Jon

In the short time that he had been at Castle Black Jon had never seen the keep so busy. When he had taken the vows and placed in the Stewarts there had been just over three hundred Black Brothers, but in a fortnight their numbers had swollen by another hundred as the senior wandering crow Yoren had returned from King's Landing with over a hundred prisoners willing to take the black in exchange for their lives, and another score of boys who had been willing to sacrifice their lives so that their families could receive five gold dragons.

Though he was the bastard son of a noble lord, Jon knew that a typical family would be fortunate to see one dragon in a generation and that five could ensure that two or three generations would not starve. The fact that it was not a lord but a troupe of sellswords that had not only captured the hundred bandits but used part of their winnings from the Hand's Tourney and Melee to encourage families to move to the Gift had been surprising. It also meant that the Night's Watch had much to do.

Rangers had been sent out to hunt for more food, builders sent to repair the once abandoned castles, and stewards to tend to ensure that the castles and the men could run effectively and to settle the disputes between old tenants in the Gift and their new neighbors. That was on top of training the new recruits and ensuring that they had sufficient supplies to handle the population explosion. With the staffing of Queensgate and Deep Lake, Eastwatch, Shadow Tower, and Castle Black were down to less than half of the complement that they had had before Jon had come to the Wall.

For his part Jon was busy assisting Lord Commander Mormont, writing out new edicts, issuing promotions, filling out requests for supplies, filling out transfer notices, taking stock of existing inventory, and assisting the Master of Arms in training the new recruits.

"What are you doing here Lord Snow?" Sir Alliser Thorne, the Master of Arms, had a habit choosing nicknames that stuck. As the man responsible for training the new recruits the names he chose were used whenever he called out to them as well as when he spoke of them to those who had already taken their vow. Only the men who had joined the Watch before him lacked nicknames, though there seemed to be fewer and fewer of them around now than there had been a month ago.

"Are you not training the boys today?" Jon shot back. He had never liked the cruel Master of Arms, nor had he enjoyed the name the man had bestowed upon him. Despite that he always remained respectful of the older man whenever they were together.

The former knight shook his head. The early autumn snow added flecks of white to his already greying locks and his all black outfit, accentuating the unusually clean look that the Master of Arms had about him. "A rider came up from Mole Town."

Jon stood straight at the news. They had received word from Winterfell that the sellsword troupe known as the Stormriders was headed to the Wall with another score of recruits, but that had been only days ago. For two score of riders the trek should have taken a fortnight, but the Stormriders had made the trek in less than half of that time. A quick, rushed ride would take four days, but that was only done if one did not care if the horse lived or not.

The older man handed him a scroll, "They're bringing over another score of fresh recruits. These are my recommendations."

Jon nodded, accepting the scroll before turning around. Of the six score that had come up with Yoren over half of them had already taken the vow. Each of them had repented for their crimes, though what struck him as odd was their easy willingness to take the black. Most rogues needed to be broken before they took the vow else they would try to run off the first chance that they got, yet the three score who had taken the vow seemed to be repentant men. Almost all of them had attributed their change in attitude and outlook to the Stormriders, though most said it was due to one man – Ramza Snowstorm. When pressed they had simply said that they had seen the error in their ways and that they would try their utmost to serve honorably to make up for their past sins.

Word from the south was that Ramza was a kind man. He had won the Melee, and while he had not won the Tourney he had been one of the final eight riders and had bested the Mountain when the formidable man had lost his temper and attempted to kill another rider. He had used his winnings to encourage many families to move to the Gift despite the fact that it was autumn and that they would not be able to harvest anything before the winter. He had also been the one to offer a boy five dragons to take the black, the five going to the boy's family so that they would not starve and could possibly thrive. He had even left some of his troupe in King's Landing to train boys on the condition that they either join the Stormriders when they were old enough or take the black. The same members also offered to pay incentives to any families who would be willing to move north in the late winter so that they could arrive in the Gift in the early spring so that they could better settle in.

In battle the man was said to be a terror that used no shield. He had to be if he led less than a score of fighters against over a hundred bandits. Most of the former bandits claimed that he was the one who bested them, but if that were true then Ramza Snowstorm had bested over seventy men single handedly without killing a single one. Fearsome he might be, but was that enough to inspire those bandits to change their lives to such a degree?

