At the Wall…

The darkness of night had coveted the skies above the sworn brothers of the Night's Watch; winter clouds and freezing winds blew and chilled their bones in anticipation of what's to come. Stationed atop the icy walkway of the Wall, Jon Snow's eyes scoured across the forest trees that lay beyond the Wall—scouting, watching… waiting. He had a rough year and risked a lot to betray the Free Folk he had accompanied and escape to Castle Black to report his findings to the Night's Watch leadership.

"Mance's army was closing in on Craster's Keep when we left. We saw their campfires from Osric's Hill. They'll reach the Wall before the next full moon," he told them.

Before that, Jon led a small group of his loyal brethren back to Craster's Keep to slay the traitorous mutineers responsible for murdering the previous Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Jeor Mormont, before they could pass on any information about Castle Black to the King-Beyond-the-Wall Mance Rayder and his massive wildling army—killing their notorious leader Karl Tenner and avenging Mormont's death.

But even so, Jon Snow shook his head as he was still forced to endure public humiliation and ridicule amongst the older veterans—especially the Master-at-Arms Ser Alliser Throne, now serving as Acting Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. When Jon was seen training the additional recruits and suggested sealing the tunnels, Ser Alliser was on him hard.

"Grenn's a ranger, you're a steward. Maybe you forgot that while you were away with your wildling bitch, but I didn't," Alliser sharply reprimanded him. Or…

"You would cut off our legs, pluck out our eyes, leave us cowering behind the Wall hoping for the storm to pass?"

"We can't defend the gate against 100,000 men."

"This castle has stood for thousands of years. The Night's Watch has defended her for thousands of years. And in all those centuries, we have never sealed the tunnel."

Jon was visibly angry and frustrated with Ser Alliser's dismissals. He knew that even with acquiring an additional 8,500 conscripts and volunteers from across the realm to replenish the Night's Watch's depleted numbers and bolster its ranks to man the other abandoned castles as well as the arrival of shipments containing food, weapons and armor, the Night's Watch was still heavily outnumbered approximately 12:1.

But worse than that… was the thought of leaving Ygritte behind. Jon closed his eyes and sadly frowned, shaking his head as her face entered his thoughts.

"You know nothing, Jon Snow," Ygritte always taunted Jon.

"You're brave… Stupid, but brave."

"The girl likes you," Mance Rayder told him. "You like her back, Snow? That why you want to join us?"

"I don't ever want to leave this cave, Jon Snow. Not ever."

"Do you think I'm as dumb as all those girls in silk dresses you knew growing up? You're loyal and you're brave," she told him. "You didn't stop being a crow the day you walked into Mance Rayder's tent. But I'm your woman now, Jon Snow. You're going to be loyal to your woman. The Night's Watch don't care if you live or die. Mance Rayder don't care if I live or die. We're just soldiers in their armies and there's plenty more to carry on if we go down. It's you and me that matters to me and you. Don't ever betray me. Because I'll cut your pretty cock right off, and wear it around me neck."

Jon felt honor bound to commit to his vows to the Night's Watch, though that did little to ease the pain he felt in his heart. He missed Ygritte deeply and yet he still betrayed her when he killed the wildling warg Orell and three other wildlings under Tormund Giantsbane's command before making his daring escape.

"I do know some things," Jon told Ygritte. "I know I love you. I know you love me. But I have to go home now."

Although Jon did manage to get away and return to Castle Black, Ygritte still shot him with three arrows—two in his back and another in the leg. That was the last time Jon Snow ever saw Ygritte… and as he continued scouring the lands north of the Wall, Jon approached Ser Alliser on the top of the Wall and both saw what Jon knew what was bound to happen: before their very eyes, Mance Rayder delivered on his promise to light the biggest fire the North has ever seen. Stepping out from the forests in the dead of night, the presence of a massive wildling army emerged—their numbers including giants riding atop mammoths. Shouts, taunts and bellows could be heard from several miles away.

