Grenn

The ruins of the Long Barrow weren't as nearly as bad as Grenn had thought them to be when he first saw them. The stairways that led to the top had collapsed on most of the castle and compared to Greyguard, the Long Barrow was still able to give him a roof over his head. The only parts of the castle that were still intact were half of the commons and the kitchens. The rest was crushed by the stairs or ice that had fallen from the Wall.

Grenn had camped in the kitchens, they weren't much different from the ones in Castle Black. The room was large enough for him to bring the dragons in and let them move about without getting away. He sat back in a makeshift bed he made with his rucksack and a still intact table and ate his dinner provisions as he watched Ygris and Lyarras hopping from rubble to rubble. They were trying to fly, but all they could do was glide. Lyarras came close to flying. She managed to hove in the air before falling to the ground.

Grenn tore at a piece of cooked rabbit and tossed it at Ygris and Lyarras. The two of them fought over the meat, ripping it to pieces before there was none left. The two of them reminded Grenn of some dogs that were on the farm he used to live on. They looked nice but had a terrible bite when they got angry.

The dragons were bigger than cats now and it was incredible at how fast they grey. 'I wonder how big they'll be when we reach Mereen?' They'd probably be as big as Ghost.

Grenn began to think how the Dragon Queen would react when she would see them. Maybe amazed that there are two more, but maybe not since she's already got three of them.

He thought back on when he first saw them. He didn't know history very well but he knew that the only house that had dragons in the past were the Targaryens. It made him wonder how Jon could have been the one the dragons chose to go to. Maybe with Maester Aemon dead, they had to get the next best thing. Or maybe there was more to Jon than Jon himself knew. Everyone knew who his father was, but no one, not even Jon, knew his mother. Maybe she was long lost descendant of the Targaryens.

First light had come sooner than Grenn had hoped when he woke up. The dragons were still asleep which made it easier to load them back into their cages. They slept through being picked up and set back down. It was nice not to get nips at the fingers for once.

Grenn departed from the Long Barrow before sunrise. He took one last look at the castle as he was nearly a mile away. He wished the stairs had not collapsed, otherwise, he could have explored the so-called Frozen Lights in the Wall. The Long Barrow was the only castle to carve rooms inside the upper foundations of the Wall. It was rumored that on the night of a full moon, the ice would light up like the fabled lights in the Lands of Always Winter. It was one of the few wonders of the Wall besides the height. There was said to be magic in the foundations, but there was nothing that Grenn had ever seen except for ice and even more ice.

The day had been very warm, even with a light layer of snow that covered the hills all around. It made the road a mix of slush and mud, but it was worth it to feel to the sun's warm light. It was a change of feeling from the feelings of gloom that came from being so close to the Wall. The only things that seem to pass the time were the 'songs' the dragons seemed to make as they screeched. It was entrancing to hear. They weren't like the sounds other beasts made, it was like there was magic coming from them.

Grenn was no singer like Pyp was, but he managed to put together a small tune from what he heard.

"Though the winds of winter blow

They will never scare the crow

For when the king comes striking down

Our steel will break his crown

And then the skies will fill with light

Our brothers have won the fight"

Grenn was still working on the next verse, trying to think of something along the lines of what the red woman used to say before she returned to Castle Black. "For the night is dark and full of terrors. Errors? Curs? Hmm… what else rhymes with terrors? Cares? Leppers? Gah, no that won't do the song any justice, not by a long shot." He was stuck on this for the next few hours before giving up on it entirely. He tried thinking of something along the lines of glory or honor.

Grenn's thoughts were interrupted by a loud bang coming from behind him. He shot his head around and saw that Ygris had tried to break out of her cage by slamming into it. For small creatures, they had strength. "Oy, that's enough of that. Just a few more weeks and then you won't have to see those cages ever again." In a few weeks, the wouldn't even fit in the cages. But he threw the thoughts away when he realized he was talking to a dragon. Although he didn't feel embarrassed about it. Who else was there to talk to?

Dusk had come, and he still hadn't come up with anything for the next verse. 'Maybe I should put something in the middle of what I've already come up with.' He thought.

