The Wars to Come - J.S.

29 - GOODBYE

— winterfell —

The snow crunches under her feet as she walks outside towards the pyres. They have just been finished, and the people who were setting them up have gone inside. Soon, all of the remaining Northerners, Wildlings, and Targaryen forces will come outside for the funeral. But for now, it is silent and empty. 

She wants to say goodbye in private, to the four people she lost.

First is Theon, whom she had just reunited with only a day before. She puts a tentative hand on his, and smiles sadly. Theon was kind to her since the day they first met in Meereen. She grew to enjoy his company and she only wishes that she had more time to spend with him. 

The sight of Lyanna on top of the pyre breaks her heart. She hadn't known her cousin for long, but she saw so much strength in the young girl, and to see her lifeless body is a shock for Aurora.

She bows her head as she stands beside her cousin's pyre, and after a moment of silence she steps away with a tear rolling down her cheek.

"And now your watch has ended." she whispers after a moment of silence as she stands beside Edd. 

Jorah.

Her hands start to shake as she reaches out to him. With her hands on his chest she cries, her body shaking with silent sobs. 

She wasn't sure how long she and Dany sat out there on the battlefield, with Drogon curled up beside them, clinging to each other desperately as they sobbed. 

He took so many wounds, more than Aurora thought was possible. His body was riddled with holes and covered in blood. Jon had to pull her away from her brother when he found them, the soldiers he brought with him carried Jorah away while he helped Aurora and Daenerys walk inside. 

Someone helped her out of her clothes and stitched up her wounds, she sat there in the tub, dirt and blood being scrubbed from her skin while she stared at the wall ahead of her. She was lost. 

When Jon came back he helped her to bed and when she whispered to him, he held her close. 

And now as she looks at her brother laying there, she cries again. She could have sworn there were no more tears left in her body, but they roll down her cheeks as she says goodbye to her brother for the last time.

—

As the funeral begins, Aurora watches as everyone says their goodbyes.

Daenerys places a soft kiss on Jorah's forehead, tears rolling down her cheeks. Sansa cries over Theon before sliding a Stark pin onto his shirt. 

There are many large pyres, stretching far across the snow covered ground. Cold seeps into Aurora's bones, whether it is from the sight or the temperature, she is unsure. 

Almost everyone that survived have visible injuries. Ghost's white fur is matted with blood, and cuts cover his body from head to toe. Jon's face is marred with cuts, his body being much the same. Arya sports a black eye and a gash on her forehead. Aurora feels the pain of her own injuries as she stands there.

Jon steps forward, the snow crunching beneath his feet.

"We're here to say goodbye to our brothers and sisters. To our fathers and mothers. To our friends. Our fellow men and women who set aside their differences to fight together, and die together. So that others might live. 

"Everyone in this world owes them a debt that can never be repaid. It is our duty, and our honor, to keep them alive in memory for those who come after us, and those who come after them. For as long as men draw breath. They were the shields that guarded the realms of men, and we shall never see their like again."