Chapter 1 (Edited)
The training yard rang to the sound of swords. A group of new recruits were sparring under the sneering eyes of Ser Alliser Thorne as he lied in wait for a chance to humiliate anyone who made a mistake. The Lord Commander Mormont had his eyes fixed on one recruit, Jon Snow as he helped a large boy cowardly curled up on the ground while another beat him with a training sword. He was surprised with the courage the young man had in him.
Suddenly a sound was heard in the distance. Carried by the wind, the sound of a horn. All of the Night's watch knew what the horns meant. One blow for a ranger returning, two for wildlings and three, a third horn blow hasn't been heard in centuries but they still knew what it meant.
White walkers.
But as a second call was heard, Castle black went up in chaos, rangers grabbed their swords and readied their horses to go beyond the wall and ward off the wilding's threatening approach. The new recruits stood and watched as their future brothers rode into the tunnel quickly closing the large iron door behind them. All they could do was wait until they returned.
The large door opened once again as the rangers rode back in, no one was hurt, they looked as if they didn't fight at all. A ranger climbed down from his horse and announced that they were dead before they even reached them.
"And how exactly were they already dead?" asked Thorne in disbelief, the ranger turned his head to the entrance of the tunnel as three strangers came riding through.
Lord Commander Mormont raised his eyebrows, he could see that they weren't wildlings but looked more like royalty as their horse came to a halt. A tall armoured man climbed down from his horse and removed his helm, he wore the sigil of a Weirwood Tree forged into his breastplate.
Another climbed down from their horse with the help of the armoured man's guiding hand, their hood covered their face but the silk dress hugged tightly around the curves of what was a young woman's body. The man helped another woman who was with child down from her horse; she looked up at him with a smile on her lips.
All of the Night's Watch stood in silence as they approached the Lord Commander and Ser Alliser Thorne, they bowed their heads in respect and the strangers did the same.
"I am Lord Commander Mormont of the Night's Watch and who are you?" said the Lord Commander his eyes shifting between the strangers, the young woman stepped forward after sharing a glance back towards her companions and removed her hood.
Members of the Night's Watch shared looks between each other, the woman was beautiful.
The armoured man stepped forward.
"My lord, may I present my sister Princess Tamina of house Greywin and my wife Mayla the Princess's handmaiden" said the man;
"So that would make you a Prince, Ser?" asked Thorne,
"Uh, no Ser, I am Cane her half-brother and the Commander of her guard" he replied,
"Another bastard" Thorne scoffed, rolling his eyes at the man,
"A bastard he may be, but still my brother Ser" Tamina said with a small smile.
Ser Alliser stood with a stern look on his face. He did not appreciate being talked to in that way by a woman.
"Ser Alliser! Take your men and continue sparring" Mormont announced,
"A Kingdom beyond the Wall, it is the thing of legends, a children's story at most" said Mormont;
"We have kept our existence a myth so we could live in peace. Sometimes stories can be forgotten truths, My Lord" said the Princess with a warm smile.
Without warning Cane dropped to the floor and started to violently shake, Princess Tamina ran to her brother's side,
"Brother, what is wrong?" She turned to the Lord Commander, "What is happening!" she cried,
"Take him to Maester Aemon!" Mormont called to some of the men.
With the little energy he had Cane pointed to his shoulder, Tamina ripped off his armour as fast as she could, as she did she noticed a small thin piece of wood sticking in his arm.
When she removed it she could see a substance on the tip and then realised what it was,
Poison.
"Poison, their weapons were poisoned" she whispered her fear stopping her from yelling. Mormont looked at her with wide eyes,
"Get this man to Maester Aemon now!" Mormont shouted, the men came out and lifted him onto a board to carry him. Princess Tamina grabbed Lady Mayla who was in tears before she could reach her husband.
"He is going to be fine" she said holding her in her arms trying to convince herself of what she was saying. Mormont made his way over to them,
"Princess, My lady, if you would join me in private we can discuss what we can do next" asked Mormont with a trusting smile, Tamina nodded and they made their way to Mormont's chambers.
Training was done for the day and the men were called to an early supper.
Jon Snow slipped into his seat across from Pyp and Grenn who were already eating, the large boy Sam soon entered the room making little eye contact with everyone as he looked for a place to sit. Jon felt sorry for him, the Night's watch was meant to be a place where people were accepted no matter who they were and they wouldn't even accept him.
"Sam!" Jon called out from across the room; Sam looked at him with pouting lips as if he was ready to receive an insult but then it turned into a faint smile as Jon waved his hand for him to sit with them. Grenn let out a sigh as Sam sat down, the loud chatter of the men fell still as the Lord Commander appeared in the doorway after being in his chambers for some time.
