Kobe struggled with the bread as he tried to eat with his tied up hands.
"Can't you just untie me while we are eating?" He asked Norey as the black brother ate his own food. It was weird enough getting used to this new body, the restraints were just annoying.
"Not until you say your vows to the Night's Watch."
"I'm not running, just let me wash my hands and eat like a proper person."
"Wash your hands?" He scoffed. "Ye some noble? You won't be washing your hands alot at the Watch."
"So how do you clean after shitting on the wall?"
"If ye keep talking, ye'll be the one to clean everyone's shit on the wall." He threatened and Kobe got back to his food.
He looked at his small party of two thieves, two murderers and two guards. He vowed that he would make friends out of these people.
…
"Charge forward, Buggy!" Jon shouted as he hit the mule with a stick.
"Stop calling it Buggy. It's a stupid name." Robb complained from atop his horse, but Jon ignored him.
They were travelling on the carriage that the Starks had confiscated from Kobe and co. Jon did not know what happened to the money they had stolen, probably given to any relatives if they were found.
"Do you think it's a stupid name, guys?" He asked the two boys they had convinced to come with them to the wolfswood. Jon made a mental name to teach them not to go along with their friends to do dangerous things. But it benefitted him this time, so he ignored it.
"It's a name as good as any." Said Chara, who was eighteen and thought himself a grown up who was humouring a couple of lordlings. But Jon thought that the 6 ft tall boy enjoyed the attention.
"Well, it is a mule. So something like Kicker would work." Said Byren, who was even taller at nineteen, but wanted to prove that he was smarter than the impression he gave as a big brute of a man.
"You hear that, Snow? Kicker is a much better name." Robb replied and Byren preened at that.
Jon laughed. "Tell you what? Pull your weight today and I'll see about renaming the mule on your suggestion."
They all agreed and they soon reached their destination. Jon looked at Bird as it perched on a tree nearby. As they travelled, the bird had been keeping watch around them for wild animals. They all got out of the carriage and Chara and Byren made the appropriate surprised noises at the huge dead body.
It took some clever engineering and a lot of effort from all four of them, but they managed to load the dead body of the direwolf onto the carriage.
Byren had to ride behind Robb so that the newly named Kicker could lead the carriage at any decent pace. But they reached Winterfell before Lord and Lady Stark could get worried and send people to look for Robb.
…
"And that was how I became a captain in the City Watch!" Jon relayed the tale of him bravely catching two murderers to Sansa and Arya, and got inducted as a founding member into the Wintertown City Watch.
"You are not the captain, Snow. Hallis is." Robb corrected him like the straight laced spoil-sport that he was. "You don't even have any men under you."
"Hallis is the commander of the City Watch." I gave him my own interpretation of the situation. "I am his direct subordinate. So that makes me a captain. I just don't have any members in my squad yet."
Robb laughed as if I wasn't completely serious. Reinterpreting your status and achievements was a necessary skill in the modern job market. Jon had gotten quite good at it.
"It's not even a real City Watch. The members are just borrowed from the men-at-arms." Robb continued.
"No, no. The men-at-arms are in rotation with the City Watch until father decides who goes where."
It would probably be Jory and Hallis who decide it, but that was how it was. Once father had received the news of the King's arrival, he had decided to agree to Jon's proposal in order to keep the city in order when the King's party arrived and its members caused trouble.
"And are you still angry I left you out, Robb? I said I would bring you along the next time we went to catch a criminal."
"You better do, Jon." His brother grumped.
Still, Jon managed to impress his sisters and hoped to spread the news of his job becoming official to more people. They didn't have LinkedIn here, so he made do.
…
Working for Hallis wasn't complicated, thought Jon. He was a very straightforward person, though not much of an organiser.
Jon had started acting like he was a captain, and no one had told him that he was not. It annoyed some of the older men, especially Tom who had gathered his own clique that followed his lead. But Jon was generally the first one to find a crime in progress or a criminal on the run, so he had the most information at most times. Which made people get used to following his orders.
Fighting crimes wasn't that hard with the lack of regulations on policing, so Jon focused on maintaining good relations with the citizenry. After all, he didn't want this City Watch to emulate the same reputation as the Gold Cloaks.
