The Targaryens carried the "mad blood," and the Starks the "wolf's blood."
At that moment, no one knew whether it was the madness flaring up or the wolf's blood awakening or perhaps both the dragon's madness and the wolf's fury boiled together in his veins.
Jon decided to help the two Starks strike back at Bolton and the Lannisters on the Iron Throne.
"The Night's Watch does not take part in the struggles of the Seven Kingdoms," he said. "I will not ask my brothers to break their vows. I will go to Winterfell alone."
He made this announcement to everyone during dinner in the mess hall.
Jon did not try to hide his intentions or sneak away from Castle Black.
There was no point in hiding. Sooner or later, he would have to face them.
Besides, one man's strength meant nothing in a war. Leaving alone would serve no purpose.
So he said the noble words first, then paused and added, "Of course, if any brother wishes to volunteer to ride south with me, I would be grateful."
Tormund and the wildling leaders practically burst with excitement. They slapped the tables and shouted, "Crow! Let us be your men! We'll form your wildling army and rip old Roose Bolton a new one!"
In truth, Tormund and his people were no longer wildlings. Thanks to the "Tripartite Lease Agreement" the Dragon Queen had devised, the Night's Watch had leased wildlings as guards for the Wall, while the wildlings, in turn, leased the castles to live in.
From the moment that contract was signed, the moment they stepped through the Wall, there were no more wildlings only temporary brothers of the Night's Watch.
Marsh, Donal the Smith, and old red-nosed Maester all turned pale. They understood the Lord Commander's intentions and feared the consequences of his decision.
"The Night's Watch takes no wife, holds no lands, fathers no children, wears no crowns, and seeks no glory."
Jon Snow had broken the sacred oath.
And in this world, those who break their oaths never meet a good end.
That was a law of nature even if you were the protagonist.
That very night, Jon's head was cut off.
The hero dead.
"Who murdered Jon?" Dany asked, suppressing a laugh.
"Steward Bowen Marsh led more than fifty brothers of the Watch into the Lord Commander's Tower," replied the Red Woman. "The rest watched from outside."
"How tragic!" Dany's mouth twitched.
The so-called Prince That Was Promised, the main protagonist of Game of Thrones, had met such an ending.
But it was her own fault for digging the pit he fell into.
Long ago, when she had visited the Wall, she had constantly spoken of duty, vows, and honor
The vows of the Night's Watch, and her own.
The main reason the Dragon Queen was willing to selflessly aid the Wall was simple: the Night's Watch remained loyal to their duty, took no part in the power struggles of the Seven Kingdoms, and devoted their lives to its people.
"The Night's Watch are the swords in the darkness, the watchers on the Wall, the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men."
That was the Night's Watch vow their mission, their honor, and the medal that earned them hospitality and aid in every noble house across the realm.
Because they took no sides in any factional conflict, when the Dragon Queen proclaimed her vow to "end the Long Night," the lords of the Seven Kingdoms all sent supplies and knights to the Wall.
Even Casterly Rock kept its word. After the Ironborn lifted their blockade of Lannisport, ships were sent to the Shadow Tower laden with food, furs, and prisoners.
But if the Night's Watch allowed Jon to recruit wildlings and black brothers to march south and join the war for Winterfell or even to attack the Lannisters' Iron Throne then the Watch would lose its honor.
It would no longer be pure, and no lord would ever send aid again.
Jon Snow was no ordinary black brother. He was the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch the leader of the Wall.
Ser Gerold Dayne had represented the Dragon Queen in sending tens of thousands of tons of supplies to the Wall.
Everything the Watch and wildlings ate, drank, wore, and used came from the Dragon Queen's coffers.
If Jon led men south, he would inevitably be using her resources as military supplies.
The journey from the Wall to Winterfell stretched thousands of kilometers through frozen wastelands, with almost no living soul in sight.
Without the food from the Wall, Jon and his wildlings would have nothing to eat.
And when the Dragon Queen learned of this would she be pleased?
Dany could say with full certainty: I would be absolutely furious.
When she had used food to aid the wildlings, they were grateful. The moment they heard that Meereen needed shapeshifters, they didn't even need to be summoned men, women, young, and old came running in droves.
Even when she distributed food to the northern commoners, those who ate her grain at least remembered her kindness. And even if the northerners were born ungrateful wolves who quickly forgot, at least she had done a good deed feeding the living was merit in itself.
But providing grain and weapons to the Starks so they could seize the title of King in the North? That would only bring her blood and resentment. What good would that do her?
Moreover, in the past half-year, nearly all aid to the Wall had come from nobles outside the North. The northern lands had seen too much war; their wheat rotted in the fields, and even the lords had little grain left.
If those distant nobles went through the trouble of sending supplies to the Wall only to find the Night's Watch had joined the civil wars of the Seven Kingdoms how could they not be enraged?
And let's not forget the White Walkers were still gathering beyond the Wall!
At such a critical moment, the Watch's discipline and honor must not collapse.
Therefore, oathbreaker Jon had to die. There was no injustice in it.
Even Bowen Marsh and the brothers who murdered him were not oathbreakers themselves though killing a brother of the Watch was, by definition, a betrayal of the vow.
