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Jon's POV
"Where is Daenerys? Answer me." I demand to anyone standing in front of me but no one appears to have the power of tongue. Then my eyes go directly toward Sansa on the ground and the Winter Fox standing over her.
The Winter Fox grabs Sansa by her cloak, dragging Sansa through the mud then throws her to my feet. Sansa is covered in the mud and muck until she realizes I am standing above her. The Winter Fox grabs Sansa by her hair, making her scream. I step forward ready to demand for the Winter Fox to let her go but Arya places her hand on my arm, stopping me.
The black eyed masked Fox growls in Sansa's ear, "Shall I tell him or do you want to? I would love nothing more than to tell him."
The Winter Fox releases Sansa and stands to the right of me waiting for Sansa to speak first. Sansa stares at me with a fear I have never seen toward me. I help Sansa to her feet then I am face to face with Sansa. I wipe some of the mud off her shoulders and arms before I place my gloved hand under Sansa's chin with a gentle touch.
"Sansa, where is Daenerys? What happened?" I softly speak to her.
"Jon, she left. She broke her word to you and fled south to take the Iron Throne from Cersei. She left all of us to die." Sansa trembles in her words.
I take my hand away from her chin then my eyes go to Arya for reassurance it is the truth. She shakes her head no to me. That is not the full truth. I press my lips together then turn my back to Sansa while she remains getting mud off her. I look to the Winter Fox like I knew the masked warrior would not leave out the truth to me. She knew what Sansa truly thinks if she knew the truth about me.
"What happened, Winter Fox?"
"Daenerys did leave but not in the manner your sister speaks of. She saw the truth that her help would never be enough for the North nor the support you give for Daenerys claim of the Iron Throne. Daenerys believed that the death of her Unsullied and Dothraki is not worth it for these rats."
"She swore we would destroy the Night King and his armies; we would do it together." I say in disbelief of Daenerys leaving the North.
"With respect, Jon, the people of the North will never support nor follow Daenerys Targaryen. No matter what she does or will do for them, it will never be enough for any of them. And she knew that deep down in her very core. So she left and had every right to leave. The North will see her as nothing more than that Mad King's daughter or the Queen who conquered the North. So she left to prove she was none of those things however before she left, she wanted me to deliver these letters for you, Jon Snow and Gendry Rivers."
She pulls out two small concealed sealed containers that hold a few letters. Everyone watches in wonder to what she left. The Winter Fox goes over to Gendry, giving him a sealed container. Gendry is not sure what to think of this however the Winter Fox encourages him to open it. He does so, unrolling the parchment in the container.
Gendry reads it to himself but appears to be in shock of what the ink writing says. Arya goes over to see what it is and takes the parchment in her hands. She starts to read as well but stops in what Daenerys Targaryen has done for Gendry in this parchment alone.
"What does it say?" I question.
Arya begins to read out loud for all to hear the ink written words from Daenerys herself.
'I, Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains, Khalessi of the Great Grass Sea, The Unburnt, Queen of Meereen, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms and Lady of Dragonstone hereby declare you, Gendry Rivers into Gendry Baratheon, son of Robert Baratheon, Lord of Storm's End. I ensured that you will inherit your new claimed birth right, lands and titles that come with a fitting reward for a good man. May your Lordship live long and well.'
Arya turns the parchment around to show everyone the hand ink written legitimizing by Daenerys herself and the sealed sigil of the three headed dragon right next to her name, titles and the other signatures of Jorah Mormont and Tyrion Lannister to them bearing witness of this parchment.
Davos comes over in joy of what he just heard. Davos and Gendry hug it out in what Daenerys just did for Gendry, declaring him a Baratheon by name, no longer a bastard. Gendry smiles in joy to see a Queen such as Daenerys to give him something he has probably longed for since he learned who his birth father is. However Arya never knew that Robert Baratheon was his true father by the look on her face. He never got around to telling her with all that is happening.
"That is wonderful news, Gendry." I smile to him as he takes the paper back in his hands, looking at his new titled name.
Then the Winter Fox goes over to me, taking my hand placing one parchment in his hand. "The sealed parchment is for you."
I open the sealed paper and my eyes scroll the ink written words to me. I take a step back in the words just for me. I look at the Winter Fox then to Arya. Arya comes over to me wondering what it is. My eyes see it plain as the sun shining through the dark clouds on a dreadful day.
Arya realizes exactly why I'm reacting the way I am to her letter. I wanted this for as long as I can remember; Arya wanted the same for as long as she can remember. I recall this to be the very first thing I wanted in my life and I finally has it because of Daenerys Targaryen. She legitimized Gendry and I.
"What does the seven hells does it say, Arya?" Sansa wonders in anger.
'Jon Snow, when you read this I will be heading south to make an offer that even Cersei Lannister cannot refuse. If she refuses my offer, then I will remove her from the Iron Throne. Once I do, I will ensure that I am the last stand against the Night King and the army of the Dead if the Dead reach King's Landing. I swore we would destroy the Night King together just before you pledged your loyalty to me but I already loss one of the only children I will ever have beyond the Wall against the Night King. I cannot stand for my Blood Riders and Unsullied to die fighting for the North who will never show an ounce of respect to them. I understand that my evil father earned his title, The Mad King. However I am neither my father nor my brothers that caused so much pain to the North before I came into the world. I wish the North and your sister, Sansa Stark could see that and learn that even enemies can show respect. But I will not force them into giving me respect which is why I decided to make my visit in the North shorter than expected to be.'
