CHAPTER 11 | THE TASTE

AFTER every evening, Maia found the muscles in her arms growing stronger, thanks to all the scooping she had to do throughout the day. There were no treadmills or weights during this time; her work out came from giving men their meals three times a day.

Maia watched the wax drip onto the floor from the candle next to her. She wiped the sweat residue from her forehead as she watched Hobb retire for the night. All the men were having their daily dinner and Maia watched them eat in disgust. She was about to leave to possibly sleep early when she watched Jon Snow glide in from the entrance.

She tried her best to act like she wasn't staring – when it was truly obvious – as Jon approached her station. "Good evening, Maia." He greeted while holding out a plate for her to take.

Maia scooped the casserole-like dish Hobb had made without her onto Jon's tray, watching his face slowly grow appalled. "I can see you had no part in making tonight's dinner." He muttered.

"You'd be correct."

Jon took back his plate, meeting her eyes. "Do you have plans on this night?"

She shrugged. "Nothing besides sleep."

"Would you accompany me on a walk later?"

Maia smirked. "I think I can fit you into my schedule."

•••

One important thing Maia learned about Jon Snow from her own experiences was that he was an incredibly fast walker. She didn't understand how anyone could keep up with his pace.

It was difficult to follow him in the darkness, but keeping a hand on his snow-covered shoulder was her only solution. He was leading her outside their borders, she noticed, and was grateful to be able to see the Wall again from another perspective. Jon looked behind them as he closed the gates, reassuring her, "We won't be venturing that far."

"Where are we headed then?"

Jon chuckled. "Someone told me you were interested in seeing a weirwood tree."

Maia's eyes widened. There was no way he was going to take her to see one. Finally, she'd know a way to escape the depths of this world she was thrust into for no particular reason.

But did she truthfully want to leave? In the beginning, of course, though it was different now. Maia hadn't expected to form friendships or even bonds with these people. She hadn't wanted to, but look where she was now. Speaking of her fiancé, did she actually want to return to him?

Maia glanced at Jon, who released a smile in return.

No, maybe she did not want to leave.

The pair approached the ever-growing weirwood tree carefully, trying not to trip over it's roots which were so heavily embedded in the ground. Maia reveled at the likeliness the tree held to the one she saw back in Washington all those weeks ago. The sight of it made a soft exhale fall from her mouth.

"It's just like ..." She trailed off, realizing she was speaking out loud. "It's beautiful, Jon. Exactly as I expected."

He ran a hand through his hair. "This weirwood is very sacred to the Night's Watch. New members swear their vows before the tree, because oaths sworn before them are considered binding. They're sacred to the religion of the Old Gods of the Forest."

"And you believe in all that?" She raised a brow.

Jon nodded. "In fact, my Lady, it is the only thing I have believed in."

Maia looked closer, noticing the face carved into the front of the bark. The one she leaned against in Washington did not have that, but she never exactly trusted her memory.

"This is a special type of weirwood tree. It is called a heart tree." He explained, moving closer to the roots with her. Jon swore he could feel the heat of her blood radiating off her. "A long time ago, the Children of the Forest carved faces into specific weirwoods. And that –" he pointed to the crimson goo released from the eyes of the face "– is red sap, so that they give off they appearance of weeping tears of blood."

"Well," Maia stood up, "that's slightly terrifying."

The two connected their eyes together as Jon let out a laugh. Maia began blowing warm air into her hands when the chill set into her bones. He watched her slowly start to shiver, feeling the snow cause a shake within his own body as well. Jon took her hands without permission then, wrapping them in his gloved ones.

Maia looked down at their combined hands. She didn't know much of this religion, but she was pretty sure that if this was the place the Night's Watch swore their vows, it may be a little rude to be touching a woman before a heart tree. Or was she thinking too much into this? Either way, she didn't want the moment to stop as her hands began to warm again.

As if it wasn't themselves but the gravity within the air, the pair formed closer to each other, causing Maia to swallow the lump lodged in her throat. "Um – what exactly are your vows again?"

Jon glanced at the heart tree beside them. "Night gathers, and now my watch begins," he quoted. "It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come."

It was finally then that Maia saw Jon for what he truly was: passionate. No matter what the circumstance was, Jon was passionate. Any person could see it in not only the way he spoke, but in the manner he gave to others. Even in the blackness of his eyes, Maia saw the sparkle within them that showed her how interested he was in helping for a cause. Remembering the past life of his that Derek had described, Maia knew that joining the Night's Watch was made to show that he had a bigger purpose in life than being a bastard. Jon was extraordinary. Not just for his Watch brothers, but for this world as a whole.

Jon slowly slid their conjoined hands to Maia's face, caressing her features as if she were a delicate statue. "You're different," he whispered, and Maia didn't know if she was supposed to hear. Jon then shook his head. "But not in the way you're thinking. I didn't mean it that way – I ... I think you're incredibly special, Maia."

She didn't quite understand his definition of different. Maia could agree that she was different from her train of thought and dress, but was she really that different from the girls Jon had been near? Or had Jon Snow not confronted many girls before? Nevertheless, the blonde let out a quick huff as she noticed Jon's face was suddenly so close to hers. She could feel his breath fan her cheeks – they were too close. She wanted to do it; she wanted to kiss Jon Snow. She wanted to forget about her fiancé and Melisandre's seducing and his vows to the Watch and the way she was dropped into this world for no purpose for just one moment. All she wanted was to kiss Jon Snow.

"I – I can't," she bit her lip, angry at herself. "I'm in love with someone else."

Jon's eyes bore into her own. "So am I."

His mouth pressed hard against her lips, which he noted were too soft for being in a place such as the Wall. She tasted of nature: of nuts, berries, and honey. She was beautiful; she was an angel sent to help them – somehow. He didn't understand why she came to them or how, but he was going to relish in this minute so he could kiss a girl without feeling guilt, all the while repeating in his head, This is what Ygritte would've wanted.

Maia wanted to feel the same. She wanted this to be her purpose of being in this world – in his world. But deep within her heart, she knew she needed to ignore it's frantic pulses because it couldn't be what she wanted. Her purpose was to get back to her own time, but now, that was going to be fairly difficult.