Chapter 3: Only Death can pay for Life

Sam

The majority of the brothers of the Night's Watch were inside the common room, eating their supper. At the Officer's Table, Ser Alliser, Othell Yarwyck, and Bowen Marsh were conversing quietly amongst themselves when Samwell had entered the room. "Brothers" he called out. Everyone inside turned their attention to Sam, awaiting what he had to say. "It is with great sadness that I tell you all that Maester Aemon's watch has ended this night." There were many stricken with grief when they heard his words and there were those that showed no care at all.

Ser Alliser stood up at the Officers table, his mood was unchanged. "Thank you for informing us Tarly. We'll build a pyre tomorrow morning and inform the other brothers." He sat back down and resumed speaking with the other officers.

Samwell left the common room and returned to Maester Aemon's chambers. Inside, he saw Gilly holding the white dragon egg. She looked at him before placing the egg back on the table it was on next to the blue one. "I'm sorry, I've never seen one before."

Sam couldn't help but smile a little "It's alright. I don't think anyone beyond the Wall has seen a dragon egg before." He looked over at Maester Aemon's lifeless body on the bed and his smile faded. "We're going to have his funeral tomorrow in the afternoon rather than tonight so all of the Brothers may be present."

"He was a kind man, Sam."

"Aye, probably the kindest in all of Westeros." Not only that, but he was a dear friend and mentor to Sam. He wished he had a grandfather like him.

"Did he tell anything about the stones?"

Sam shook his head. "All he told me was that they are meant to go to someone after his passing and the answer would be revealed. But I still don't understand." That was one thing Sam wished Maester Aemon had clarified instead of speaking in riddles.

"Maybe there's an answer in a book. You always find answers there." Gilly said with a comforting smile. At least she appreciated his ambitions of reading.

"I don't know. The only books in the library that speak of dragons are the tales of Aegon the Conqueror." Before Sam could continue, the faint sound of a horn could be heard coming from atop the wall. Gilly looked at Sam with concern, waiting to see how many blasts would follow. The silence continued long enough the give them relief. "Jon's back." He told her as he left to the room.

It wasn't until a half hour later that the gates were opened and many Wildlings began coming through. As soon as Sam spotted Jon, he walked over to him and they both embraced each other with a hug. Even though he was glad Jon was back, but Jon didn't look the same. He looked like he did when he was brooding.

The news of Maester Aemon still kept Sam's spirits down. He stood next to Jon and looked at all the Wildings coming through.

"It was a failure," Jon told him.

"It wasn't." Sam insisted.

"I went to save them, I failed."

Sam looked at all the Wildings coming through and saw the distraught on their faces more than the relief. "You didn't fail him," Sam said, pointing to a Wildling that walked by, "or him, or her. Every one of them is alive because of you, and no one else."

Jon's gaze left the Wildings and focused on his brothers. "I don't think that fact is lost on them." Sam looked with Jon and could see the rage on many of the brothers of the Night's Watch. Their attention was turned to the tunnel as Giants began to exit. At least eight giants and twelve of their children came through, followed by a wilding riding a Snow Bear.

Sam turned his attention back to Jon. "Maester Aemon passed away today." Jon turned his head to look at Sam, his jaw fell slightly open with disbelief. "We're going to have his funeral tomorrow afternoon."

Jon's gaze fell to the ground before Ser Alliser stood next to him. "You have a good heart Jon Snow, and it's going to get us all killed." He didn't even wait for Jon to respond when he made his way through the Wildings, shoving them aside, as he joined his other brothers who shared his anger.

"There's something you should see," Sam told Jon. "Something Maester Aemon showed me."

Sam led Jon to Maester Aemon's chambers. When they entered, it felt colder than usual being empty of the man who had helped each of them so much as brothers of the Watch. Gilly was with Little Sam in the corner sitting down.

"Over here," Sam brought Jon to the table where the eggs rested.

Jon's brooding mood didn't change at all. "He left some rocks?"

"They're not rocks, they're eggs, Jon. Dragon eggs."

Jon's expression turned into absolute wonder when he found out what they were. He removed one of his gloves and slowly reach out to touch the blue one. When his hand met the surface of the egg, he let out a large breath. "I didn't expect it to feel warm."

"What?" Sam asked. He took off his own glove and felt the surface of the blue egg but felt nothing but cold. "It's probably because you're still freezing from north of the Wall." Sam jested, but Jon wasn't having any of it.