'I know that you and Rhaegal have a new bond between each other. And if you wish it, Rhaegal can remain with you as long as Rhaegal wishes to stay but remember one thing about a dragon. A dragon is not a slave. And if you are in need of his mighty fire, just say the word Dracarys and he may unleash it upon those that are enemies to you and him.'
'In light of this, I wanted you to know that I believe that the Night King will be destroyed and all of Westeros will see what you alone have given them. You gave everything you could give. You were a Brother of the Night's Watch, you pledged and gave them your life, honor and sword. I have only ever seen such loyalty and devotion to me by Jorah Mormont but never to what you stand for. I admire you more than you will ever know. And because of my admiration to you and the love you have for your people, I give you this. You deserve this more than any other man alive in the North.'
'I, Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains, Khalessi of the Great Grass Sea, The Unburnt, Queen of Meereen, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms and Lady of Dragonstone hereby declare you, Jon Snow into Jon Stark, son of Lord Eddard Stark, King in the North and Lord of Winterfell. If I see you again, it is going to be a different world.'
Arya sees the ink written signatures of Jorah, Tyrion and Lord Varys on my legitimized parchment. She rolls the parchment back up. I turn my back to everyone. However the Winter Fox remains at my side like we have known each other for a long time. Ghost rubs his head against my hand, somehow feeling what I'm feeling just like Rhaegar when he roars high above Winterfell.
The Winter Fox grabs my right hand almost in a comforting way. My eyes go down at our hands together until Benjen comes forward to break the silence all through the courtyard and the pile of bodies burning away. Benjen places his hand on my shoulder.
"Jon, we need to prepare for the next attack by the Night King and the Others. But first, I need to see Bran."
"He will not see anyone, Uncle Benjen." Arya tells him.
"I am certain he will now." He says just before a raven lands on his shoulder as if Bran was telling him to come see him at the Godswood Tree. "Bran has been doing nothing but learning how to control his powers before the Night King comes. And when the Night King comes, he will be ready and waiting for him. Once he does, Bran will show the full extent of his power.
Benjen, Arya, the Winter Fox, Sansa and I begin to walk to head to the Godswood tree but the Winter Fox stops Sansa in her tracks. "Whoa. Whoa. Whoa, where do you think you are going?"
"I am coming with to see what he has to say."
"You thought... Oh, no no no. No, you are not coming. This is for actual warriors. Not just a woman wearing a once pretty now muddy dress with a fancy title. Stay like a good little direwolf pup you should be." The Winter Fox says before slamming the gates in Sansa's face then locking the gates with her ax so no one else can get in here.
I cannot even argue with the words of the Fox to my own sister. It is better for Sansa to stay in the courtyard and get a headcount of the men left to fight against the White Walkers.
"Thank you, Winter Fox. You honestly take me by surprise but in a good way." I tell the Winter Fox.
"Of course I do." The Winter Fox says like it is no surprise.
I smile when the Fox extends their hand out for me to go first. I go ahead while the others follow behind me. All four of us head toward the Godswood tree where Bran is waiting for us. Bran is seating in his chair underneath the branches of the dark red leaves of the Godswood tree.
Benjen stops at the sight of the Godswood tree branches filled with many ravens as if waiting for a command. All of the ravens stare down at us and it gives me a bit of the creeps however whatever Bran has, this is one of his powers.
"I knew you would come, Uncle Benjen. I am glad you have returned to Winterfell." Bran manages to move his chair around to face all four of us. "I have been doing nothing but learning and controlling before the Night King comes to Winterfell."
Benjen's POV
Jon, Arya, this Winter Fox and I approach the Godswood tree with Bran in a sort of moving chair due to his legs. Jon and Arya stop in their steps when they see every single branch of the Godswood Tree filled with possibly hundreds of ravens. I would expect nothing else from the Three Eyed Raven.
I am standing directly behind his chair when he speaks, "I knew you would come, Uncle Benjen. I am glad you have returned to Winterfell."
Bran manages to move his chair around to face the four of us. He looks at the Winter Fox, almost like he was not expecting the Winter Fox to be here at all. However he puts his focus on me.
"That makes two of us, Bran. How is the Three Eyed Raven now that the Night King has found its way to the World of Men?" I ask.
"I have been learning, controlling what I am; becoming a thousand eyes, a hundred skins, wisdom deep as the roots of ancient trees." Bran says while Arya and Jon approach alongside me.
"Such as Greenseers do." The Winter Fox speaks to the Three Eyed Raven like he is just an ordinary man but this Fox needs to control their tongue.
Arya questions, "Greenseers?"
"Greenseers are wise men possessed powerful magic. A title given to those with the magical ability to perceive past, present even distant future events as Green Dreams; Greenseers were much respected by the Children of the Forest. That is what Bran is among other things." I tell Arya.
"Yes, however there is more to discuss than what I can do. All of the disagreements about Daenerys Targaryen need to cease or all will die. Everyone and everything will die."
