[Chapter Size: 4000 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Bear Island, 300 AC.
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The stay in the Bear Islands lasted a while longer, as the process of the arcticans returning to the ships began that very day.
The journey would happen again, and now they would head south, toward their true objective.
Jon ended up using the Mormont solar to write some letters to his uncle at the Wall, and also to send reports to Arctic about his first expedition. Some letters would also go to a few places in the North.
He kept writing and analyzing a few things alone for hours, until a knock at the door interrupted him.
Some time later, he lifted his gaze and, through the bond with a direwolf that was also inside the castle — not as large as Ghost, of course, but of normal size for the species — he saw that it was with the arctican guards, being Jon's eyes on the other side of the door.
Jon raised his head. "Let her enter." It was only his order. Knowing that there was a woman seeking an audience with him.
Moments later, the click of the door was heard as the royal guard opened it. Lancelot was not there now, as it was not his shift and the commander was resting in a room in the castle for him.
It was Jorelle Mormont, who entered right after, passing by the royal guard and stepping inside, with them closing the door again to give the king privacy.
"I wanted to find you around the castle, but you haven't left this solar yet, so I thought I would come see you...", she said, trying to sound normal.
Jon raised an eyebrow as he picked up some peanuts that were on the table, in a bowl, and personally handed them at the beaks of Bleufire and Phoenix, his two blue and red eagles, who had been there at the window the entire time, close to his shoulder.
He continued feeding them without turning to Jorelle yet. "You seem anxious," he noted, still not looking at her.
She grew a little uncomfortable — and she truly was — but sighed for a moment before looking at him with a firmer tone.
"I want to go south with you." She went straight to the point.
Jon finished feeding his eagles and turned his attention to her, his eyebrow still raised.
"Your people need you more here, Lady Mormont."
"My sister can take care of things," she replied.
"Your sister is less than ten name days old. That is too much for a child," Jon countered.
He did not want to see such a young girl with so much responsibility, especially after having seen how much her people had suffered there, unable to do anything to stop it. Lyanna had felt responsible for the attacks of the ironborn, with her sister in bed, dying, and the people of the island being hunted and suffering.
That only changed when the arcticans arrived. If he had not arrived, the Mormonts would be in a complicated situation. Jorelle would be dead by now, the stronghold could have fallen and the ironborn would have conquered everything. It was impossible to know exactly what would have happened without his intervention on that island.
"I remember Arya Stark years ago, talking about a little boy of nine name days who crossed the Wall and began building a kingdom when he did not even have ten name days yet. And, from what I can see now, that boy turned out very well," she said, without needing to add anything else.
"You must know that your sister and I are very different."
"I know. I know that you were blessed by the old gods. My men spoke of what you are capable of doing," she said.
Jon narrowed his eyes, while she raised her hands in a gesture of submission. "I do not wish to offend Your Majesty. I only want to have the chance to fight. When Arya came to Bear Island, she told us how incredible the kingdom beyond the Wall was, which filled me and my sisters with imaginations about that place. Dacey seemed more skeptical, but I was very excited to learn that it was a Stark child who built it." Jorelle paused.
"She did not lie about that part. Not just anyone can simply dominate the peoples beyond the Wall and turn them into powerful warriors. To command giants and control them on the battlefield... My men were quite impressed with the way they moved in formation, turning into the most terrifying thing they had ever seen in their lives. Never wanting to face such a thing on a battlefield... Their words, not mine..." She opened a small smile, but she also looked like an excited teenager.
"I saw them too. And I can imagine the terror wearing those armors... I also saw your direwolf… I have never seen such a creature. They say you even have a dragon, and I will not ask whether that is true or not... But certainly that wolf is worthy of the ancient legends." She took a deep breath before continuing. The girl was excited and Jon raised an eyebrow, she certainly liked to talk. More than in the past few days here.
"What I mean with all of this is: give me a chance. I also want to fight in the south. I want to prove that I am part of this. I do not want to be stuck on the island, governing and reading reports of your conquests in the south. I want to be there too. For the people of Bear Island. Because the dead will curse us if there is not at least someone avenging the ironborn. And I also want to avenge what they did to my mother and my sisters, who are probably dead, given the lack of news we have had of them."
She finally concluded her small speech. Jon remained silent, watching her with his own thoughts. He could understand her. She had certainly chosen her words well, seeking to provoke some reaction in him.
