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Chapter Two

For the next four days Fayette saw no other person, save for Merek. He had been asked to become Castle Black's blacksmith however he would need permission from his master if he wished to do so. Merek had sent a raven but the response had been for him to ride home to discuss the matter further. Fayette hoped that he would be able to return, if for purely selfish reasons. Today would be the last day the two of them shared at The Wall and she was not looking forward to being completely alone

Fayette found herself in a strange mood. She was becoming restless being cooped up within the same two rooms all day and all night, leaving for just a few moments at a time to empty her chamber pot. Merek brought all of her meals to her, as well as buckets of water and logs for her fires. The lumber was kept underneath the walkway directly opposite Fayette's rooms and the girl was perfectly capable of collecting it herself, however Merek urged her not to leave her rooms. Her old friend's actions were giving her reason to believe that she should be afraid. Fayette had the impression that she was supposed to be cowering under her bed all day, fearing all the men of Castle Black. Mostly she thought of a single man of Castle Black, Jon Snow. She imagined all the ways she could run into him, the things she would say to gain his attention and the ways in which he would reply.

However, respectful of Merek's wishes, Fayette stayed inside, choosing to rage war on her rooms. She scrubbed, washed, wiped, cleaned, brushed and polished until both rooms were practically sparkling. As the castle was largely unmanned due to a lack of support from those in power, there were many empty rooms. Merek had gone to several of these rooms and had taken spare bed linens, curtains, rugs and anything that looked to be both ornamental and pretty. Fayette, having written a list of where each item came from so that she could return it upon her departure, had cleaned up each of the items before putting them to use in her rooms. Happy that her rooms were homely, Fayette set about expanding her wardrobe. Her brother Bryce had not said how long she was to stay at The Wall, but Fayette had reason to believe that it was not to be a short stay.

There was a loud banging, more of a punch than a knock, on the door. Fayette left her sewing on her chair and went to answer, a bundle of nerves in her man on the other side of the door, strangely, had his back to her. Still, Fayette could recognise those thick black curls anywhere. Jon Snow.

"Erm, hello?" Fayette was puzzled, as Jon started to back into her room. Fayette realised that he was carrying a large object. Jon grunted in response, straining under the weight of his load. Fayette moved aside, allowed him to walk all the way into the room. He was carrying a large silver bathtub, with Merek helping him to lift the other end.

"Where do you want it?" Merek huffed, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face.

"There, please." Fayette pointed to the corner of the room. She was excited to be able to bathe fully again, especially to have her own tub. Mentally congratulating herself on a well thought out furniture plan that allowed both her new bath and the armchairs to be close to the fire, Fayette waited for the men to put down the tub. "Thank you, thank you both."

"Good to see you smiling again." Merek looked very pleased with himself; Fayette has a suspicion that the bathtub had been his idea. "Jon here had a good plan for your bath water. We've made a specially shaped water tank for you, to go in the fire. It has a sort of, curve shape in the middle so the metal stays far enough away from the fire to not get damaged, but close enough so that the water heats up all day. When you want hot water you scoop it out with a jug and pour it in your bathtub. When you're done, just pour the water back into the tank."

Merek was talking quickly, excitement written all over his face. Fayette couldn't help but smile back at the young man. "I'll go get the tank now!"

"He stayed up all night welding it for you." Jon said, nodding in the direction of the door which was swinging from Merek's speedy exit. "He really seems quite taken with you."

Fayette could not understand the tone of Jon's voice. "Merek and I are old friends, we played together as children. He promised my brother to take care of me."

Jon studied Fayette hard, trying to read her thoughts. She looked back, innocence displayed across every inch of her expression. She truly had no idea that Merek loved her.

"Jon, I...I know this is forward but...would you like to dine with me?" Fayette stumbled over her words, startled at her sudden announcement of her wish to spend more time with Jon. Blushing she looked at her feet.

"Yes." He said simply. Jon reach out a hand, catching Fayette's chin with his finger and thumb, lifting her head so her gaze met his. "My watch starts soon, but I will come after."

"I'll be waiting." Fayette found herself blushing, once again. The hand upon her face moved slowly, lightly running up from her chin to brush a lock of hair behind her ear. Jon smiled before leaving without another word.

In something of a girlish flutter, Fayette did not know what to do with herself for a while. She settled on finishing sewing her dress in the hoped that she could be wearing it when Jon came calling. Merek came back in due time to install and fill the tank. They spoke for a short while, just the same as they always did, but Fayette could not help but read into his words more than usual. Did he care for her in a way that was more than a friend or sister? If he did, Fayette was unsure how to feel. Merek was a good man, a man with a trade, who enjoyed making her happy. It would be a good life, although they would no doubt be in need of her brothers money to keep them fed should they have more than three or four children. However, something just didn't feel right about that situation.

Fayette sewed her dress together for many hours. It was made partially from a worn out dress that she no longer fit into and partially from an old set of drapes. With years of careful training from her mother, Fayette had learned to tailor even the ugliest scraps of material into a respectable gown. At the thought of her mother, her hands paused. It had only been a few short years since her passing and the memory still brought tears to the young woman's eyes.

Deciding that it would be best not to dwell with her visitor so close to coming, Fayette made the finishing touches to her dress and got ready for her evening. She bathed, finally getting to fully wash the grime from her body. Using a small blade she carefully removed the unwanted hair from her body. It was a strange tradition, one of whores her mother always said, but it was also said that men loved nothing more than to touch the softness of a woman. Fayette blushed, thinking of Jon touching her. It was inappropriate, unlikely and impossible. Jon was a man of the Night's Watch, and all such men took a vow of celibacy. He would not touch her in such a manner.

Freshly bathed, dressed and anxiously waiting, Fayette almost knocked over the candle when a firm rapping came at her door. Excited, she rushed to answer it, only to see Sam. She tried hard not to be disappointed.

"Hello Sam," Fayette said with a polite smile.

"Hello my Lady. Jon told me you're taking your meal with him today. I'm a steward you know, I spend a lot of time in the kitchens. Most we eat gruel and slops, Jon might appreciate a good meal." Sam nodded eagerly. The look upon his face made Fayette break into a genuine smile, Sam was honestly excited to help plan and execute a date that he was not involved in. In a way, it was sad, that he had no hope of romance himself and so threw himself so completely into the love lives of others. Still, Fayette was grateful for his help and his company.

Between the two of them, the peeled potatoes, chopped carrots and skinned rabbits. The meal smelt delicious. With one last look at the steaming food, Sam bid Fayette goodnight and left her to once again become anxious.