This chapter has been edited due to content. I made minor edits in the chapter. If you want to see the unedited version GO HERE.
"I'm sorry about Daenerys." Sam said as we walked to his room. "Both you and Jon felt something for her. She must have been a special woman if even Jon decided to fall in love with her."
"She was special." I replied. "She should still be alive to sit on the Iron Throne."
Jon didn't fall in love easily, it seemed. He was very guarded in that sense. He had told me before about Ygritte and she must have stopped him from loving anyone else. But he hadn't fallen in love before that woman? I didn't even know if he had bedded a whore. He seemed so pure and innocent. Yet we all had a dark side to some extent. No one could walk through this world without having some stain. Jon's would be small compared to mine. I was sure of that.
"And you must be special." Sam said with a small smile. "He wouldn't have fought to get you by his side. He wouldn't have given you Longclaw if you were just another person to him."
"Jon is a good man." I replied. "He is a kinder heart than anyone I have met. He is naive, to some extent, but he is wise at the same time. When I went with him to get a wight, I saw something in him that could be loved. A strong leader and a good man."
It wasn't embarrassing telling Sam this. He had seen me at my lowest point. He had come in talking about a cure shortly before I was going to kill myself. Somehow the bond we had formed made me admitting my feelings for Jon right. Tyrion would've been supportive but he would've joked too much for my liking. I needed some time to become used to telling people my feelings towards Jon.
"Will you accept his proposal?" Sam asked.
"In all honesty, I'm unsure." I told him. "I want to become closer to him and yet another part makes me want to run away."
To kiss Jon's lip was a thought that had been occurring much too frequently as of late. I also wanted him for more than sex. I wanted to live with the noblest person in Westeros to help guide my path. He was younger and yet maybe he could help me.
"It would be interesting to see Westeros ruled by two kings." Sam said as he opened his door. "We've had the Targaryens with their polygamous relationships. But we have never had two kings ruling at once."
"Sam!" Gilly said and was about to hug Sam until she noticed me.
"Jorah, this is Gilly my wife. Gilly, this is Jorah the man I cured of greyscale."
She looked at me with the curious eyes of a child. She then turned away as a child in the room was starting to scream. I watched as she looked over the child. I shut the door as she started to change the child's diaper. I turned to Sam and saw him smiling at both.
"Is the child yours?" I asked him as I shut the door.
"No, he's Crastor's. I saved him from being sacrificed to White Walkers."
"And Gilly?"
He shrugged but I could tell by the smile on his face why she was here. He had fallen in love with her and wouldn't let her go. She also loved him as she seemed to want to be here. Gilly didn't seem frightened of anything. If I hadn't met Tormund, I would've had distaste for her being a Wildling. But one Wildling had had my back beyond the Wall and I couldn't easily hate another now.
"So you're Jorah." Gilly said once she was done with the child. "Sorry Little Sam made me rude."
"I would prefer you take care of the child first." I replied gently. "I can take care of myself. I've been treated much worse by others."
"How did the meeting go?"
"Jon was revealed to be Jaehaerys Targaryen and he asked me to be his king. Besides that, everything discussed was minor."
"Gilly was the one to find the passage about Jon not actually being a bastard." Sam said proudly. "Bran with all his powers still needed her help in figuring the truth out."
Gilly's face reddened and she looked away. There was a smile on her face that indicated she was proud of her achievement. If not for her none of us would know about Jon's true status. She must be smarter than she first appeared. At least she had the ability to read. Something I had a suspicion Sam had helped her with.
"You said you needed to talk?" Sam asked and I nodded.
Quickly a place was made for me. I sat on a chair while the couple sat on the bed. Little Sam crawled behind them as if he was on an important expedition. I wondered what my children with Khaleesi would've looked like. That is if she were ever able to have children again. I would've liked to be the father to her children. I wanted to look in their eyes and see their mother's strength shining through.
"Yes," I said coming back to the present. "Last night I had a vision. I need your help deciphering it."
"I'm not good at figuring out visions." Sam replied. "I can find out about a weapon or figure out someone's lineage, but I'm not knowledgeable in the mystic arts. You could talk to Bran Stark. I think he'd be better suited to figuring out a vision."
"I don't know Bran Stark. What I am about to say, I only want to speak of in trusted company."