Before he even realized it Jon found himself standing before the Lord Commander's door, rapping gently on the heavy wooden door.

"Come in," the grizzled old man shouted. Jon did as commanded, entering the chamber and closing the door behind himself to shut out the wind of the approaching storm. "Ah, Jon, I had not expected you so soon. Are the Stormriders nearly here?"

Jon nodded as he handed the man the scroll. As the Lord Commander's personal Steward he was privy to much of the coming and goings of his brothers. While grateful for the influx of recruits, many of the senior commanders were skeptical of the Stormriders. Lord Commander Mormont was in the minority, believing that the Stormriders would be useful in adding to their ranks and in establishing an alternative to the young men who wished to serve but whom did not want to take the Black until after they had experienced more of the world.

"And those are the recommendations from Alliser?"

Again Jon nodded as he handed the scroll over. He watched as the old bear eyed the list. He did not need to actually read the list to know who Sir Alliser Thorne had suggested as he had been assisting in the training. Of the recruits that had come up with Yoren only the youngest or the most hardened criminals had yet to be placed.

He suspected that a dozen men were being recommended, all of them to the stewards and builders. They were not as soft as his friend Samwell Tarly, but they were still growing boys three to four years younger than he was. All had wanted to join the Stormriders, but none had the skill needed to join that elite group.

'And yet the Stormriders had a butcher's son and an apprentice blacksmith amongst their number,' he mused.

"Make sure that the Stormriders' quarters are far enough away from the rest of the men," Lord Mormont stated. Jon nodded. That was easy enough given that most of the stalls and quarters were vacant before they had sent half of their men to reclaim the vacant castles. "I doubt that the trainees will bother the Stormriders, even their women, considering that they had been bested by them, but we should be prepared just in case."

That women were apparently coming to the Wall was a rare thing. Sam had told him the last time it had happened was when Queen Alysanne had visited Snowgate which had later been renamed Queensgate in honor of her visit. It was also Queen Alysanne who had granted the Night's Watch the New Gift. But she had been royalty – the women in the Stormriders were supposedly bastard children at best, though some of their newest members had actually worked the brothels in King's Landing.

Like many of the other men Jon was apprehensive about the visit, though he had other reasons for it. The message that he'd received from Rob about the Stormriders had been both a relief and frustrating. He was happy to learn of Bran's miraculous recovery but the fact that the cost was that Bran now rode with the Stormriders was disturbing. The more he thought about it though the more bizarre it all was.

"It is good that we will have some extra hands," Lord Mormont said, interrupting his thoughts. "Tell Thoren to be ready - on the morrow we will venture north for any clues as to what happened to your uncle."

Admittedly Jon hated being assigned as a Steward. Though they were the most numerous of the three they were the most overlooked. Rangers got the glory, Builders maintained the Wall, but Stewards were just there. Yes, they made sure that everything ran efficiently, but they were just cogs. All that Jon did as a steward was relay messages between serving Lord Commander Mormont his meals. It was not that he did not do anything, just that anyone could have done what he was doing.

Yet despite the fact that what he was doing was fairly menial, he and many of the others knew that his current position marked him as the old bear's potential successor. Many of the other senior members of the Night's Watch resented him that fact, believing that they or others were better suited to the position once the old bear finally relinquished his position.

Finding Thoren had not been too difficult a task as the veteran ranger had just returned from a patrol of the Gift with several newly minted Rangers. Since Jon had taken his vow in the weirwoods the furthest any rangers had ventured was perhaps a day or two north of the Wall as the rangers were busy taking their newest members into the forest to teach them to track or were busy hunting so as not to exhaust the limited amount of fresh meat that was in their stores or to supply the re-staffed castles with new stores.

The proposed expedition would be the first since three experienced rangers had gone out a month ago with a pair of rangers who had just taken their vows. Two other groups had gone out as well, but none had returned.

"Master Thoren," he called out to the senior ranger. It was no surprise that Thoren was with Alliser Thorne. Both had come up together since their days in training and remained friends even though one had gone to the Rangers and the other to the Stewards. The fact that both had been from noble houses seemed to bond them as both thought themselves better than most of the other Black Brothers around them.

"Lord Snow." The weak chinned man had a sneering smile as he returned Jon's greeting. "What does Master Mormont want of me today? I just returned from a patrol."

