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Jon's POV
I slowly open my eyes to the sound of the ocean waves outside the ship. My eyes take a moment to get my surroundings. The view of sun is covered by the snow storm happening outside the ship and through Westeros. I release a slow exhale when realizing all that occurred the passing night was real.
I turn my head to the left to the most glorious sight. Daenerys asleep in my arms with her head rested on my chest. I look down to see the blankets of the bed covering our naked bodies. I realize that her left leg is over both of mine. The softness and warmth of her leg over mine feels so good. I could not help but to smile. This gorgeous, silver haired woman is really here with me. And last night truly transpired.
I cannot help but study every inch of her sleeping in my arms; the shape of her nose, lips, hair, everything about her. I find this moment so pure to me. I want to capture this moment for whatever life I have left. I gently kiss her on her forehead. I rest my head on top of hers, just listening to the sounds of the ship and waves outside.
Suddenly I notice someone is across the bed from us. I sit up to see a silver hair man with violet purple eyes and a smile across his face. Before I could even get a better look of him, he is no longer across from me. I lightly shake my head. I place my hand on my forehead thinking to myself that I am just seeing things. I gaze around the room to the edge of the bed to ensure that Daenerys and I are truly alone in the room. I deeply inhale when the beautiful queen starts to sigh in sleepiness.
I lay back down, softly taking her hands in mine. Her eyes start to blink in waking up. She inhales in a deep breath then her eyes meet mine. I smile at her when her eyes shine at the sight of me.
She smiles at me asking, "Morning, Jon Snow."
"Morning, Daenerys Stormborn. How did you sleep?" I ask her with a smile on my face.
"I cannot remember the last time I slept as well as I did in this bed with you." I smile a bit more when Daenerys notices how I am smiling to her. "What's that smile?"
"What smile?" I ask her, remaining with the same smile on my face.
She leans her forehead against mine staring right into my eyes whispering, "That smile."
I place my hand on her cheek whispering to her, "I am happy. I shouldn't be happy in a time like this but I am. I'm happy."
Daenerys smiles before kissing me on the lips. I kiss her back and I embrace her body closer to me. After our lips part, she tells me to sit up, I do so. I feel Daenerys rub her fingers against my back, I lean my head back in how good this feels. She keeps on going for awhile that I just let my mind slip away.
Eventually, Daenerys stops and as soon as she does, my mind dives right back into needing to talk with her. My eyes turn to stare at Daenerys knowing we were about to ride for Winterfell together tomorrow. Daenerys knew this is on my mind when she says, "I know."
I feel her body sit up, resting against my backside. The feel of her wonderful breasts on my muscled back makes my body ready to be with her again but I keep it under control since we do need to talk about what we are to face. Her hand reaches for mine. I see our fingers slowly embrace around each other.
She lays her forehead against mine; we sit here just listening to each other breathe. "I do not want to leave this room or you..." I whisper to her.
She seems stunned of what I just said to her. I knew what I just said is dangerous for both of us. The Long Night is coming for everyone. And if this is to be my last days to live, to really live, I want to tell her things I have not told anyone.
"I am sorry. That is the worst thing to ever say for what is to come. I've never had this level of calmness, showing how I truly feel for another." I gaze into her eyes that still shine like bright stars.
"I feel exactly as you do. I did have some calmness with my husband however it was not easy when we first married. But I manage to make my situation better which lead to what we had before he died." Daenerys tells me while I can tell she is saying this with a heavy heart. I recall all that she told me when I first met her at Dragonstone. It is one of the things that made her into the woman she is.
"I do need to warn you of how the Northerners may respond to you when you arrive. They do not trust outsiders very often. You know how stubborn we both were when first meeting."
"Indeed, I do; stubborn as an ass." Daenerys chuckles when saying this.
I cannot resist in chuckling right back. "Aye. So with me being as stubborn as an ass, imagine how the entire North will feel when they meet you. None of them do not know you yet; however I can tell you that if you want their respect even their whole loyalty to have the North backing your claim to the throne, you have to earn it."
She nods her head in agreement. "I will do what I can to earn it. I am sure that I will have to start with your sister. Anything I need to know before meeting her?"
"My sister... Well, she thinks she is smarter than anyone else around her after all she has endured. She is like her mother, Catelyn Stark. Once her mind is basically made up, there is no unchanging it. She will speak her mind even in front of everyone. She did it with me. Then again, she always did when we were growing up. Be prepared if she does not like you straight away."
Daenerys presses her lips together, acknowledging what I am telling her. She lets out an exhale, already knowing upfront that it is not going to be easy. However I have seen her do things I thought was impossible and she proved me wrong. I know she will do the same with my sister and all of the North.
"Is there anything I can do to lighten up our first meeting? Is there anything she enjoys doing like she did as a child?"
"She enjoys stitching her gowns. She even made the cloak I wear. Sansa has always been really good at it ever since she first learned." I lightly smile at the thought of how different Sansa when then compared to now. She looked forward to the possibility of what life she wanted in King's Landing. Instead it became the exact opposite for her just as the Night's Watch became for me.
"What about you? What were you like as a child?"
"A complete and total bore while sulking in the corner over watching my half brothers and sisters playing. Life of a bastard is something I would never wish upon anyone." I recall envying everyone around my father, even wishing for a time that Catelyn treated me more like a child than a beast walking around.
I cannot help but to think about all that has happened in my life. My mind goes all the way back to the last time I ever saw my father. He promised that the next time we would see each other that we would talk about my mother. I never got the chance nor will I.
"What is on your mind, Jon? Tell me." She rubs her hand up and down my left arm.
