-Chapter 106-
-POV Jon Snow-
"What's wrong?" I asked Samwell, already quite annoyed.
Samwell pulled me behind him until we were far enough from the others, then said:
"Ed saw your brothers."
I frowned and said in a hard tone:
"All my brothers are dead."
'Except for those in the Night's Watch,' I silently added to myself.
"No, that's not true," Samwell said before quickly continuing:
"Ed saw them, and they saved his life."
I frowned even harder, not liking Samwell's joke at all, because that's all it could be.
I studied his expression for a few moments, and when I was absolutely sure that he wasn't joking, I immediately denied internally what he had just told me.
'That's impossible,' I thought, unwilling to believe what Samwell was saying.
The hope of being able to see my brothers again, knowing from the start that I would inevitably be disappointed in the end, was even worse than simply accepting their deaths.
Before I could sink even deeper into my thoughts, Ed spoke, approaching as silently as Ghost behind me:
"I saw them."
"You must have been mistaken," I said, turning away, not wanting to listen any further, as I still had the duty of supervising the training of the new recruits.
"The oldest one's wolf was named Summer," Ed suddenly said, freezing me instantly.
Hearing Bran's wolf's name, I was immediately struck like lightning, then turned back, shocked, and asked:
"How?"
'How could they still be alive?' I wondered.
"I don't know. I didn't get to talk to him enough to understand what he wants, but what I do know is that he's traveling with some kind of giant. Brown hair, brown eyes, a bit simple-minded, but..."
'Walder,' I thought, instantly recognizing Old Nan's great-grandson.
"...a true killer. He wears different pieces of armor, probably picked up along the way, and he acts as the sworn shield of the first one," Ed said.
I immediately cut him off, shaking my head:
"Walder is too kind to fight."
'That was something everyone in Winterfell knew. Otherwise, he could have been a terror on the battlefield, as famous as the Mountain,' I thought quickly, remembering the kind giant who used to comfort me when I was left alone in Winterfell's stables as a child, rejected by Lady Stark.
Ed gave me a strange look, and I raised an eyebrow, not understanding his expression.
He hesitated before speaking, then finally said:
"I don't know if we're talking about the same giant, but I can assure you that the one accompanying your little brother is anything but kind."
Before I could respond, Ed added:
"Ser Alliser sent me with five of our brothers to spy on the wildlings, as they are now moving closer and closer to the Wall in large groups."
He quickly continued:
"We soon fell into a wildling trap, and just as we were about to be slaughtered, fighting ten against one, the giant charged, instantly breaking the wildlings' encirclement, followed by your brothers' wolves."
Seeing that he wasn't lying, I frowned again, not understanding how Walder could have changed so much.
'Walder couldn't stand hurting anyone, and now Ed talks about him as if he's the reincarnation of the Black Dread,' I thought, knowing Ed wasn't lying, but struggling to connect the two versions of Walder.
"Were you able to talk to them?" I asked Ed, momentarily putting aside Walder's change in temperament to focus on the main point.
"Hmm..." Ed muttered, then said:
"They didn't tell me who they were, nor gave me any names, but they seemed to know that I would recognize them despite that and that we were friends, because they explained that they couldn't return south of the Wall yet when I offered to take them to Castle Black."
"Why?" I asked, not understanding why they hadn't come to the Wall.
'They could have come to find me directly or found Robb once he returned to the North.'
'Unless they resent us for not protecting them and abandoning them,' I thought, as it was also a possibility that they felt betrayed.
Ed shrugged and said:
"I don't know. They simply told me that they still had a lot to accomplish in the North and that they would return once they had succeeded, but not before."
"They didn't say anything else?" I asked before Ed suddenly remembered something.
"No," Ed said before adding as he recalled a detail:
"But one of the kids I didn't recognize looked at me and said he was glad to know that you had friends at the Wall because you were going to need them in the future."
"They weren't alone?" I asked, since he hadn't mentioned any other people.
"No, they were accompanied by Jojen and Meera Reed, as well as a woman who looked like a wildling," Ed said.