"Alright men, listen up", he cleared his throat,"Princess Tamina will be staying here at Castle black until her brother is well, Maester Aemon has said that the man is lucky to be alive from the amount of poison he had in him, he will be staying near Maester Aemon's chambers. The Princess and her handmaiden have been placed a few rooms down from mine and I will say this once and once only, anyone who even thinks about doing any harm towards these women will be answering to me. You are all men of the Night's Watch you have taken a vow to protect and those of you who have yet to take your vows? If you don't want to abide by our rules then there is still time to go, go and receive the punishment you would have received if you didn't come here" Mormont said coldly, his expression matching his tone as he left the men.
Pyp was the first to speak; "Women at the Night's Watch that is a first, just like placing meat in front of a dog and telling him to stay" laughed Pyp through his sips of ale.
"Women aren't safe here" said Jon playing with his food, losing his appetite.
"Especially pretty ones and they were something, they looked bout' seventeen. Ya would not mind them waiting in ya bed" Grenn smirked with a mouth full of food.
"Even the one with child" Pyp laughed,
"You really should not talk like that" said a quiet voice coming from the other side of Jon, it was Sam.
"Huh" Grenn said as he stopped eating,
"One is a Princess, it would be the same if the Queen herself came here" Sam said.
"Worst will be said anyway and do not get me thinkin bout the Queen, I would not lay with her even if I could be King" Grenn said as he continued eating.
"A whore would not lay with you even if you paid" Pyp jested and ended up with his lunch sliding down the front of his face by Grenn.
An uproar of laughter filled the room.
The sun shined down on the training yard, though it didn't make it any warmer.
Training had been doubled because of yesterday's disturbance causing the men to complain and displeasing Thorne. Under all the misery that surrounded the men Jon could hear a small glint of joy, a cheerful laughter he thought he would never hear again, a girl's laughter. The men became distracted to watch the young princess make her way across the training yard with Tyrion Lannister, the dwarf telling her one of his many great tales.
"You are a very funny man, My Lord" Tamina laughed,
"Half a man" Thorne muttered loud enough for them to hear, Tyrion rolled his eyes and turned back to Tamina with a friendly smile.
"Princess, your company has been a great pleasure, unlike some" He turned his head towards Thorne,
Tamina laughed,
"If you would excuse me, I have to discuss my departure, It was very nice to meet you Tamina" Tyrion said with a bow,
"You as well, My Lord" she replied with a curtsy.
She was glad Tyrion distracted her from her grief; she turned and smiled at the men before making her way to her brother's room.
It was another cold bitter night as Jon made his way to the top of the Wall for another watch. The cage scaled closer to the peak. Jon reached the top and walked down the long icy trail, nearing his station. He turned the corner to see a dark figure leaning against the wall and heard faint sobs. He decided not to disturb the person and find another perch until he heard them speak.
"He will be fine, Mayla" Jon heard the Princess say,
"I'm so afraid, what if he dies? What happens to our child?" Mayla cried,
"You and your child will always be taken care of, you know that" Tamina stated, "Now come closer to this fire, you know I do not need it for myself" she said,
"It really is a blessing that you cannot feel this horrible cold" Mayla laughed through her tears,
"Many people believe it is a blessing but the truth is to not feel is a curse" she replied while Tamina took Mayla in her arms and held her.
Jon felt wrong to overhear such a private moment but he could not help but stay.
"You have always been the stronger one out of the two of us, losing your mother and everything that happened with your father and brother..." Mayla whispered,
"My father and brother were monsters, nothing more. My happiness began the day my brother disappeared into the forest and when Cane threw my father out of the Kingdom to join him" Tamina said trying not to flinch at such a painful memory,
Sadness swept over Jon's face while he hid in the shadows, he knew what it was like, to be treated so horribly by your family. He felt her pain.
"I remember the day you took over as ruler of our Kingdom, you were so afraid and so young but I can not imagine a better ruler" Mayla said, yawning as she did,
"You need to try and get some sleep, come now" Tamina said, pulling her toward where Jon was standing,
Jon quickly moved, panicking that he was about to be caught. The Princess and her handmaiden rounded the corner as Jon walked towards them, almost walking right into the women.
