Chapter nineteen

The great expedition

Jon

As Jon was in the yard training with his new sword, a valerian steel sword called Longclaw, that Lord commander Mormont had gifted him for saving his life Jon reflected on the past few months since he did the act that gained him this sword. Ever since he had exited the burning tower with barely a scratch or burn his brothers had all been treating him differently. Some ignored him as if some weirdness could be caught just by having eye contact with Jon. Others ribbed him, calling him the unburnt or the unmelted snow. Jon didn't know which was more frustrating for him but he was glad to be alone in the training yard and having time to breathe for a moment.

Hearing the ravens squawk Jon looked up to see several be loosed from the tower and his mind turned to the maester. Maester Aemon had been very peculiar since the attack. Before he had barley interacted with Jon but the night of the attack he had demanded to be the one to look over him, even as blind as he was. Once he was confident Jon was unharmed Maester Aemon had embraced Jon and then pulled away with tears in his milky white eyes. In the weeks since Aemon had invited Jon to his quarters once per week and has had a more substantial supper available for him as he retold the stories of his life to Jon. Maester Aemon had been a Targaryen before he became a maester and then a man of the nights watch so the stories he had fascinated Jon. However, Jon couldn't figure out why the man had taken such a liking to him but with the bigger and nicer meals he wasn't going to question the man.

Jon was full of sweat and his arms ached when he was about to stop and head to bed he heard a shout calling for all black brothers to the hall and Jon knew he wouldn't be going to bed anytime soon. He put longclaw into his scabbard on his belt and headed into the crowded hall and took a few seconds as the candle light stung his eyes. He quickly found a seat and kept his head down not wanting to hear any taunts tonight.

It was several moments until all the black brothers were in the hall and even this far north with all the brothers in one room it was stifling. Jon looked up towards the front where all the leaders of the nights watch were gathered. As the Lord Commander stood silence swept the room as everybody's attention turned toward the formidable man.

"Brothers of the nights watch." He began solemnly. "I come before you under the most horrible of conditions. All of you must be aware of the fire that overtook my tower." At this all eyes turned briefly to Jon who felt his face burn red. "The fire is common knowledge, as is my rescue by one of you. However only known to me, him and then the leaders of the night's watch are the reasons why the fire began." Murmurs rose but were quickly stopped when Mormont raised an eyebrow.

"I was a bed when I was attacked. Jon Snow fought by attackers and had to use fire to do so. The attackers had been brought to my rooms that day however then they had been quite dead then." Mormont stopped and looked around. "It is unbelievable I know. If I had not seen it with my own eyes I would have refused to believe it but saw it I did. We have been in talks since, and it has been decided that we need some information before we contact the south. We will go on a great ranging north of the wall to speak to the wildlings, speak only, as it is them who will know more if the other's have arose again."

"The other's are just a children's story!" Somebody called out.

"The other's have been gone a long time true. But think. Why would our forbearers build this wall and decree it manned? They were so scared of something the built a wall of ice three hundred miles long, seven hundred feet high, and three hundred feet wide. I know of nothing that I would fear so much as to do that. The rangers will all be coming as will handpicked stewards who will be informed after this meeting. My steward Jon snow and I will also be going. We leave at sunrise so collect what you need, and we will meet you in the yard." With this he swept off the dais and headed out the doors as a roar of sound followed him out as everybody started talking.

Jon quickly headed to the doors keeping his head down as he knew many would have questions for him and he didn't want to relive the scariest night of his life. He thought he had made it when just as he passed the doorway Sam stepped into his view. "Is it true?" Sam's voice trembled as he asked.

Jon sighed and looked at Sam's watery blue eyes. "Yes Sam."

To his credit Sam just took a deep breath and his shoulders set. "Maester Aemon told me to tell you to come and say goodbye. I'll walk with you to his rooms."

Jon was surprised but was thankful that Sam kept quiet the whole way only turning towards Jon when in front of the Maester's door and enveloping in a hug. "Goodbye Sam." Jon said as he opened the door.

"You asked to see me Maester Aemon." Jon said as he entered the room then immediately continuing. "Here. Let me. You'll burn yourself." As he saw the blind man adding firewood to his fire.

Maester Aemon just laughed. "I'll burn no more than you Jon. Anyway, I just wanted to wish you look on your journey. I know it was your wish to become a ranger and this is the main job of a ranger so I'm glad you'll experience that."

