Chapter 8
Eventually after a few more days of rugged sailing, the Jon Snow and company arrived at Runestone. The old seat of the Bronze Kings was still stand tall if in disrepair. They had little time to waste as Runestone, like so many other towns and ports lay mostly abandoned, save for the dead who roamed the area. Most of the dead were like this, without a walker to guide those undead, they mostly just roamed aimlessly. Thankfully the dead did not hemorrhage the pathway to the Eyrie. Jon walked with Gendry in the front of twenty men group. Gendry seemed to be taking a liking to Jon in sort of a brotherly way.
"I'm telling ya Jon, the Walkers they strike when you least expect them to…keep your guard up." Gendry said as they continued through a frozen wood. Jon replied with.
"How many White Walkers do you think there are out there?" Gendry thought about for a moment.
"Ten…maybe Twenty. The White Walkers aren't the ones that really matter though, it's the horde of the dead. The Walkers are tough though…I've heard the stories, especially from your friends at the Watch." Jon nodded, before saying.
"Did the surviving members of the Watch, tell you or this Lord Baelish about their weakness to Dragonglass and Valyrian Steel?" Gendry nodded as he trudged through the snow.
"Aye, but truth be told, it's not like it made that much of a difference. Dragonstone is hard to come by and Valyrian Steel doesn't grow on trees ya know." Jon nodded holding Longclaw tightly, thankful for his sword given to him by the Lord Commander before him.
"So what's the plan?" Jon asked and Gendry raised an eyebrow, stopping in his tracks turning to the former Lord Commander and said.
"What plan?" Gendry asked as the company of men from the Vale and elsewhere stopped to listen in on Jon's question. Jon looked around and said.
"You know, the plan to defeat the White Walkers." Gendry had a good chuckle and said.
"There is no plan, they've won, we've lost. Best thing to do is hold out and hope for the best. The Eyries a wonderful place Jon, if it weren't for Lord Baelish I'd hardly want to leave as often as I do." Jon looked astonished at the faces of forlorn men staring back at him. It reminded him of the survivors living under the Winterfell Crypts. The proud people of Westeros reduced to living atop mountains like old crows and beneath crypts like rats. Jon then said.
"You can't just give up; this world is not dead yet." Jon asked astonished by the amount of despair in the eyes of so many. Gendry put a hand on Jon's shoulder, the same hopelessness in his eyes.
"C'mon…let's just keep moving." With that there was a dead silence the rest of the way to the Eyrie. The occasional undead would pass by and quickly be dispatched by the large group of living men. Aside from that, the road to the Eyrie was a cold, quiet and very slow pace. After about a week of trudging through snow and ice. The group eventually arrived at the Bloody Gate, it was more like a castle that guarded the to Eyrie. It was surrounded by archers and haggard looking Knights of the Vale. Gendry went up and spoke to one of the man in charge. Kevan approached Jon and said.
"I've been to the Vale, it's actually a really nice-looking place. You think there's a Sept in there?" One of the Valesmen in the company of twenty got a good chuckle out of this.
"What you ain't got no Septs in the Westerlands?" Kevan turned to him, and sternly said.
"Well the dead are sort of crawling all over e'm so attendance is kind of down." This got a good chuckle from the Valesmen. Kevan seemed to be making good friends with the soldiers of the Vale. He preached the Faith of the Seven constantly, but other than that Kevan was witty enough to crack jokes with the Valesmen. Eventually after a brief conversation, the Gendry returned. They were given passage to ascend into the Eyrie. It was dizzying to say the least, one wrong move and you could fall to your death when climbing your way up to the mountain castle that was the Eyrie. Especially now, the pathway was so slick the company of Valesmen would sway and skate a bit with each careful step. Archers littered the ramparts of the castle, it looked undermanned at best. When they approached the main gates, they opened to reveal the misery of the Eyrie. Hundreds of crammed starving men and women, huddled together trying to stay warm. The endless preaching of Septans and Red Priests where in constant battle with words of faith. It was practically a little slice of the Winterfell Crypts. Most of the men in the small company dispersed. Gendry put a hand on Jon's shoulder.
