Game of Thrones: The Dragonborn - Chapter 65 - Reuniting with Mance.

[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]

Third Person POV.
Westeros.

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"I knew I would find you here." A feminine voice was heard as Jon was tending to Winter the following day.

"You seem surprised by that, though." Jon commented, watching Daenerys approach as he stood by Winter, tuning a lute he had also stolen from Winterfell.

Winter appeared more preoccupied with devouring the carcass she had brought from the sea, positioned on the other side so Jon wouldn't get blood on himself, as he often asked her to do it away from him.

"You seem much more eager to bond with her than before..." she remarked.

"I already have a bond with her," Jon replied.

"Spare me, Jon. I visit her far more often than you do, and yet she won’t even let me ride her without you," Daenerys said with a laugh.

"That must be why she’s much more open to you," Jon commented, glancing at her while adjusting the strings to tune them.

"Are you playing for her?" Daenerys asked, already aware of Jon’s musical talent, just as she had heard her older brother possessed.

"She seems to enjoy it, so I’ve been playing for her the past few mornings," Jon said, finishing his tuning and strumming a sequence of notes to test the sound, finding it quite suitable.

"You wouldn’t mind if I joined you, would you?" she asked as she approached and sat beside him on a stone. Winter didn’t seem bothered by the human’s presence, having grown accustomed to it.

"Of course not," he said, unfazed by someone watching him on one side and a giant dragon on the other, while he leaned his back against Winter.

As he began to play, even the dragon turned its neck to look at him, its teeth still smeared with blood, which dripped into the mist.

Jon made a face at her, silently telling her to keep her distance with that bloody mess. There was no way to demand hygiene from a dragon, though Jon did clean his own hands by burning the carcasses to avoid the foul smell that lingered after a few days.

Winter resumed eating while calmly listening to Jon’s music, and Daenerys sat with her hands under her chin, silently listening to Jon play.

Jon had to admit that his aunt had changed significantly over the past moon and a half. She had been withdrawn in the first days as Jon brought her along to get accustomed to these people, but she eventually started mingling with the other women Jon had gathered in his large tent.

She began adjusting to the people and their culture, learning the ways of the camp and gradually coming out of her shell as Jon attended to his duties. At this point, Jon was at the height of his popularity among the Free Folk, who treated him as a mythical figure.

Jon had left the camp two or three times during this period, spending days away to handle matters outside the camp, usually assisting a tribe that was approaching the area but had become trapped while being hunted by the White Walkers.

Daenerys remained in the camp, with Lucis keeping her company, and the two developed a certain friendship. Lucis was far less intimidating than Ygritte or Val, whom Daenerys had initially judged harshly.

Jon had played his melody for about four minutes before finishing. His gaze lowered to his legs as a small creature covered in white fur emerged from its hiding place.

"What is it, little friend?" Jon asked as Winter’s neck stretched toward him, her head now cleaner after chewing on snow—a trick Jon had taught her to clean her mouth.

"Perhaps another song... since Winter seems to be demanding it," Daenerys suggested with a smile. She was wearing leather clothing like anyone else in the camp, as it helped her adapt to their ways, though her platinum hair still gave her away.

"Maybe... but I can’t stay much longer," Jon said, and Daenerys nodded.

"I heard that Mance Rayder arrived yesterday… so you’ll be speaking with him today?" she asked, not knowing many details but aware that there was much talk in the camp. Even Daenerys could sense the growing tension, as everyone seemed to regard Jon as their leader.

"Yes, Val asked me to accompany her to see her sister, to talk to Mance and deal with the camp situation," Jon said, beginning to rise, shaking off some of the snow that had fallen on his clothes that morning.

"Are you going to fight him for the camp’s leadership?" she asked cautiously.

Daenerys was well protected here. There had been some people interested in her due to her exotic appearance, and they seemed to forget what Jon was capable of — something he quickly reminded them of by initiating a sequence of executions, one after another, for anyone who dared mess with Daenerys. He would never forgive anyone for disrespecting him, and he certainly wouldn’t allow anyone to lay a hand on his only living relative. As for Viserys — a madman — Jon didn’t even consider him family.

"I don’t know… The idea of them simply crossing the Wall and believing that everything will be fine, that they’ll be accepted there, is nonsense. They’ll be hunted by all the noble houses and armies, both from the North and from other kingdoms. No one will accept wildlings in Westeros. If they don’t conquer a place for themselves… they’ll be fighting forever. Besides, they’re not a very powerful army. They’d fall to a mounted force easily, even if they outnumbered them at times. The result would be the same. They don’t know how to fight as an army," Jon said, picking up the small Ghost, now the size of a medium dog.

"But you said you plan to use them as your army to attack the South… If they’re like that, will they be useful against the kingdoms?" she asked, not fully understanding how he intended to handle this.

