as their squire and various lords as their cupbearers. Most notably from Lannisters, Tyrells, Royace and even Robert himself to just name a few. He felt he was just an incident away from blowing this all up.
It was fortunate that Jon spent so much time away from Winterfell as it helped to avoid various knights and lords that made their to Winterfell to catch the 'elusive bastard' as he was called.
After five years of keeping Jon hidden from the world, Ned knew that it would soon come to head. Jon was far too independent to heed any order and he feared the day when Jon, sooner or later, would make his way to the world after he comes to age.
Had it been his father, Rickard Stark would have been thrilled to use Jon to deepen his ties with the south. But he was not his father and would hopefully remain in north for the rest of his life. He banked on Robb and Jon's brotherhood to bind Jon to the north and had been in talks with Jon Arryn to return Queenscrown to the north. That way Jon would have his own holdfast and will be farther away from realm politics. He will be charged with protecting the north from wildlings and support the Night's Watch. Hopefully it would keep him away from the games of the southern nobles.
He pulled another letter and thankfully it was not from another noble. Rather it was from Night's Watch, requesting additional support. It reported queer happenings in the north of the wall, abandoned wildling villages, rangers going missing, strange hues in the night sky. He would need to talk with the lords of the north to see if they can provide additional support for the watch.
Just then Maester Luwin came running into his solar, presenting him a letter.
"My lo-Lord…!" the letter had the broken sigil of Hornwood. Eddard searched his mind for any reason for such reaction from his maester. He took the letter and read through it.
Blood froze in his veins as his fears had become reality. He had hoped, prayed even, for his northern blood to suppress his Targaryen madness but it looked like it was all in vain. He had heard many times before that blood always rings true and in Jon's case his Targaryen blood just won.
"Send for Jory, I want Jon Snow present in Winterfell without any delay!"
-Timeskip-
Eddard watched from battlements as Jon was escorted with the contingent of guards. He left the battlements to go to great hall. He would be passing the sentence for what Jon had done.
He soon reached great hall and Catelyn was already present there. He had forbade his children from attending the trial. Though Robb had argued and Arya had thrown a tantrum but he put a firm end to their demands. He sat on his chair stone-faced with Catelyn on his right, maester Luwin, Jory and Rodrik were standing nearby. Except from some guards he had forbidden anyone else from attending the trial.
"Bring in the accused." Jory signalled the guard to bring Jon inside. Jon entered the hall flanked by three guards on each side. He showed no emotions and walked straight into the hall. Eddard noticed that his hands were unbound.
"I notice that the accused is unbound. Any reason for that Ser Jory?" Jory Cassel was perturbed by the question but still straightened himself to answer.
"My lord, Jon Snow did not offer any resistance and cooperated whole way. We did not believe any bindings to be necessary. Moreover, he is your son and he deserves curtsy."
"He deserves the curtsy because he is my son?! He obliterated the castle of Dreadfort, massacred all of its population, flayed its liege lord and you believe he deserves curtsy after all he had done?!" never before they had seen their lord in such anger. As much as Jory wanted to avoid his ire, he knew he had a duty considering he had taught the lad and watched him grow. This was same lad who had shut himself in his chambers after killing ironborns. He would never believe that the same lad would do the things that he was accused of. There must be a valid explanation of the incident that occurred in Dreadfort.
He had asked Jon what had happened there but instead Jon had asked what Lord Stark had asked Jory to do. When he relayed the orders Jon had become quite and mysteriously said that he would explain the incident to Lord Stark first. If he did not believe it then it would not be worth repeating.
"My apologies my lord but Jon Snow is merely accused. Should we not allow him to defend himself of these accusations before passing the sentence?" Eddard directed his gaze towards Jon who stood impassively.
"What has the accuse say about his defence? You are accused of attacking the Bolton lands, massacring its smallfolk, destroying the castle Dreadfort, desecrating its Godswood and crippling Lord Roose Bolton. Do you deny these accusations?" Jon prepared himself although he knew from his father's attitude that it was a forgone conclusion.
"Not guilty." He said in a strong voice.
"Do you deny trespassing Bolton lands?"
"No my lord I do not."
"You say not guilty to these accusation so can you identify the guilty party? You accept that you were present on the night of incident in the Bolton lands and witnessed one of such power to raze the castle and its ground in one night?" Jon became silent at that. He knew that his father would not believe his words and would dismiss them outright. Just as he had done when he recanted the tale about the Warrior.
