DISASTROUS ( Jon Snow )

21

tell me, when you dream, do you dream of the stars?

-maggie steifvater

__________

"Something about you has changed."

Skeptically, Amaris eyed Melisandre from over the rim of her wine goblet. She sipped the bitter liquid down and set the goblet back onto the table.

"Has it?" Amaris replied, eyebrows raised.

"Indeed," Melisandre hummed. "You're no longer a virgin."

"Keep your voice down," Amaris hissed, despite her and Melisandre being alone in Melisandre's chambers.

Melisandre chuckled and smirked at the younger woman, but said nothing more. She merely sipped on her wine, a knowing look on her face. Amaris knew that Melisandre was waiting for her to spill her thoughts out, and Amaris knew she would inevitably do so – she just hated that she had become so predictable. However, she could not hold out any longer.

"Is it really that obvious?" Amaris whined.

"To me," Melisandre replied cryptically.

Amaris dramatically rolled her eyes.

"Melisandre," she groaned. "Will my father be able to tell?"

"Stannis has more important things to worry about than who his daughter is or is not making love to," Melisandre said bluntly.

Narrowing her eyes, Amaris grabbed her goblet and quickly drained the whole glass before pouring more wine for herself. Melisandre chuckled quietly and gently pulled the pitcher of wine away from Amaris.

"Do try and refrain from getting drunk, dear."

Amaris scowled at Melisandre but didn't protest. In fact, she didn't even finish the second goblet of wine. However, that was mostly to do with Stannis knocking on Amaris' door to call on her to go with him and Davos to the meeting Jon was holding.

"What is this about?" Amaris asked on the way, shivering despite the heavy cloak around her body.

"The Lord Commander wishes to retrieve the remaining wildlings and bring them here," Stannis explained.

A heavy feeling settled within Amaris' stomach at those words. nothing about Jon's plan seemed like it would have a beneficial outcome – in fact, the whole idea tasted of death. Still, Amaris kept quiet about that. She had learned a long time ago that it was better if men were kept unaware of their fates.

She stood with her father and Davos behind the men of the Knight's Watch, in a corner in the very back of the hall. She had a clear view of Jon, though she was unsure if he could see her as well. He looked a bit nervous, and for good reason. Essentially, he was asking men to sign away their lives for the very people they were groomed to bitterly hate.

Jon had to bang on the table several times before the men were hushed.

"You'd bring wildlings here? Through our gates?" the man on Jon's left asked accusingly.

Amaris was unsure of his name, but from his spot at the high table she knew he was some sort of manager.

"Men, women and children will die by the thousands if we do nothing!" Jon told the room passionately.

"Let them die," the same man responded viciously. "We got our own to worry about. Less enemies for us."

Amaris rolled her eyes at the man's hateful words. It had always been her personal philosophy that if you had the means, you owed it to every single person to do anything in your power to help.