"Simple… I’ll train them," Jon said with a smile, while she looked at him a bit surprised. "I’m used to commanding armies, and I know a lot about tactics," Jon said, recalling the battles between the Imperials and Stormcloaks in Skyrim.

"You did that in the place where you were?" she asked, never missing an opportunity to inquire about Skyrim when she had the chance, despite Jon’s reluctance to speak much about it.

"Yes…" he said as he was already prepared to leave. "Now let’s go back to the camp," he said, and Daenerys nodded, with Winter watching them as they left.

"I’ll take care of a few more things today. We’ll see each other again tomorrow," Jon said in the Old Tongue, while the dragon made no reaction, choosing instead to fly for a bit, taking off with a burst of smoke before disappearing into the sky.

Returning to the camp, it was no surprise when Jon and Daenerys found Val waiting for Jon in front of the tent. The dragon didn’t like others approaching it, except for the two of them, and had already killed one or two daring wargs who thought they could control a dragon. Everyone knew the creature was extremely powerful when necessary, making most curious onlookers too afraid to get close. Val and Ygritte kept their distance, but Lucis had some permission, accompanying Daenerys to the dragon, though she never got too close.

"Jon, you’re finally here," Val commented as Jon sensed her approach.

"So, we’re finally going to see your sister and brother-in-law," he said, and she nodded.

"Can you take care of him for me while I’m dealing with this?" Jon turned to Daenerys, handing her his wolf. The girl nodded, looking at them one last time before heading into the tent with Ghost in her arms.

"Let’s go," Jon said at last, as he and Val moved through the camp toward Mance’s tent. People greeted Jon along the way with cautious looks, clearly wondering what would happen to the camp and who would lead them now. There was a palpable tension in the air, as it was possible that an internal conflict might erupt between the factions supporting Jon and those still loyal to Mance.

Val entered first, without needing permission, and Jon followed close behind. It was still quite early, and the camp was just beginning to stir.

Upon entering, Jon saw the man he had met only once in Winterfell, sipping a cup of coffee with his wife. Both of them observed the newcomers with curiosity.

"Val, you’ve finally arrived, and you’ve brought your husband," Della greeted her sister.

"How’s the baby?" Val asked, as she did every day, and Della nodded that everything was fine.

Meanwhile, Jon stared at Mance, who was looking directly at him.

"It’s been a while, hasn’t it?" Jon commented calmly, while the man analyzed him.

"Yes… It really seems you didn’t lie about the things you told me south of the Wall. I’m truly impressed. Despite that, you proved your word by not handing me over to the king," Mance Rayder said, and Jon shrugged.

"I never said I would," Jon replied with another shrug.

"I see. Please, sit down. Would you two like a meal? How about joining us? After all, we’re almost family now," Mance suggested in a more relaxed tone. Jon had expected him to be more serious or grim about the camp’s situation, and Mance noticed the curious look from the Dragonborn.

"Don’t look at me like that, Jon Snow. Or should I call you by another name? Daemon, Dovahkiin. You’ve got so many," Mance murmured before continuing. "I know what you’re thinking, but I haven’t forgotten about the camp. I’ll deal with it later. For now, let’s just eat without worrying about that…"

Jon nodded, joining the table with Val and helping himself to the first meal of the day.

"Did you climb the Wall or go around the bay?" Jon asked calmly, sipping a cup of hot coffee — the same drink Jon had stolen from Winterfell and given to Val to deliver to her sister, which was why they had it here.

"We used the bay to get through, if that’s what you’re asking. But I’m curious too… How did you make it to the South? You said you came from the Wall to Winterfell with your dragon, didn’t you? Or am I mistaken?" Mance asked.

"It’s true. I didn’t have Winter with me when I jumped the Wall for the first time. So, I climbed it. It was fun," Jon said, as everyone stared at him in surprise.

"Must have been a difficult climb," Mance commented.

"A bit time-consuming, but simple. Getting down was even quicker," Jon said, recalling his climb. He had jumped off the Wall, using his sword to stab into the ice wall — something no one there knew.

The conversation continued for a while longer, discussing how Mance and his group had made their way to the North. They hadn’t encountered many problems until they reached the Wall. After that, they traveled openly through those lands, but always avoided the forests, as Jon had suggested. He knew the White Walkers liked to camouflage themselves among the trees and could wipe out entire groups in enclosed areas.

"Val, could you help me clean the utensils?" Della asked at a certain moment. It was clearly a request to get Val away from the table.

Val didn’t complain and stood up, leaving only Jon and Mance at the table with Della, who was visibly more pregnant now.

"Well… I could stall, but I think it’s better if we get straight to the point," Mance sighed, with a smile.

"Of course. I’d hate to talk about anything other than important matters right now," Jon replied with a smile.

"We’ve got something to settle, then, Jon Snow. It’s time for us to talk about this — and about the camp," Mance said, his expression turning serious.