Jon

The Wall was a faint blue line stretching across the horizon from west to east like the edge of a blade. Jon smiled. Home, he thought. At least one of them. The prospect of the returning to Castle Black had become more appealing as he got closer to it. His being murdered then brought back to life was still a troubling memory, but the men who'd done it were dead and he no longer looked at the Night's Watch main seat in the poor light he had during the immediate aftermath of his resurrection.

The clouds had broken today, allowing the Sun's brilliant yellow light to fall on the land from a pale blue sky. Jon was glad for it. Clouds were scattered here & there in the sky; fluffy, white things that were much more pleasant to look at than the moody, grey ones that had covered the sky and dropped snow on them in recent weeks. The clouds being like this allowed Jon a clear view of the red comet, bleeding across the sky and reminding him of the stab wounds that littered his torso after he woke from death. Those wounds had healed, now only narrow patches of pale, white scar tissue.

Following the beheading of Harlan, none of the prisoners Bronson had named had decided to follow through on an attempt to kill Jon. Not wanting to be incautious, he still kept Ghost close by whenever he slept. That led the direwolf to reserving his hunts for the day time when he wasn't needed by Jon. Following this change in Ghost's routine, Jon had tasted blood during the day instead of the evening, if he tasted blood at all. He developed a strange feeling that his tasting blood had something to do with Ghost.

Coming upon Mole's Town, the small village was a decayed ruin of rotten wooden buildings swallowed up by snow that had not been cleared away. Ghost ran ahead and cleared out a pack of wolves that had made a den in one of the unused homes. The white direwolf was now as large as a small horse, so only the largest of the wolves in the pack tried standing up to Ghost while the other wolves carried pups to safety. Even then, the large wolves retreated once they knew the pups were safely away. After clearing out the buildings, Ghost disappeared inside one of them and Jon tasted blood again. He brought his horse to a stop and dismounted. The snow came up nearly to his knees.

"What is is Jon?" Edd asked, still on his horse. The train of carriages came to a stop.

"Ghost has found something," Jon replied with certainty, though he wasn't sure where the certainty came from.

The direwolf soon emerged from the building, dragging a half eaten deer carcass that the wolf pack had been feeding off. It was leaking blood, turning the snow in its wake dark red. Ghost stepped away from the carcass as Jon approached. Unfortunately, the meat on the deer didn't look good enough to butcher, so only the direwolf would be able to eat it. "It's no good to us Ghost," Jon told him. "You can eat as much you want." That's just what Ghost did, digging his snout into the dark flesh and ripping it off the bone before chewing, blood soaking his white fur red. Jon mounted back up and the carriage train continued north toward the Wall. The direwolf came running to the front of the carriage train once it left the town.

Eventually Castle Black came into sight, sitting at the base of the Wall and looking much like a child's toy compared to the tower structure of ice. The grey stone of the castle walls looked sad & cold, empty & almost dead. Not for much longer, Jon thought to himself. The men he'd brought to the Wall would see to that. A single horn blast sounded as they got closer, letting the castle's inhabitants know of the approaching train of carriages.

The gates were already open, the outriders already dismounted in the yard. Sworn brothers were standing in a semi-circle to watch the rest of the train enter. The guard above the gate called down to Jon, welcoming him back home. Jon replied with a nod and a, "It's good to be home." The guard then welcomed back Edd and the other men who'd escorted Bran to Winterfell. Inside the courtyard, the crowd of those wearing black looked sparse. That is about to change. Jon & Edd brought their horses to a stop and dismounted. Stablehands came to collect them.

As the rest of the men entered the courtyard, every pair of eyes had fell; on Jon. Suddenly there was an awkward feeling in the air. He saw smiles, blank expressions and half sneers. The greeting I was expecting. Jon raised his voice to say, "As you were." Most of the black cloaks did as they were bid but a handful were staring at him with disdain, hands dangerously close to their sword hilts. Jon frowned.

"If you're going to try to behead me for being a deserter, best not," he warned them. "You'll have to kill the fifty four soldiers I've brought with me and any of your sworn brothers who are loyal to me." He looked at Ghost who was slightly crouched, his tail raised high and teeth almost bared. "You will also have to get past Ghost first." The hands retreated and the men went about their business. Jon nodded, satisfied, before turning to Edd. "Get your First, Ranger, Builder and Steward to the top of the Wall."

Edd nodded and went to find them. Jon found the captain of his soldiers and took him to the winch cage. Ghost huddled in with them and they rode the cage to the top of the Wall. The wind grew stronger. The cold got sharper. Jon pulled his cloak tight and so did the captain. "So this is what I'll be looking forward to while I'm here, Your Grace?" he said.

"It is Rodwell," Jon replied. "But I fear it won't be for long."

They reached the top of the Wall and Jon led the way to the nearest watch position, finding two men on duty. They were watching the land to the north, one holding a spear, the other manning the horn. Trees stretched to the far horizon. Mountains stood tall in the distance. Jon breathed in a lungful of the cold air and exhaled with a pleased sigh. Home indeed. It was not long before Edd approached with three others entow: the First Ranger, Builder and Steward. Kedge, Halder & Clydas. They were holding themselves tightly, trying to keep themselves warm.

"Lord Commander," Kedge managed, speaking loudly to be heard over the wind.

