Hello everyone. I do apologise for taking so long to update. Life got in the way as it does and this chapter was hard to write.

Enjoy and thanks once again for reading and following my story.

Chapter 22 – Return to Castle Black, pt 2

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

Allister Thorne could respect that.

Ned hurried thought the dispersing crowed and stopped beside Tyrion. Ned had watched Jon fight with amazement and pride that his son could fight so well. It was only when he heard Tyrion curse and bolted for the nearest staircase headed down towards the yard that Ned realised that something was wrong.

Ned had turned back to the fight only to see the cool, level headed Jon gone and in his place, a vicious, crazed man, doing his upmost to kill the man in front of him. The sheer viciousness of the attack startled Ned as did the unwavering look of hatred and determination on Jon face and while Ned was worried about Jon's mental state, he could see how Jon had managed to stay alive for so long in the Time Before by drawing on both the hatred and determination to stay alive.

He was quite the formidable fighter and Ned had to confess in only to himself that there was no way he could defeat Jon in a fight.

Ned glanced at Tyrion as he came to a stop bedside him only to see Tyrion watching Jon's departing back with a worried frown. He looked back at Jon just in time to see him close the door of the elevator cage and begin his assent to the top of the Wall.

"Shouldn't we go after him?" Ned asked Tyrion.

"No. Leave him be for now. He needs time to think on what just happened. If I know Jon, and I do, he is currently kicking himself for his loss of control and nearly killing Thorne. Not his fault really. Thorne managed to get a hit through his guard and I'd be willing to wager that Jon wasn't mentally here anymore but back in his memories of THAT night. It's been bothering him for days now." Tyrion explained to a concerned Ned. Tyrion, while very worried for Jon, knew that if he went after Jon now before Jon had time to process what had happened, Jon would close up and not speak about what was truly bothering him.

Ned looked at Tyrion again, the frown still on his face.

"I don't believe we should leave him alone Tyrion. He's just a boy…" Ned trailed off as Tyrion returned Ned's frown with a glare of his own.

"Not anymore he isn't. You keep making that mistake My Lord. Jon may look like a boy but in his mind and soul he is a man grown. He lived though all kinds of hell and that makes you grow and mature much faster than one really should. You need to start accepting this because while he may still love his father, you may just loose his respect should you keep treating like a green boy when he is not one." Tyrion snarled at the Mighty Lord Stark, not the slightest bit intimidated by the anger that was now displayed on Ned face.

"And how would you know that? Jon is MY son, MY blood. I'm pretty sure I know him better then you ever could!" Ned snarled back at him. Tyrion's face went curiously blank.

"This is not a discussion we should be having in public. Shall we retire to the council chamber in the tower and speak on this subject where we cannot be over heard?" Tyrion asked in a polite voice, devoid of the righteous anger he was currently feeling on behalf of his best friend, as he turned and headed for said tower.

They walked in silence to the council chambers in the Kings Tower. Once the arrived and shut the door behind them, Tyrion turned on Ned.

"Your son. Your blood. Your Bullshit. You don't know who Jon is. You've NEVER known who he really is. All you've really cared about is protecting your sister's secret but not truly cared about Jon at all…"

"How dare you!? How dare you imply that I don't love my son..."

"Ah, but he's not your son…"

"I raised him as my own Lannister. I brought him up as a Stark with all the privileges that comes with…"

"Yes, yes, you raised him as a Stark, but you didn't give him your name. My father raised me as a Lannister. Doesn't mean my father sees me as a true Lannister. If you want to know the truth, my father sees me exactly as Lady Catelyn sees Jon, as a Bastard. The only reason I'm not a Hill is because my father cannot prove that I am not from his seed. If he could prove that, believe me, I'd be named a Bastard faster than you could think it."

"Tell me My Lord, what is Jon's favourite book? His favourite colour? Food? Drink? What are his interests? His opinion on the current policies of Kings Landing and how they affect the realms? Have you sat down with Jon and asked him for information on the key players in the Free Folk? After all, he knows them best and the most important question of them all, have you asked him his real reasons for joining the Watch in the "Time Before" Tyrion asked Ned in a mocking manner.

He knew from Jon himself that while his "father" loved him, he didn't really know him at all.

Ned opened his mouth to answer Tyrion and found that he couldn't. He realised that he couldn't really answer any of Tyrion's questions with any certainty. What was Jon's favourite book? What were his interests? Did he really want to join the Nights Watch because he thought it would bring him honour and glory or was that just a front? Something Jon kept saying because he felt he didn't belong in Winterfell with his family? Just how blind had he been to his nephew's/son's sufferings?