"Gods!" Mayla called out as the women were startled by the sudden appearance of Jon,
"Princess, My Lady, I am sorry to have frighten you" he said, focusing on his feet rather than looking them in the eyes,
No that is alright, ah…" said Tamina, Mayla walked on ahead,
"Jon" he replied,
"Ser Jon" she gave a him a smile,
"It's only Jon, Jon Snow, Princess" he said,
The Princess brushed past Jon, following Mayla to the cage. She stopped and turned to look back over her shoulder at Jon,
"Jon Snow" she called out causing him to turn,
"Yes, Princess Tamina?" he asked,
"It is amazing how quiet it is on top of this Wall, except for the wind of course and the sound of footsteps" she said with a hint of a smile,
Jon's mouth opened, trying to find words to explain himself,
"Goodnight, Jon Snow'' Tamina said, turning her back and disappearing into the cage, leaving Jon to his watch.
The day came for the recruits to swear their vows as men of the Night's Watch. Tamina stood on the stairs next to Lady Mayla watching as the recruits came together. Lord Commander Mormont made his way to the scaffold to address them.
"You came to us as outlaws, rapists, killers and thieves. You came alone, without friends or honour. You came to us rich, you came to us poor. Some of you bear the names of proud houses, others only bastard names or no names at all, it does not matter all that is in the past. Here on the wall, we are all one house, here you begin anew" Mormont said as he made his way down the steps to be closer to the men `A man of the Night's Watch lives his life for the realm, not for a king or a lord, not for honour, not for glory or for a woman's love but for the realm." Mormont continued, "You've all learnt the words, think carefully before you say them. The penalty for desertion is death, you can take your vows here tonight, are there any of you that still keep the Old Gods?" he asked,
Jon snow rose from the crowd of men,
"I do, my lord" Jon said, Tamina gave a hint of a smile, seeing that the Old Gods were worshipped in Westeros.
"You want to take your vow before the heart tree?" Mormont asked, Jon nodded in agreement. Sam was the next to stand asking to go as well; Ser Alliser asked why he would forsake the gods of his house.
"The Night's Watch is my house now and the Seven have never answered my prayers, perhaps the Old Gods will'' Sam replied.
"As you wish," Sam and Jon took their seats again, "You've all been assigned an order according to your strengths." he took a piece of paper from Thorne and read, "Bolder to the builders, Pyp to the stewards, Grenn to the rangers, Samwell to the stewards, Rast to the rangers, Jon to the stewards. May all the gods preserve you." Mormont finished as he rolled up the parchment and retired to his chambers.
Tamina looked over the crowd of men as it grew smaller, she had noticed the man from the Wall was the only one left standing there before he made his way over to Maester Aemon, Tamina couldn't see what had happened but he ended up storming off with some of the other men in tow.
Tamina wondered if he was unhappy with the role he had been placed into, from what she had seen he had been good with a sword.
Tamina was pulled from her thoughts as Mayla touched her arm to pull her back inside. She took the time to visit her brother, he was still in a deep sleep after his attack but the Maester assured her that he was going to pull through. Tamina had been reading to him, in hopes it would wake him from his sleep. She sat next to his bed with a smile on her lips thinking back to when she was sick and he would always read her stories. He called one 'The Keeper of the Winter Rose', he had found it amongst her father's things, she had noticed that it was not a real book but old letters someone had sent him. It was about a love between a man and a woman who couldn't be together so they ran away and because of that it had started a war between houses. The ending always made her cry as they both died and had left behind a baby boy.
Tamina had lost the time of day as when she finally looked up from the book, night had filled the window. She gave her brother a kiss of the cheek and left for her own quarters. If she could feel it, the air would have frozen every inch of her skin but alas she could very well be wearing a summer gown right now. She wanted to feel the icy grasp of the coming winter but only felt warmth.
There was hardly any light as she walked along the walkway and down to the training yard. She was used to being on her own especially when her father would forbid Cane to see her, and when Cane didn't obey he would be sent to his room but he always came back to see her. Her favourite place to go would be the Godswood, she felt a strong bond to the Gods ever since she was young, she would stay there for hours and pray but mostly she would talk to her mother.
She heard faint footsteps coming up behind, she always had a dagger on her person just in case something were to happen, she knew sooner or later one of the men would not be able to resist. She turned to see the figure of a man but something was not right, he had glowing blue eyes.
Tamina froze the next thing she knew she was struck to the ground leaving the right side of her face burning. She was ready for the second blow but it never came, the monster stood still like it was confused on what to do next. A white blur came out from behind her, its teeth sinking into the thing's arm.
A wolf.
The wolf ripped off his arm causing the man no pain as it fell to the ground. A small light moved towards them, followed by shouting, the ruckus seemed to have woken the men as they ran to aid her. Tamina recognised Jon's face as he appeared before her, he was carrying a lit torch and threw it onto the man who screeched in pain as he threw himself to the ground, the flames roared while the man burned and his movements went still.