"Lord Commander Mormont," he corrected the sinewy man, "wishes you to lead a search party on the morrow. Select four of the remaining rangers"

"Only five of us?" the former noble interjected. "There were only five who went out last time and they haven't come back yet either."

"There will be five rangers," Jon stated firmly. "Lord Commander Mormont and I will be going out on this expedition along with many of the Stormriders, so the size of the search party will be greater than five."

The look on the former noble's face suggested that he did not like the lesson in math or that the Lord Commander was going to be in charge of. Before he could utter any other protest a guardsman cried out, signaling the approach of riders on the southern road from the castle.

All about the yard men turned to watch as the Stormriders approached. They were a score strong, most mounted, though a few were riding in a wagon. Their mounts were hardy looking beasts, but they did not appear to be stressed or strained as they approached the yard.

'Did they use magic to speed their trek?' he wondered. All of the riders and mounts appeared tired, but they did not seem to be stressed to the point of dying.

Looking over the troupe he was surprised to see that the vast majority of them were perhaps only as old as he was if not younger. The exceptions were the grey beard, Sandor Clegane, another man wearing the standard blue-grey cloak with dark grey fur trim, and three women who appeared to be in their early twenties.

A grey haired man led the troupe riding a peppered mare that appeared to have just completed a light trot. "Master Yoren," he greeted the wandering crow with a firm handshake.

"Master Orlandeau," the ragged crow returned. "I expected to catch you in Winterfell but here I find that you've already made your way to the Wall."

The old man shook his head, "Please, call me Cid."

Yoren nodded, "Well Cid, it has only been a month since I arrived here with the last bunch you provided us, but over half of them have already taken their vow. And here you are with another batch."

"We would have brought more," Cid sighed, "but we were called back to King's Landing. I was looking forward to wintering in the south but with things the way they are we decided to come north instead."

The wandering crow nodded, "The south would be warmer."

"Anywhere south of the Wall is warmer," Jon interjected.

"Cid, this is Jon Snow," Yoren stated as he stepped aside for the young man. "He is the Steward to Lord Commander Mormont."

"You are Eddard Stark's boy," Cid finished as he eyed Jon. "You look more like your father than your brother does."

He was nearly startled by the man's manner. This man cared not for the fact that he was a bastard. Yet it should not have surprised him as the majority of their troupe consisted of bastards. "Thank you," he wasn't sure how he should address the man.

"We rushed here so that the foodstuff we brought with us would not spoil," Cid stated as he waved at the wagon. "I was told that it the Night's Watch often does not have enough fruit and vegetables, so we procured several crates along with some hardy chickens, a rooster, and some goats."

"Come on Joffrey," the speaker was a dirty blond with light green eyes "we should unload the supplies for the Night's Watch."

The Queen's bastard nodded even as he dismounted. He was as exhausted as his mount but he refused to complain. Instead he turned to several prisoners/recruits, directing them to follow him so that they could unload a wagon.

"Jon!"

He spun around, recognizing the boy's voice. The last he'd seen of his half-brother the boy had been broken and unconscious. Maester Luwin had tended to the boy himself and believed that Bran might never wake, much less walk or run again. Bran had woken on his own, recalled how and why he'd been injured, implicating the former Queen and her brother for their treason against the King, and been relegated to living the life of a cripple; yet here he was now running and hugging his brother as though he'd never been injured.

"Bran!" Jon knew that he could not cry in front of his new brothers and their guests. He was a man now and crying was not becoming of a man. Pulling back from his brother's embrace he eyed him. "I… I had not believed…. It is truly a miracle!"

Even as the two human brothers greeted each other their inhuman companions also greeted each other. Summer and Ghost sniffed at each other before rubbing their heads against their respective companion's legs.

"You have the gift as well," a woman stated, interrupting their reunion.

Jon was glad that the black brothers around him were busy unloading the wagon, taking their new supplies to their respective store rooms. Not only had the Stormriders brought them food, but they had brought them armor, swords, bundles of furs and cloth, stacks of leather, and kegs filled with wine, water, and milk.

Even as his new brothers were focused on their new supplies Jon found himself enthralled by the olive skinned woman with her deep brown eyes. Like the other Stormriders she wore a blue-grey cloak, coat and emblem, though her cloak was lined with soft brown fur from a multitude of ferrets.

