Northern lights

26. Betrayal

Jon Snow - Beyond the Wall

Jon and Ygritte walk through the mountains, fighting the harsh winter as they stray further into wildling territory. Her hands are bound and he leads her by a rope, both tired.

"Your brothers desert you? I can tell you which way to go." She teased, something she's quite good at from what Jon could tell. She enjoys it far too much at that.

"We'll stop here. Too dark to go any farther today." Jon announces, too frustrated to fight the wind and looming darkness as well as the sassy wildling who was making his memories of Rosalie hurt more.

"Here?" Ygritte scoffs. "There's no shelter here." Her frown deepens. She always knew men from The Watch were stupid, she just failed to realize how much.

"There's no shelter anywhere." Jon challenges, waving around as if she wasn't aware of their surroundings.

"There is if you know where to look. The cold could kill us both. If you light a fire-", she tries again, both sincere and with an agenda. A fire would keep them warm but it would also help her kind find her before Jon found some bravery in the North. The true North.

"No fire." Jon states, growing frustrated with Ygritte. He couldn't help but notice she's far too free in comparison to Rosalie. Perhaps had she not been born as a lady, Rosalie would have been as wild and free as Ygritte. They certainly had the same defiance and disregard for everything that doesn't suit them. 

"But a fire is-", Ygritte argues but Jon is adamant.

"No fire."

"Have it your way." Ygritte rolls her eyes at his stubbornness and while he sees Rosalie in her, all she sees is a man far too mellow to be a man of The Watch. She'd break him...Eventually.

Jon forces Ygritte to lie down before starting to walk away. He had to find a spot close enough to watch her but far enough not to be killed in his sleep. The cold worried him, but he had no intention of abiding by her rules. 

"We'll stay warmer if we stay close." Ygritte clicks her tongue, her smile growing as he pauses.

"Bet you freeze to death before I do. Bet your life." She purses her lips victoriously as she can tell she forced him to think about her offer, giving her a chance to at least convince him to let her go.

Ygritte turns to sleep as Jon looks back at her with a frown. It's not like she's wrong, but he can't seem to force himself to join her. For Jon, this felt like he's betraying the men he's become a brother to...and her...his Rosalie. But then he remembers she isn't his and never will be. You can't betray someone who's warming another at night. So, despite his previous judgement, Jon joins her, reluctantly.

"Think they're out looking for you?" She asks, unable to close her eyes just yet as his body makes her hyper-aware of how close they truly are.

"Yes."

"Think they'll find you?" Ygritte rephrases, listening to his breath cut off with an answer. A predictable one.

"Yes."

"You're brave. Stupid, but brave." Sighing, she feels the tiredness take over slowly, but she couldn't fall asleep yet. They are both exhausted.

"We start again at first light. Get some sleep." Jon's authoritative tone only challenges her and she wiggles next to him with intent he didn't understand at first.

"Stop moving." He growls, eyebrows furrowing as she made him uncomfortable.

"I'm just trying to get comfortable." She remarks, feigning innocence he didn't believe she possesses.