"Try changing the mind of that spineless bitch of a sister of yours, Brandon Stark!" The Winter Fox gets in his face with a fury in her voice.
I am about to pull this Fox away from Bran however the Fox backs away with their hand on the handle ax remaining holstered on their back. I have no weapons on me if we were to start any kind of fight.
"I most certainly will when she learns that the Night King has Daenerys's dragon child, Viserys and he is ascending onto Winterfell as we speak." Bran breaks the hostile tension between us.
"What?" Jon says in terror of what he just spoke of.
I thought Jon already knew about the dragon being a Wight Dragon. Jon turns his back and places his gloves hands on the Godswood tree. His breathing becomes shallow and quick. I place my hand on his shoulder but he pushes me away from him. Arya is about to approach but he tells her not to.
"The Night King has her child. The Dragons are the only children she will ever have and he has one of them. Her child is a slave..." He whispers in sorrow for the dragon.
I know he witnessed the dragon butchered right out of the sky. It was the sight of the dragons flying overhead that had me follow where they were going. If I never saw the dragons beyond the Wall, I do not think I never would have been able to save Jon from the white walkers when I did. Jon cannot blame himself for the death of the dragon. There was nothing anyone could have done the moment the Night King threw the ice spear into the sky.
I never heard a cry like the cries of a dragon falling out of the sky into the depths of the frozen ice lake below. The sight of a dragon for the first time with my own eyes and the stories I grew up on the power of the dragons. I believed the might of three dragons would be enough against the Night King. But he proved otherwise, taking out one of the most powerful beasts in the world like it was nothing more than killing a rabbit or deer on a hunt for him.
I often thought about the dying cries of the dragon when I had a moment to think when the White Walkers had me from beyond the Wall to Winterfell. It is a sound I would never wish upon anyone to hear. It is like hearing the last screams of your child or someone you raised as your own. If what Jon says is true about the dragons being the only children she will ever have, she watched a child die and she was powerless to do anything.
Suddenly he turns and points at me with anger I have never seen in Jon.
"Did you know, Benjen? Did you know?!" He yells.
"Yes, I know about the dragon."
"What else do you know?"
"I know quite a bit in how the Night King will attack. What do you want to know about the Night King?"
"I will get to the Night King even if I take him down with me. But there is something I wish to know. Did Lord Eddard Stark tell you about me?"
"About you? What are you speaking of?"
"Did you know about my mother?!" He unleashes those five words like he has kept it in for a long time and silently like a crypt.
I freeze in knowing what he is asking of me however I was unsure if any of it was true. I put my hands up to try to ease into him what I am about to tell him.
"TELL ME!!!!" He shouts again but far more desperate than before that it makes me and Arya jump in his shouting.
"Jon, I did not truly know. I had my suspicion."
Arya wonders what in the Seven Hells is going on. "What suspicious about his mother, Benjen? Who is his mother?"
The Winter Fox stands behind Jon and I can tell that the Winter Fox already knows what Jon is speaking of. I wonder how this trickster knows about Jon. Then again the Fox must have ways to learn about things. But I will worry about that after I speak with Jon.
"At first, I didn't think anything of it since he went off to war twice. Ned wasn't sure if he would return home to Winterfell. But when he brought home a son from another woman, I was honesty shocked that my own brother, a loyal and honorable man would lay with another woman baffled me. But a part of me wondering how it didn't happen sooner with how his friend, Robert Baratheon was in bashing skulls and fucking girls any chance he got. I thought Robert finally got to him with the amount of girls he was surrounded by. But in the coming years since he brought you home, he hardly looked at you. Not in disgust but more in sadness. I believed it was because he slept with another woman that wasn't Catelyn. Then when you grew more and learned how to ride a horse and his look to you, that is when I had my suspicion about who your mother truly was."
"I was about to squeeze the truth from him to be sure until I saw him in the Crypt at her statue. He swore he would never tell another soul to protect you and keep his oath to her. You were only a boy of ten. I wanted to tell you as soon as I could but I had the same fear as Ned did. If anyone knew the truth about you, you would be nothing more than a chess piece of power to those like Catelyn or a target on your back and Robert would have killed you just because of the blood in your veins. If Sansa was to learn of this, you would be nothing more than a powerful chess piece if she knew the truth; does she know?"
Jon shakes his head no to me. Arya approaches Jon as he looks down, struggling to take a deep breath. She takes his hand in hers. I can tell right away that Arya would keep his identity to her death just as Ned did.
"Who is your mother, Jon? I know how much you wanted to know and I wished for you to know for as long as I could remember."
"Arya, no one else can know besides us here and now. If Sansa, any of the other lords and ladies of Westeros finds out, they will cast me out or they will force me to take the crown. And I do not want to because if I take the crown, lives have been taken just to get me on the throne."
"I swear it, Jon. I will not tell anyone just as our father did." She says her word with absolute loyalty just as her father always did when giving his word. I know how proud Ned would be of his daughter, Arya. He knew she was meant to be more than just a lady of the North.
Jon takes both of her hands in his and looks at his feet before finally staring Arya eye to eye. "Bran and my brother from the Night's Watch, Sam learned something about my mother and my father..."
