This chapter has been edited due to content. If you want to see the unedited version GO HERE.
As was usual for me nowadays, I examined the damage that the war against the Night King had cost Winterfell. Already the Northerners were rebuilding what had once been lost and yet some damages could never be fixed. The terror experienced due to killing a deceased friend that had just come to life could never be forgotten. No matter how many years passed I would never forget how the Night King looked when he had died.
It had been so easy to kill the Night King when he was undead. It was so easy to kill him when he seemed so unlike me. Yet in those final moments he had regained his human form. The terror of that moment would never leave my mind.
I decided to sit down on a makeshift bench. Some men had put unused wood together so that they could sit when taking breaks. Not that their work allowed them much time to rest as Winterfell had to be repaired to its former glory. Or how close to that we could get it. Thinking of that daunting task was much easier to do than to think of my upcoming marriage to Daenerys.
Why was I so nervous? I had been waiting to marry her the moment I laid eyes on her. So what was there to worry about? Couldn't I just be happy for myself? Couldn't I get lost in the joy instead of worrying about some distant future?
I watched as men discussed how to repair part of a building. While there had been damage, it was minor. No, it wasn't minor. No, yes it was. It was confusing listening to them and I knew it would be rude to ask them to clarify the situation. I guess the damage was minor but its placement would make repairs extremely difficult.
"Can I help you, Your Grace?" One of the men asked.
They must be nervous as I had taken interest in the repairs. They probably thought I was watching for Daenerys instead of using it as a way to distract my mind from the wedding. It wouldn't do for them to learn about my temporary uneasiness as they would take it to mean they shouldn't trust her.
"I am merely resting." I reassured them. "You're doing a good job with the repairs."
"It'll take us years to repair everything." The man said with a slight bow.
"If it took any less time, I would be worried."
As my presence would make their task harder, I continued on with my walk. There was nothing that would go wrong at my wedding to Daenerys. No one would dare attack at such a time. We had all survived a battle with the Night King's army. The only one who would journey to Winterfell to fight now was Cersei. As no one, not even Jon or Khaleesi on their dragons, had reported any outsiders there would be no attackers at the wedding.
My feet took me to the courtyard where people were practicing sword fighting and archery. All of them were doing so out of boredom. There was nothing much to do for anyone who wasn't royalty or on one of the many teams to repair Winterfell.
I looked up and saw Sansa looking at the fighters. She watched as Northerners, Unsullied, and Dothraki fought each other. It was hard to read her expression but I swore I saw pain on her face. Jon had told me once about how good of an archer Arya had been before everything had changed for them. Was Sansa imagining Arya shooting arrows and sparring with anyone who would fight her?
"I've been looking for you." A familiar Wildling said from behind me.
"Why?" I asked as I turned around.
"Bored."
I didn't believe Tormund's reply. He might have sensed that I was nervous. The man had fought beside me beyond the Wall and in the Battle for Winterfell so I knew him. Fighting side by side with a man could sometimes form unbreakable bonds. Which meant no matter how annoying he became to me, I would never sever our bonds.
"I'm sure." I said and turned back to the fighters.
The Dothraki did the best against the Unsullied and Northerners. Most likely because the nomads did not have the same formality as the other two groups. Their weakness was in their lack of armor. To say it was entertaining watching the Dothraki fight was an understatement.
"Why don't you go fight?" Tormund asked. "You seem interested enough."
"I've already won against a bloodrider, there isn't much excitement for me to find here." I replied as the Wildling stood beside me.
"A bloodrider?"
"A Dothraki whose blood is considered the same as their khals. They are more than deadly."
"Why did you fight him, then?"
"I was protecting Daenerys."
I had done everything in my power to advise and protect her. And for a short time I did everything in my power to serve her again. My life had revolved her for such a long time it was hard to think of a time before her. So why get worried about marrying her now? It must be because I was uneasy about being a king.
"So why are you actually here?" I asked.
"You're my friend." Tormund said and then laughed. "You and Jon both make me think that my place is here. I can't believe I've actually sided with crows."
"Jon more than deserves to rule. Not many can bring people together like he can."
"Daenerys seems to have done a...decent job."
"Daenerys is not many people."
Khaleesi had grown from a naive girl to one of the most powerful people in Westeros. She now commanded armies and not many would dare go against her. At least once Cersei was dealt with and couldn't send people to fight my love. Daenerys was my love and I should be more than grateful to be able to marry her. She could have whoever she wanted and she had chosen me. All my efforts to serve her had resulted in me being the only one she truly trusted.