He merely assessed her, until he broke the silence. "If I take you to the south, understand one thing: you will have to learn our tactics. And you will not be among the leaders. I cannot place you in that position. Those belong to the commanders of the kingdom and my army."
"I will learn your tactics. And I will not get in any of your way. Just let me have an axe in my hand and an enemy in front of me, and I will do the rest," she said firmly.
Jon nodded, before adding: "And one more thing… I am not going to sleep with you, understood?"
Jorelle slightly arched her eyebrow and did not fail to look at him with a clearly disappointed expression. In the last two days, Jorelle had been watching him with a look that resembled that of a lovestruck maiden — even though she was a bear.
Perhaps because she felt grateful for having her life saved by him. Perhaps because he was a powerful figure, who had faced the enemy head-on, because of the stories she had heard and the firmness he had shown with his men, being a natural leader wherever he went, especially the firmness he demonstrated in the execution of Victarion Greyjoy. Jon had noticed this young woman's eyes on him, and kept a certain distance, while treating Jorelle only with respectful indifference and basic courtesy.
Upon hearing his own statement, Jorelle, still disappointed, tried to speak without thinking to control her mouth. "I mean… we do not need to marry or anything like that, you know my mother—" she insisted, a little flushed. But Jon interrupted her by raising his hand.
She was young, in the bloom of her age. Perhaps she should have a suitor here and there.... she hoped to have strong children, as her mother had always defended — seeking strong men to bear strong bears — she would hardly find someone more powerful than him. She was young and far more beautiful than her mother had been in her youth. She was certain that she could perhaps ensnare the king, even if she would not marry him or have him for herself, following her mother's example, to bear strong children.
But Jon did not show any change in his expression. He merely watched her, assessing her, while the silence stretched between them.
Jon finally lowered the hand that had interrupted her, before she could continue. "I am not going to sleep with you. I will not have lovers here, understand that. And definitely, I will not father children in the south. It is foolish to think that you can seduce me, even far from my wives, so let us stop this here. I have six wives and one lover, and I am fine with that," he said naturally.
"Does that include Arya Stark?" she asked, averting her eyes.
Jon frowned.
"It is clear how she looks at you. And you are not siblings, after all…"
"Stop that," Jon said, in a slightly calm tone, but firm enough to make her understand that he was serious. She fell silent immediately.
"I will not hear that kind of thing from you. If you want to go south, I demand that you respect me and respect my people, that you obey my orders and never question me. Understood? I will forgive you this time because we are here alone, but know that this would not happen in public and definitely, I will never hear you insinuating that again, understood?" Jon spoke in a serious tone.
Jorelle shuddered; she had certainly overstepped.
"Besides, I cannot take you while House Mormont does not kneel before me and acknowledge me as King of the Seven Kingdoms and of Arctic."
Her eyes widened, and as an act of submission, in the next moment, she knelt.
"House Mormont will not kneel before anyone whose name is not Stark. You may not bear that name, but the blood runs in your veins. We recognize you as such, just as Lord Stark recognized you before his death, as the rightful king of the North and of the other kingdoms..." she said, lowering her head.
"I accept your will. I want an oath before the common hall tonight. Tomorrow we depart. And you understood very well what I said before, correct?" Jon said, reminding her of his own words.
He would not be questioned by anyone. As much as he understood that the Mormont women could be direct and sincere, there was a limit — especially when the matter involved who would, or would not, warm his bed.
She nodded. "Good. You may go. We will meet in the hall later."
She stood up. Despite having been cornered by Jon's firm tone, she still looked at him with respect and gratitude for what he had done on the island with his soldiers.
Jon returned to writing his letters, while continuing to observe the map of the North and, with his many eyes, the kingdom.
His birds had already spread throughout the entire region. Some delivered scrolls to the lords regarding the maesters' documents; others remained adrift, watching castles, with at least two birds at each important location, attentive to what was happening.
Ramsay Snow was already advancing south with Theon wearing a collar. There were other bizarre things happening in the North, such as the fate of the Lady of Hornwood.
Moat Cailin was being taken, with the ironborn occupying the castle. Jon kept his attention on Roose Bolton, waiting for the right moment to advance, waiting for his bastard son to deal with the ironborn.
"You have no idea what is waiting for you in the North, Roose Bolton," Jon muttered to himself. "I will let the others welcome you, just as they will that wretched bastard of yours." Jon spoke alone there, in that hall.
