After my last chapter, I got quite a few PMs (and a couple of comments) expressing how much people like this story. So I just want to say to all of you—commenters, followers, PMers, and lurkers—thank you. You have no idea how grateful I am for you, and I hope you continue to like it :)

The trek home was nightmarish.

There were no horses, no food beyond what they could hunt, and more than fifty so wounded, they slowed the party down to half its average pace. At this rate, it would be months before they managed to make it back to Craster's Keep—let alone Castle Black.

Caitie didn't want to return to Craster's, and if not for the events of the last few days, she might have been fully disgusted by the idea. But at this point, she just wanted to sleep under a roof for the first time in half a year.

Until then, Caitie passed the time by obsessing over the events of the last few days. No matter the task—sleeping, walking, hunting—all she could think about was the Battle at the Fist of the First Men. She had seen a White Walker—an actual, living White Walker. They weren't just stories, like everyone in Westeros had come to believe—they were real.

Lord Commander Mormont was right: when winter came—which seemed to be soon—they would come, and they would kill every man, woman, and child in Westeros, maybe even beyond. Two-hundred brothers were dead, and if and if no one informed the country of the threat, millions would die with them.

The war with the south? Avoiding her father's grip, and her betrothal?

None of it mattered if the White Walkers broke through the Wall.

There was a small part of Caitie which didn't want to believe what she had seen—even though she'd known the threat was real since Jon's encounter with the wight over a year ago. But, Seven Hells, her first battle—her first time fighting real danger—and it was against a mythical race of ice beings who could raise the dead. Of all the things Caitie had expected when she'd gone to hide in the Night's Watch, this was—surreal seemed too mild.

The Stark words were particularly fitting here—winter was definitely coming. And when it came, the dead would come with it. Caitie wondered if the words were an omen for this threat and if Westeros had just forgotten that—Starks included.

She wished Jon were with her so she could ask him.

Thinking about Jon was exhausting, so Caitie tried to switch to something else. Her brothers were what came to mind, but that wasn't much better.

Would Owen and Cerys believe her if she told them all of this? Probably not. They'd be more likely to think posing as a boy had addled their little sister's mind. Arthur might, though. He was the smartest of the Norrey children.

Not that any of this mattered—the likelihood of seeing her family again dwindled with each passing day.

Caitie could have stewed on these thoughts for hours, but her ability to think peacefully was interrupted when Rast started speaking behind her.

Why he and Karl Tanner got to survive while Jon was dead, she would never be able to understand. The Gods' plan, Owen would have told her. But if this were the Gods' plan, then Caitie wanted nothing to do with them.

"What's the matter, Piggy?" Rast taunted. "You crying 'cause you're cold?"

"Rast, shut up," Caitie told him.

He ignored her warning. "There's two hundred brothers killed by dead men, and you're still here, whimpering."

Sam said nothing. He stared at the ground as he kept walking, trying to hide the fact that he was in tears.

"That seem fair to you?" Rast continued. "I seen 'em torn to pieces fighting while you was off somewhere, hiding in a hole."

"If you don't stop right now—"

"Be quiet, you little shit," he snapped. "I had it with you protectin' him."

Caitie blanched as he went on. The words had taken her by surprise—so much so, she couldn't formulate a reply.

"Why don't you lie down for a while, eh? You know you want to." At that, he picked up his pace and moved in front of them, smirking evilly.

Caitie would have bashed his head in with her daggers, then and there, but Sam fell to his knees, and he was more important than teaching Rast a lesson.

"Sam," she said softly, kneeling next to him, "Please get up."

He did not. He sat there, tears pouring out of his eyes, and Caitie's heart broke.

"Please don't leave me," he rasped.

"I won't."

Grenn, noticing the sight, nudged Edd, and the two men turned around. They threw Caitie wary looks as they approached.

Both of them had been giving her a wide berth since the battle. Whenever they were in the same vicinity, Grenn would glance at her uncomfortably and get away as fast as possible. She didn't think he was angry, exactly—but he was undoubtedly bothered by what she'd said. Meanwhile, Edd would only sigh, roll his eyes, and leave her be. He didn't seem upset, at least; just annoyed.

Caitie couldn't blame them for avoiding her after the threat she'd made, but what did they expect? For her to pat them on the back? They had left her best friend—a man she considered her brother in the way Owen, Cerys, and Arthur were—behind to be turned into a wight. Caitie couldn't forgive that easily.

Nevertheless, she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she'd gone too far.

"Get up, Sam," Grenn said, standing in front of him.

Sam shook his head and sniffled. "No."

"Get up," he insisted.

"I can't."

"If you stop, you'll die."

"'Course, if you don't stop, you'll probably die, too," said Edd, coming up behind Grenn and Caitie.

Her jaw dropped. In what kingdom was this the time for cynical remarks?

"You don't care," Sam told them through tears.

"'Course we care." Grenn's eyes flicked towards Caitie's, but when she met his gaze, he looked away.

Despite her best efforts, she still felt her heart sink.