Had he been an indifferent father?

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Seven hundred feet above Castle Black, blissfully unaware of the argument current raging about him below, Jon stood on top of the Wall and breathed in the fresh Northern air and relished in the silence. This was one of the few things he missed about the Wall, the silence. It helped him to calm down and centre his thoughts.

Jon was standing in his favorited guard position on top of the Wall, the furthest manned station. This was usually only manned at night when more eyes were needed to watch in the darkness. Jon moved the torch he had grabbed on his way to the guard position and thrust it into the fire pot that was there, warming the air around him just enough.

Jon turned and faced the view of the lands north of the Wall. Its raw beauty still took his breath away. Jon's shin gave a sharp stabbing ache and Jon winced. While not as bad as it had been, the spot where Tyrion's boot had connected with his leg still ached much.

Jon was glad for the pain.

He cursed himself in a low voice for losing control like that. This was why he had done everything he could to avoid Thorne. He knew that the loss of control would come back to bite him in some way, but right at this moment, he couldn't bring himself to care.

He had been careless and reckless in accepting Thorne's "invitation" to spar and like Allister Thorne, Jon knew that Thorne was only alive thanks to Tyrion's intervention. Before Tyrion had kicked him, Jon had been on the verge of killing the man who had been the leader of those who killed him for showing compassion and saving the Free Folk from an even more nightmarish fate and even then, he hadn't wholly succeeded. By the time they had left Hardhome, only a little over two thousand souls were all that was left of a once strong and proud people.

He sighed. Perhaps it was for the best that this had happened. If nothing else, he proved to Thorne that he wasn't just some green bastard boy playing at being a fighter and definitely not a pushover. Jon was now hoping that this would temper Thorne's attitude to him somewhat when he came to take up his liaison position. As much as he wanted to change the future and kill the Night King once and for all, the thought of being at Castle Black long term once again, made him want to throw up.

"You really don't want to be here do you?" The gravelly but smooth tones of Death came from behind him. Death decided that stating the obvious was a good way to start a conversation on what was bothering Jon. They both knew that Jon needed to be here but until he had dealt with some demons, he wouldn't be any good to anyone.

"What do you think? Of course I don't want to be here. It was here I got these remember?" Jon snarled at Death while slapping at the scars on his chest.

Jon was suddenly VERY angry.

"Why, WHY? Why me? Why did I have to come back? I was tired, I was finished! I have done nothing but fight and fight and fight the coming darkness and it STILL didn't make any difference. WE LOST! Why couldn't you let me rest? Why…" Jon trailed off, exhausted from his brief but intense burst of anger.

Death looked and Jon and felt guilty. Jon was right. He had fought and done everything in his power to stop what had happened and he had died knowing that he had failed, but was still denied his place in the heavens. If anyone deserved peace, it was this man in front of him but unfortunately for the Jon, the world and all those who live in it needed him.

Jon had a Destiny that was yet to be fulfilled.

Death was reminded of a saying he had heard in another universe, "with great power, comes great responsibility" and Jon was a perfect example of this. Jon was not only a natural born leader, but he was also his true father's son. He could charm and persuade men to follow him anywhere, especially if his cause was a just one. He could bring warring parties together and bring if not a lasting peace, then at least a truce until other matters were settled. Jon believed that the safety of the living rested ultimately on him and that was a responsibility that he took very seriously. In this aspect, Jon definitely took after his Uncle.

He was a man worthy of being King.

"The easy answer would be is that you are touched by Prophesy. You are Azor Assai reborn. This has been your fate since your ancestors drove the Night King back into the Lands of Always Winter." Death started to explain only to be interrupted by Jon.

"So that's it? That's the only reason you choose me? Because it was pre-destined that I'd be the Prince that was Promised?" Jon spat out in bitterness. It wouldn't be the first time someone had used him for their own purpose which Jon usually didn't want anything to do with.

"I said that was the easy answer, but it's not the whole answer. Yes one of the reasons is that you are the Prince who was Promised but it's not the main reason. To be honest with you, I'd still choose you even if you weren't the Prince." Death bluntly replied to Jon's question.

"What?"

"I'd still choose you, even as slow are you are on the uptake." Death was now chuckling.

"What? I'm sorry, but huh?"

"Yep. Definitely slow."

Death was impressed with Jon's version of a death glare.

"There are many, many reasons why I choose you Jon Snow, but it all boils down to one simple fact…."

