TW: Graphic violence against a newborn (I know sorry). If you want to skip, the basics of this chapter are: Eira tells Tormund about why she doesn't feel cold and they climb The Wall.

Note: I heard horizontal lines stay in the text after publishing so if it doesn't ughhhh.

Chapter 3: The Wall

The Giant, "Tormund", had left her alone after the reveal of his name. The pack had all grouped together a few feet away, speaking in hushed tones. It didn't take a maester to know they were discussing her. Maybe this was it, the niceties were over, this Tormund thought he had won her over and now they were arguing over who would go first. Eira's stormy thoughts were broken by a clear of a throat, she looked up to see the younger Wildman who had vouched for her to be untied the prior night, he was worrying the same rope in his hands.

"Kneeler.. If you're good, I won't have to tie you. But no funny business, Tormund 'ere said you don't need to be tied up but that if you run I gotta go after you." He grimaced, his skin looked grey, "And honestly, I know I could catch ya, but not without spewing." Noted.

"I won't run if you tell me what you lot were talking about over there." The Wildman, who Eira now looked at properly, was just a boy, definitely younger than her, he smiled awkwardly.

"Ah, the way home, Kneeler. Y'see Tormund wanted to try out this supposed abandoned tunnel that runs through the wall, 'bout a two day walk from here. But, well since he drank all that wine, no point. We'll climb." Her face clearly gave her sense of alarm away as the boy quickly continued, "but no worries lass! We've carried a lot heavier on our backs trust me! Especially Tormund mind! I heard he once fought a bear. Then bedded it!". Again, her face must have given away her disgust, as the boy, now as red in the face as Tormund's hair, continued to babble." B-but that's just a story lass, I'm sure there's no bears for you to be worried about." His babble finally came to a stop, eyes trained to his muddy boots in embarrassment. Eira wondered if this was what it would be like if her little brother lived past his birth, an annoying lad who talked too much and got embarrassed by girls.

"I hope not. Though, I've never seen a bear before." Eira smiled, there was something about the boy that made it impossible to be harsh towards him, and began her trek behind the group who had already started to wander through the woods. The boy quickly caught up to her, refusing eye contact as he brushed past to get to speed with the pack.

The woods hid the group from the dreary sky up until the weak sun hit its highest point, a large plain of field lay after that, with the colossal wall on the horizon. It was a magnificent thing, Eira had never been this close before. Eventually they were at the base of the hulking wall of ice, even with her head thrown as far back as possible Eira still couldn't see the top. Ropes and hooks were being carefully removed from their bundles as the Wildmen set up for the climb. The Giant sidled over to her holding some furs.

"It'll be cold up there lass, wear this." He tried to shove it in her hands but Eira refused to move.

"I told you I don't get cold." A roll of the eyes, the idiot didn't believe her.

"We don't have time for this. Yes, yes you're a very brave Kneeler, well done, now get this on before you freeze halfway up the wall and I die from trying to carry an icicle on me back." Eira stayed in her defiant stance, maybe if they were in a real rush, they'd just leave her on the civilised side of the wall, she was sure she'd be able to get home from here. A paw landed roughly on her back as the Giant shoved her to the side, a few metres away from the men who were clearly trying to not look interested.

"Ok. Tell me about this God. What makes you so special hm?" His giant arms crossed across his barrel chest, ice glaring down at her as intimidating as The Wall behind them.

"You really want to do this now? You won't believe a word I say even if I told you the sky was blue"

"It's more grey to be fair." This bastard. Eira let out a deep breath, he was stubborn, all Northern men were so God knows how much worse they were beyond The Wall. Fine. Maybe he'd think she was crazy, men don't want crazy wives, maybe he'd dump her.

"Ok. Fine. It was about a season ago. My mother had a difficult birth, it was her first boy. I'm the youngest of seven sisters. My father was desperate for a boy to take over the tavern. It's not proper for a girl to be in charge of so much." The Giant scoffed.

"God you Kneelers and your stupid ways. You think having a cunt between those legs stops your brain from working?". No of course not you oaf, Eira snapped internally, but try telling anyone that in her village. She never stopped to think about what women did beyond The Wall, they must be rougher, tougher than the average peasant girl like her to survive in the tundra.

"Well.. the birth didn't go as planned. We were supposed to get a healer, but they didn't arrive. Father tried his best but the babe came out mangled. Limbs twisted, head deformed, skin purple, like a monster. Mother didn't make it." She stopped for a moment, it was night, she was supposed to assist, she'd set up a fire and had cleaned all of the cloth in the house to the best of her ability with boiling water and soap, but it was too late, she'd just gotten down the stairs to see Mother's limp body on the floor of the tavern, blood soaking into the wood. They never managed to scrub it out, they had to spend a good chunk of coin onto a rug big enough.

"I was too late. Father had already gone outside with.. It. He was so angry, Father always had a temper but he did love Mother in his way. He was so mad, he had the thing in his hand and just dropped it, he was crying and yelling at it, at the Gods, and it wouldn't stop crying so he."

The Giant, drawn into this horror story, was leaning impossibly close to her, hands hovering near hers as if he wasn't sure if he was supposed to comfort her. Eira was glad he wasn't touching her.

"And? Then what?" His voice was so soft, barley carrying over the light breeze.

"He stomped on its head. That shut it up. Then went inside and told me to clean up. We'd be opening tomorrow and this wasn't a good look for customers."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was quick I think, the thing would've died soon after anyways." Eira hated thinking about this part of her story, had to detach herself, she couldn't think of this thing as her baby brother or she'd go mad with guilt.

"I set up a fire. The oncoming winter has made the animals more confident, we'd had a couple attacks the past few days from wolves, some say Direwolves. The body would attract them. I wrapped the thing in some of the cloth I'd prepared for Mother, and put it in the fire. The smell is ingrained into my being. I'll never forget it." She couldn't look at Tormund, she could feel the disgust radiating from the Giant. She understood, it was an abhorrent thing to do. "I stayed by the fire, it was so horrible I couldn't look away, I swear I could hear it speak. Whispering things to me. I stood there all night. Father was furious in the morning, I was supposed to clean the floor of the tavern, we'd lose business with so much blood still visible. But it was like I couldn't really hear him, like he was talking through a thick blanket, or through a thin wall. All I could hear was the fire talking to me, telling me its secrets." To emphasise her point, Eira turned her back to the Giant and placed her bare palms onto the thick ice of the Wall. Nothing. A slight tingle but that was it.

"He left in a storm, I knew I was going to get leathered once the last customer was gone. But I didn't really care, I promised the fire that one day, I'd give it more blood. His blood. I'd feed my father to God in the fire as a thank you for all of the secrets it told me. I never seemed to get cold after that. As you can see." Her speech ended with Tormund yanking her hands from The Wall and rubbing them between his gloves hands, but there was no redness, her skin wasn't even that chilled to touch. He looked solemnly at her but didn't say a word. Maybe he was debating carrying her up The Wall, a wicked thing that did wicked things to an innocent baby, and wasn't even punished for it, instead gifted with an amazing ability. Eira wondered if he'd get violent, punish her for her deeds. She wouldn't blame him but hoped that he wouldn't kill her.

"When we get back. You will see Mance. He'll know more of this." The Giant then dropped her hands and turned his back to her, reuniting with the group. Eira didn't move, she wasn't sure what to think, what he thought.

"Well? Come on then". A quirked red eyebrow and jerk of the head had Eira scurrying to the Giants side. She felt lighter. Like she had gone to confess all of her sins to a Weirwood tree. Maybe it was his wise eyes, or the blood red of his hair that made him feel so holy. No wonder he was the leader of these Wildmen.

The group of Wildmen wouldn't meet her eyes, suddenly their ropes were the most interesting thing in the world. Some had already set up to start the climb. Tormund said it would take hours. He'd mulled over how to carry her over The Wall and eventually settled on her being wrapped to his chest like a mother and babe. It was embarrassing but the Giant and his men insisted that this would be better for his balance, as if she shifted on his back wrong it may result in a long, horrible, fall to their death. Embarrassment was better than death.

Eira had asked if she'd be too heavy for the man to lug up The Wall and her answer was laughter and the sudden feeling of not being on the ground, her stomach lurched and she hid her head in the man's furs, she could feel his chest heave with silenced laughter.

"Now girl, don't tell me my brave Kneeler who speaks to fire is scared of heights?" He bellowed loudly over the wind, which was becoming harsher with each stretch of the man's arms, as if nature itself was enraged at them for daring the climb. She could hear distant laughter from the men who'd started to go ahead of them, she felt bad for slowing the Giant down.

Luckily, being strapped to his chest Eira couldn't really see much past the Giant's furs and beard, which was fortunate as she believed one glance at the ground would have her soul leave her body in a bid to reach the ground as fast as possible. She spent the climb with her eyes scrunched tight, and nose shoved in the man's chest trying to be as still as possible to not cause him to misstep and kill them both. Every so often the Giant would attempt to talk to her over the howling winds but she was too scared to open her mouth.

A couple hours in, as she began to struggle to breathe from the sheer height, Tormund resorted to occasionally shushing noises, like one would do with a fussy babe. Once they reached the peak and had to swing across the top to begin their descent, a paw gently patted her head,

"You're doing fine lass. Think of your flames and you'll be on solid ground in no time."

Her, no, The Giant was surprisingly gentle compared to the hulking monster she'd first laid eyes on mere days ago. Eira imagined herself shaking her head aggressively, the thin air was messing with her brain.

The descent was quicker but the lurching of Tormund making his way down The Wall made Eira feel like she was dying. Her stomach was doing tumbles and she was sweating so profusely she feared she'd slip right out of her binding and become nothing but some red mush amongst snow. Once they finally met the ground, Eira could have cried tears of joy. Tormund promptly unwrapped her and settled her onto her feet, smirking at her grey, clammy face. From behind she heard quick footsteps,

"Well done Kneeler! You survived!" A hard clap on the back released the rabbit broth she had eaten hours ago, splashing onto the snow and Tormund's boots. Her eyes and nose streamed with tears, over the ringing of her ears she could hear a yelp and thud before a more gentler hand pressed against her back.

"Sorry 'bout that lass, forgot Kneelers aren't used to heights." It was the Wildman with the wire hair and impossibly green eyes, she thought maybe that's what grass looked like in the South, with all that sun. Eira gave him a tight smile and nod, still too woozy to speak, he seemed to get the nicety and wandered off down the beaten path along with the rest of the pack. Tormund hovered behind her and she realised he was waiting for her to start walking to bring up the rear of the pack, a protective gesture that he'd not shown the other side of The Wall. There was less chatted as they travelled further into the world beyond The Wall, Eira noticed how their eyes darted away from the path towards the patches of snowy trees and lining of thick woods, their ears seemed to perk up at any noise, even if just a bird chirp, or squeak of a rodent. She wondered what had them on such high alert, what beasts hid in the snow that she wasn't aware of.

Note:Posting will slow down after this. Sorry about the whole baby bit, I'm an ugly person with ugly thoughts.