"You left me," Sam cried. "When the White Walkers came, you left me."

Caitie wanted to cry too, hearing the brokenness in her friend's voice, but she held the tears at bay, and instead opted to pat Sam's back.

"Aye, we left you," Edd admitted. "You're fat, and you're slow, and we didn't want to die."

Caitie stared at him in disgust and exasperation, but she was surprised to find Grenn doing the same thing. Their eyes met, and this time, he didn't look away—in fact, he nodded at her in understanding.

Edd shrugged at their expressions as if he didn't see anything wrong with his statement.

Caitie glowered. "What is wrong with you?"

"It's the truth," he replied simply.

"Can't you be the least bit sensitive?"

"How's that gonna help?"

Grenn interrupted their little tiff. "Help me get him up," he instructed.

Caitie shot Edd a nasty look but didn't continue bickering as the three of them tried to heave Sam up. He wouldn't budge.

Noticing the commotion, Rast came back over to them, not content to leave well enough alone. "Looks like that piggy is done for."

"Help us get him up," Grenn said, glaring at him.

"He's slowing us down."

"Just get him up!"

"Why? So the rest of us can die? We'll move faster without him."

Caitie stood up to face Rast. It was difficult—the top of her head barely came to his eye level—but she managed. "If you don't shut your fucking mouth right now," she warned in a low, furious voice as she held up one dagger, "I will make your life more miserable than you ever thought possible."

Rast's eyes widened, and for a moment, Caitie felt a smug satisfaction at how much she'd scared him.

Then she realized he wasn't looking at her.

Ghost stood beside Caitie, growling ferociously—his red eyes fixed on Rast, whose face now looked ashen and slack. Caitie had been so focused on the evil bastard; she hadn't noticed the direwolf come over.

Before the situation could escalate any further, however, the lord commander pushed his way through the line to them.

"What is this?" he bellowed as he took in the scene—Rast, visibly shaking, Ghost growling, ready to attack, while Sam, Edd, and Grenn were watching it all unfold. Then he addressed her. "Call off the wolf, Caitie."

Her eyes went from Rast to the lord commander's instantly, and she looked at him in confusion. Caitie didn't have any control over Ghost—he answered to Jon, and Jon alone.

But Ghost had started to growl at Rast because of her anger towards him. And now he was standing at her side as if waiting for the order to attack.

"Ghost," she said, "stop."

Sure enough, he broke his gaze away and looked over at her, awaiting another command.

"Go to the front of the line, and wait for me there," Mormont ordered her.

Caitie shook her head. "But Sam—"

"Go."

"But—"

"That was an order, not a suggestion," he snapped.

Caitie bristled, not willing to let it go, but then she heard Ghost growling again—this time at the lord commander. It made her realize how badly this would end for everyone involved if she didn't back down.

"Come on, Ghost." Caitie barely concealed a glare at Mormont as she left. The direwolf followed her lead, turning away from the others and padding after her. Caitie shot Sam one last nervous look before she headed off, and the last thing she heard was Mormont ordering him to stand.

"Sorry, boy," she said once they were at the front of the line. Speaking to the direwolf as if he were human was a habit Caitie had picked up over the last few days. In defense of her sanity, she was sure Ghost understood. "I would've liked to kill Rast, too."

He leaned against her, pushing his head into her palm so she could scratch his ear.

Caitie smiled, but it fell away as she allowed her thoughts to consume her.

Had Jon ordered Ghost to follow her commands, she wondered—or had Ghost begun to follow her due to his master's death?

"Is Jon alive?" Caitie found herself asking.

Ghost answered by barking and licking her hand. She wished she could know if that meant yes.

Sam sought her out later that evening during supper—or what passed for it. Caitie was sitting with her back against a tree, sharpening one of her daggers, while Ghost nibbled on a rabbit bone beside her. She wished she could have gotten him something bigger, but there was little to hunt beyond the Wall. Ghost didn't seem to mind, at least.

"Hello," Sam said as he sat down next to her.

Caitie took in his appearance. He seemed less upset than before, though he still was wound up tighter than a spring. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm better now." He swallowed. "The lord commander forbade me from dying."

"Forbade you?"

Sam nodded. "He even told Rast if I didn't survive, neither would he."

Well, Caitie thought, this was… odd.

It made her feelings about Lord Commander Mormont even more confusing. Some of his choices were repugnant—Caitie knew that. But Mormont wasn't all bad, either. He hadn't punished her earlier when she tried to defy his order—all he had done was give her a pointed look and told her not to do it again—when a different lord commander might have had her killed. He'd always been lenient towards Jon when Thorne tried to torment him. And now, apparently, he'd stood up for Sam.

She didn't know what to think of all of it, but Caitie couldn't bring herself to hate the man.

"Thank you," Sam said, interrupting her thoughts.

She tilted her head.

"For being there for me," he clarified.

Caitie squeezed his arm. "You're my brother. Of course I'm going to be there for you."

He smiled back at her, then gestured towards Ghost. "He answered to you today."

"What do you think it means?"

