Her braid danced as she walked through the courtyard, quietly placing her steps within the snow. Freezing as she heard dog like panting, following the sound to see Ghost, hunched upon his hind legs watching her.
"Hello, Ghost." She smiled gently and kneeled with her hand extended. She had tried to connect with Ghost as he is the first and probably the only dire wolf she may ever see, she had come close in recent times. Such as he came as close to sniffing her hand before following his master. Jon had noticed and had no objections at all but he paused in his tracks when he saw Ghost approaching from a still kneeling Irenya, who simply smiled before walking away. However, she was filled with sudden surprise when Ghost quickly approached and rested beside, close enough for her to, mildly hesitant, lift her hand and gently place it upon his soft white fur earning a gentle pant. Irenya felt herself relax and placed a gentle scratch behind his ears before he patted away. It was only then as she looked up she noticed Sam.
"Hello." He waddled shyly to her.
"Hello, Sam." She smiled kindly as she rose to her feet, watching as he shivered slightly.
"Are you excited? We're going to be speaking the vow soon." He smiled excitedly.
"Yes." She looked around the courtyard at the snow covered rooftops then let her gaze shift up the wall.
"Do you know what you want to do?"
"I did not know you could decide, I thought you guarded the ice." She glanced back towards it as, her trance was briefly broken.
"The wall." He corrected. "Well, there's builders, they're lead by the head builder and they are in charge of maintenance on the wall. Fixing it if it is broken. Then there's stewards, they help with the duties of people like Sir Alliser Thorne, Maester Aemon and others, do things like write letters and bring their supper, things like that. Can you write?"
"No." Her answer was swift."
"Oh well, there's work in the kitchen, which you've already done." He chuckled slightly as she continued to look around. "And then there's the rangers." He smiled.
"What are Rain-gers?" Her voice filled with intruige.
"Ran-gers, They're in charge of going north of the wall, doing patrols and fighting wildlings. Dangerous people who live north. They don't like us very much." He watched as she nodded slowly in consideration.
"Being a Ranger would be good. But being a steward would be also." She smiled.
"I'm going to be a steward. It's safe and there's food." He grinned as she begun to chuckle. "Jon wants to be a Ranger, you could be one too. You can fight well enough."
"It would be good to have a friend to work with." Her statement caused a sweet smile from Sam. She nodded to him before returning to her chambers. After a quick scan, she saw Jon had gone and filled a small, white bowl with warm water and wringing out a grey rag. Looking into the mirror in front of her on the Stoney wall, droplets of water tapping the dark wooden floor at her feet, she paused at the sight of her reflexion. Her Tawny skin appearing slightly darker in candle like, a perfect mix of the dark and paleness of her parentage and the markings she had stained her skin with long ago, a failure of trying to prove to her father, showing what her people looked so fondly to, strength, when she was forbidden to. Two red strips extending across the left check of her face and the out side of her eyes slightly darkened black, never to be removed. Irenya cursed herself as it was a constant reminder. She had made her decision, The wall was her home now, Jon and Sam were her Kahlissar and the vow was her omens of war.
"You came to us as outlaws..." Thunder rumbled calmly as Lord Commander spoke to the men sat on benches in the courtyard below. H is hands placed firmly upon the railings." Poachers, Rapers, killer, thieves. You came alone, in chains, without friends or honour." Pyp, Irenya, Sam, Jon and Grenn sat upon the second bench back, listening intently. "Some of you bear the names of proud houses, others only bastard names..." Irenya tensed and sideways glanced at Jon for his reaction. "Or names at all. It does not matter. All that is in the past. Here..." He gestured tot the wall. "On the wall... we are all one house. Tonight..." The sound of Lord Commander's voice became faint as Sam's whispered.
"You're allowed to look happy." He leaned in Jon's direction. "You're going to be a Ranger. Isn't that what you always wanted?" He smiled as Jon looked on proudly. Irenya bit her lip in worry, remembering what Lord Commander asked of her.
"I want to find my uncle. I know he's alive out there. I know he is." His voice was stern yet kind as he kept his gaze forward.
"I wish I could help you but I'm no Ranger. It's the stewards life for me." He smiled.
"There's honour in being a steward." Jon smirked.
"Not much, really. But there's food." Sam grinned as Irenya and Jon struggled to contain their laughter as they turned their attention back to Lord Commander.
"Here...you begin a new." Lord Commander glanced over to Thorne and Maester Aemon while making his way down the steps. "A man of the nights watch... lives his life for the realm." He began to open a scroll as Irenya noticed Thorne had stepped forward to observe. "You've all learnt the words of the vow. Think carefully before you say them. The penalty for desertion...is death." Irenya quickly glanced up from the ground. "You can take your vows here...tonight...at sunset. Do any of you still keep the old gods?" He glanced around. Pyp, Grenn, Irenya and Sam watched as Jon rose up."
"I do, My Lord." He stood Proudly.
"You'll want to take your vow before a heart tree as your uncle did." Lord Commander spoke warmly as Irenya smiled slightly towards the ground in thought of the pride held by Jon and his family.
"You'll find a weirwood a mile north of the wall and your old gods too, maybe." Lord Commander glanced over as Sam stood also.
