Ice Can Burn: Chapter 7 - The Lord’s Chambers
When the dragon had borne Dany away from him—again, he thought—Jon prayed the old gods would keep her safe. She'd held up well at the mention of Viserion, but that meant nothing. He knew she'd have shattered if she'd been alone, if it had been only them in the courtyard, and not hundreds of their people. And her eyes… they'd seemed to steal his soul with the depth of their pain when she realized she must leave. There were other options, but she'd been correct; Drogon was the fastest way to bring word to the army, and no one could ride him but her. He'd known better than to argue; he'd denied her once by saying kings needed no permission, he could not deny her this duty she wanted—no, needed—to take. He did not blame Jorah or Tyrion for trying. He'd have held her back if he knew she would let him.
He had to drag his gaze away from the clouds to turn to his family, with the unlikely addition of Sam. "This is not how I imagined us reuniting," he said to them when he'd met their stares. Arya's gray eyes were locked on his own. "Little sister."
"Big brother," she said, and then he pulled her into his arms again and kissed the top of her head fiercely, glad that she was real, substantial, and not going anywhere again. Sansa watched on, flanked by both Sandor and Lady Brienne, her eyes nervous, her mouth trying not to twitch into a smile at such a time.
"I need to talk to you," his little brother—his only brother—said, his voice ghostly and bone-chilling. It forced Jon to let Arya go, to turn to survey his brother or the shell of him, at least.
"Perhaps not just now, Bran," Sam Tarly said over him. "Now is not the time."
"We'll talk," Jon promised the boy. "Sam, how did you come to be here? What happened at Old Town?"
"A story for later, I think."
"Both well, and here, in the kitchens."
"Good. I have things I need to tell you," Jon said, thinking of Dickon and his father.
"Later. Stories can wait," Sam said again, a soft smile on his full face. Jon had missed him, wished he could reach out and feel that he was real as well. After losing so many and so much, he took nothing for granted anymore. And he'd lost more without even knowing. Had Tormund survived? Lord Beric? And Edd? Did Edd even know the Wall had fallen?
"Jon," she said simply, and he hugged her as he had Arya, kissed her forehead. Arya seemed to appraise the gesture with a soldier's keen eye.
"I want to hear what's happened," he said to her, "since I gave you that sword."
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