ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋ, ᴋɪꜱꜱ ᴍᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴏɴʟɪɢʜᴛ

viii. the stranger

┌─── ∘°❉°∘ ───┐

Jon had a dream.

And like most things in his life at the moment, it revolved around Elle.

She stood in the middle of the courtyard, the full moon illuminating the area and bathing it in a soft, silver light. She had her back turned towards him.

Hooves pounded over the ground. Shouts followed it. Jon turned towards the gate below the Wall and watched as a group of soldiers came riding in. They were dressed in dark colours, with no sigil on their clothing.

She slowly raised her hand and pointed towards Jon. The riders spurred on their horses and charged towards him.

Jon swung around and bolted for the southern gate. Why he ran that way he didn't know. Something drew him there.

Suddenly, she appeared in front of him. Jon stopped. Why was she standing there? He needed to flee, needed to run, needed to get away from the shadows. Did she want him to die?

She smiled and held out her hand, palm facing the sky. He laid his hand in hers. Her smile was calming, making him forget about what she had just done. Nothing would happen as long as he was with her.

She closed her fingers around his hand and led him towards a door. Jon didn't know where it led to. But he had seen it before, he was certain.

Even as she opened the door she still looked at him. Normally, a person keeping up their smile for such a long time without change would have unsettled him. But never with her.

She pulled him after her through the door and into the room. Jon stared in awe at the enormous hall, decorated from top to bottom with banners in all colours, with gems and gold and silver. The heavy curtains were drawn back letting the room be bathed in golden light. Silver light spilled in from the open door behind him. Jon's gaze wandered to the back of the room, where a throne stood proudly on top of the stairs.

He turned towards her with a smile.

Her eyes were glowing brightly blue, brighter than any fire in the world. Jon froze on the spot, staring into their depths.

She suddenly bared her teeth, revealing rows of sharpened fangs. She let out a bone-shattering screech and jumped at him.

He stumbled back, falling falling falling-

Jon shot up in his bed, sweaty clothes sticking to his body. It took a few minutes for his heavy breathing to slow down enough that he could do something besides stare at the wall before him in terror.

What had just happened?

He pulled his knees towards his chest and rested his forehead on them, burying his hands in his hair. Hopefully he had not awoken anyone else. He did not know if he would be able to explain what he had seen.

What he had seen? It was just a dream, he told himself. Nothing to worry about. Perhaps Theon had been right when he told him that the new moon made people go crazy.

Jon readjusted his blanket around his legs.

Ghost's snout prodded at his right hand. The direwolf's red eyes looked at him, almost in a question. Jon smiled.

"It's alright, Ghost," he whispered, scratching him behind one ear. "It was only a dream. Only a dream."

When he laid back down and closed his eyes he tried to focus on something other than his nightmare. And for some reason, that thing happened to be the feel of Elle's hands in his.

└─── °∘❉∘° ───┘