Until the Seven Hells Freeze Over

Chapter 5- Lord Commander

That evening, for the first time since you'd arrived, you truly began to feel like yourself again.

Your temperature had gone back to normal. The navy blue dress in which you'd arrived had been washed and dried for you, left by your bedside as you napped. When you woke, you took your first proper bath in days and got dressed. You couldn't wait to see Jon when he came to collect you.

The Brothers planned to hold the election in the early evening, before their usual dinnertime. If you were feeling up to it later, you hoped to eat with everyone in the main hall. You were tired of eating in bed with nothing but your own thoughts for company when Jon couldn't sit with you.

As you fastened your cobalt cloak around your shoulders, you realized that while you'd been up and getting ready all afternoon, your thoughts hadn't been polluted by Timothy. Not even once. This realization meant more to you than you could've possibly expressed; it was such a relief after weeks on the run, when the fear of him penetrated every inch of your mind.

Jon knocked softly on your door as you were fixing your hair into a braid.

"Come in," you called to him.

When he entered and saw you, he stopped in the doorway, looking you over slowly from head to toe. You were dressed in the clothes you'd arrived in, but you couldn't look more different. You weren't soaked to the bone, frozen over and incoherent. Now you stood tall, your cheeks pink and your eyes bright and lively. You looked how he remembered you in Winterfell before he joined the Night's Watch.

A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips, his eyes wistful. "There she is," he said softly. "There's the girl I've always known."

You smiled bashfully, trying not to stare at him in his Night's Watch uniform, though by this point you'd seen it over a dozen times. His appearance had undoubtedly changed since you last saw him; he was stronger now, stood taller and with more confidence than before. But when you looked into his warm brown eyes, when he smiled at you...he looked just the same.

He took a few steps toward you and held out his arm. "Shall we, my lady?"

You took his arm, and together you walked downstairs to the great hall of Castle Black.

You were immediately struck by the size of the crowd. The room was filled to the brim, a sea of black cloaks and large bodies, the air filled with raucous, excited chatter. Brothers shuffled and clamored to get a good seat. Dinner and drinks were set at the long tables, but no one touched any of it. Not while there was still business to be done.

None of them noticed you and Jon at first, which you appreciated. Having the eyes of hundreds of men on you didn't exactly fill you with ease.

"Hello, Y/N," said a familiar cheerful voice behind you. You and Jon turned around to see Samwell smiling at you. "You're looking well! I'm glad to see you up and about."

"Thank you, Sam," you replied. Standing beside him was a young woman about your age. She had brown hair and big brown eyes, and snoozing peacefully in her arms was a baby boy, no older than one.

"Y/N, I'd like to introduce you to Gilly," said Samwell, gesturing to the woman. She smiled shyly at you, and you smiled back.

"It's lovely to meet you," you said.

"Very nice to meet you as well," she replied. "I'm sorry about...what happened to you."

You paled slightly at that, but cleared your throat and nodded, saying a quiet "thank you" in response.

Jon placed his hand gently on the small of your back. "Sam and I need to take our place with the rest of the Brothers," he said. "You and Gilly should sit here, by the window. Alright?"