Winter's Promise

1st Month of 298 A.C. Winterfell

Jon

Growing up in Winterfell had been an experience for Jon, his earliest memories are of running around the godswood with Robb and Sansa. Everything he had ever done had been done with Robb and Sansa, until the time Sansa had turned eleven and then she had begun doing her own thing. Jon did not know why but that saddened him somewhat, he missed fooling around with her and Robb, but at the same time he was somewhat happy that they did not have to do some things with her anymore. Robb, Robb was his other half, he did everything with Robb, and he loved his cousin dearly, truly he did. Robb was the heir to Winterfell, but they always knew they would be working together, determined to ensure that none came in the way of achieving their dreams, the dreams uncle Ned had given them. Sansa, well she looked more and more like her mother every day, she was beautiful, and she was very smart. Jon did not know quite what to feel for her, but he cared for her deeply, even if they did not truly move within the same circles anymore, Sansa spent more time with her fellow young ladies than she did with the boys, and that was okay, though it could be somewhat frustrating. Then there were the other Stark children, Bran who at twelve was wild, always running around and doing something or the other, he was inquisitive, and Jon knew he would get far in life. Arya was filled with energy as well, and she and Bran would often do things together, and Jon had seen Uncle Ned on more than one occasion looking at the two of them with a strange expression on his face, a mixture of sadness and joy. And then there was baby Rickon who was the youngest of the Starks of Winterfell, already a fierce child as well. Jon loved his cousins and his aunt and uncle, they weren't really his aunt and uncle, they felt more like his mother and father truth be told, they had done more for him than his own actual father and mother had done, though considering his parents were dead, long dead, that was not a surprise.

Jon looks down at the little white wolf in his hands, the wolf with red eyes from his dreams. The wolf was not just any wolf, but a direwolf, a creature that had not been seen in the north for nearly two hundred years. He did not know how, but Jon had had visions of the day when they would find these direwolves since he was a child, and when they came back from dealing with the deserter, he knew when to stop and where to find them. It was something he had had since he was a babe, the gift of the sight, he did not speak of it often, but he knew it was there. They had found the wolves, and somehow he knew what to say to his uncle to ensure they were able to keep the wolves. Jon looks up then, looks at the crowd gathered in the old first keep, where he and Robb kept court with the heirs to the lords within the north. Robb was speaking. "The deserter talked about the cold as if he knew what it was. Not just the cold of the wall, but the cold of death. How could he know that?"

Smalljon Umber the oldest of them all, looks at Robb and says. "Perhaps he was truly mad. You know what he was talking about Robb, how else could he think to justify his desertion? Running from the wall to seek comfort elsewhere."

"But he seemed so convinced that what he said was true. I do not know, something about it does not seem right." Robb says.

"Well, surely you do not believe that there are dead things coming back to life?" Smalljon asks.

Jon sees his cousin blush then. "I do not know, but I think that surely it must be worthwhile looking into what the man was saying." His cousin pauses then, and Jon knows what his cousin is going to say before he says it. "Jon, did you see anything about that? Within your visions."

Sometimes Jon wonders why he told Robb and their friends about his ability to see things. And yet he knows that he would not have been able to keep it a secret for long. Looking at his cousin and then the room at large he takes his time before answering. "I did not see anything regarding the man. All I knew was where to find the direwolves. As to the man, I do not know perhaps he is speaking some element of the truth? After all, who knows what happens at the wall anymore."

Beron Mormont, eldest son and heir of Jorah Mormont speaks then. "Well, I do not think that there is such a grave danger, not something akin to what the man was speaking of. But, my grandfather has written saying that something is going on north of the wall."

Jon looks at Beron, the young heir to Bear Island is known for sometimes exaggerating what his grandfather says to make himself look important. "And what things has your grandfather been saying?" Jon asks.

Beron is silent a moment and then he replies. "He's been writing that the wildlings seem to be disappearing from their normal holdouts, and that it seems they are rallying to a specific point within the lands beyond the wall. I am not sure, he is never too clear."

Jon considers this and then looking at Robb who nods, he says. "Do you think it is possible that they could be planning an invasion?"

Smalljon speaks then. "It is most definitely possible. Gods knows those wildlings do not think before they act. And with word about Mance Rayder, well who knows."

"Mance Rayder?" Jon asks. "He was a member of the watch was he not?"

"Yes until he turned his cloak and went over to the wildlings." Smalljon responds something akin to anger in his voice, the Umbers despise traitors.

"That was what some ten years ago was it not? Could he truly be rallying them in that short amount of time? It took Raymun Redbeard some twenty years to rally half the clans of the wildlings." Robb asks.