"Jon, this is Rapha." Bran's introduction barely registered in Jon's clouded mind. Had he not said her name Jon knew that he would not have cared what his brother had said. "She has the gift as well."

"Then I have you to thank for my brother's health," he said as he took her smooth hand, kissing the back of it gently.

"That was Lady Alma's work," Rapha replied with a gentle smile.

"I am as much as lady as you." A slender but buxom young blond marched up to the trio. Her cloak was lined with white rabbit skins.

"You must be Alma," Jon said with a smile as he tore his gaze away from Rapha, "the famed frog tamer."

The blond grinned, "And you are Jon Snow, a pleasure." She extended her hand. He took it and gave her a kiss that matched the one he gave Rapha.

"Jon!" A large, portly boy rushed towards them. "We need to inventory everything that the Stormriders brought us."

"This is Samwell Tarly," Jon introduced his friend to the trio of Stormriders. "He is a Steward like myself, though he spends his time in the library and rookery. Sam, this is my brother Bran."

Bran smiled as he stepped forward. "This is Rapha Sandstorm and Alma Snowstorm."

"Hello," the big boy said, averting his eyes as he bowed to the women.

"You have a bit of the Gift too," Rapha said. Fearlessly she stepped forward, taking his hand in hers. Sam flinched. "Do not be afraid." Her soothing voice calmed the large youth but seemed to make Jon feel a bit jealous. "I can show you both how to create fire that will burn your opponents but not the building or ground they stand on. I can also show you how to heal someone's hands and feet so that they do not lose their limbs to frostbite."

"Re-really?" Jon was surprised by Sam's interest in magic, but the idea that both of them could use magic was terrifying.

"Bran!" A young girl with weedy brown hair waved at Bran from the Stormrider's wagon. Unlike the other women in the Stormriders did not display their emblem nor was she wearing the grey-blue cloaks that the Stormriders and their trainees wore. Beside her stood a boy no older than Arya and bundled in thick brown fur cloaks.

He recalled riding out with Rob and his father down to the Neck where the Crannogmen lived. Unlike the other families that followed the northern lords the Crannogmen did not reside in a castle. Many of the other lords thought little of the Crannogmen as they held little in way of wealth and cared little for titles and rank.

"This is Jojen and Meera Reed," Bran's introduction was not necessary as Jon had met the leader of the Crannogmen years ago. Their father Howland Reed had fought beside Eddard Stark in Robert's Rebellion and was the only other survivor to return with his father when they had gone to free his aunt Lysa. "Jojen has the Gift too, that's why the Stormriders are allowing him to accompany them."

For a moment Jon was startled by his brother's stark honesty.

"I think we should not discuss that in the open," Jojen remarked even as he tried to ignore the presence of the other Crows.

"Oh, right." Bran muttered.

"It appears that the boys are done unloading," Alma stated. Turning to Samwell she offered him a pleasant smile. "I believe this should help – it is a copy of the inventory of the items we brought with us."

"Thank you," Sam replied as he took the scroll from her. "This should help us greatly."

"I would think so." The blond youth that had ordered Joffrey around had returned with a crate over his shoulder. The former prince was also present though he was not having as easy a time with his own crate. "When we spoke with Master Yoren in King's Landing he mentioned that the Night's Watch had many needs beyond manpower. And since we were coming here ourselves we figured that we could bring the supplies that we purchased with Ramza's winnings."

The young Steward blinked, "You are not Ramza?"

The young man smirked, "I am Radd Darkstorm, though many do mistake us for each other…"

Jon looked the man over. He appeared to be no older than himself, yet he held himself with confidence seen only in the most accomplished swordsmen. True, all of the Stormriders held themselves such, but only two others had the fair skin and blond hair that suggested they might be Lannisters, one of them actually was a Lannister, through and through.

"Ramza is the one that shares Alma's blue eyes," Radd stated as he nodded at the blond girl. The youth's dirty green eyes lacked the brightness of Joffrey's, but he did appear to have many of the features that the former princeling had. "But I'm the better looking one."

Joffrey snickered despite himself. When they had met in Winterfell the boy had an heir of pompousness and distain, but this boy was different. He shied away from Jon, but around the Stormriders he seemed warmer and friendly even. Before he had never lifted anything heavier than a full goblet, but now he hefted his armor, weapons, and was helping the others unload the supplies. He had even taken a bastard name, though like the majority of Stormriders had added 'storm' to it so that he was now known as Joffrey Stormhill. "Where shall we take the oil?"

