The Contestants |
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The Breakdown |
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Kills
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Kills
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Note: Unfortunately, at the time this needed to go up, we hadn’t received a strong enough Perrin story that we thought would do the character justice. If between now and Sunday you put one in the comments section that blows us away, we’ll gladly add it to the official write-ups.
Until then, congratulations to D.I. Waisanen for the great story!
How you think the fight will go: Jon Snow
By D.I. Waisanen
With a gasp, Jon Snow came back to life.
Immediately, his hand went to his neck, touching the unbroken skin, and for just one moment he thought that everything had been a dream . . . and then he felt it: the gaping wound, the mark of where his own sword had sliced through skin and sinew and bone. Yet even as he touched it, it sealed close, healed completely.
The memory came back to him like a cruel nightmare: the dark-haired girl, the Beautiful Destroyer, reaching down to pick up Longclaw where it had fallen–like a trophy of victory–right before she turned back to where Jon lay, broken and helpless.
Killed by my own weapon, Jon thought grimly. Was this it? Was he dead now? He looked to the west, and couldn’t place where he was; he saw the Wall and King’s Landing and his father’s ancient castle, saw day and night and midday and everything in between all at once, the entire world displayed in a brilliant panorama. It was beautiful, unreal . . . but the girl had been as well, and she had slain him.
Jon found Longclaw again sheathed on his body, as if some watchful deity had returned it to him in death. For all the good it did me, he thought. The sword had been worthless against the girl who had defeated him, had not been able to touch her.
Jon stood. “Ghost!” he called.
A moment passed, and then the familiar shape of the direwolf came into sight, no sign of his wounds remaining, his form hazy and indistinct. The direwolf solidified, becoming whole and real once more. Jon touched the white fur, felt its reality beneath his fingers. Even through death, he remained by Jon’s side.
What happened?
Jon looked to the east and saw another land spread out, entirely different from his own. From the path of that world, Jon saw a man coming towards him. Perhaps he can tell me something of what’s going on. Jon went forward, into the strange world, Ghost following.
The man was big, heavily muscled. When he got close enough, what Jon saw put ice in his heart. He remembered, then, that only moments ago he had found himself returning to life with mortal injuries healing. By the old gods . . .
The man looked as if he had just risen from his own death. His body had been badly burned and charred black, as if he had been struck by some fearsome hellfire conjured by a wizard right out of the stories. And as Jon watched, the man’s burns vanished and his flesh healed, restored to life and health. He was older than Jon by several years, and behind him came three wolves, following him as Ghost followed Jon.
“Greetings, wolfbrother,” the man called, his eyes blazing gold. As he spoke, Jon felt a strange resonance from Ghost, a moment of understanding that passed between the man and the wolves. It was like a collective thought that spread between all of them: from the man to his wolves through his connection to them, and to Ghost–and to Jon through his bond with Ghost–the connection was complete. And now he knew that this man’s name was Perrin, who spoke once more. “I wish there was some other way, but our paths have been chosen for us.”
“What’s going on?” Jon said.
Perrin hesitated. “I don’t really understand it myself. It was the ones who arranged this.” He paused. “Rand told me . . .”
Jon listened, scarcely able to believe what he was hearing. Dark gods who snatched people from different worlds and forced them to fight to the death for no reason other than entertainment. Battles with sorcerers, half-men, warriors with more strength and grace than ten should have, and mice that walked on two legs like sers. Jon realized, then, what this endless nightmare was. The time he had first encountered the skinchanger with his projectile weapons, the moment that the dark-haired girl had cleaved off his head–they were all part of it.
To fight, and die, and then be brought back to life, only to fight again.
“I don’t wish to kill you, but neither of us has a choice,” Perrin said. “We can only hope that death will not be final the second time, either.” He sighed, the sigh of a man who had resigned himself to his fate.
There was suddenly a weapon in Perrin’s hand, a fearsome war hammer beside which even King Robert’s would have looked a child’s toy. It was a weapon of great power, forged of a material that was as Valyrian steel was to a sword . . . maybe even greater. Jon had no choice but to draw Longclaw.
