The Dragon & The Wolf (Daenarya)

chapter 16

Sam was bouncing his son on his knee when Jon carried his limp sister through the doors of Winterfell. "Jon, I..."

The King didn't have time to listen to his friend. He needed to make sure Arya was secure first. He spent the whole flight back trying to deny it, trying to rationalize it a different way, but he couldn't. Arya had been turned. He'd inserted the dragonglass into the same wound just as a savior had done for Benjen, but she hadn't risen, not as Arya or a Wight.

He hadn't said a word to his wife the entire trip. He knew she was worried, he was too, and a good husband would have done something to comfort her, but he was at a loss. He'd seen this before. He'd watched people he loved corrupted by the Night King and those who served him. It was going to happen to Arya too. He understood that, he just hadn't found a way to share that truth with Daenerys.

"Where are you taking her?" she asked, running to keep up with his longer steps.

"The dungeon," he said feeling sick at the thought. He was going to have to chain up his sister to keep her from hurting herself and others. "It's the only place in Winterfell with enough chains."

"You can't lock her up!" Daenerys growled, her expression furious. If he hadn't already known they failed, he might give in to anger too. It was an easier emotion than the despair he was feeling.

He ignored Daenerys's protests until the three of them were inside the cell. He set her down carefully on the stone and readied the cuff. Holding Arya's arm, he could feel the cold, worse than a corpse. He vowed to never forgive himself as he closed the iron around her thin wrist, binding her to the wall at the rear of the room. He did the same to the other side. Few people in his life had ever loved him more unconditionally, more completely than Arya. It felt wrong to do this to her, but he didn't know another way. He was also confident that the Arya who loved him, the one who was willing to throw her life away to save him and Daenerys wouldn't want to put them in danger. If the dragonglass wasn't enough, there was only one way to stop what was happening to her. He knew what was necessary, but he wasn't ready to do it. Daenerys deserved a chance to say goodbye to the woman she loved. Jon needed to go and find his siblings. They needed to know what happened, if Bran hadn't already seen it in his visions. "Make your peace, say goodbye," he instructed without looking at her. "I'll ensure you aren't disturbed."

He didn't try to stop her when she hit him. "Do something!" she screamed. "Help her!"

"If I could, you know I would," he said, his voice breaking as he struggled to keep the tears back. "It's too late, his spear was enough claim Viserion, it will take Arya too."

"No!" Daenerys shouted. "You saw it. Her eyes were grey, she's just hurt, that's all." Jon knew she was attempting to convince herself as much as him, maybe more.

"Arya's strong," he acknowledged, looking at the woman chained up under their family home. They were in the same cell where Ramsay Bolton died. "She'll fight it for as long as she can, but it'll change her. There is nothing we can do." He thought about telling her that he'd tried the dragonglass, as had worked with Benjen but it didn't seem important. If it worked, he would have gladly told her every detail about the Ranger who was his uncle, how he lived and how he died, but it would be a hollow gesture now.

Daenerys wasn't ready to give up. "I don't believe it. You're a King, I'm a Queen, what good is any of it if we can't save her?"

He didn't answer because he didn't know. From the moment he was named the King in the North he'd felt largely out of place. It was never a role meant for him. He was an imposter, filling the space left by the ones who couldn't lead, Ned, Robb, Bran, even Arya. She was a Stark and more than capable. The men would have followed her. If she'd been even the slightest bit interested in politics Arya could have led them far better than he ever did. Still, he'd never felt so ill-prepared for the duties of leadership as in this moment. It was a challenge just to keep breathing.