DISASTROUS ( Jon Snow )

18

give me a broken, self-loathing man who firmly believes no one could ever love him, and a strong-willed woman who doesn't take any of his shit and gradually becomes his light and hope and sun and stars.

__________

Jon Snow had failed. Mance Raider wouldn't be bending any knees to any southern kings. When Jon relayed the information to Stannis, Amaris wilted just a bit. She knew how much her father was counting on help from the wildlings. Stannis truly needed the men, the warriors; for, without the wildlings, the war would become significantly more difficult to win.

Blank faced, Amaris stood by her father, Davos and Melisandre as they waited for the guards to bring Mance Raider out. Stannis would give Mance one last chance to bend his knee, and Amaris was praying that Mance would. With help from the wildlings, the war would be over within the year – and Amaris just wanted the war to end. She did not want to live in a war-torn country. She just wanted peace.

"Mance Raider, you've been called the King-beyond-the-Wall," Stannis said once Mance had been brought to him. "Westeros only has one king. Bend the knee, I'll promise you mercy."

Mance made no verbal response. Amaris watched as his eyes travelled over the crowd, a look of resigned terror on his face. She knew he wouldn't bend, he would die.

"Kneel and live," Stannis said.

Mance was silent for a moment.

"This was my home for many years," Mance told Stannis, looking around the courtyard. "I wish you good fortune in the wars to come."

Stannis nodded his head at his soldiers. Amaris held her breath as they shoved Mance up onto the platform. She glanced up to the platform where Shireen and Selyse sat. Amaris' stomach lurched; she could barely stomach the sight of burnings, she didn't want Shireen to see such a thing.

Ceremoniously, Melisandre stepped in front of the platform and turned to look at the crowd gathered in the courtyard.

"We all must choose," Melisandre announced. "Man or woman, young or old, lord or peasant, our choices are the same. We choose light or we choose darkness. We choose good or we choose evil. We choose the true god or the false."

Melisandre took a torch from one of the soldiers and turned to look directly at the wildlings in the crowd.

"Free folk, there is only one true king and his name is Stannis. Here stands your king of lies. Behold the fate of those who choose the darkness."

Saying not another word, Melisandre turned and used the torch to set the platform alight in flames. As the flames slowly licked their way up Mance's legs, Amaris just wanted to look away. She knew she could not look away, though, so she held her breath and kept her eyes trained on the burning wood as opposed to the burning man. His cries penetrated her brain and Amaris knew she would be dreaming of his pain tonight. But then the groaning stopped. Amaris looked up, confused, and saw an arrow sticking out of his chest. She spun on her heel and saw Jon Snow holding an empty bow.

Later, Amaris found herself knocking on Jon's door. He looked stunned as he pulled the heavy wooden door open and was perhaps too shocked by her presence to stop her from entering his chambers.

"That was very stupid of you," Amaris said, not bothering to greet him as she walked inside. "Very kind and brave, but so very stupid. My father is rather displeased with you, Jon Snow."

"If your father is so displeased by my behavior he should tell me himself rather than send you," Jon snapped.

Shrill laughter floated around the room as Amaris shook her head at him. A cross between annoyance and amusement decorated her features.