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Part 2 of The Stag and The Frog
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2021-01-30
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2021-06-27
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The Stag and The Frog part 2

Chapter 31: Bear cubs

Summary:

Devan and Jon find out more about Tormund's backstory and family. They are appalled and flabbergasted.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Mead should apparently be consumed moderately. That was the conclusion Devan drew as he walked out of his tent with a pounding headache.

He found Jon sitting by the fire again. But he wasn't staring moodily into it this time. He was chattering away and laughing with the red-headed girl on his side. Her fiery hair glowed warmer than the fire beside them as it cascaded around her head in frizzy braids. Her face was freckled and she had a wide gap between her front teeth. She was tall, much taller than Jon. Although that wasn't a great feat. The girl wasn't a stunning beauty by Westerosi standards but she didn't look like she cared about that at all, and neither did Jon.

As Devan dug into a bowl of porridge, that would hopefully alleviate his headache, Tormund walked up to them as well. He gave a nod to the girl, apparently, they knew each other.

"Lyra," he said. "I see you've met my friend Jon."

"Father," she replied as her freckled face shone up in a cheeky smile. "I've certainly met him..."

Jon looked flabbergasted at Tormund who glared back at him as he sat down on the log opposite of the couple.

"Father?!" Jon spouted after a moment of silent gaping. "You're her father?! I didn't even know you had children!"

Tormund looked confused. "I've told you about the bear I laid with many times," he said.

"Too many times," Jon sighed. "But what does that have to do with you having children?"

"Do you not listen to my stories, Jon?" Tormund replied in a hurt tone. "The bear had cubs. That's my bear cub! You laid with my bear cub!"

He pointed to the girl who sat next to Jon, currently giggling at the scene that took place in front of her. Perhaps having Tormund as a father had made Lyra used to these kinds of situations.

"I asked you if you had children yesterday," Devan exclaimed. "You said your children were here and there."

"And that's true!" Tormund replied. "They're here." He pointed at Lyra again. "And there." He pointed at another, slightly younger girl, who walked up to them. Her hair was tangled and braided in the same way as Lyra's but it wasn't red but brown. Like the fur of a bear.

The girl sat down next to Devan on the log.

"Did you know your sister laid with Jon Snow, Jorelle?" Tormund asked her.

"Lyra has a new man in her bed every night," the girl replied and shrugged. "I can't keep track of their names."

"You have people in your bed every night too," Lyra retorted and stuck out her tongue at her sister.

"But they're not men!" Jorelle replied and leaned behind Devan to pull her sister's hair.

Lyra snatched her sister's arm and pulled Jorelle down on the ground in one swift move. Soon she straddled her chest and had her arms pinned down. "You know I'm stronger than you," she exclaimed. "So don't even try, sister."

Devan felt very awkward being caught in the middle of this family feud. He wondered if they would notice if he simply rolled away. Although then he would have to leave his food behind, and he was very hungry.

When it was clear that her sister couldn't get out of her grip Lyra let Jorelle go and returned to her seat next to Jon.

Jorelle gave out a defeated sigh. "Whatever," she said and brushed herself off.

As she got up from the ground Jorelle's gaze fell on the sword that Jon had leaned beside him. "I remember that sword," she said. "It was my uncle's. He had it when he came to visit us many years ago. I touched it when he wasn't looking."

Jon gave her a confused look. "Longclaw was given to me by Lord Commander Mormont," he said.

Jorelle nodded. "Yes, uncle Jeor," she said.

"Jeor Mormont was your uncle?" Jon asked in a bewildered tone. He looked towards Tormund. "Who did you lay with?"

"A bear," Tormund replied.

The cogs in Jon's head appeared to be turning, trying to put the stories together. "So this bear wasn't actually a bear?" he asked. "It was Jeor Mormont's sister, the lady of Bear Island?"

"She looked like a bear when I met her, and I always called her my bear," Tormund shrugged. "But her real name was Maege Mormont. You thought I had laid with an actual bear?"

Tormund gave out a hearty laugh. Jon and Devan shared a confused look. It had certainly always sounded like it was an actual bear when he told the story. And he had told it many times. Too many.

"You could have been clearer on that point," Jon muttered.

"But House Mormont is dead," Devan interjected. "It died with Lyanna Mormont. My father told me about it."

"Was Lyanna your daughter as well?" Jon asked Tormund.

The redheaded man nodded and sighed. "She was. But she didn't know."

"Our sister Lyanna did die," Lyra said. "But our house didn't. I'm the rightful ruler of Bear Island, and I'm on my way back there. Jorelle and I left our home many years ago in an attempt to feed our people. Bear Island is scarce on resources and gold after our uncle Jorah wasted it all. But when the ice lay thick we can venture up North, bypassing the wall, and hunt big game."

"That's how I used to travel there," Tormund added. "I walked on the ice."

"But we got stuck," Lyra continued. "The ice melted and we couldn't get back home. We took refuge with a group of wildlings and we found father. He recognized us because Jorelle looks like our mother."

"I also met both of you when you were children," Tormund added. "I used to travel to Bear Island often to see my daughters. But the bear and I had a fallout after Lyanna was born. And then the ice melted and I couldn't go back."

"Then the white walkers came," Jorelle said. "We had stayed behind with the women and children when father climbed the wall, and our group fled to the ice caves by the coast. It was safer there."

"Later we heard that our sister had died during the battle where they were defeated. Lyanna was left in charge after our mother passed away in a pox soon after we left," Lyra continued. "And we decided we needed to go back to Bear Island. It's where we belong. We can't let our house die. So that's what brought us here."

"You're walking towards the wall?" Devan asked. "You know the Queen of the North doesn't allow anyone from beyond the wall passage?"

The girls nodded in unison. "We figured we would find a way to pass the wall," Lyra said. "Father has climbed it many times so we figured we could too. He taught us to climb ice walls. And we're both Northerners, surely Queen Sansa can't deny us our lands once we've made it back."

"The queen's my sister," Jon said. "I can write you a letter assuring her that your claim to Bear Island is true. She will trust me."

"You should come with us the rest of the way," Devan said. "We're going back to Castle Black. Then you won't have to climb the wall."

Tormund nodded. "Of course you should come with us, girls," he said. "Since the river isn't frozen we will use dog sleds to get to Dead Man's Pass and cross the river there."

Jon groaned a bit, perhaps not happy to travel with a girl he had just laid with and her father, but he didn't say anything. Instead, his hand moved over Longclaw. The sword that had once belonged to House Mormont.

Perhaps he thought of the man who had given it to him. Perhaps he thought of who he himself had been back then. Perhaps he felt that he owed it to the old Lord Commander to escort his nieces back to safety and make his house rise again.

Or perhaps he was just mesmerized by Lyra's wide freckled smile, wild eyes, and red braids that danced around her shoulders as she moved.

Notes:

I hadn't planned to go that deep into Tormund's family history, but I couldn't help myself from weaving in the fan theory of him being Lyanna Mormont's father. So I decided to introduce two more Mormont sisters from the books (there are 2 more there but let's just say they don't exist in this universe as they're too old to be Tormund's daughters). The connection between Jon and House Mormont (via Jeor) was too appealing to back away from.

So yeah, Jon banged Tormund's daughter and Tormund banged a bear (?). (There are rumours Maege Mormont was a skinwalker so I guess she could have been in bear-form for their encounters, or she was just a very rugged and hairy woman)