"Our brothers' have the last of the oil set into place, Ser Alliser," he informed him.

Alliser looked at the bastard. "100,000 you say?"

"Yes, ser."

"You can say it if you like," he admitted ruefully. "We should have sealed the tunnel while we had the chance, like you suggested."

"It was a difficult decision either way, ser," Jon shook his head, but held his head high with confidence, "but at least our pleas for help were at least answered. We did pick up more men and supplies from the realm—more than we've ever received from the centuries. Our new brothers have been stationed at the other castles. Deep Lake, Queensgate, Shadow Tower, Long Barrow, Sentinel Stand, Eastwatch-by-the-Sea… Greyguard stands re-manned and ready to launch a flanking maneuver against the wildlings."

Alliser stared blankly. "Aye, the Night's Watch has gotten stronger but we're still nowhere near as strong as it once was during Aegon Targaryen's conquest 300 years ago," he paused. "Do you know what true leadership means, Lord Snow?"

Jon raised an eyebrow; what prompted the Acting Lord Commander to ask such a question at such a pivotal moment?

"It means that the person in charge gets second-guessed by every clever little twat with a mouth. But if he starts second-guessing himself, that's the end… for him, for the clever little twats, for everyone. This is not the end. Not for us. Not if you lot do your duty for however long it takes to beat them back. And then you get to go on hating me and I get to go on wishing your wildling whore had finished the job."

However brief that moment of compassion was, Jon Snow still hated it whenever Ser Alliser Thorne referred to Ygritte as a mere 'wildling whore'. Yes, she was a wildling, but Jon still loved her in spite of everything that's happened.

"Joffrey! Get up here, boy!" the Acting Lord Commander snapped.

Joffrey Baratheon, having recovered from his wounds, hesitantly staggered up holding one of the new crossbows delivered from the capital.

"You know how to use a sword?" he asked.

Joffrey stammered. "I… I prefer t-the crossbow, ser."

Ser Alliser looked crossed. "So the answer's a 'no' then? How you and Tarly of all people came to be the most useless of all little twats here I'll never come to understand."

The exiled Prince opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off quick.

"See them?" Alliser pointed to certain factions in the wildling army. "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?"

Joffrey stood still, shivering from the cold as he shook his head 'no.'

"Then you'd best pick up a sword and learn how to use it properly. Keep it close, ready to bloody it. 'Cause if you can't get off more than one shot, then you're as good as dead. I didn't waste 20 years of my life training you useless recruits all so you could just bring shame on the Night's Watch."

*HORN!*

Ser Alliser stood near the edge of the Wall, listening to the sounds of the wildling army bellowing, shouting and cursing. Raising his fist up high, the Acting Lord Commander turned to the assembled Night's Watch defenders.

"Archers nock!" he ordered. "Everyone else hold!"

The archery team pulled the strings on their bows back, flame-tipped arrows pointed and ready to fire on command. Joffrey, meanwhile, shakenly pulled out a lever and placed it on his crossbow—pulling the string back with the mechanical construct and placed a bolt in the center before bringing up to aim. Grenn was nearby, loading the ramps with barrels filled with oil. Unfortunately, the lad lost his footing and slipped—accidently dropping the barrel.

"Grenn, no!" Eddison shouted.

As Grenn quickly staggered on his knees to grasp it, the wooden barrel fell off the Wall until it crashed against the icy bottom. Ser Alliser saw that and was fuming.

"I said nock and hold, you cunts! Does nock mean draw?!" he yelled.

"No, ser!" they shook their heads.

"Does fucking hold mean fucking drop?!"

"No, ser!"

"You all plan to die here tonight?!"

"No, ser!"

"That's very good to hear!" Alliser continued drilling his men. "Draw!"

*STRETCHING!*

*HORN!*

Alliser, Jon and Joffrey turned behind them at the sound of another warning horn coming from Castle Black itself below.

"What's going on down there?!" Alliser yelled.

