Frozen Stone

After sitting in their separate cells in Winterfell for a few hours, Maranda and her friends were surprised to see guards escorting Jon into the dungeon as well. He was thrown into the cell opposite Maranda’s and he heavily took a seat without looking up from the floor. Maranda watched him, noticing a black eye forming and other bruises and grazes across his cheek and chin.

“Is this a joke?” she said and Jon’s head whipped up, shocked to see her before him.

“Maranda,” he breathed with relief as he stood, rushing to the gate and gripping onto the bars with his hands. “I’m glad to see you’re unharmed, I thought-”

“Unharmed?” she repeated with a scoff and Jon’s face creased with worry. “Well, this must be a joke. Tell your brother we had our laugh and get him to take you away.”

“I- I don’t understand…” Jon trailed off with pain brewing in his dark eyes.

“You really have no clue?” Maranda continued with disbelief.

“No! Please explain!” he pleaded and Maranda sighed.

“Don’t waste your breath, he’s obviously too stupid to understand!” Ygritte yelled from the next cell, but Maranda stood anyway and approached her cell’s gate, not breaking eye contact with Jon.

“You tried to befriend me and I let you past my walls. I cared about you, I trusted you, I let you into my heart and even into my bed, and what do you do to repay me? You lead your brother, someone who I thought was a shared enemy, straight to me! And now we’re all going to die by execution tomorrow because of you!” Maranda retorted, her voice continually getting louder as she got her frustration off her chest.

“You have this all wrong!” Jon insisted, but Maranda’s expression clearly showed him that she didn’t believe his words. “I’m Robb’s prisoner too! He wants to punish me for aiding you!”

“But let me guess, not by dying alongside us, right?” Maranda countered, knowing the answer when Jon failed to reply.

“I bet my face is swelling up by now. Robb did that once we returned to Winterfell, to vent his anger from my betrayal!”

“Or to make your story seem more likely, for whatever cruel joke this is!” Maranda spat.

“This is real! This is not a hoax! He used Grey Wind, his direwolf, to follow me when I left. He must have figured out that I was the one who was taking Winterfell’s gold, but I didn’t tell him that I was working with you, I swear it! I thought we were all safe last night!” Jon explained, begging for understanding and forgiveness.

“You two looked awfully comfortable talking while we were hauled away. That’s not how a lord talks to his new prisoner.”

“He was giving me a chance to confess, which I took because I’m an honest man!” Jon replied, clenching the bars tighter. “I’m telling you the truth! Please know that!” Maranda just shook her head and sat down on the edge of the deteriorated bed, ignoring Jon’s stare into her cell. Realising that she was no longer interested in hearing his pleas, Jon pushed himself away from the bars and took a seat too, allowing his head to fall into his hands as he felt what he presumed was a similar emotional pain that Maranda was feeling. He had truly cherished their friendship and now it had been ruined.

Some of the girls started to shout insults at him, but it was easy for Jon to ignore them. His mind was only focused on Maranda and how he could possibly save her life before tomorrow. Aching with regret, Maranda lay down on her bed and tossed the blanket over her, curling up to do her best to keep warm and ease her pain. Ensuring that her face was shielded from Jon, she let her tears fall and she started to pray for her end to come soon.