They might not have violated guest right at the moment they turned against Robb, but they intended to do so at the Twins. Roose had managed to escape with part of his men, and they regrouped to fight the North again and would only win if they truly caught Robb off guard with more men at the end, because the Freys were nearby preparing to attack, and Robb no longer had many men after losing the Karstarks.
Jon had finished his duties and, at night, met in the common hall. He was seated together with Arya, Jorelle, and her sister. Some arctican men, who possessed musical talent — a group of dwarfs who, at the same time that they knew how to wield hammers and slaughter ironborn, also knew how to strum chords and sing with their deep voices — livened up the hall.
Despite the victory, the atmosphere had been gloomy in the past few days, because of everything the ironborn had done to the island. The Mormonts would take a long time to rebuild. Perhaps hundreds of years for Bear Island to return to what it had been before the invasion. The people were clearly saddened. Everyone had lost acquaintances, with most of the population either captured or killed on the island.
But that night, even the visibly downcast men smiled as they watched the small, sturdy warriors with long beards playing instruments and brightening the hall.
Arya drank from her mug of beer and struck it against the table before turning her gaze back to Jon, drawing his attention.
"I heard you raised your voice at Lady Mormont today," Arya said close enough for only Jon to hear, studying his expression while the music played in the background and people drank and laughed cheerfully.
Jorelle seemed different sitting nearby. She was more animated, shouting to her men and joining in the songs that spoke of adventures and mountains which the dwarfs used to sing about, songs that were thousands of years old. But the arcticans had their own style, and these dwarfs had adopted it as well. They sang about Arctic, about the land where they lived and of which they were proud, and about the victories they had achieved around the world.
There was one thing in common in all those songs in that regard: Arctic had never lost a war or battle. It did not matter where they fought — on ships, in foreign lands, in the middle of the desert, in cities at a disadvantage, or even against undead monsters. The stories always ended with the victory of the kingdom beyond the Wall.
Jon turned his attention back to Arya, raising an eyebrow.
"Did you hear that from one of my royal guards or were you spying on me? I remember that crow of yours trying to hide from Bleufire and Phoenix, while the two eagles were with me in the solar. It seemed to want to stay out of their sight the entire time..."
Arya made a face. "She had the audacity to want to sleep with you," Arya growled.
"It is not the first time that has happened, Arya. And it will not be the last," Jon replied naturally.
Women were naturally drawn to powerful men — and Jon possessed practically every aspect that would make any maiden faint. Famous, wealthy, and powerful, his military skills were known throughout the world. He ruled rich lands and commanded a feared army. He bore the title of king and governed a kingdom.
"I know… but it is good that you put her in her place," Arya said as if Jon had done the right thing.
Jon almost mocked his cousin, who seemed a little jealous, but he merely let out a faint smile before drinking again.
It was at that moment that Jorelle stood up.
"I ask for everyone's attention!"
She took advantage of the pause between one song and another to intervene.
"I have an announcement to make before the people of House Mormont."
The hall gradually fell silent.
"We were in a dark situation. While I was dying in my bed, the ironborn abused our people, massacring and committing every kind of atrocity. Yet we were fortunate to have Jon Arctic, the King Beyond the Wall, bringing an army that freed us."
She took a deep breath before continuing.
"I know we have heard much about him over the years. Since childhood, he stood out. I was only a girl of six or seven name days when I heard of little Jon, a little boy fighting against adult bandits. And since then, we have heard much about him. The North was wrong to suspect that he had kidnapped his sister at that time. It was a grotesque mistake. This man never wished to harm the North. On the contrary, he himself said that the North will always be his homeland."
The murmurs ceased completely.
"That is why we must respect the will of Lord Stark. When he was beheaded in King's Landing, he knew he would die, but he made it clear to the Seven Kingdoms that we have a king — a true king. The North erred in trying to give the crown to someone else. But House Mormont will not forget. And no northerner should forget."
She lifted her chin.
"Jon Arctic carries Stark blood in his veins. He is the true heir to the Iron Throne. And I, Jorelle Mormont, kneel before our sovereign."
She made the gesture, kneeling. All the men who were not Arcticans rose and repeated the movement, dropping to their knees on the ground. Even Lyanna, after a brief moment of hesitation, copied her sister.
Jorelle continued, more firmly: "I swear, in the name of House Mormont, that we are loyal to Jon Arctic, whom we consider King of the Seven Kingdoms. And I will accompany him to the south as proof of our loyalty."
