[Chapter Size: 3400 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Arctic, 298 AC.
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Seryna opened her eyes, realizing that it was not yet fully dawn, since the night wind was still coming through the window and she could feel the absence of the sun.
The second thing she noticed was the cold bed. Without her husband at her side, Ygritte was sleeping deeply on the other corner, but the place where her husband should be between them was empty.
The queens of Arctic had agreed to share him in pairs, so that he would sleep with each of them on alternating nights, to avoid having to wait for him to spend an entire night with each one.
Usually, Ygritte and Seryna formed a pair; Rhaenys and Daenerys, another; and Hiyori and Val also shared the bed last with Jon.
These last two had ended up becoming friends. Val, generally more reserved, began to get to know the former princess of Yi-Ti better, with the blonde also being known as the former Wild Princess. Hiyori was naturally more outgoing and communicative. Thus, Val ended up opening up more to her than to any other queen. While they shared the bed with Jon, they would always have a conversation over wine after he managed to satisfy two wives during part of the night.
Anyway, Seryna lifted her torso, looking toward the front of the room. In front of her, she found Jon sitting with a cup of wine in hand, watching the end of the night, his gaze lost on the horizon through the window overlooking the city still glowing with its crystals.
Seryna yawned before getting out of bed and approaching her husband, covering her naked body with a shawl, closing it with both hands, and walking barefoot toward him.
"Is everything all right, Jon?" she asked softly, without disturbing Ygritte's sleep.
Jon turned and gave a faint smile. "I was just thinking," he said.
Despite the smile, she noticed the worry in her husband's eyes. Finally, the war had arrived — according to him, in two days, they would be fighting the war for survival against the dead.
"Then I will join you," she said, before walking to the cradle in the corner of the room, with a direwolf pup lying on the floor beside it. There, she found her other boy — identical to Aegon and Daenerys — with black hair and violet eyes. The baby slept peacefully. He was her second child and Jon's ninth.
They had given him a Targaryen name, Rhaegar.
She reached her hand to the little one's face, caressing him gently. The boy slept deeply but reacted softly to his mother's touch.
It had been three weeks since she had given birth. Just like during Loki's birth, she had felt no pain, thanks to Jon's help. It was a peaceful delivery. And she wouldn't mind having more children, as she planned to, but she knew that now was not the time — not when her husband was so worried, not when he needed her.
Seryna returned to Jon's side, who was still standing, and took a stool from the corner of the room. She placed it beside him and sat down. Jon exchanged a look with her.
"Are you worried, my husband?" she asked.
"I'm trying to look firm. I'm failing, aren't I?" he replied with a playful tone.
"You can see a bit of worry, and that's normal. I know you're trying to stay serious before the whole kingdom so they can have confidence in victory. But it's all right to say how you really feel — at least to me, Jon. You can always tell me. I'll always listen to you. You don't have to be the king who knows everything all the time; you're also mortal," she said, her blue eyes shining with sincerity toward her husband.
Jon smiled.
"I know that, my dear wife. I know it very well," he said, squeezing her hand. "I'm not afraid, but yes, I am nervous. I feel this way because it's not only the lives of Arctic that will be affected in this war, but the whole world. We are on the front line between the destruction of humanity. To think that I, raised as my uncle's bastard during my first namedays, would be here, defending all of humanity... it may sound silly, but I can't help thinking about it," Jon admitted with a weak smile.
"And with good reason, my love. You are amazing. No one can deny that, and you will conquer them as you always have and shown to the whole world..." she said firmly.
"Yes, I have confidence. I'll be the first to run toward the enemies. I will fight for my people, for you all, for our children," he said, tightening his grip on her hand even more. Then she rested her head on her husband's shoulder as they looked at the city through the window.
"I know, my love. And I'll be with you on the front line. We'll fight together, after all, we've come this far," she said.
"That reminds me of when we first met," Jon laughed, and Seryna looked at him softly, without lifting her head from his shoulder.