An image of a horn floats through Jon's head, and he wonders at it. "I think there might have been someone assisting Rayder in his efforts."

All eyes are on him, and his cousin Torrhen, his uncle Benjen's son asks. "What wort of assistance? A traitor to the Night's Watch getting help from the wildlings? Not very likely."

Jon looks at Robb and then turns his attention to Torrhen. "There are some things someone like Mance Rayder could do to get the help of wildlings. He grew up on the wall, he knows its weaknesses."

"If he said something like that, what stopped them from attacking the wall before now?" Smalljon asks.

Jon looks at the heir to Last Hearth and then says. "Because, Mance Rayder might well know what would happen if the wildlings attacked before they were properly prepared. Winterfell has long made sure that the Watch was on the path to its former glory. And as such, with there being regular patrols north of the wall, the chance to move out from underneath the sun has not presented itself. No doubt Rayder is remaining cautious."

There is a murmur of agreement there, and then Domeric Bolton, heir to the Dreadfort speaks. "What do you think it is that made Mance desert? There have been rumours that he found something on a ranging, something quite powerful."

"I do not know whether we should put stock in such rumours. After all, gods above know there have been such rumours about other brothers of the watch as well. Who knows what made Rayder desert, but whatever it was, it has condemned him to a life of wandering." Beron Mormont says quickly.

Jon looks at the heir to Bear Island, and then looks at Robb, he knows his cousin is thinking the same thing. There is something going on within House Mormont that they are not being told, perhaps Uncle Ned knows, actually, it is most likely that he knows, there is nothing that Uncle Ned does not know. Considering how to go about asking this question, Jon asks tentatively. "Did you manage to find out what it was that your father and Lord Eddard spoke about a few days ago Beron?"

Jorah Mormont was a proud man, someone who had made himself well known after his exploits during the Greyjoy rebellion, and yet, there had been some nasty business with Lynesse Hightower, although Jon had never truly believed that that had been what it seemed. Beron, was fiercely loyal to his father, and would rarely allow a bad word to be said about him, and yet this time, something like sorrow crossed his face, before disappearing immediately. "He said they were talking about trade routes."

Jon snorts then. Trade routes, the north had become one of the wealthiest kingdoms in the years following the rebellion, due to Uncle Ned's fierce negotiating skills, the building up of a canal and a port town on the western coast. Trade routes, Jon knew from his own lessons with Robb was something their father said when he did not want any outside ears to know what it was they were discussing. "And what do you think they were truly discussing?" he asks.

His friend twists somewhat uncomfortably, but then whispers. "I think they were discussing a horn. Something about a horn. It was mentioned several times, when I heard my father discussing it with mother."

Jon perks up then, and is grateful when Robb asks. "And what was so important about this horn that required them discussing it behind closed doors?"

Beron shrugs his shoulders. "I do not know. But it seemed that my father has been tasked with finding this horn, before Mance Rayder does. For it seems that it might be quite powerful."

Jon considers this, he knows somewhat of the horn they speak of, but he had never quite considered it to be true. Domeric, the one who knows the most about these sorts of things speaks then, his voice sounding wistful. "The horn of Joramun. The most powerful horn in the world."

"You don't actually think that thing exists do you Domeric? It's just a myth." Torrhen says.

"Is it? How do you explain the reports from beyond the wall? How else do you think that Mance Rayder might be uniting the wildlings, unless he has the horn?" Domeric replies.

"He has a point you know." Donnor Blackwolf, a member of the Black Wolves says. "The horn might well be a way that Rayder is uniting the wildlings. We know they have been growing more and more disparate over the years, and then to suddenly unite them together, well that is something else."

"The horn is just a myth." Torrhen says. "Surely you do not believe such a thing exists? It's just a story our parents tell us to scare us when we were children. There is no horn of Joramun, nothing can be that powerful."

Jon thinks about the two eggs that he had in his cradle as a child, and he thinks of how they had been growing stronger over the past few moons. He looks at his cousin then and says. "There are things that can be powerful, more powerful than we know. Secrets that were kept and hidden and lost, and found again. Maybe the horn is one of them."

Robb speaks then. "Alright, so say that the horn exists. What purpose does it serve? The legends say that it can bring down the wall, but if that is the case why does he not simply use it, if he has it to bring down the wall. And why would father send Lord Jorah out to specifically find the horn and not Mance?"