The air was getting colder as the sun got lower, and Grenn was too far from Greenguard to arrive before it became too cold to travel, but the Torches was only a few miles behind him. He turned the wagon around and within the hour he was back at The Torches. The castle was one of the few abandoned that was still intact and could be stationed at any time. The Night's Watch only lacked the men to do so, but if more kept coming from Essos as they did, then there might be more than just this castle manned once again.

The castle itself was similar to Castle Black, but only a single courtyard instead of two. Standing opposite to each other on the east and west side of the castle were two towers. The rose to nearly half the height of the Wall. Atop each tower was a great beacon the likes of which were not found anywhere else in the world. They were so powerful that the light they shown when lit could be seen all the way from Woodswatch-by-the-Pool to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. Though it must have been a thousand years or more since they've been lit. No one would probably understand it if they were.

As Grenn got closer to the castle, he was surprised by a screecher owl that flew in front of him and attacked his face. He swatted at it, trying to get it to leave him alone. It screeched as it continued to attack him, but Grenn finally slapped it away and it flew out of sight. 'What was with that damn bird?' The owl had left small cuts on his face, but nothing that would scar.

The dragons began to fuss in their cages. They must've heard the owl and wanted to chase after it. There was more banging against the cages now.

The gates to the castle were torn down, open to anyone and anything. Grenn had parked his wagon in the stables but left the horse strapped. He had a bad feeling about this place. He hopped off the wagon and drew his sword. His eyes scanned the castle, checking for any signs of movement, light, or occupancy. He climbed the stairs to the ramparts and checked each of the rooms as quietly as possible.

Everything within was stripped clean. As far as Grenn knew, the castle was abandoned about four hundred years ago. All came here snooping after that took everything but the damn castle itself. Even some of the floorboards were torn out. On the outside the castle was formidable but on the inside it was embarrassing. There was nothing here but empty rooms and stone walls.

When he was about to check the western tower, he was startled by the sound of the owl, screeching on the front gates. "Sevens hells!" Grenn had enough of this damn owl. He ran towards it, ready to kill that wretched creature. He'd never eaten owl before, but he was always welcome to try new foods.

Just before he got close, it flew away. He watched from the ramparts as it flew south to the hills. But his eyes found something else when he looked over. Grenn could see at least a dozen shapes moving towards the castle. From this distance, he could tell that they were men, but they weren't Wildlings nor Night's Watch. He also noticed that they were carrying weapons. Grenn sheathed his sword and ran as fast as he could to his wagon. He jumped on and whipped the reigns. Two of the men had just reached the gate when the wagon charged out of the Torches. One of the men was trampled by a horse and the wagon. His bones crunched as he was driven over. The rest approaching the castle moved out of the way and chased after him.

The dragons began to screech out and banged against their cages. If they were scared, they were right to be.

Before Grenn was even a hundred yards away from the Torches, an arrow struck his left shoulder from behind. He cried out as he fell off the wagon and into the snow. The shaft snapped and the arrowhead dug deeper into his muscle. Grenn got to his feet as fast he could and watched as the wagon kept riding east. Before he could even attempt to pursue it, three of the men had caught up to him. Now that they were closer, he could see who they were. Their clothes and gear varied from poor quality to castle forge steel. They were raiders and pillagers. Grenn drew his sword and faced a raider that swung a large axe at him. He ducked under it and impaled the man that swung it. The other two both attacked at the same time with swords. Grenn parried both and was able to strike his blade across the neck of one. For once, Grenn was glad of all the times Jon beat his arse to dirt because these men were terrible compared to him,

The last of the men who was facing off against Grenn was joined by the rest of his allies and they all surrounded him.

Before they could attack, Grenn managed to pick up the sword belonged to the raider he just killed, though with the pain in his shoulder, he might not be able to use it very well. One of the raiders approached Grenn. His face was scarred and filthy. If anything, he was the leader of this group. "Never seen a lone brother of the Night's Watch traveling between castles. They always stay in flocks." Some of the raiders laughed at his remark.

Grenn noticed the leader wore black underneath his cloak. His apparel was the kind he wore. "You're a sworn brother?"

"Not anymore," he snickered. "Now that the Boltons rule the North, it's easier to do what we please since they only care about putting their cocks in their flayed men." He looked at the men who lay dead. "Not bad. I didn't think you had the look of a fighter but you're good. How bout you come with us?"