Sam and Jon eyed the Lannister bastard before Sam finally spoke up, "Oil?"

"Lantern oil," Joffrey replied. "Though Beowulf and Gendry have oils and ores for the smith. Mycah and Kenneth have the goats and chickens, but I think they have a few ducks and turkeys too."

"Where is Ramza?" Alma asked as she turned to eye the pair of blondes.

"At the wagon," Radd replied. "He's with Cid and Master Yoren overseeing the transfer of the men."

That was the polite way to put things. Jon knew that often times prisoners who had agreed to take the black were transported in chains if not cages. Regardless of their ability with a blade, bow, or whatever skills they had, they often remained in training until they could prove that they were no longer hardened criminals. Yet none of these "recruits" had been shackled or otherwise appeared to have been imprisoned.

As he pondered this Joffrey and Radd departed with their crates, leaving Sam to lead the young Stormriders as they brought in the supplies. It was a duty that they should have given their prisoners, yet these strange youths had opted to do the work themselves despite rushing to reach the Wall.

"Come on Joff." He turned to see Radd helping the prince turned bastard as the younger blond stumbled. "The sooner we finish unloading the sooner we get to rest."

Joffrey nodded, too tired to even utter a reply.

Following behind the pair Jon made his way towards the supply wagon. While the majority of the Stormriders were unloading the wagon three of them were overseeing the recruits along with the wandering crow Yoren and the Master of Arms Alliser Thorn.

Under normal circumstances it would take the morning to process this many new recruits. The needed to be checked for injuries and any identifying marks or scars, then their belongings needed to be inventoried, equipment needed to be provided, and a room/bed/stall for each of them.

The fact that the Stormriders had brought so many supplies with them though meant that the brothers of the Night's Watch would be busy sorting everything along with trying to sort the new men. Still, it would be good to have some fresh fruits and vegetables. The best that they tended to have were slices of lemon and lime, dry corn and sickly looking carrots.

"Wilfrid remained in King's Landing," he heard the grey beard tell Yoren. "He and a few others are recruiting and training youths for our return in the spring. There are plenty of honest lads looking to see the world and get away from city life. We used a bit of the winnings to buy a house outside of the city proper. The lads are going to be raising some aurochs, pigs, chickens, and goats that they'll bring up on the first ship in the spring. We'll plan to meet them at Eastwatch if everything goes well."

The old crow nodded. Then, spotting Jon he waved the Steward over, "Jon, take this list up to the old bear. He'll want to look over the list of men that are here as well as the things that our guests have brought us."

The rest of the day was a blur of activity as the young Steward rushed to and fro, delivering messages, chasing down the remaining senior members of the Night's Watch at Castle Black, helping the new recruits settle in, and giving the Stormriders repeated thanks for all that they troupe had given them.

Ramza

Exhaustion barely beat out the chill of the north as the squire settled in for the night. He knew that he'd pushed the other hard with their near breakneck pace. It did not help that they had departed Winterfell in a rush to avoid complicating things with the Starks. Rob Stark had not been happy with the payment that they had demanded from him for healing Bran, nor had he been overly fond of the fact that his brother now traveled with the boy who had wanted him dead. Catelynn Stark was not happy either, but she appeared to be more fearful of the troupe after Alma had turned Theon Greyjoy into a frog. If not for Arya and Sansa swearing for the Stormriders the probably would not have been forced to sneak out unannounced.

It did not help that they had barely avoided yet another autumn snowstorm. Unwilling to have his men endure another, fiercer storm he had pushed the pace, reaching the Wall in a few short days of heavy, long hours, and little sleep.

It was ironic really – the Stormriders had been chased to the Wall by a storm. They had barely finished unloading when the first of the giant snowflakes had blown in. Dining with the Night's Watch had gone better than he had expected with the men that they had captured in the Riverlands helping to ease the transition. It had not surprised him that a good number of them had taken to the Night's Watch as the only reason why some of them had joined the brigands was because they lacked any means of providing for themselves.

