The Dance of the Ocean and Moon [Book One]

Chapter Seven | Jon

JON

Jon Snow spent several weeks planning, sending out Crows, sending out letters to lords of the North once again, and even some houses in the midlands. He knew the capitol wouldn't hear him so he was doing things on his own now; not that he wanted the Lannister's help. With news that Cersei was now in power, he was trying to avoid thinking about that altogether for as long as he could. Unfortunately, that meant that he was going to have to rely heavily on Saga very soon. She was the key to getting the amount of obsidian they would need to fight the threat beyond the Wall. But so much was uncertain, now that they knew there were The Others south of the wall and inhabiting her village. He didn't want to have to send his people to the village to get more obsidian, he was afraid to find out that The Others were still occupying it.

But if there was a way to get the obsidian that was left there, they would have to find it. Jon Snow, nor even his smartest man, Sam, knew where to find more of it. Saga had already done so much for them, and she hadn't stopped with the obsidian. Three weeks had gone by since they came back from Asger and she had been training the new recruits. She had also broken a few hot-heads which Jon had the pleasure of watching; a fight ensued between her and three other men who had not yet gotten used her very poignant personality by the second week.

It wasn't really a fight, more of an ass-kicking. No one messed with her after that. Besides the few of them, no one really messed with her before it either; since, on the second day of her being there, she tossed a Crow from the balcony during their dinner when she heard him making fun of Brienne's height. Jon Snow was becoming quite fond of her, mostly because she reminded him of his little sister Arya; he missed her every day.

Jon sat in the Lord Commander's study silently studying maps when there was a loud rapping on the door. "Enter," he said without looking up, he already knew who it was. "A Crow say you want to find me," Saga said as she shut the door behind her. Jon smiled, mostly because her common-tongue was still deplorable, and said, "Yes. Please sit." She did as he instructed and leaned forward to rest her arms on her legs. He smiled again because she never sat like a lady was supposed to sit either; but he figured that was something they never cared for where she was from, and certainly he didn't care either.

"I would like to say first, thank you so much for what you have brought to us," he started off. Saga immediately grew skeptical, he could see it-she wasn't a fool. "I understand you have to make a gamble," Saga interrupted him. He paused and waited for her to finish. "But it is a bet of stupidity you will do if you send me back home." He sighed and nodded his head slowly. "If you will not go, I will need you to draw up a map," he asked. She scoot forward in her seat and lowered her voice as if someone were eavesdropping. "I fear no ice man, it would be a great honorable for me to die while I fight. I will go," she said. Jon smiled but before he could thank her, she interjected, "But Brienne Tarth will not go. This is my price for your stupid gamble."

Saga leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms against her chest to let Jon Snow she was very serious. He considered this offer for a moment and nodded his head slowly. "Brienne of Tarth will remain here," he agreed to her terms. She nodded her head and stood. "When do we leave?" Jon pondered this for a moment. "No less than a week, I will need to prepare a party, training will be needed. And we will need to figure out how many obsidian weapons we have that we are willing to gamble on with this expedition. Just in case we lose some. We have no idea what we are walking into here," he said, looking down at his map.

Saga silently turned and walked to the door. But she paused a moment and said, "Advice for you Jon Snow..." He stopped to look up at her. "Do not gamble your best men," she said slowly, an unsettlingly pensive look in her eyes, then turned and walked out. Jon shivered at the grim thought she had left him with, the weight of her words came crashing down on him. Suddenly the room felt colder.

She was right, though. If The Others still occupied her village then there was no telling if the men he sent would make it back alive. He would essentially be sending a group of men-and Saga-to their deaths. He sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. He isolated himself from the Night's Watchmen for the entire day, debating how he would tell them that he was about to send them to die at the hands of The Others themselves and then reanimating only to join their army of icy corpses.

He thought it might be more humane not to tell them that he believed that none of them would make it back alive. He wouldn't give hem hope where there was none, but he wouldn't tell them what perils lay ahead. Some of them had already gone hand-to-hand with The Others, but those were his best men and like Saga said, he would be better off not to risk them. Jon decided to get some air. He went up to the top of the Wall and gazed out onto the world beyond. There had to be obsidian somewhere else, there just had to be. But he didn't even know where to start. Plus, everything north of the Wall, he was safely assuming that The Others had already taken control of. It wasn't safe for them anymore-it wasn't safe for anyone.

Jon didn't notice but Sam was approaching him from his behind. "Lord Commander," he said. "I'm not the Lord Commander anymore, Sam," he said when he recognized his voice. "Sorry, Jon. Force of habit, I guess," he apologized. "What is it you want, Sam?" Jon said again. "Well they said I'd find ya up here, I thought you might need someone to talk to, you seemed a bit distressed today," he said. "Aye. I am about to send six men and Saga to their deaths. I don't know what else to do, Sam, I just don't," Jon said with a sigh. "We need more obsidian for the war to come and the only place we know of right now are the mountains near Saga's village."

Sam was quiet for a moment before saying, "Well, I had been thinking about that..." Jon turned around to look at him, "And?" "And well, we have maps on our natural resources, but there's hardly anything about that area, no one ever goes there, ya know? Just like we hardly have anything on record about Asger. But I was thinking, it might just be because Castle Black is so small, our library is too. So, I had the thought that the citadel might have information about that. But I wouldn't be able to look unless I myself was an actual maester, which I'm not. So, I was thinking..." Jon thought about this for a moment and perked up. "Sam, you're a bloody genius," he whispered loudly. "I am?" he asked.

"Yes, Sam," Jon said as he stepped forward and put one hand on his shoulder, "if you could go there and find out all there is to know about obsidian, or where we can get more Valyrian steel, then that could really help. We need to find more of it. And we need to do it soon." Sam nodded, "My thoughts exactly!" Jon smiled for a moment but as he thought about it again, his smile receded. "What is it?" Sam asked. "Saga," Jon said, "I still have to send her and the group. If you don't find anything out about it, it will have been a waste of time. I still need to send them now before The Others make their next move."

Sam sighed and shook his head, "What if they die?" Jon turned back to the scenery which, thanks to Mance, was a lot of charred forest surrounded by mountains far behind it. "The Brothers of the Night's Watch all took their oath, and Saga...," he sighed, "she knows what she's walking into and she volunteered anyway." Sam fidgeted with the sleeves of his shirt and looked at the ground. "She is extraordinarily brave," he said. "Aye," agreed Jon. They stood in silence for another few moments before Jon instructed Sam to make his preparations to leave. Sam was to take Gilly and Little Sam with him. That was a small relief to Jon; at least there wouldn't be a baby around here if things started to go bad-he couldn't bear the thought of that.

There would be nothing to ease his mind about what he was asking of those men, though they had all made their vows. Jon Snow did not sleep much that night. Nor any night leading up to their departure. There was just too much going on now that he had taken on House Stark affairs and was still looking after the realm though he was no longer a Brother, and with the weight of his decision to send a group back to Asger.

It broke his heart one day when Brienne approached him about it. He couldn't bring himself to tell her that she wasn't going with them, that Saga had bartered her own life to save her from certain death. He knew Brienne wouldn't be happy about it if she found out, because that's the kind of person she was. He could understand why Saga loved her-being an honorable person, from an honorable people-because that's who she was as well. And it broke his heart to see Saga's gaze upon Brienne when she wasn't looking; the look of despair and longing plain on her face. He understood that feeling very well. He missed Ygritte every day still.

But it had to be done. For the good of the realm.

^^^