"Are you alright?" Jon asked,
"Yes," Tamina said, trying to catch her breath, "What was that?" she looked at Jon, her eyes filled with terror.
"I don't know" said Jon,
"Your hand!" Tamina gasped looking down at his burned and swollen hand, taking it in hers,
"It is fine" Jon smiled to cover his pain but he could still see the concern in her eyes while they were escorted to Maester Aemon.
"Send the Princess in on your way out" Tamina heard Mormont say as she stood near the door of his chambers. The glowing eyes of the dead man were still clear in her mind even days later. Tamina had overheard that the Night's watch was going beyond the Wall at first light. She had offered her help, to cover more of the areas they dared not venture to yet. Even take them as far as her Kingdom, seeing how they only discovered its existence a few months ago.
Tamina locked eyes with Jon as he left Mormont's chambers, he held a sword in his hands with a wolf's head. She smiled at him as they passed each other in the doorway, Tamina took a seat across from the Commander, his eyes fixed on hers.
"I fear that I must decline your offer to help us beyond the Wall, you are a distraction to my men and that is something we do not need especially over that Wall" said Mormont honestly.
"I can help, I know a lot of the area near my Kingdom and on our journey we did not come across any of these 'Wildlings' you speak of, only when we had reached this Wall" she said,
"You are far from helping, Princess Tamina" He said sternly, "You're a sweet girl and very innocent to this world, you have lived in a Kingdom that you have controlled for many years, you don't know of the monsters that lurk inside men" said Mormont, his tone becoming softer.
"I know exactly the kind of monsters that lurk inside men, Ser" Tamina said, tears starting to well up in her eyes, thinking of painful memories,
"Then I would not like to add to your experiences then, you're a distraction to the men, do not think that I can not see their stares and hear the vulgar words they talk of you" he paused, "Some men have come here for horrible reasons we don't get the noble and fierce warriors we used to, nowadays the Night's Watch is mocked and I won't have the Seven Kingdoms learn that half of the Night's watch was killed because they could not focus when a real battle is upon them" said Mormont making his way to open the door for Tamina,
"Yes, Commander Mormont" she said with a faint smile.
Tamina awoke from the commotion outside, today was the day the Night's watch were leaving to go beyond the Wall. Tamina stepped outside, at home the coldness had a beauty to it but here it felt so miserable, forcing Tamina to hide her sorrow and put on a fake smile. Lady Mayla who was now heavy with child waited in the training yard for Tamina.
"How are you feeling today, Mayla?" Tamina asked feeling better seeing Mayla's smile,
"Oh very well, I barely slept through, this little one kept me up" Mayla laughed holding her stomach,
"You must tell me next time, I cannot wait until my niece or nephew is born and I would like to feel it kick" laughed Tamina, her smile never leaving her lips,
Tamina turned to see the Commander approaching them followed by Jon and a recruit she had come to know by the name of Sam. Sam had been a great help during her visits to the library.
"Princess, My lady" Mormont bowed.
"My Lord" Tamina and Mayla said together.
"I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay here and I trust that your brother will be well soon" Mormont smiled and bowed leaving them with Jon and Sam. Tamina turned her attention to them,
"I hope you have a safe journey, both of you" Tamina smiled,
"You don't have to tell Jon that, me on the other hand they might just send me back" Sam laughed. Tamina liked how Sam was himself when he was around them unlike when he could barely stop shaking. Sam stepped away to say his goodbyes to Mayla, Tamina had suspected Sam had taken a small liking to Mayla despite her being wed and with child.
Jon and Tamina exchanged faint smiles while they stood together in silence,
"I never got to thank you for that night, with the thing you saved me from" she said,
"I think Ghost did most of the saving, I just ended up hurting myself more than anything" he replied, "Farewell Princess" Jon smiled and bowed his head,
"You too Jon" Tamina nodded. After giving Sam a warm smile the two men starting making their way to the horses,
"Jon!" Tamina called, he turned to see her,
"I may be a Princess but my friends call me Tamina" she said with a taunting grin. He smiled,
"Farewell Princess Tamina" he taunted back, she laughed.
Tamina looked out across the training yard at the leaving horses and men. Her features fell sadly, some of these men won't come back.
Jon glanced back at her giving her a shy smile. She watched until they were completely out of sight before finally taking a breath.
"Please Gods, let them be safe" She whispered, before following Mayla to her brother's room, only glancing back once to assure herself they had truly left.