Seven Dreams One Kingdom

2-Jon

When Jon woke that morning, he knew he had to leave. Despite having executed the main ringleaders and engineers of his murder, whenever Jon entered the courtyard, all he could see was knives. He felt the cold blades puncturing his body. The deep sense of betrayal and fear at every turn, meant he no longer belonged here, regardless of the threat of the whitewalkers. Let someone else deal with the shit, he'd go south, to a place where nobody cared whether or not he was a bastard, maybe Dorne.

It felt strange dressing in clothes more akin to those of his father instead of the usual black of the Night's Watch. In the Stark fashion, he wore a brigandine of dark brown leather, with a blue shirt. When the Lady Melisandre resurrected him, she had cut his hair, leaving it short at the back and long at the front, making it look uneven, so he tied it up. When he looked at his reflection in the mirror, he barely recognised himself. Gone had the youthful looking Lord Commander, now he was a man, or so his appearance suggested. Not only did he look different, he felt different. He knew death had changed him. Gone was his sense of purpose. His family were dead or missing, what was the point in fighting if there was nothing to fight for? The songs were romantic, life and death were ugly. Jon needed a new purpose. Fully dressed, he began to pack his meagre belongings. He would need enough food to at least make it to the Riverlands. He had some coin, which would allow him to spend a night or two at an inn. The thought of visiting a whorehouse crossed his mind.

Jon wasn't alone in his chambers. The new acting Lord Commander, Edd Tollett was with him. Angry at Jon's decision to leave the wall, despite his watch had ending with his death.

"Pass me Longclaw." Jon asked as Edd walked over to the other end of the room to retrieve the Valyrian steel sword, he stared at it for a moment.

"Where you gonna go?" Edd asked.

"South." Jon placed a pair of gloves into his bag.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Get warm." Jon smiled as Edd slammed Longclaw down on the table, clearly not amused by Jon's attempt to be funny.

"I was with you at Hardhome. We saw what's out there. We know it's coming here. How can you leave us now?" Edd growled.

"I did everything I could. You know that."

"You swore a vow."

Jon leaned on the table. "Aye, I pledged my life to the Night's Watch. I gave my life."

"For all nights to come." Edd raised his voice.

"They killed me, Edd!" how could Edd not understand the betrayal, how it hurt? "My own brothers. You want me to stay here after that?" they were interrupted by the sound of a single horn outside. Jon and Edd looked towards the doorway and went outside to see who it was.

"Riders approaching!" one of the guards shouted. "Open the gate!"

By the time Jon had made it outside, the three riders were already dismounting their horses. A mess of copper hair stood out against the dreary backdrop of Castle Black. Jon immediately thought of Ygritte, but quickly pushed that thought to one side. Too tall, too elegant, and despite being filthy, it was clear this woman had the poise of a Lady. She turned around, scanning the now silent yard, clearly looking for someone. The moment her blue eyes locked onto his, something shifted inside him. Sansa, his sister was alive and had come to find him. As he descended the stairs, he found he was unable to breathe. Gone had the prim and proper, pretty little girl. In her place stood a bruised and battered, beautiful woman. He made his way across the courtyard, slowly at first, not knowing how he should approach her. They'd never been close as children. Sansa was almost a stranger to him, but now she was the most important person in his life, he didn't want to scare her away. Sansa seemed to have less reservations. She walked over to him, encouraging him to pick up the pace. She almost leapt into his arms. Jon took her into his arms and picked her up. He closed his eyes as he felt the tears well up inside him. Something else took over, a sense of purpose. Now he understood why he'd been resurrected. Jon was meant to protect her. For the first time since his death, he felt glad to be alive.