Nimble feet carried the two warriors forward, wolves leaped through the air to engage each other, and the battle began.
Perrin’s first swing came with deadly force and power, and Jon barely managed to duck the massive hammer. He struck back with Longclaw, but Perrin was quicker than he looked–startlingly fast for a man so big–and the blow was deflected off the side of his hammer. Another blow came in and glanced off Jon’s arm, leaving a smarting pain and a place where a massive bruise would mark him later.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jon glimpsed Ghost engaged with Perrin’s wolves. They outnumbered him, but Ghost was twice their size. He tackled down one of the wolves, hamstringing and tossing the weaker animal aside. Ghost could take care of himself.
Jon, however, had to fight with every ounce of his skill, every bit of experience he had gained on the Wall, striking as quick as a shadowcat and nimbly evading the blows of the war hammer. Yet Perrin was his more than up to the task, a force of strength and focused rage before which a lesser man would have been broken in moments. They fought back and forth, back and forth, and with every step, the world around them changed. One moment they were on a plain, the next in a city, and the next on the summit of a mountain.
Jon disengaged, prepared to strike again, but then the world suddenly became a vast wasteland, the uneven ground beneath his feet nearly tripping air, the breeze so stiflingly hot that it stunned him. Perrin moved in swiftly, the war hammer ripping through the air.
Jon’s reflexes snapped to attention and he just barely evaded the blow. The hammer clipped his leg, drawing pain, and in the heat of combat and the drive of the moment, Jon got an idea.
Jon pretended to stagger, as if the blow had seriously injured his leg. Perrin came in for the death blow, drawn to the momentary opening, and Jon let him come. At the last moment, he sidestepped the blow, and counterattacked.
Jon saw Perrin’s eyes widen with surprise as he glimpsed Longclaw coming in to deliver a stab that would end the fight, and for one moment Jon thought he had won.
But the blade met empty air.
In an instant, Perrin was moving again. Jon was forced to parry a blow, and the strike carried such force that it wrenched Jon’s entire arm and nearly tore Longclaw from his grip. Instead–using the momentum of his deflection–Jon whipped Longclaw towards Perrin’s head, but again it swung wide and Perrin was unharmed.
Jon stepped back, the leaden weight of fear entering his heart. It was as if every movement, every breath of wind, every twitch of a muscle somehow worked in concert, protecting his opponent. As if chance was being bent to defeat Jon.
As if fate itself was against him.
Ghost brought down the second wolf, but a moment later he was tussling with the third, blood staining his white fur.
Then Jon realized it. He flicked his gaze to the west, and again saw his home. Where he stood, he was in Perrin’s world, where some unseen force protected him, guided Jon’s blows to meet air, twisted chance in Perrin’s favor.
I can’t beat him here, Jon thought. He began stepping back, purposefully losing ground. Perrin pressed the advantage, as thougt he was pushing him back, but Jon was directing both of them towards the west.
“Ghost!” Jon called, and the white wolf tossed aside his opponent and leaped forward to aid him. Perrin saw the wolf coming and turned. Ghost stopped right before he reached the large man, as if something prevented him from attacking Perrin.
Jon had an opening, but he knew that any strike sent at Perrin would not find him–not here. He turned and ran back to his own world.
Perrin’s last wolf nearly stopped him, but Ghost tackled it down first, and then it was only Perrin himself behind Jon, rapidly gaining on him.
Jon ran on, and then he was in the north, surrounded by snow and dark forests. He turned, leveled his blade, ready to engage Perrin yet again. Please, let this work . . .
Perrin entered into Westeros, hammer raised and ready to battle again, but the moment his feet crossed the threshold, he stopped and froze, his face lighting up in surprise, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Perrin inhaled. “Light!” he called out, as everything changed, his world warping around him, the threads that had guided him snapping like strings.