"Kedge, Halder, Clydas," Jon replied. "It is good to see you all."

"And you Lord Commander," Clydas said, quietly. "It is so good to see you after your victory against the Boltons."

"What have called you us here for, My Lord?" Halder asked, straight to the point.

"This is Captain Rodwell," Jon said, holding his hand toward Rodwell. "He is the captain of the forty eight other men I'll be leaving here to help man the castle. Make him a part of every meeting and make his men feel welcome in the castle."

"Who were the men you had in chains?" Kedge questioned.

"Prisons. Thirty seven of them from the Winterfell dungeon and Wintertown lock up. Expect more to arrive from all the other lords of the North. They should be trained in sword, spear and bow then put in black cloaks."

"What are all the barrels for?" Halder asked. "Your soldiers were loading them off of the carriages.

"The barrels are water and pitch. When we were at Hardhome, the White Walkers' weapons shattered steel. Our gates are made of steel. I want you to pour the water & pitch inside the tunnel and seal it tight. I sent Tormund Giantsbane to Eastwatch with the same orders and expect a raven sent to Shadow Tower telling them to do the same."

"You'd leave us blind to the woods," Kedge said. "Why?"

"We brought all the Free Folk we could this side of the Wall. If no more have come by now then I doubt we're like to see anymore trying to cross. If we don't seal the tunnel then the Walkers can simply tap the steel gates with their spears and they'll be able to walk right through. I also want ravens prepared to send to Eastwatch and Shadow Tower at a moments notice."

"Bearing what message Lord Commander?" Clydas asked.

"Abandon the Wall. Retreat to Winterfell." The words unsettled them all. "Signal the order with four horn blasts. Tell Shadow Tower and Eastwatch to prepare ravens with identical messages. If the Walkers find a way to get past the Wall then I don't want them adding more numbers to their army after they've finished killing you all. You should prepare another raven to send to Winterfell to inform me that the Wall has been abandoned."

"How do you know the Walkers will find a way to pass the Wall?" Edd asked.

"It is only a precaution. But if they do pass the Wall, I feel like that'll have something to do with it." Jon pointed to the sky directly above him. Everyone looked up to see him pointing at the red comet, bleeding like a fresh wound in the sky.

"My Lord," Clydas spoke up, looking back at Jon. "We have received ravens from both Eastwatch and the Shadow Tower. Both reported a group of three White Walkers emerging from the Haunted Forest only to retreat back into the trees. Eastwatch also reports blue lights lining the coasts below Storrold's Point."

"That will be the army of the dead travelling down from Hardhome. And if there were White Walkers at Shadow Tower then parts of the army are scattered. Now they must be all joining together. I'd expect the hammer to fall here."

"What will we do when it does, My Lord? Even with the extra men you have brought us, there is no way we can defend against the army of the dead in our current state."

"By now, Ser Davos Seaworth should be on Dragonstone, mining the dragonglass on the island. Once it arrives in Winterfell, we will begin making it into weapons. I will also call my bannermen when the time is right. Once we are properly organised, we will march on the Wall and begin manning the rest of the fortresses lining it. If the Gods are kind, we will also have soldiers from the South marching with us."

"How do you mean, Lord Commander?" Halder asked.

"I intend to speak with Jaime Lannister about bringing an army North."

"The Kingslayer?" Kedge said, shocked. "Didn't his family nearly bring your own to an end?"

"Yes, but that doesn't matter. All of Westeros is threatened by the White Walkers and their army, everyone is in equal danger. There is no choice in who we fight beside. Lannisters, Tyrells, Martells, anyone."

Clydas stepped forward. "My Lord, you've been on the road for the last three weeks, so you haven't heard this," he said. "Daenerys Targaryen has landed in Dorne. The raven sent to us by the Maester in Sunspear has promised that any men who surrender when Daenerys attacks King's Landing will sent to us to take the black. If Daenerys is set to attack the city then there is little chance of Jaime Lannister coming to our aid while his sister's throne is at risk."

Jon frowned. "Be that as it may, I will still speak to Jaime Lannister." Clydas nodded. "Is there anything else to report?"

"No, My Lord."

"When will you be leaving?" Edd asked.

"Tomorrow. I have two siblings to watch out for and a kingdom to rule."

"Is they're anything else you want us to do? Anymore orders?"

"Send some men to Queensgate and Oakenshield to being repairing." Edd nodded. Halder nodded. "You are all dismissed. I'd like to stand on my Wall in solitude."

Edd, Kedge, Halder, Clydas & Rodwell shuffled off to the winch cage, leaving Jon to the solitude he requested. Even the men who were on duty moved down to the next watch position to leave Jon be. Ghost stayed put, sitting on his haunches and staring out at the Haunted Forest. Looking down at the direwolf, Jon smiled. "Savior the view, boy," he said softly. "It's the last you'll get to see of it for a good while."

Jon then took his own advice and looked upon the land north of the Wall. He wondered how close the White Walkers were. If the Gods are good, they still have a long way to travel. Long enough to allow me to gather an army large enough to combat them. It scared him to no end that the White Walkers could attack before they were ready to fight back. I hope you can find the Long Night in the past Bran. We need to know how to stop them... if there is a way to stop them at all.