Chapter 23

Jon Snow. Wolfwood.

The snow pressed beneath my feet, and a chill wind blew across my face. I and Ghost followed Mara, who insisted on speeding up, limiting herself to one halt for the night. Her footsteps were hurried, but at the same time light and much quieter than mine. Mara slowed down only when she chose a path to avoid a particular place.

As we walked, I wondered why she was in such a hurry. And how did she know Lord Solomon's appearance when I had said nothing about it? Asking them to Mara, I didn't get any answers, to which I had to resign myself to and just follow her. But it's safe to say that she definitely doesn't want to kill me, at least not now.

Maybe it's the magic? According to Lord Solomon, the North has the densest concentration of it, and I wouldn't be surprised if they have their own sorcerers and mages there. Besides, my main goal is to explore the lands beyond the Wall, and the dead with glowing blue eyes. If Mara can take me to someone knowledgeable, I might be able to shorten my travel time and get back to Winterfell sooner.

Judging by the map, we've recently passed the Long Lake, and the Last Hearth should be relatively nearby. And that's impressive.

Mara said they only travel in groups, and yet they manage to stay undetected by the Lords of the North if they don't get too cocky. The only living creatures we've seen are animals, which means I've never seen a human.

This is very different from my perceptions of the Wildlings, or rather the Free Folk. Even deserters sooner or later get caught by someone and are quickly dealt with. At the same time, the Free People are fierce and wild as beasts, but they know how to act quietly and stealthily. As I recall, Lord Stark only received reports of the effects of their attacks, not their whereabouts.

 While I was deep in thought, Mara's hand suddenly stopped me, causing my eyes to look around and then back at her. The ghost, on the other hand, began to survey the surroundings looking for something as he stood next to me.

- What's the matter? - I decided to ask Mara, standing with her back to me, her arm still outstretched.

She didn't answer, but looked cautiously at one tree and another, occasionally switching to the ground.

Is that an enemy? Quite possibly.

I slowly and discreetly placed my hand on the hilt of my sword, then activated my magic circuits and engaged Origin.

Ahead of us were footprints that someone had covered with snow to hide them. The thickness of the snow cover was definitely different, which indicated that. My nose picked up a very faint, almost dispelled odor of ash and roasting meat. And some of the trees were missing branches, as if they had been used to start a fire.

Is this friend or foe?

After a few seconds of scrutinizing her surroundings, Mara gave a sigh of relief and lowered her hand, to which I raised an eyebrow.

- Come out, Sid! He's not the enemy! - she shouted softly into the space ahead of us.

At first, nothing happened. But then, a moment later, a man with a stern expression on his face and a bow and arrow in his hands came out from behind one of the trees. I would give him about thirty to forty years old, as wrinkles were just beginning to cover his face. He had blue eyes, overgrown stubble and short length black curly hair, and his hands were almost completely covered in calluses.

His clothing matched that of a typical wildling, except for the leather cuff on his right hand, in which he held a bow. The quiver was fastened to his belt on his left side for easy access to arrows.

His bow was different from Mara's. Besides being larger, almost a third of the shoulders were covered with steel plates, which I found odd. The wristband he wore could also be put into this category. It was brown in color with an emblem embroidered on it: an Arrow splitting a crescent moon, making it look like a bow. How interesting.

He slung the bow over his shoulder and slowly made his way towards us, constantly shifting his gaze from me to Mara and back again.

- Who is he? - When he reached us, and without ceremony, he simply asked, "Why did you bring him here? You know the rules, Mara.

Rules?

- Yes, I do," she nodded, "But he's met the man Grandma was talking about.

At these words he raised an eyebrow and looked at Mara doubtfully.

- You do realize that the boy could have lied, don't you?

- He didn't lie, I know it. - Mara said, to which the man fell silent and thought.

Well, that's strange.

I can definitely say that the man accepted Mara's statement, but why? Why did he believe her? She's not his daughter or anything like that. Most likely they both just belong to the same community. And if someone told me something like that, I was just as skeptical as I was before.

Beyond that, I'm curious about who Mara's "grandmother" is, and if she can help me. Hopefully I can talk to her and get something.

- What's your name, boy? - The man asked after a moment's thought.

- Jon Snow," I said and made a slight bow of my head.

- Mara said you're not the enemy..." he began in a calm tone, and then his gaze changed from frowning and brooding to sharp and threatening. Sid's presence now didn't look like a stern, matronly hunter, but like a dangerously hungry predator. Because of this, my hand quickly rested on the hilt of my sword, and Ghost growled menacingly at the free man standing in front of me. It was as if time had slowed down and my Origin had activated to full - You are not the enemy, Jon Snow?

If it had seemed to me before that time had only slowed down, now it stopped altogether. Tension had taken over, the wind was gone, and the snow was no longer falling.

A spear-like gaze drilled into me, demanding a simple answer to the question. There was no "what if" option here, only "yes" or "no." If I tried to lie, Sid would notice, and then he'd deal with me. He wouldn't care what Mara's grandmother said, or how important the information I could share was.

Even though he didn't have any weapons in his hands, and my hand was already on the hilt of my sword, I was sure I wouldn't have time to do anything. If I really would be his enemy, of course.

My hands slowly rose from beneath my cloak, showing themselves to Sid. My gaze filled with confidence and my voice with firmness.

- No," I stated, looking Cid straight in the eye, "I am not the enemy.

He watched me silently, looking for any signs of lies or innuendo, and after a few seconds his presence returned to 'normal'. I, on the other hand, relaxed a bit, and then heard a third person present that I had forgotten about.