Jon took in his expression, and he knew that his gambit had worked. Perrin had crossed the boundary into Westeros . . . into a place where he was ta’veren no longer.
Here, Perrin was as vulnerable as anyone else.
Longclaw struck out as Jon took advantage of the moment of surprise, and the point bit into Perrin’s shoulder. With a deft move perfected by years of practice and training, Jon snaked out his foot and tripped his opponent. Perrin fell to his knees, bleeding, gasping, his war hammer fallen aside.
Silent as death, Ghost killed the last wolf with a twist of his jaws.
Jon raised Longclaw, the point at Perrin’s throat.
Perrin coughed out, stanching his bleeding injury with one big hand. “You’ve won,” he said. “At least it will be over.”
He is as much an unwilling pawn of these cruel gods as myself, Jon thought.
Perrin drew himself up, braced himself, a man prepared to face death . . . again.
Slowly, Jon lowered his sword. He stepped back. “No,” he said. I do not know who these Soo Voo Doo gods are, but they are not my gods, not my father’s gods, not the old gods. “In this world, the only fate is that which men make for themselves.” He sheathed Longclaw.
Perrin rose and stepped away, back across the boundary, and the fallen wolves were suddenly with him, alive again.
The two faced each other as the place between worlds closed, Jon with Ghost beside him, Perrin with his wolves. Jon nodded once, solemnly, and Perrin nodded back, respect given between worthy foes. The battle was over.
Predicted Winner: It’s up to you!
NOTE: THIS MATCH ENDS ON SUNDAY, APRIL 10th, 2011, AT 5 PM, ET
Jon Snow is a character from the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin; Perrin Aybarra is a character from the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
Jon Snow image courtesy of Michael Komarck. Perrin image courtesy of John Seamas Gallagher.
I am more interested in what their reactions would even be to encountering each other mentally, I don’t believe Jon could control Perrin but I think that they could talk to each other through Ghost and it could even possibly open Jon up to BECOMING a wolfbrother who if he really was evil would control them against their will but would be able to talk to them and request permission.
Jon would not automatically know what Perrin’s name was, he would discover that his name was Young Bull, but what is Jon’s wolfname? I wonder
I see Jon and Ghost as the better fighters, but Perrin’s magical wolfbrother abilities trump being a warg . . . and as always, magic is how these fights are usually won. I just see Ghost and Jon being overwhelmed by a pack.
THIS this right here would be an awesome fight and is truly the pinnacle of what these cage matches should be about.
I honestly think it would be one nasty fight and whoever won would not leave unscathed, but I think Perrin would probably edge it out. Ghost is a direwolf, which by the way, is a real (extinct) species of wolf. I’ve seen a full skeleton of one in the Bill Cody Musuem in Wyoming.
He would not oddly enough have an advantage over a wolf pack.
The dire wolf is extinct for a reason, they hunted in small packs of 3-5 for the other super mammals that existed during and immediately after the last ice age. They were huge (about 3.5 feet at the shoulder) and heavily muscled. However, their bite strength wasn’t that great and they lacked the speed, agility, and endurance of their modern cousins.
If Ghost were to fight a pack of modern wolves, they would surround him and take turns dodging in and out of his reach nipping at his back and flanks until he was too wounded to fight back.
One on one a dire wolf would probably kill a modern wolf without getting too bloodied. Against a pack, it wouldn’t stand a prayer.
Once Ghost was out of the way, Jon would just plane be outnumbered. Even if he did kill Perrin (which is possible) the wolves would probably end up killing him.
i don’t think it would be a good fight. I think John Snow would cut Perrin to ribbons. He is not half the fighter john is, and all he can do is talk to wolves. who’s to say the wolves will listen. I think the wolves would let the two settle it themselves and I think Perrin would get spanked. The Direwolf of ASOF may not be the same as a real direwolf. In ASOF their bites have been known to tear off limbs, but I agree that one Direwolf would not fair well against an entire pack of wolves. Who’s to say that Ghost did not have his pack of direwolves with him. Greywind, Nymeria, Shaggydog, lady and Ghost would send Perrin’s pack of wolves scurrying away like frightened kittens running from a vacuum cleaner.
