"Why would a woman want to go to Castle Black?" Orivel spoke through a loud laugh. The way he spoke made it seem that he guessed her answer would be just as stupid as the thought of a woman roaming Castle Black was.
"Because it is the last place any...
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The shield that guards the realms of men.
Castle Black, 301 AC
In the weeks leading up to the Wildlings attack, Castle Black was a blur of men rushing from post to post trying desperately to get everything in order. Night watches were taken much more seriously, and even stewards like Elyana were put on duty atop the wall or at the front gate to ensure they were not ambushed in the night. She didn't mind staying up until the sunrise watching the endless snow and trees over the wall. She only wished it wasn't so cold.
She didn't know it then, but the evening of the attack she moved through the yard in her regular silence. No one stopped her, or even paid her any mind, as she moved up the steps and into the dining hall. It only took a moment for her to spot Suller sitting alone in the crowded space, and he found her eyes quickly as well. With a motion of her head to the door he got to his feet and followed her out into the cold. He trailed her through the castle to an empty corridor where she finally stilled, and he stopped a few feet away. Her eyes remained on the wooden deck as she thought over her words.
"If I die in the battle," she began slowly, and quickly Suller decided he didn't enjoy the direction the conversation was going. "Don't let them burn me with the others. Send my body to Sunspear to be buried with my family."
He watched her closely, tilting his head slightly. "Don't be stupid," he scolded. Elyana could have guessed he found a way to critique her even then. "If any of us fools are going to survive, it'll be you—"
"I did not ask you my odds," she stopped him with a much harsher tone. She didn't want to argue or be told she had anything to live for. She needed to know that she would rest with her own blood. She needed to know that she would return to the warmth of the sand. "I just want to be sent home. I just need to know that you will do your best to get me home."
After a moment of silence, the old knight nodded. Elyana had nothing else to say, and instead took a deep breath before leaving him in his silence and moving back into the yard.
She stilled slowly when she found Grenn there, helping another brother lift a large piece of wood to bring over to the builders. He didn't see her yet, but Elyana stood watching as he laughed lightly at something one of the other men had said. When he set down the wood and wiped his brow he spotted her, and the sight of her staring at him caused him to still. It seemed that neither of them could stop themselves from staring since the short kiss they shared. In the dining hall during meals, in the yard during drills, when they were assigned watch on the same nights; whenever one of them was busy, the other was watching. When they would meet eyes, neither looked away. Still, they hadn't spoken since she left him in the closet.
Grenn took one step towards her before a builder smacked him on the arm to get his attention. Elyana watched for a moment as he was instructed to grab more material for them, but when he looked back to find her, she was gone. She was good at disappearing when Grenn took his eyes off her for only a moment, and it frustrated him to no end.