Even though I didn't understand any of it, I finally chose to fully believe it and quickly said in a determined and categorical tone:
"They can't stay where they are for now."
Samwell and Ed both nodded, as fewer and fewer patrolmen were returning unharmed from beyond the Wall.
"I agree with you, but what do you propose in that case?" Samwell asked, who had remained silent until now to let Ed recount what he had seen beyond the Wall, before quickly adding:
"We can't just leave the Wall without reporting to our superiors."
"We won't even cross the Wall," Ed said, which sparked an idea in my mind, and I said:
"We could..."
"No," Samwell said, narrowing his eyes in a rare determined look, understanding my plan and interrupting me before I could even formulate it.
"Ser Alliser would cause us a lot of trouble if we left our post without discussion," he added firmly before continuing:
"You may have taken over his post in his absence, but you are just a steward."
He was harsh, but he was right. I was still a nobody, just a simple steward.
'He's really too smart,' I thought, turning my gaze away from him, searching for a way to convince the Lord Commander to send a team of volunteer rangers to retrieve my brother beyond the Wall.
'Wait… I'm not just a simple steward.'
I am the steward of the Lord Commander, so if I want him to let me go beyond the Wall, the simplest method is to ask him directly.
I'll figure out the rest later.
I quickly made my way toward the Lord Commander's quarters, ignoring Ed and Samwell as they asked me what I was going to do.
I had only one goal in mind… To find my brothers and protect them.
'As I should have from the start.'
---
-POV Jeor Mormont-
"Are you absolutely certain that what you are saying is true?" I asked, stunned by the news that had just been brought to me by the maester, who had been serving the Watch longer than the oldest sworn brother still alive.
"The letter was addressed to me," said Maester Aemon.
I furrowed my brows briefly before saying:
"I understand everything that has been happening these past few moons much better now."
"Hmm," Maester Aemon hummed, nodding before adding, "The whole situation is becoming much clearer now because he knows our strengths and weaknesses."
I nodded, then said:
"But if he ever wanted us to…"
I stopped as I heard someone knock rapidly before opening the door.
I stood up, annoyed that someone would barge into my quarters so nonchalantly, and just as I was about to yell, I was surprised to see Jon, wearing a desperate expression.
'Even though he tries to hide it, he is failing miserably,' I noted as I observed him carefully.
Jon realized that he had interrupted us and quickly apologized, saying:
"Forgive me for barging in so abruptly, Commander, but I would like to…"
I frowned at his audacity, wondering if I had been too lenient with the boy, as I had a soft spot for him due to his upbringing, his history, and because of… Ned.
"Get out and wait," I said in an authoritative tone.
Jon hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and saying in a determined tone:
"Lord Commander, I cannot wait any longer, I must…"
"I ordered you to leave, so do it without arguing," I said, refusing to let my authority be questioned by a mere steward.
'Whatever position I may assign him in the future, for now, he is just a little brat who needs to learn,' I thought as I commanded him to leave.
Jon looked at me for a few moments before sighing with disappointment and turning to leave.
"Wait," said Maester Aemon.
Surprised, I turned toward him, and even though he could not see me, he kept looking straight ahead as if he could sense my surprise and explained:
"He interrupted us anyway, so let's take a moment to hear his request. It seems important, and you have praised your steward's composure for so long that I would like to know what could have alarmed him so much."
I frowned but, after a few moments, sighed before saying:
"Very well, speak quickly."
Jon inclined his head slightly toward Maester Aemon, silently thanking him, before realizing that the old man was blind and correcting himself by saying:
"I appreciate you taking the time to listen to me."
"Say what you came for quickly," I said to cut to the chase and hear his request.
"I want to go north of the Wall," he said.
"No," I replied almost instantly.
"I must go," Jon said in a tone I considered insolent, once again defying my authority, which made me clench my fists.
Before I could snap back at the little brat who was becoming more and more arrogant, Maester Aemon asked:
"Why?"
Jon answered with a determined voice:
"My brothers, Bran and Rickon, have been spotted north of the Wall."