"My lord, might I go as well?" He timidly requested.
"Does house Tarley keep the old gods?"
"No, my lord. I was named in the light of the seven, as my father was and his father before him." Sam spoke as Irenya frowned deeply. She had heard of these gods before but had not known much about them. Not really heeding their practices.
"Why would you forsake the gods of your father and your house?" Thorne spat. Sam hesitated before speaking.
"The night's watch is my home now. The seven have never answered my players. Perhaps the old gods will." Sam lifted his head high as Thorne looked insulted.
"As you wish, lad." Lord Commander nodded as they both seated. "You've all been assigned an order, according to our needs. Halder to the builders." Lord Commander read off of the scroll. "Pyp to the stewards. Toad to the builders. Grenn to the Rangers." Jon turned to a grinning Grenn. "Irenya to the stewards. Samwell to the stewards. Matthar to the Rangers. Dareon to the stewards." The five congratulate each other quietly." Balin to the Rangers. Rast to the Rangers. Jon to the Stewards." The announce of his name caught the five's attention, their smiles quickly fading. Irenya glanced from Lord Commander to Jon slowly in confusion before following his anger filled gaze to Thorne's smirk.
"May the gods preserve you." Lord Commander closed the scroll before taking leave. The men began to disperse to their assigned duties leaving Pyp, Grenn, Sam, Irenya and Jon stunned. Irenya saw Jon's mask of defeat and felt the same resistance as she had before but fought against it enough to place her hand upon the fur lining of his cloak, tugging gently to lead him towards where the newly appointed stewards where gathering. Maester Aemon, guided to the rail looked blankly past the group.
"Samwell, you will assist me in the rookery and library. Pyp, you will report to Bowen Marsh in the kitchens. Luke, report to one-eyed Joe in the stables. Irenya, report to Daston in the infirmary. Dareon, we are sending you to eastwatch. Present yourself to Borcas when you arrive. Make no comment about his nose. Jon Snow, Lord Commander Mormont has requested you for his personal steward." Aemon listened as Jon, voice laced with annoyance bit back.
"Will I serve Lord Commander's meals and fetch hot water for his bath?" Irenya glanced over at Jon who returned it briefly.
"Certainly, and keep a fire burning in his chamber's, change his sheets and blankets daily and do everything else the lord Commander requires of you." He stopped at the sound of Jon's footprints moving aggressively closer through the snow.
"Do you take me for a servant?" Irenya gently squeezed the fur lining upon his cloak one more but swiftly let go at his stern expression and stepped back with her head down.
"We took you for a man of the nights watch. But perhaps we were wrong in that." Jon's head snapped back to the master.
"May I go?" Jon could not contain his anger any longer.
"As you wish." Aemon spoke shortly. Barging Sam out of the way, Irenya watched as Jon stormed away, the dirt sloshing harshly beneath his boots. She blinked rapidly before following after him and Sam following after her followed by Pyp scurrying after them both.
"Jon, wait! Don't you see what they are doing?" Sam called after him before the three caught up.
"I see Ser Alliser's revenge, that's all." He aggressively removed his gloves. "He wanted it and he got it." He turned towards them. "Stewards are nothing but maids!" He watched as they to drop theirs heads slightly. "I'm better swordsman and rider than you two!" He pointed to Sam and Pyp as he remembered Irenya had bested them all. "It's not fair."
"Fair?" Pyp spoke up. "I was singing for a high lord at Acorn Hall when he put his hand on my leg and wanted to see my cock. I pushed him away and he said he'd have my hands cut off for stealing his silver." Jon, Sam and Irenya looked at Pyp in deep set shock at his sudden revelation. "So now I'm here - at the end of the world with no one to sing for but old men and little shits like you." He paused. "I'll never see my family again. I'll never be inside a woman again. So don't tell me about fair."
"I thought you got caught stealing a wheel of cheese for your starving sister." Sam spoke, absent minded.
"Think I was going to tell a bunch of strangers that a high lord tried to grab my cock?" He tilted his head as Irenya nodded in agreement.
"Could you sing me a song, Pyp? I'd like to hear a song." Sam mocked as Irenya struggled to hold back her laughter. Pyp shook his head in annoyance and walked away as Sam turned back to Jon. "Now listen to me. The old man is the Lord Commander of the nights watch. You'll be with him day and night. Yes, you'll clean his clothes. But you'll also take his letters, attend him at meetings, squire for him in battle. You'll know everything, be part of everything. And he asked for you himself. He wants to groom you for command."
"If you prove yourself strong, you could be chosen for head Ranger." Irenya added. Watching sadly as Jon still appeared stunned from the decision.
"I just...I always wanted to be a ranger." He watched as Sam nodded slowly.
"I always wanted to be a wizard." Jon abruptly burst with laughter followed by Irenya at the absurdity of the statement. She paused when she saw the warmth and sincerity of Jon's smile before turning her gaze to the ground.
"What?" Sam seemed pleasantly startled with the sudden laughter. "No, I'm serious. So you'll stay and say the words with me?" Sam smiled as Jon let out a sigh, glancing at Irenya's kind smile.