Greetings all.

My apologies for not updating sooner, I've been sick and my mind refused to work.

To answer a question that a couple of you have asked about the gods appearing in the story, the answer is yes they will be from time to time. They're Gods, I can't control when they wanna pop into the story. R'hllor in particular is giving me a hard time cause he wants back in the spotlight for a little while.

And yes, I did watch the new episode of season 7 and oh my fucking GODS! Westeros is completely fucked as of right now. (completely evil laugh)

Enjoy the chapter as we will be at the Wall and beyond for a chapter or two more I think.

Chapter 21 – Return to Castle Black

As the convoy bound for the Wall crested the hill, there it was, seven hundred feet tall and stretching as far as the eye could see in either direction.

The Wall.

Tyrion admitted to himself that it was just as an impressive sight now as it was when he saw it for the first time in the company of Jon Snow and Benjen Stark. The sense of awe Tyrion felt the first time was with him once again as he looked at one of the biggest, if not THE biggest man-made structure of the world and there, looking tiny from this distance against the Wall, was Castle Black. Headquarters of the Nights Watch.

Tyrion wondered how Jon was coping right now.

Jon's stomach was churning at the sight of Castle Black in the distance. He wasn't feeling any of the thrill or awe that the rest of the men were feeling at seeing the Wall for the first time. After living, breathing and dying there, Jon was well over the awe-struck phase.

Knowing that very shortly he would come face to face with the leader of the mutineers, Jon now felt like he had been kicked in the guts. Allister Thorne was a bastard and a right cunt in any lifetime and Jon wondered how Thorne would treat him now he carried the last name of Stark instead of Snow. He was willing to bet that nothing would really change and Thorne wouldn't like it when he was attached to Castle Black as a liaison and not as a sworn brother of the Watch.

Making their way down the other side of the hill, they began to see that there was a camp outside the walls of Castle Black. There were banners flying above the tents that indicated to Ned that these were the representatives for the Northern Houses that would come with them to speak to Mance Rayder. As they got closer, Ned could see that some of the houses were not yet present but that was understandable as they had further to travel to get here.

Ned signalled to the others in riding with him that they would ride ahead to Castle Black and speak with Lord Commander Jeor Mormont about where to situate the new recruits for the time being as there were a great many joining the Watch at this time and more as his Bannermen bring their own prisoners to take the black.

It didn't take long to cover the distance at a decent pace and they manoeuvred though the camp toward the gates of Castle Black which happened to be open in anticipation of receiving Lord Stark and his party.

Waiting for them in the courtyard was Jeor Mormont and Allister Thorne.

The moment Ned saw Thorne standing there, he struggled not to unleash Ice and behead the bastard for murdering Jon. He had to remind himself that this Allister Thorne hadn't committed any crime against Jon as yet. Ned was positive that Jon would be in for a hard time from Thorne anyway who hated Ned for fighting for Robert and helping him dispose of the Targaryen Dynasty because Thorne had fought for the Targaryen's during the war. Jon would suffer the man just because he was Ned "son."

Jon wanted to either throw up or kill the bastard where he stood. He wasn't sure yet which impulse would win.

The party dismounted and Ned walked forward to greet the Lord Commander.

"Greeting Lord Stark. Welcome to Castle Black. I trust your journey was untroubled?" Jeor Mormont asked in friendly greeting.

"Lord Commander, I thank you for your welcome and indeed our journey was untroubled but I think only desperate men would have attacked a party as large as ours." Ned replied with a grin.

With the formalities out of the way, Jeor and Ned embraced. They were old friends and it had broken Ned's heart when Jeor choose to take the black after his son had been convicted of selling to slavers. Jeor grinned back at Ned as asked him,

"What madness have you brought to my castle Stark? I've had new recruits pouring in from every house in the north. I've barely the room to house them here let alone the experienced men to train them and keep them confined to Castle Black until they've taken their Vows. I didn't expect my message to you about the wildlings gathering to provoke this type of response."

Ned still had a smile on his face but it has lessened somewhat.

"How many men do you currently house here?" He asked

"Currently? Hmm, around one hundred and forty or so new recruits I think. Your bannermen have been generous in emptying out their dungeons for us. Why? How many do you bring with you?" was the response.

"Courtesy of Lord Tyrion here, three hundred and eighteen."