"At that time, when we met in the south... I was still a giantess you hated, remember? I used to chase you just to get a hug from you," she laughed too.
"Yeah, I remember it well," Jon replied, amused. "You were the daughter of one of the leaders of a giant tribe, but you fled south, where we met later. I remember you were afraid, you didn't want to go back north, and you even got worried when I talked about my plans."
"Even so, I followed you. I believed from that moment on that I was bound to you, because it was obvious that the Wall alone wouldn't stop the monsters from crossing, right? You were south of the Wall and still chose to cross it to give the people north of it a chance, to fight..." she said.
"Yes," Jon replied with a gentle smile. "I'm happy for everything that happened between us, Seryna. I regret nothing."
"And how could I ever regret it, Jon...? You are the most amazing man there is, my husband. Father of our two children. The man I always wanted to have, even when I was twice your size!" she laughed.
"The gods have blessed us, Seryna. But I must say, I could hardly have married that giant version of you," Jon teased in a light, playful tone.
"I know! I can't imagine you sharing a bed with a giant," she laughed. "But the gods blessed me too, just as they blessed you. And if they want you to fight monsters, then I also owe them a favor. As I said, I'll be by your side, no matter what happens," she replied.
"I know, my love," Jon said as he watched the sun finally begin to rise.
Suddenly, a cry filled the room, and Ygritte, who had been sleeping, began to wake up.
"He's hungry," Jon said, looking toward the cradle.
"Then I'll feed him," said Seryna, standing up and taking the baby in her arms.
"Shh, shh, shh... it's all right, my little love," Seryna said, trying to calm the boy as she brought him to her breast.
"Jon..." Jon looked toward the one calling him as Ygritte approached, walking over to him and sitting on his lap.
"How about a little affection, Jon," said Ygritte in a sleepy tone, like a shadow cat waking in the morning, asking for affection.
Jon laughed, hugging his wife and placing a few kisses on her bare back, always fragrant with the familiar perfume Ygritte liked to wear.
Later, during breakfast, Jon ate together with his family. Brynden was also present, but remained standing, reading reports directly to the king as he ate his first meal with his family gathered.
"The armies are already on the move. Most of them are in the north, but, as you requested, we're maintaining additional troops in all four corners of the kingdom. Also, all are on horseback — we've kept the mounted units to ensure flexibility and quick mobilization within the realm, should they need to fight any creature that advances past the walls," Brynden said.
"Excellent. About the weapons, were they all distributed to the people yesterday?" Jon asked.
Brynden nodded. "Yes. All the inhabitants of Arctic who are civilians — men, women, and children — are armed and receiving training throughout the kingdom." Even civilians who would not be on the battlefield — everyone in Arctic would have dragonglass daggers, bows, and arrows made of dragonglass.
This measure was necessary. If Arctic's barriers were ever breached, the people would have a way to defend themselves. Even the children would have a weapon in hand. It was a terrible thing to imagine, but better than leaving them defenseless before the monsters.
Jon had been speaking to the people in recent weeks, every three days, keeping everyone united, morale high, and certain of victory. He wanted to leave no gap, no scenario unanswered, nothing that could catch them by surprise.
"How was the meeting yesterday at the University?" Jon asked.
The University was officially closed, though Aemon and Seraphine, along with a few others, were still debating whether to reopen it or not.
"As you requested, my king," Brynden said.
"There's no reason to keep the University open now," Jon replied. "We'll continue teaching the basics, but it makes no sense to focus our efforts on keeping it fully operational when we're counting down the hours to war."
Jon's gaze wandered across the table. Everyone was silent. His children shrank slightly, somewhat aware of the situation, but not completely. Even while trying to appear strong, they were still trying to absorb the reality — they were in the middle of a war. The entire kingdom was in danger, and their father would fight — as would some of their mothers. Val, Seryna, and even Arya would stand by Jon's side on the battlefield.
Even Benjen, his uncle, would march to war.
"My king, there have been some complaints from the hired teachers. Some wish to return home, they're afraid..." Brynden said.
