300 AC
THE NORTH
THE WALL
JON SNOW
Jon walked into the room in which Tormund had been kept in. His arms and legs had been shackled to the wall and his arrow wound had been patched.
"Your old blind man patched me up. Why?" Tormund asked Jon.
"He's sworn to heal all wounded men, friend or foe." Jon replied.
"You want me alive so you can torture me?"
"No one is going to torture you?"
"So how do I die? Hanging, burning, droped off from the top of the wall?"
"I don't know what's going to happen to the prisoners."
"Who decides?"
"My brother. The King."
"Is he your king now?" Tormund asked in a condescending tone.
"I don't have a king." Jon replied annoyed.
A smile formed on Tormund's face. "You spent too much time with us. You can never go back to being a kneeler."
Jon ignored him. "We are going to burn the bodies of your dead. Do you want to say any words over them?
"Words?" He asked confused. "What kind of words?"
"Funeral words. I don't know how the freefolk do it."
"Do what."
"Say farewell."
"The dead can't hear."
Jon looked at Tormund in silence for several seconds. Finally he gave him a nod in understanding. Jon turned to leave but stopped himself. He kept his hand on the door for a moment as he struggled with what he was about to ask.
He turned back to look at Tormund. "I've told my brother of what is out there. He is skeptical of the idea of letting the freefolk pass the wall...but I think he can be convinced if Mance makes some concessions."
"Concession?!" Tormund said with a laugh. "Have you forgotten that there are 100,000 freefolk on the other side of this Wall? Your King brought what, 100 men? If anyone will be making concessions it will be you king."
"You don't get it!" Jon finally snapped in frustration, which has been penting up since he returned from the North Of The Wall and became Lord Commander.
Tormund actually flinched at Jon's tone. He had never heard him snap like that.
"It's already over. Robb doesn't need to destroy Mance's army he just needs to stop him from getting past the Wall. Why do you think Mance sent you over the Wall in the first place?" Jon questioned "He needed you to open the gate from the south. It was a good plan and it almost worked.... but it failed. More men are coming to reinforce my brother. Soon Castle Black will have more men than it ever has. Mance might try and send more climbers over the Wall but it won't matter. Castle Black will not fall. If Mance truly wants the freefolk on this side of the Wall than he will have to meet my brother's demands."
YOU ARE READING
THE NORTHERN CRUSADE
ActionThe North has always endured. They had survived the Long Night, they had resisted the might of the Andals. The North had also toppled the Targaryens who have ruled over them for 250 years. With the arrest of Lord Eddard Stark, the banners of Winter...
