Chapter 14 – Jeor Mormont I
The Lord Commander of the Night's Watch sat at his desk in his tower, reading the letters and missives that had come in the night. Lord Stark of Winterfell had requested Benjen Stark, his brother and the First Ranger, be present in Winterfell in four fortnights for the arrival of King Robert. Of all the men of the Watch, Benjen had the best chance of persuading the king to send more support to the Wall. Also, Benjen had sent word by runner that Wildlings were beginning to be seen in larger groups than before, heading towards an unknown gathering point north of the Fist of the First Men and that there were more tellings of the "King beyond the Wall." Jeor suspected that this "king" was the deserter Mance Rayder, but he couldn't be certain. Perhaps Benjen could ask King Robert to send some men up to hunt down the "King beyond the Wall" and bring him to justice.
And there was a raven scroll bearing the bear sigil of his sister, Lady Mormont; apparently, Lord Stark was planning on having his bastard legitimized and was considering a betrothal between Jon and one of the Mormont girls. He looked at the charcoal-and-ink depiction of Maege and her daughters she had sent for his last name-day and smiled. A son of Eddard Stark, even a legitimized bastard, would make a good match for his nieces; the Quiet Wolf's honor was nearly unmarked, and even his mistake showed his honor: where lesser men may have acknowledged their bastards and then abandoned them or given them a pittance in support, Eddard had raised Jon like his own son. "Hmm, since the girls are going to be at the feast for the King, perhaps I should join Benjen," Jeor thought. "The Lord Commander personally asking for help might get more support than the First Ranger. And, I can hand Longclaw over to Dacey with some sort of ceremony."