What makes you say Perrin is “half the fighter Jon is?”
Perrin has fought in more than one large-scale battle, and he ALWAYS leads from the front, pretty much destroying anyone in his way. He’s fought Aiel armies, the most formidable warriors WoT has to offer short of Myrrdraal, and won.
They’re both extremely competent and lethal warriors, and I’d say it’s a tossup as to who would win.
Same thing goes with Ghost versus an actual wolfpack. I think the pack has a bit more of an advantage there, but this is for all intents and purposes a pretty even fight.
Actually, none of these two is an \extremely competent and lethal warrior\. In their respective fantasy worlds both are far from beeing one of the best available fighters. They are central characters to their story lines, but thats it. Against someone like Druss the Legend they both would have had no chance at all.
Deadtroll, here’s why Ghost wouldn’t have his pack of direwolves with him.
WARNING, SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Greywind and Lady are dead, Nymeria is chillin’ down somewhere in the neck, leading a pack of wolves on mayhem, and Shaggydog is with Rickon (who knows where?). The only other direwolf close to Ghost and John is Summer, but John assumes that Summer is dead.
END SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kah-thurak is completely right, neither Perrin nor Jon are extremely lethal, they’re both passable, and have the power of main-character on their side (Perrin more so than Jon, as the power of main-character is less prevalent in ASoIAF.
John Snow is a very lethal warrior at this point in the story. This is not the same character who faced the half hand and would have been killed if his opponent truly wanted him dead. This is one of the best swords in westeroes. When the story begins for Snow he was a boy. Now he is a man and lord commander of the nights watch. He is growing stronger physically and his constant practice and sparring has been paying off. He lacks the experience of Perrin, but he does have good experience. He is however an excellent fighter. I doubt that a wolf would ever attack a stark no mater what Perrin commands it to do. I am well aware of the current state of the DIre Wolves. However I have seen characters who were clearly dead at the end of their books participate in these fights, Vin and Dumbledore being two of the most notable cases. I have no problem bringing the Dire wolf pack together if you can raise those characters from the dead.
@Deadtroll
What are Perrin Aybera and Jon Snow compared to Beowulf, Druss the Legend, Karsa Orlong, Jaimie Lannister (two-handed), Al’Lan Mandragoran or Logan Ninefingers too name but a few? Every single one of these would destroy easily in a fight. Mind you, Perrin and Jon are strong characters in great fantasy series. But this does not make them “lethal and competent” fighters by default.
jon has mormonts crow aswel! could have pecked perrins eyes out
I don’t think you really know just how lethal John has become. You will learn soon enough.
Yes, Jon is a good fighter, but he’s still what, 16 years old? He’s not exceptionally strong, and the only seasoned fighter he’s fought is Halfhand. While Halfhand didn’t want Jon dead, he didn’t go easy either, and Jon only won because Ghost intervened. Halfhand was a seasoned fighter, but he was by no means the best. Jon wouldn’t stand a chance against folks like Randyll Tarly or The Mountain (when he was alive, or if he comes back as has been speculated) or The Hound (if he’s a live) or Jaime (when he had two hands) or Robert (when he was alive and wasn’t fat) or Bronn even. Jon’s good, but he’s not great.
The only people Jon has really fought with a sword are Robb in training, his brothers of the Night’s Watch in training, who weren’t traind themselves, and the Halfhand, so even if Jon is incredibly lethal, where is your proof?
Jon is a well trained fighter and in the story now, is older than 16. He and Ghost make a very deadly due to anyone in Westeros.
Perrin on the other had is a very good fighter (not Lan, Rand or Mat but just a step below) who has fought people like Jon before, and come out on top. Remember that his Wolf Brother senses are also there so he reacts faster than a regular guy would and can smell the fear, anger or calm on Jon while they fought. He would know what his state of mind is which would lead him to his game plan.
