BLOODLINES ↠ JON SNOW

XIII. VENI, VIDI, VICI

XIII. VENI, VIDI, VICI

"I WANT EVERY NORTHERN MAESTER TO SCOUR THEIR RECORDS FOR ANY MENTION OF DRAGONGLASS." Jon began, his voice filled with authority. He had called a meeting with the leaders of the Northern Houses and the Free Folk, along with Amodera, Sansa, Davos and Brienne. "Dragonglass kills white walkers. It's more valuable to us now than gold. We need to find it, we need to mine it, we need to make weapons from it. Everyone aged 10 to 60 will drill daily with spears, pikes, bow and arrow."

"It's about time we taught these boys of summer how to fight." One of the Northern Lords, Robett Glover, began, earning laughs from the rest of his men.

Amodera arched an eyebrow, glancing across at Jon. Just the boys? And the Northerners called her people primitive.

"Not just the boys." Jon stated, as if he had read her mind. " We can't defend the North if only half the population is fighting."

Glover stood, eyebrows furrowed in anger. "You expect me to put a spear in my granddaughters hand?"

"Spear, bow: whatever she prefers." Amodera replied, smirking slightly at the sight of his fury.

"I don't plan on knitting by the fire while men fight for me." Lyanna Mormont stood up, looking over at the other Northerners. "I might be small, Lord Glover, and I might be a girl, but I am every bit as much a Notherner as you."

"Indeed you are, my lady. No one has questioned--"

"And I don't need your permission to defend the North." Lyanna interrupted. Amodera looked over at the young girl, filled with pride. "We'll begin training every man, woman, boy and girl on Bear Island."

Jon smiled and nodded at the young girl, before directing his gaze back to Amodera. She could see something in his eyes: a sort of sadness that told her he would ask an impossible question. "While we're preparing for attack, we need to shore up our defenses. The only thing standing between us and the Army of the Dead is the Wall and the Wall hasn't been properly manned in centuries." Amodera felt something in her stomach, knowing what he would ask of her next. She supposed it was a sort of longing -- her heart being torn between him and her people. "Last time we saw the Night King was at Hardhome. The closest castle to Hardhome is Eastwatch-by-the-Sea..."

"Then that's where we'll go." Amodera stated, offering him a reassuring smile as she pushed down her emotions.

Tormund stood up beside her and grinned. "Looks like we're the Night's Watch now."

《》

The meeting was long; only serving to worsen Amodera's aching limbs. War was a hardship anywhere, but at least at Winterfell she had a proper bed and furs to sleep in. Eastwatch would send her back to the discomforts of her time at Castle Black. Still -- whatever she faced now were dreams compared to what laid North of the Wall. Her only regret was that she could not spend her days with the one person she truly wanted to. But their duties split them apart now, where they had once served to bring them together. It was a cruel fate to lust after an impossible future; one she had grown all too familiar with.

Amodera watched in fascination as he greeted two Northern children who had become the leaders of their Houses after the tragedies of war. It was an all too common occurrence nowadays. Jon looked so calm and controlled, as if his every move was calculated long before it began. She could see the king in him -- as clear as if he wore a crown atop his head. He was the King in the North; a true and worthy man she would follow into whatever battle he next faced.

Feeling her gaze upon him, Jon looked up at her -- his dark eyes filled with an emotion she could not place. Perhaps it was pain, seeing the face of the woman he had grown to love before she would leave. He smiled at the young Lord and Lady, before calling an end to the meeting. People began to filter out the hall, blocking her view of him. Amodera let out a soft breath, before turning to face Tormund.

"So...you're sleeping with a Crow?" He stated, raising his eyebrows at his Commander as they began walking to the exit.

Amodera rolled her eyes, hitting him playfully on the arm. "Oh, don't give me any of that. I see the way you look at that blonde giant."

Tormund grinned, glancing across the room to where Brienne stood. The blonde woman caught his eye before turning away abruptly -- a look of disgust upon her face. Amodera let out a soft laugh, to which she earned a glare from him. The two had almost reached the exit, when she felt a hand upon her arm.

Amodera spun, pulling a small dagger from her belt defensively. At the sight of Jon's wary brown eyes, she smirked slightly, placing the dagger back in it's usual spot. "Don't get familiar, Snow."

"May I speak to you?"

Amodera paused, before turning to Tormund and nodding for him to go. The hall was empty in a matter of minutes -- leaving them alone in the cold, stony silence.

"Eastwatch was a spur of the moment decision." Jon mumbled, moving closer to her.

"It was a smart move. We need to try and stop the Army of the Dead before it passes the Wall." She replied, nodding her head but avoiding eye contact with him. "You made the right choice."

"The right choice, yes..." He began, his fingers grazing the side of her face before lifting up her chin so her gaze met his, "But not the one I wanted to make."

"You did what you had to do, Jon. I would've done the sa-" She was cut off by his lips grazing hers. They were soft and warm; a relief from the harsh winter winds. Amodera allowed herself to melt into him, for her body to surround his, for just a second, before she pulled herself back to the harsh truth.

"I know I should've consulted you before springing the idea on you in front of your people. I'm sorry." Jon stated, his voice filled with regret at the thought of losing her.

"No apology is necessary, Jon." Amodera began. "You asked me to choose, and the choice is clear. The duty to protect my people comes first -- always." At that, the Wildling Commander turned and strode from the hall; keeping her head high while her heart split in two.

《》

AUTHOR'S NOTE;
This chapter is sad, sorry guys. My baby Amodera can't deal with the feels.

I hope you liked this chapter! Please vote if you did, and comment what you thought so I can see your opinions on how you think this fanfiction is going so far.

Thank you for your love and support! - CAT c: