It had been several moons since the Lord Commander of the Night Watch Jeor Mormont had heard from Benjen, beginning to think that he might have to declare him dead within the year. A raven arrived from Eddard Stark, Benjen's elder brother and Lord of Winterfell, whom Jeor had a great deal of respect for. It spoke of the High Septon's vision and King Robert's declaration that all the kingsguard could now wed and have families. Jeor set down the parchment and thought over Eddard's words. Even before he had joined the Watch, the number of men who joined dwindled with every passing year till their numbers were the lowest in recorded history since before Aegon the Conqueror became ruler of Westeros. The Wall itself wasn't maintained as it should be now and he knew it would only be a matter of time before wildlings weren't the only ones getting across.
When new to his post, he wouldn't have considered it at all because he knew a lot of the men who took the black snuck off to the brothel in Mole's Town and as a result some of the children there were undeclared bastards sired by oath breakers too scared or ashamed to admit their weakness. Jeor knew even Northerners weren't immune to desires of the flesh out here on the Wall, constantly facing winter and wildlings and Others. A lot of them had never married and those that had weren't like him and couldn't imagine finding another after his dearly departed lady wife, so he went out to the heart tree of their tower and asked if this was indeed the answer. He saw visions of fierce women and men fighting against the long winter nights, stronger together than apart. He went back to his office and wrote a reply, saying he was willing to agree with the oath of the Night's Watch being amended to allow marriage, so long as the couples fought together and sent it off.
Children could be raised in the Gift as part of Eddard's other proposal which entailed establishing new lords there who would pay their taxes to Castle Black instead of Winterfell, which he thought would have to be put into action before winter if that was possible. It meant finding the right men to be in charge, men like the Starks whom still had the blood of the First Men coursing through their veins. He thought of his son in his self imposed exile after being caught selling poachers to slavers. Jeor hadn't allowed himself to think of his only child since Jorah had fled like a coward from being executed by Eddard for his crimes, leaving Bear Island with his southron wife instead of taking the black. Jeor suspected that hadn't ended well and his son was probably looking for a way back home, probably not making good decisions in his attempts.
Old age may have softened him, for he found himself wishing he had not judged his son so harshly all these years. Jorah was young and in love and desperate, wanting to keep his wife and life. A wild bear would have acted the same way, if they mated for life the way Mormonts did. He wondered if it was too late to reach out to Jorah, offering his forgiveness and a place at the Wall or in the new community that would be in the Gift, though he knew that his lady wife would have wanted him to at least try. She had always said winter's call brought out the fierceness of the North and drew them all together. He pulled a piece of parchment in front of himself and wrote from the heart. He sealed the letter with his own hand and instructed the crow scour all of Essos for his son, not sure where Jorah was by now.
His thoughts were interrupted when a different crow flew in and perched in front of him, a rolled up piece of paper tied securely to it's leg. He untied and unrolled it, relieved to see Benjen's familiar hand writing. Benjen assured him he was alive thanks to a woman named Nymeria Waters whom had crossed the Wall to Lands of Forever Winter. He reported he hadn't found Ser Waymar Royce, but he had learned from Nymeria that the wildlings had been digging up in the mountains of Thenn for possibly three moons, the reasons unknown. He promised he would be able to travel in two weeks and could return back to the Wall or go investigate, depending on Jorah's orders.
The Old Bear felt his lips twitch into a smile as he set down the letter. Benjen had been like the second son that he and his wife had longed for, but had never been able to concieve despite years of trying. If there was ever a truer Ranger, Jorah had yet to meet them. Benjen was one of the few that had kept all his oaths and just when he was meeting an interesting woman, everything was changing. He wrote a reply and mentioned the letter from Eddard and the terms of agreement he'd come to after some consideration. He asked for thoughts on who they could approach about becoming lords in the different provences of the Gift, though he was certain Benjen's opinion would be the same as his own. He told the injured Ranger to investigate the suspicious activity in Thenn once he was fully recovered, not before. He sealed the his orders and tied them to the strange crow's leg after it had gotten some food and water. He watched it disappear out his window and went for a walk to visit Aemon up in his tower.
"I am relieved Benjen is alive. I too was beginning to worry about him." The elderly Targaryen's unseeing eyes were right on Jeor's face. Anyone else would have thought Aemon wasn't really blind, but the Lord Commander knew that Aemon's senses far exceeded his own. "And he met a bastard Targaryen? I wonder who fathered her."
"Since she's around Benjen's age, it could have been the Mad King. You remember the rumors that even reached here of how he violated a servant and she fled the castle."
Aemon nodded sadly. "Yes, I remember. Unfortunately Aegon was a very unstable man who took whatever he wanted even when he was younger. Regardless, out here on and Beyond the Wall parentage isn't relevant, only action is. She saved one of your Rangers when she could have left him for dead and then told him what she had seen without hesitation. That says a great deal."
"I agree. I hope you and I get a chance to meet her."
"I have a feeling we will when Benjen returns." Aemon smiled as if he knew it would happen and Jeor didn't doubt it because Aemon was rarely wrong.