Alright, here we go.
Chapter 29: The Swords in the Darkness
Castle Black
He saw it, the flames engulfing the Haunted Forest. The greatest fire the North has ever seen, Mance said, he told it true as he had never seen such a fire before now.
"You can go ahead and say it." Alliser Thorne said to him, he didn't quite understand, "We should have sealed the tunnel, as you suggested." He stepped to his side and looked back at the fire.
"It was a difficult decision, either way, Ser." He admitted that they should have listened, should have kept doing what they could to keep the Wildling's back.
He doesn't like their chances of survival passed tonight, and if they throw their entire strength at the Wall? It won't take long for the Night's Watch to lose this fight.
"You know leadership means, Lord Snow?" He was asked and he stood straight to listen, "It means that the person in charge gets second-guessed by every clever little twat with a mouth... But when he starts second-guessing himself, that's the end, for him, and for the clever little twats." Sound advice from a man who's butted heads with him since he came here to become a man of the Night's Watch.
"This is not the end, not if you lot do your duty for however long it takes to beat them back. Then you can go on hating me, and I can go on wishing your whore would have finished the job." In any other situation, he might have agreed but he fears tonight will be a bloody one.
Alliser took a step closer to the edge, "Everyone nock and hold!" He shouted out, the men readied their bows, although he saw they were drawing their arrows. Edd and Grenn lost grip on one of the oil barrels and it fell to the ground below the Wall. Alliser sighed and snarled, "I said nock and hold you cunts! Does nock mean draw!?"
"No Ser!" The men cried out.
"Does hold mean drop!?" Alliser asked everyone once more.
"No Ser!" The men cried out.
"Are you all prepared to die here tonight!" Everyone said no and Thorne continued, "That is very good to hear! Now draw!" The men pulled back their bows, the horns began to blow and he and the older man turned to the blower, the Watchmen shook his head no, saying it was from below and at Castle Black.
Jon didn't even think about the Wildling party, they left 40 men below to hold the ground while the rest remained atop the Wall to shoot arrows and drop barrels.
The Wildling force led by Tormund Giantsbane, Ygritte, and the Magnar of Thenn charged at the Southern entrance of the castle. Pyp and Samwell along with several others took up crossbows and manned a defense for whatever good it does them.
The nineteen castles of the Wall were built to house soldiers, the castles were built like regular keeps but without good walls. A decision was made long ago that they would always be accessible from the South, from the other Kingdoms should the order try to carve a Kingdom of their own.
Beyond the Wall, the Wildling army was fast approaching from the forests, a scared Janos Slynt departed from the elevator and ran to where Alliser was.
"The Wildling's are attacking the Southern gate!" Jon and Alliser turned to Slynt, the Knight questioning Janos.
"I'm going down there, brother Slynt, you have the Wall." Alliser told Slynt and started to walk away, but turned back for a moment upon realizing the archers haven't loosed their shots, "What are you fucking waiting for!? Loose!" Alliser left and Slynt looked shocked to be given such a position as leading the men on the Wall.
The battle for the Wall was underway, the men shot their arrows and below, the men of the watch tried and failed to mount a defense against the charging force of Wildlings who began to climb through holes and using grappling hooks.
Pyp and Samwell ran from the top stairs, to get into a better position and have better aim as the Wildling force started to find their way into the castle.
Ser Alliser Thorne and three others got down and called the men to arms, "Brothers, a hundred generations have defended this castle, it has never fallen before and will not fall tonight. Tonight we fight, and by dawn, I promise you, Castle Black will stand, the Night's Watch will STAND! With me, now, with me!" The Night's Watch and the Free Folk started to do battle, clashing iron and stone with steel.
Atop the Wall, Jon and Grenn had just convinced Janos that Alliser needed help below, the coward he was had left without needing to be convinced.
Jon had the Wall and took command, "Nock, draw, loose!" Jon saw the arrows fly and fall on to the Free Folk, his dark grey eyes saw the giants begin working on the outer gate after some of the men dropped some of the barrels down.