Remember, what makes Perrin so good (besides the Wheel shaping the world around him) is that he thinks his fights through and comes up with good game plans.
Ghost may not fight for him, but he would know what he was thinking, or were his emotions were.
Jon puts up a good fight, but in the end Perrin is just too good, too big, too fast and too powerfull for him.
“Jon wouldn’t stand a chance against folks like Randyll Tarly or The Mountain (when he was alive, or if he comes back as has been speculated) or The Hound (if he’s a live) or Jaime (when he had two hands) or Robert (when he was alive and wasn’t fat) or Bronn even. Jon’s good, but he’s not great.\
I totally agree that any of them would defeat Jon alone, but Jon’s real strength is his wolf. Jon and Ghost together make one of the deadliest foes in Westeros.
“I totally agree that any of them would defeat Jon alone, but Jon’s real strength is his wolf. Jon and Ghost together make one of the deadliest foes in Westeros.”
I agree with you to an extent, but this is also a great weakness for Jon. If the person that Jon is fighting manages to kill (or merely incapacitate Ghost), Jon’s power drops immensely.
The same could could argued for Aegon the Conqueror and his dragons. You use the tools you have.
” as the power of main-character is less prevalent in ASoIAF.”
Yeah, Tony, ain’t -that- the truth! First time I read Game of Thrones, I threw it against a wall and refused to finish it when Eddard Stark bought it. Another dent in my wall came from the “red wedding”, if you catch what I’m referring to. (The head-switch was a little TOO much, IMO)
Of course, when Moiraine went through the ter’angreal with Lanfear….then what, two books later we see “Cyndane” pop up? Everyone knew she was Lanfear, yet Moiraine stays missing until…well, RAFO. ^^ Anyhoo, this fight went exactly as I would have envisioned it. Perrin, even though he has an unhealthy codependant thing going with Faile, is a pretty smart guy and great general. Jon Snow is, far and away, number 1 in my top three faves from ASoIaF. Two is Dany, three is (well, was….another dent in the wall, I might add) her husband. Martin doesn’t mind one little bit killing hell out of his characters, does he? I thought authors grew attached to their creations….geez, all of a sudden I’m -really- glad he ain’t attached to me!
JustSayin:
I thought the same as you, “who the heck kills off their main characters?”, but about a week ago I read a very intelligent review that says folks like Eddard, Robb, and Joffre aren’t really main characters in the long run, they are just the person that the story centers on in the long run. In terms of the overall story, they are bit players who happen to have interesting things happen to them.
Errrrr, “they are just the people that the story centers on in the short term.”
While plenty of good points have been made both ways, it would seem that the clearest and most obvious is that Perrin is distinctly portrayed as having the fighting abilities to defeat highly skilled opponents.
Argue all you want about the limits of time and training, but it does not matter: regardless of how he came by his skills, be it ta’veren effects skyrocketing his skill absorption, or highly evolved fighting instincts from the wolves boosting his internalization, or more probably both, the simple fact is that Perrin is clearly depicted as having the required skill. Further, the books are quite clear on the fact that he is terrifically agile–a point which was demonstrated early in book 3 when he gave into his animal side and single-handedly slaughtered a myrddraal during the attack on the camp. Gradually gaining control over that aspect of himself is part of what makes him so imposing in the present.
In closing,
Inordinate advantage: Ghost
Counter: possible wolf pack in the vicinity
Mano a mano: Perrin
The real deciding factor is whether or not Ghost is unencumbered by a wolf pack and is free to take part. Ghost could probably take down a fade all by himself.
Sorry, Perrin wins here. Ghost will be hamstrung by two wolves behind while he attacks the third. This is standard wolf pack behaviour.
And John, even if he is a talented swordsman, doesn’t last long against Perrin. Perrin brought down a Myrddraal and several Aiel in single combat. The only true opponent John faced was Qhorin halfhand and he wasn’t truly fighting him either. Maybe Snow becomes an expert swordsman later, but at this point of time in the GRMM story it isn’t true.