CHAPTER 9 | ALONE TIME
MAIA screeched loudly.
Gilly's eyes widened as she leaned her back against the stall of the latrine. Jon had a private area built for both girls as they did their business, but Gilly was surprised at her friend's shriek from inside. She knocked on the rotting wood of the door. "Maia," she called, "are you alright?"
The blonde shook her head, angry that out of all things she forgot a woman could have, it was her period. "I'm – I'm bleeding, Gilly."
The other girl furrowed her brow. "You have your moon blood?"
"Sure," Maia shrugged, looking down at her underclothes. She was easily making a fool of herself as she sat in the privy for longer than usual and shivered from the lack of warmth.
"Well, what have you usually done to cover it?" Gilly asked.
"You'd be surprised."
Reaching down for her skirt, Gilly ripped a piece of cloth from her fabric and handed it to Maia from above. "Put this in your breeches. It should help for a couple hours."
The blonde did as such, her stomach roaring with pains. "What do you do about your moon blood?"
"I free-bleed."
Maia felt like throwing up.
•••
The best time of the day was at night. It was under the cover of the stars and darkness that Maia could be alone without a thousand men surrounding her. She could practically smell testosterone from a mile away now.
Hobb wanted to used all their leftover corn before it went bad, so they had combined their recipes to make corn chowder for the Watch. Maia was never a fan, but found herself enjoying the meal as she sat in the silence of the empty common room that night.
It had been a week since the scare she had with Ser Robin and Paolo. She wanted to act like the situation didn't bother her, but it truly did. In the back of her mind, Maia wanted to believe that she could've handled them herself. She didn't want to think about what could've happened if Jon hadn't been there. She had never been more grateful for everything he'd done for her.
But then again, that night was the last time he'd spoken to her. The Lord Commander had even refused to make eye contact with her since then. She wasn't offended by it – were they even friends? – but it did make her wonder what struck him. It caused her to assume that Jon Snow didn't usually get close to people, and when they tried, he only pushed them back. She didn't blame him, because she would get that way as well.
Maia stared at the flame on top of the candle to her side. She sighed before pouring some aged wine into a scratched up glass. She didn't want to think about the work she had to do to get the stains out of it.
She heard the doors of the canteen open and close behind her, but Maia continued eating in her spot. The feet creaked against the floor before they settled in front of her. "Is this seat taken?" A familiar voice asked.
Maia gestured for Jon to sit down. "I guess now."
He pulled the stool out, allowing it to scratch on the boards and cause Maia to wince. "What are you doing here at this hour?"
She shrugged. "Alone time."
"Am I bothering you?"
"Not really," she shook her head. "I just didn't expect you to talk to me."
He lofted a brow, picking up the bottle of wine to study it. "Why is that?"
"Do you feel bad for me?" Maia dropped her spoon into the almost-empty bowl. "Because I could've handled that situation by myself last week, and the second that you come in to help, you stopped talking to me. Excuse me for thinking that this gesture was strange."
Jon was dumbfounded. "I don't feel bad for you, Maia." He looked at anything but her eyes. "I was ... scared to get to know you, I guess."
"And you thought that could happen over a bottle of this horrendous wine?" She sneered, finishing off her dinner and picking up her glass.
He grinned. "You can't hurt a man for trying."
They clanked they scratched glasses together with a smile. "So," Maia smirked and took a sip of her cup, "still think I'm a spy, Lord Commander?"
"I doubt it." He admitted. "But you're going to have to try a lot harder to convince the others. The won't be swayed so easily by the opposite gender."
"Do you think spilling a little blood will convince them?"
Jon laughed, stopping for a moment as his mind reverted to former memories. "A special friend once told me that girls see more blood than boys; that they won't collapse at the sight of blood."
Maia nodded. "Your friend is right." She paused for a moment, realizing Jon was looking at his shoes. "What was their name?"
He hesitated. The raven-haired man wasn't used to being so open like this, but he could admit he felt a warm light radiating off of Maia, which made him feel comfortable. Her smirk reminded him of his past.
"Ygritte," he muttered. "Her name was Ygritte."
She remembered seeing the face of a red-headed woman pop up on her television screen, and when asked, Derek described: That's Ygritte, long-time girlfriend of Jon Snow – well, before she died. She's a Wildling and her and Jon had cave sex, which is a major no-no for the Watch.
Maia smiled. "I like the name. Sounds like a girl who'd blacken your eye if you crossed her."
"You don't know the half of it."
She lifted her glass to her lips as she smirked. "I think I'd like her. We'd be good friends. I need more females near me."
"Trust me, the only way you'd get her near the Wall was if she was attacking it." He shook his head at the memories, connecting his dark eyes with hers. "But I think she'd like you too."
Before she could stop herself, Maia blurted, "How'd she die?" The blonde began shaking her head. "Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to –"
"She was shot with in arrow through her chest."
"Oh," Maia glanced away, releasing a drunken burp with a giggle. "If it makes you feel better, I have no idea how I got here or where my fiancé is."
She hadn't realized she was going to reveal information about herself so fast, but guessed it was the alcohol running through her system. Luckily, she hadn't croaked out that she was from a completely different time and she was suddenly dropped into Derek's favorite TV show.
Jon's eyes seemed to bug out of his skull. "What's a fiancé?"
"For another day, my friend." She replied, standing from her stool and walking to the metal container that held all their dirty dishes.
He followed her lead, but not before stumbling over his own two feet. He was a light-weight, just like her. "At least, let me walk you to your room."
Maia looked back at him from her spot, leaning against the entrance's doors. "A couple things you should learn about me, Jon Snow: I am perfectly fine walking back to my room alone, and I will not allow you to make me a damsel in distress again."