Jeor's and Thorne's jaws dropped open. That was almost four hundred and sixty new recruits. They hadn't the space or the numbers to house and train that many here at Castle Black. Eastwatch-by-the-Sea and The Shadow Tower would be able to take some of the recruits to train but the majority of them; he had no room for them.

"This is a serious problem Ned. I haven't the room or the manpower to contain and train them until they take their vows and also, our supply situation, while not critical, isn't good either. I don't think we can feed this many mouths for very long." Jeor's tone was serious.

Ned scratched his beard and looked at Jeor.

"I think we should speak in private if that's alright with you. I'd also like to bring my two sons and Tyrion Lannister as he's one of the reasons why you currently have a problem with an overabundance of recruits."

Once Ned had finished speaking to Jeor, he turned to Greatjon and Theon and asked them to see to the rest of their party and to situate the new recruits as close to Castle Black as possible and make sure that they were well guarded. Greatjon nodded and mounted his horse again with Theon mounting his horse as well. Ned told them that he would come and find them once he had spoken to the Lord Commander.

Ned, Robb, Tyrion and Jon followed Jeor to his office in the Lord Commanders Tower. The memories of his time in this place in the Time Before were assaulting Jon from all sides and he had to avert his eyes from the spot he had been killed. He could still see the sign with the word Traitor written on it. He was distracted from the tide of misery by Tyrion grabbing his elbow and shooting Jon a concerned look. Jon gave him a weak smile and a slight nod in return. He would be ok.

"Something to drink?" Jeor asked once they were settled in his office.

In unthinking, instinctual obedience, Jon automatically moved to where the Lord Commander kept his alcohol and starting pouring mugs of ale for everyone. Jeor's eyebrows shot for the sky when he saw Jon moving around his office as if he already knew where everything was located. Jon saw the look he was receiving from the Lord Commander and his mind raced for an explanation.

"My apologies my Lord if I have overstepped my bounds. It's just that you're so much like father that I could predict where you would keep any alcohol. My father keeps his in a very similar place." Jon lied fast and faultlessly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jon could see the sly but proud smile Tyrion shot at him for that lie. It had taken, Sansa, Arya and Tyrion to teach Jon how to lie properly without giving away the fact he lied in the Time Before and Jon thought that Tyrion was proud of the fact that he now could lie without problems.

Jeor laughed. "I'm not surprised lad. Your father was fostered with me for a short time before he was handed to Jon Arryn for fostering. I guess some of what he learned from me rubbed off."

This was news to both Robb and Jon. Their father had never told them that he had been fostered at Bear Island before. They both wondered why he had never mentioned it before. Ned on the other had had turned a dark shade of red and cleared his throat.

"Yes, well, I'll tell you boys about it later but right now, we must discuss the current situation." Ned told them trying to divert them for now but he knew that they wouldn't be put off. Ned sighed and decided to start the conversation off.

"Old friend, I am deeply concerned about the state of the Watch at this moment especially in light of the Wildlings gathering in such great numbers. I have always been concerned by what they may do if this situation had ever arisen. The fact that the Wildlings have managed to put aside their usual hatred for each other and are gathering in some semblance of co-operation is a very worrying problem."

Ned started off by relaying his concerns about the current situation. He continued, "Lord Umber and I have questioned a number of Wildlings that have made it pass the Wall and into our lands and what they had to say disturbed and concerned me greatly."

Lord Mormont interrupted Ned at this point.

"Aye. My rangers have all been coming back to me and reporting the same stories I think. White Walkers? The dead walking once again with blue eyes?"

Ned nodded in agreement.

"Yes. We have been told the same stories. It's the fact that it's the same story over and over again from many different tribes that make Lord Umber and I inclined to believe that the Wildlings gather in great numbers for safety from something other than us or a natural threat. It is my intention to proceed beyond the Wall in strength to treat with the Wildlings and their leader in order to determine their true intentions. If they have intentions to come south of the Wall, then they will have to deal with me as the safety of North and its people is my responsibility."

Lord Commander Jeor Mormont sat and thought on what Ned Stark had just told him. He could see it made sense that the Wildlings could be gathering in such numbers for protection but he didn't like it because gathering for protection could easily become attack the Wall in this threat appears faster than anyone anticipated.

"And you Lord Tyrion? What's your part in all this?" He asked Tyrion in a polite voice. After all, if Lord Tyrion Lannister was genuine in his wish to help the Nights Watch then offending him would be a foolish idea as a Lannister could be a powerful friend and ally for the Nights Watch to have.

Tyrion gave the Lord Commander a friendly smile.

