Frozen Stone

“It’s getting too rough out there,” Maranda told Jon at their next meeting a moon later. “Your brother has sent out many guards, and it’s difficult to travel without risking being spotted by them as they patrol the main paths. We’ve even been denied a room at an inn from fear that they will be punished if caught housing us, and the one time we did manage to get a room, a man attempted to kill us while we slept.”

“Where was that?” Jon frowned, not realising that Robb’s demands to find the bandits were actually starting to threaten Maranda.

“Near Torrhen’s Square. I guess we were too close to Winterfell,” Maranda shrugged before a shiver ran down her spine, once again incredibly grateful for Osha’s presence. The Wildling had awoken when the man had entered the room and jabbed her dagger into him before finding the sack of coins that was clearly his payment for the deed.

“Robb has fallen silent lately and has acted suspiciously on occasions, but I don’t think he would resort to a quiet assassination,” Jon remarked as he pondered the situation. He was almost certain that his brother would want a public punishment, to discourage future thieves from stealing from him and prove to the lords of the North that he was a good warden.

“It does not matter who sent the man, Jon. I don’t know if this is worth it anymore. The risks have become too high…” Maranda trailed off as she looked behind her at the four women she cared about. Jon’s eyes wandered across to them too, his lips curling further down as he wondered where the fifth was.

“Danelle?” he asked softly.

“Hopefully not dead,” Maranda replied with a wince. “She worsened, so we had no choice but to leave her in a village. We can only hope that the Maester there has helped her.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Jon muttered as her words and tone started to sink in. “Is this goodbye, then? Are you leaving the North?” Maranda sharply inhaled and tried to ignore the sadness that was tearing her up on the inside. She didn’t want to leave Jon, the first man who had showed affection and care for her, a thieving bastard with a shadowcat, but if she stayed any longer then she feared she would die.

“We can no longer stay here,” she said quietly, trying to hide her emotions.

“I understand.”

“Truly?” Maranda questioned and Jon nodded.

“I will miss you greatly. And Ghost will miss Umbra too,” he said with a weak smile, falling silent and glancing across to watch Umbra licking Ghost’s ear as they sat next to each other. It was depressing to him to think that he would lose a friend, that he would no longer return to this meeting spot to bond with Maranda, that their first kisses and embraces were going to be their last.

“You mean a lot to me, Snow. I am very glad that I met you,” Maranda confessed.

“Likewise, Stone,” Jon grinned before pulling her into a tight embrace. “I wish you safe travels and hope that you continue to have such a kind heart.” Maranda kept her face buried in the fur of his cloak, hiding the fact that she was on the verge of crying. Once she had regained her composure, she pulled away and took in a shaky breath.

“Perhaps if you don’t have to return to Winterfell, you could stay with us for one more night… and share my tent…” she proposed, uncertain of what Jon would say. He hesitated, his eyes widening from surprise as it sunk in exactly what she had suggested. His lack of reply caused Maranda to lose her confidence and start babbling. “I mean, I’m sure you’ve been with plenty of whores before, just like how I’ve found a few male ones in my travels, so I’m not asking for anything special, especially since we won’t see each other again, but maybe just a fun night to mark the end of our journey.” Maranda stopped herself as she noticed that Jon’s expression had fell considerably. She raised her eyebrows questionably, looking for an explanation for his silence.

“I haven’t done it before,” he admitted in a hushed voice, surprising Maranda.

“How not? Are the women in Winterfell blind, deaf and dumb?” she exclaimed and Jon shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

“I just, uh… I couldn’t do it with a whore. I want to do it with someone special,” he said, attempting to convey what was in his mind. Maranda stiffened but gave a dismissive smile.

“Well no doubt you will have her soon enough. I’m sure your brother or father will find a beautiful lady from a gigantic castle for you to sleep with in no time,” she hastily said, wanting to run away from her embarrassment.

“I didn’t know you grew up in a castle,” Jon remarked casually and Maranda frowned, baffled for a couple of seconds before she understood and grinned.