"They want that now? Even if we could do something, we couldn't send them," Jon replied with irony. "If they're frightened, let them lock themselves inside their homes until this mess is over."
He mocked, but deep down he knew it was inevitable. There would always be people begging to leave, knowing an army of monsters was coming to meet them.
They could even flee south, but if Arctic fell, they would die all the same. They might only gain a little more time, as the dead would hunt them across the world until everything was frozen and lifeless.
"I hope all houses and families are well supplied," Jon said to Brynden.
"Yes, my king. Everyone has their reserves, as you provided all the food from the kingdom, along with the thermal boxes to keep it fresh," Brynden said.
In the past weeks, Jon had not only armed the people but also instructed families to keep their food stocks as full as possible, charging nothing for it. With the granaries full, there was a controlled distribution: each family could take only what they needed, depending on the number of members in the household, to avoid waste, since others would also depend on that food.
Brynden was organizing everything because, in practice, Mance should have handled it — he was the minister of civil organization. However, given the importance of the task and Brynden's experience, it fell to him to coordinate it, even though Mance had helped him with it.
"My lord, the army is in position, the people have food and weapons to defend themselves, along with the additional crystals we distributed. We can finally begin waiting for the enemy," Brynden said in a firm tone. He too had lived for the moment to destroy the threat — now, the time had come.
The distribution of new crystals was due to the days growing shorter — about six hours of daylight — and soon everything would darken, remaining in total darkness for eighteen hours, something that had changed in recent weeks.
People were restless with this change, so even more light crystals were distributed to maintain a sense of safety. These crystals ensured that the people wouldn't lose their ability to see in the dark.
"The gate is also being closed," Brynden added, pointing out the last detail of the kingdom — the canal.
To the east of the realm, between the farms and the forests, there was a passage where ships crossed beneath. A massive gate made of steel bars, forged by dwarves, had been erected there in the past few days. They had installed the sliding gate from top to bottom; it would not completely block the water flow, being made of bars, but it would prevent the dead from swimming through.
"That's great. Do you want to eat something else? You've been standing the whole time," Jon asked Brynden calmly.
"No, my king. If you'll allow me, I'll go now. I need to check the dead's approach in two days," Brynden replied.
"All right, go, my friend. I'll be meeting the army today to align the final points — where we need to position our machines, especially against aerial attacks that could come at any moment before the dead arrive," Jon said.
With that, Brynden left, bowing to the royal family, followed by the guards.
Jon looked at his family, who were still eating breakfast in silence. Seryna didn't fail to give him a smile, even with the tension lingering in the air.
"Is it true that we might die?" Lyanna asked cautiously, stirring her food — her omelet — without really eating it.
"Lyanna, we're not going to die, my daughter!" Ygritte said immediately, hugging her.
"No, my daughter, we won't die. Daddy will fight to protect everyone," Jon said.
"But kepa could die too, couldn't he?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Jon stood up and approached her, kneeling beside her, gently touching her head. He then turned his attention to the other children, who also had cautious, sad expressions. The kingdom's atmosphere affected them. Even with Jon maintaining a firm stance and the people's morale high, there was no denying it — a shadow hung over everyone.
The days were shorter now — something never seen before — the temperature dropping day by day, and even with the Great Weirwood keeping the temperature steady through magic, the cold front was still advancing from the north, along with the army of the dead and the White Walkers. Flying creatures could also attack at any moment, trying to disorient Arctic and weaken its defenses before the main battle.
"Your daddy will fight on the front line, as you know. But we're going to protect you, your brothers, your mothers... everyone," Jon said.
"Promise that kepa will come back?" Lyanna murmured, her voice shaking.
Jon held his little daughter's head and pressed his forehead against hers.
"Of course I will, my daughter. Every single day, I'll come back. No matter how long this war lasts, I'll always keep you safe. And I'll come back to you. Do you know why?" Jon asked.
"Why, kepa?" she murmured, almost crying.
