A New Hope (Books I - VI)

Chapter 6

Castle Black - The Stables

Jon knew this wasn't the right thing. The honorable thing. But he needed to do it. He needed to leave. Be there for his brother. Find his sisters. Kill the King.

"You can't!" Sam yelled, running up next to Jon's horse, as Jon saddled it, trying to hurry and leave.

"Get out of my way, Sam."

"They'll put out the word. They'll send out ravens. People will come after you. Do you know what happens to deserters?"

"Better than you do."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find my brother, my sisters, and put a sword through King Trentan's throat." Jon mounted his horse, and almost spurred it forward, but Sam grabbed the reins, holding it still.

"You can't leave us now. We need you here."

"Move."

"I won't let you go."

"Move."

"No." Jon heaved out a sigh before kicked the horse, almost running Sam over before he dove out of the way, and then Jon was gone, riding out the gate with Ghost hot on his tail.

It wasn't long after he left that Jon heard the tell-tale sounds of people chasing after him, and when he looked around he saw that Ghost was no longer at his side.

"Ghost?" He whispered out harshly as his horse raced through the forest.

Nothing, but he did hear a smack, and then a thud as something fell, and he turned to look, and saw two figures dismounting their horses as they rushed to the air of their fallen, and rather large comrade.

"Samwell!" Grenn yelled, and Jon sighed, knowing he had to know if the poor lad was dead or not before he left, so he slowed his horse up, and trotted up to the trio, and looked down at the man.

"Is he dead?" Pyp was asking Grenn, who was checking for a pulse.

"No, he's not dead."

"Did we get him?" Sam asked groggily as he awoke from his slumber.

"Come on, help me get him up." Grenn said to Pyp who moved to help pull the rather heavy man to his feet.

"Lucky you've got plenty of padding." Grenn said to Sam before turning to Jon.

"We're taking you back to where you belong."

"I belong with my brother."

"But we're your brothers now." Sam said sadly, looking up at the man still on his horse.

"They'll kill you if they find out you've gone." Grenn said with a grim look on his face.

"They'll kill you if they know you came after me. Go back."

"Sam told us everything. We're sorry about your father." Pyp mumbled, looking up at his friend.

"But it doesn't matter. You took the oath. You can't leave." Grenn said.

"I have to."

"You can't. You said the words." Grenn said angrily.

"I don't care about—"

"Hear my words and bear witness to my vow." Sam started.

"To hell with all of you." Jon said as he began to turn his horse, but stopped as the others began to speak it as well.

"Night gathers and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall live and die at my post." Pyp said.

"I am the sword in the darkness—" Grenn continued. And then together, they recited the rest.

"I am the sword in the darkness, the watcher on the walls, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all nights to come." Sam moved to Jon's side, reaching up to offer Longclaw. Jon stared at Sam for a moment, and then looked at Pyp and Grenn, tears welling in his eyes, before accepting the sword, waiting for his brothers to mount up, and then turning to head for home.

Castle Black - Mormont's Chambers

"Ham. How many days in a row must a man be expected to start his day with ham? Bring me some beer at least. You look exhausted. Was your moonlight ride that tiring?" Mormont said as Jon served the commander his breakfast. And it was true, he was exhausted, but how did the commander know?

"Don't look so terrified. If we beheaded everyone that ran away for the night, only ghosts would guard the Wall. At least you weren't whoring in Mole's Town. Honor made you leave, honor brought you back."

"My friends brought me back."

"I didn't say it was your honor."

"They killed my father."

"And you're gonna bring him back to life are you? No? Good. We've had enough of that sort of thing. Beyond the Wall, the Rangers are reporting whole villages abandoned. At night they see fires blazing in the mountains from dusk until dawn. A captured wildling swears their tribes are uniting in some secret stronghold, to what ends the gods only know. Outside Eastwatch Cotter Pyke's men discovered four blue-eyed corpses. Unlike us, they were wise enough to burn them. Do you think your brother's war is more important than ours?"

"No."

"When dead men and worse come hunting for us in the night, do you think it matters who sits on the Iron Throne?"

"No."

"Good. Because I want you and your wolf with us when we ride out beyond the Wall tomorrow."

"Beyond the Wall?"

"I'll not sit meekly by and wait for the snows. I mean to find out what's happening. The Night's Watch will ride in force against the wildlings, the White Walkers and whatever else is out there. And we will find Benjen Stark, alive or dead. I will command them myself. So I'll only ask you once, Lord Snow, are you a brother of the Night's Watch, or a bastard boy who wants to play at war?"

The next morning, they did as the Lord Commander ordered, all except some one hundred men, consisting of stewards, builders, and the like, marching beyond the wall, led by Lord Commander Jeor Mormont.