One of the new Night's Watch recruits, Channer of House Morshall, slid across the ground and quickly approached the Acting Lord Commander.

"The widlings! They're attacking the southern gate!" Channer reported.

"Now?!"

"Yes, ser. Now! They're being led by a wildling with a fierce beard who led the sack of Mole's Town!"

'That's…' Jon thought. "Tormund Giantsbane," he said. "How many widlings does he have in his warband?"

"300."

"Has word been sent to the other castles?"

Channer nodded. "More of our brothers from the Shadow Tower and Sentinel Stand are currently on their way, but Castle Black needs help right now before the wildlings breach the north gate!"

Ser Alliser gritted his teeth. "Ah, fuck! I'm going down there. You lots hold the Wall!"

"Wha…?" Joffrey sputtered.

The Acting Lord Commander quickly spun around. "What are you fucking waiting for? Loose!" he shouted before turning to reinforce Castle Black.

Joffrey shook his head left and right. "Wh-what are you fools waiting for? We need to attack them! Loose!" he panicked.

"Joffrey, wait!" Jon exclaimed.

*TWANG!*

Wave after wave, a barrage of fire-tipped arrows shot through the night sky. Most of the arrows miss their targets with the exception of a few lucky enough to hit several taunting wildlings who stood too close within range. Regardless, the massive wildling army of 100,000 still remained standing holding their shields up and bellowing more, louder shouts and taunts. Down below, the Night's Watch defending the gates of Castle Black took out their fair share of wildlings, but the warband led by Tormund Giantsbane and Styr still kept coming.

"Let's go teach 'em crows how we Free Folk fight!" he roared.

Ygritte drew her bow, stretched back and released—her arrow piercing 10 targets whilst theirs missed her. She joined her brethren in throwing up hooks to climb the walls. Ser Alliser and 100 men fought to hold off the wildlings as they climbed over the gate and into Castle Black itself.

"Protect the gate!" he hollered.

Alliser looked up to see Tormund knocking a Night's Watch brother down a flight of stairs before parrying a blow from another before stabbing him through the chest. More and more Night's Watchmen moved to attack, Tormund proved a very dangerous fighter and killed multiple men that came at him. As the Acting Lord Commander rushed up the steps, unfortunately, Tormund heard Alliser approaching from behind and quickly spun around.

"Rraah!" he roared.

Swinging his makeshift blade, Ser Alliser and Tormund engage in single combat. Locking blades, Tormund pushes the Acting Lord Commander backwards before lunging forward. Ser Alliser narrowly rolled to the side, the wildling blade hitting only the wooden rail before charging at him again. Tormund grabbed Ser Alliser by the throat and lifted him up off the ground, but is met with two hard punches—forcing the wildling chieftain to stumble backwards; but only for a moment. Before Ser Alliser could raise his blade to strike again, Tormund charged and tackled him again.

"Savage barbarian…!" Ser Alliser cursed at him, pressing forward.

Tormund rolled backwards and ducked down, grabbing the hilt of Ser Alliser's weapon before swinging his own blade across his enemy's midsection.

"Gah!" the Acting Lord Commander exclaimed in pain.

Getting back on his feet, Tormund pressed his advantage, roaring as he brought down multiple blows on Ser Alliser's sword before the wounded Acting Lord Commander rolled off and landed on a pile of straw below. Back on the northern side of the Wall, a giant seen riding a mammoth begins motioning for his tribesmen and dozens of wildlings to move forward and breach the Outer Gate.

*"Bahruuuuuuhhhhaaaaa!"*

On top of the Wall, Joffrey Baratheon—having no true leadership experience and the thought of actually facing someone he knows he can't best in battle again—quickly reverted to his noticeably cowardly state.

"This isn't real…" Joffrey stammered. "A bunch of thieves, murders and cutthroats that's what the Night's Watch is. I was a Prince. Royalty! People obeyed my orders without question."

Jon Snow felt his patience wearing thin at Joffrey's sudden cowardice. "We can't just let them attack the gate!"