I take a step closer when Arya takes this in. I remain a few steps away from them so Jon can tell Arya while I am also taking in what I believed to be the truth of Jon.
"Your father? Ned Stark is your father and you are my brother. You are as much of a Stark as I am. I don't give a shit if you are a bastard. You are my brother through and through."
She places her hand on his right cheek. He takes her hand and kisses the inside of it in being grateful of how she will always see him as her brother and not as a bastard. He presses his lips together knowing how hard it is just to tell Arya alone.
"Arya, when Rhaegar Targaryen fell at the Trident and Ned Stark found his sister, Lyanna Stark who had a son. Robert Baratheon would have butchered the baby and Lyanna knew this if Robert ever learned of the baby. She bled to death on her birthing bed and the last thing she did was give her son to her brother to rise as his bastard boy."
Arya stares at him as the words he speaks sinks in deeper and deeper almost like her world has been ripped wide open. Although it is not the response that Sansa would have if she was hearing this herself. Arya does not let go of his hands when speaking aloud these words.
"So Rhaegar Targaryen never raped Lyanna Stark?" She questions.
"No, he didn't. He loved her and they were married in secret. My real name is Aegon Targaryen." Jon whispers in joy knowing that he was not born out of wedlock.
I remember when he was a little boy; he thought he was a monster for being born due to Catelyn Stark's ill treatment toward him. He did not asked for any of that treatment. I truly wished Catelyn Stark was more of a mother to him since he was nothing more than a motherless child. I truly wish that Lyanna lived so she could have treasured and loved him like he deserved.
Arya smiles the biggest smile and places her hands around his face. She rests her forehead against his still smiling like she is the happiest person in the world. "You are still my brother, no matter what."
Then she wraps her arms around him, hugging him. Jon embraces her with some tears in his eyes and rests his head into her shoulder. They remain in their embrace as I take a few steps closer in joy to see them like this.
"Wait. You are a Targaryen that means that Daenerys is your family as well; that is wonderful, Jon. She is your aunt..." Arya says when something dawns on her.
I realize what has dawned on her. And I know that look on her face from anywhere. That look only means one thing; Jon and Daenerys slept together. Daenerys Targaryen is his aunt by blood and that also means the Mad King was Jon's grandfather. His own grandfather killed my father, his grandfather. It is just one big pile of seven hells the more my mind sinks into the blood connection Jon has to House Targaryen.
"You didn't know she was your aunt when you and her..." I say to him while the fingers of my hands are separate then come to together to symbolize they had sex.
"Of course I didn't know. I never would have done it if I had known. However I do have more questions. You or Ned could have told me what I am from the start but you didn't. Why is that?" Jon says to me with a sense of anger in his voice toward the fact that I had some knowledge to who he is.
"You know why we didn't tell you, Jon. It was for your safety and to keep Lyanna's promise. You are her only living memory left in the world. It was better to protect you and all of Westeros from the truth." I tell him however I can see his anger boiling up like water in a cauldron.
"You're full of shit! I know it is because I am the grandson of the Mad King Aerys! The amount of stories told to children around a fire or before bed about how the Mad Dragon King burned people alive! It all makes complete sense now in why Ned never showed an ounce of devotion or never stopped Catelyn's cruelty to me! But that lying bastard of a man showed endless love, devotion and favor toward his true son, Robb in the growing years! You can claim how much Eddard Stark cared for me! But I am nothing more than a walking reminder in how I killed my mother by coming into the world and my grandfather killing my other grandfather! A part of him wishes I died along with my mother so he was not forced to raise the child of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark who plunged the realm into War, half of Westeros dead, millions killed!!! If I had silver head of hair like the other Targaryens, he would have handed me over to Robert to kill me, an innocent newborn baby or he would have killed me with his bare hands if Lyanna never made him swear an oath to protect me!"
Jon lets out everything inside him while Arya tries to hold him back. However I remain wordless because it does not matter what I say to Jon to reassure him that Ned did care for him. But what if Jon speaks the truth? What if Jon was born with silver head of hair instead of Lyanna's strong dark brown hair of the North? He would have been killed because Ned never would have been able to hide him as he did.
The Winter Fox approaches him and manages to hold him back better than Arya can. The Winter Fox slams him against the wooden face on the Godswood Tree. Jon tries to break away from the Fox but he fails.
"I suggest keeping your voice down so all of Winterfell does not hear this. Now breathe, calm yourself down." The Fox says to get through to him.
And somehow it works. Jon's breathing becomes more stable than before. I am surprised to see the Fox place their gloved right hand on the side of his neck, showing a sort of concern, devotion to him even.
"And I am clearly no different from the other Targaryens. I slept with my own blood aunt several times and I am in love with her." He whispers in disgust with himself.
The Winter Fox does something I never expected; she takes a step back then slaps Jon right across the face. Jon has a red print from the slap on his cheek. The Winter Fox grabs Jon by the shoulders so he will look at her.
"We get it. You slept with your aunt but you didn't know at the time. How do you think Daenerys feels? After all, she slept with you, her nephew who has a stronger claim to the Iron Throne than she ever will. She fears that you will take the Iron Throne from her."
"I do not want the Iron Throne."
"And why is that?"
