ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋ, ᴋɪꜱꜱ ᴍᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴏɴʟɪɢʜᴛ

xiii. lady come to heal

┌─── ∘°❉°∘ ───┐

Maester Aemon had given Jon a paste and bandages and told him to reapply both every evening. What the blind man hadn't considered, however, was how difficult this would be with only one hand. Especially if the other hand still hurt like shit every time he moved it. He couldn't even open the container the paste was kept in.

He cursed under his breath, wishing he had a table to do this on.

A knock sounded from the door. He cursed again.

He pressed his right arm to his chest and walked over, opening the door and preparing to curse out whoever stood on the other side.

"Hey," he breathed out instead when he saw Elle. She had her hair braided back again.

"Hey," she answered with a smile. "I hope I am not interrupting anything."

"No, I am just struggling with my stupid hand. Does Mormont want anything from me?"

Jon didn't know Elle was able to blush. "No, I just wanted to see you."

"Oh." He didn't know how to react.

"I could help you with your hand. If you want me to stay, that is."

"Yes, of course." He stepped aside, allowing for Elle to enter.

Jon awkwardly sat down in his place against the wall again. Elle sat down across from him. She looked so elegant doing it, he wondered if that was something she learned in Dorne or something she could just do because she was a princess.

"What shall I help you with?"

"Well." Jon coughed. "Aemon told me to apply this paste and then bandage up my hand again, which isn't that easy with only one working hand."

"Good thing you have me now," she said with a smirk.

Elle opened the glass jar without much trouble and put it down beside her. When she cupped his hand with hers, a shiver went down his back and he involuntarily closed his fingers around it. She looked at him with a question.

"Your hand is so cold," he said in almost wonder. Then he reminded himself who they both were. "It calms the burn."

"Oh. I suppose I have spent too much time up here." She laughed quietly.

Elle started spreading the paste over his palm and Jon's thoughts led him to places he very much did not want them to be. So he tried to find something to distract them with.

"So, uh, do you still speak Braavosi?"

She laughed, her fingers trailing up his arm. He hoped she didn't realise how tense he had become.

"Barely. Oberyn tried to have me take lessons, but I was not interested. It is not a time of my life I look back on fondly."

"What do you remember?"

"Just phrases here and there. Mi potrebbe aiutare per favore would be one. Or No, non gli ho rubato." She smirked. "Ti amo più della vita stessa."

They fell into silence again. While Elle started bandaging his hand, Jon realised how close they sat. She had her left leg on his side, the other one lying crossed on the floor, pressed against his. She was leaning forward, making their faces almost touch.

"There," she said quietly. "All done."

Jon couldn't say anything as she looked up, her blue eyes as close as never before. He could feel her breath on his lips, his eyes darting down momentarily before quickly returning to meet her gaze. Neither of them moved.

When he could almost feel her lips on his, just a hair's breadth away, the fingers of his right hand twitched.

Elle jolted back as if awoken from a trance.

"I am sorry, I am so sorry," she mumbled as she jumped up and moved multiple steps back.

Jon quickly climbed to his feet after her. He felt every beat of his heart in his chest.

"Don't be," he said, desperate. "It was me, it was my-"

"No, no," Elle interceded. She looked panicked. "It was not you."

She quickly walked towards the door.

He ran after her. "No, wait! We can-"

"Once again, I am so sorry about this. I swear it will not happen again."

With a slam of the door, Elle vanished into the tower's dark stairwell.

Jon leant against the rotten wooden boards and cursed himself.

Of course Elle did not see him that way. Of course a princess would never want to be with a bastard. Of course he had-

Oh. Oh. Oh no.

He had fallen in love with Elle. Him. A brother of the Night's Watch had fallen in love with a princess of the realm.

Jon sank to his knees.

And the thing was - he had known. Had known he loved her for days, without ever admitting it to himself. And now that he finally was admitting it to himself, it was too late. He had already sworn his vows. There was no turning back now.

A tear fell down his cheek.

└─── °∘❉∘° ───┘