"Fuck you." Grenn spat.

"Think about it. The Lord Commander let the Wildlings through the Wall. They say they'll live peacefully but it's just a lie. They'll kill every brother in Castle Black, the Shadow Tower, and Eastwatch before Winter sets in the rest of Westeros. We're gonna be the ones who live out those massacres. So what do you say?"

"Fuck. You."

The men laughed once again at his remarks. The leader gestured his head and the two men next to him both attacked with spears.

Grenn dodged them and slammed his foot down on one, breaking it while his right arm thrust his sword into the spear holder's chest. The other one brought the butt of his spear to Grenn's face, striking him at his temple.

Grenn nearly fell down, but he was able to catch himself before men behind him attacked. He parried an axe and kicked the chest of its wielder, but a sword sliced the skin of the leg he kicked with. Grenn stumbled forward, almost getting impaled by the sword that cut him, but he brought up his left arm and the tip of his sword entered the head of his attacker. He wasn't going to win this fight, but he could be sure to damn well bring most of them with him. He could feel his body strengthening from the fight. "Night gathers and now my watch begins" he started. He heard some of the raiders laugh at him for saying his vows. But he took no shame in the words. He was not some criminal in black, he was a man of the Night's Watch.

One of the charged with a small hatchet in one hand and a sword in the other. "And it shall not end," he parried both the sword and axe and brought his elbow to the nose of the raider "until my death!" The laughter died out as Grenn refused to back down. "I shall take no wife, hold no lands father no children!" This time three attacked him at once. He dodged a mace and cut off the arm that held it while parrying two swords and once. One of them stabbed Grenn in his side, but the attacker received a stab right between his legs. He cried out and dropped to his knees, hands clenching the parts his lost. He looked up at Grenn who swung a sword across his neck.

Grenn was slowed by his newest wound and could barely stand. "I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post!" As he continued to fight, he could only defend himself. His movements were too slow to strike. "I am the sword in the darkness! I am the watcher on the walls!" The leader finally approached Grenn to fight him himself. He wielded two short swords and immediately swung his blades at Grenn. "I am the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch," Grenn's left leg was impaled and he was slashed across his chest, but he didn't scream. From behind, a sword impaled him in his lower chest. He dropped his swords and fell over to the snow, his breaths short and desperate. He could feel himself becoming cold, not like anything he knew.

The leader stood above Grenn, now holding a large axe in his hands. Above him in the sky, he could see the owl that attacked him flying in the light of the moon. "For this night and all nights to come." His words were barely more than whispers.

Before the leader could raise his axe, an arrow founds its way into his head. As he fell to the ground, the yells of Wildlings could be heard charging towards them. The ground shook immensely before Grenn could barely see a giant charging with the Wildlings. It only took a moment for the Wildlings to slaughter the remaining raiders. When they finished, one of the Wildlings knelt down next to Grenn and turned him over to his back, lifting his head up.

The screecher owl that pecked at him was perched on the Wildling's shoulder. "I tried to warn you, crow. Sorry we didn't get here sooner."

A pair of wildings approached the others that surrounded Grenn's body, another one followed behind them, driving that wagon that nearly escaped. The Wildling with the owl stood up and approached them. "What's in it?"

Grenn moved his lips, but no sound came out. The Wilding brought his ear to Grenn's mouth, as to attempt to hear anything other than ragged breaths. "The wagon… Castle Black… keep safe…"

The Wilding that drove the wagon halted. "Cages, but there's nothing in them." He pointed his arm behind him to the cages.

One of the Wildlings inspected them and noticed the locking mechanisms were loose from the rivets. "There was something in them, but whatever it was escaped."

The Wildling with the owl sighed before looking back at Grenn's body. He returned to him and knelt down. "What was in them cages?"

Grenn couldn't answer. In fact, he couldn't even move. He couldn't feel anything in his body. He only heard what the Wildlings were saying. "We'll take em both to Castle Black.."

The giant that accompanied them carefully picked up Grenn's body and cradled him in one arm. They all began the journey to Castle Black.

Grenn's breathing stopped after that. The light of his eyes had faded away. He was gone.