WILL

CASTLE BLACK

Will thought about that conversation with Jon Snow everyday since he left. Four months later Will is in the courtyard with the other Rangers as Benjen Stark chooses men to go ranging beyond the wall. "Waymar Royce..." Will gasps. ("It can't be.") He thinks to himself, "Gared…" Will's heart starts pounding, "And Will...The three of you will head for the Haunted Forest...There is a village there..."

As Benjen calls the other assignments Waymar, Gared and Will gather by the Forge. "Gared get us some food...Will you see the Quartermaster and saddle the horses..."

Will saddles four horses, three to ride and one to carry supplies. "You look like shit Will...Are you alright?" The Quartermaster says after he is done saddling the Horses.

"Just a little jumpy..."

"So what do you need?"

"Um torches, flint, extra furs...tents...Um wine and water skins...Cooking spits..."

Will pauses as he thinks about his conversation with Jon...

"You there a word in private before I leave...Your name is Will right?"

"Yes My Lord. How did you know?"

Jon stares at him making him uncomfortable, "Why did you join the Night's Watch..."

"Wildlings killed by brother while he was on his way home from White Harbor..."

"You wanted revenge..."

"Yes..."

Jon takes a step closer, "One day you will be chosen along with your brothers Gared and Waymar to go ranging...You will come upon a village...You will find dead bodies there...They will not stay dead...They will rise and kill your brothers, but you will survive and you will run and desert your post..."

"Never!"

"You say that now...If you desert you will lose your head...But if you are strong and wise you can capture one of the dead and bring it back to the wall...Show them all what is coming for us...Bring chains and rope...Wights cannot pass the wall you will have to bring it around...by way of shadow tower or Eastwatch..."

"Wil! Will!"

"Sorry...Um...I need rope and a chain..."

"Why do you need that?"

"Better to not need it and have it then need it and not have it..."

"Whatever..."

The three mount their horses and they ride up the tunnel beneath the wall to the North side. Beyond the wall it is always snowing and it is always cold. They turn east as they enter the Haunted Forest heading towards the village of Deep Tree. The three brothers make camp at sunset. "Will why the rope and chain?" Gared asks.

"In case of an emergency..."

"Set the tents up...I will get a fire a going and take first watch...Will second watch and Gared last watch..."

At sunrise they are up and on the move. They break their fast while in the saddle. Deeper into the Haunted forest they head Northeast away from Craster's Keep. By the eighth day they reach the village. "We should keep the horses near by in case this is an ambush..." Will suggests nervously.

"Fine idea..." Waymar replies.

As they dismount their horses Gared looks at Will, "You've been jumpy ever since we left Castle Black..."

"Have I, I don't mean to be." Will ties the horses together and they search the village..."

"This will go faster if we split up..."

Will wants to say something, but he does not. When his brothers are out of sight he ignites his torch remembering that Wights can be killed with fire. He checks one house after another. "Over here!" Gared yells.

As Will rushes towards where Gared's voice sounded the wind starts to kick up and the snow starts to fall. "By the gods..." Will says. There are dead bodies piled up and around them are body parts cut up and laid out in a spiral pattern.

"Who would do such a thing?" Waymar asks.

"White Walkers..." Will says.

Waymar and Gared look at him, "What did you say?" Waymar asks.

"White Walkers...did this...We need to get the fuck out of here..."

"Calm down...You are a man of the Night's Watch...Maybe this was done by Thenns…"

"Storm's coming..." Gared says.

"We will hold up in one of the houses until it passes..."

"We should burn the bodies..." Will says.

The wind gets stronger and the fog engulfs them. The only reason they can see is because of Will's lit torch. "Link up!" Waymar commands.

"Waymar look out!" Will says. He is stabbed in the back by a pitch fork wielded by a walking corpse with blue eyes.

"Wight!" Will screams.

Gared runs forward and plunges his sword into the Wight. That is when another White bashes him in the head with a tree branch. Will pokes one of them with his torch and it goes up in flames whaling. Then he runs back towards where the horses are. Just as he arrives he finds a Wight stabbing Waymar's horse with a spear. He throws his torch, it flies through the air and hits the Wight. It bursts into flames. He grabs the rope and chain off the pack horse just as an arrow downs his horse. He looks back to see dozens of walking corpses coming at him.

Will swings his rope as he gallops pass one of the Wights and catches it. He drags it behind him as he speeds away on horseback. After a few miles the fog clears and Will stops. The Wight is screeching and struggling to free itself. "Fuck!" WIll dismounts his horse and runs to the White. As he tries to gag it, the thing tries to bite him. He punches it then he drives his dagger into its chin pinning its mouth shut. "Old and New gods don't let me die here..." Will prays as he ties a rag around the Wight's mouth.

Then he ties its hands and places a chain around it. Will rests for a few minutes then he gets his bearings and heads south. On and on, he goes sleeping in the saddle. He eventually spots a stream and drinks from it. Then Will continues on always heading South towards the wall. He finally reaches the wall and falls to his knees thanking all the gods known and unknown. He sees the marker for Castle Oakenshield, "Castle Black is only a few miles West..." He walks along the wall so that he can be spotted by the men on duty atop the wall.

Another day passes before Will finally makes it back. A horn sounds from above, one blast for returning Rangers. "That is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard..." When the gate opens he waves for men to come.

Soon he is joined by First Ranger Yarwick, "Will...Where are Waymar and Gared?"

"There dead...Killed by Wights...Look what I caught..."

He finally notices the corpse tied to his horse. "Why did you bring back a..." Before he could finish his question Will kicks it and it starts wiggling and groaning. "Son of bitch!"

"Fetch the Lord Commander..."

"Why lets just it bring it inside..."

"Because its a Wight...The old legends say Wights can't pass the wall, but we can bring it around..."

"Fetch the Lord Commander!" Yarwick yells running back up the tunnel. Soon the men of the Watch gather around Will to see the old legends come to life. "Fuck me!" One man says.

"Winter is Coming!" Bemjen Stark says.

"Stand aside for the Lord Commander..."

The Old Bear walks up with Alliser Thorne and Yoren who came with him, "Son of Bitch..."

Jeor looks at Will, "What happened..."

After he drinks from a water skin Will tells everyone gathered what happened, "I wanted to run...I almost did, but I had to catch one and show you what is coming...We have to show everyone what is coming for us..."

"You did well Will..." Jeor looks at Yoren, "Yoren get some men and take this thing..."

"Begging your pardon My Lord...But we have to take it around the wall...The Old legends say the White Walkers and their Wights can't pass beyond the wall...We have to take to East Watch or Shadow Tower..."

"How do you know all this?" Alliser asks.

"He told me this would happen..."

"Who?"

"Lord Stark's Bastard...Jon Snow when he came to visit...Before he left he said my brothers would die and that I would live, but I had to make a choice..."

"Benjen...Yoren form a team of fifty men and take this thing around the wall to East Watch and bring it back here...Will you get some rest..."

"With all due respect Lord Commander I want to go with my brothers..."

"As you wish...When you get back come straight to me we need to talk..."

It took a few hours to organize supplies and hitch a two wagons. They place the Wight in one wagon and the supplies in the other. They return to Castle Black after two and half weeks of travel. After Will rests he goes to see the Lord Commander in private, then a Raven is sent to Winterfell asking that Lord Eddard Stark come to Castle Black.