A long silence follows this, Jon thinks on this himself, and he wonders as well, what could be so important about the horn that requires it to be kept within possession of a Northman? It is Jojen Reed the quiet heir of Greywater Watch who speaks then. "The horn is powerful, very powerful. All the tales tell of its power, such power in the hands of someone such as Mance Rayder would not be acceptable. The wall would not be the only thing that would be threatened."

"What do you mean?" Jon hears his cousin ask.

"A dragon might awaken before it is supposed to, and that would end badly for all involved." Jojen replies. Jon shifts uncomfortably at that, though he does not know why. He thinks of the two eggs, and he wonders.

"The dragons are all dead." Eddard Karstark says. "They cannot wake up if they do not exist."

Jojen is eerily silent then, and Jon dreads the words he might be saying next. "Not everything that is dead, remains dead. After all the north was thought dead for a long time, and has come to life again."

Jon looks at the Cranogman and wonders at him, his ability to say things that can be quite disconcerting is something that has at times annoyed and angered Jon, especially as his own dreams come so infrequently. He is grateful therefore, when Benfred Tallhart says. "So Robb, you are to be married soon, how do you feel about that?"

Jon smirks then, looking at his cousin's discomfort. "Yes Robb, what is it like knowing you are the first of us to be getting married?" Jon asks.

His cousin looks at him with murder in his eyes, and then he breaks out laughing. "Well it is good. Wynafryd is a nice lass, and well I've known her a good while. So it's not as if I shall be marrying her without knowing the complete truth."

"Any nerves?" Eddard Karstark asks. "After all, her grandfather is a powerful man, surely you know what he might say should the wedding not go as he wishes."

Eddard Karstark, Jon is convinced, is somewhat thick. "Wyman Manderly would not dare make any sort of inappropriate remark during his granddaughter's wedding." Jon says sharply. "Besides, Robb and Wynafryd know one another quite intimately don't you Robb?"

His cousin looks as if he will hit him then, and Jon has no doubt he would if it were not for the direwolf he has named Greywind in his arms. "Well, we have done things yes. But nothing too inappropriate, certainly nothing compared to what Theon has done."

The Greyjoy heir sputters at that. "Hey! I resent that claim. And I thought you were far too honourable to do something like that anyway? The number of times you complained about it beforehand…"

Jon smirks at his cousin's discomfort, but then something flashes before his mind and he is removed from the room. A girl is weeping, she has silver hair, and something else about her, she is familiar, but he does not know why. She is there and she is weeping, it makes his heart ache to hear her weep, and yet there is a strength about her. She stands and walks toward where a man with a long braid sits waiting, she straddles him and then….. Jon snaps awake then, and he sees his friends looking at him.

"Are you okay?" Robb asks.

Jon nods. "Yes, I'm fine. Nothing of too much concern." he drifts of then, trying to remember where he might have seen that girl before.

The focus turns back to Robb then. "So with you marrying Wynafryd Manderly, does that mean her sister is heir to their father, or does she remain heir?" Torrhen Karstark asks.

Jon rolls his eyes, just like Karstark to ask such a question. Robb seems uncertain. "I do not know, such a thing has not been mentioned within the discussions, but I assume that Wynafryd remains her father's heir. After all, her sister is rather wild, and might not do well without some guidance."

"I think that's putting it mildly Robb." Jon says. "Wylla is more like Arya, but if Arya had been allowed to run around completely unchecked. She's more than wild, she's half mad I am convinced of that."

"Still didn't stop you from acting on your feelings for her now did it?" Theon japes.

Jon stares at him and then responds. "We only kissed, nothing more. Nothing more serious than that."

"Oh but you know she wanted more Jon, she came to me and told me about that." Theon brags.

"You didn't?" Jon exclaims.

"Oh don't be daft, of course he didn't. He wouldn't have his manhood if he had." Eddard Karstark japes.

"I've got more of a manhood than you do Karstark. What happened between you and Jorelle Mormont anyway?" Theon snarls back.

Eddard blushes then. "I… well that's completely different. She's a bloody Mormont."

"And what does that mean?" Beron asks.

"Nothing… I well, you know what your cousin is like." Eddard protests.

They all laugh then, well all of them apart from Jojen Reed, who merely remains silent before saying. "You laugh now, but in time darkness will come, and then who will laugh?"

Jon looks at the heir to Greywater Watch and asks. "What do you mean?"

"Lions are coming, and falcons have flown. Darkness is coming through the world, and there is nothing any of you can do to stop it." Jojen says his voice deeper than it normally is.

"Oh do stop with your nonsense Reed. Have a bit of fun please." Robb says.

Jon grins at his brother, but somewhere in his mind, he worries, lions and falcons, where has he heard that before? He wonders at it, and then there is a knock on the door.