"Yes." The people in the hall were looking at him with great deal of attention.
"What happened to them?"
"He was taken care of."
"So it was done by one person. A person powerful enough to raze the castle in one night, decimate the population and cripple Lord Bolton. Sounds like a person standing on equal grounds to you."
"Yes my lord." These short answers were beginning to irritate the Stark lord.
"Where is this person now?"
"I killed him."
"So there must be a body to add credence to your tale. Something to prove your tale?"
Jon gave out a long suffering sigh and wanted to rub his head. He knew what was coming and also knew that had no other option but to plow through.
"I was tracking down some bandits in the Bolton lands. I captured them and was going to Dreadfort to deliver them. The old gods of Bolton lands sensed my presence and descended to fight me. It chose the body of lord Bolton as a vessel to fight me. I managed to stop him but not before he rained destruction on the lands. Lord Bolton is only alive because I managed to kill the god. The old gods of that land was twisted by millennia of sacrifice and flaying practice and had to be put down. The only way to do so was by the destruction of their weirwood tree in the godswood. I was guided by the three-eyed crow to put the end to it before the god could gain more power and break out of their lands. I did not raise my sword against any of the populace of Dreadfort neither against their Lord." The hall became silent. The guards were looking at each other; Luwin, Rodrik and Jory were fixated on Jon's face not knowing what to think of his tale. Catelyn looked worriedly at her husband who was not showing any emotion on his face. Ironically out of all of them only Catelyn was least sceptical of his tale. While she still refused to believe him, she was at least willing to hear the whole tale.
"And I believe that the body of this god vanished into thin air, just like the body of so called warrior that you bested for your blade." Jon kept quiet but refused to lower his head and looked straight into his father's eyes.
"And you three-eyed crow, where is he? Will he come here to prove your innocence?" As much as Jon wanted to summon Pine to prove his point, he refused to make a spectacle out of her. She had asked him to keep their existence a secret and he was not going to break that faith.
On the matter of three-eyed crow, he asked Pine about him but he was nowhere to be found. Pine begged him not to ask about him as it was not something that they were ready for. If not for the flayed god then the existence of crow would have remained hidden for years to come.
Jon kept silent at the question and Eddard closed his eyes in frustration.
"I have been generous with you Jon. You know the fate of someone having your kind of blood in their veins. I still kept you with me, provided shelter, food and teachers so that you may make something for yourself.
"And this is how you repay me! Attacking and crippling one of my major lords without any provocation! Weakening the north by taking out one of the largest infantry in the north. Breaking the faith of the vessels of the house Stark. Making up tall tales and bringing destruction. Do you even realise what you have done?!" Lord Stark was frothing by the end of his tirade.
Jon kept his frustration at bay. And it was only out of respect that he did not lash out when he called him a liar.
"I wonder if my lord even investigated the smallfolk that were rescued from the Dreadfort that night or that you are so strung up on accusing me that you dismissed them outright." Eddard Stark had enough.
"Not another word out of you. I have had it with your wild tales of madness. I had hoped that you could be trusted with a holdfast in the future. That you and Robb would be the leaders of the next generation of North. I see that I had indulged you too much and forgot to teach you about the consequences of one's action. This ends now. You will immediately set off for the wall. There you can search for you three-eyed crows, children of the forest and white walkers."
"My Lord!" rang out various voices except Jon's who was looking at him as if he had betrayed Jon.
Luwin was first to voice out his concerns. "My lord, you must think carefully of the consequences of such a sentence. Jon Snow has already become an integral part of North and sending him to the Wall may raise questions."
"Are you saying that I overlook this transgression? Tell me Maester Luwin, will the lords of the realm feel safe if the individual capable of razing castles without provocation be allowed to roam free? The boy needs to learn that actions have consequences and just because one has power does not mean that they can do as they please."
"No my lord, I am asking you to look at this objectively. Snow's tale may seem farfetched but are they really so farfetched that we must discard them outright? Do Jon's unnatural martial prowess and his sword not add credence the queer nature of the world around us?"
"You believe Jon's tale of gods descending on mortal plane? Is that something taught in Citadel that we are not aware of?" Luwin knew he was treading on a fine line but he also knew that sending Jon to the Wall will prove catastrophic in the future for house Stark. Jon was already a prominent figure and Lord Stark may not want to admit it but Jon's place was in the Winterfell.