"Thank you, sir. That means a lot." Jon smiled at the old man feeling a warmth in his chest that even though his family was far to the south he had connected to somebody here.

"You know I've watched many of my family leave to go on adventures throughout my life but this is the first time I cannot watch and wave." Maester Aemon said sadly.

"Your brothers surely all know you would love to." Jon supplied.

"Yes, I imagine they do." Aemon smiled again. "Although now they would mostly be my great – great – nephews."

"We would all be lucky to have you as our uncle Maester Aemon. However, I really must be going to pack my belongings. We set off at sunrise." Jon went to stand but was stopped with a hand on his wrist.

"Jon. I must ask you three things before you go. My time here grows shorter, and I find myself thinking more to the past." Aemon said quietly.

"If I am able of course I will." Jon said settling back.

"I ask that you be safe on this ranging. Any danger I ask that you turn back to the wall. I ask for your to write a letter to your father before you leave with a message from me and I also ask that I may feel your face again so that I may remember how you look." Aemon said very seriously.

Jon didn't even hesitate to these requests. "The ranging is for information Maester. Any danger and I'm sure we will turn back. Of course ill help you write a letter and you can feel my face anytime. I'm sure its disconcerting speaking into the blackness." With this Jon grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment and wrote his own letter to his father before asking what Aemon wanted to say. After this was done and sent off. Jon sat down and guided Aemon's hands towards his face. Aemon's cold hands moved slowly around Jon's face paying particular attention to his nose and then when he dropped his hands the bid each other goodnight. But Jon was sure as he closed the door softly behind him he heard the old Maester mutter "Egg."

The next morning found Jon with the rest of the night's watch out in the yard loading up a horse with his few possessions. He saw Sam coming towards him and felt affection for the man.

"Hi Sam. Come to say goodbye? Thought we did that last night." Jon joked.

"I'm coming with you." Sam said. "Somebody needs to control the raven's and send messages. Maester Aemon can't so it's up to me." Jon could tell Sam was trying to be brave and he decided to let him have this pride.

"Of course. It will be good to have someone with me who can look at me without making japes." Jon slung his arm around Sam and led him to a horse and helped him load his stuff on it. Before they knew it they had lined up in order to go through the tunnel to the other side of the wall. As they passed through Jon thought 'Winter's don't truly come pass this wall. Winter is here.'

The next few days are tough. The snow is knee deep near the wall and only gets deeper the further away they get. Many a day the day is spent digging out a trail for the next day only to find it filled partially in when they attempt it. The nights are spent huddled around fires and Jon had taken to wearing all his clothes at once to try and ward off the cold. It was a week before they reached the nearest wilding settlement, if you could call some shacks in a circle with a large firepit in the middle a settlement, but it was empty. No sign of life or of a struggle occurring were found in the village but the group were just glad to get out of the wind for a few hours before heading to the next.

Each settlement was the same. Completely empty. No signs of struggle. Jon could tell Mormont was getting worried and it was three weeks into the ranging when they are setting up camp on a old settlement known as the fist of the first men. A small hill with gently sloping sides when the announcement was made that they were to turn back in the morning due to dwindling supplies. Jon had it better than most men he guessed. His furs were of high quality and for some reason he didn't feel hunger much. He dreamed of chasing rabbits in the forests surrounding him and awoke with the taste of blood on his tongue and his belly full.

The ranging was a failure. Once Jon had set up his roll next to the fire him and Sam went to do a patrol of the perimeter of the camp. Something that had become a routine since Jon hated spending time with any of the other brother's due to the comments they made. The longer they were out ranging the more disbelieving they had become about the other's being back and the whites in the Lord Commander's tower.

Sam and Jon were walking quietly when Sam stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Be careful Sam." Jon said exasperated. For all the exercise Sam hadn't lost any weight in fact he looked bigger now than he had back at the wall. Due to this he couldn't see his feet and tripped up many times a day.

"Sorry Jon." Sam said sat on the ground and rubbing his sore shin. "Jon look at this."

Jon knelt next to Sam expecting to see a broken leg or a rock shaped funnily, that had happened before. But instead there was a small niche in the tree only visible if one was sat on the floor and inside was something wrapped in cloth. Carefully Jon reaches in and takes out the package before quickly withdrawing his hand and hissing in pain.

"It cut me through my gloves." Jon said cradling his hand, he wanted to check the cut but taking his gloves off would only lead to frostbite.

"I'll look." Sam said and much more carefully than Jon he removed the packaging and found several strangely dark daggers and a large ornate horn.