Jon took Grenn aside, "The outer gate won't hold, take five men and hold the inner gate." He hated sending his friend down, "Hold the gate, if they break through... " Jon didn't want to finish and Grenn stared at him for a long moment, they hated one another for the longest time but grew close after finding common ground, it's hard to say farewell to him and many others.
"They won't." Was what Grenn said and picked up an ax, "Come on Hill, you too Cooper, you three, on me! Come on you lazy bastards!" Edd strode towards him and he called for oil to which his other friend echoed as they prepared to hold off the enemy.
Down below, Alliser was deep into a duel with Tormund, both men were fighting fiercely but the Wildling seemed to be mightier than the knight and wounded him. The acting Lord Commander fell from the upper walkway of the gate and was taken to safety by some men, the knight cried for everyone to hold the gate.
Samwell Tarly, setting his fallen friend down took up his crossbow and left to get Jon, and more men. He killed an incoming Thenn on his way and met Grenn and five others, the Steward asked his Ranger friends to get more men down here and Grenn said for him to tell Jon, that they needed to hold the gate.
Olly, after some convincing, sent him up, but not before he told the recruit to fight them.
Jon turned when he heard footsteps, it was Sam, "What are you doing up here?" He asked and looked at one of the giants being shot down by a scorpion bolt.
"The wildlings are over the walls, Ser Alliser has fallen, the castle won't stand much longer." It was getting dire, he grunted before calling to Edd.
"Edd... You have the Wall. If they try the mammoths again, drop fire on them and if the climbers get too high, drop the scythe on them." He and Sam began making their way to the elevator, "Move now, brothers, fight with me!"
Jon and seven men began descending and he took Sam by the shoulder, "I don't want you out there." He said and Sam began to tell him that he can't be protected forever, he pulled a key from his pocket and handed it to the former heir to Horn Hill, "I need him more than I need you." The descent was taking too long so he opened the gate and rolled out.
Jon dueled two, slaying one and disarming the other.
The defense of Castle Black was underway, men from both sides fell to one another's sword or ax or arrow. Samwell made it to the kennel, unlocking the door and opening it, "We need you, boy." Ghost immediately jumped into action, defending Jon who was being attacked by two of clan Thenn.
Out from the fighting, a mile away from Castle Black. A thunder of riders began charging toward the Southern gate, a fighting man killed two Wildlings then saw them approaching, he thought they were more but he noticed the banner of the grey direwolf and blew the horn. "Open the gate!" A pair of watchmen looked at their friend like he was insane before going and opening the gate.
Back at the yard, Jon was fighting the Magnar of Thenn in one on one combat, he was disarmed and grabbed by the giant of the man. His head was bashed against an anvil and thrown over the smithy, it burned and the Bastard of Winterfell was disoriented and dizzy but he crawled and clawed for survival.
The Magnar of Thenn crept over and he scanned for any weapon, the enemy raised his steel ax and would have brought it down if he hadn't defended himself. He took a hammer and crippled the Thenn's knee, then with a mighty swing, he slammed that hammer into the Magnar's skull.
Jon stood and tried to get ahold of his senses but stopped when he turned and saw Ygritte staring at him, he stopped in his tracks and remembered when they parted at that pond.
He and Ygritte both heard a horn blow from the South. He took the chance and jumped on his former lover, holding her down and disarming her of both her bow and her two knives.
Jon Snow looked and dozens of riders and Northmen began flooding the yard, slaying many of the Wildlings and aiding the remaining Night's Watch.
The battle was soon over and the captive Free Folk were put in irons and sent to the cells, he scanned the yard and saw a pair of familiar creatures. A direwolf, the color of copper, the other a mix of white and grey. Dusk and Grey Wind? He thought and they were standing beside a mounted man wearing a helmet, he removed it when he spotted him staring and Arthur smiled at Jon who he hasn't seen since their departure at Winterfell.
"Hello, brother, sorry if I am late," Arthur said as he dismounted and approached him, as for himself, he said nothing but laughed and embraced his twin.
AN: Shorter than I wanted but we still have Mance and the Mannis in chapter 30. I still hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the next is Within the Blood is the Fire, then I will choose one to continually work on, possibly this or Daeron or Loren's story being the most significant.