Hi, thanks a lot to those who are still reading :)

I know it's frustrating and irritating to see Bran fail time and again, but we're getting close to the end now.

.

9. The man on the ice. (Jon)

I have tried to help my family. The Gods know I have tried. But maybe I have been going about it the wrong way. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong direction. All my family went south. All but one. Maybe if I can get to him … I know exactly where he went….

.

.

I see the riders as they head North on to Castle Black. There's my uncle Benjen. I can also see the Imp. And of course, my brother Jon, well half-brother as my mother never ceases to remind me; oh, but he is of my blood, as my father always says. I don't understand what the big deal is. He either is my brother or not. What's all this business about halves and blood? I wish my parents would just talk about Jon without going on in riddles.

It is a long way to Castle Black, and it gets more difficult the further up North we ride. The dense forests around Winterfell give way to frozen moors of the Gift. The magnificent Kingsroad that leads to Winterfell becomes nothing but a simple country path. It gets colder and windier the further away we ride from home.

Finally, there it is. The Wall. It is even more impressive in person, so white, so immense, so high, so magnificent. And I presume that little back spot at the bottom would be Castle Black. This is where the fabled Brothers of the Night Watch reside: brave honorable knights who face insurmountable challenges and formidable foes beyond the Wall - a Wall that was built by Brandon the Builder, my namesake and a proper Stark, over a millennia ago and still stands defending our lands from creatures that escape the realm of imagination. Or so says Old Nan whenever she tells us stories …

Yet, what I find when we go through the gates is nothing like what I had imagined. Castle Black is no more than a series of run down wooden structures, half of which are in serious need of repair. The brave honorable knights I had often dreamed of are nothing but a bunch of dirty and smelly thugs, most of whom are missing teeth and talk as if they have never had a Maester in their castles. What kind of castles do they come from? The majority can barely hold a sword, let alone fight the proper way. Are they really knights? My Uncle Benjen is better than them. Jon is better than them. … To say that I am disappointed would be putting it mildly.

And my disappointment is even greater when I find out exactly what kind of men come here: traitors, criminals, rapers and thieves who have chosen the Night Watch over execution or prison; second sons who have nothing to inherit; disowned men or just runways and vagrants. Does my father know what this place is like? Why did he allow Jon to come here? My Uncle Benjen certainly knows. How can he let Jon join these men?

Jon tries to make a home for himself at Castle Black, but he is having trouble making friends. Only a handful of men take him seriously and talk to him. The others make fun of him or simply resent him because he comes for a noble family, even if he is a bastard. He does not look happy here. I need to get Jon out of this place! Maybe I can get him to leave and go back home.

"Do not swear your oath to the Night Watch" I whisper in my brother's ear. He does not hear me. I try again, and again, but it's all for naught. He goes with his new friends to the heart tree to say the words.

"Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come."

He looks proud of himself. He feels like a man who has a destiny to fulfill, something he had never felt back home. Should I take this away from him? I hate to sound selfish, but if he stays here, all my family will die. I need to make sure he goes back home. He will be safer if he returns.

But it's too late now. He has sworn his vow and he has become a Sworn Bother of the Night Watch. He has been named a steward. He trains and he works, and he improves daily. The Lord Commander has said so (even if not to his face, but I can hear him). He has made friends, too: Samwell Tarly, Pypar, Grenn, Edd Tollet. And he even enjoys the company of his wolf… I fear Jon has made a life for himself here …

A raven has come. The King is dead and my father has been arrested in King's Landing. Jon has become the laughing stock of Castle Black. Thorne taunts him: "Not only a bastard, but a traitor's bastard." Things only get worse when word of Father's execution reaches the Wall. Commander Mormont is very sympathetic when he relays the news, but I can see that Jon is devastated. This is my chance!

