At Castle Black…
Rolfe shoveled spoonfuls of stew into his mouth; the nervousness of the brothers in the mess hall was palpable, and everyone was slightly on edge. "Oi" one of the younger brothers called to him from the table beside him. "Why do you always eat so much? You trying to compete with Tarly?"
Rolfe swallowed before replying "We don't have that long a lifespan. We'll die from the cold, a Wildling's spear, starvation, or even old age, if you might call that lucky. With those kind of odds, I always eat like it's my last meal in this world. Now shut up and let me enjoy it". He then returned to his stew, while the other brothers did the same. Rolfe had sharpened his axes to very sharp and fine edges, and he had been sparring and practicing all day. He was as prepared as he could be, thus his possible final meal. Suddenly, the horn blew twice from atop the Wall, and everyone stood up from their tables and walked outside, preparing for the upcoming assault. Rolfe looked up, and saw the orange glow of a massive fire in the sky, above the Wall as two more horn blasts sounded.
"We're all gonna die!" one of the younger brothers cried.
Rolfe walked over to him, grabbing the boy by the scruff of his neck and saying "Aye, we might. But if you're going to die, then at least do us the courtesy of taking some of those fucking Wildlings with you!" The bearded Ranger then roughly shoved the boy along. Suddenly, two horn blasts came from the castle's gate. "Oh, fuck me!" Rolfe growled. "They're coming at us from down below, brothers!"
"Brothers!" Ser Alliser suddenly called. "100 generations have defended this castle. She's never fallen before. She will not fall tonight. Those are Thenns at our walls. They eat the flesh of the men they kill. Do you want to fill the belly of a Thenn tonight?"
"No!" Rolfe shouted with the others as he drew his twin axes.
"Tonight we fight! And when the sun rises, I promise you, Castle Black will stand! The Night's Watch will stand!" The gate finally broke, and as the Wildlings began to pour through, Ser Alliser shouted "With me now! Now with me!"
Rolfe then charged with his brothers, brandishing his honed and deadly axes as he tackled a Thenn against a wall. The Ranger sank one of his axes into the bald cannibal's skull, killing him instantly. Turning around, he attacked a nearby Wildling, maintaining a constant series of attacks in an effort to keep his opponent on the defensive. After a few minutes, Rolfe saw something shooting down to the ground. Kicking the Wildling back, he had the distinct pleasure of seeing the man skewered by an arrow as long as a horse. A Thenn tried to take his head off with a battle axe, but Rolfe ducked below it. He then savagely hacked at the man's neck, taking his head off moments later. The battle raged on all around him, and Rolfe could see another Thenn running up some nearby stairs. The Ranger hurled one of his axes at the cannibal, watching as the weapon struck the Wildling in the back and caused him to fall back to the muddy ground. Retrieving his weapon, Rolfe tackled another Wildling to the ground. As he sank an axe into the man's face, the Ranger saw Tarly killing a Thenn with a crossbow bolt at close range; perhaps the fat boy wasn't completely useless after all.
Hearing a deep, merry laugh coming from nearby, Rolfe turned around and saw Tormund Giantsbane up on the walkway. Steeling himself, the Ranger ran up the closest stairs, taking a moment to kill a Thenn that got in his way, before he shouted and charged at the Wildling chieftain. He swung an axe horizontally, but the red-haired Wildling ducked below it and followed up with a slice of his own. Barely dodging the attack, Rolfe tried to bring both axes down onto Tormund's head, but his opponent blocked them with his shortsword. Gritting his teeth as he matched his strength against the Wildling's, the Ranger head-butted the other man before throwing all of his weight into him, tackling him into a wall. Rolfe capitalized on the move by sinking an axe into Tormund's shoulder.
