snow and stars| jon snow

xxxi: jenny of oldstones

Andromeda couldn't tell if she loved or hated that she wasn't showing. By now, word had spread around the island that she was with child. Luckily for her, the islanders were nice, and most did not gossip. The ones that did were not finding themselves to be entertained by the others. She was near seven months, yet her bump was no bigger than it was when she was four months along. If anything, it looked like she had put on a few pounds around her stomach, that was all. She didn't know if she liked it or not. She knew for sure that she didn't like being pregnant, not at all. She had stopped throwing up, but she still felt sick.

  Whether that was because of the lack of her soul bond or because she carried a child, she did not know. She thought it was probably both.

   Andromeda had been getting letters and messages from Sansa Stark, giving her thanks and gratitude. Sansa informed her that Arya was sailing off again, being the Arya Stark that everyone knew and loved. That meant that Sansa was the only Stark in the North. She also gave her little pregnancy tips that she had gotten from god knows where, which were helpful and confusing at the same time. Lastly, she informed her about Jon, the man that Andromeda had come to almost hate to love.

  Andromeda loved Jon with all of her heart, but it was hard to love him at the distance that they seemingly always had between them. Whether it was oceans or words that set them apart, in her eyes, they were always apart. Whether she knew it or not, it was an overstatement. She just knew that when they did feel distant, it was bad. Jon made her happy, but she couldn't be sad just because he was gone. She had to move on, and that was the worst part for her. How could she even think about moving on with his child inside of her, growing strong? She would be a pariah in Westeros. No one wanted a wife who had already married once and had a 'bastard' child.

   Odda came through the door, interrupting her thoughts suddenly. "Andromeda!" Her head shot up, now more alarmed. "Excuse me. I meant, Your Grace!"

  Andromeda but her tongue from telling her father harshly that Odda was warranted to call her by her name. "What is it?"

"A ship has been seen sailing in. A ship that bares the flags of the wolf and the dragon." Andromeda ignored the way her heart sped up, the way it fluttered. She wasn't a child anymore. She was with child, and she had no time for games. Even if it was the king who had her heart that was playing, she had no time for his games.

  "The Targaryen King is here?"

"He has been seen coming our way." Odda confirmed, nodding slightly. She had gotten used to the fake resentment Andromeda held in her heart for Jon. At first, it was odd to hear anything but praise come from her mouth about Jon, but now she had grown used to it. After all, there was no way that she could truly mean it. Odda knew that she would fall apart the second she saw Jon, and that was probably the reason why she kept the act up now.

"I don't want him here, at all." Andromeda said, close to pacing her anger off. "I'm seven months along, I don't have time for him and the messes that he brings with him like a disease to this island."

"Won't you just hear him out, Andromeda?"

"I think I would throw up again upon hearing his voice."

"Your Grace," Odda said, hiding her amused tone. "You and I both know that you aren't truly angry with him."

"We'll see when he arrives."

Odda stepped a little closer, the amusement leaving every part of her face. "Andromeda, this is something you can't avoid. It's okay to not be mad anymore, truly."

"I'll see."

§

Jon was feeling somewhat giddy, somewhat nervous, as he stepped upon the shores of Ilta. He hadn't been to his love's homeland in what seemed like so long, and the last time he was there, it was to defend it. He brought Ser Davos again, the poor old man. But he was happy to know that this would be the last time that they were to go to Ilta. He left Westeros to the wise man Tyrion again, who was less than happy to take on the job that Jon asked him to.