"I'm gonna speak to Lord Baelish, he'll be pleased to have two more followers." Jon nodded as Gendry walked away. Jon stubbled around for a while, Kevan went to go here the preaching of the Septans. While Jon looked for the Red Priest and the so-called Brotherhood without Banners. The Red Priests where preaching with a couple of odd looking warriors. One of them carried the strangest heraldry Jon had ever seen. It looked like a stitched together patch, that seemed like a good enough place to start. There was a tall, balding elderly preacher who looked painfully scarred with severe lashes.
"Forget not the Lord of Light, for he is with us even in the darkest of hours." The old Red Priest continued to preach before he set eyes on Jon Snow. He pointed at the bastard in utter astonishment.
"You there!" Jon paused for a moment before the old Red Priest approached him. Astonishment pouring over him. A few over followers of the man approached Jon Snow, they to where amazed by the Bastard. The feeling felt unfamiliar, being the center of attention to Jon Snow. The Red Priest bellowed.
"A testimony, a sign from the Lord himself! A man stands before us, with a fire in his heart!" The followers where amazed by the Red Priests words, before Jon said.
"What are you talking about? Get away from me." Jon said pushing the Red Priests and his followers away. The elderly Red Priest restrained himself for a moment, he grabbed Jon Snow's hand to shake it.
"Forgive me, forgive me, I'm Thoros of Myr, it's been so long…so long since I've seen a divine sign of greatness." Thoros said with a hint of join in his voice. Jon reluctantly snuck his hand out of Thoros's grip. Then he backed away to make sure the followers of the Red Priest would stop grabbing at him.
"Give me some room, what do you think I am." Jon asked angrily. Thoros then said.
"A fellow undead, brought back to life by the Lord of Light." Jon rolled his eyes, remembering the preaching's of Paelis and Brast.
"I don't care about your Lord of Light, now tell me have you seen the Night's Watch or the Brotherhood without Banners." Thoros chuckled a bit, before saying.
"Now, why do you care about the Night's Watch?" Jon Snow hesitated before saying.
"I was once the Lord Commander." A few gasps where heard in the crowd of followers of the Red God. It was then, a few men stepped forward. One of them was a grizzled middle-aged man in the old Night's Watch garb. He starred at Jon in disbelief for a moment.
"Commander Snow…is that you?" It took Jon a moment to realize who he was talking to.
"Eddison?" Jon asked, before Eddison Tollett shocked the hand of his Lord Commander.
"Lord Commander Snow, I don't believe it. Hey Maathar! Bailan, get the rest of the Watch over here!" Maathar and Bailan then began to search for their fellow Night's Watchmen. Within a few moments, a dozen or so men dressed in tattered Night's Watch cloaks approached Jon Snow. They observed him for a moment before Eddison asked.
"What happened to you?" Jon Snow shrugged restraining his joy.
"Red Priests, brought me back."
"Those Red Bastards! They were finally good for something!" Eddison Tollett jeered before playing punching Jon in arm. Friends and familiar brothers came up and shock Jon's hand eagerly. Overjoyed to see the return of their Lord Commander. Jon looked at the Night's Watch soldiers that came to greet him, there were only a dozen or so, after the initial excitement wore off, Jon asked.
"Is this everyone?" there was pause, eventually Eddison sighed and looked defeated.
"This is everyone…this is the Night's Watch?" Jon smiled before stretching his arms out and saying.
"Well then, I'm glad to see the Watch is still standing." A few cheers where made around the members of the Night's Watch. Jon looked at Thoros, the old Red Priest seemed a little angered by Jon's presence now. Jon spent the evening catching up with the remaining forces of the Night's Watch. They still admired him, certainly more so then the Red Priests. There was one question still nagging at the back of Jon's head.
"Eddison…how did the Wall come down?" Eddison sighed, and the joy in the Watchmen seemed to waver slightly.
"I can't say…there was a loud horn, a shrill thing really, sounded like the screeching of a thousand bats. Then it fell…" The memories seemed to hit the Night's Watchmen hard. Jon then asked.
"What about Ghost?" Jon asked, remembering his fearsome and loyal direwolf. Eddison scratched the back of his head.
"Eh…the last I saw that old wolf he was going South. Don't know where though Jon." Jon nodded and sighed, before he could continue his talk Thoros and Gendry approached. Gendry spoke.