Jon nodded in silence, still seated.
"Rise, all of you." He gave the order, and one by one the knees left the ground. Jon raised his mug of beer.
"I accept the loyalty of the Mormonts. And I will also accept your axe beside the arcticans, Lady Mormont. We depart tomorrow."
The hall erupted in applause, with cups raised in celebration.
The Mormonts had been lost since Robb Stark lost the crown, while the Boltons tried to take control of the North — something they would never support. Now, they had a path to follow. They felt guided by a new king.
The next day, Jon woke in an armchair and found Arya in his bed.
Nothing had happened between them, but Arya had simply insisted, after drinking a little too much and becoming stubbornly drunk, and made Jon accept that she would sleep in his bed. Jon did not argue. He let her stay in the bed and sat in the armchair, where he eventually fell asleep.
He awoke to the sound of Arya already stirring. She opened a mischievous smile, not caring what it might look like in the eyes of others — even if it could cause some scandal.
She only went to her own chamber to prepare herself, while Jon gave orders for all the remaining men there to also be ready to depart.
The island had already repaired much of the houses, and people were beginning to return. Supplies had been left in great quantity, enough for them to survive for one or two years. With the population so reduced, they would not need much, and it would not hinder Arctic's military campaign from continuing.
Jon also gave the order for a group of ships to sail to the mainland east of the island, toward the mountain clan, where the region was heavily devastated, sending vessels loaded with supplies to help them before Bran reached the south.
Jorelle gathered sixty Mormont men to follow her. She bid farewell to her sister, saying she would repay all the damned men of the south who had harmed the island and her family — whether ironborn, Lannisters, or Boltons. If she had the opportunity to fight the Boltons, she would fight.
Jon spoke about the plan and the future of Winterfell: he would place Bran Stark as lord of Winterfell, regardless of whether Robb was alive or not. Bran would come to unite the North, resolve the problems arising around the kingdom, and put an end to the Boltons once and for all.
They said their farewells while the arcticans received thanks from the people of the town and the fortress. Some said goodbye personally, as they had come to know each other better over the past few days — to the point of knowing one another's names and even details of their lives in Arctic, as well as life on Bear Island.
In the forests, all those who had hidden had already been found. A search team, guided by the animals Jon controlled, located every group of refugees. They were brought back to receive medical assistance, food, and improvised shelter.
Jon rode on horseback with his men, while Ghost walked beside him, imposing.
The sound of frightened horses echoed — not the arcticans', who were already accustomed, but those of Jorelle and her men, who grew restless in the presence of the giant wolf standing three meters tall.
Jon lifted his gaze and used his abilities. In an instant, all the horses calmed down.
Jorelle stared at him, stunned for a moment, before turning her attention forward again. In the past few days, his powers were no longer merely rumors or distant stories she had heard from men of the mainland with her sisters. They had witnessed his abilities and his connection with animals.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," she said, knowing he had done something.
Jon shrugged. Arya cast a long look at Jorelle, who returned the stare to the Stark.
"I thought you were more polite," Jon mocked his cousin.
Arya, however, had a certain displeasure in her voice. "The girl is becoming quite bold."
Jon merely shrugged again, as they continued leaving the town and advancing toward the coast. Most of the men were already organizing the ships, preparing to depart.
Now, with all the captives cared for and fed, and under the protection of the Mormonts, only soldiers remained on the island's shore as they began to board.
Jon distributed the Mormont soldiers among other ships. Jorelle Mormont remained on the main ship. He was still weighing whether it would be wise to keep a southern noble so close to him, despite her newly declared loyalty and her somewhat suspicious closeness, clearly wanting more than to serve Jon on the battlefield.
The ships soon returned to the sea. The fleet began to round the island, advancing toward the western side, where fifty vessels awaited. Ten ships had already sailed toward the mainland, while another forty were leaving the eastern side of the island to join the fleet in the south, alongside the other three groups of ships. It would take some time before the entire armada was gathered again before they departed for Pyke.
Jon remained silent for a moment, watching the vastness of the sea as the ships moved forward.
"We will control some krakens that live in this area," he decided, his eyes on the waters the ships were cutting through.
It would be interesting to arrive at Pyke accompanied by a true 'shoal' of krakens — creatures that would make even the ironborn question which side the Drowned God was truly on.
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Author here: I do not want to make Jon sleep with every single woman he meets, but I think it is perfectly normal that they feel attracted to him, some more bold than others.
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