Chapter 35: Devil take the hindmost!

Jon finishes to tighten the cinch around his horse belly. "Easy, boy... Easy." He whispers when the animal made a step aside and bumped into him. "Ghost? To me." He calls when he is finally ready to go. He opens the stable doors and jumps in surprise when he sees Sam in front of him. "By the Gods!" He curses.

"Jon, you must not do this." The chubby man says.

"I have to." He pulls on his rains and march to the Castle main door.

"You can't." Sam pleads, still on his heels.

Jon gets rid of the crossbeam and the door opens. "Get out of my way, Sam." He gently pushes him aside and mounts his horse.

"I won't let you pass."

"I would rather not hurt you. So, move aside Sam." Jon gently taps his heels against the animal's flanks.

"They will send out the word. They'll send out ravens. People will come after you. Do you know what happens to deserters?" He grabs the strap on the horse's head to make him stop.

"Better that you do."

"And what are you going to do?"

"Gonna find my brother. And put a sword through King's Joffrey's throat."

"You can't leave us now. We need you here."

"Move!" He orders, making his horse ready to run.

"I won't let you go. I am warning you." Sam courageously stands in front of the mount.

"Move!" Jon says once more.

"No!"

Jon hardly taps on his horse flanks and knocks about his friend on his way out before starting to push it in full gallop, his Direwolf running after him.

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"I think it's time for you to earn your first Silver Link, My Lady." Maester Luwin says.

"Oh, no! I'm sure I'm not ready for this yet. I couldn't study as much as I wanted with those last w..." Ylliria stutters.

He hands her a rolled sheet. "Answer all these questions. I give you one hour and I will then ask you for details and explanations. You are ready, My Lady. You just lack a little bit of self-confidence." He winks at her and leave the room.

She sits down at the table, taking a deep breath before unrolling the vellum and slowly reading the questions. She grabs her quill and a blank squared paper from the pile and starts to write.

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Lady Starks approaches the prisoners quarters. The two guards posted at the entrance are bowing when they see her. "My Lady?"

"I want to see him now!" She orders.

They both escort her to a lonely tree at the end of the quarters and behind the prisoner's cages. Jaime Lannister is heavily chained around the trunk. "Leave us." She harshly speaks. After a moment of hesitation, the two guards are going back a few steps.

"You look lovely tonight, Lady Stark. Widowhood becomes you." Jaime smirks. She grabs a stone on the floor. "Your bed must be lonely. Is that why you came?" He pouts. She looks dagger at him hefting the rock. "I'm not in my best, but I think I can be at service." He sees her slowly approaching. "Slip out of that gown and we see..." He is brutally interrupted by a huge swing in his jaw from the Lady Stark. He spits the blood in his mouth and turns his head towards her again. "I do like a violent woman." He heavily sighs in pleasure.

"I will kill you tonight, Sir. Pack you head in a box and send it to your sister."

"Let me show you how." He mocks her. "Hit me again, over the ear. And again and again. You're stronger than you look, it would not take long."

"That is what you want the world to believe, isn't it? That you don't fear death."

"But, I don't, My Lady. The dark is coming for all of us. Why cry about it?"

"Because you are going to the deepest of the Seven Hells if the Gods are just." She spits between her teeth.

"What Gods are those? The Trees your husband pray to? Where were the Trees when his head was getting chopped off? If your Gods are reel, and if they're just, why is the world so full of injustice?"

"Because of men like you."

"There are no men like me. Only me." He breathes heavily, looking the other way.

"My son, Bran, who did he come to fall from that tower?"

"I pushed him out the window." Jaime simply answers has it was nothing.

"Why?" Catelyn whispers, completely abash.

"I hoped the fall would've killed him."

"Why?"

He sighs. "You should get some sleep. It's going to be a long war."

Lady Stark look at the stone she still has in her hand, finally letting it drop on the ground and leaves without another word.

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When the given time was over, Maester Luwin comes back in the room where Ylliria is still writing. "Time's up, My Lady." He says, sitting in front of her. "May I please ask you to give me the set of questions?"

"There were harder that I thought. Two of them I never read anything about it in the books."

"Yes, I know." He smirks. "Do you know who wrote those?" He asks her.

"You did?"

"No, my old Maester did. It was my first exam as a novice. Maester Ymbert was one of the most severe in the Seven Kingdoms."

"Maester Ymbert? Isn't he the one who wrote the Red Book: Hundred Plants and Potions?"

"Himself. He taught me everything I know. King Aerys the second had request him to become a Grand Maester at the Citadel, but he refused. He wanted to continue his studies independently from the Grand Sevens."

"Now I know why you are such a good Maester." She smiles.

"Don't try to bribe me, young Lady." He smiles in return. "Let us start." He asks her the first question from the paper, that she answers perfectly. The second and third were correct, but she forgot one of the ingredients in her potion. The fourth and sixth were a complete fail. But, she made it up on the other three questions.

She eagerly looks at Maester Luwin, that is silently counting her points. Her heart is racing and she feels her legs shaking under the table. He starts to rummage in one of his pockets and slides her a Silver Link.

"Does it means that I've passed?" She nervously says, trying to hide her excitement.

"What does a Silver Link means for a Maester?"

"Silver is for Medicine and Healing."

"Hum, hum." He nods. "So, what do you conclude, My Lady?"

"Oh! Thank you, Maester." She smiles. "But, I thought women could not become Maesters."

"One Link does not make you a Maester. And I do not really see you taking the oath at our order." He softly laughs.

"For sure." She laughs with him. "I'd like you to continue to teach me, Maester."

"As you wish, My Lady. As long as you like."

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Jon rides hastily through the woods leading to Mole's Town, the first village when you leave the Wall. The Direwolf suddenly growls still running besides him. "What is it, Ghost?" He asks, but then hears galloping horses behind him. He gives a quick look to see torches dancing in the far. He taps his horse again to make him speed a little more.

Sam does not see a branch across his way and takes it full force in the chest, making him fall hard on the ground.

"Sammy!" Grenn yells. Jon stops and turns around, listening to the conversation.

"Is he dead?" Pyp asks.

"No, I'm not. Did you get him?" Sam comes with his high-pitched voice.

"Come, help me to put him back on his feet." Grenn asks Pyp. Jon sighs and goes back to rejoin his friends.

"Lucky you got well-padded." Pyp says, putting his two arms under his shoulder.

The three young men see Jon approaching and dismounting.

"We are taking you back where you belong." Pyp says in a menacing tone.

"I belong with my brother." Jon answers.

"We are your brothers now." Sam adds.

"They'll kill you if they found out you've gone." Grenn intervenes.

"They kill you if they know you came after me. So, go back!"

"Sam told us everything. We're sorry about your father." Pyp sadly says.

"But, it doesn't matter. You took the oath, you can't leave." Grenn claims.

"I have to. Please let me go."

"You can't. I wish I could give you some news about your Lady, but there are none." Sam softly voices.

"His Lady?" Pyp's eyes widens.

"Hear my words." Sam cuts him. "And bare witness to my vow."

"The Hell with all of you!" Jon utters.

"The night gathers and now my watch begins and should not end until my death. I should live and die at my post." Pyp continues the text.

"I'm the sword of the darkness." Grenn takes over.

"The watcher on the Wall." They now start at unison, surrounding him. "The shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch. For this night and all nights to come." Sam picks up 'Longclaw' that he took with him and had dropped when he felt. He hands it over to Jon. The young man looks at it for a moment and finally accepts it.

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