"You heard the man, Snow. Those bars are four inches of cold-rolled steel."

"Those are giants riding mammoths down there! Do you think your cold-rolled steel is going to stop them?"

Joffrey shook his head. "No such thing as giants," his voice cracked with denial. "A story for the children."

Grenn and Eddison along with a dozen of their sworn brothers looked on in shame and frustration at Joffrey's behavior. Jon Snow felt his frustration boil at such cowardice and the inability if not outright refusal to contribute towards the Night's Watch's goals and decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Damn it, Joffrey!" Jon cursed. "Archers, nock your arrows!"

Grenn and Eddison nodded with approval as did others.

"Nock arrows!"

"Draw!"

*STRETCHING!*

"Loose!"

*TWANG!*

Emboldened with real leadership, the Night's Watch archers fired off a barrage of arrows. The charging wildling armies began suffering more losses to Jon Snow than they did with Ser Alliser Throne as each were hit with several arrows hitting their targets; regardless, the Free Folk forces were still large as most who made it to the Wall pulled out their pickaxes and dug their spiked cleats into the 700-foot tall, 300-mile long icy fortification. Jon Snow looked down and noticed what the next move would be.

"They won't summit before dawn."

"How do you know that?" Grenn asked.

"Because I've made that climb," Jon pointed out.

"I think they're in a bigger hurry than you were," Eddison humorously countered.

Justain Flowers, a bastard recruit, rushed to approach Jon Snow. "Reinforcements have arrived! Our brothers from the Shadow Tower and Sentinel Stand have taken the field to drive the wildlings back from Castle Black!"

Jon nodded and motioned for his brethren to begin the next phase. Attaching squads of two archers with harnesses and having them face directly downwards, the Night's Watch shot their bows and arrows at the Free Folk climbing the Wall. Whilst some of the wildlings on the ground moved to return fire, their arrows were far too short to reach the black brothers on top of the wall. One the giants, however, Dongo crouched onto one knee next to him, pulls a massive bow and shoots a ballista bolt at the Wall, wreaking havoc on their defenses.

"Seven hells!" cursed recruit Dercin Follard, witnessing the bolt hit a brother with such force it causes him to fly off the other side of the Wall and land in the middle of Castle Black.

"Fuck!" cursed recruit Jallen Foler.

Back in Castle Black, Ygritte aimed her bow—her fingers pulling back the string and releasing it. One by one, her arrows hit their target with sharp accuracy in the head, chest and back as Styr swung his two-handed battleaxe into the chest cavity of four more Night's Watch brothers. Back on the other side of the Wall, the giant king Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg dismounted from his mammoth as soon as it reached the front gate. Attaching chains and hooks from the mammoth to the gate, Jon Snow narrows his eyes from above to examine the activity as he watched three giants, a squad of wildlings and a mammoth began pulling on the gates' bars and hinges.

"The outer gate won't hold," Jon called out. "Grenn, take ten men and hold the inner gate!"

Grenn nodded. "You got it! We'll hold the gate as long as it takes!"

"If they make it through—"

"They won't," he reassured his friend. "Come on, Hill. And you, Copper. You too, Flowers. You seven, on me! Come on, you lazy bastards!"

*HORN!*

Grenn, Donnel Hill, Cooper and Justain Flowers rushed to the lift to reinforce the inner gate and possibly meet resistance from giants on the other side. At Castle Black, Samwell Tarly cradled the body of his dead friend Pypar who received a mortal wound after Ygritte shot him with an arrow through his throat. Samwell, crossbow in hand, moves to reach Castle Black's lift system but is spotted by a Thenn warg. The warg charges at Samwell as he desperately attempts to load his crossbow, managing to do so and fired a bolt into the Thenn's head just before he reaches him.

Samwell arrives to the lift system but notices the mechanical construct lowering someone. Hiding behind a barrel, Samwell notices Grenn, Donnel, Cooper, Justain and seven more rushing out.