"Sam. When I said I failed, I mean I failed. There were a hundred thousand Wildlings at Hardhome and we only brought back ten thousand. What does think happened to the rest?"

Sam felt a wave of cold shiver through him when he finally realized what Jon meant. Where they once had a chance against the white walkers, now they hadn't the slightest of one. He hoped that the Wall would be tall enough to keep the dead out when they came.

Jon

After all the Free Folk had made it through the wall and the gate was closed, Jon called for a meeting with his brothers. They all gathered together, many of them talking among themselves when Jon took his seat at the High Table.

"Brothers!" Jon called out. "I know many of you are starting to have seconds thoughts about electing me your Lord Commander. You may still be questioning my allegiance after letting ten thousand Free Folk south of the Wall."

"That's ten thousand reavers and savages!" One of the brothers called out and many agreed with him.

"Lord Snow," Ser Alliser spoke, "you put your faith in brigands who have been our enemy since the foundations of the Night's Watch. What makes you think they won't come marching back here in the night and slit our throats in the darkness. We could barely hold back when that friend of yours attacked. And now there's an army of them!"

"An army we need!" Jon nearly shouted. He felt himself repeating what he was talking with Sam about. "We weren't the only ones who went to Hardhome. The Night King and his army came just after we did and added every man, woman, and child he didn't walk through the gate today to his army. An army far worse than Wildlings is coming. An army we can't defeat by ourselves." There was silence the brothers. They needed time to accept that they were the ones who stood by while Wildlings were let south. "Tomorrow, we begin discussing the defense against the dead. Back to your duties."

Jon immediately retired for the rest of the day. He was too exhausted to focus on anything else. Tormund went with the Free Folk and would help them settle in the Gift and work through their issues for now. But with the news of Maester Aemon's passing and what had happened at Hardhome, he needed to rest. And then there were the eggs. Why in seven hells would there be dragon eggs at the Wall?

In his dreams, Jon found himself curled up, trapped inside some form of a cage. His eyes were closed as if he was waiting to be released. He felt no exit, yet he knew how to escape. He knew what the key was to his release, yet only someone outside of his cage could free him. 'His death has paid for life, only fire with break us free.' His eyes opened and he could see his body, only it wasn't his and it wasn't one body but two. Instead of hands, he saw a pair of white wings and a pair of blue wings, and instead of skin, he had scales that matched the color of the wings.

Morning came and Jon awoke from his sleep. He saw his brothers building the funeral pyre as he made his way to Maester Aemon's chambers. When he entered, he saw Sam and Gilly in chairs next to the bed. Sam was sleeping after dressing Maester Aemon in his black robes and chain.

Jon's eyes drifted back to the eggs. Something about them drew him to them. He walked over and picked up the white one, still feeling the heat he did yesterday despite Sam's assumption. Even though Sam had said they were eggs, the looked and felt like solid stone. Although Jon had never seen a dragon egg before and couldn't think of what these looked like when they were first laid. Maybe they looked smoother on the surface or had a shine to them.

He set the egg down when Sam started to wake up. "Jon, shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"It's already morning, Sam," Jon informed with half a smile.

Snow fell lightly In the training yard. Jon stood next to Sam and Edd at the head of Maester Aemon's pyre. Brothers of the Watch and even some elderly Wildings who knew him were present. Each side had their hate for the other, but there was also respect for those who deserved it.

Jon held a torch while Sam spoke the eulogy to everyone around. "His name was Aemon Targaryen. He came to us from Kings Landing. A maester of the Citadel, chained and sworn, and sworn brother of the Night's Watch ever faithful. No man was wiser, or gentler, or kinder. At the Wall, a dozen lord commanders came and went during his years of service, but he was always there to counsel them. He was the blood of the dragon, but now his fire has gone out, and now his watch has ended."

The rest of the Night's Watch repeated the words. "And now his watch has ended." Before the fire was lit, Sam approached the pyre and placed the eggs next to Maester Aemon's head. When he backed away, Jon lowered the Torch and ignited the pyre, then passed the torch to Sam who did the same.

After Ser Alliser had passed the torch, he leaned over to Sam's head. "You're losing all your friends Tarly."

Sam's eyes looked at the men around him and saw the same look Rast had always given him in many of the eyes that looked back at him.