"It's a great honour to meet you Lord Commander Mormont. Ever since I was old enough to understand what the Nights Watch was about, I've had nothing but great respect for your honourable institution. I have always wanted to visit the Wall and to be honest, piss of the top of it. No disrespect meant of course. When I decided to come for a visit, I went and spoke to Varys, the Kings Master of Whispers and enquired as to what he knew about the Nights Watch. He informed me that the Watch was not what it once was and that only three castles along the Wall were occupied. He then went to mention that the Red Keep's dungeon was currently full to bursting point. Well that decided it for me. I left orders before I left for the North, to clean out the dungeons and do some recruiting in the city then send the new recruits north as soon as possible along with lots of extra supplies for the Watch itself." Tyrion told him.

"Although to be honest, I wasn't expecting quite so many men. The captain of the escort had orders to also speak to the River Lords and ask for their prisoners and any supplies they could spare for you as well."

"Tis true Lord Commander. Lord Tyrion has brought everything from extra food to extra warm wool blankets to extra arms and steel for your blacksmith and men. He even quite generously supplies a couple of wagons full of high quality ale and wine for the men to enjoy during the cold nights." Robb said eager to defend his new friend's good intentions.

Jeor was more surprised that a Stark had defended a Lannister then the sheer amount of recruits and supplies that Tyrion had provided the Watch with. He wondered about this new twist in Lannister/Stark relations but Jeor decided not to question it for now.

"Well then I thank you on behalf of the Nights Watch for your incredible generosity Lord Tyrion. We may have to rename one of the Castles along the Wall in your honour. Hmm, how does the Giant's Tower sound to you?" Jeor joked, making an unintentional insult to Tyrion's size.

Tyrion threw back his head and laughed. "Well, I've been called a lot of things in my time but never a Giant. I think I actually like it. The Giant Imp of Casterly Rock. Sound's rather poetic doesn't it?" He continued laughing.

Jeor flushed red when he realised what he'd said and was thankful that the small Lord had taken it in good humour instead of an insult.

"I'm sorry My Lord. I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I wasn't attempting to mock you." He apologised. Tyrion, still chuckling, waved his apology aside.

"It's fine Lord Commander. I knew you weren't deliberately insulting my height and I intend to take the compliment in the spirit it was given so no apologies necessary." Tyrion replied with a smile on his face.

Honestly, Tyrion was both flattered and amused by Jeor's suggestion.

"Anyway," Tyrion continued, "From what I can tell, you're going to receive even more recruits as the Representatives of the Northern Houses gather here. They will most likely bring their recruits with them. Best guess, by the time the numbers slow down to something more manageable, you should be able to man an additional two castles along the Wall with the new intake. I do agree that training and containment will be a problem until they are sworn to the Watch but you can resolve that by reshuffling your more experienced personnel around to compensate for the lack of experience with the new recruits. You could also ask the Northern Lords to leave a detachment of guards to help you contain them for a time."

The Lord Commander gave due consideration to what Tyrion had just said. It was doable if he could have the guard detachments to help guard and train the new recruits.

"I shall take what you've suggested under consideration Lord Tyrion. Now as for your accommodation my Lords, I have had my men prepare the King's tower for your stay. The Gods know the King will never use it." Jeor laughed. They quickly discussed where to store the wagons of supply's for the Nights Watch and ended the meeting.

Ned sent Robb and Jon to find where their men were camped and to show Gratjon where he would be staying after they had gotten the supply wagons situated where the Lord Commander wanted them then left the office after agreeing to dine with the Lord Commander in private this evening.

Ned stood in the yard of Castle Black and looked up at the Wall. Unknowingly quoting a future Samwell Tarly he said,

"I hope the Wall is high enough."

#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#

It had been a week since they had arrived at the Wall and it had been a relativity peaceful week for the most part until one morning, Jon hadn't been able to avoid having to cross the yard of Castle Black when Allister Thorne, Master of Arms for the Nights Watch, was training some of the new recruits in his usual abusive fashion.

Jon had been able to avoid Thorne for the most part thanks to his knowledge of Castle Black and the ice tunnels under both Castle Black and the Wall and when he had seen Thorne, Jon had been in the company of either is Lord "father", the Lord Commander or both. Jon had no intention of putting himself in Thornes direct view unless he was with others whose presence alone would stop the bitter older man from making the comments about Jon that Jon could see Thorne was just desperate to make about him.