"Grenn!" he calls out. "Our reinforcements are putting up a fight, but more wildlings just keep coming!"

Grenn looks over the railing, noticing reinforcements keeping the tide of wildlings at bay. "Yeah, we've pretty much noticed that already!"

"Where's Jon?"

"Still on top of the Wall! He's in command now!"

Back on top of the Wall, Eddison notices the four-inch steel bars were starting to bend and buckle.

"Drop those fucking oils on the giants!" he called out.

Each carrier carrying five explosive barrels, each brother of the Night's Watch lit the fuses and lifted the carrier—watching them roll off and hit the ground with such velocity before exploding on impact, killing most of the human wildlings and setting the mammoth's hindquarters on fire, making it flee in terror. The other giant Dongo runs after it, but is impaled through the back by a huge ballista bolt shot from atop the Wall. The giant king Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg roars in fury as he slips his fingers underneath the gates' bars and forcing it open.

Jon noticed it below. "Edd, you have the Wall," he called out.

Eddison's eyes widened with stunning astonishment and confusion.

"If they try the mammoths again, drop fire on them. If the climbers get too high, drop the scythe on them!"

Eddison shook his head as he watched Jon march into the lift system. "Might as well enjoy our last night, right, boys?" he chuckles. "Light the fuckers up! Nock! Draw! Loose!"

At Castle Black…

Having decided to assist the reinforcements' battle with the wildlings, Jon Snow rallied what few men he could spare whilst the rest remained with Eddison Tollett. Descending from the Wall, Jon enters the fray with his direwolf Ghost—the albino beast having been released from his pen. Wielding the Valyrian steel sword Longclaw he inherited from the deceased Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, Jon quickly dispatches several wildlings as Ghost mauls several wildlings' throats out. His actions soon catch the attention of Styr.

"Snow!" he snarled.

Gripping Longclaw, Jon and Styr engage in single combat. Although Longclaw did have weightlessness and the reach, the Thenn leader takes advantage of size and strength superiority; gaining the upper hand against Jon Snow by knocking Longclaw away before backhanding Jon across the face before swinging his axe down. Jon sees the Thenn's attack coming and sidesteps, causing Styr to only smash his weapon against the armory collection as Jon retaliates by knocking Styr's axe out of his hands with an iron chain.

Nearby, Ygritte replenished her arrows with scattered ones. Her bow ready and the string pulled back, the spearwife stops for a quick moment when she spots Jon Snow and Styr fighting. Ygritte convinced herself that she wanted revenge for the way her lover betrayed her, but surprisingly couldn't actually bring herself to do it. She shot him with arrows, but deep down couldn't kill him.

*BAM!*

*BAM!*

*SMACK!*

The duel quickly devolves into a brutal hand-to-hand combat where Styr overpowers Jon and smashes the black bastard's face into an anvil before tossing him into the blacksmith's forge. Jon rolls out of the flames, yet is disoriented and bleeds from his nose. Before he could regain his footing, however, Styr picks Jon up and begins strangling him.

"After ye die, I'm gonna eat ya," Styr grinned wickedly. "And yer friends, we're gonna eat 'em too. Say yer prayers, Jon Snow!"

Finding himself in a similar situation from his fight with Karl Tanner, Jon spat in Styr's face, momentarily blinding him.

"Gah!" Styr disgustedly exclaimed.

Noticing the blacksmith hammer within arm's reach, Jon grabs it and smashes it into a distracted Styr's head with a sickening thud.

*CRACK!*

The force of the impact buried part of the blacksmith hammer, causing Styr to loosen his grip around Jon Snow as he slumps to the ground. Upon killing Styr, Jon wipes his nose and stumbled around, bruised and exhausted. However, to his great surprise, Jon sees Ygritte pointing her bow at him with an arrow drawn.

"Ygritte…" he coughed.

"Jon Snow…" she greeted coldly.