"Jon, go home" I whisper in his ear. Ghost sees me and starts howling. "Jon go home" I repeat hoping to take advantage of Jon's confusion caused by Ghost's antics. Apparently it has worked! I don't know if he has actually heard me or if it is because of Ghost, but he has made up his mind. He is leaving! We're going to join Robb and the rest of my family!

Of course, I was not counting on his friends standing up for him. Jon makes his escape in the night, but they chase us through the woods and catch up to us. I can see they truly care for Jon. In the end he decides to stay, but I cannot fault him.

The nights are long and dark at Castle Black. It is night when Jon goes to sleep, and it is still night when he gets up. But tonight feels different for some reason, Ghost feels it too. Jon is suddenly awaken by a loud thud and a clang of metal. There is someone in his cabin! A man, and by the looks of it a fellow Brother. But he looks different. He seems stiff and his movements are awkward. He is heading straight for the Lord Commander's room. As his steward, Jon feels the need to save him. He quickly goes for his sword and faces the intruder. The man has difficulty controlling his own body and his movements are forced. Jon has no trouble thrusting his sword through the man's chest. Yeah! I cheer for Jon. … But wait, the man is not dead. He is moving. He is on his feet again and lunging at Jon!

"Jon, be careful!" I yell. I think he heard me because he quickly turns around and ducks before the man can get a hold of him. Jon quickly grabs the lantern from the Lord Commander's hands and tosses it at the man. He catches fire and immediately collapses to the ground. He is dead, isn't he? Please Gods, let him be dead.

"A white walker" Samuel Tarly explains to his companions later that morning. I like this Samuel. He may not be very brave or very strong, nor very skilled as a fighter, but he is very well read. I have noticed he spends hours at the library and speaking to the Maester. His knowledge might come in handy one day. The way he talks about these creatures reminds me of Old Nan. He says that when they wake, we all die. I truly hope he is wrong, for this one was definitely awake before Jon killed him – for the second time!

The men are antsy now. They are restless and afraid. There is talk of white walkers, of mysterious occurrences, of a grim fate that awaits those who fall prey to these creatures. They keep talking about missing rangers and how this man Jon killed had been one of them, that is, before he changed. I wonder about my uncle Benjen. He has indeed disappeared and we haven't heard of him since.

A decision has been reached. The men of the Night Watch are going beyond the Wall now to find out what is happening. I am afraid to go with them, but if Jon goes, I go. I know my fear is irrational since nothing can really happen to me in this form, but still, going beyond the Wall feels like a scary prospect to me. I can hear all of Old Nan's stories in my head, their creatures lurking beyond the safety of my room waiting for the opportunity to attack me: walking dead, giants, wargs, toadmen, flying wolves. These creatures do not exist. Do they? This man was dead. Jon killed it, but then it rose again. These creatures, they do exist!

We are going to find Mance Rayder, a former member of the Night Watch who has befriended the wildlings and is now their king. The King beyond the Wall, they call him. Jon is finally getting his wish to join the men on a mission. I wish he had remained a steward at castle Black. I fear for Jon now.

The march is long and arduous: miles and miles of endless ice, steep high peaks, snow-covered mountains concealing ragged and uneven rocks. The men are cold and tired. But the effort bears fruit at last; we finally spot them. There, far away, is an orange spec in the distance. Fire. And in this place that can only mean one thing: a camp. One of the rangers, his name is Qhorin something, suggests going with a small party to try and surprise them. I breathe a sigh of relief; Jon is a mere steward, not a ranger – he won't go.

"I volunteer to go" Jon proclaims. Of course he would say that. I roll my eyes at him, Jon, what are you doing? You're supposed to go back home, not go further up into this frozen North. How can I keep you safe when you volunteer for these dangerous missions?