"Because I may be fit to rule as a few have said in the past. I became Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and got killed because I did the right thing in saving the Freefolk. I became King in the North and the entire North is turning their back on me for doing the right thing by bringing Daenerys to aid the North in the Great War of the Long Night."
"No matter what right thing I do, I always pay for it. I do not nor will I ever get close to the Iron Throne. Ned Stark became hand of the king and died shortly after seating on the Iron Throne. Robb, his wife and half of the North died when going to war against Joffrey who sat on the throne. That throne is a death curse for anyone of the North that gets close to it. And I paid with my life already. I don't want anything else taken from me by physically reaching for that damn chair."
The Winter Fox places their hands over his heart and his lower chest. Jon looks down at the hands of the Fox on him for some reason, a look of understanding. I wonder what that understanding look is for.
Arya tells me that his own brothers of the Night Watch brutally stabbed him. He took a lot of knives and the last one was in the heart. I could never dream of them doing such a horrible act however the hatred the Night's Watch had for the Wildlings was great enough to kill Jon for bringing them across the Wall to save them. I would have killed each one of them if I was still First Ranger.
"You did not deserve those knives, Jon. Not one. And you hung those fuckers for their treacherous betrayal." The Winter Fox whispers to him.
Jon exhales slowly in the sadness that his own brothers of the Night's Watch killed him for doing the right thing. However he was brought back and took the lives of those who plunged the knives into him before leaving the Night's Watch.
"And Daenerys knows you solely do not want the throne. However it is others that will do anything, everything to make sure you climb those steps to the Iron Throne rather you want to or not. All they want is to be the player that moves the pieces around the board like chess. And you, Aegon Targaryen are the power move in the game against Daenerys Targaryen. Which leads to this question, do you plan to tell Sansa still?"
Jon shakes his head no to the Winter Fox. The Winter Fox takes a step back pleased knowing that Jon won't tell Sansa. I do not like this Winter Fox and their methods although the Foxes are not wrong. If the other Lords and Ladies of the North knew Jon had a claim to the Iron Throne, they will do any and all in their power to make sure he sits the throne.
"Good however that is not the important matter at hand. The most important thing right now is getting Daenerys back into the Great War; destroy the Night King then figure out all of this incest shit later." The Winter Fox says while taking their hands off of Jon.
"The Winter Fox is right, Jon." Bran says to them.
Arya and Jon look at Bran. The Winter Fox lights up a thin cigar with a match then exhales a puff of smoke to barely lift up the bottom half of their full head helmet. The Fox shakes their head yes in agreement to what Bran said.
"You told the Fox? You have no idea if this trickster will keep your secret." I speak to Jon but my eyes remain locked on this Fox.
"I actually will because I know of the dangers and a few lives at risk of his identity being shared. I highly encouraged him not to tell Sansa even though he wanted to tell her all because she is his family. However Sansa cannot be trusted especially with all she had endured. She is still playing the Game of Thrones. And if she learns of who Jon is, she will play the game no differently than Cersei Lannister." The Fox says while smoking.
"You know quite a bit. What else do you know, Trickster?" I stand face to face with the Fox.
"If I told you everything I know, you would run from the Godswood in terror. I know of infinite dangers and one of them is the Night King. Far more than the Children of the Forest revealed about the creation of the White Walkers."
"What do you know about the Night King, Winter Fox? Tell me everything you know." Jon approaches the Winter Fox like they have been friends far longer than they truly know each other.
"That is something everyone should know once they arrive to Winterfell, King Stark." The Winter Fox says in a certain way.
"Arrive? Who is all coming to Winterfell?" Arya asks.
The Winter Fox tilts their head almost like there is a smile under that battle helmet. The fully armored warrior starts to walk back toward the gates of the Godswood Tree. "They will be here in due time; for now, time to settle those prideful twats in the courtyard about Daenerys Targaryen."
I remain with Bran as Jon and Arya follow behind the Winter Fox. I look to Bran wanting to know what he can do in the fight to come. "I know what you are going to ask me, Uncle Benjen but I cannot do anything against the Night King."
"Cannot do anything? Bran, you are the Three Eyed Raven." I tell him knowing how much power he alone has.
Bran uses his hand to show what looks like a frost bitten finger imprints on his skin. "He marked me when I was curious to see more of the White Walkers. And when he marked me, I am the reason the Three Eyed Raven before me was killed. He knows exactly where I am. I cannot run or hide. He will track me down to the end of the world. My power is useless against him. I cannot warg into any of his white walkers, the Others or into his Wight Dragon. I tried but he felt me watching him before he used the power of the dragon to break the magical properties of the Wall. I can only Warg into living things, nothing dead. I am just bait."
I place my hand on his shoulder understanding how he must feel with all of his strong power but still powerless to do anything against the Night King. However there must be something he can do. Then I had a thought when he speaks of Warging into living things.
"Maybe there is something you can do. There are many living things in just the woods alone. Maybe you can bring the animals of the world into the fight." I tell him with a possible chance of hope that he can do more in the fight to come.
"Can you push me closer to the Godswood Tree?"
I shake my head yes and push the moving chair so he can be right in front of the face of the tree. The pale white weirwood face with the tears of red dripping down like it is crying. Bran stares at me then to the endless Ravens in the Godswood Tree. He places his left hand to the mouth of the Weirwood face.
