WILOW-Ch.305: The War Not So Far Away
Dreadfort, Bolton Lands
POV of Domeric Bolton
"But you said in the past that you didn't want to share me with anyone else," Domeric said.
"Because... I was afraid in the past, and I still am. That if you love another woman, you might forget me. After all, I am just a Free Folk from beyond the wall. And although your aunt hasn't said anything about our relationship, I know she wants you to marry someone of noble birth."
Ygritte's voice trailed off as she spoke, and when she finally finished, she bowed her head and waited for Domeric to speak.
And Domeric was sure that if he didn't say something quickly, Ygritte would begin to cry.
So he reached out his hands, cupped Ygritte's cheeks in his, and forced her to look him in the eyes.
"Ygritte, you are not just a Free Folk. You are the woman I love and adore. No matter what anyone says or thinks, that will not change. Never forget that." He said while looking into her eyes.
"Really? Even if you take someone else as your wife, will you still love me the same?" Ygritte asked with a bit of hope and a little worry in her eyes."
"Silly girl. No matter what happens, I won't stop loving you. You have to live with me for the rest of my life. If I were to take someone else as my wife, I can't promise that I'll love you more than them. It would be unfair to discriminate between the women I've loved. But I can guarantee that I won't love you less than them. Besides, some things can't be changed. Just like the fact that you were my first love and my first wife." He said.
"Hmm… So you're thinking of taking other women as your wives... and you can't love me any more than you love them." Ygritte said coldly. Her earlier weakness had vanished.
"Ughh..."
'Was that a trick question?' thought Domeric.
"Haha...don't worry, I'm just kidding," Ygritte said and continued after lying on Domeric's chest. "You won me over when you promised to love me no less than anyone else. But do you really have anyone in mind to take as your woman?" she asked.
"Actually, I feel like I'm going to have to, rather than having anyone in mind. I told you two friends from my old world were waiting for me to find them. Remember?"
"Yes. I often ask Lyra if there is any news about them, but she tells me there is no news yet," she said.
"Actually, the Old Gods told me that they brought our souls into the same frequency so they could send them to this world. I'm not entirely sure, but it could be that the Old Gods made them soul mates with me." Domeric said.
"Soul mates? What is that?" Ygritte asked.
"Soul-bounded, or soul mates, are individuals bound together by magic. You could think of them as individuals made for each other, or as pairs chosen by the Old Gods." Domeric tried to explain it as simply as he could.
And then when he looked at Ygritte, he saw envy and jealousy in her eyes.
"Haha... if you want to become a soul mate with me, I can make it happen with the Dragonlord ritual," he said.
"Really?"
"Indeed. The Dragonlord ritual created a low-level soul bond between those of the same bloodline. That was probably why so many Targaryens married their siblings. It took me a long time to fix that. After all, I don't want my children to have incestuous relationships." He said.
"Eww... Good thing you fixed that."
"Yeah. But thanks to my work on it, I can make it possible for people who perform the Dragonlord ritual to become soul mates with each other," he said.
"Then I want it. When can you prepare the ritual?" Ygritte asked in a hopeful voice.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can prepare quickly. You know the ritual will take a long time to prepare. And soon we'll have to hunt for White Walkers beyond the wall again. And my dreams tell me that Westeros will be in turmoil again in the not-too-distant future."
"Your dreams?"
"Yeah, green dreams. I've been having visions for a while now. Westeros will likely be plunged into war soon." He said.
Based on his green dreams, Domeric likely predicted that the King would die as in the original line of destiny, and that Westeros would be plunged into war because of it.
Although he warned the King to be careful in Winterfell, the fat King didn't seem to pay much attention to his warning.
Domeric didn't particularly care about the King. And although a war involving Westeros before fighting the White Walkers would weaken his forces, Domeric thought he could play his cards well and exploit the chaos.
And this time, Domeric was making big plans.
'I'd better start lobbying the lords in the North. My aunt and Mance can handle these matters while I'm beyond the wall,' Domeric thought.
"War? What do you plan to do about it? Will you join?" Ygritte asked.
"I will probably have to join. If all goes as I envision, Lord Stark will likely muster the armies of the North and launch a campaign against the South. But it is difficult to predict who our enemies will be." He said.
"I can wait for the Dragonlord ritual. No problem. And war or not. I'm sure you'll overcome all challenges with ease. And I'll be by your side, step by step." She said as she buried her head next to his neck.
"Thank you."
"So, what do you plan to do about Lyra? Will you take her as your woman and wife?" Ygritte asked.
"I don't know. And I don't want to think about it right now. I have no intention of bedding another woman before we have our wedding in front of everyone. As I said, you will be my first wife. Not just in my eyes, but in everyone's eyes."
"Hmm." Ygritte nodded. But Domeric could sense her smile and happiness.
'Phew...' Apparently, he had passed the test. Women really could be scary sometimes.
Ygritte had just said she was joking, but if Domeric would believe it. There was a grain of truth behind every joke.
"Let's go to sleep," Domeric said, and soon they were both asleep while holding each other.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.306: House of Black and White - I
Ch.307: House of Black and White – II
Ch.308: Noble High Dragons