The men looked at him differently now. Fear and awe in their eyes, he never knew which one outweighed the other. He didn't care to know anymore. He was old. So very old now. Scars littered his body-disgusting things. Beautiful things. They were all over his back his arms his stomach his chest. Reminding him. Reminding him why there was fear in their eyes. His hair had turned white in certain places but his eyes had remained fully black…as black as the Night's Watch. Maybe that was the only part of him they still had. The only part of him still familiar even to himself. He made his way through the main yard of Castle Black and up the stairs towards his chambers, the men of the Night's Watch who found themselves too close to him scurried quickly one way or the other whispering apologies. He hated this. He hated everything about it. He'd done nothing to earn their fear. She had done it all. Shehad brought him back. She had birthed him again. Red and terrible…and red.

He hadn't known what to do when the breath rushed back into his body. He could barely remember the things he had seen before the black. Before the death. Was it death? Was he dead long enough for it to have been real? He remembered howling. He remembered Ghost. His silent companion silent no more. He remembered fangs and wood and then dark cold air and red eyes. Her eyes. She had led him out of the chambers and into the courtyard and to his body. A dagger in the night. A yelp. A death. A real death. A sacrifice.

Jon's hands curled into fists he wanted nothing more than to find that red woman and pull the life from her body. Ghost. He had never felt so alone. Even when the word bastard was used as a weapon against him. Nothing had hurt like this.

"What have you done sorceress?" He was trying to hold the wound closed. He was trying to stop the bleeding. The white fur was soaked in pinks and reds and he couldn't stop it.

"I have saved you Jon Snow. If that is even your name now. If that was ever who you were." Her hand touched his shoulder. He wanted to cry. He tried to cry. "Rise Azor Ahai" he felt the warmth of her hand "Rise and make them pay."

And he had. His wrath was even a mystery to himself. A part of him he had never known before. He had found the few who had claimed to be the masterminds. The ones who had forced or talked the others into going along with it. He had found them and he had cut them down mercilessly. That's when he had found that his skin no longer burned. Bowen had tried to fight him off with a torch. He remembered the confusion in both of their eyes when he had ripped the torch, lit end, from the man and held it burning in his hands. The gloves melted off but the skin had stayed unmarred. Who was he kidding? He had earned their fear. Azor Ahai. His father had lied to him. He was no Stark.

He was blood of the dragon.

He was in direct lineage to the iron throne.

He had fulfilled his oath. Until death.

Jon stopped. The heat he felt at his back irked him. Melisandre. His jaw clenched as she ran her hand around his body coming to face him, closer than he liked. Her face inches from his. "You seem troubled Lord Snow" Snow. She refused to call him Jon now. It was only Snow or Azor Ahai. The Prince Who Was Promised. Her lord. He was her new Stannis and he hated it.

"I am only tired." he removed her red nailed hand from his chest. "Nothing troubles me anymore. My troubles died with my oath red woman."

"Melisandre" she corrected.

Jon ignored her. "What do you want?" he would not give her the satisfaction of hearing her name on his lips. The woman was obsessed with names. Power. Shadows. Fire.

She smirked. "It has been nearly a month, Azor Ahai. Lord Snow. It is time for you to accept what you are and who you are. A kingdom awaits you."

"I do not want the iron throne" he was weary of this.

"I do not speak of the iron throne"

"Then what would you have of me? Would you have me go beyond The Wall and conquer the Great Other you speak of? With what? My bare hands? Even I know the fabled Azor Ahai had a great weapon. One you claim Stannis Baratheon now wields." He walked around her. "Without that I am merely a symbol. But these men have no morale. I am not their leader any longer."

"I've seen the fires. R'hllor has told me things…that I may have misinterpreted. Lightbringer may not be a sword."

"Then what, pray tell, do you think it is?" He stood facing the doors to his chambers. Freedom from this woman seemed so far away.

"It could be the Night's Watch. It could be and army of sorts…dragons"

That was enough. First the Others and now Dragons? Jon could feel a fury building up inside himself.

"I'm done with this. I don't want to lead any armies." he said through clenched teeth.

"But what of the Night's Watch, Lord Snow?"

"I am not their leader anymore" he felt weary of this sentence.

"But you -"

"I am not." He whirled around to face her. He had this temper now. He didn't understand it. It was quick and unyielding. "I. Am. Not. Their leader any longer. They fear me. They do not respect me. They are terrified of what I am. I can bathe in fire and not feel any of its consequences. The cold does not harm me. They know what I am. And whatever it is, it is not a man." He was going to leave as soon as he could find his replacement. They didn't want him. That became apparent the night they…

"But you are. You have not changed in that sense. You have just awakened a part of you that was always there. Yours is the song of ice and fire, Lord Snow." She took his hand in hers. A gesture he was not anticipating. "You should listen to me. I am here only to aid your cause. To fulfill your destiny." She came closer to him once again, her hands crawling up his arms now. Her body coming fully to his.

He regarded her for a moment. Waited.

She brought her face up to his. Waiting.

"Whatever oaths I did have, red woman. I would not have broken them for you even then. Kissed by fire or not." He pushed her away.

Red eyes narrowed "You know nothing."

