Armies of Summer

Chapter Thirty

Castle Black - On top of the Wall

It had been a few weeks since they had to clean the mess hall in punishment for disobeying Thorne, and things had fallen into a routine. Jon and Sam spent a lot of their time together, Jon trying to teach Sam the thing she needed to know to survive in the North. Currently, they were on watch duty.

"I miss girls. Not even talking to them. I never talked to them! Just looking at them, hearing them giggle. Don't you miss girls?" Before Jon could respond, e saw a dark mass moving toward the wall. Jon leaned out over the edge, looking down, and he could see that it was a horse, galloping for the wall.

"Riders. The horn. We have to blow the horn." Sam said, moving towards the horn.

"Why is he alone?" Sam ignored him, trying to think.

"One blast for a ranger returning, two for wildlings, three for..."

"There's no rider." Sam ignored Jon again, and blew the horn once, and then turned to follow Jon as they rushed down to see who it was. When they finally reached the bottom, they saw that the horse did indeed not have a rider, and it took one of the stable boys catching it for it to calm down. And then the boy brought the horse over to where Jon and Sam were standing by Jeor Mormont, the Lord Commander.

"That's my Uncle Benjen's horse. Where's my Uncle?" Jon asked, turning to look at Mormont.

Castle Black - The Courtyard

"You came to us as outlaws, poachers, rapers, killers thieves. You came alone, in chains, without friends nor honor. You came to us rich and you came to us poor. Some of you bear the names of proud houses, others only bastard names or no names at all. It does not matter. All that, is in the past. Here, on the wall, are all one house. Tonight..." Jon stopped listening to the Lord Commander as Sam nudged him in the ribs.

"You're allowed to look happy. You're going to be a Ranger. Isn't that what you always wanted?"

"I want to find my Uncle. I know he's alive out there. I know he is."

"I wish I could help you, but I'm no Ranger. It's the steward's life for me."

"There's honor in being a steward."

"Not much really. But there's food." Jon chuckled before looking back at Mormont.

"Here you begin anew. A man of the Night's Watch lives his life for the realm. Not for a king, or a lord, or the honor of this house or that house. Not for gold nor glory nor a woman's love. But for the realm! And all the people in it. You've all learned the words of the vow. Think carefully before you say them. The penalty for desertion, is death. You can take your vows here tonight, at sunset. Do any of you still keep the Old Gods?" Jon stood up, looking up at the man on the platform.

"I do, my lord."

"You'll want to take your vow before a heart tree as your Uncle did?"

"Yes, my lord."

"You'll find a Weirwood a mile North of the Wall. And your old Gods too, maybe."

"My lord, might I go as well?" Sam asked as he stood up.

"Does house Tarly keep the old Gods?"

"No, my lord. I was named in the light of the Seven, as my father was and his father before him"

"Why would you forsake the Gods of your father and your house?" Thorne said with an annoyed look.

"The Night's Watch is my house now. The Seven have never answered my prayers. Perhaps the old Gods will."