"Why would a woman want to go to Castle Black?" Orivel spoke through a loud laugh. The way he spoke made it seem that he guessed her answer would be just as stupid as the thought of a woman roaming Castle Black was.
"Because it is the last place any...
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Men who pay in promises should at least have the sense to promise more.
Castle Black, 301 AC
Elyana stood in her tower, hissing as she unlaced her leather tunic. She threw it to the ground with a huff at the layer of dark, crusted blood on its inside. It was washable, but the white fabric beneath was ruined. When she pulled it over her head her wound screamed for her to stop, but she continued until she held it in her hand to assess the stain. The blood stayed mainly on the bottom right side where her injury was, but she would still need to get a new one. Her main concern had been for the fabric that concealed her breasts, and luckily it only had a small trail of red lining the bottom right side.
When herself and Grenn returned to the others hours before, the man claimed she had fallen poorly on her ankle and caused it to twist. He was holding her up almost completely and had to help hoist her onto her horse, but she hid her wooziness well. Jon was the only man who asked if she was alright, and Elyana simply nodded her head stoically and waited for the journey home to begin. The Nights Watch was breaking their fast when they returned, and Elyana had quickly disappeared back to her room to wait for Grenn to bring her the supplies she needed. She wasn't sure if he was afraid of her, nervous about helping her, or genuinely worried about her wound. She didn't care. She just wanted to stitch herself up and get out of Castle Black.
A knock on her door took her attention from the bloodied fabric in her hands and she turned towards the entrance of the small room. With a rough swallow she tossed the white tunic onto the leather one and slowly opened the door to ensure it was who she expected. Grenn's face greeted her through the crack she made, and she pushed it open just enough to allow him entrance. He had yet to change and held a plate of food in one hand and a sewing needle with thread in the other. Elyana narrowed her eyes, but he was the first to speak.
"Breakfast," Grenn motioned to the plate in his hand with his head, placing it onto the small wooden table in the corner of the room. Elyana didn't thank him, but he didn't expect her to. He knew she was afraid of what he may do, even if she hid it well. He only wanted to help; it was his job to protect the realm, even if it was only through one girl. "And a needle and thread, stolen fresh from the stewards," he passed it to her directly.
"Did you bring the ale?" she asked impatiently just as he reached into his pocket to pull out the small, capped bottle.
Elyana nodded as a thank you and took it, moving past him to the small table. She wobbled slightly from the blood loss as she popped off the cork and took a short sniff. It burnt her nostrils, but the sensation assured her it would prevent any infection. She could feel Grenn's eyes on her—or, rather, the bare skin of her stomach and shoulders. Her skin was littered with goosebumps to show how cold she was in only the fabric wrapped over her chest, but she didn't show any other signs of being uncomfortable in front of him. She needed access to her wound and didn't want to risk staining anything else before it was closed.