"I know that I don't want you. I know that you are not telling me full truths. I know that Stannis Baratheon will be marching back to The Wall as soon as he hears of these events. And I know you have omitted them from your ravens to him." He brought up his hand to rest on the hilt of Longclaw. The wolf's head was comforting. Empowering. "You see, red priestess, I know quite a few things. I always did." He turned to leave once more.

"We're done speak-" A sound broke into his triumph. It was there and gone as quickly as it had come. Foreign. Shrill. Piercing. A scream? No… Jon turned to the railing and looked out over the training yards. The men had stopped in their steps, bewildered. He looked up, the snow was falling thickly and left the top of the wall in a fog.

Jon waited in the silence. The entire Night's Watch waited in the silence. The Red Woman growled. She had come up to the railing as well. Her knuckles white from the iron grip she had on it.

"Dragons" she glanced over at him. "You see, Lord Snow, you truly do know nothing"

"That is impossible. There are no dragons." he was still watching the sky.

"You know nothing." Melisandre whispered as the wind picked up and blew her red hair about her like fire. And with the wind came another shrill cry. It was on top of them now. Above them. Jon's breath caught in his throat when he saw the great black shadow descending upon Castle Black from the snow ridden sky. As it came closer he could make out wings and had to shield himself from the sheer force of wind they created as they flapped. It was a terrible sight. The black scales and the muscle under them. The leather of it's wings was ruby red and the ebony was speckled with rubies as well. It gleamed in the waning light of dusk. Bellowing out another roar as it steadied itself to land. The men in the yard scurried to either side trying to keep from getting crushed by the beast. The dragon's landing made a loud thud and shook all of Castle Black. Snow danced all around it shielding it from view for a moment. Only a shadow of it could be seen.

Jon pulled Longclaw from it's sheath and made his way back down the stairs. He pushed through the crowd of rangers, stewards, and builders who had positioned themselves as far away from the dragon as possible. Coming up to where it was facing he planted his feet firmly raising the sword in front of him. Prepared. The snow settled and he found himself face to face with red eyes. Red eyes. It regarded him for a moment then knelt it's head. Jon heard whispers from the men around him. Was it bowing to him? It stretched it's wings and lowered it's head more revealing a woman on it's neck. He could hear the awe in the atmosphere around him. He scarcely noticed his own breath catch.

A Silver woman. She was silver in all of the ways that Melisandre was red. Terrible and silver…and terrible. She wore a bronzed armor of sorts over parts of her body. Intricate delicate things with peakings of a green fabric he'd never seen before. It was rough and harsh in comparison to the armor. He watched as she slid from the neck of the dragon landing gracefully on the ground. Her clothing left parts of her body exposed. Yet she seemed to not feel the cold. She carried no weapon prompting Jon to lower his. He stood stone still as she made her way towards him, running her hand along the beast as she did so. When she came to stand in before him, he could hear the men unsheathing their swords. Jon raised his hand in warning. The girl's skin was unmarred and oddly tanned. It didn't quite fit with her silver hair. Her eyes were a shade of violet and he noticed that for someone who stood a foot under him she seemed taller than the dragon itself.

"I thank you for lowering your sword and staying your men." the woman's voice was light yet bold. Was she a woman? He found himself wondering her age, she seemed so young.

"Who are you?" it was the only thing Jon could think to say in that moment. His senses were overwhelmed.

She spoke softly and sternly. That voice. "I am many things, Jon Snow." How does she know who I am? "I am Daenerys Stormborn of house Targaryen, first of my name. I am the blood of the dragon. I am of the blood of old Valyria. Khaleesi of the Dothraki." she paused and glanced at the black dragon beside her. "Mother of Dragons."

"Lightbringer" the whispered word came from behind him. He turned to find Melisandre standing there a look of disgust on her face. She had spat the word. Jon ignored her and brought his attention back to Daenerys.

"What brings you to Castle Black my lady?"

The Mother of Dragons smirked. "Like the answer to your first question - many things." she glanced at Melisandre. "But I would speak of them with you. Alone."

Jon bowed his head and looked at the dragon. "And what about your…pet here?" the smirk left her face at the words.

"He is not my pet he is my child. And you will leave him right here. Untouched." the last word was spoken to the men of the Night's Watch that were eyeing the dragon warily. "Or you will face his wrath."

"Do you not have any guard with you?" It struck him odd that she was alone.

A voice piped up out of the men. "What are we supposed to do with a full grown dragon in the yard? Commander Snow?" Jon grimaced at the term commander. Of course he was their commander when they were scared shitless and had no one else. "You-"

"He is not full grown, and does it look like I need guards, Jon Snow?" Daenerys interjected.

He looked at the dragon. It was the size of four full grown horses at least. Not full grown. The thought of what a dragon might look like in it's prime made Jon shiver slightly. The first shiver he'd felt since his 'rebirth'.

"Besides, there are two more of my children circling Castle Black at this very moment."

Jon's eyebrows shot up "Two more dragons? Three in total?"

"Yes, and all three are mine. Now will we speak or not Lord Commander?" She'd picked up on his title.

"Yes. We will speak. But first. How do you know of me?"

"A little bird told me." she answered nonchalantly.

The words meant nothing to Jon but behind him Melisandre's red eyes burned with knowledge.