"I'm thinking back on whom I use to be and who I am now. It all changed when I reunited with my sister, Sansa at Castle Black. She told me that we had to take back Winterfell, fight for our home. We had to fight for what is ours she said to me. As she said this, I told her I was tired of fighting, I still am. It is all I have done since I left Winterfell to go serve in the Night's Watch. I fought and I lost more times than I would like to admit, Daenerys. I do not want that to happen again." I tell her.
"And yet you are still fighting, Jon. That makes you a survivor, a true fighter." She admiralty tells me.
I turn my body around to face her. I bring her left hand onto the stab scars on my chest. Daenerys does not look away from them. She begins brushing her fingers across each one. "When I died, my last thought and feeling was fear. The fear of what was going to happen in the fight to come and what was going to happen with what remained of my family when I drew my last breath."
The look on her face is stunned by what I am telling her. I have not told anyone this; Daenerys is the first. I never wanted to tell anyone until Daenerys. I want to tell her because I trust her that she will keep this to herself alone.
"Then I was brought back, I thought it was all some sort of nightmare. But when I sat up and saw Davos looking at me like he was seeing a ghost before him. I started to remember what they did to me. I felt the pain of every knife shoved into my chest when I saw the knife scars on me. I felt like I could not breathe when I barely touched the knife holes in me. I tried to stand up from the table but I could not due to the horrible feeling of not breathing in those moments. Davos helped me to a chair and covered me. It was then I came to realize that I was dead but no longer."
Daenerys did not take her eyes off of me as I continue to tell her all of this. "Melisandra, a woman known to follow this Lord of Light brought me back somehow. She asked me what happened afterwards, after they stabbed me. Where did I go? What did I see? And I saw nothing, nothing at all."
I put my hand over my mouth thinking about that terrifying feeling of nothing at all after death. I let out a deep breath. Daenerys is not sure what to say about any of this but I can see that she wants to say something. I encourage her to ask.
"Melisandra came to me at Dragonstone. She is the one who told me about you and the things you have accomplished. Tyrion was stunned to hear that you are King in the North. He is the one who told me to invite you to Dragonstone." She is somewhat surprised as I am.
Then again, she mentioned that I would need her help in the fight to come. She still tried to help me in the fight to come. I know that I cannot tell Davos any of this, not now. I know he will react with angry and with great reason. However I will tell him after we arrive at Winterfell between the two of us. I push that aside for now and keep on telling Daenerys more.
"When I learned that there was nothing after death and that I failed, Davos told me 'Good. Now go fail again.' When he said, I was going to live my life the way I wanted to live it. Then Sansa and the fight for Winterfell came. During the battle, there were moments when I was getting trampled over; nearly suffocated to my death. While that was happening, the knowing that there is nothing after death made me fight to get up. I used what strength I had left to get myself up, fighting for air again."
"I told myself that if I'm going to die again, I will die knowing that the remaining Starks will be safe. That Winterfell will always be in the Stark family forever. Thankfully the Vale came in to help defeat the Boltons, taking Winterfell back."
"Now the War of the Long Night is here. If I am to die against the Night King or Cersei, I will know with all of my heart that my family is safe and sound for all time. Now you will be a part of that, I will do everything I can to ensure you get what you always wanted after the Long Night. The Iron Throne will be yours."
Daenerys has a look of fear in her eyes when I said these words to her. I mean every word. If I am going to die again, I will die knowing my family will endure without me, and Daenerys rule is set in stone, no matter what.
"I never met anyone like you, Jon Snow. I hope you get to see your family endure throughout the rest of your days." She whispers to me. Our foreheads rest upon each other. After she says those words, I have to be honest with her about what could happen in the battle against the Night King.
"Daenerys, I'm going to be honest with you. I am unsure how many will survive this war against the Night King. If there's a chance to take him out for good, I will take it. And I will take him with me if I have to. Daenerys, if I am to die defeating him; I cannot say how grateful I am for meeting and knowing you. You made me feel things I never thought I would have again. If I do survive the fight against the Night King, I'll be by your side when you take the Iron Throne. You are the one person worthy of the Iron Throne; you always will be."
I bring her hand to my lips, kissing it gently when I see tears in her eyes sliding down her face. "I cannot imagine how any person could go through that and still be in one piece like you are, Jon."
I smile to her then I stare at our hands together. "When you knew that you were dying, what were you hoping to see in the afterlife before you found out there was nothing at all?" Daenerys asks me.
I had no second thought about my answer. "I thought I would reunite with my father and my brothers. Then finally find out who my mother was. I never met my mother. I do not know if she is alive or dead. I'll never get to know my mother, not her name, what she looks like, her voice. I only feel sorrow of not knowing her. If she ever loved me or even thinks of me to this day. That is the one thing I wanted to know in my life. I also hoped I would get to see her when I died. But I never will."
Daenerys asks me, "What did you see in your father that you do not see in yourself, Jon?"
"It is my brown hair and my eyes. I suppose I favor more of my mother." I tell her in remembering others that told me that I favor her more than my father.
Daenerys puts her hand on my face telling me, "At least you know she was beautiful."
I never thought of it the way Daenerys just put it. I smile at the thought of it. I place my hand on her hand touching my face. "Daenerys, nothing I have ever known has made me feel this way in being here with you."
"Jon, we have one more day before we arrive to White Harbor. Let us not think of anything else. Let it be just the two of us again as it was last night." Daenerys says with a smile on her face when she shoves me onto my back. I grin in how she climbs on top of me.
Daenerys kisses her honey lips against mine when our bodies have no space between us. We get wrapped up in each other exactly as we did last night. I never want to leave this bed now. I want to stay here and be a person without a worry in the world. I want nothing more than for it to be the two of us and no one else like we are now. This is paradise to me right here.
