Duty or Desire // Jon Snow // Robb Stark

83. That's why it hurts

They were back a dragon stone, planning their journey to winterfell. To gather their troops and defeat the army of the dead.

"if we have the dorthraki ride hard they will get to winter fall within a fortnight.' Jon said moving his hand along the map.

'And the unsullied?' dany questioned

'We can send them to White Harbor to meet the Dothraki on Kings road and we can ride together from there.' jon told her.

'Perhaps you should fly to Winterfell your Grace,' Mormont said 'you have many enemies all it takes is one angry man with a crossbow to see you are silver hair and want vengeance and declare himself the man who killed the conqueror...' Mormont warned.

'It's your decision your grace but if we are to be allies in this war is important for the northerners to see us as allies together' Jon told her. 'if you show up alone on a dragon... they really wont trust you. Northerners have walls up, especially when it comes to outsiders.' Jon told her.

'Fine we sail to the Harbor together I think it sends a better message,' dany told them agreeing with jon. 'I have not come to conquer the north I'm coming to save the north, we sail together' Daenerys told Jon.

+++++

'What you did in Kings Landing you could've lied to Cersei about bending the knee to Daenerys you risked everything to tell the enemy the truth.' Theon reminded Jon.

'We went down there to make peace and it seems to me we need to be honest with each other if we are going to fight together.' Jon told him.

'"And you always know what is right, to be honest even when we were both young and stupid you always knew every step we take, it was always the right step.' Theon told him

'It may seem that way from the outside but I promise you that is not true,' Jon told him 'I've done plenty of things that I regret...' Dany most recently. Gods he needed Odie to forgive him.

'Not compared to me you haven't' theon told him

'No not compared to you' Jon confirmed. Theon made his way closer to jon, Jon watched him with a cautious gaze.

'I always wanted to do the right thing be the right kind of person but I never knew what that meant.' Theon admitted 'it always seemed like... Like it was an impossible choice I had to make stark or Greyjoy.'

'Our father was more of a father to you than yours ever was and you betrayed him!' Jon told him 'you betrayed him, his memory for a man that never loved you!'

'I did' theon agreed.

'You never lost it. It's a part of you just like he is a part of me' jon told him

'But the things I've done-'

'It's not my place to forgive you for all of it but what I can forgive...' Jon told him 'I do. You don't need to choose Theon you are a greyjoy and you are a stark.' Jon told him.

'Thank you Jon.' Theon told him sincerely. 'When I was a prisoner my sister tried to save me she was the only one that tried to save me' Theon told them 'she needs me now'

'So why are you still talking to me?' Jon turned and walked away.

Jon found Odie on the sandy beaches of dragon stone, Tyrion was sat next to her, a smile on her lips her back to jon as he approached wordlessly.

'So when you drink, does this bullshit you spin come to you more clearly?' Odie pondered with a laugh.

'I am a wise man, Odetta.' Tyrion told her. 'wine just helps the wisdom.' She laughed her head tipping back, her long brown hair grazing the sand.

'Wine helps the wisdom...' she chuckled.

'you know my offer still stands.' Tyrion told her.

'what offer was that?' odie questioned. Tyrion opened his mouth but he saw jon walking up.

'To beat up Snow for you, of course.' Tyrion said instead.

'I don't recall you ever-' then odie heard the crunch of footsteps in the sand. She turned just slight and her smile faded.

'I will give you a moment.' Tyrion said standing up.

'I would rather you didn't.' odie told him. Tyrion ran a hand down her head, his fingers in her hair as he left. Jon took his spot.

'I love you. Only you.' Jon told her, she glanced over at him.

'I love you Jon, that's why it hurts so much to look at you. Helping her, getting so close with her. I never thought myself so fragile but it turns out my heart is easily broken.'

'Odie,' Jon pulled her to him and Odie let him. 'I'm so sorry. I never want to hurt you. Never.' He told her. she let him hold her wordlessly as the tide came in getting higher and higher, meeting their toes.

The journey back to winterfell, Jon and Odie shared a bed but they lay side by side, Odie didn't trust him with her heart, not when the dragon queen was making it very clear that she wanted jon. Odie didn't want to let him back in like that. just for him to break her heart. But jon took what he could get. He held Odie close kissing her head, holding her hand as they walked, but something was different and he didn't know that he was going to get her to feel comfortable with him, at least not while Daenerys was with them.

They were already in the great game but they were about to enter the great war. And the white walkers had a new weapon. One to compete with daenarys fire breathing dragons.