Of Lions, Wolves, and Dragons (Jon Snow)

47. Glover

Joellyn sat on her horse, looking at the heavy wooden doors of Deepwood Motte.  This was the last house that they could recruit to help in the fight against Ramsay Bolton to take back Winterfell.  As it was right now, they had 2,500 men who could fight and that was just half of what Ramsay had.  The Glovers wouldn't be able to make up for the other 2,500 men that were needed, but it would give them a better chance if they could get the Glovers to join in their fight.  As the doors opened, Joellyn looked over at Jon, Sansa, and Davos.  She could sense their nerves just as much as she could feel her own.

She had learned the night before, when they were making their final preparations for today, that Lord Robett Glover had only recently become Lord of Deepwood Motte.  Until a few years ago, his brother had been the lord of their castle, but he lost his life fighting for Robb.  Though house Glover had always been faithful to the Starks, Jon and Davos believed that it would be hard to convince Lord Robett to join them considering the history.  Still, they had to try.  It was their last chance to add numbers to their forces.

As Jon and Sansa led the way through the now open doors, Joellyn fell in beside Davos.  She found herself surprised that she had not been denied admittance.  If Lord Robett truly lost his brother while he was fighting for Robb, surely he could not be comfortable with allowing a Lannister into his home.  Or maybe he hadn't received warning ahead of time that she was with Jon and Sansa.

They all pulled their horses to a stop soon after entering and the heavy doors closed behind them.  Jon and Davos dismounted from their horses and Joellyn continued to look around her.  There was so much cold stone and so few people walking about, she felt herself become chilled and unwelcome.  As she tried to shake off the unsteady feeling, she began to dismount  from her horse, but felt Jon touch her hand from beside her as he said, "Please, allow me."

She smiled and accepted his help in dismounting as he grabbed her hips and helped her down.  When her feet touched the ground, she placed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself and looked up at him and smiled again as she said, "Thank you."

Jon squeezed her hips softly and looked like he was about to say something as Davos walked up beside them and said, "We should be going.  Don't want to keep them waiting."

Joellyn felt herself being snapped from the daze that Jon had her in.  Since Bear Island, Joellyn was finding it too easy to find herself being lost in Jon's company.  Davos joining them pulled her back into reality.  If the Glovers had received word that she was with them, it was unlikely to help their cause if Jon was seen being too close to her.

As Davos walked on ahead of them with Sansa, Joellyn pulled away from Jon and said, "He's right.  And I'm sure that Lord Robett will not be convinced to join by seeing you so close to me."  In spite of all that she had gone through to get to this point, it hurt to know that she was still not going to be trusted because of who her family was.  Jon looked for a moment like he was going to disagree, but nodded once and followed Davos and Sansa into Deepwood Motte so that they could try to convince Lord Robett to join their cause. 

The four of them entered the courtyard together, Davos and Joellyn falling in behind Sansa and Jon.  They were the Starks, so she and Davos made a point to hang behind them and only chime in if they thought they could add something to the conversation.  Joellyn had never met nor seen Robett Glover before, but she assumed he was the one standing at the base of the small set of stairs in the courtyard.  He was standing on his own, but six armored and armed men were not too far behind him, watching their every move.

Jon spoke first in greeting, "Lord Glover, thank you for receiving us.  We appreciate that you are willing to hear us out."

Lord Glover looked over the four of them for a moment before saying, "I don't know what madness possessed me to allow you through my gates, but since you are here, say what you have come to say."  Joellyn did not have a good feeling about getting the Glovers on their side.  It already sounded as if he had decided against them.