Another outcome of the formation of the City Watch was that when word came from Castle Cerwyn that the King's party had arrived there, it was them who were sent to escort them. Hallis chose to go himself and brought Jon along with three other men, and Ghost. The wolf had grown to the size of a dog and thoroughly enjoyed the journey.
They met the larger party one day away from home and let their Cerwyn counterparts know that they could return to their own castle. It took them two days to reach Winterfell, given their slow pace. Jon decided to spend it by keeping an eye out for troublemakers. If he made a list of the most likely people to commit crimes in Wintertown, he could better spy on them during their stay, and arrest them red-handed.
The journey was tiring, so as they reached Winterfell, Jon and a couple others left for the house they had commandeered as a barrack for the Watch, which was now being called Winter Watch. Which wasn't very creative, but he gave the people credit for the attempt.
They rested and then they trained outside the house, and Jon kept his two extra eyes on the city's law and order.
…
Kobe stepped forward as his name was called, declaring him a ranger. Ser Alliser Thorne had found him an infuriating student to teach.
He seemingly learnt how to fight at a prodigious speed. He had claimed to have had no sword training before, but also had some ingrained habits in his fighting skill.
The mind inside Kobe made a note of this issue if he ever piloted the body of an unskilled man again. Birds were so much easier.
He got scolded by Lord Commander Mormont when they asked if he wanted to go to the Sept or the Godswoods to take his oaths, and he asked what if he worshipped the Drowned God. Apparently, if you do, you are sent off to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea to take their vows near the sea. And then stay there, probably like Cotter Pyke.
That would ruin Kobe's plans though. So he shut up and went to the Godswoods.
…
Jon should have known that it would be about whores. He hurried over to The Full Moon which was more of an inn than a brothel, but was still obvious in its side business. The streets were not exactly meant for galloping horses, and the new arrivals didn't make it easier, but he made do.
The insults had already escalated to punches, but thankfully no blade had been drawn.
"Stop this! In the name of the City Watch! In the name of Lord Stark!" Jon shouted, gathering the attention of the other patrons, but not the combatants.
"Get the girls away from them!" Jon commanded, and his efforts in familiarising himself with the townsfolk work as people stop gawking at the fight and help clear the room. Getting the bystanders away from harm should be the first job of the police, Jon felt. Then he gave another command of "Stop in the name of Lord Eddard Stark!" before letting Ghost loose.
Ghost took the cue and did one of the tricks that Jon had taught him where he went in, snarling and looking ready to eat people alive, but then backed off with tongue lolling as if to say "just kidding".
The trick worked just like the simulations and both men broke apart at the sound of an attacking predator, making Jon vow to get Ghost his favourite food from the Winterfell kitchens.
"I am a son of Lord Eddard Stark," he spoke quickly, brandishing his shield with a Stark direwolf on it, "and you are in violation of breaking the peace in his city! Submit yourself to his judgement!"
They did not make any attempt at attacking each other again, and Jon was able to get a story from them. One of the combatants was a Stormlander knight called Harlan sworn to House Errol, the other was a local called Varly.
Ser Halan had come in and decided to buy the time of a whore, and the woman had agreed. But Varly had not. It turned out that Varly had something of a crush on her, and had been paying her semi-regularly to not have sex with anyone else. The woman and her proprietor had been content with the arrangement with the usual lack of business in Wintertown. But with the recent upsurge in business, they were much less willing to miss out on the coin.
Ser Harlan, on seeing the drama Varly had started, had the option of backing out or choosing a different woman. He, of course, chose to make fun of the man who fancied himself in love with a whore, and proceeded to vulgarly grope her in front of him.
The men almost went to each other's throats while giving Jon their sides of the story, but he held order long enough for other Winterwatchers to arrive, and despite the protest of both men, "I was only defending myself" and "I was defending a woman's virtue", they were both taken back to the barracks, and Jon went to inform someone in the castle about the incident.
Jon entered the castle, and while it took some time, he found Lord Stark and relayed the incident.
