𝙒𝘼𝙍𝙍𝙄𝙊𝙍𝙎 (Game of Thrones)

𝙭𝙫𝙞𝙞.

Vickon had never been taken prisoner before. Had never really thought he would be. He was good with a sword, he was strong, he was fast. He should have been able to outsmart any would-be captors, especially a smart-mouthed wildling girl. 

But here he was, being led along, bound with rope. He made a decision to blame Jon for this. It was his fault that Ygritte wasn't dead. That she had been able to lure them into a trap. That they were now tied together and being dragged along the snow. Vickon had done no wrong. He wasn't the one at fault here.

They crossed a frozen lake, joining a far larger group of wildlings on the opposite shore. Ygritte was smiling as a man approached, dressed in armor made of what looked, terribly, like human bones.

"I've brought you presents, Lord of Bones," she said.

"I already got one crow," he stated. "Don't need three."

"Mance will want to question these two," Ygritte replied. "They know all about where the crows are and what they're planning."

"The Halfhand knows more." The Lord of Bones pointed at Jon. "This one's just a little boy. Gut him." Next, Vickon. "He might do for work. Big and strong."

"They could have killed me half a dozen times," Ygritte said.

The Lord of Bones shrugged. "And now they wish they had. Gut this one, the other can stay alive for now."

Beside the Lord of Bones, another wildling drew a knife. Ygritte interjected quickly. "He's a bastard of Winterfell, Ned Stark's son. Mance will want him."

"What does Mance want with a dead man's bastard?" demanded the Lord of Bones.

"I don't know," Ygritte said. "I think he'll want to decide for himself."

The Lord Bones nodded stiffly. "They run, I'll chop their balls off."

Ygritte smirked. "They run, I do it myself."

He left without another word.

Ygritte glanced at Jon and Vickon. "We're even now, Jon Snow. But you owe me, mute."

"I don't owe you nothing," Vickon stated. 

"Give me your name, then," she said. "I deserve that, don't I?"

He swallowed hard. "Vickon," he said. "Waters."

Ygritte offered him a smirk. "Another bastard," she said, and that was the end of it.

Two wildings seized Jon and Vickon by the shoulders, leading them over to join the moving line. Qhorin was there, looking up at the two men with wide eyes. Jon swallowed hard, hesitating before he told the Halfhand, "I couldn't do it," he said finally. "I had the sword at her neck, I just couldn't- -"

"I know," Qhorin stated.

"Where are the others?" Vickon dared to ask.

"When you two didn't come back, we went looking for you," Qhorin said. "We found your tracks fast enough. But they found us before we found you."