SEQUEL TO POPPY
❝ The strongest trees are rooted in the dark places of Earth. Darkness will be your cloak. Your shield. Your mother's milk. Darkness will make you strong. ❞
GAME OF THRONES - SEASON 4-7
THE POPPY SAGA - 3
THE MOR...
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The castle is always empty.
Even the ravens are gone from the rookery, and the stables are full of bones. That always scares him. Jon starts to run then, throwing open doors, climbing the tower three steps at a time, screaming for someone, for anyone. And then he finds himself in front of the door to the crypts.
It's black inside, and he can see the steps spiraling down. Somehow he knows he has to go down there, but he doesn't want to.
He's afraid of what might be waiting for him. The old Kings of Winter are down there, sitting on their thrones with stone wolves at their feet and iron swords across their laps, but it's not them Jon is afraid of.
He screams that he is not a Stark, that this isn't his place, but it's no good, he has to go anyway, so Jon starts down, feeling the walls as he descends, with no torch to light the way. It gets darker and darker, until he wants to scream, but then he sees a silhouette. It's the only thing that brings light into the darkness, the girl seems to be crying her soft sobs breaking through the silence of the emptiness, long, dark hair flows down her back and suddenly there's a overwhelming feeling in his chest and despite everything that tells his to go the other way, Jon nears her.
Slow at first, until his hand is about to touch her shoulder.
"Mother?"
He doesn't know what makes him say it, but it makes her stop. Then, ever so slowly she turns around and it's her eyes that makes his breath hitch in my throat. "Hermione?"
Everything about her is the same, except for her eyes, her now hollow electric blue eyes. Jon reaches out but his hand swims past her skin and through her body. "Hermione." He looks between his palm and her sorrow filled features.
"Jon," she whispers his name, but her voice is distance and this is the first time he realizes the veil shrouded around her that partitions them.
And then right before his eyes Hermione beings to disappear.
"Hermione!" Jon tries to hold onto her, but his hands wash past her once again until she's nothing but stale air and dust motes.
