CHAPTER 12 | PROGRESS

MAIA plaited her hair into one long braid that morning. She hadn't seen a mirror in weeks; she had no idea what she looked like. For all she knew, she could've been walking around with a stain on her lip this whole time. She was terrified to see the evident bags under her eyes.

But somehow, Lord Commander Jon Snow had found her beautiful.

She opened her door to get to her morning duties for the day, when suddenly she was side-tracked by almost tripping over something at the entrance. Maia bent down to pick up the book left outside, tossing it around in her fingers. Engraved on the cover in big gold letters was "THE NORTH," and she began flipping through the pages, though she stopped when she found a single object.

In the middle of the book, shut between two pages of a one chapter's ending and another beginning with the title, "Beauty is Grace," was a pressed rose.

Maia strode over to her window to admired the dried flower in the light. She smiled at the memorial of a single part of nature, because it wasn't like you saw flowers that often at Castle Black. Somehow, Jon thought her to be so special to gift her something as this.

She looked down at the men fighting in the courtyard, her eyes immediately connecting to Jon's. He was watching her admire the pressed rose and smiled that she thought it be a touching gesture. Letting out a breath, he got back to training the new recruits.

Maia was pleased at the act he had done – almost believing that he was too real to be true. But deep inside, she knew none of this world was true.

She hated being undercover with him, if she were being honest. The only moments she had a chance alone with him was under the darkness of night and in small rooms of the castle that no one would check. The fear of being caught was always hanging over Jon's head.

The scariest part of it all, you may ask? Maia was sure she was continuing this to fill the void of Derek, and he for Ygritte. She didn't mind at all.

She hadn't thought of Derek in a long time – too long. She was happier without the worry. Thinking about her fiancé led to worry and thus more stress on her part to leave a world she wasn't sure she wanted to leave. This world was so much more care-free, but terrifying also. In her time, she didn't have to live in constant fear of a never-ending winter or practical ice zombies crashing down her door. The biggest thing she worried about was taxes. But maybe that was her reason to stay: the thrill; the adrenaline.

Alliser Thorne had even called Jon out on his suspicions of the Lord Commander having sexual relations with one of the females boarded at the castle. Many of his brothers suspected Melisandre, but Maia noticed Ser Alliser staring at her throughout the entire meeting. His skepticism was immediately shot down by Maester Aemon.

That night, she remembered Gilly turning to her during their sewing time and asking, "So who do you think Ser Alliser thought Jon was lying with?"

In a simple response, Maia shrugged.

•••

"Put your shield up!"

"This isn't a real fight, big-shot. Calm down."

Jon chuckled at her joke as Maia threw her shield up higher to block her features. The Lord Commander had decided the night sky was the best of times to prepare for an attack. He was afraid of Maia not being able to defend herself at the next chance of a nightmare, so he had offered to give her basic training that night in the courtyard. The only problem for her was that she couldn't say no.

He swung the wooden sword in her direction, and the blonde quickly dodged it with her shield. She shoved herself into him, luckily knocking his fake weapon from his hands. He leered towards her as she scrambled on her next move. She finally approached him quickly, propelling her wooden sword into his chest in the worst way possible.

She held the wood there for a long moment as he contemplated a response. "Next time," he advised, "don't think before trying to kill me."

Maia rolled her eyes and let her hands fall to her sides. "I don't understand why you insist on teaching me this. If I ever come face to face in a terrible situation, I'm not going to have a sword on me just like that." She threw the shield and sword into the mud. "I'm going to use my fists."

"Is that so?" He smirked, hurling his own weapons away as well. "I don't believe it."

She raised a brow. "Afraid to beaten by a woman?"

Jon slowly leaned into a fighting stance, lifting his fists. Maia did the same, and before the raven-haired man could blink, she was already sprinting towards him. The second she remained near to his face, he smiled, suddenly pulling her in close. Afraid that those up late would see them under the dim firelight in the courtyard, Maia pushed herself way.

"No one's awake," he laughed.

Before he could finish his sentence, Maia rammed her fist into his nose.

Jon was sent towards the ground, his whole body seemingly getting covered in mud and dirt. She clasped a hand to her mouth as she watched Jon shake his head from disorientation. He exclaimed, "Seven hells, Maia!"

She knelt down in the mud beside him, trying her best to hold his fractured nose as blood poured out. "I'm so sorry!" She began to repeat. "I thought we were practicing and I didn't think I was actually going to hit you!"

"You broke my bloody nose," he muttered, holding the bloody nostril with his dear life.

She tore a part of her linen shirt and held it to the wounded area. "I thought someone was going to see us and I panicked," she whispered.

"Maia," he suddenly chortled, "you smashed my fucking nose."

"Why are you laughing?"

His laughter turned overwhelming. "Because you broke my nose!" He chuckled. "We're making progress."

•••

A/N: Thank you to all those who voted for this story in the GOT Fic Awards hosted by FanFicAuthorAwards! I can't even begin to express how much it means to me to know how many of you enjoy this story as much as I love writing it ❤️