Many of the reformed bandits were mere poachers, though some were robbers and thieves. The encampment that they had formed was run by the oldest of the bandits and designed to be a place where the various bandit teams could gather relatively peacefully. Only the most hardened of those criminals had been executed in King's Landing, though some of them were now recruits in the Night's Watch minus a limb or two.

The youngest of the bandits and the poachers had quickly taken to the Night's Watch where they were now getting three square meals a day and had a roof over their heads. They might never become rich lords but their basic needs were being met. That was enough for some, but not for others.

The way that many of the recruits and black brothers were eyeing the women in their troupe made Ramza uneasy. He'd heard from both Radd and Cid about the incident at Winterfell when he had been out on the unsuccessful hunt and to avoid something like that happening here Cid had ordered that the girls not go anywhere alone while they were in Castle Black. Ramza had taken things further and had them stay together.

Apparently the Lord Commander had also thought it wise to keep the Stormriders separated from the Night's Watch. He had provided them with guest quarters and allowed them to use the stables far from the Sworn Brothers of the Night's Watch.

Allowing the others to rest, Ramza had stayed up much of the night on guard. Something was gnawing at his gut, but what he couldn't say. Many of the others had grumbled about posting a watch, but ultimately they had put together two watches consisting of three members each. They slept in their armor and kept their weapons nearby as though they were sleeping on the road.

Part of the reason that he was uncomfortable was that Castle Black was not a castle, merely a group of buildings sheltered by the gigantic structure that was the Wall. A titanic tunnel at the far end of the yard ringed by stables, a few towers and rookeries, a smithy, more stables, an armory, and several vacant buildings made up Castle Black. Yes, there were stairs and a lift that took one up the Wall, and even a few lookout towers built into this side of the Wall, but there were no other defenses.

The Wall itself was immense. For a structure made out of ice and stone it was even more impressive. Standing over seven hundred feet tall Ramza doubted that he could leap to one of the lower landings and work his way up that way.

The Wall was close to fifty feet wide at the top and closer to eighty at the base about Castle Black. The tunnel that went through the wall could be sealed by a lowering a door of wrought black iron bars thicker, each thicker than a young man and coated in inches of ice that closed the gaps between the bars. It was formidable, but not impenetrable.

From what he had heard from the wildling woman Osha, hundreds of wildlings made their way through the Wall each year leading to pillaging and raiding of the Gift and of the northlands. Some dared to climb the wall, though it was more likely that there were some tunnels beneath the mountains that could be navigated to bypass the Wall.

Even if all of the recruits that they had brought joined and there were no desertions the Night's Watch only had five hundred men, far too few to patrol over three hundred miles of the Wall and the lands of the Gift. That was why they were here. Though there were only a score of them their presence gave the Night's Watch additional manpower. The disappearance of several of their senior rangers was a serious thing but without the manpower to tackle the issue they had been forced to forgo sending out any further search parties.

The blizzard that had chased the Stormriders to the Wall had erased all tracks, even the ones from the Builders that had come out to cut trees. Trudging through deep drifts Ramza was glad to have their mounts. The going was slow, though compared to their rushed trek from Winterfell everything was slow.

Not all of the Stormriders had ventured north of the Wall – Gendry, Beowulf, and Cid had remained to check over the inventory that they had brought in as well as go over the supplies that the Night's Watch had and what they would need. For their part the Night's Watch had sent five rangers, one of them even a senior ranger, as well as the Lord Commander and two stewards, Samwell Tarly and Jon Snow.

The first few days of their expedition yielded little though they did manage to catch the trail of the last search party. Given their numbers he was not surprised that they did not encounter anyone or anything except for the remains of kills, burnt out fires and abandoned campsites, and various tracks.

It was on the third day that he and the Lord Commander agreed to break into three groups to broaden the scope of their search. The central group was half a day's ride from the outer groups so that they were never too far away to receive or offer support for the other groups.

On the fourth day Ramza's group encountered a herd of deer. They managed to take down three of them and with Mycah's help they were able to clean and smoke them all.

The fifth saw a blizzard overtake them, forcing them to hide in their tiny makeshift tents but given them time to rest. It was this day that Jon Snow finally managed to catch him alone as the blond stood guard. They'd spoke little to each other the entire excursion, though Jon did speak to the Stormriders that were around Bran.

"Why Bran?" the younger bastard asked as he planted himself beside the Stormriders.