Suddenly, Rolfe's shoulder flashed with pain as an arrow pierced it. He growled, and Tormund pushed him away before slicing his stomach with the very tip of his sword. The Ranger fell to his knees as blood started to fill his mouth, and he stared defiantly at the Wildling bastard. The red-haired man brought his sword down in an overhead chop, but Rolfe caught the blade with his hand. Spitting blood into Tormund's face, he proceeded to tackle him to the side, sending them both tumbling down the stairs and onto the bloody mud. Rolfe punched his opponent in the face before he was thrown to the ground. He watched as Tormund stood up and grabbed his sword before two arrows suddenly pierced his back. The Wildling cried out in pain, and Rolfe suddenly felt hands roughly pulling him back. Taking a moment to look around, the bearded Ranger saw that the battle was pretty much over, and most of the surviving brothers were now gathered around Tormund, who flailed about like a crazed beast.
"Tormund" a voice called, and Rolfe saw Jon Snow approaching, appearing just as battered as he was. "It's over. Let it end".
"This is how a man ends" the Wildling spat as he tried to attack a few of the nearby brothers. He never got another chance, as Snow took a crossbow and shot him in the leg, bringing him to his knees.
The bastard then kicked Tormund's sword out of his hands before turning to one of the brothers on the stairs. "Put him in chains. We'll question him later".
As Tormund Giantsbane was roughly pulled back, he stared daggers at Jon Snow before shouting "I should have thrown you from the top of the Wall, boy!"
Belatedly, Rolfe heard Snow mutter "Aye. You should have".
Rolfe then let his head fall back as he breathed a sigh of relief. The battle was finally over, and they had survived the night. Gods help them all come morning.
At Dragon's Rest…
Drakon watched as two men opened the crate before him, on the dock of Dragon's Rest. Night had fallen some time ago, and the muscular man had an arm wrapped around Visenya, whose silver gown glittered in the light of the torches his men were carrying. A gentle breeze lightly caressed them and made the flames of the torches flicker and dance. "And what might this be, my love?"
The silver-haired woman wiped a strand of hair out of her eye. "Ten years ago, Gerion Lannister ventured to Old Valyria, in an effort to reclaim his family's ancestral Valyrian Steel greatsword, Brightroar. He never returned".
Drakon glanced at his wife. "I suspect there's more to it than that".
Visenya smirked. "He did, in fact, venture into Valyria, and he miraculously found his family's sword. His ship tried to make harbour in Volantis before returning home, so I made sure that he and those of his crew that went into the Smoking Sea with him were never heard from again". Drakon chuckled, and she continued. "When Tywin Lannister looked into his brother's disappearance, the crewmembers who deserted him and the world believed that he had been lost on a fool's quest".
Drakon crouched down and reached into the crate, finding a grip. He then took the object out of the crate and marveled at it. The sword was one of the largest and longest that he had ever seen, and the blade practically glowed in the dark of night, with the characteristic ripples of Valyrian Steel. The pommel was rounded, and fashioned in the likeness of a roaring lion, while the long grip was wrapped in fine red leather. "I only wish that Tywin Lannister were here to see me holding his family's ancestral blade" Drakon said longingly. Turning around, he looked at Ser Samwell, who stood stoically behind them. "Ser Samwell, you have served me faithfully for many years now. As a reward for your service, I hereby give you this Valyrian Steel greatsword".
He handed the mighty weapon to the stocky Knight, who stared at it with reverence. The man then bowed, replying in his deep voice "Thank you, my lord".
Drakon then heard footsteps on the dock coming from behind him. He turned around, and saw Rona and the twins walking toward him. "My lord" the grey-clad Spymaster said, sounding like she was bearing significant news.
"What is it, Rona?" the muscular man asked her.
"Tywin Lannister is dead".
For several moments, Drakon did not speak. Visenya, Rona, Edric, and Edwyn stared at him, waiting for some kind of reaction. Eventually, the muscular man turned to Visenya, smiled, and said "It's time".
And this brings us to the end of Part 4, which is also the end of where the show is. Tomorrow, I shall start posting for Part 5, the part that I have been most looking forward to for this story. Valar Morghulis!
