Later, in Asha's home, the fire crackled as the scent of stew filled the air. Asha and SatSuki watched quietly as Jon, Sam, and Benjen sat together in a circle, trading stories under the flicker of the hearth.
Jon:
"I don't know how long it's been since I came here. I died… and woke up in the body of a child. A half-elf, living among humans."
Sam:
"I was just reading a book at Castle Black when it happened. There was this flash of light… and then I woke up under a tree with pointy ears."
They laughed.
Benjen's expression was more stoic.
Benjen:
"I was pulled through something unnatural. Magic I don't understand. But whatever brought us here… it wasn't random."
Jon looked at his daughters, asleep in a cradle beside Asha. His expression softened.
Jon:
"I've found peace here. A family. People who accepted me for who I am. I've stopped trying to be what the world wanted me to be. I'm just… Jon."
Sam placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.
Sam:
"You deserve it. After everything you went through, after everything you sacrificed… I'm glad you're happy."
Benjen nodded in agreement.
Benjen:
"And you're not alone anymore."
Jon turned to look at Asha and SatSuki, then back to the family he'd thought he lost forever.
Jon (softly):
"No. I'm not."
And in that warm home, far from the icy walls of the North, three Starks and one Tarly found comfort in something rarer than magic, rarer even than resurrection—
Reunion.