Ramza glanced at the other man before returning his focus on the trees and forest around him. "I did not choose him," he replied. "The others say that Bran has the Gift to a degree that exceeds anything that you, Jojen, Samwell, or Arya have. I believe them."

"And if it had been anyone else?"

"We would have asked for them to come with us too."

"But why?"

"We need good men and women in our troupe," he explained. "War is coming, and to deal with that war we need men like Bran."

"But he is not a man, he's a boy."

"To learn the mystic arts one needs to start young," Ramza said, repeating the words that Rapha had provided him when she had first told him that the boy had the potential to be one of the most powerful magi in this world.

"And yet you claim that you could teach Sam and myself magic?"

He was about to retort that the Stormriders had varying degrees of magical aptitude, but his instincts kicked in and his hand went to his hilt. "Watch closely," he hissed out as he drew his blade, "you may see combat magic at work soon enough."

To his credit Jon did not stumble or even fall back as Ramza jumped to his feet, shedding his blankets even as he drew his steel. "To Arms!"

Meliadoul was the first to her feet, followed by Rapha, Katia, Sandor, and Joffrey. Alma, Meera, Jojen, and Bran along with Sam and Lord Commander Mormont were the last to rouse.

He could feel the chill in the air, something beyond even that of the northern night, and the slight twitch he received whenever he encountered the undead. Given the unholy opponents that he had fought when he had possessed the holy stones that sense had been honed as fine as any blade he used.

"Meliadoul, Rapha – you're to defend," he ordered the women. " Alma – you're support. Sandor, Joffrey, Katia, follow me. I'll take the point but you get any that slip past me."

Katia and Sandor nodded though Joffrey looked a bit squeamish. "Use your range," he added as he nodded at large boulder. "Get up there and call out anything that you see."

Joffrey nodded, taking up his crossbow and rushing atop the snow covered boulder.

Beyond the reach of the campfire the first of the figures appeared in the shadows. The pale white of its fur suggested that it had once been an ice bear but the blackened patches of exposed flesh suggested otherwise. Standing on its hind legs it was towered over even Sandor.

"Lord Commander," he added as he spied Jon and the direwolves, "it would be best if Jon and Sam remained with Lady Alma – they can observe her spell work as well as keep guard over her as spell work is significantly slower than swordplay."

He did not bother to wait for a reply as he turned to Bran, "Jojen, Meera, Bran, I suggest perching yourself on the rocks as well. Use your crossbows to harass them and keep Summer to defend your position."

They nodded and quickly found a way up another boulder and left the direwolf to defend the slope that lead to the tiny plateau.

Two smaller bears, probably the first one's cubs, joined it along with over a dozen men with various degrees of armor and weapons ambled towards the campfire. Behind him Sandor and Katia flanked him.

"Stay close to the fire," he shouted. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he physically and mentally prepared for the battle. "Stay behind me."

The shambling host advanced quickly, covering the fifty yards that separated the two parties in a matter of minutes. Joffrey's bolt hit home against one of the undead men, striking it squarely in the chest and piercing its heart. Meera's stone shattered an unarmored arm while Bran's arrow buried itself in the same creature's leg. Jon's arrow bounced off the helmed head of an undead brother of the Night's Watch while Sam's landed several feet short and wide of any target.

There was just enough time for Ramza to shout encouragement to the snipers before he felt the beginnings of a magical barrage. Alma was the first to strike, blasting the undead bears with her magical fire. The simple but powerful combat magic startled the brothers of the Night's Watch but did little to discourage the undead. As sudden as the assault was it was over in an instant. Only charred flesh and the smell of burn hair remained as evidence of the attack.

In the distance west he head similar explosions, a sign that the Radd's group were facing similar circumstances.

Urged on by the plight of his troupe he charged at the undead bear. Ducking under a powerful swipe he drove his shoulder and blade into the beast's stomach. Between his own momentum and the bear's he managed to drive the first of his blades into the creature hilt deep. A slight spin allowed him to extract the ancient blade though it eviscerated the monster. He completed his spin, landing a blow with his other blade, severing the spine.

Even without its lower limbs the beast tried to pull itself towards him, blackish ickier oozing out of from the wound. Slamming his foot down onto its skull he only drove it deeper into the packed snow beneath.

