Nothing Burns Like The Cold (Game of Thrones fanfiction)

Jon I

Chapter One - Jon I

As the only true port of the north, White Harbor was a steady stream of activity, now hampered by daily snowfalls and increasingly cold winds. The King in the North arrived on an auspicious day. The heavy clouds parted in a dance of sunlight and shadows, playing across the ship sails as they whipped and rippled, boats bobbing like apples in the rough surf.

He hated few things as much as he hated sailing - nothing feels right on a ship. The constant unease of being off balance at the mercy of the winds and waves. The intense smells and the deep darkness of the water. Hells, even eating and sleeping felt unnatural. Jon knew the winter seas would be rougher since his last outing, he was not looking forward to this trip. How could anyone think he's going to Dragonstone by choice?

His ship, the ship that carried him to Hardhome and back, was waiting for him, one of many that crowded the busy harbor. Davos sent word ahead to prepare her for the journey south to Dragonstone, about 5 days travel if the winds were kind. My lucky ship, he mused. She's not failed me yet. Maybe he should accept the good omens as they come.

No one was more shocked to see Wyman Manderly sit a horse as Jon was as he rode through the gates of White Harbor. After the initial courtesies, the host began to amble toward the docks as Manderly reining up alongside him. Jon was eager to speak to him about his preparations for the coming threat. Instead, he got an earful from the lord who was freshly returned from Winterfell himself.

The King was a fool to answer the Dragon Queen's "demand for allegiance" as he put it. "Remember your Father and your Grandfather before him, Your Grace." Manderly snorted as they rode their way through the busy, snow crusted streets. "The South is no place for a Stark." Jon reluctantly listened out of respect for the lord, but had already made up his mind the moment Sam's letter arrived from the Citadel. Dragonstone had dragonglass, a mountain of it. It also had a possible ally that could turn the tides of war in their favor, Queen Daenerys and her 3 dragons.

"This is life or death for all of us. There is no choice!" Jon stormed at Sansa and Davos before leaving Winterfell, frustrated at their barrage of pleads for him to reconsider the trip. There were plenty of reasons to stay - Preparing Winterfell for the coming threat. Continuing to train his people to fight. But there was only one reason to go to Dragonstone, the choice was laid bare before him: Life or Death. What they didn't understand was something he lived with everyday since Hardhome; There is no winning this war, only trying to survive it. The Night King possessed power and magic like nothing anyone has ever seen. He was coming for all of them and death was on his side.

The Northern lords' suspicion of his choice to meet with the Dragon Queen had weighed heavy on Sansa. "We need the King in the North in the North!" Lady Mormont had defiantly proclaimed as the men stomped and pounded their mugs on the heavy oak tables in agreement. A child of 10 years, the men called her Kingmaker, a worthy moniker for Lady Lyanna. Surely, if we could capture her spirit in a bottle, we would win this war hands down.

All of them - Manderly, Sansa, Ser Davos - wore his patience thin. He was tired of defending his decision, of the infighting. The growing encampment of bannermen at Winterfell had created a perfect storm of hearsay and chatter. As the gathered lords strategized to shore up defenses for the coming storm, they also conferred and whispered of secrets and alliances. Jon despised the politics of it all. He'll let Sansa deal with the gaggle of gossiping geese.

All the truth he could fathom at the moment was the soreness from the long, hard ride to White Harbor and the task set before him. The quicker he got to Dragonstone, the faster he could return home.

Jon's thoughts returned to the conversation at hand. "We need alliances in this war and I refuse to play games with the lives of our people." Jon interrupted harshly, meeting Manderly's gaze with authority. "Im not a Stark," he straightened, "I will be fine." With that, he effectively ended the discussion.