Sam had thought leaving his sisters was difficult. He had cried about it for days as he made his way to the Wall. Watching Jon's brother and sister part at the Nightfort was worse. Coldhands was waiting for Bran, but Rosalyn Snow seemed determined to reach her twin.

"If your dreams are true my sweet brother, then you are Lord of Winterfell." She had said with a gentle hand on her brother.

"King in the North," Meera said solemnly.

Rosalyn nodded. "You must go where your destiny leads you and I must follow my own. You know what Ygritte has told us about the Others, it seems Sam and Gilly here confirm those stories. I must bring the dragons here to defend the Wall, the North, and the World."

Sam watched as the boy cried silent tears and Summer licked them away. Jon's sister didn't cry, though her expression broke Sam's heart. Ygritte, the girl who had stared daggers at Sam when he mentioned Jon, stood impassively by, though he could see that she was bothered.

"I have to find the three-eyed crow." Bran said finally. "Get me on Hodor's back."

Sam watched as his sister held him close and helped him into the basket that they attached to the tall man. When they were ready to depart, the brother and sister held hands for a moment. "I love you Bran. Make father proud and come back home one day."

The boy trembled. "I will. I love you too Rosa."

"Meera, Jojen, help him reach the three-eyed crow. Keep him safe."

"We will." The two said in unison.

With that, Sam sighed and started to lead them down the stairs to the Black Gate. After the four travelers and one direwolf made it through the gate, Sam trudged his way back up the stairs. He heard the women fighting before he was close. He forced himself to hurry up the stairs, puffing and panting as he reached the top. At least the repeated climbing was not as difficult as his hike from the Fist.

"You should kill that thing!" The fiery one named Ygritte was saying, with a knife drawn at Gilly.

"Don't you dare hurt him!" Gilly yelled back. Sam had never heard Gilly raise her voice or look like she could kill someone, until then.

"Wha... What's going on?" Sam panted at them, trying to seem commanding.

Rosalyn grunted in frustration from her position between the two women. "Ygritte learned that Gilly was one of Craster's? Girls and for some reason she now wants to kill the baby."

"It's a vile thing!"

"He's just a babe!"

Rosalyn looked very confused and irritated. "Would one of you explain why?"

Gilly looked at her babe with the saddest expression on her face, but she wouldn't talk. Sam stood beside her and placed a gentle hand on her back.

"Her father gave her that babe," Ygritte spat. "It's cursed by the gods to bed kin."

That moment Rosalyn looked exactly like her brother Jon, her face hard as stone. "You would blame her for that? Do you think she had a choice?" She let out a bitter laugh. "If every woman had a choice there would be no rape. Would you kill her child for something that was no fault of his?"

Ygritte glared at her. "Women should learn to fight."

Rosalyn laughed again. "Oh if only killing solved all our problems. Kill off all the people in the world and there would be no more war! Nor any other evil!"

"Can we all just sit, and not fight?" Sam suggested. He really wanted to sit and sleep. "And not try to kill anyone?"

Rosalyn nodded her assent and stared at the fiery girl. She sat suddenly and sheathed her knife. "I won't kill any of you, but that doesn't mean I want that thing near me."

That night they all eventually drifted off to sleep. In the morning Rosalyn shared some of her rations with each of them. She also made a brew of some roots boiled in melted snow that she gave to Ygritte. It smelled awful, and from her expression it tasted worse, but she drank it all the same.

"What are you drinking?" He asked as he watched her force the liquid down her throat.

"It takes away my sickness, though it tastes terrible." She muttered with a sigh. She then rested her hands protectively on her stomach.

Sam's eyes widened as he looked at her. "You... you're not... are you expecting a child?"

She favored him with a roll of her eyes. "Yes, your wonderful friend Jon Snow got me with child, and then ran back to your crow friends. Great man he is... I hope the free folk have Castle Black when we get there." She laughed at the fear in his eyes. "What sort of crow are you? You seem terrified of your own shadow."

"Leave him alone." Gilly said tiredly. "He killed an Other. I doubt you can claim the same."

He smiled at the pride in Gilly's voice when she told that tale. Sam would have corrected her, saying that it was the blade and not him if it weren't for Ygritte. She quieted and seemed genuinely impressed by the knowledge. Within the hour they were on their way east to Castle Black. It was a long, slow journey. Gilly was still recovering from her son's birth and they stopped whenever she nursed. Sam had always been slow, though he thought he may be getting faster. Rosalyn and Ygritte were both strong and made for travel, but Ygritte was moving slower than she would admit. The tea Rosalyn made her each day helped with her nausea, but the pregnancy seemed to make her slow and tired. Thankfully Ygritte had not threatened Gilly's son since the evening they had met.

They beheld a strange sight as they neared Castle Black. They had been joined by a group of men from the Shadow Tower as they traveled. The men told tales of great battles that had been fought at Castle Black. Ygritte stiffened when she heard that Mance Rayder was being held at Castle Black. The men wondered why Sam was traveling with three women. They teased him, asking if he was forsaking his vows for the pretty things. He told them about Gilly, that she had survived Craster's Keep. Rosalyn and Ygritte told the story that they were from a town to the south that had been burned to the ground and they wanted shelter. It seemed a good enough tale for the men.

They also spoke of a small party that had travelled from Bear Island and was headed to Castle Black as well, they were a day or so ahead on the road. When they finally reached Castle Black, Sam could see the changes. There were banners flying from the towers, each one from a different house he had known when he lived with his father. Amongst the banners was a firey heart that Sam did not recognize. Then, almost defiantly, there stood a bear of house Mormont and the grey and white direwolf of house Stark amongst all the banners.

Sam noticed Jon standing in the yard, speaking with a red haired woman. They turned at the same time, hearing the commotion of new arrivals through the gate. Gilly was hiding behind Sam, never in her life had she seen such huge structures and so many people. Even Ygritte was gazing solemnly and quietly at her surroundings, though her face hardened when she saw Jon.

Sam heard a cry of joy spring from Rosalyn's lips when she saw her brother. "Jon!" She raced ahead of everyone else and flung herself into her brother's arms. It brought tears to Sam's eyes. He had never seen so much joy in Jon before. They held onto one another so tightly it was as though the world had disappeared outside of them.

Notes: Thank you for all your support!

Next: Jon