"Because you, your brothers, and your mothers are my motivation. The reason I keep winning, no matter what's in front of me. I'll always give you a goodnight kiss, every day, all right?" Jon said.
"Promise?" she asked.
" I promise," he replied, kissing her forehead.
Jon took a deep breath and stood up. Brandon, Jaehaerys, and Loki seemed like they wanted to cry. Ygritte and Rhaenys tried to comfort them, while Seryna simply watched in silence, keeping a serene, though tense, smile for her son, who tried to be strong, imitating his father.
"Anyway, I'm going to get ready. I want you all to be well until I return at the end of the day. And don't doubt it: we will win this war, understand?" Jon said, looking each of them in the eyes. Everyone nodded, one by one.
"Arya, Uncle Benjen — as soon as you finish breakfast, meet me at the castle gate," Jon said, turning to leave the royal family's dining room.
Jon did not call any of his wives to participate in the next meeting, for none of them were strategists. Only Arya had developed that kind of thinking, alongside Benjen, who had the experience and vision of the first ranger of the Night's Watch. He knew how the terrain worked — and that was what Jon needed most at that moment.
Jon went outside because he felt someone had entered the castle.
"Tormund, what are you doing here?" Jon said at the garden entrance, outside the castle, as Tormund approached, accompanied by other royal guards.
"Jon, you bastard!" roared the red-bearded giant, advancing with a presumptuous grin.
"Hey, you will not speak to the king that way." Lancelot, who accompanied Jon, issued an immediate warning for the insult, and Jon held back a laugh.
"It's not as if he's truly offending me. I mean, what are you doing here, Tormund?" Jon asked.
"Bastard, you didn't place me outside the main attack, punctually." Tormund retorted, half provoked.
"Take this as a warning. If you insult the king one more time... I'll beat you and throw you in the dungeon — you'll be imprisoned for days and won't take part in the war." Lancelot growled, furious, while Jon still raised a hand for him to calm down.
"I wasn't the one who organized the men individually. I'm your friend, Tormund, but you also can't keep insulting me, even unintentionally. You're speaking only because of our years of friendship," Jon said, more seriously, while Tormund looked a bit surprised by the reaction.
"All right." Tormund grumbled, but looked at Jon firmly. "I want to be at your side, to use my axe that you made, made from that precious metal to kill those damned ice bastards."
"Don't bring that weapon up now. I heard you put it in your dining room to keep as a decoration." A royal guard mocked, while the giant snarled in satisfaction.
"You don't understand. I was just waiting for the right moment." Tormund said proudly, shaking his head.
"All right, Tormund. I'll see what I can do. If you want to fight at my side, just don't die, you foolish redhead." Jon laughed and smiled.
"Obviously, Jon. We've always been partners — why would that change now? Anyway, I'll test them soon; if you want to keep at it, I'll send a man to you," the giant said proudly. Despite the lack of discipline, his strength was as great as anyone's. He could have been a royal knight like the others, but his personality wasn't very reliable.
"Well, you fool... I've already seen your dick, and we've been through so much. Why wouldn't we die together too?" Tormund teased.
Jon burst out laughing. "You saw an eleven-year-old boy's dick... What did you expect? That I'd have a sword between my legs...?" Jon rolled his eyes, laughing at his own provocation.
"No, but you're blessed by God; others say you're even a god, but it doesn't impress me one bit. What kind of god would..." He made a gesture implying what he meant and couldn't even finish his sentence.
One of the royal guards gave him a smack on the head.
"You damned redhead, stop talking nonsense!" Lancelot growled.
"Hit me one more time and you'll see..." the giant grumbled, growling.
"Enough, Tormund. Now, if you want to fight on the front line, fine — we'll arrange that. I don't doubt your courage, but come with me," Jon said, as he saw Arya and Benjen approaching to follow him.
"We're going north. We need to hold a military meeting, and I want you to summon all the kingdom's ministers," Jon demanded of his men, while the royal guards began sending messengers with pigeons for the summons.
"Now, saddle our horses, we're heading north," he ordered.
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