Before he could finish it off the cubs were on him. He parried a swipe, cleaving the deadly claw from the rest of the arm then locked the creature's jaws by ramming his blade up the creature's jaw and through the skull. The sickly light in the monstrosity's eye sockets faded even as the mysterious ickier bled out of the undead beast.

He managed to maneuver himself so that the motionless cub shielded him from the still moving one. Kicking off of the first cub he managed to extract it from the skull and encumber the other undead cub as he threw the first's body onto the second.

A bolt from Joffrey whistled through the air, striking the mother and pinning its paw to the hardened snow, allowing Ramza to shatter its skull with the hilt of his blades.

He could hear the sound of metal on metal as Sandor engaged a pair of undead crows. For a man of his size he moved with a dexterity and speed that would have left many breathless. Unfortunately his display failed to impress the undead men though it did keep them at bay.

Rapha's unique Skyseer magic filled the clearing with thunderous bursts of fire, striking down one of the reanimated men and blowing away bits of three others. Five rapid explosions missed, but four had not. While the Skyseer magic was even less predictable than regular magic, it was equally effective and less draining on the user. Still, it would be a few minutes before she could use it again and by then their enemies would be too close for Rapha to risk using it.

Four undead wildlings surrounded Katia though she had managed to disable a fifth. He felt the pressure of powerful magic being conjured and knew it to be Meliadoul's handiwork. A towering titan dropped from the sky, flames dancing about him burning the undead that had surrounded Katia. Then suddenly it was gone, leaving no trace of its existence save for five smoldering but still moving bodies and red hot armor that melted the snow drifts.

Dashing past the bewildered girl Ramza cut down the animated corpse of a man of the Night's Watch, his skilled blades cleanly cutting through the leather leggings and brittle bones in the legs so that it could no longer stand.

The inexperienced Katia managed to regain her wits to the point that she blocked a blow with her shield then countered with a crushing strike to the creature's helmed head. Before she could press her advantage one of the remaining undead lashed out with its sword, forcing her to dance out of the way.

Another bolt from Joffrey pierced the hot helm of an undead, shattering the skull and dropping the creature. The cub and bear were ripped apart by the fearless direwolves, leaving nothing to threaten the magi and the sworn brothers of the Night's Watch or their skittish mounts.

Two more creatures opted to attack Ramza, though his swift blades carved through their armor and burnt flesh and ended their second life.

Katia separated the head from her attacker's torso only to take a glancing blow that left her furs a bit more ventilated but her armor held. Still, she would be nursing a bruise if not a broken rib.

Sandor's giant sword forced his opponents to keep their distance, though he was now holding his ground against the three undead that hounded him. The rest shambled past him as they targeted the more dangerous magi. It was clear that they were not unintelligent as they recognized the threat that Alma, Rapha, and Meliadoul presented them. Yet they kept just enough of their number to harass the frontline.

"Come on!" he shouted, encouraging the others. He could feel a surge of adrenaline reaching his muscles. Turning around he caught Katia's signal that she could handle the two remaining undead that harried her. Sandor nodded as well, allowing him to rush past them.

The snipers managed to take down two of the seven that marched relentless towards Alma and the others. Jon managed to fend one off but it was Meliadoul and Rapha that took out one each with their respective weapons. A wicked slash removed a strap, leaving the undead crow's back exposed for a second stab through the heart that made the body immediately go limp.

Alma's next spell sent a refreshing breeze through the clearing even though it centered on Katia. The immediate effect was that Katia was reinvigorated as she fought her opponents whom suddenly seemed to lose a step.

Sandor managed to liberate an arm from one of his attackers though the creature continued to attack with its remaining arm. Katia took the legs out from underneath one of her attackers then pinned it to the ground as she stabbed it with her sword. Taking up the nearly disabled creature's sword she used it batter away at the others.

Another volley of arrows, bolts and stones took out another undead while Ghost and Summer pulled another apart. Even Samwell managed to take one out as he stabbed at one with an arrow while Jon and Lord Commander Mormont kept it occupied.

Finally the undead were put to rest, though they all agreed that burning the remains was necessary once the five crows had been identified. By the time they had managed to get the fire going Kenneth's group arrived. Seeing that they were fine Ramza sent them to check on Radd's team.

"It has been years since any of us encountered the Others," the old bear finally said as he eyed the discarded swords and helms that they had used to identify the undead crows.

Jon eyed the growing fire, "Winter is coming."