They were not sinners, but great heroes who "purged corruption from the order."
In this regard, the Game of Thrones television series, in its effort to preserve the protagonist's image, had reversed cause and effect: it was because Jon was slain by his sworn brothers and resurrected that he became disillusioned, renounced his vows, and officially became Jon Stark to fight in the Battle of Winterfell.
"Since Jon Snow is dead, burn the body and elect a new Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Why are you coming to me?" Dany asked, puzzled.
"Jon isn't truly dead. His soul hasn't returned to the realm of the dead but resides within his direwolf," said Melisandre.
"What?" Dany was first startled, then her expression turned strange.
Of course.
Jon was a warg, and wargs didn't die so easily.
Even the weakest among them could live a second life through their animal companion.
Jon's talent as a warg was among the best. He must still be able to maintain his human consciousness.
Could it be that without her, the fated heroine, the male lead was going to turn into a literal lone wolf?
Oh, wait Ygritte, the kiss of fire, wasn't dead. Jon wasn't a lone wolf after all, nor did he need her, the so-called fated heroine.
"You intend to bring him back to life?" Dany asked.
The Red Priestess frowned. "Jon Snow died three days ago. That same night, I stitched his body together. But when I prayed to R'hllor and attempted to grant him the kiss of life, Jon refused me."
"Uh, I'm a little confused. How many Jons are there? If he hasn't been resurrected, how could he refuse you?" Dany said oddly.
"I told you before, didn't I? Besides the direwolf, he has a raven companion one that once belonged to a former Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. It can speak human language," said Melisandre.
"But you also said his second life began in the direwolf. How did he end up in the raven?"
Melisandre explained, "Jon Snow's talent is extraordinary. And the Wall is a gateway of the world Castle Black is saturated with potent magical energy.
Even without training, one's power and magical affinity can grow quickly there. Moreover, he had devoted himself to practicing the Shadowbinder's meditation method you taught him.
Now, his soul is nearly indestructible. It can freely move between the raven and the direwolf. You cannot judge him by the standards of ordinary wargs."
Shit. A soul that's nearly indestructible? That's a greenseer.
Suppressing her awe, Dany asked, "What does he want from me?"
Since Jon refused to be revived by the Red Woman yet had her contact Dany, it clearly meant that oath-breaking ghost had a favor to ask.
"I don't know," Melisandre said, looking slightly dazed as she shook her head. "I'm only helping him send a message. He hopes you'll come to the Wall again. He wishes to see you."
"I'm busy waging a world war right now. How do I have time to meet a dead man? Seven Gods above, that sounds terrifying."
Dany rubbed her arms theatrically, as if brushing away goosebumps that weren't there.
"Then forget it."
Dany had expected Melisandre to panic and try to persuade her otherwise. But instead, the Red Woman visibly relaxed upon hearing Dany's refusal and even smiled as she ended the transmission.
Dany was stunned.
Melisandre had come on Jon's behalf but she herself clearly didn't want to get further involved.
Or perhaps Dany's refusal was exactly what Melisandre had hoped for.She wanted to resurrect Jon in R'hllor's way.
But Jon didn't want that.
What on earth was going on?
Soon, an old friend helped her unravel the mystery.
Just three minutes after her remote conversation with Melisandre ended, another unexpected figure appeared in the mirror.
There was no image only a voice.
"Dany, no matter how busy you are in Slaver's Bay, you must come to me as soon as possible."
The voice was familiar, but the tone was not.
And the way it called her "Dany" so intimately made her shiver for real this time.
"Three-Eyed Raven?" Dany asked, shocked and uncertain.
The voice indeed sounded like Brynden Rivers, but compared to before, it carried a thousandfold more warmth and humanity.
It was as if a cold machine had turned into a weathered old poet full of emotion.
The change was so striking that even though Dany knew there was only one person in Westeros who could communicate with her across Maester Marwyn's link, she still felt a twinge of doubt.
"It's me. In Westeros, nothing escapes the eyes and ears of the greenseers. Your magical communication frequency is no secret to me," Brynden said with a gentle smile.
"Heh. If I were on Dragonstone myself and you still dared say that, I'd almost admire you," Dany sneered.
After all, Archmaester Marwyn was merely a moon singer. He couldn't even perform Valyrian meditation. At best, he was a caretaker of magical nodes, not a true master hardly even an administrator.
It was like a server room with no system admin, only a janitor. If a hacker broke through the janitor's firewall, would that really be something to boast about?
Brynden didn't argue. Instead, his tone grew heavy with emotion. "You've done well. You are the pride of House Targaryen. Every ancestor and every descendant will be proud of you. So am I."
"What do you want?" Dany's face twisted, her heart tightening with suspicion.
"Ah, Dany, I am the Three-Eyed Raven, I am Brynden Rivers but I am no longer the Three-Eyed Raven."
His words sounded contradictory, yet Dany understood them instantly. Bran had completed the succession and become the second Three-Eyed Raven the next greenseer in line.
And Brynden was now merely Brynden Rivers, the Targaryen bastard gifted with the sight.
The reason he still called himself the "Three-Eyed Raven" was because that had originally been the nickname of the noble bastard.
(End of Chapter)
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