Seventh Month of 302 A.C. Castle Black

Lord Cregard Stark.

Cregard did have to admit that he was somewhat puzzled by his wife. She seemed to enjoy all the things southern ladies, or perhaps all ladies enjoyed be it sewing or singing, but at the same time she was not completely vacuous as Cregard had been led to believe. She could hold a conversation and was somewhat cleverer than most of the people he had known in his life, she knew what sort of things made some of his bannermen tick better than he did and he had served on campaign with them. She knew how to draw smiles from them and knew how to flatter them. But at the same time whilst this was all there, he sensed that there was a distinct hardness to her as well, something that his brother could not see through his bias, and yet his sister Serena could. Something was there that had allowed her to survive through all she had been through. That she was not yet pregnant, not with his or the Arryn boy's seed was something he was relieved about he did not wish to have doubts cast about his child's paternity.

Right now though he had to deal with the men of the Night's Watch and as such it was not a task he looked forward to. The Watch had been in a state of disunity when he had arrived, the lord Commander Jon Snow had disappeared beyond the wall some time ago, and had not returned, the red woman Melisandre had been holding sway over temporary commander Marsh, at least that was what Cregard thought the man's name was. Cregard had disliked the red witch and as such had ordered her executed when he had arrived, performing the deed himself though his sword had somewhat broken afterward. Right now he had to deal with the steward and the new commander of the watch. "I am telling you my lord Stark that riding beyond the wall to look for the bastard is not worth your time. It is not worth anything more than more wasted men when the true threat is coming towards us."

Cregard sighed, hiding his frustration. "Lord Commander Thorne, whilst this is all well and good. Need I remind you that it was I and not you who set order to the watch, and if I so chose I could have you executed and install someone more favourable to the position. Now you will tell me what happened precisely with Jon Snow."

The lord commander grits his teeth and says. "I will not remind you Lord Stark that the Night's Watch is beyond your command and as such cannot be controlled by you or anyone else. That was something Stannis Baratheon and Jon Snow failed to realise. Now as to the bastard, well, he was stabbed in the back by cowards rather than killed in a true fashion. Whilst he made some good moves as Lord Commander, he was a fool to not replace Marsh and those other idiots. Still once I returned from ranging, I saw to it that he was moved to the ice cages and his body kept under guard. The red whore removed his body from there and tried to have him burnt, and yet he was not dead. He moved when she touched him and he broke free from confinement. Where he has gone I do not know, nor do I care."

Cregard nods and then says. "Well I would like some of your men to come with me and mine as we go beyond the wall. Jon Snow might no longer be counted as a brother of the watch but he is still a northmen and a Stark, in blood if not in name and as such I mean to bring him back to Winterfell."

"Absolutely not." The lord commander says. "I will not waste valuable men going on a wild goose chase for some bastard when the true threat comes this way."

"And your men know these woods better than anyone par the wildlings. And yet the wildlings are needed to hold parts of the north so as to ensure that they do not go elsewhere." Cregard argues.

"Take some of those scum with you then. The less of them that are here the better it will be for all of us. Sooner or later they will need to die to pacify that which comes." Thorne said with a strange look in his eye.

Cregard sighs and says. "If you will not relent then very well I shall. But I remind you that the north remembers Thorne. And when the time comes your time will come as well." With that he stands and walks out of the room and back to his own room where his brother and sister are waiting for him.

"What did Thorne have to say?" Serena asks. "Will he aid us?"

"No," Cregard said allowing his frustration to begin to show. "He will do no such thing. And he insists we take the wildlings. I do not know whether the northern lords will accept having them with us. Sooner or later we shall need to work together, but there was so much loss during the carnage that followed Snow's stabbing I am not sure what is going on there."

His sister nodded and then said. "You will have to try brother. We cannot allow the wildlings back across the wall not now. They will demand something or the other when all is said and done and as such we must uphold our word to them and make sure the northern lords know what to expect."

Cregard nods and then Torrhen speaks. "We must needs march sooner or later. We cannot keep stalling brother. The men grow impatient, they want blood and there is still a threat out there for them to realistically deal with. That they can handle all this talk of white walkers and first people is something they do not understand."

"And what have you learnt of this threat that the wall and the north are facing brother? Is it real?" Cregard asks.

"Oh it is indeed a very real threat, the dead rising from their graves and causing havoc, fire and flame and dragon glass seem to be the things to stop them. And the white walkers, by the gods are they real as well. But none seem to know what they want, nor what they are coming for, or why they are doing it now." His brother responded.

They all knew of the stories that had been told to them from the brothers of the watch, but it had taken a lot to convince them. Cregard sighed once more and asked. "And what of these first people that Thorne and his fellow brothers seem so content to mention?"

"As to that I do not know brother. There is no mention of them with the records of white walkers and there is no mention of them elsewhere, apart from a mention of the First Men. But we all know whom they were." His brother responded.

Cregard sighed and then said. "Very well then. We shall be marching out soon enough as it is. I suppose I shall have to ask Lady Selyse about this then seeing as it was her men who brought it up in the first place." With that he gets up and leaves.