Stormbringer | Jon Snow

Chapter 15

A true battle was brewing.

It was Melyse's first time in organized combat. The fight at Hardhome had been a surprise, the killings in the Riverlands had been part of a rescue mission. Now, at last, she was being given a horse to ride and lead with. The wildlings and the men of houses Mormont, Tallhart, Stout, and Dustin would be rallying behind them, along with a few others Sansa had yet to sort.

Melyse had studied battles much of her life, despite not knowing how to read for most of it. Her uncle Erren could talk for hours about the battles of the Rebellion– what was done right and wrong and why. She'd heard Stannis speak about battles, too, and when Shireen showed her her books, she showed her readings about strategy. All this time, she'd been preparing herself to fight on a field like this, and the moment had finally arrived.

They spent only three nights at Last Hearth before they moved out on the Kingsroad for Winterfell, the wildlings having caught up by then. Melyse rode beside Jon, wrapped in a cloak made by Sansa with the sigil of a stag and a fox, the two a bit behind Sansa and her new guard but ahead of the wildlings.

"Are you nervous?" asked Jon. "It's your first real battle, isn't it?"

"Nothing's worse than Hardhome," she said. "I've prepared as much as I can. The rest, I leave up to my spear. I've never led anyone like this, but... I've memorized Sansa's plan. I know what I have to do, and I'll have you there if anything goes wrong."

"You'll be fine," Jon assured her. "You're more than ready for this, I know it. I saw you training with the Umber girls yesterday. Cregan Karstark won't stand a chance if you find him."

She smiled. "He'll be lucky if he stands at all. I might drive him down with my horse if I can."

"Poor horse, to have to trample such an awful man."

This elicited a laugh. "What's the first thing you intend to do once you're home?"

"Sleeping in my own bed will be nice," said Jon. "Going to the godswood and reflecting on everything will be good, too. Perhaps once we've rested after the battle, you'd like to come with me to tour the Wolfswood."

"I'd like that very much," she said. "As I'm sure Arusha will, too. I'd like to see the godswood as well. Brightwater Keep never had one, nor did Dragonstone. I may have implied to Melisandre I'd pray to R'hllor, but I never actually got to praying to anyone for what happened that day."

"I assumed you still followed the Faith of the Seven. You always speak of 'gods' and 'seven hells.'"

She made a face. "Well, yes, because the expressions are catchy, but I don't truly... believe it. Not now, anyway. My grandfather hoped I'd become a septa or Silent Sister and forced me to learn all I could, but I don't think I've ever been so firm in my faith to any gods. In the end, my faith has always been in... people. Myself, in a way. I wrote my own destiny and looked for it in beings, not in things I can't see or feel."

"Then I'd very much like to show you the godswood," said Jon softly. "It would mean a great deal to me to go there and thank the gods for my return home with you there... probably the biggest reason I ever made it back."

"Don't thank me yet," she said quietly. "We've yet to take Winterfell, and I'm but a small piece in that."

"You may be, but I still owe you a debt for my life."

"Like I said, be the man I think you already are, and there's no need to talk about debts. I believe in you, Jon. That brings me more comfort than any debt you may try to pay."

Something she said had stirred in him, she could see it in the way his gaze softened and he averted his eyes quick enough to suggest that he'd felt a twinge in his heart at her words. She wasn't sure why; she didn't ask.