So I follow Jon and this group of rangers deep into wildling territory. It is not long before we arrive at their camp. Yet, to our surprise, only one wildling is there and he is very easy to capture. She! She is very easy to capture. The wildling is a woman! She has long red hair, like Sansa's, but she is a very strong and wild, like Arya, and she is brave and courageous, like mother. Qhorin means to kill her, but Jon refuses. Why Jon? She's just a wildling! Old Nan has always said that the wildlings are not to be trusted, that they are of a different sort and that they have strange customs.

"Kill her Jon" I whisper to his ear. But he does not. Qhorin and his men continue on their way while Jon remains with his captive. He refused to kill her so she has become his responsibility apparently. Big mistake, Jon, now he is all alone.

Soon, the tables are turned and when more wildlings appear Jon becomes their captive. I see Jon struggle to take step after step with his hands tied behind his back while being pulled with a rope tied to his neck. The wildlings are not kind and they mock him for being not only "Crow" but a "Bastard crow". Poor Jon, he thought that by leaving Winterfell and joining the Night Watch he would leave the status of bastard behind, but it seems to be a stain that follows him wherever he goes.

I cannot hide my surprise when we meet with another group of wildlings and they bring forward their prisoner: none other than Qhorin himself. He says that when Jon did not return, they went back for him and were attacked. The rest of the men died trying to get back to Jon. I can see the guilt and regret in Jon's eyes. Those men died because of him.

Qhorin tells Jon he should try to infiltrate the wildlings, to befriend them to see what information he can get. Does he truly want Jon to become a spy? Call me coward, but wouldn't it be better if they both returned to Castle Black? I want Jon to be safe. He won't be safe if he's with the wildlings.

Suddenly, as we come into a clearing in the forest, the wildlings pit Jon up against Qhorin and make them fight. Jon refuses to kill Qhorin, but the ranger tells him to do it. It's the only way to make the wildlings believe he has turned. If Jon really wants to infiltrate the wildlings, he will have to kill Qhorin! They start fighting, thrusting, blocking, ducking, and rolling in the ground. They don't realize how far they have strayed from their wildling audience. Jon manages to get the upper hand and has Qhorin kneeling on the ice, his sword resting on the ranger's neck.

"Do it" Qhorin whispers with an imperceptible nod. "Do your duty"

"No, Jon, don't do it!" I quickly tell him. Jon looks at his sword and frowns. "Don't kill him" I say again. He looks at the sky and then looks back questioningly at Qhorin. This is my chance! He can hear me! "Jon, it's Bran. Listen to me. Do not kill Qhorin. Grab your swords and escape together. If you start running now you'll get a good head start. Return to castle Black!"

"B-bran?" he whispers into the cold air.

"Yes, it's me. Please heed my advice. Run away together and return to Castle Black" Jon looks up to the sky in confusion. I think I am getting through to him.

"Come on boy! Do your duty!" Qhorin's stern voice breaks the trance. "Just be quick about it! Get the information we need and then return to Castle Black!"

"No!" I shout at him. It seems to be a battle between Qhorin and me. Jon looks confused and stays frozen for a few seconds. He finally pulls back his sword and extends his hand to Qhorin.

"If we run now we'll get a good head start" Jon tells Qhorin quietly.

Yes! I cheer inwardly. They are escaping! They run through the boulders and into the frozen woods. They decide not to make a straight line into Castle Black in case they are followed. They walk for days on end trying to lose their pursuers. They do not light fires and they do not leave tracks.

It is not long until they find other tracks on the ice. They look recent and they conclude it must be the rest of the Brothers who had made their way to Castle Black. We follow the tracks until we get to a ravine. There is no way back now, the jump is too high and returning the way they came is out of the question. Unfortunately, someone else makes the decision for them.

Two lone figures approach them from the side. They are tall and dressed in thick furs. They look just like the wildlings they had just escaped. But they are only two, and so are Jon and Qhorin. Two skilled fighters in the way of the sword against two men armed with spears and axes. The fight is vicious, and both Jon and Qhorin are feeling the exhaustion of the long march and the lack of food. Sheer adrenalin and the will to survive is the only thing that keeps them going. But adrenalin and will can only work for so long. Jon falls to the ground and the wildling is on top of him in no time.