"You, Jon Snow, are a good man. To quote many, many wise men and women, "All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing" and you Jon Snow, won't stand back and let evil flourish if you can do something to stop it. It's your nature to defend and protect the innocent. You can no sooner change that then you could change the sun's course thought the heavens. You are kind and compassionate and actually give a damn about the suffering of others and that is a rare thing in your world. You have a good soul. A true soul. I trust you and Tyrion above all others with the fate of your world and I wouldn't have chosen you if I didn't believe you could save it."

Jon stared at Death, speechless.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't leave you to rest in peace and I'm sorry that you got stuck with the crappy destiny but at least you have one thing going for you this time around…" Death trailed off with a skeletal smile on his face.

"Oh and what's that?"

"I sent Tyrion back with you, the smart ass little shit. As you are this world's protector, Tyrion protects you. From yourself, if nothing else. Did you know that at this very moment, Tyrion is ripping your Uncle a new asshole over his treatment of you?" Amusement very much in evidence in Death's voice.

"Oh!" Jon suddenly got it. Tyrion wasn't here to help him defeat the Night King.

No.

Tyrion was sent back with him to protect Jon from the Living.

Death turned and faced north of the Wall.

"Well as fun as this has been, I really must be going. Don't worry; you won't have a chance to miss me as things will get exciting for you very soon. Farewell my friend." Death said as he faded from view.

Jon was pondering on what Death meant by that last statement, when two blasts of the warning horn sounded thought the air. Jon looked down towards the tree line only to see small ant like people emerge from the trees.

The Wildlings had finally come.

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On top of the Wall, Jon raced for the lift cage at full speeds. As he approached the more heavily manned section of the Wall, he saw the new recruits who were on duty grab their bows, nocked arrow and prepared to fire. Jon looked around as he came to swift stop. He couldn't see the senior member of the Watch responsible for the day shift anywhere and another new recruit, who was being a pompous ass, was giving the commands.

"STOP! PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN NOW!" Lord Commander Snow was in control as he watched the recruits stop in confusion and lower their weapons.

"Where is Brother Garrath? He has command of the watch this day?" Jon asked the recruits.

"How the hells should we know? The old man went below. That's I know. Who the hells are you anyway? You got no right to command us. We are Brothers of the Nights Watch." The pompous rude ass asked Jon in a disrespectful tone.

"That, you rude bastard, is Lord Jon Stark of Winterfell and if you wanna live long enough to serve the Watch, I'd be minding your manner if I was you." The rough threatening tones of Bronn came from behind the rude man.

"Sorry milord, but they are asking for you down below. Wildlings have been sighted don't ya know." Bronn stated with an insolent grin on his face, voice full of humour. Jon looked at Bronn and smiled.

"I'll be there in but a moment. First thought…" Jon trailed off and looked at the rude man.

"Your Name?" Jon barked in his best Lord Commander style.

"Andrew, of Kings Landing." Andrew replied, the insulting sneer in his voice evident.

"Ah the former Gold cloak. I've heard of you. Ran the biggest protection and extortion racket in Kings Landing before you got caught in the middle of your dealings. You are lucky the King didn't execute you immediately."

"So? What of it? I'm a Brother of the Watch now. My past doesn't matter here." He replied but the sneering tone was missing.

Jon gave him a nasty smile.

"You're a RECRUIT of the Nights Watch. As you haven't sworn your vows, you are not a Black Brother just yet and as such, are still answerable to the Laws of the Realm." Jon silently thanked Sam for that piece of information.

Andrew, formally of Kings Landing was pale and silent. He hadn't been aware of this and knew that if he pushed his luck here with this Northern lordling, he may just end up dead.

"As you say my lord, I'm sorry for the rudeness." He apologised.

Jon looked at the man, he may have been scum and exploited innocent people, but according to records, he had only threatened and never killed a single person in the course of his dealings nor had his people. Jon also knew that he was right. A man's past was forgiven when he took the Black. Jon could see that this man had potential to be a good Brother of the Watch but he needed to adjust his attitude or his time here would he hell.

Jon turned and walked towards the edge of the Wall, gesturing for Andrew to follow. Bronn tagged along as well.

"Look, tell me what you see." Jon told Andrew. Andrew looked and replied,

"Wildlings my Lord. I see a small band of Wildlings."

Jon frowned. This man had the training to be able to assess a situation at a glance but was failing to use it.

"Bronn, what do you see?" Jon asked Bronn, knowing that the sellsword would point out in his unique style, just what the man wasn't seeing.

"Well as Andrew is it? Said, I see a small group of Wildlings, standin about one hundred feet from the edge of the forest. They don't appear to be heavily armed but we'd be too far away to tell that. I don't see any other movement in the forest so it's' a good chance that they're here alone. Most noticeable though, I see those banners they be wielding. From this distance, I'd say they be peace banners." Jon smiled.