"All I am saying my lord is that we must not dismiss the presence of practitioner of magic outright. We must investigate this matter more thoroughly before passing judgement. In an unlikely case that Jon's encounters prove real then our only counter will be on the Wall." Eddard Stark looked at everyone's face and saw most of them agreed with Luwin's suggestion. But he was the lord and sometimes he had to take difficult decisions.
"But what if you are wrong Luwin? What will happen when Jon attacks another castle? It will not be you who would have to make amends. The vessels house Stark are already questioning the incident, questioning House Stark." It was not Luwin who answered the question.
"My Lord, I helped train Jon along with his brother Robb. I have seen his interactions with the smallfolk, I was there the night of the siege and I was there when Jon asked my help to control his strength. It is not in his nature to attack someone without provocation and you know it too. He is your blood after all and blood always tells." Eddard looked towards his wife for support but he was surprised to see her worried about his decision. It looked like he was outnumbered.
"I see that you are all opposed to my decision and ready to pander the delusion of a child. Very well then, Jory Cassel you will investigate the matter of Bolton lands. I want the reports from the survivors. In the meantime Jon Snow cannot be allowed to roam freely on the chance that he goes on another rampage and decimate another castle. He will join Night's Watch on the condition of release if he is proven innocent."
Jon was astonished by the decision. He could not hear any further arguments, his sole focus was on his father, nay on lord Stark. His father, his own flesh and blood was unwilling to accept his innocence. Guilty until proven innocent? He was not going to accept that. He will not let anyone take away his freedom. Not now, not ever!
"No" astonishment gave way to anger and his voice echoed the hall with tremor. The occupants were looking at him now. An invisible pressure began to assert itself on the occupants of the great hall and it was becoming harder to breath. It was primal feeling of danger that made itself known in the face of a great predator.
"Guilty until proven innocent? Is this your judgement my lord?" Eddard was having difficulty in finding his voice. He was thankful that he was seating down. Jory and Rodrik along with the guards were almost on their knees. He turned his head with difficulty to look towards Luwin and found that he had fainted on the floor, similar to Catelyn who was thankfully sitting down when she too fainted.
"I will not be taking the Black my lord. Not now, not ever."
"Jo-Jon you need to-to learn the consequences of your actions an-and it will only be until you are proven innocent. The lords needs reassurance. It is my duty as their lord to provide protection to them and I cannot do that if I cannot control you." Slowly Eddard summoned his willpower to speak. He needed Jon controlled.
"No, I will not be joining wall." The steel in his voice did not relent.
"There will be no place for you in the north if you cannot abide by my decision!"
"Then it looks like my time in the north has ended." If Lord Stark thought he can threaten him then he really did not know his son any better.
"If you take a step outside that door to go anywhere other than the wall then I will be declaring you outlaw. The whole might of Westeros will fall on you. Is that the life that you want? Always looking over your back, never knowing any rest?!" Eddard Stark was getting desparate. He would not be able to keep the promise to his sister if Jon left north. At least on the wall he will be safe.
Jon laughed coldly at that. If that was the angle was going to play then so be it.
"They can try." The words sent chill down his spine and Eddard could do nothing but watch helplessly as Jon exited the great hall. No one dared to stop him and Eddard got the feeling that something terrible has been unleashed.
To be continued
So Jon is finally free of his self-imposed shackles.
New authority unleased
Armor of Invincibility- in myths the warrior is depicted wearing an invincible suit of armor granting protection from any and all attacks. This authority also grants passive protection to Jon where is impervious to harm from mortal weapons.
Sorry about not updating last week. I was swamped with month-end reports. Hopefully this extra-large chapter will make up for that.
This chapter was especially difficult to write because I wanted a valid reason for Jon to leave north and before you say that he could have left after Eddard Stark refused to tell him about his mother, it seemed pretty hallow to me. Jon loved his siblings too much for that.
He had to be pushed out and this made perfect sense (to me, don't know about you guys but I don't want to hear anything about it. Everyone is allowed their own beliefs.)
How did you like it? Was it too much? Too fast paced? Let me know in the comments and please let me know what you want to see in the fic next.
I may not always heed your suggestions but it certainly helps writing the next part.
See you soon.