[Castle Black]
Lord Commander Jeor Mormont stood in front of the cellar of Castle Black, the fire casting shadows across his weathered face. He looked at Jon Snow with steady eyes.
"Walk with me, Snow."
Jon had a bad feeling the moment he was asked to meet the Lord Commander alone—especially when the old man was looking at him like he'd stolen his granddaughter's virginity or something. However, he followed the Lord Commander inside the cellar nonetheless.
Certainly, the cold winds of the North didn't do much for this old man, who felt more like Ice than the Walkers themselves—or at least Jon thought so. If he had seen the real White Walkers, he might not have thought this.
There were, after all, only a few in Castle Black who had even seen the monster tied up in the cellar.
"You asked for me, Lord Commander."
"Aye, lad... I heard about Ned Stark. He's a good man. An honourable man. No one in the North would believe in those lies. I would have believed my own son to be a traitor before I doubted the honour of Eddard Stark. And we all know how that turned out, don't we..." he said, and suddenly he felt many years older.
Jon just nodded, wondering what exactly he was here for.
"You must ride to Winterfell, Snow," Mormont said.
The words fell like thunder strikes on Jon. A bad feeling gripped his heart. Had something worse happened? Why was the Lord Commander himself suddenly asking him to ride back?
His own mind was torn between leaving everything and going back to Winterfell, riding with his brother to free their father. But there was also Bran. If Bran weren't missing and Robb hadn't put his trust in him to find their missing brother, Jon would've asked to go back himself.
"With your father taken, the lords of the North will gather soon. It's the best chance we've had to warn them of the true danger."
Jon, at this, was baffled. What danger?
"My lord, I can't leave now. Bran is still missing. He might've crossed the Wall. I need to find him."
Mormont's brow furrowed. He stopped in his place and turned to Jon, making him shift in discomfort.
He looked into Jon's eyes, glaring at them. Then suddenly, without saying anything, he made a fist and hit the nearby iron bars, rattling them and making the entire place echo with their noise.
Jon didn't get it—what was the point of that? Was the old man trying to intimidate him? If so, then that wasn't—
"GWAAAAAA...." Before Jon could even complete that line of thought, a guttural growl vibrated through the entire cellar, making his skin crawl. Goosebumps—which could be said to be all but dead in the chilly climate of the North—came back to life for Jon.
"If you really think your brother crossed the Wall, then consider him dead, Snow. Because where he has gone, he would face many of what lies there in the darkness," he said and pointed at the darkest section of the cellar where the sound came from. Only now did Jon feel a chill spreading around him. The place was colder than outside.
How was that even possible?
"What's in there?" he finally gathered his courage, asking about what he couldn't see with his eyes but felt and heard.
"The real enemy," he said, handing over the torch to Jon and signaling him to see for himself.
Nerves screaming to run away, Jon pushed down his instincts and took the fire, taking steady steps into the darkness.
And what he saw made him freeze. This was no man, no animal like he thought. This was an abomination. Bluish skin, cold icy eyes—and even after losing limbs, the thing kept on screaming and racking the cage he was in.
Jon instinctively gripped the fire tighter like it could protect him from the horrid creature he was looking at. And those same instincts made him bring those flames in front of him, ready to burn the creature if he had to.
However, a strong hand with a firm grip stopped him from going any further.
"That's close enough. Back off now."
"What is that... thing?"
"Never heard of Walkers, Snow?"
"It's impossible... Those were..."
"Stories. I thought so too, until a few months ago when that man slammed the reality into our faces."
Jon didn't even care who that man was. He was too taken aback to think of anything right now. Anything but what the Lord Commander had told him earlier.
'Bran...' His chest tightened.
"I have to go. I have to search for Bran," Jon said, almost in panic.
"I must go. If he's in the North, beyond the Wall, then he's in danger."
Lord Commander Jeor Mormont just observed him, his eyes narrowing. "You will not go chasing shadows, Snow. I need you to ride south—to Winterfell."
Jon frowned. "My brother might be out there beyond the Wall, and you want me to ride away?"
Mormont stood slowly, folding his hands behind his back. "Yes." That was all he said.
Jon was at a loss for words. Not sure what he was supposed to say, he raised his voice. "Why not just kill that thing and ride beyond the Wall? What's the point of keeping that monstrosity here? Ain't that why we're here? The Night's Watch stands to protect the realm of men, doesn't it? Then why bother hiding here when the enemy is out there?"
"Enough!" Mormont's voice boomed, echoing through the stone walls. "Do you think I haven't wanted to ride north myself? Do you think I enjoy sitting here, waiting?"
"I'm no coward, boy."
He pointed toward the cellar. "That thing is our proof—our only proof. You kill it, and the lords will say we've gone mad. They won't believe us without seeing it."
Jon looked away, jaw tight.
"This war is bigger than one boy's life!" Mormont said while looking into Jon's eyes. He took a breath. "I am Lord Commander. My duty is to protect the realm. And your duty—your oath—is to the Night's Watch. Ride south, and show them the truth."
Jon's hands curled into fists, but he gave a slow nod.
The Lord Commander kept his eyes on Jon, like trying to see something in him. He didn't wish to make Jon do this. He knew what the boy was going through. Old gods knew that this was probably the worst time to reveal this to the northern lords—when Eddard Stark was taken captive and war with the capital was evident.
However, he too was duty-bound. He put his faith in Benjen Stark and got nothing. Ned Stark went south, and there was no news from him after that.
He had asked many times for the attention of the lords of the North, but none came. It wasn't out of his expectations. He knew that without a Stark moving them, those stubborn Northern lords wouldn't budge.
That's why he had sent Benjen to Winterfell last time with Thor and the proof. Nothing but disappointment.
The man came back empty-handed, with only a promise that his brother would do something about it.
Oh, how much he wished to just act right now. How much he wished to gather his forces and go beyond the Wall—to find what he was up against. But he couldn't. Thor's words were true.
The wight with them was their only proof. If they lost it, then making those lords believe would be almost impossible.
"You're among the only few who knows about the White. Make sure it stays that way," he said lastly, and then Jon was dismissed.
xxx
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