Winter Winds

The Climb

"Used to be you couldn't find a tree within a mile of the wall," Tormund spoke to his raiding party as they readied themselves for the long climb ahead. Ella sat by herseld on a broken log as she slowly nibbled on a piece of dried meat. The journey up the Wall would take several hours, and Ella needed all the strength she could get.

The small girl smiled as she watched Jon and Ygritte whisper to each other. Their smiles stretched to their eyea, and Ella felt a slight ping of sadness wash over her. She never had a partner, and she wasn't sure that she ever would. The girl knew there was more to life than marriage and children. She longed for excitement, adventure, passion. She longed for love and protection, and Ella wasn't sure where to find these things.

Just then, Ella felt someone grab her leg and lift it up. She glanced down to see Tormund Giantsbane strapping a pair of metal climbing shoes to her boots.

"These are a little big for ya, Lady Crow," he grunted while securing the leather straps around her ankles. "They'll do the job, though."

Ella nodded and thanked the giant man. He propped an elbow on his knee and looked deeply into Ella's blue orbs.

"Your eyes are blue girl," Tormund said. "Better be careful, or someone may mistake ya for a white walker."

"I apologize," Ella blushed, unsure how to respond to his statement. "But to be fair, your eyes are bluer than mine. One could say the same thing about you."

"No need to apologize girl," Tormund said. "And even if I was one of the blue eyed fuckers, you wouldn't be able to resist me, and I wouldn't be able to resist ya. I like ya, girl. And since you've seen me naked, I'd like see you without any clothes on."

"I like you too," Ella said. Though it was more like a question. The young girl shifted on her log as Tormund chuckled. 

The ginger giant grinned widely as he pulled Ella to her feet. "You'll be with me, Lady Crow."

Tormund pulled Ella along behind him, clutching her small hand as they came to a halt at the base of the Wall. The giant removed a piece of rope from his shoulder and secured it around her waist. He passed her two climbing hooks and smiled at her.

"You'll be climbing with me, girl." He informed her. "Sink your hooks in deep, and don't move until you're ready. Don't look down, either. And don't scream. I don't want that to be the last thing I remember of ya."

Ella opened her mouth to speak, but instantly closed it. She watched Tormund as he went to Orell, then to Jon and Ygritte, tying ropes around their waist. As soon as everyone was secure, it was time to climb.

Every muscle within Ella's body began to scream and ache halfway up the Wall. Her lungs tightened with every inch they climbed, and she found it hard to catch her breath. Ella felt like removing the books from her shoes, undoing the rope from her waist, and just having the gods decide her fate. But Tormund convinced her to keep going.

Ella looked above as Tormund hit a weak spot in the Wal, causing a chunk of ice to slip and hit Jon in the head.

"Just seeing if you could take a hit, lad," he chuckled as the party continued to climb.

After another hundred feet, Ella heard cracking from beneath her. She looked down to see a crack in the Wall spread to their right, creating an avalanche. Ella clenched her eyes and leaned into the Wall. She did not want to see the poor innocent souls fall to their death.

Just as she looked up, she felt the rope around her waist pull her down. She clutched her hooks, but they came out of the Wall, causing her to slide down a few feet. She looked to see Jon and Ygritte dangling by a fraying piece of rope. Ella looked up to Tormund and saw him struggling to hold the weight of the four people below him.

"We have to cut them loose!" Orell shouted to Tormund.

Both he and Ella pleaded with him not to cut them loose, but the stag ignored their cries. He pulled out an old dagger and began to see through the rope. Ella called to Jon as he swung to the left, trying to sink his ice pick into the Wall. But it was too late. Orell successfully cut her brother and Ygritte loose, and they disappeared beneath a cloud of fog. Ella cried out for her brother as tears formed in her eyes.

"Come girl, we have to keep going!" Ella heard Tormund call to her from above.

Ella blinked away the tears and pushed through the pain. If she was to survive and save the men at Castle Black, she had to continue for Jon.

Ella and the others soon reached the top of the Wall. Relief washed over her as Tormund grabbed Ella by the forearm and pulled her into the flat surface of the Wall. Ella inhaled and exhaled rapidly, giving her lungs the chance to regain air as quickly as possible. Ella sat up and gazed out to the frozen tundra. It was a sight worth seeing, and she would never get used to seeing the world from such a high view.

Tormund helped Ella to her feet as Orell pulled himself over the edge. Ella tried to move towards him, but Tormund held her back. The giant man snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

"Don't do it girl," the man whispered in her ear. His deep, raspy voice sent chills down her spine. "He's not worth it."

"He killed my brother," Ella whispered as she spun around to face Tormund. "He was the only real family I ever had."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, little crow."

Tormund pointed a gloved finger behind Ella. She quickly turned away from the wildling leader and saw Jon and Ygritte lying next to each other. Her heart swelled with joy as she saw her brother and his ginger haired lover but each other.

"And for the record girl," Ella heard the deep voice of Tormund speak to her, "we are your family now."

Ella turned to the man towering over her small frame. Ella looked into the eyes of Tormund Giantsbane, looking for any hint of a lie. But he wasn't lying. He meant every word about them being a family. The girl had no one but her brother, and if it came down to it, Tormund would spend his whole life trying to make Ella felt like she belonged with them. And making the southern girl feel loved. Something the wildling knew she was not used to.