As the flames grew higher, the Brothers and Wildlings began to disperse, all except for Jon. He remained by the side of the fire. His gaze never left Maester Aemon's face as he ignited the pyre. 'I need your help, now more than ever' he thought as he gave the torch to Sam. As everyone left the burning pyre, Jon stayed. He couldn't bear to watch Ygritte burn, but this he would see through to the end.

Even when it had all been reduced to ash, he still stood there. Sam approached him, worried if his friend was alright. "Jon, I know you're upset about a lot of things right now, but you haven't eaten anything since you've returned. Nothing good will come from starving yourself. Let's go get something from Hobb."

Considering all that's happened, he couldn't deny that he was hungry. He turned from the ashes and began to walk away with Sam. As he only took a few steps away, he heard a noise from behind him coming from the ashes. The sound was somehow soothing to hear, like when he would hear Ghost howling. He turned back and slowly walked over to the ashes, noticing small movements. "It can't be," he said as he knelt down at the moving rubble.

Jon sifted his hand in the ashes before the heads of two small creatures popped out like blooming flowers. They both climbed out from the charcoal and ash and hopped towards Jon excitedly. He panicked and fell backward onto his rear. Not knowing what to do, he held perfectly still as the two small dragons crawled onto him, screeching as if they were singing. He couldn't help but be marvel at them, the sound they made calmed him. A white one was crawling on top of his chest while a blue one was on his legs.

"By the gods," was all Sam could say as more men of the Night's Watch gathered around Jon and looked with wonder. The two dragons let out small screeches that sounded like a song. They were dragons born in the Night's Watch.

As he noticed many of his brothers gazing in wonder, Jon carefully scooped the dragons into his arms and stood up. In his right arm, he held a dragon with scales of a light blue as the egg it hatched from. The wings and spine were bluer like the winter rose. In his left arm, the dragon was pure white, except for the eyes. The eyes were orange, like fire.

Sam approached Jon and observed the dragons. He removed a glove from his hand and stuck out his index finger at the blue one. The dragon snapped at Sam, attempting to bite him, but he pulled away quick enough.

Jon was speechless, with not a single idea about what to do. Ghost slowly approached him and sniffed at the dragons. They screeched at him before the white one jumped out of Jon's arm and onto Ghost's head. The direwolf didn't seem to react at all, he even looked content with the dragon as it rested on his back.

Jon looked down at the dragon in his arm and saw it staring back at him. Its eyes were golden and filled with wonder.

"Jon," Sam said, "Maester Aemon said the eggs would go to someone after he was gone. He said the answer would be revealed after his burning. I think they're yours now."

Jon looked at Sam with disbelief, like he didn't want them. He had too many responsibilities as it is. Protecting the Free Folk, managing the Brothers of the Night's Watch, requesting reinforcements from Lords. And now he had to raise dragons? "No."

Sam looked at him confused. "What do you mean no?"

"I mean no, I won't do it. I'm not a Targaryen, I'm a Snow. I'm Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, not a dragonlord."

"But Jon, Maester Aemon must've known this would happen. The dragons have chosen you. And they'll die if they're not cared for."

Jon nodded once. "You're right, so they won't be staying here."

"But where will they go?"

"Where the only other dragons in the world are."

Sam looked down to Ghost and the white dragon, "But Jon, Maester Aemon-"

"Is dead!" Jon's voice scared the blue dragon out of his arms and it crawled next to Ghost. Jon was still trying to believe that two dragons have just hatched back into the world. If the rumors about Daenerys Targaryen were true, then there were now five living dragons in the world. "He managed to leave two dragons behind without telling anyone why or what to do! What do you expect me to-" Jon was cut off by the sound of a horn at the gate. It was a single blast which meant it wasn't any of the Free Folk. 'Could it be Stannis?' Jon thought as the gates opened. A lone rider came through, Grenn. He dismounted his horse and approached Jon. He was about to offer a hug but stopped in his tracks when he saw the two dragons with Ghost. "Where in Seven Hells have you been? I was told you went on an errand. I didn't expect it to take a few months."

"Maester Aemon sent me Essos." Grenn informed while in awe of the dragons. "What happened while I was gone? I heard that you were elected Lord Commander and you let the Wildlings through the Wall."

"I did."

Grenn looked at him with disbelief, confusion, and a bit of anger. "Where is Maester Aemon?"

Jon looked down to the grown and gestured at the remains of the pyre. "His watch has ended."

Grenn looked back at Jon and then at Ghost and saw the other dragon sitting on Ghost's back.

"When in seven hells were there dragon here?"