"Jon was the one who united people who loathed each other." Tormund said.
"Daenerys freed the Unsullied and gained the respect of the Dothraki." I argued.
"I guess there is something to respect in that."
"And there's something to respect in all that Jon has done."
If my journey through life had never brought me to Khaleesi, I would have been honored to serve Jon. It would have meant that the title of Lord Mormont would never have been lost to me. It would have been me that sided with Jon during the Battle of the Bastards.
"I've never heard the history of House Mormont from a crow." Tormund said.
He didn't sound like himself. In fact he sounded somewhat nervous. There had to be more to this conversation than he was letting on. If not for my nervousness, I could have been subtle. I could have slowly revealed why he was talking to me.
"You could ask Jon about my House." I replied. "When does a Wildling care about Westeros?"
"Some of us are going to stay here." Tormund said. "We can't stay ignorant forever. No matter how many would prefer that be the case."
The idea of Wildlings in Westeros wasn't repellent as it would have been before. Instead I was proud that Jon's idea of uniting with the Wildlings had gone so well. Not only was there peace with former enemies, there was a future that wouldn't have been possible without him.
"Then why not ask Jon?" I asked and raised one of my eyebrows.
"Jon is busy enough." Tormund retorted. "Him and Sansa are coming to terms on what will happen to the North."
"Sansa is watching the fights."
Tormund looked around and finally saw her. He seemed to hold back a sigh before turning to watch the fights. As the fighting had increased in intensity, I assumed everyone had now noticed Sansa watching. They wanted to either impress Lady Stark or make sure she feared them. A part of me wanted to join in to make sure to earn her favor.
"You're right, I don't care about House Mormont's history." Tormund admitted. "I plan to stay in Westeros so I'm sure I'll have to learn in the future."
"So why talk to me?" I asked and he started to walk away.
I followed him and we ended up in a quiet part of the castle where not many were there to listen. A few commoners would come by now and again, but not many. If not for my trust in him, I would have been worried about an assassination attempt. Tormund trusted Jon and so he trusted me. There was no chance that he would try to kill me.
"You're nervous." Tormund began honestly.
"You can tell?" I asked.
If the Wildling had noticed my inner turmoil than others could too. If they felt I was nervous then they could assume Daenerys lived up to all the tales of Targaryen cruelty. That was something that needed to be avoided at all costs. As her king I had to make sure that the Westerosi people respected her. Respect made it easier to control the masses.
"Only because I know you." Tormund reassured me. "To everyone else your face is unreadable. Like always."
"It's the wedding to Daenerys." I replied softly. "I have yearned to be with her the moment we met. Every time she bedded a man, I grew more jealous. I wanted to be with her as no other man was fit for her. Except Jon."
"You're stupid. Aren't you?"
"In this instance, I am."
Tormund was right. It was stupid for me to long after a woman for so long just to feel nervous about marrying her. Before I could think much more on the matter it started to snow. It was gentle but there was a promise of a harsher fall later tonight. I smiled as the sound of happy children started to fill the air.
"Maybe you know that woman is dangerous." Tormund mused. "You know that she will turn Westeros into a pile of ashes. You know that one day she will follow in her ancestor's footsteps."
"I thought you had changed your mind about us." I snapped.
"About Jon. Not about every person in Westeros."
Tormund was an ally. We had fought together. We would've died for each other. My need to slide my sword through his chest slowly died. How dare he insult my love. Khaleesi had done nothing but help while everyone acted as if she was a villain. She wasn't perfect, but she was doing her best to become a better woman.
"You know she's evil." Tormund said.
"Are you trying to calm me or infuriate me?" I asked. "If the latter, you can find someone else to insult."
I stared at the Wildling and watched him remain silent. If he was going to continue telling vicious lies about Daenerys, I would go away. Maybe I would join in the fighting in the courtyard. It would be good to let out some of my aggression that way. Much better than killing Tormund.
"I'm trying to help." Tormund finally admitted. "If my opinions upset you, I'll hold my tongue for now."
"You'll see the truth once she brings a new golden age upon Westeros." I replied curtly. "Then you won't have to hold your tongue anymore."
"If that's true, why are you nervous?"
"I don't know, Tormund. I think I'm just afraid to be happy."
What if Jon had given me Ghost to keep me safe from Daenerys? What if Tormund, a friend of Jon's, was warning me to be careful around her? The Wildling I could ignore, Jon I couldn't. No, Jon was giving me Ghost to make sure I always remembered the North. Tormund had his own thoughts and ideas. I had nothing to worry about during the wedding.
