MASKS [Jon Snow]

EIGHT • RANGER

CHAPTER EIGHT

•••

i'm not ashamed of loving you
only the things i have done to hide it

•••

   "YOU are all brothers of the Nights Watch, now." Jon was stood back up at the front of the crowd, making his speech for the second day in a row. "I have decided on what you all deserve to be." He held his hand out and Olly rushed forward, his cheeks flushed from the cold, placing a scroll of paper in his Lord Commander's gloved hand.

   He began reading out names, one by one making it through the list of new recruits, each assigned an order. The anticipation grew in Liliana's stomach, like a bird fluttering about inside her. Each name read out was like another peck at her self control.

   "Jesse," He read out the last name on the list, at first she didn't recognise it as to be her. "The rangers."

   A wide grin spread over her face as the men rose from their seats and went to report to their superiors. She had been chosen to be a ranger. She had been chosen. Despite Jon having warned her about him deciding on her being a ranger, she was still immensely happy. She couldn't wait to tell Gilly.

   She almost ran to report to the first ranger, Ser Alliser Thorne, she was just that excited.

   "Right, you sorry lot," Alliser huffed. "Today you ride beyond the wall for the first time. You will be split into groups and you will be told your timetable of when and where you shall patrol." He looked beyond bored, which dampened Liliana's excitement greatly.

   "Follow me and you shall receive your times." He strode for the stables, the gaggle of new recruits fast on his heels.

•••

   Having received her own horse, clothes and times of when she would be patrolling, Liliana was content. She had no doubts anymore. Her life had greatly improved over the four weeks she had spent at Castle Black and she was loving every second.

   It was surprising, Liliana decided, how worried she had been about everything before she became an official 'brother'. And how close she came to trying to escape, she couldn't imagine anything worse than not being where she was in that moment.

   It was Liliana's turn to patrol that afternoon and she was already prepared. She had been paired with another brother, Carlton, whom she had found out loved to gossip. He was a nice enough man, not recruited for crime or poverty but because he was the eighth son of a Lord, whom she couldn't remember the name of, and he simply hated the dishonour he brought to his family when found in bed with another man. So in a desperate plea for redemption he joined the brotherhood, where he was surrounded by men.

   That was proof enough that Carlton liked to gossip as she had gathered that much info on him in just the hour since she had met him.

   "What do you think the snow's like over the other side of the wall?" Carlton was leaning against his horse as Liliana muzzled it, Carlton being to lazy to muzzle his own horse. Carton was practically in love with Liliana's direwolf, as soon as he had set eyes on the poor little pup he hadn't left him alone. Scorch was currently in Carton's arms as he stroked the large wolf's back.