"You lot are bloody useless. I've seen cripples more useful then you lot. My grandmother could swing a sword better than the lot of you. The only good thing about you is that when the Wildlings come, you lot will slow em down just enough before your killed for the real men to get into position to do the killing. Now, you two, again and this time, try to act like you're fighting instead of dancing with your sisters." The rough and abusive tones of Allister Thornes voice echoed across the courtyard as he yelled at the current pair of trainees trying to swing and block each other's swords in some sort of competence.

Jon slightly shook his head at a scene he knew so well and started to cross the courtyard in hopes that Thorne was too busy with the recruits in front of him to bother Jon as he passed by.

Unfortunately for Jon, it wasn't to be.

"Well look here boys; it's a bastard who was raised to a Lord. All bow down to Lord Snow. Lord of Winterfell." Thornes's voice was heavy with sarcasm.

Jon's stride paused for a moment as his hands curled into fists. He took a deep breath and resumes his current course. Battling Thorne in definitely not a game of insults was not high on Jon's list of things to do today. Especially since he knew that nothing he said would make the slightest impact on Thorne's opinion of him.

"Lord Snow, don't you know it's rude to walk away when someone is speaking to you? Probably not, after all, you were raised as a bastard. You probably can't even use that pretty sword of yours any better than theses gutter rats I have the displeasure of training." Thorne just couldn't let it go. There was something about this bastard that just rubbed him the wrong way.

Jon stopped and sighed deeply. He knew that he was going to have to deal with Thorne now to establish that he was not one to provoke. Ser Allister Thorne was about to learn the hard way that Jon was no pushover.

"It seems that it's YOU Ser Allister who has forgotten his manners. By what right do you insult a Lord of Winterfell? Man of the Nights Watch?" Jon asked, stressing both of their titles, trying to remind the man that although he may have been born a bastard, he was a bastard no longer in the eyes of the law and Ser Allister Thorne, while the man may hate him, should treat him with the respect his title and name is due. He would NOT lose his temper and kill Thorne.

Not yet.

Thornes eyes glittered in a dangerous manner that Jon recognised all too well. He was going to have to fight after all.

"Well, my apologies, Lord STARK, but you still haven't answered my question, can you use that toy you carry? Because the Wildlings will gut you as soon as they see your pretty face if you can't fight."

Thorne still wasn't going to back down. He wanted to see the bastard taken down a peg or two and by humiliating him in the fighting yard in front of witnesses would do just that. Jon looked Thorne in the eye. For a moment, Thorne thought he saw death in the young man's eyes before the look was gone. Jon then nodded at Thorne.

"Aye, I can use this "toy" I carry all too well. I think the Wildlings may find me more of a match then they bargained for. As you're not going with us when we treat with the Wildlings, I can understand why you would be concerned. You fear that I won't be able to protect your Lord Commander should it come down to a fight. Would you like to test me yourself Ser Allister? Just so you can see that your concern is unfounded." Jon didn't raise his voice and he didn't taunt Thorne but he knew that Thorne would take this as a personal challenge to his authority and skills.

Thorne's eyes narrowed. While he knew he had a temper and was probably the most hated man in the Watch, he wasn't stupid. His years as a soldier and then as a sworn Black Brother, he had been fighting for most of his life and had developed certain instincts when it came to assessing his opponents and he knew, something wasn't quite right here.

Jon was standing in a relaxed posture that left his hand able to draw either his sword or the dagger that hung from his hips in an instant. He had answered politely and not gotten angry at the insults that Thorne had thrown at him and what was disturbing Thorne the most was his quiet confidence. It said to Thorne, "I can take you and make it look easy." It was a confidence that was only found in hardened veterans of war that had no place in a boy so green he pissed grass.

Thorne thought quickly and came up with a plan.

"Goatbrains, go fetch a training sword for Lord STARK. Let's make it interesting shall we?" Thorne asked Jon as he turned back to the gather recruits.

"I need three volunteers. Wildings won't come at you one on one. They'll attack you in groups of three or more and they won't be playing nice either. Wildlings are tricky sneaky bastards. Two of them will keep you busy while the third slips up behind you and slits your throat or stabs you in the back." Thorne explained to the recruits as "Goatbrains" ran up to Jon and handed over a training sword.

Jon took the training sword and gave it a swing. It had decent balance and with all the training he had done since he "came back" his body was close to the fit condition it had been in the future. He could easily beat three or four people at a time.

