MASKS [Jon Snow]

FOURTEEN • BONES

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

•••

she wore the scent of
early spring on her
delicate neck and every
kiss I stole tasted of
bright yellow flowers
and buzzing bees

•••

   SHE hopped off her horse as she admired the great fleet of ships before her, they had ended up riding towards Stannis' ships in the sea so that they could bring the Wildlings home.

   Liliana had never seen so many boats in her life, sure, King's Landing had many ships and rafts but never in one place had she seen so many that were so large. She hid amongst the group of men as they tied their horses up so they could get aboard the ships.

   Jon hadn't recognised her so far and she was glad. If he did he would send her back to Castle Black and she would miss out on all the action. And all because of his sexist ass. She wouldn't have it, it was absurd. She wouldn't let her fondness towards the Commander allow him to control her, she was a strong independent woman, she didn't need a small minded man to tell her what to do.

   Although he hadn't recognised her, he had noticed Scorch. He wasn't blind. Luckily Carlton had convinced him that she had allowed Carlton to take Scorch with him and that Liliana was safely back at Castle Black. No need for him to worry.

   The ships were well cleaned and organised, as if they were hardly used. It was an unusual feeling, the rocking back and forth, for Liliana. Something she had never experienced before, being much of a land animal herself she didn't feel any need to go anywhere by boat and never really wanted to.

   She was quite content admiring them from a distance. And so as she sat on the great big vessel of doom, she could feel the bile rising in her throat. Scorch seemed to be doing fine as he sat on Carlton's bed, contently snoozing. Which, to Liliana seemed incredibly unfair.

"You look as if you are about to hurl." Carlton helpfully added as he studied her face. She smiled sarcastically at him.

"Really? Thanks for the warning. It's not like I can feel the bloody stuff rising in my throat."

"Sorry, just trying to be nice." He handed her a bucket. They were currently sat in their own tiny chambers. Which was literally two beds squished one closet. It was smaller than her own chambers in the Castle.

She frowned as she took the bucket, feeling another urge to cover the room in her lunch again. "I don't think this bucket will be enough." She chuckled, holding the tiny pot up for him to see. "I think I'll just-" she paused, covering her mouth with a hand.

"You just... what?" He mused. Knowing she couldn't hold out much longer she burst from her seat and through the doors, sprinting towards the edge of the ship as fast as possible. Bending over the edge, she released the contents of her stomach into the deep sea below. Scorch sat at her feet, reassuringly nuzzling her leg.

A deep chuckle sounded behind her and a hand landed on her back. "It happens to the best of us." The man laughed as she wiped her mouth and pulled herself back over the edge of the ship. Her hair fell over her face purposefully hiding herself from the stranger, as her eyes met theirs.

"Never sailed before, Commander." She smiled slightly. His eyes set, angry and she would have sworn afraid.

"I should have known." His voice was deadly calm as he spoke, his eyes flicked to the wolf by her heels then back up to her. "I thought I told you not to come, you disobeyed your Commander's direct orders."