I can't believe this! I managed to save Jon from a set of wildlings only to be killed by another! I can't watch this. Not again!

Swoosh. A bloody head rolls on the ice. I fear the worst. I open my eyes to see a headless wildling lying next to Jon, another wounded wildling writhing in agony to the left, and Qhorin extending his hand to Jon.

"Come on boy, this is no time for a nap!" Qhorin teases Jon as he helps him up. I close my eyes in relief. Qhorin has saved Jon.

"We should burn the bodies" Jon reminds Qhorin. "That's what Sam said"

"Indeed, but if we light a fire, we'll tell the whole wildling world our location Snow" Qhorin concludes. "There will be no burning, we'll just chop them to pieces."

Jon winces in disgust but finally agrees. This time, I do turn around. There really is no need for me to see this.

Now I just want for them to get back to Castle Balck without any further incident. How far are we? They don't really know where they are, but north of the wall there is only one direction to go if you want to go back: The Wall. Visible even from the greatest of distances, such magnificent structure is not easy to miss. Once they get to the Wall they will need to decide whether they should head east or west, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Hopefully this will be over soon and we can put an end to this horrifying adventure in the North. I want to hurry back before we come across any of these spooky creatures everybody is talking about.

We never hear them coming. They sneak up on us undetected and by the time Jon and Qhorin wake up it is too late. We feel them before we see them. The atmosphere turns cold and Jon's breath condenses in the crisp frozen air. Tall and lanky, with rags barely covering their pale white skin and icy strands of loose hair dangling from their cadaveric faces, they creep menacingly towards us. If their appearance and their demeanour are not frightening enough, it is their eyes that make my heart skip a beat: lifeless icy blue. Jon is having a similar reaction. His breath is caught in his throat: we have finally met the white walkers.

"Run!" both Qhorin and I yell at the same time.

Qhorin raises his sword and stands before Jon facing the creatures defiantly. "I am the Sword in the darkness" he says and urges Jon to run again.

Jon starts running, but we both know he'll never make it. I look back just in time to see the creatures slicing Qhorin in half. I try to push Jon and I know he is running as fast as he can. But it is no use. These creatures are not human. They do not walk and they do not run, they practically slide on the snow and catch up to Jon in no time. Their leader raises a long blade and targets all his movements towards Jon. I cover my eyes, I can't watch. I don't want to see, but I can't help hearing. The unmistakable sound of metal piercing leather, skin and bone and Jon's forced gasps tell me all I need to know. It's all over.

I have failed.

The white walkers leave and I make my way towards Jon. I cry at his side and put my hand through his hair. He's dead ….

No, he's not dead. He's moving. He's getting up. His eyes open!

His eyes … They are icy blue, devoid of all life. His skin turns white. His hair turns grey.

He is no longer my Jon. He has become the same creatures we had come here to fight.

I have failed. I have failed. I have failed.

..

..

..

Well, trying to save the different mambers his family is not really working ... There's one more thing he can try ...

Next: Bran himself!

I have to admit, I'm not too proud of this chapter. I knew all along how I wanted it to end (with Jon becoming a white walker), I just had trouble getting there. I knew I had to get to Jon and change his path at an early stage for two reasons. From a plot point of view, all Bran wanted was for Jon to go back home as soon as possible, so I couldn't let him stay for years at the Wall with Bran just standing idly by. Also, from a practical point of view, if I followed Jon for months and years through all his adventures at the Wall, I would just be repeating canon events and that would just be a waste of time. So I knew I had to get him to divert from canon early on. I just had trouble finding how and when ... Jon had a lot of events which were much more interesting than this one, but they all depend on him going with the wildlings. So if Bran could prevent this event from happening and not have him mix with the wildlings, there was a chance he could go back home ...

Thanks for reading!