— “ she’s a world away , brother . and she isn’t pausing her conquest for us. we have tywin in our woods today . ”
he glances back up , his expression open but exhausted .
“ i’m not betting our men on dragons . i’m betting them on the mud . ”
at the mention of her name , a heavy exhaustion pulls at jon . his mind goes to the sheer scale of her power . the dragons . the vast armies . the absolute authority .
with that kind of power on their side , they wouldn’t be bracing for a bloody fight in these woods at dawn.
—
the fear of failing everyone who still looked to them. he understood it. because he carried the same weight. for a long moment, he said nothing. then he stepped closer and rested a hand against jon’s shoulder. ——
—
“ letters crossed the sea ” jon answers , his voice entirely flat .
“ she demanded i bend the knee and bring the north to her cause . i told her i already serve a king . ”
he turns right back to the map , casually nudging a wooden lannister marker with his thumb .
—
@northenwarrior —
he looks back up , meeting robb’s gaze with a look that carries every bit of that fear , but leaves no room for hesitation .
“ cause i don’t know what we do if we don’t . ”
@northenwarrior — northern pelts alike , fed to the crows for a war they didn’t start .
he hates the math of it . he hates that the only way forward is through the flame . what other choice do they have.
he lowers his head for a quiet beat and speaks softly “ i know we will . ”
—