I watch his eyes turn completely white. Bran's white eyes stare blankly upward. I look to all the Ravens above me. The eyes of the Ravens briefly turn white then the ravens' take to flight in the winter skies. The ravens fly away from Winterfell to do the will of the Three Eyed Raven.
I smile knowing Bran will do have his part to play against the Night King. I leave Bran to do his powerful work through the eyes of the Weirwood.
I make my way back into the Courtyard to see who has arrived to Winterfell. I see Jon greeting at least over thirty men. They appear to be Wildlings and men of the Night's watch. I am not sure the Wildlings can be trusted. But then I see how Jon speaks to them like he knows them.
Jon is smiling to one wilding that is built like hardly any man here. I approach Jon as the wildling calls Jon, "My little crow."
"I thought you were lost when the Night King broke through the Wall." Jon says in relief to see his wildling friend.
"Almost but it will take more than the Wall coming down to take me out." He says with a chuckle in his voice to Jon. They hug for a brief moment then Jon sees me.
"Tormund, this is my uncle Benjen. Uncle Benjen, this is Tormund Giantsbane. Benjen was the First Ranger in the Night's watch before we ever met."
He pulls his weapon to see I look like a white walker. Jon steps in front of me. "Tormund, wait. He was attacked by the White Walkers but he is not one of them. He is still Benjen Stark."
"How?" The wildling almost growls at me, ready to cut me down.
"I led a ranging party deep into the North to find White Walkers. They found us. A white walker stabbed me in the gut with a sword of ice. I was left there to die and to turn. The Children of the Forest found me. Their magic stopped the Walker's magic from taking hold of me. They plunged a shard of Dragonglass into my heart. I have been beyond the Wall to help anyone I could to get beyond the Wall. I helped Bran and Jon before they took me. The White Walkers cannot kill me since I am like them in body. Only fire, valyrian steel can kill me now."
This wildling, Tormund lowers his weapon however I can tell that I will need and want to prove what I say since I can tell others are uneasy around me. "Jon, do you have a plain steel blade on you?"
Jon pulls out the dagger on him and hands it to me. I stare at the dagger know this will be more than enough to prove I am true to my words. I take the steel blade and shove it right into my gut. Several people are in shock of what I just did. I show the dagger in my stomach with my hands to my sides and slowly turn for all to see.
I then take the dagger and twist it inside me. I do not scream nor feel the pain of the dagger inside me. I take the dagger out to show I do not bleed either. Quite a number of people are terrified in the fact that I just stabbed myself like it was nothing. I hand the dagger back to Jon. Jon sees no blood on the blade of the dagger before he places it back on his belt.
"That is proof enough for me. No mindless white walker would willingly plunge a dagger into themselves like he just did." Tormund says and his look at me immediately changed. We were good now.
"Jon, where is the dragon queen? She needs to know something about her dragon."
"Yes, I know about the Night King having a dragon now. But the Queen has gone..." He says in the disappointment of having to tell Tormund this news.
"Gone? What the fuck do you mean gone?"
"Queen Daenerys Targaryen left with good reason. She left because of the ill treatment toward her. She did not want to risk her men and forces for the shit filled pride people of the North. The North sees her as nothing more than the Mad King's daughter, nothing more or less." The Winter Fox approached Tormund.
He questions the masked warrior, "Who the fucks are you?"
"The Winter Fox, Leader of the Foxes of the Sunset Sea." The Winter Fox says as the second fox stands to the right.
"You got to me shitting me? You are it? You truly are the Foxes of the Sunset Sea?" Tormund asks, making sure he heard those words right.
Tormund has a look of awe like he has heard of them. He stands face to face with the Winter Fox. He is taller than the warrior dressed in all black and valyrian steel armor. He extends his arm out to the Fox. The Winter Fox and Tormund Giantsbane grip each other by the wrist. Tormund smiles almost like the young boy in him meeting a lifelong hero warrior of his.
"Most of the world denies that the lot of you exists. And the ones that do believe in you, they want nothing more than to join. You only are credited with over thousands if not hundreds of thousands kills in the last hundreds of years. You were nothing more than a ghost tale around a roaring fire." Tormund says as though the Winter Fox is the top warrior in all of Westeros, even the world.
"You heard of them?" I ask the Freefolk man.
"Yes and that is not all. The Foxes of the Sunset Sea are more than just killers. You have a trove of endless books, history on people of the world, weapons, magical materials, artifacts and vast items collected from all across the world and time. Any of the collected knowledge and items was talked about across time but never found unless you wanted them to be found."
Their wrist grip lets go as an amount of respect bounces back between each other. Tormund then looks to Jon like he is on a mission for something in particular. "Is the big woman still here, little crow?"
His eyes search for whoever he is speaking of but he does not seem to find the big woman he speaks of. He manages to bring his attention back to Jon and the Winter Fox. "Why would the North ill-treat the Dragon Queen since she came here to save the North?"
"Because the lords and ladies of the North would rather sentence the entire North to death than except help from Queen Daenerys and the source of the death sentence of the North is the bitch, Sansa Stark." The Winter Fox speaks and points directly at Sansa who is still trying to get mud off her dress before Jon can even get a word to him.