All I knew about Bran's powers was that they were Greenseeing abilities. He could tap into the past, present, or the future. To him the past was no different than the future. Besides not knowing Bran, his abilities had limits. Since he had needed Sam and Gilly's help then the Stark might not be able to help me. How could he figure out when and where to look for Azor Ahai if my vision was wrong? What if he believed a different reading of the prophecy which meant he might not clearly look at my interpretation?
"If there is no one else." Sam said nervously.
"Thank you," I replied. "I fell asleep and suddenly there was heat all around me. The second thing I noticed were voices. They weren't voices of a person, but something else. At first I couldn't understand them as they were speaking different languages at once. But eventually their words became clear to me."
"What were they saying?"
“Jorah! When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone. Jorah!"
"What is Azor Ahai?" Gilly asked.
Sam was too taken aback by what the voices had said that he couldn't speak for a few minutes. He had just heard that I might be Azor Ahai. I was not the first person one would expect to be the legendary hero reborn. Jon or Daenerys were the people one would expect to have great destinies in front of them. I was a disgraced knight that seemed destined to fade away into obscurity.
"Azor Ahai was the one that defeated the White Walkers in the past." Sam said breathlessly. "If Jorah's vision is right, he is that same person reborn."
"If my vision is true." I said with a sigh.
"I can go over what texts are here in Winterfell to see if it is possible."
"Daenerys appeared to me and explained the prophecy further. Maybe that will help you?"
Sam nodded excitedly. I didn't know if he was deeply interested in prophecies. He didn't appear like the type of man who would spend countless nights trying to figure out the puzzle all prophecies had. The most likely reason he was excited was pure boredom. Most things around Winterfell must have been about the Night King, Jon's heritage, and Littlefinger. Only the second thing involved Sam which meant he was left with not much to do here. I was now giving him a task that would keep him busy for many days.
"Daenerys told me that the prophets misinterpreted what they saw." I continued. "She said that prophets are limited by what they see in their visions. Sometimes they see a feeling as the truth instead of a lie. I believe that I killed my love and so the prophets saw that guilt as the truth. They thought that I actually killed her."
I pulled out my necklace and showed it to Sam. The arrowhead seemed as sharp as when it had killed Khaleesi. Sam looked at me before he touched it. If I was truly Azor Ahai, this was Lightbringer. This was the sword of legends. Everyone who believed in the prophecy would be looking for this. Yet none would be expecting an arrowhead over a sword like Dawn or Longclaw.
"Lightbringer." Sam said and then looked at Gilly. "Lightbringer is the legendary sword that Azor Ahai used."
"But that's not a sword." Gilly pointed out.
"Prophecies can be misinterpreted. Those who wrote down the Azor Ahai Prophecy must have been speaking in a metaphorical sense. Or else it was changed through the years."
Gilly nodded and I put Lightbringer away. No, not Lightbringer. Daenerys had said it was a conduit of my power. Which meant anything I chose could be the legendary sword. Or anyone. If only she had told me exactly how that power was supposed to work. How was I supposed to do great things when I wasn't even aware how to use my gifts?
"Daenerys said it was the conduit of my power." I said. "I can imbue anything with enough power to be considered Lightbringer."
"Did you ask her for proof that you're Azor Ahai?" Sam asked.
"Yes, I needed proof for such a claim. Even now I'm not sure which is why I'm turning to you for help. She claims that I was reborn two times. The first when she walked out of the flames with three dragons. If I had managed to stop her then the dragons wouldn't have been born."
"What about the second time?"
"That was when she died. The salt was my tears and her death was the smoke. When a fire goes out there is smoke."
"Did she mention anything about a bleeding star?"
"She said that it has no meaning. It was just something added on with no relation to the real prophecy."
Sam was quiet and I grew worried. It could be that he was unable to help me with my vision. If I were in Essos I could check with the Red Priestesses. Yet even they might not be able to help me. Melisandre had proclaimed both Stannis Baratheon and Jon Stark as Azor Ahai. In Meereen the Red Priestesses had proclaimed Daenerys Targaryen as the legendary hero. If Sam couldn't help me I might actually turn to Bran. I'd do anything just to prove that I was no hero. I was just a man struggling against his past.
"It does seem like your vision wasn't just a vision." Sam said. "Though it could still just be a dream."
"Daenerys told me about wanting me to be her king." I replied. "On the way to Winterfell Jon was going to tell me but I didn't allow him to. When I woke up Sansa Stark told me that piece of information. The vision didn't feel like a dream, either."
"If you think you didn't just dream Daenerys telling you you're Azor Ahai, why are you asking me?"