Jon spied a lad of no more than thirteen name days standing off to one side watching while holding a training dagger. Jon walked over to the boy and smiled at him. The boy shyly smiled back and Jon was suddenly and strongly reminded of Olly and his heart twisted in pain that was both physical and emotional.

"Hello there. What's your name?" Jon asked him.

"It's Thomas milord" Thomas replied in a quiet voice.

"May I use that dagger you have? I'll return it after the fight." Jon gently asked the boy. Thomas nodded and held the dagger out to Jon hilt first. Jon gave him an approving look as he accepted it.

"May I ask you one more favour Thomas?" Jon asked once again. Thomas nodded.

"Would you hold my sword and cloak while I spar with Ser Allister? Three weapons in a fight can be a liability if one of those is a longsword that's still in its scabbard. It can he hooked on something or someone could grab it and pull me of balance. It's the same with the cloak" Jon explained the reason for his request while unbuckling his sword and handing it to the boy. Thomas gave Jon a huge smile and took the sword from Jon's hands with reverent respect.

While this was going on, Thorne had picked his three "volunteers" and had them set up and ready for the fight. As Jon walked towards the chosen men, sword in one hand, dagger in the other, Thorne was beginning to suspect that Jon may prove a greater challenge then he thought but surely four opponents, for Thorne fully intended to participate in this fight, should be enough to defeat him.

Jon positioned himself in the middle of the group, nodded at Thorne and waited for the fight to start.

Thorne started the fight with a rough "Fight" coming out of his mouth. Jon decided to deal with the man directly behind him first so he didn't have to worry about him while he fought the other three. Jon swiftly turned and as he moved towards the man, his sword was already in motion. The man raised his sword to block Jon's blow and didn't see the hand with the dagger in it coming at him. In two swift blows, he was out of the fight and Jon quickly pivoted to face the other three.

Thorne was stunned. The quick efficient movements of the boy spoke of someone who took their fighting seriously. Thorne could see hours of training in the boys movements and was now worried that he'd made a serious mistake. The man Jon had just taken out was out cold. Jon had knocked him unconscious in two swift moves that Thorne had trouble following.

Jon however was oblivious to Throne's though process. He was already tracking the other two fighters, knowing that Thorne wouldn't get involved until there was only Jon and Thorne left as Thorne wanted to beat Jon himself.

The man on his right nodded slightly to the man on Jon's left. Jon rolled his eyes. He knew that they were going to try to attack him at the same time. It sounded fine in theory but Jon knew that unless they had been fighting together for years and knew how the other fought, they were going to be more of a liability to each other than a help. Jon readied himself for them to come at him just a split second before they moved in. As they moved, a stray thought came to his mind.

"Every person has their own body language. In battle, being about to read this language can save your life if you can tell what move their about to make."

His uncle, Jon decided, was a smart man.

Jon's right arm was already moving upwards in order to block the man on his right sword with his own blade while his left hand was waiting to deflect the other sword into his companion as he took a small step backwards.

The "clang" of Jon's sword blocking his right hand opponents sword, sounded out in the courtyard while the man on his left lunged at Jon, sword out trying to impale him though his side. Jon stepped backwards while using the dagger to defect the blade towards his companion instead of blocking it. The result was the rush of air coming from the right while Jon's left hand, now a fist, impacted into the guy on the rights jaw, felling him in a single blow, putting him out of the fight. Jon quickly spun in a Water Dancer move and knocked the remaining man out from behind, then turned to face Thorne, not even out of breath.

Thorne was now shocked. While he had confidence in his skills and ability to beat Jon, he was now sure that it wasn't going to be the easy victory he thought it would be. He had to admit, the boy had serious skills and the ability. The strange spin Jon had done confused Thorne for he had never seen let alone fought a Braavosi who used the Water Dancer style before.

"Not bad but then again, they were untrained gutter rats. Let's see how you go against a trained fighter." Thorne sneered at Jon while Jon just stared at Thorne, no expression on his face.

"Whenever you're ready, Ser Allister." Jon replied no emotion in his voice either.

Thorne swung his sword at Jon and Jon blocked it, and then slashed at Thorne with his dagger. Thorne jumped backwards and came at Jon again. On and on it went with both men swinging and hacking at each other, trying to find a weakness to exploit.

Jon however, was fighting two fights. The second one was with himself. Jon was desperately trying not to give into the seething anger and hate that was flowing though his body, giving his swings and thrusts more strength and a viciousness that Thorne wasn't expecting. Jon was doing his best to ignore the hatred screaming in his body to kill the fucker who had murdered him.

