Still Soulmate

Chapter 12: Decisions

  Jon was stood in the war chamber of Dragonstone among too few of his own men and too many of Daenerys'. It didn't matter at that moment though because the words of the scroll in his hands made the thing so much heavier than a piece of parchment should be. He couldn't believe that his Arya was alive, the Stark that had treated him most like family, the rebellious girl who wanted to be a knight. In a way, Jon had learnt to respect women fighters from her years before he met his soulmate. And Bran was alive too but that brought darker tidings. News of the Knight King on the march.

  He was painfully aware of Ygritte at his side as he read the words, he knew that she could feel his emotions as they flitted across his mind.

  "I thought Arya was dead. I thought Bran was dead," he proclaimed to the room.

  Davos stood slightly behind him and Daenerys sat at the other end of the carved table, Tyrion at her side. 

  "I'm happy for you," Daenerys said but she didn't sound it," you don't look happy."

  "Bran saw the Night King and his army marching towards Eastwatch. If they make it past the wall..." Jon trailed off. He glanced sideways at Ygritte. He thought about their baby again with a pang of panic. If the army of the dead passed the Wall Westeros and everyone in it, born and unborn, was doomed.

  "The Wall kept them out for thousands of years, presumably," Varys said from his casual seat at the side of the table.

  "We need to go home," Jon said suddenly.

  Ygritte grasped his gloved hand under the table where only Davos would be able to see. Jon was unsure what the death like grip on his hand was meant to mean.

  "You said you don't have enough men," Daenerys stated. Oh, that was probably the reason that Ygritte was trying to cut off the circulation to his fingers.

  "We'll fight with the men we have. Unless you'll join us," Jon replied. What else was he meant to do? What else could they do?

  "And give the country to Cersei? As soon as I march out, she marches in," Daenerys stated firmly.

  Beside him Ygritte snorted and all heads in the room turned to her.

  "You have anything to say my Lady?" Daenerys asked coolly. 

  Ygritte let go of Jon's hand then and set both of hers firmly on the table in front of them. There was a nasty smile curling the edge of her lips. Jon slowly let out a breath, he wasn't going to be able to shut her up this time, he knew that look and he knew how determined his wife could get. Plus she really hated the queen.

  "In fact I do. I have several things that I want to say," Ygritte said and Jon was shocked that it almost came out polite and that the words were not spat. The king supposed that he must be rubbing off on his soulmate as much as she was rubbing off on him.

  "Well what do you have to say?" Daenerys asked and there was a dangerous glint to her eyes.

  Jon couldn't look at the Targaryen the way those eyes were boring into his wife. Instead he looked down at where Ygritte's hands were on the table, her knuckles white where she was gripping so hard.

  "Well for starters if you stay here to fight the Lion Queen then the army of the dead is gonna come marching through for you and kill every man, woman and child in Westeros. It's as Jon said; you'll be ruling over a graveyard and mark my words Your Grace," Ygritte said with deadly calm but spitting out the last two words, "I will haunt your ass and suck every ounce of joy from your life. If you don't do that for yourself anyway that is."

  Jon clenched his jaw, glancing briefly up at Daenerys to see her chin raised and nostrils flared in ill hidden anger.

  "Well if your husband bends the knee I will know that I can trust you--" the queen started.