"I don't want to be some legendary hero. I want to make sure that it is my destiny before I accept it."
I hoped Sam could find the books he needed to figure out the Azor Ahai Prophecy. Though if it were an easy task there would be no question of who the legendary hero was. If Daenerys hadn't been lying in my vision then figuring out the truth would be relatively easy. If she hadn't been entirely honest there would be problems. I knew it was her and not some god playing a trick on me. I would always recognize Khaleesi. Always.
"It may take a few days." Sam told me. "I might need to use Bran to help me understand the prophecy."
His eyes betrayed his nervousness. I could understand that, as a maester, he would want all available tools for this task. For countless millennia the Red Priestesses had been entranced with the prophecy of Azor Ahai. They connected the legendary hero to their god R'hllor. So should the hero be a follower of the Lord of Light?
"Only use Bran if you must." I replied. "I don't know if he will tell others about my vision. I need this to be kept secret for now."
"Why?" Sam asked. "If you are people should know."
"They don't need to know now. I am not one to be a hero. I am just a man that is trying to live. Daenerys or Jon are heroes, I am only here to support them."
"If you were to tell Jon years ago that he would be considered the true heir of the Iron Throne he would've laughed at you. He didn't start as a hero, he started as a man. If you were to tell me that I would one day forsake the life of a maester, I too would've laughed at you. Maybe it's that we don't know what we are until we're tested."
Sam didn't seem convinced about what he was saying. It was as if he was convincing himself. Or maybe I was looking for him to not believe that I could be Azor Ahai. I wanted to be convinced that I was crazy. That Daenerys had been wrong. But what if the man was telling the truth? He was right that his and Jon's future weren't like what anyone would have imagined for them. Selling people into slavery had been a strange turn of events as had falling in love with a Targareyn.
"You have a point." I replied reluctantly. "But I'm not going to believe my own future unless it's proven. If it is true and I am Azor Ahai Reborn, people will need proof. No Red Priestess has looked at me and proclaimed me a hero."
"You're right." Sam said. "I won't tell Bran unless I need to."
What if Sam told someone else? Hopefully he wasn't a social person and wouldn't have many opportunities to tell others. Hopefully he was also not one for gossip. My conversations with him had never revealed that side of him. He would keep his silence.
"Thank you for having me." I said.
"I am thankful to see the man Sam cured." Gilly said with a small smile. "And seeing that you're still cured has also made me happy."
"You have chosen a good man."
I left Sam's room and started to walk around Winterfell. If Sam found that I was Azor Ahai I might be as famous as Winterfell. Instead of me selling poachers into slavery being the moment of my life people remembered, it would be being the savior of humanity that most would recall. It was strange to not have my shame cover me as much as it once had.
Would Father have forgiven me just because I was Azor Ahai? Would Lyanna make me the Lord of Bear Island just because I was a legendary hero reborn? Would I accept their forgiveness? Would I be the only one who didn't see my new title as a sign of my redemption?
My eyes finally saw where my feet had taken me. It was the Godswood which was an extremely Northern part of Winterfell. The South didn't respect the Old Gods as the North did. They did a show of respect but it wasn't in their hearts. Jeor, my own father, had started to worship the Seven but my own faith was anything but solid. It wasn't until Daenerys that I knew what I should worship. It wasn't until her that the sounds of the Old Gods echoed in my head and heart. Maybe the New Gods were the real deities, but the Targaryen had shown me that things more untamed were the true beings to be worshipped.
I put my hand on one of the trees and wondered if the Old Gods could sense me stronger now. I wondered if they could give me any advice. Or if they would delight in my struggle. In any case I would accept Sam's ruling even if I was declared Azor Ahai. I would accept my new title only for the good of Westeros. Even if I wasn't Azor Ahai, I would be the comfort that my people would need.
I walked to the odd pool that was always warm. There were many legends about it. Some said before Winterfell was fully constructed, an Ice Dragon died and the pool was all that remained of it. There had been no sightings of Ice Dragons, but strange things existed where the White Walkers lived.
Before I knew what my hands were doing, my hands were holding the arrow that killed Khaleesi. The feel of it reminded me of her. Not just of her death but of her life. The way she looked on her wedding day, the awe I felt when she came out unburnt, and the sadness when she had exiled me. We had formed bounds that went beyond friends and lovers. We were more than any of those words would ever imply.
While the harsh winter air dug into my skin, I prayed that Daenerys would visit me again. That it wouldn't just be in one vision that my love would come to me.
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