Unbeknown to the two men fighting in the yard, their fight had attracted a larger audience. Ned, Tyrion, Greatjon, Robb, Theon and Commander Jeor were standing on one of the walkways watching the fight below.

Ned was amazed at how skilled Jon was in a fight. His style confused Ned. Ned could see Westeros styles in there but most of the moves Jon was using were completely strange to Ned. He resolved to ask Jon about it later.

Greatjon and Jeor were watching the fight and commenting on the skills of the fighters. They both agreed that Thorne was a good fighter but Jon was better. They both thought that Jon would win.

Robb was proud of his brother's skills. He had been on the receiving end of them enough lately that he knew exactly how good his brother was.

Theon was both shocked and jealous. He had missed Jon's training sessions in the yard since the first day Jon beat Robb in the yard so failed to see exactly how skilled Jon really was and was jealous that he couldn't wield a blade as well as Jon could. Theon decided to console himself with the fact that he was the best archer in the North and that was something Jon could never match.

Tyrion was deeply concerned about Jon. He could see that Jon was struggling with something because he was holding back. There had been at least three openings where Jon could have ended it so far but Jon hadn't taken them. While Tyrion was still no great warrior, he now had more than enough experience with fighting to tell when someone was holding back and Jon was in a big way.

Tyrion knew Jon well enough to tell that Jon was afraid of hurting Thorne badly. While they had been on their way to the Wall, Tyrion and Jon had spoken of Thorne and what Jon would do about him. Jon had decided not to do anything that would provoke a situation such as this because, while he knew in his head that this Allister Thorne had not killed him, his heart couldn't tell the difference and wanted him dead. Jon admitted that if it came down to a fight, he was worried that he may just forget himself and kill Thorne anyway.

Suddenly Tyrion stiffened and with a quick "Oh SHIT", turned and bolted for the nearest staircase that would take him down to the yard quickly before Jon actually killed Thorne.

Down in the yard, Thorne had managed to get past Jon's guard and hit him on his upper arm quite hard. Jon froze for a split second before he unleashed a furious attack on Thorne. When Thorne's sword had connected with his arm, Jon's mind had flashed back to THAT night and suddenly his control snapped and he unleashed a vicious attack, doing his best to kill Thorne.

Thorne had no choice but to fall back under the assault. He was now scared for his life as he had watched Jon's eyes go from cold and assessing to outright murderous and wondered who he was trying to kill.

Allister had seen this happen to men who had fought for too long and too hard. They were fine one minute then the next; they were fighting old enemies in their mind, often mistaking their companions for the enemy. He had seen men kill their friends because the demons in their mind were so strong as to make them believe that they were back in that fight again.

Suddenly, before he could realise it, Jon had him disarmed and had both sword and dagger at his neck. The sword behind him and the dagger at this throat. Jon's eyes were still wild and Thorne was sure that this was his last moments of life despite the blades being dull.

As Tyrion raced thought the crowd, he blessed his short stature as it enabled him to move a lot easier thought the gathered men then a regular sized man. He burst though the cheering crowd just in time to see Jon disarm Thorne and put a dagger at his throat.

Tyrion could now see Jon's eyes and knew that Jon wasn't in the present. His mind was in the past. Tyrion ran up to the fighters and swiftly kicked Jon hard in the shin. Tyrion knew from experience that it was the fastest way to break Jon out of the Battle Madness that sometimes had overtaken him while fighting the dead and he hoped it worked in this situation too.

Jon felt a sharp pain in his lower leg and his mind snapped back into focus. As soon as he realised the position he had his weapons in, he opened both hands and dropped them on the ground. Jon stepped back and drew in a shaky breath and bowed slightly at Thorne.

"I hope I have managed to appease your concerns about my skills at fighting. I thank you for the session. You are a most skilled opponent." Jon said then turned to Thomas, collected his sword and cloak, then headed for the elevator and the quiet of the top of the Wall.

Allister Thorne watched Jon Stark walk off with a look of deep thought on his face as he came to a decision. He didn't like the boy and he never would but he wouldn't go out of his way to provoke him anymore. He knew that if Tyrion Lannister hadn't intervened, he would be seriously hurt or dead.

The boy was skilled and deadly. He was too dangerous to cross.

Allister Thorne could respect that.

Next Chapter, the aftermath of the fight and parley with the Wildlings.