Despite the fighting going on around them and their… unfortunate reunion, Jon smiles at Ygritte. He still loved her and suspected she felt the same way regardless of her bravado. Even if it's a small act of affection, this appears to cause Ygritte's facial features to somewhat soften—a mix of anger and sadness—and lowers her bow slightly. Before either could say anything else, Ygritte felt a sharp pierce in her back.

*THUD!*

"Nugh!" she gasped.

Ygritte's eyes widened in shock as did Jon Snow's; an arrow had been shot through the wildling spearwife's chest. As she gasped and struggled for breath, Ygritte slowly fell to the ground. Jon looked up to see his squire Olly, a farm boy from the Gift he took on as his steward following the deaths of his parents at the Free Folk's hands. Olly held a bow in his hands and lowered it, confirming Jon's suspicions that he indeed shot the arrow into Ygritte's back and pierced her heart.

Without hesitation, Jon rushed towards Ygritte and held her close in his arms. Sadness, grief and regret quickly took over as he tenderly cradled her. Ygritte's eyes fluttered slightly even while she started coughing up blood.

"Jon Snow…?" Ygritte said, very weakly. It sounded as though the arrow had found a lung. "Is this… a proper castle now? Not… just a tower?"

"It is," he took her hand in his own.

"Good," she whispered. "I wanted t' see… one proper castle before…"

Jon shook his head. "Hush. Don't talk," his voice cracked. "You'll see a hundred castles. I'll have Maester Aemon treat you."

Ygritte smiled at that. "D'you… remember the cave? We should… we should have stayed in the cave…"

"We'll go back there, Ygritte. I promise. You're not going to die."

"Oh." Ygritte cupped his cheek with her hand. "You know nothing… Jon Snow," she sighed, drawing her last breath and closing her eyes one last time.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Jon felt his lip tremble and closed his eyes shut. Now knowing that Ygritte was indeed dead, the bastard black brother merely sat in the courtyard as the fighting around him was reaching its conclusion—pressing his forehead against Ygritte's as waves of emotion swept over him.

Come sunrise, the battle was over. A few wildling lieutenants were taken captive as the still very large force withdrew into the Haunted Forest. Although the Night's Watch remained standing, to Jon Snow, it was a hollow victory. The enemy was pushed back, but he knew they'd return again the next day… However, the worst of it all was losing the woman he loved again. Permanently.

Chapter End

Author's Note: Holy god, I'd never thought I'd reach the epic Battle of Castle Black. A bit of changes here and there, some new faces among the Night's Watch and an increase from ~100 men to 8,500—stronger, well-equipped and larger but still nowhere near the peak they held from their absolute best of 10,000 during Aegon the Conqueror. Was that technically considered enough to man the other abandoned castles or no? Joffrey, although showing a moment's courage, quickly deflated again (no surprise there). This time I figured I'd make casualties among the Night's Watch a bit lighter so I'll let you guys know if you are big fans of Grenn I'll be keeping him around. So stay tuned for the next chapter. Thoughts? Let me know.

Morgan: Great update. I really liked the battle for Castle Black with its action and emotional impact. So it was nice to see it play out here.

Oh Joffery. He had me for a bit then went back to being the Joffery we all love to hate.

RHatch89: Awesome update :)

―Thanks.

Patty 4577: Great chapter. By the way where's Robb. You think as Warden of the North and caring about Jon he would be charging to the wall with 20,000 men.

―Although the Northmen won't be riding south for a while now that winter's come, House Umber of Last Hearth is much closer to the Wall than Winterfell so chances are they'd be more likely to respond than Robb could.

The Last Kenpachi: What would hilarious is if Jon went full King Leonidas, held the gate and butchered every idiot that even tried to get past him.

―"Madness? This... Is... the Wall!" *Sparta kick*

ZabuzasGirl: Merry Christmas! Hope we get to the execution soon!

―Merry Christmas to you too. Don't worry; you'll get that chapter soon.

10868letsgo: Awesome Chapter. Can't wait to see more.

―Thanks.

mpowers045: The update is one of the reasons that makes my Christmas time the best