"And what does all that tell you Andrew?" he asked the former gold cloak.

Andrew on the other hand groaned.

"They're here to parley with Lord Stark." He answered. 'Idiot' he thought to himself. He should have actually looked and considered the situation before allowing himself to panic which is what he had done when he told the others to take up arms. In his defence, this was the first time he had seen a Wildling band and with all the stories that all children south of the Wall grow up with, he had reacted as a scared child would have. Jon was still smiling.

"Now, knowing this, what should you have done?" Jon asked Andrew, hoping that he understood the lesson Jon was trying to impart.

"I should have ordered the men to arms but held off on giving the order to shoot. I should have waited and watch the Wildling band more closely as they exited the trees and considered their behaviour and the peace banners they ride under. I should understand that the stories my old mother use to tell me are just that stories and that the Wildlings are men too." Andrew finished with a sheepish smile.

Jon and Bronn both laughed.

"Brother Garrath, you should keep a close eye on this one. He has the potential to be a great ranger, IF he can control his fear AND his mouth." Jon smirked as he turned to the Black Brother who just smirked back nodded his head.

"They're looking for you down there." Was all Garrath said.

Jon nodded and with Bronn, walked to the lift cage, got in and descended to the courtyard.

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Down below, Ned was just about to answer Tyrion's question when they heard the horn sound twice. With that signal, both Ned and Tyrion raced out of the council chamber and into the yard, seeking the Lord Commander. While not Brothers of the Nights Watch, both Tyrion and Ned knew that two blasts of the warning horns mean Wildlings and both wondered what they were doing here, both of them had expected to have to ride out in search of them.

They spotted Jeor Mormont giving orders for horses to be readied and to find out just what the hells was happening out there. Jeor was worried that this could be a probing attack to gauge the defences of Castle Black but wasn't sure and wanted to be ready just in case.

"Lord Commander, what news?" Ned enquired.

"Nothing so far Lord Stark, I haven't received a report from the top of the Wall yet. Brother Garrath was in a meeting with me so I have no experienced eyes above to give me a reliable report. The day watch was made up of new recruits today." Jeor explained as they waited for their horses to be readied and brought to them.

"Jon is up there. I trust him to give us an accurate report of what is happening. We need to send someone to fetch him." Ned said.

"Bronn, would you mind fetching Jon for us?" Tyrion asked his friend who had materialized at his side. Bronn nodded and walked to the cage without a word. He knew this was a serious situation and while he may be a cocky son of a bitch, he was also an experienced fighter and knew information was key in situations such as these to staying alive.

While waiting for Jon and Bronn, they mustered their escorts and prepared for anything that may happen.

"Should we assemble the representatives?" Tyrion asked Ned. Ned shook his head.

"No, we determine what's going on first and go from there." Ned replied.

"They're here under peace banners father. A small band and from what we can tell, no great host concealed within the forest." Jon reported as he and Bronn approached the small group of men and horses. "I think they're a delegation here on Mance's behalf. While I can't be sure of this, it doesn't feel like they're here to attack us." Jon finished off. Behind Jon, Bronn nodded his agreement.

Jeor, Tyrion and Ned breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed somewhat as Robb and Theon arrived leading the Stark party's horse. They would leave Castle Black shortly but Ned was worried about taking Theon with them.

Ned's concern wasn't about Theon's status as a turn cloak in the Time Before but the teenager had quite the mouth on him and didn't always think before he spoke. Not to mention that Theon's temper was always on the verge of being set off when he thought he had been insulted. It was a habit the Ned had been trying to break Theon of for years. He needed this to go well and didn't need Theon's mouth mucking up the waters.

"Theon, come with me for a moment." Ned told him and walked a short distance away. Once they were out of hearing range of the others, Ned turned to Theon and spoke.

"Theon, I'm not sure I should take you with us at his moment. These will be delicate negotiations and I need men of wit and patience with me as I speak to the Free Folk and let's be honest here, you have a disrespectful mouth at times and also speak when you should be silent. If I let you come with us, will you be silent no matter the provocation? Can you control that temper of yours?" Ned questioned him, hoping that he could trust Theon in this matter.

Theon thought about what Lord Stark was saying, and while it hurt his ego to be spoken to like this, he had to agree that Lord Stark had a valid point. He often spoke before he thought of the possible consequences of his words and tended to get angry and offended if he thought someone had insulted him or Robb, whom he loved like a brother.

"I will do as you ask My Lord. I won't disappoint you." Theon replied in a serious tone. Besides, there was no way he was missing this.

