"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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Night falls for all of us in the end, and too soon for some.
Castle Black, 302 AC
Elyana's eyes peeled open in a room she didn't recognise. Her mouth was dry, and her eyes were nearly crusted shut. It felt as though she had slept for days yet got no sleep at all; her body hurt as she tried to turn her head about the area to survey the space further. Eventually, when moving grew too painful, she leaned farther into the bedding and a sigh fell from her lips when she looked pointlessly to the ceiling. She kneaded the fur between her fingers as her memories returned to her.
From the lack of swords clashing, along with the fact that she was alive, the battle was finished, and the Night's Watch had won. Elyana wasn't sure if she should be thankful for that fact; she still had her life, but now Jon, Suller or Grenn had surely shared her identity with the others. She was sure Ser Alliser had demanded answers when the stewards began to tend to her wounds and discovered her lack of male anatomy.
When she pulled the blanket back from her body, she shivered at the cold air that hit her skin, but she was more focused on the state she was in. They only removed her tunics to access the cuts she received—the white cloth remained over her breasts and kept her dignity intact—and her gloves. Her wounds, both the one the wildling gave her during the battle and the one she received at Craster's Keep, were wrapped, which prevented her from seeing how bad they were. Elyana wasn't sure she wanted to know.
Maester Aemon was guided into the room by Samwell long after she woke up, and the woman refused to meet the younger man's eyes. Aemon took the seat beside her bed and moved to rest his shaking hands on the armrests. Sam remained standing at the door as though he felt he felt unwelcome to come any closer.
"How is your side, princess?" the old man asked with a croak that showed his age. The words answered her first question—they knew who she was.
A long moment of silence passed, as though Elyana was afraid to speak. She eyed Sam for a moment before taking a deep breath. Maester Aemon was smiling kindly. She didn't bother to return the gesture. He wouldn't be able to see it anyway.
"Fine." Her voice wasn't friendly, but neither mentioned it. When she began to force herself to sit up through a wince, Sam rushed to her side to aid her. Elyana didn't push him away because she wasn't sure if she'd be able to lean herself against the headboard of the bed without his help. "I take it we won?"
"With... help," Sam answered. Elyana furrowed her brows and he continued. "We managed to push the Wildlings back, and Stannis Baratheon arrived shortly after Jon went to negotiate peace."
Stannis Baratheon was at Castle Black? The information made Elyana's heart speed up slightly. That explained why she wasn't on a wagon to King's Landing. If Stannis took the crown from the Lannister's she would be free to return to Dorne—she would be free to go home. She would crush Oberyn with a hug and spend hours telling him of everything she had seen in the past years. She would see how Maester Caleotte had expanded his library and describe what the other side of the Wall was like. She'd have the chance to beg Doran for his forgiveness after the way she treated him in the years before she fled, and she would be able to forgive him as well for trying to send her off to marry .