"That is a curious reason for a drunken brawl. I am surprised you even looked that deep into it."
"Why would I not? Since we are dedicated solely to crime fighting, we have plenty of time to interrogate people even for just brawls."
"Well, what do you think their punishment should be?"
"Let them cool off in the barracks for a night. Let them go in the morning with a warning." Jon answered.
"You will have to make arrangements for it with whoever is staying the night at the barracks." His father reminded him, and Jon winced.
While he spent most of the day in the town, he still returned to his room in the castle to sleep. He didn't actually have any subordinates he could command to guard them through the night, and the fledgling organisation did not yet have things like night shifts, with some of the members just staying in the barracks whichever night they felt like.
"Oh. I could agree to do it myself, but that's not really a permanent solution. If whoever makes an arrest has to stay and guard them, people would just stop making arrests." Jon complained, knowing it was one of his father's "take responsibility for the work you create" type lessons. "I don't suppose I could use your name to command someone to do it? I will make sure to create a fair schedule for who stays for the night."
"Tell Hallis to find someone to do it." His father sighed. "I will speak to him about creating a schedule."
Jon agreed to it. Hallis would involve him in doing it anyway, but Father could be a bit stubborn about the proper chain of commands.
…
The next morning Jon personally went in to ensure the prisoners got released and warned them that he would be keeping an eye on them. He would, especially on the brothel. Partly because the woman from earlier was likely to be the centre of possible conflict between those two. Partly because he was a teenage boy, and it had naked women. Then returned to the castle.
The King was out on a hunt, and Jon had made sure to come and spend time with his siblings. It was not difficult to corral Bran and Arya into a room by telling them stories of his "adventures".
…
Things came to a head a week later when before he could leave the castle for the day, a servant came and told him that Lord Stark wanted to see him in the Godswood.
Jon found him sitting near the pond, a strainer in his hand that he ran over the water to collect the leaves lying on the water. When the strainer was full, he dumped it in a bucket. Jon didn't bother questioning what the guy with an army of servants was thinking doing manual labour. It was probably a lesson of some sort.
So he just went and sat close to him, then started copying his father, picking the leaves and dropping them into the bucket.
"You have been working hard, Jon." He smiled as he spoke.
"Hmm. So have you, father." He returned, surprising a laugh out of him. "It's true," He protested. "Hosting the King and his party at such short notice could not have been easy."
"Thank you, Jon. I am glad my efforts are recognized. But on that topic, the King will be leaving soon. And I will be leaving with him to become the Hand of the King." He looked for Jon's response, then said "You are not surprised."
"I suspected that he came here to ask you to take up Lord Arryn's duties. And while I would rather you not go south, it's not like you can just refuse the King." And that he felt was true. The moment Robert decided that Ned Stark would be his Hand, it became almost impossible for father to refuse him without risking fallout between the crown and the North.
"When I am gone, I want to know what you want to do in my absence."
"Well, I had some ideas for the Watch. We need some form of identification for the others who don't have a convenient direwolf to prove their identity. Something like the Gold Cloaks, but less-"
"Jon," he interrupted. "I meant what did you want- I can arrange a fostering for you, while I am gone."
"Are you asking me to leave Winterfell?"
Lord Stark sighed and answered, "Only while I am away. You can return when I do."
"You mean when Lady Stark is no longer in charge of Winterfell." Jon stated.
"She has her reasons, Jon." He chided Jon for his tone.
"I know that." Jon wasn't chided. "She doesn't want to have to notice my existence. So I have been spending most of the day outside the castle. I am not bothering her in any way."
"You have also been leading an increasingly organised number of men in all but name." He said, and Jon froze. He had known that, but he had always thought of the Watch as a policing force, not a military unit. While militaries could be used for coup d'etat, the police get called when someone plays music too loud at night. Or so Jon had subconsciously been thinking.
But there was not much of a difference between the two for Westerosis. In fact, the man in front of him would go on to try and get the support of the King's Landing City Watch to take control of the crown.
