Falling Like ✸ Jon Snow ✓

32| 𝔩𝔬𝔯𝔡 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔯

castle black, the wall

— IT WAS BEFORE DAWN WHEN NYMERIA WAS WOKEN BY A STRANGE SOUND. The first rays of morning light had yet to even touch the roofs of Castle Black when she found herself sitting up in bed with a groan, straining her ears to hear it again. There it was: howling.

Is that... Ghost?

Immediately her guard was up, and she stood from her bed, changing quickly and throwing on her black cloak and dagger belt.

The sound was soon accompanied by the rattling of his pen door and whimpers as she stepped outside.

Across from her, she quickly spotted a second figure, another who'd been disturbed by the sounds. Davos Seaworth. His gaze was fixated on something on the far side of the courtyard, and Nymeria turned to follow it with a hand on her dagger. Then she saw.

Her entire body froze, her eyes not willing to believe what she thought they were seeing, and she forced her legs to work, carrying her down the steps until the snow in the courtyard crunched beneath her boots. She could vaguely hear Davos following, but it didn't register. She didn't even realise she was running until she came to a stop beside the body.

He lay on his back, blood frozen in the snow all around him, face pale, dark curls splayed out, empty brown eyes staring up at nothing at all.

Nymeria's breath shuddered in her lungs as she dropped to her knees beside him, hand on his shoulder, the other ghosting over his torso, where more stab wounds than she could presently count marred his body.

"Jon." His name came out in a hoarse whisper that quickly dissolved into a sob. "Jon..."

Gathered tears in her eyes began to spill down her cheeks as she pulled him into her lap, heart ripping in her chest. Her body rocked slightly as her thoughts clouded, as though she were trying to instinctively soothe one or both of them. It didn't work. She only sobbed harder.

"No, no, no..." she whispered. "Please. Please don't go. Please don't leave me here."

"My lady."

A hand rested gently on her shoulder and her head snapped around, expression becoming vicious.

"Thorne," she hissed. "Thorne did this- him and the others. I will kill them. I will kill them all!" Her eyes caught on Jon's face again, and she dissolved back into silent sobs.

A few other men ran into the courtyard, Edd among them. When his eyes landed on the scene there, his face paled. Nymeria holding Jon, the cross inscribed with the word TRAITOR, Davos crouched next to them.

"Gods..."

Nymeria took a long, shuddering breath, her face still tearstained, but hardened now in front of the others. "Take him inside."

She forced herself to her feet to let them take him, feeling a little nauseous at the sight of the blood left behind. Blood had never bothered her before, but this was different. This was Jon.

"My lady...?" Davos spoke softly, reaching for her arm.

She let him take it, silent and blank-faced as he led her inside.

The others quickly cleared off the table in Jon's study, laying him on its surface. Nymeria leaned against the wall, shoulders sagging, expression unreadable, but her eyes were as empty and alone as the shivering sea. She was grateful when Edd shut Jon's staring eyes.

"Thorne did this," he said.

Davos shifted on his feet. "How many of the brothers do you think you can trust?"