In which Annalys Baratheon is arranged to marry Robb Stark and when her 'father' dies, she is forced to side with the North in the Five War of the Kings to save herself from being killed by her psychotic younger brother. What she didn't know was tha...
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After witnessing Jon claiming that his watch was over, Annalys knew she had to try with everything in her power to stop him from leaving. Without knocking, Annalys entered Jon's room before closing the door behind her, "You're leaving," She spoke up, causing Jon to stop packing and turning to face her, "Why?"
"I can't stay here any longer," Jon confessed, sighing in defeat, "You know exactly why." He paused, moving closer to Annalys, "When my father was beheaded by your brother, I stayed with the Night's Watch. When my sisters were kept as hostages by your mother, I stayed with the Night's Watch. When my brother, your husband, was murdered by the Lannisters because the two of you secretly married, I stayed with the Night's Watch," She explained and Annalys' eyes filled with tears, coming to the realization that most of everything bad that had happened to the Starks was her family's fault, "I've given everything to the Night's Watch. I've given my life to it. And I have nothing more to give."
Jon picked up Longclaw off his desk, about to leave when Annalys grabbed him by the arm, stopping him, "Listen to me," She demanded, forcing Jon to turn to her, "Being a leader to men is hard, trust me. I've been queen before, I know. We're forced to make choices for the greater good of our people. Sometimes, the decisions have been proven to make matters worse. Take Robb and I's marriage for example. As a leader in this world, we are forced to have thousands of lives depending on us. At heart, you are truly a leader, Jon. But you're a warrior first. Anyone who is forced to play the Game of Thrones is," She paused, sighing as she let go of Jon's arm and looked him directly in the eye.
"You can walk away from all of this, Jon, but people are depending on you as their leader. The Night's Watch, the Wildlings, me, even me. We are all depending on you to help us defeat the Wildlings," She explained and Jon seemed to be trying his hardest not to fall for what he knew was Annalys trying to guilt trip him and manipulate him into staying, "How are we supposed to do that when you're running away like a coward? I understand that you died, but you're alive now. Remember that. You were resurrected for a reason. Not to run from all the problems at hand, but to lead these people in the great war that is yet to come."
Jon was silent for a long moment, clearly thinking hard on what she had said. He wanted to listen to her, he really did, but he couldn't stay after everything that had happened. The men he thought he could trust killed him when they didn't agree with what he was doing.
Annalys, the girl he thought he needed to protect, ended up being able to take care of herself all on her own. She didn't need him. She believed she did, but she truly didn't. She was better off without him and on her own. She took on four men without her sword and bow and survived. She could survive on her own, that was clear. Being at Jon's side brought her nothing but pain and danger. She was injured at Hardhome because of Jon. She was nearly raped and killed at Castle Black because of him. She was put in danger numerous times during the past year because of him.
