End Game// Tormund Giantsbane (3)

12. On Your Knees

"And though Daenerys maintains her grip on Slaver's Bay, forces rise against her from within and without. She refuses to leave until the freedom of the former slaves is secure."

"She sounds like quite a woman" Sam remarked .

"And she's alone, under siege, no family to guide her or protect her. Her last relation thousands of miles away, useless, dying." Aemon rasped

"Don't say that, Maester Aemon" sam begged .

"A Targaryen alone in the world is a terrible thing." he added looking to Jon and Caro. "But family... that is everything."

"I agree." Caro declared leaning into Jon. 

"Maester Aemon." Jon remarked coming up behind them. Their conversation ceased immediately as Sam clamped his lips closed. 

"Lord Commander."

"Sam, I'd like to speak to the maester alone." Jon remarked and sam headed out.

 "How are you feeling?" Caro questioned sitting beside him. 

"Oh, like a hundred-year-old man slowly freezing to death." Aemon answered. 

"Want another blanket? I dont think it will help." Caro countered. "But I can get you one." 

"Thank you sweet girl." Aemon agreed patting her arm as she got up. 

"I need your advice. There's something I want to do, something I... have to do. But it'll divide the Night's Watch." Jon remarked carefully. "Bitterly." Jon added. "Half the men will hate me the moment I give the order." Jon whispered his face pinched.

"Half the men hate you already, Lord Commander. Do it." Aemon instructed confidently

"But you don't know what it is."

"That doesn't matter." Aemon corrected "You do. You will find little joy in your command. But with luck, you will find the strength to do what needs to be done." Aemon assured him. "kill the boy, Jon Snow. Winter is almost upon us. Kill the boy and let the man be born". Aemon begged "Oh thank you my dear." Aemon said as Caro tucked a blanket around him. 

+

"Where are the rest of the free folk now?" Jon asked Tormund "Where have they gone? Who leads them?"

''They followed Mance.'' Tormund reminded him "They won't follow anyone else."

'What about you?'' Jon countered

"Hard to lead when you're in chains." Tormund countered.

"What if I unchained you?" Caro offered and Tormund looked to her as she held up the keys on her finger. 

"Why would you do that?" Tormund countered.

"Because you are not my enemy. And I'm not yours." Jon answered honestly.

"You sure seemed like my enemy when you were killing my friends." Tormund corrected staring back at Jon. 

"For 8,000 years the Night's Watch have sworn an oath to be the shield that guards the realms of men."

"And for 8,000 years we've fallen short of that oath." Jon agreed. "You belong to the realms of men. All of you."

"And now everything is going to change?" Tormund mused.

"It is." Caro agreed. 

"Why now?"

"Because it's clear this place needed a woman here to actually get shit done." Caro offered and Tormund smirked as Jon shook his head. 

"Because now I am Lord Commander of the Night's Watch." Jon corrected her.

"That too." caro agreed. 

"What would you have me do, Lord Commander?'' Tormund asked in a taunting gaze.

"I'd have you go north of the Wall. Gather the remaining free folk wherever they are and bring them back here." Jon remarked. "I'll open the gates for them and let them through. I'll find them lands to settle south of the Wall." He went on and Tormund actually debated this but knew it wouldnt work

"They won't kneel for you and neither will I." Tormund declared. 

"Would you get on your knees for me?" Caro countered her tongue peaking out from her lips. 

"would you get on your knees for me?" Tormund mused. 

"You first." Caro offered. 

"I don't want them to kneel for me. Not in any way." Jon added running a hand over his face. "I want them to fight with me when the time comes." Jon corrected

"The day I ask my people to fight with the crows is the day my people cut my guts from my belly and make me eat them." Tormund declared

"Sounds dramatic." Caro murmured. 

"You and me gorgeous thats a different story." Tormund assured. Caro took another step forward. 

"And how many of your people can't fight?" Caro pondered.  "The women, the idiotic men that are in fact useless like Janos-" Caro mused, Jon would have spoken up but he knew that Tormund liked his aunt and if they had a connection it could help. Tormund was the blunt type and him and Caro seemed to be getting along. Jon had faith in her.  "-the children, the old, the sick-- what happens to them?" Tormund stared back her through a clenched jaw. 

"You're condemning them to death." Jon remarked

 "Worse than death because you're too proud to make peace... Or maybe you're not proud." Caro added walking around Tormund. "Maybe you're just a coward." Caro decided.

"Easy thing to say to a man in chains." Tormund sneered and Caro took his chained wrists in her hands and unlocked his chains. He felt his wrists free as his gaze stuck on Caro.

"You want me to repeat it?" Caro offered innocently. 

"Your people need a leader. And they need to get south of the Wall before it's too late. We don't have much time and they have less. The walkers are coming and they'll hit your people first." Jon informed him. "I'm not asking you to make peace to save your skin. Make peace to save your people." Jon begged.

"Most of them are at Hardhome.'' Tormund remarked "You know where that is?"

"Up on Storrold's Point.'' Caro recalled and Jon nodded in agreement.

''I can give you 10 horses and nine other men. You can get there in a week." Jon added

"We'll need ships.'' Tormund countered

"I'll talk to King Stannis about lending you his fleet''. Jon offered

"King." Caro scoffed. 

"All right, then." Tormund agreed "One more thing, little miss gorgeous and you are coming with me." Jon stared back at him. "You are the commander of the nights watch You're the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch." He reiterated. "They need to hear it from you." Tormund informed him confidently. "They need to know the ships they are boarding wot be torched in the middle of the sea. You two come with me or I don't go." Tormund instructed. 

"I'm in." Caro agreed. "Love an adventure."