Tormund stares right at Sansa with hatred boiling inside him. Tormund walks toward Sansa and asks, "Is what the Fox speak of the truth?"
"We all had disagreements about the Dragon Queen being here to help, however she left of her own free will and with much discussion, we realized it was best that we do not need her help." Sansa says to him.
"Uh-huh. I see. Been preparing for that little speech long, have you?" Tormund sees right through the bull shit Sansa was saying to him. "So in full truth, King Crow did everything he could to get the Dragon Queen here to save the North and all she asked in return was to support her claim to that damn throne and you lot went against your own King?"
None of them answered him. I can tell right away that even Jon was mad at the very lords and ladies who chose him to become King in the North that they all decided the North is better off than the decision Jon made for their lives, their people.
"You miserable, miserable, unthankful traitors. Who do you think you are?" Tormund talks to them like they are nothing more than dogs to him.
"We are his people and look out for his best interests." One of the lords has the guts to even speak to the Wildling man.
"Oh, that's ballsy of you! You are my people and you betray me like this?!" Jon shouts to them.
"Jon, you don't understand." Sansa tries to speak to Jon but he pushes her away.
"You know I do understand just as much as any of you, Sansa. The Mad King killed many just because the voices in his head told him to or before him, when the King of the North bent the knee to Aegon the Conqueror in order to save his people in the long run. But now that we need the help of the Mad King's daughter, you can't handle it. And after all I have done to get here; you thought I would be grateful? Now our only chance of survival has left. Daenerys is gone and she is not coming back..." Jon says the words with hitting him like a knife to his heart.
"I am beginning to wonder if you want any of this to succeed at all, Lords and Ladies of the North." Jon says with contained anger.
"What are you saying, King Stark?" Lyanna Mormont asks.
"What I am saying, Lady Mormont is that my direwolf, Ghost or the Winter Fox's horse can run the entire north better than the whole fucking lot of you!" He says while every single person in Winterfell is silent in his words.
Jon turns his back to the people who believed they were looking out for him and themselves. Sansa is about to reach Jon but Tormund and a several wildings stand in her way. Sansa tries to get through but Tormund pushes her to the ground, drenched in mud all over again. He does not care that she is a woman.
"You have no idea what this man has done before he ever came back here. He saved our lives again and again because he knew the fate of every living person in the world if the Night King has his way. It will be an endless night with no life. Jon died for us, for all of you and this is how you fucking thank him?!"
"Wildling! You have no idea the hardship we endured of the Dragon Queen's family and others after her father! And we swore never to kneel to another again! You will never understand that, wildling!" Lyanna Mormont yells so loud that everyone becomes quiet.
But Lyanna Mormont does not scare Tormund when he screams back, "Fuck all of you! We lived in a world with a massive Wall that was meant to keep us out! Your King in the North kicked us back out beyond the Wall even after we helped in the Age of Heroes against the first White Walkers! We remember it all too well in the stories we were told again and again! You believe know of hardship? You wouldn't know hardship if it shitted in your face!!!"
"We lived in a world constantly looking over our shoulders, sleeping with one eye open at the risk of being killed by a fucking crow of the Night's Watch and the White Walkers! You weep for the hardship you endured? You have no right to weep! You have no true idea what is coming and these walls need to be defended. Who is going to defend them?"
He begins to point out each of the fancied dressed lords and ladies in their faces. "You? You? You? You? You? You? You? You? You? And you?"
"Your King has a greater responsibility than you can possibly imagine! You weep for your hardship but it is nothing more than fucking child's play! You should be grateful in not seeing the things we have seen and for the help of the Dragon Queen! King Crow saved countless lives by ensuring the forces of the Dragon Queen! But while the south counts her help as disgraceful, her help saves lives! You don't want her help because deep down in places, you know the Dragon Queen is not her father! And no matter how much you will deny it tooth and nail, you want her defending these walls; you need her on these walls!"
"You fuckers use words like Loyalty and Honor as banner words when they are nothing more than empty words! Those words are the backbone of the Freefolk in lives spent defending the future of our people! Your King does not have to explain to any of you why he chooses the Dragon Queen to defend your southern kingdom and how he provided her help to defend your shitty hole! If anything, you should thank him and be on your way! Otherwise, you better pick up a weapon, stand to fight! Either way, I do not give a shit less in your belittled reasons in acting in the interest of your King! You lot are backstabbers except for this one!"
Tormund points at Jon, defending him like he is one of the Freefolk. I see the small amount of Freefolk here agree with Tormund and all of them stand behind Jon, having his back no matter the odds against them. That is what Jon was expecting of the people of the North but these Freefolk are more of the North then the actual people of the North.
"The Freefolk fought alongside your ancestors and as a thank you, the fucking lot of men you admire in history trapping us on the other side! Our ancestors all the way down to us standing here fought to get beyond the wall to know the kind of life all of you have lived by raising and sleeping under the blankets that our ancestors provided in the Freefolk lives lost in killing the Night Queen Thousands of years ago and driving away the very man of your own that became the Night King!"
The words echo into my mind that one of our own became the Night King. Jon, Arya, Gendry and several others captured in the words he spoke. We are not sure what he speaks of in one of our own being the Night King. No one knows who the Night King is; not even me in the time I spent among them before being strung up as a trap.