- Pfft, you don't need to be like that, you know, Sid," Mara snorted, watching us from the side, "He's just an idiot who wants to get behind the Wall.

At her words, Sid raised an eyebrow in surprise.

- Over the Wall?

-0-

Daenerys Targaryen. Near Pentos.

The wedding. I don't know why, but I accepted it, and now its celebration was underway. It was organized outside the city, constructing a small grounds. Khal and I were sitting on a bench on an elevated platform that overlooked the entire site. Behind us the sea was gently murmuring and bringing a pleasant breeze.

Various people came up to us in turn and brought their gifts: clothes, food, animals, and anything that could be considered at least a somewhat bearable gift. A little farther away the Khalasar were celebrating, obviously happy for their leader. They ate, drank, and danced without hiding their amusement or relief, and music was blasting around the neighborhood.

At the same time, Shiro and the teacher were positioned at the side of us.

Shiro stood behind the teacher and just smiled. His appearance didn't attract too much attention, unlike his clothes. The black clothes and the chain around his neck, looked too out of place to others. Therefore, he was only considered because of it. He was getting plenty of attention from the women, though, given their shooting glances, to which Shiro didn't react in any way.

The teacher, on the other hand, even though she was just sitting there sipping wine from a glass, was attracting the gazes of everyone at the party. Her appearance stood out too much among everyone present at the feast. Her too perfect face, her pale and smooth skin, and her long silky hair practically made the eyes freeze on her. Truth be told, no one ever approached her. And it wasn't because they weren't interested in doing so, but because of the stares they received if they tried to.

As soon as some poor guy got the courage to do it, he was immediately stopped by a look that... sucked the life out of him? Yes, I think that's an apt description. He would flinch and immediately turn away as if his life depended on it.

The teacher herself didn't react much to the looks she received, if they were limited to them. It was as if they didn't exist for her. I didn't see a bit of embarrassment or uncertainty on her face, just a bored expression instead of the usual frown or displeasure.

 I pouted to myself.

Even though Shiro was a commoner by birth. He knew how to behave in public much better than I did. I'm not talking about the teacher at all. To her, it was as natural as it could be. But she's the queen, so maybe I can do the same?

Even now, I can only maintain a calm and confident expression with great difficulty. There's too much attention on my person for obvious reasons.

Noticing my gaze, both the teacher and Shiro turned in my direction and gave their reactions.

Shiro only gave a kind smile and nodded gently, like the loving older brother I don't have. At the same time, a look of displeasure appeared on the teacher's face for a moment, which disappeared as quickly as it appeared, and which I noticed. Or rather, the teacher made sure I noticed it.

I grimaced, but quickly pulled myself together.

Does this mean I'm going to be reprimanded? I don't want to get another one...

While I was distracted, I suddenly heard my new husband's voice speaking with... respect?

- Greetings Jorah from the land of the Andals! - said the Khal.

- The Great Chieftain. - A man dressed in Westerosi leather armor and holding a couple of books replied modestly. Then he walked over to me and handed them to me, continuing, "A humble gift to the new Khaleesi, the Songs and Tales of the Seven Kingdoms.

- Thank you," I nodded, accepting the gift, "Are you from Westeros? What fate has brought you so far from home?

- Sir Jorah Mormont, a native of Bear Island," he introduced himself. "For many years I served your father, and by the will of the gods I will always serve the rightful king... or queen.

So he was banished for serving my father? I think I should speak to him later.

Finished speaking, Sir Jorah slowly stepped back and made way for the others. More specifically, Illyrio and the man seated a little further away from Shiro and the teacher.

Next to Illyrio, who I already knew quite well, sat the man. He wasn't young or old, and I'd give him about twenty-five or thirty years old by the looks of it. He looked educated and thoughtful, and perhaps it was just me, but there were bags under his eyes, as if he hadn't been sleeping well.

And while I was looking at him, a decent-sized chest was placed in front of me. And when they opened it, I saw something I never expected to see. My hands, without any command, reached for the contents of the chest and held it close to my face to convince me it was not a dream.

- Daenerys of House Targaryen," I heard a voice say as I examined the gift and looked up at the man sitting next to Illyrio, "My name is Halon. And I am a friend of our mutual acquaintance.

So this is the same Halon, the Magister who has all of Pentos in his hands? I thought he'd be... older.

- It was a gift from Illyrio, but he asked me to give it to you," he continued with a polite bow, "As you can see, they are dragon eggs. Time has turned them to stone, but they are still beautiful, aren't they?

- Yes..." I mumbled, not even noticing that my gaze had returned to the eggs, "Thank you for the gift.

- Don't mention it. - he said and went back to his seat.

If... if these are really dragon eggs... Will I be able to hatch my own dragons?

Just thinking about it makes my heart beat faster and my hands shake. My fingers gently stroked the scaly shell as if stroking silk. It was as if the world stopped at those eggs until Khal's hand fell on my shoulder. I turned slowly in his direction and saw that he had already risen from his seat. My husband then took my hand and slowly led me forward as I half halved the dragon eggs back into the chest. The crowd parted before us like the sea before a ship, and at the very end I saw him.

A white and beautiful horse. Pure and innocent.

Now all my attention was focused only on this magnificent beast that was waiting for me.

Without realizing it, I was already in front of him and stroking his head, which the horse was setting up himself and caressing against my hand. It was as if I could feel a bond forming between us.

How mesmerizing.

I was about to say thank you to Khal, but then I remembered there was no such word in the Dothraki language.

I took a deep breath and put my arms around the horse's neck.

Perhaps I should give him something, too, in the future.

-0-

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