Even though Tormund had the wrong idea about Khaleesi, it was kind of him to make sure I was okay. He would be there for me if ever I had need of him. At least while I was in the North since I doubted the man would ever venture south. Would he go beyond the Wall once summer arrived? Would he be able to stand the heat down here?
"If you weren't marrying Daenerys, who would you marry?" Tormund asked.
"No one else unless it was a good political move." I replied but felt a lie in my voice.
Could Tormund sense my doubt? Who else would I want to marry? There was no one that I wanted as badly as Khaleesi. While there was something to be said for Sansa's beauty, I felt nothing in my loins or heart for her. Our marriage would be purely to unite House Stark and Mormont. There would be no reason to marry Yara. So why did I doubt that there was no other person I'd marry?
"I'd like to th-" I began and then I saw Ghost running at me.
He was usually silent but now he was howling at the top of his lungs. Something had bothered him to the point he was making noises. My thanks to Tormund would have to wait until another time. For now there was something more important.
"What is it?" Tormund asked.
Ghost's lips curled and his ears were pulled back. He was not scared, he was angry. He wanted nothing but to tear something apart. Yet he respected me enough to allow that choice to be mine. Or else he knew that I had to be the one to deal with the situation.
I put a hand on Heartsbane's hilt as I prepared to fight. Or maybe there would be a way to talk all parties into not shedding blood. With a slight nod to Ghost, the direwolf lead the way through Winterfell. A few people stopped to glance at the sight of a direwolf, Mormont, and Wildling racing through the castle.
Once we got close enough I heard yelling. The voices were unfamiliar as they came from the mouths of Northerners. The words they were using weren't yet clear to me. All I could tell for now was that they were mocking someone. If blood was spilt by me then it would reflect on Khaleesi and Sansa might find her chance to oppose the Targaryen openly. I must make sure this conflict stayed bloodless. Or maybe there was nothing to worry about as the Northerners were bickering amongst themselves.
Finally I was close enough to see and hear the Northerners. I gripped Heartsbane tightly at the sight before my eyes. The innocent Missandei and dedicated Grey Worm were being harassed due to their skin color. Tormund and myself stopped when Ghost did. These were my people threatening the lives of those I had grown close to. If only there would be no repercussions if I killed all of the Northerners.
"What is the meaning of this?" I asked loudly and removed my hand from Heartsbane.
The Northerner's eyes widened as they looked at me. My face revealed nothing of my emotions while Ghost circled them. One man unsheathed his sword and followed the direwolf's movements. I walked closer and my companion got closer to the Northerners. With a wave of my hands, Grey Worm and Missandei started to move away.
"Sheath your sword." I said softly and the man did so. "Must I repeat myself?"
"They we-" One Northerner started but stopped when Ghost stood beside me.
"Not only are Missandei and Grey Worm one of Queen Daenerys' closest allies, they are people. They are outsiders but they won't harm you. Yet you hurl insults their way and threaten them to the point Ghost came for me."
One of the men was braver than the rest and started to move his mouth. I looked as Grey Worm and Missandei faded from view. They knew better than to start talking when tensions were still high. After they were gone the Northerners didn't have much to fight about. It helped that I was respected by both Jon Stark and Daenerys Targaryen, the two most powerful people in Westeros. Any ruling would be more likely to favor me and they would suffer. Though Sansa might use the incident for her own ends. She did think on a grander scale than most.
"You will not bother Missandei and Grey Worm." I said sternly. "If I hear of anything else happening concerning you and them, I will alert Jon Stark."
Finally the men looked ashamed. I walked away as if assured my words were being followed. The name of House Stark meant much in the North. The name of Jon Stark meant more than most of his ancestors. So there was a high likilihood they would obey me since Jon Stark's named had been uttered.
"I can see why Jon thinks you'll make a good king." Tormund said.
I had nearly forgotten he was there. Ghost was following behind me, probably to make sure the Northerners didn't try anything foolish. I wasn't worried about that, but it still made me happy to have the direwolf so close.
"You didn't even flinch back there." Tormund continued.
"If I showed an ounce of doubt, things would have turned out differently." I replied. "I didn't have a choice but to stay calm."
Though I would never admit it to him, the thought of Jon being proud made me feel something strange. The easiest way to describe what I felt was 'pride'. The man who should have been king being proud of me was thrilling. Surely I only felt so because it meant Daenerys would keep a firm hold on the North.
"I wonder where her guards were." Tormund wondered.
"I assume they're fighting in the courtyard." I replied. "In any case, I'll be sure to have a few choice words with them."
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