THE RAM AND THE WOLF PT. I

Chapter 10

Weeks later, Jon was nowhere in sight.

While Liam glumly participates in his afternoon training, beating nearly everyone who sparred with him, Sam ecstatically comes rushing to where he is and tells him that they're electing the new Lord Commander.

Liam, obviously shocked, asks him, "so you mean to tell me, that I've been here for 6 moons, maybe more, I haven't kept count. and we haven't had a proper Lord Commander here?"

Sam nods, catching his breath in the process. "Ser Alliser was- *pant* - the acting Lord Commander, but I don't know why they're holding an election now."

"Ugh. Thorne repulses me, Sam. I hope he doesn't win."

As Sam continues to catch his breath, they notice the others walking to the common room. Sam and Liam follow after them.

"Who do you reckon is going to win?"

"Sam, I barely know who's running in the first place."

"Good point. It's Alliser, for sure. His opponent, I have no clue."

As they arrive at the common room, Sam spots Jon and sits next to him. He sits next to Sam and Jon, who begin to talk before the election. Liam can't help but eavesdrop.

"....said he'll make you a Stark at the stroke of a pen?" he hears Sam say.

Jon replies: "It's the first thing I ever remember wanting."

Liam butts in. "Wait... Stannis promised you that? I wouldn't trust him, Jon. I'm his nephew and he never did me any kindness. He probably doesn't even know I exist." he whispers.

"Really?" Sam asks in awe. "Stannis' nephew..." he mouths.

Their conversation is interrupted by Maester Aemon. The room grows quiet.

"Does anyone wish to speak for candidates, before we pass our tokens for the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch?"

Liam goes to raise his hand, wanting to speak for Jon, but Janos Slynt begins on a tangent about Ser Alliser and how great he is before he can. He stops listening and spaces out instead.

Clapping and cheering and the banging of tables starts to ensue.

Thorne's definitely gonna win, that cunt.

Someone else begins their endorsement about another old man they felt deserved to be Lord Commander. Jon sarcastically bangs his cup on the table.

Master Aemon stands up.

"If there's nobody else, we will begin voting."

He begins to talk about which shape tokens count for what candidate, when Sam interrupts him.

"Maester Aemon!"

People turn to him, shuffling in their chairs.

Maester Aemon acknowledges him.

"Samwell Tarly? Go on."

Someone in the audience mocks him: "Sam the Slayer."

Janos Slynt's voice. People laugh.

"Another wildling lover, just like his friend, Jon Snow. How's your lady love, slayer?"

"Slynt, shut your hole and listen." Liam yells.

Sam clears his throat. "Her name is Gilly, but Slynt knows her quite well. They cowered together during the battle for the Wall."

People begin to laugh at Slynt.

"Lies!" Slynt yells, in an effort to spare himself from the embarrassment.

Sam continues: "A wildling girl, a baby, and Lord Janos. I found him there after the battle was over, in a puddle of his own making."

The audience continues to ridicule Slynt.

"Whilst Janos was hiding with the women and children, Jon Snow was leading."

Liam turns around to Sam, then to Jon, who's shuffling in his chair, uncomfortable with the amount of attention he's getting.

"Ser Alliser fought bravely, 'tis true, but when he was wounded, it was Jon who saved us. He took charge of the Wall's defense. He killed the Magnar of the Thenns, he went north to deal with Mance Rayder, knowing almost certainly it meant his own death."

Jon stares at Aemon. Liam smiles at him.

"Before that, he led the mission to avenge Lord Commander Mormont. Mormont himself chose Jon to be his steward. He saw something in Jon, and now we've all seen it too. He may be young, but he's the commander we turned to when the night was darkest."

Liam looks at Sam with a huge grin, and claps and cheers. Others join in. As soon as they go silent, Thorne stands up to speak.

"I, uh, can't argue with any of that. But who does Jon Snow want to command? Night's Watch, or the wildlings?"

Jon stares at him contemptuously.

"Everyone knows he loved a wildling girl, and spoke with Mance Rayder many times. What would've happened in that tent between those two old friends, if Stannis' army hadn't come along? We all saw him put the king beyond the wall out of his misery. Do you want to choose a man who has fought the wildlings all his life, or a man who makes love to them?"

Liam looks at Thorne with disgust, and then at Jon, who stares at his cup with shame.

A wildling girl?

"It is time." Maester Aemon declares.

Liam stands up quickly to vote for Jon, making himself dizzy in the process. He grabs a circular token, and tosses it into the vase.

He walks back to sit down with Jon.

"I think you'll win, Jon." He puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Jon looks at him and smiles.

"Thank you, Liam."

When the voting finishes up, they smash the vase open, and stack the tokens with their corresponding shapes. Jon and Thorne are tied. Maester Aemon still needed to cast his vote, and he feels around for the shape of the token.

The room is eerily silent at this point. Liam looks at Jon, who stares at Maester Aemon. Liam watches as the old man picks his vote, crossing his fingers in hopes that Jon will win. The token clinks as it lands.

Liam, Sam, and a decent amount of the other people in the room begin to yell in victory. Liam bangs his cup on the table and cheers for a surprised Jon, who smiles at him in return. The crowd begins to chant Jon's name: "Snow! Snow! Snow! Snow! Snow! Snow! Snow! Snow!"Jon stands up, and looks at his comrades, bearing a massive smile on his face. It quickly fades as soon as he spots Thorne eyeing him.