Sam thought about the question for a long moment. "I don't know." He glanced at the wolf. "But Jon said he'd send Ghost back for us, right? So he must be alive."

Caitie snorted. Even after all this time, he hadn't changed his tune. "I wish I could be so certain."

"Edd's cynicism has rubbed off on you." Caitie scowled, leading Sam to go quiet. He scrunched his face up, thinking. "I know you're angry with Edd and Grenn," he said eventually, "But I think you should speak with them."

"Sam, they left you to die."

"I know." He frowned. "But they didn't mean to—they were scared."

"So were you," she pointed out.

Sam didn't answer, but looked at Caitie kindly, as if waiting for something.

The expression on his face caused all of her emotions from the last few days to come to the surface. "I thought you were dead," she admitted, tears springing to her eyes. "You're my family, and I thought I'd lost you."

As she started to cry, Ghost abandoned his bone and put his head on her legs.

"But I'm here," Sam assured her.

She wiped the tears away from her eyes and scowled. "No thanks to them."

"They're our friends. You're going to have to forgive them at some point—I have."

"That's because you're too nice."

"Caitie, don't be like that. They even apologized to me."

"They did?"

Sam nodded earnestly.

Caitie thought about this new information. Much as she hated to admit it, she missed hearing Edd's witty remarks and Grenn's—well, just his presence in general. She had already lost Jon; she didn't want to lose them too.

And if they'd truly apologized to Sam, then maybe it was time for her to let her anger go—or at least try.

But something beyond anger was holding her back from speaking with them. "What would I say to them?"

"That's something only you can know," Sam said.

Closing her eyes, she shook her head and told him the truth. "They won't forgive me."

He furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

"I sort of," she forced herself to admit the truth, "threatened them."

"Gods be good," Sam sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What did you say this time?"

Caitie grimaced, but she relayed the threat she'd given. "I didn't mean it," she said. "I was just so angry, and the words came out before I could think about it."

Sam was quiet for a moment. "Well," he replied, "take this as a lesson, then. Next time, think before you speak."

Caitie burst out laughing. That sentence could have summed up her entire life. But maybe it was time she changed it.

"All right," she said, "I'll talk to them. And I'll think first, this time."

Sam grinned at her and shooed her with his hands. "Go on."

Pushing herself off the ground, Caitie took a deep breath and made her way over to the fire, where Grenn and Edd were relaxing. She sat across from the two men, who looked at her apprehensively.

There was utter silence before she worked up the courage to break it.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I'm sorry I yelled at you when I thought Sam was gone, I'm sorry I threatened you—I was wrong."

Neither answered, and the quiet took hold again. For one terrible moment, Caitie thought they might not accept.

Finally, Grenn and Edd glanced at each other, and the latter chuckled. "Well, you're damn menacing for someone your size, I'll give you that."

Caitie blew out a relieved breath. "Thanks," she said. "Um, that was a compliment, right?"

"Aye, that it was."

She looked over at Grenn, who hadn't said a word. He was staring at her with a strange expression on his face, and she silently pleaded for him to accept the apology, too.

Then, nonchalantly, he said, "I'm just glad you didn't mean it. I'd like to stay living."

"It wasn't my finest moment." Caitie looked down at her feet, embarrassed. "I'm really sorry."

Grenn shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I won't hold it against you, since you saved my life." Grinning mischievously, he added, "For right now, at least."

"I'm forever in your debt," Caitie replied wryly.

Edd snorted. "Well, you're a pain in the ass, sometimes. But we still like you."

"Good." The tension she'd been carrying for days finally leaked out of her body. "That's good."

Grenn cleared his throat before he spoke again, more softly than Caitie thought him capable. "I hope you know, I do care about Sam."

He elbowed Edd, who gave him an annoyed look, and inclined his head towards Caitie.

Edd rolled his eyes, but agreed, "Aye, me too."

The scene caused her to smile, and suddenly Caitie had an idea. "I'm glad to hear it," she said. "Because I want your help protecting him from Rast."

Grenn shot her a confused look. "The lord commander said—"

"I know what he said. Rast will keep Sam alive, but it won't stop his torments."

When neither uttered a word, Caitie added, "It's no different from protecting him at Castle Black."

Grenn considered the point for a moment. Then he chuckled and gave her his signature lopsided grin. "All right, just like last time, I'm in."

They both turned to look at Edd, who, once again, rolled his eyes. "Pain in the ass," he muttered.

"And yet," Caitie replied, crossing her arms, "you still like me."

I was rewatching the show last night and I realized I royally messed up part of the timeline in season 1. You would think paying meticulous attention to detail for this story, I'd be aware of when events happen, but no. Anyway, because it was driving me nuts, I edited the problematic chapters (9 and 10), but then my perfectionist tendencies kicked in and I ended up editing nearly every chapter. It's nothing that changes any of the plot points, so, like last time, you don't have to read if you don't want to (but it is recommended). Honestly, I have a feeling I'm never going to stop editing published chapters—I'm just too much of a perfectionist.