"Tormund, what do you speak of?" Jon asks him.
Tormund realizes that whatever stories he and the other wildlings know of the Night King, no one here knows of it. The Winter Fox lights up another small cigar and tells him, "They do not know. It was purposefully erased from their history. It is time for the Freefolk to tell your stories about the Night's Watch. Or should I do the honors?"
Tormund gazes at the masked Winter Fox warrior and gives a smile. "Go right ahead. I have spoken the story enough. I want to hear it from another."
The Winter Fox bows their head to him, thanking him for the permission to tell the story. The Winter Fox stands before everyone like the Fox is about to tell children a story around a bonfire until their entire body changes like something caught its attention.
Before a word can be spoken, the Winter Fox grabs one of their axes, turns around throwing the ax. Sansa screams when the ax goes right over her head, falling to the muddy ground yet again. The ax hits a target just above the courtyard wall of where Sansa was standing. The target was shattered into pieces, falling to the ground as does the ax. The Winter Fox goes over to the shattered pieces on the ground. Jon, Arya, Tormund, the Second Fox and I see the shattered pieces look like frozen set of wings, almost like it was an ice bird of some kind.
"What was that thing?" Arya questions.
The Winter Fox stands up, looking to the walls of the courtyard, looking for more. But there is no others within eye sight. The Winter Fox goes back over to the pieces, steps on them, destroying what remains. "This was a frozen crow, a spy for the Night King. And now that he knows that Daenerys Targaryen is not here, he will attack again shortly. Get whatever forces ready. Now."
Tormund tells his Freefolk men to get armed, ready to fight. Jon talks to the small force of the Night's Watch so they can know their post. Gendry goes back to the blacksmith work station to continue making more weapons. Arya goes over to the archers in where they need to take place on the wall and on the ground.
Sansa stands to her feet in her mud covered dress. I know that dress is ruined with no chance of fixing it. Sansa has a frown on her face in what has happened. I grab Sansa's hand because if anything that has happened won't change her mind, then she is not fit to help in a high seat of Winterfell.
"Sansa, I know how much you refuse the aid of Daenerys Targaryen and believe me, I am right there with you. However I want you to look at something for me just as our ancestor once did when Aegon the Conqueror came to the North three hundred years ago. Look with me." I turn her around to face all of the people getting to work.
"Look at each man, woman and child. They want to be free and they are almost within reaching distance of it. They can taste it in some ways. With Daenerys Targaryen, they can have a future; maybe even fulfill their hopes and dreams; a promise of a life with dignity. That is what Torrhen Stark saw when he saw the size of Aegon's mighty host and dragons. Torrhen knew he could not let his people die for his pride. He would rather secure a future for his people than lose their lives in an already lost battle of fire. Torrhen Stark did the right thing just as Jon Stark has done with Daenerys Targaryen now. That is what you should want for the people of the North just as Jon does."
Sansa and I watch young children with a terrible sadness on their face, the unknown if they will make it out alive from this. I point to the children for Sansa to truly understand my next words.
"They are being robbed of their childhood just as you were robbed of yours in King's Landing. Those children should be playing, laughing, learning how to ride a horse, and become a marksman with a bow and arrow while their fathers watch them train or how to hunt rabbit, or deer. Just as me, my sister and brothers did right here in Winterfell."
"I remember when Ned knocked me to the ground when learning to fight. Ned helped me to my feet. He said to keep my shield up or he would ring my head like a bell. I knew he would if I didn't keep my shield up. The people of the North were so happy, living good lives even if it was not gold rich lives. That is what the North needs to return to. And it can."
Sansa takes my words heavily to heart at the children who have no choice but to fight in the Great War. She has some tears in her eyes and is about to say something when I notice some of the horses tied up acting scared, nervous like a predator is around them. I immediately grab my weapon, lighting it with the closest torch to me.
I continue to watch the horses until they settle down from whatever it was that spooked them. I lower my weapon wondering if I am becoming mad with all I have seen. I have been beyond the Wall far too long. I forgot what it is like to be among the living. I look to Sansa in relief.
"What was it?"
"Nothing, it was nothing, Sansa. Now please find a way to bring the Queen of Fire & Blood- MOVE!!!" I push Sansa to the side when suddenly a large beast with sharp claws and teeth nearly kill her from behind.
The large beast turns around and icy blue eyes jumps out for all to see. Many start running in terror. I make sure Sansa is behind me while I have my weapon in hand ready to kill the beast. It dawns on me that this is no ordinary animal. And this creature is not just a white walker, it is a direwolf...
This direwolf has a sort of silvery grey fur however some of its fur ripped off almost torn apart, showing rotting flesh and bone. I am not sure which direwolf is this but I know it is almost the size of Ghost. This has to be Bran's direwolf that died fighting against the White Walkers when the Three Eyed Raven Tree was attacked. Bran told me that his direwolf was killed while they were escaping.
I recall Bran saying Summer had bright yellow eyes like they were the sun but overcome by the icy blue eyes of a walker. The wight direwolf mouth opens, growling while its tongue licks the front of its sharp teeth, ready to do what the Night King sent it to do. The direwolf, Summer is a slave to the Night King's will now.
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