Ned nodded and they walked back to the group and mounted. Jeor gave the command and the inner gate was raised and the twin lines of men and horses proceeded into the ice tunnel under the wall. By the time they reached the outer gate, it was already open and the group rode out into the wintery lands north of the Wall.

As their eyes adjusted to the light outside the tunnel, they eventually saw the small band of Free Folk moving closer towards an invisible line halfway between the forest and the Wall. As the two groups got closer to each other, they could begin to make out more details.

Jon, riding next to his father, studied the approaching group closely. The first two things he noticed was that Mance was not there and the huge Wildling with the shock of red hair and beard was an old friend who could help the situation a lot if they could win him over. After concluding his study of the group, Jon leaned towards Ned and spoke in a soft voice that only Ned could hear.

"Mance isn't with the group but it's a strange mix he sends. The giant man with the red hair is Tormund Giantsbane, Mead King of the Ruddy Hall and an all-round braggart. He's actually for this alliance in order to save his people. He'll do his best to provoke you in order to get your measure. To his left, the man wearing a shirt of bones is the Lord of Bones, also known as Rattleshirt. Vile man, nasty disposition and temper. He'll use any excuse to kill you so be on your guard. On the right of Tormund and I've no idea how he managed to talk her into doing this, is Karsi spearwife and one of the leaders of Hardhome. She's smart and reasonable. Mance was smart to send her. On the right slightly behind Rattleshirt, is Styr, Magnar of Thenn. They're a cannibal tribe, pretty much despised by everyone and he WILL eat you is he is given the opportunity. The last one is Orell. He's a warg with an eagle companion. He can control it well enough to use it to scout and attack. I'd wager he already knows our numbers on the other side of the Wall." Jon finished telling Ned about the oncoming group.

They were distracted by a strangled gasp.

"Those fuckers dare!" Stated an outraged Thorne. Jon and Ned looked at the group again and saw what had Thorne angry. Sown in to the peace banner was a Nights Watch cloak.

"Calm Ser Allister, they did this to get this exact reaction from you. Do nothing at this moment. Ignore the insult and if you cannot ignore the insult, then leave now." Ned commanded Thorne. Throne gave Ned a look laced with anger and hatred and nodded his head, nothing further coming from his mouth.

The two parties met at that invisible line, stopping their horses and eyeing each other off. The air was tense with old hatreds and it would only take a small thing to set the off a war that they couldn't afford to fight.

The silence stretched on for a time until Ned decided to break it. From his saddle bag, he withdrew a skin of wine and a loaf of bread and proceeded to throw it at Tormund. When Tormund looked at him suspiciously, Ned just shrugged.

"It's not exactly guest rights but it should work for this parley. My way of saying you're under my protection for the length of this meeting." HE said with a bit of a smile. The Lord of Bones stirred and spoke.

"We need no protection from you kneeler. We are the Free Folk and you are in OUR lands now." The Lord of Bones spat at Ned and the others.

"Oh shut the fuck up you old windbag. It's a gesture you fucking moron and I'm sick of your whining. If you don't want to be here then fuck off and let the rest of us get down to business." Karsi snapped at Rattleshirt while snatching the wine skin and bread off Tormund and taking a mouthful of wine. Karsi's eyes widen in surprise and pleasure.

"Good wine." She said with a grin, handing the skin to Tormund while she tore off a chunk of bread. After the skin had been passed around the bread consumed, Ned addressed the group.

"I'm Eddard Stark. Warden of the North. I would ask, why have you come?"

"I'm known as Tormund Giantsbane. This is Karsi, The Lord of Bones and Styr, Mangar of Thenn. Mance sent us to speak on his behalf. We got your message and we've been told to tell you this: In three days, Mance and the rest of the leaders of the Free Folk will gather at the Weirwood tree just north of the Wall. We'll be there from dawn until dusk. If you truly wish to speak to us, be there in three days. If you don't then we'll just disappear and when the Long Night comes for us all, we'll attack the Wall and force our way though." Tormund's rough northern accent sounded the terms of the future meeting place.

Ned looked at Tormund and considered Mance's words. That the Free Folk were willing to talk was a promising sign and Ned hopped it boded well for future co-operation. He nodded at Tormund.

"Agreed. We will attend the leaders of the Free Folk at midday three days from now in front of the Weirwood tree. May this meeting bear peace and safety for us all." He replied.

"Three days then." Was the reply as the Wildling group turned their horses around and rode back towards the forest.

Ned smiled. It was time.

Let the battle for the fate of the world begin.

Next chapter, Talks of peace and alliance begin.