"This horn looks really old." Sam said excitedly.

Jon was more interested in the daggers. He had seen many in his life but none that looked like this. He turned them over in his hands and then slipped one into his pocket. He didn't know what they were, but they looked important. He also passed one to Sam.

"Here Sam. Keep this on you." Sam just nodded not paying him any attention as he continued to examine the horn. Jon stood there shivering as he felt something brush his cloak, turning quickly he let out a breath when it was only Ghost who had come to stand beside him.

It was only when the fur stood up on Ghost's back that Jon realised something had changed. The air felt still as if the wind had blown itself out. The stars above were gone and the low murmur of chatter from the top of the hill could no longer be heard. Jon quickly told Sam to stand.

"Get that dagger out Sam." Jon said out the side of his mouth.

It was eery, Jon later reflected, just how quickly they were upon them. One moment Jon was daydreaming of his small chamber in Castle Black and the next he was fighting for his life.

The dead were attacking them. Relentless. Again and again, they came upon them like a wave. Only this time Jon didn't have fire to fight them. He quickly threw longclaw away when he saw it was worthless and reached for the strange dagger he had slipped into his pocket. Luckily it only took one hit and the first white fell. Jon couldn't look behind to see how Sam was doing but tried to shout to him anyway.

"Sam. Sam we need to warn the others." Jon shouted.

There was no answer and Jon couldn't help but think the worst. He was alone in this fight now. One of the wights came from the left and gouged at his sides ripping the fabric and tearing into his flesh. It burned but Jon continued to fight. It was only once all the wights had stopped moving that he turned around to what he expected to be Sam's body to find Sam somehow standing but with pure terror on his face. There were three wight corpses surrounding him and Jon tried to reassure him that they would go tell command and then go home the next day, but Sam just raised his hand and as Jon turned, he saw something that would live with him the rest of his days.

Jon had thought the wights had been scary. Skeletal and decaying bodies reanimated. But this creature was something different completely. It was beautiful in a perverse way. Long white hair and blue skin that seemed to shine even though there was no light to reflect off it. It's face was hard and cruel and Jon knew immediately this was a other. He quickly picked up longclaw and stood in front of Sam.

"Go Sam. Go up the hill and get help." Jon said. But Sam couldn't move.

The other seemed to glide not walk towards the two boys but Jon was concerned to see it's eyes were not upon him as the one with a visible weapon but upon Sam. When it reached within longclaws range Jon tried to swing but was just swept aside before his sword could hit upon the other. It stood looming above Sam not saying anything until it's hand suddenly struck out and wrapped around Sam's throat squeezing. Jon was horrified but the wound in his side didn't allow him to get up and fight. He quickly thought and locked eyes with a terrified Sam before throwing his sword with all his might into Sam's hand. Sam quickly stabbed the other in the back and it exploded in a hail of ice.

Both boys lay in the snow gasping for air. Sam struggled to his feet telling Jon "Stay here. I'll go get help."

Jon watched as the fat boy struggled up the hill and Ghost came to Jon's side licking at the wound.

"I'll be fine boy." Jon said to his beloved wolf.

Ghost just looked at Jon mournfully before turning tail and running into the trees. "No wait. Ghost come back." Jon shouted as he struggled to his feet. Jon didn't know if there were more others out there. "Ghost!" He shouted.

When Ghost didn't even look back at him Jon fought with himself for one moment before stumbling after him. He couldn't lose him.

It was a long time before Jon caught up to Ghost sat on a rock and as he sat beside him Jon turned back and saw the hill that was the encampment off his fellow night's watch brother's overrun with wights.

Dear Father,

This letter must be brief as we are to leave in the morning for a ranging beyond the wall. I wanted to let you know that I am safe and happy here and will write more once I am back. I'm sure the Lord Commander will have sent a letter to King's Landing about the reasoning behind the ranging so I won't go into it. Please send my love to my siblings and know I love you too.

Jon

Oh, and Maester Aemon who I've been spending a lot of time with wanted me to tell you. 'winter roses and harps bloom lovely this winter.' Strange I know but I cannot deny a order.

Hello! Here's a chapter from Jon! It ended up longer than i anticipated but I'm happy with it anyway! Had to put a few cheeky references in. Can anybody point them out? Do I need to hide them better? Please let me know what you think. Next chapter marks a third of this story done! Well from what I have planned I'm sure I'll add more.

xxxcrazyxladyxxx

Edited some spelling :)