"Oi Snow…Lord Baelish wants to see you."
Thoros and Gendry escorted Jon Snow to the main audience chamber of the Eyrie. Lord Baelish was a snickering figure with greying hair sitting atop a throne made from a wierdwood tree. All the while Valesman guards stood around in orderly positions. Lord Baelish stood up from his throne and said.
"Well…we hardly get any visitors to the Eyrie, let alone Visitors such as the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch." Jon knelt wearily at the Lord Baelish.
"Aye…M'lord." Lord Baelish smiled.
"Well, you certainly have your manners straight. Tell me, Snow, what is your want?" Lord Baelish said. Jon Snow stood up and said.
"I want to reform the Night's Watch." Lord Baelish chuckled and nodded a bit.
"A noble pursuit, reforming the institution of liars, bastards and traitors…" Lord Baelish said, descending from his high throne to meet Jon Snow at his own level. The acting Lord of the Vale went on.
"Yet we seem to be an impasse Jon Snow…come there is much to discuss."
Lord Baelish then guided Jon Snow through the winding halls of the Eyrie. Petyr Baelish escorted Jon Snow to a small private room with a large table in the shape of Westeros.
"I had this custom made you know, based off the one in Dragonstone." Lord Baelish said taking a seat at the head of the Westeros shaped table. Jon sat next to Lord Baelish uneasily.
"I don't care about your fancy table, just tell me what you want with my fellow Watchmen." Jon asked suddenly. Lord Baelish poured some wine and offered it to Jon who refused, he took a small swig.
"The Eyrie is falling apart Snow, I barely have a thousand able bodied men at my disposal, I can't afford to give up one soldier let alone a dozen. At least not at a price." Lord Baelish said plainly. Jon sighed for a moment before asking.
"Name your price." The former Lord Commander said, determined to secure his loyal men.
"Now…Now…Jon Snow, there is something dire in the Eyrie. Something I can only trust you with…" Lord Baelish said as he fiddled with a small war piece and placed back on his carved table of Westeros. Jon paused for a moment before saying.
"What would that be?" Jon then noticed Petyr Baelish's eyes dart off to the door and then the window. He seemed suspicious of something.
"There are…Faceless Men in the Eyrie." Jon looked confused.
"And who might they be?" Lord Baelish chuckled a bit, he pointed at Jon Snow.
"You don't know too much do you? Never change Snow, that suits you." Jon suddenly was reminded of Ygritte, of all people, the Wildling woman whom was the love of his life. Then Jon shock his head, forgetting about the long since deceased woman. Lord Baelish took this as a direct answer to his earlier question. The current Lord of the Vale sighed before explaining.
"The Faceless Men are a particularly zealous group of assassins, they come were ever people beg to die. In times like these, I presume more people then not desire Death." Lord Baelish said with a crocked smile on his face. Jon replied.
"You want me to find these Faceless Men and what?"
"Kill them of course, only you can do it, you I trust. Snuff them out for me, and I will be in debt to you Jon Snow." Lord Baelish said sagely.
"Why do you care if people die or not Lord Baelish?" Jon said trying to sound respectful.
"I don't…but I do need more than just ashes and snow to rule over Jon Snow…" Lord Baelish said with a smirk. Jon got up swiftly, and on his way out said.
"I'll do your task, but then I better get my fellow Watchmen back." Before Jon left, Lord Baelish said.
"One more thing Jon…how's your sister?" There was a look of genuine concern on Petyr Baelish's face for a moment, but former Lord Commander did not seem to pick up on it. Jon paused before saying.
"Quite well, all things considered." Relief washed over Petyr Baelish who waved Jon Snow goodbye and took a sip of his wine.
Authors Note: What's up everybody. Please review I want constructive criticism. It's okay I take criticism well, I'm not like the Average Twitter User I won't block you. That being said I can't make everyone happy so if you don't like the direction, I am sorry I lost you as a reader and I hope you find a better story. Also. Two things. #1. Am I the only one who thought Littlefingers death in GOT S7 was a little odd, I mean this is Lord Petyr Baelish, I expected him to make it till the end. #2 Are the Faceless Men worshippers of Death or an Avatar of Nyarlethotep, I've never understood that personally.