With that reasoning, he could understand why Lady Stark would be worried. But,
"So should you not be wanting to just remove me from the Watch? Give me another position in the castle, like among the men-at-arms, or the household guards?" When he doesn't answer Jon continued, "You are not asking me to leave because my position in the Watch means I'm some sort of a threat to Lady Stark or Robb. You would have done it anyway. Because I am a bastard."
"I have told you Jon. I am not throwing you away. You can return when I do. As long as I am in Winterfell, you will always have a home by my side. I can promise you that."
Lord Stark continued, "You have done a good job with the Watch, and I can think of several towns that could use your help with something similar."
Jon wanted to believe that, but it sounded like he was only rephrasing exile in a way that would appeal to Jon's nature of making himself useful.
"I will have to think over this, Lord Stark." he said curtly, and walked away.
Jon spent the rest of the day collecting information, both in person and through gathering gossip via Bird.
For one, he learnt that Ned and Catelyn had been on outs since the Winterwatch was formally established. They had barely been talking unless it concerned their duties as Lord and Lady of Winterfell.
Jon then thought about the offer to be fostered somewhere temporarily. The thought didn't appeal to Jon. He wanted a stable, relatively safe job. Not to go around the North, helping people keep order in their lands. He doubted other Lords would be as accommodating of his ideas as Ned Stark had been.
And then there was the issue of his return. Once he was sent away and lost his place in Winterfell, it would be much more difficult to come back. That was assuming Ned Stark even came back to Winterfell alive.
That was another entire can of worms. Part of the reason he had puppeted Kobe was so that he could experiment with his powers in the lawless lands of the True North. Once he got a true idea of what he could do, he had intended to make a plan dealing with the south. Like sending someone to go on a rampage and kill all Lannisters, while Jon himself stayed safe in Winterfell.
But things would have to be done differently now. The fostering thing was unacceptable. Being moved from Winterfell to a lesser castle was just the standard demotion plus transfer package.
No, if he was forced to move to a different city, he would choose one greater than Winterfell. He would choose King's Landing. And while he was at it, he would do something about this pesky bastard status. His earlier idea that it would not affect his humble career adversely was clearly delusional.
With that decided, he went to the Lord's solars.
"Lord Stark. I have decided that I want to see the south."
"I'm sorry, Jon. But the court would not welcome you kindly. I cannot take you south with me." He said sadly.
But Jon had no need for his sadness, only his agreement. So disregarding the obvious ulterior motives Eddard Stark had for not taking Rhaegar's son to the city that Rhaegar's family died in, Jon said,
"That's all right. I do not need you to take me. I can make my own way south. I just need you to not stop me."
"Who will you travel with Jon?"
"I hope to find a knight to squire under. And in time become a knight myself."
Lord Stark looked doubtful. "The last time you met a knight, you put him in prison."
Despite himself, Jon chuckled. He had already forgotten their names, only calling them dick and simp in his mind. Perhaps Ser Dick would take him in. But no, he had someone else in mind.
"I'm sure I can find someone, Father." Jon smiled reassuringly.
"If you are certain then I will not stop you."
…
Bird fluttered between the windows and walls, as it kept a look around the target's room. Its main body stood hidden in an alcove, waiting for his chance. Once Bird saw the girl coming towards the target's room, the main body came out into the corridor. Bird looked around for anyone else coming, then fluttered outside through a window, then back to the target's window.
In his mind, Bird felt the main body approach the girl in the corridor and make human noises.
"Gilliane! Is that supper? Who is it for? Oh, that knight? Don't you think his eyes are quite unsettling? Say, do you want me to give him the food instead? No, no need to thank me!"
Bird did not understand human noises.
Bird looked down at the target sitting on his bed in his underclothes. The big burly man was applying some liquid to his red beard. There was a knock on the door and he went to open it in just his underclothes.
Bird approved it. Clothes were stupid.
The main body came in and spoke to him, then entered further inside and put the food on a table. The target was very vigilant, keeping his eye on the possible threat.
The main body turned his back to the target and went closer to the door. That was when Bird gave a squawk and took flight aiming for the food. The target turned towards Bird and rushed to the food.
Bird dodged his flailing attempts to catch it and returned to the window, just as a chair met the back of the target's skull.