The next day, in the library, Jon was telling Sam about what happened at Hardhome.

Jon said demonstrating with his hands at his sides, "He raised his hands. And they all stood up at once. Tens of thousands of them, the biggest army in the world." The look on Jon's face was serious.

Sam asked curiously, "So what are you gonna do?"

Jon said, sighing, "I'm gonna hope they don't learn how to climb the wall."

Sam raised his eyebrow and asked, "But… the Dragonglass?"

Jon shakes his head and said, "No one's ever getting that back, now. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, unless we had a mountain of it."

Sam was confused and said, "But… you killed a White Walker."

Jon nodded and said, "With Longclaw. I saw them shatter steel axes like they were glass. But Longclaw…"

Sam said, "He's made of valyrian steel. How many valyrian steel swords are left in the Seven Kingdoms?"

Jon shook his head and said, "Not enough. *pause* The first Lord Commander in history to sacrifice the lives of sworn Brothers to save the lives of Wildlings. How's it feel to be friends with the most hated man in Castle Black?" Jon smiled at him.

Sam said, shrugging, "You were friends with me when I first got here. And I wasn't winning any elections back then."

Jon said smirking, "Here's to us then. Long may they sneer." Jon and Sam clink glasses and drink. Sam looks to Jon.

Jon asked, "What?"

Sam asked looking Jon in the eyes, "I wanted to ask you something? To ask something of you? Send me, Gilly, and the baby to Oldtown so I can become a Maester? That's what I'm meant to be, not this."

Jon said, "I need you here, Sam. If you leave, who's left to give me advice I trust?" Jon knew he didn't have that many that he could trust around him. He was outnumbered.

Sam said, "Well, there's Edd." Jon gives Sam a look with his eyebrow up.

Sam stated his case, "I'll be more used to you as a Maester. More use to everyone now that Maester Aemon's gone. The Citadel has the world's greatest library. I'll learn about history, strategy, and healing. And other things. Things that will help when they come." Jon stares at Sam, saying nothing.

Sam said, "If Gilly stays here then she'll die. And the baby that she named after me will die. And I'll end up dying, too, trying to protect them. Which means that the last thing that I'll see in this world will be the look in her eyes when I fail them. *pause* I'd rather see a thousand White Walkers than see that." Jon inhales, exhales, then nods somberly. Sam smiles.

Sam said, "Thank you."

Jon said, "You know that The Citadel will make you swear off women, too."

Sam said emphatically, "They'll bloody try." Jon looks at Sam incredulously.

Jon asked curiously, "Sam?"

Sam asked, "What?"

Jon said, pushing him, "Sam…" Sam smiles.

Jon said looking at him astonished, "Aldarra almost killed those two to keep them away from Gilly. How did you…?"

Sam said, smiling, "Very carefully." Jon smiles and lets out a small laugh.

Jon said brooding, "I'm glad the end of the world's working out for someone." They sit in silence for a moment.

Sam said, trying to give him hope, "I'll come back."

Jon raises a glass to Sam and says, "To your return."

Sam toasted him and said, "To my return."

—--

The next morning, Sam, Gilly, and little Sam mounted the horses. Aldarra pats Gilly and says looking up at her and at Sam, "You both be safe. You should have enough supplies and the bag of money I gave you should help you once you're in the south." Sam and Gilly thanked her. Aldarra backed away.

Sam looks up to see Jon watching from the top of his steps.They exchange a wave, and then Sam begins riding out of Castle Black with Gilly.

—--

The gates to Castle Black are opened and Melisandre arrives, alone and on horseback. Jon rushed over to her.

Jon, "Stannis?" No response. "I'd avoid Aldarra and Shireen, if I were you." Melisandre walks away from him.

—--

The next afternoon in Jon's room, he is going through the various scrolls on his desk. Olly, his steward, enters the room.

Olly said to Jon, "Lord Commander. It's one of the wildlings you brought back. Says he knows your Uncle Benjen. Says he's still alive."

Jon stands up and asks, "Are you sure he's talking about Benjen?"

Olly said, "Says he was first Ranger. Said he knows where to find him." Jon rushes out of his room down to the ground. He is met by Alliser.

Allister said, "Man says he saw your uncle at Hardhome the last full moon."

Jon said, "He could be lying."

Allister said, "Could be. There are ways to find out."

Jon asked, "Where is he?"

Allister said, "Over there." He points

Jon walks past a group of Brothers holding torches. He sees a sign that reads "TRAITOR" when he passes them, and turns to see he is cornered. Allister stabs him in the gut.

Allister says hatefully, "For the Watch."

Another Brother stabs him and said, "For the Watch."

A third Brother stabs him and said hatefully, "For the Watch."

A fourth brother stabbed him and said hatefully, "For the Watch."

A fifth brother stabbed him and said hatefully, "For the Watch."

Jon falls to his knees, struggling but still alive. Olly walks up to Jon.

Jon said looking at him, "Olly…" Olly stabs him.

Olly said hatefully, "For the Watch."

Jon stays on his knees, then falls backwards. The Brothers walk away from him. Jon lays on the ground, expressionless. A puddle of blood spreads out.

—--

That night inside of The Wall towards Castle Black, Ghost, Jon's direwolf, is howling. Jon Snow's body is lying in the snow. A sign with the word "TRAITOR" is posted on a beam behind him. He is staring upwards, lifelessly. Ghost howls louder and pushes against the door to his pen.

—--

In Davos' room, he hears Ghost's howling and exits and then peers across the courtyard and sees Jon's body. He immediately runs down the steps. He slows as he approaches Jon's body. Other brothers of the Night's Watch approach. Davos kneels beside Jon's body.

One of the brothers shouted, "It's the Lord Commander!" Dolorous Edd and other brothers rush up behind Davos.

Davos said, "Help me get him inside." The other Night's Watch brothers pick up Jon's body and carry it away. Davos remains, staring at the left over pool of blood.

—--

Dolorous Edd wipes the table clean throwing everything out of the way. The other Night's Watch brothers place Jon's body on the table. Dolorous Edd places his hand on Jon's wounds, then brushes Jon's eyes closed.

Dolorous Edd said, "Thorne did this."

Davos asks, "How many of your brothers do you think you can trust?"

Dolorous Edd said, "Trust? The men in this room."

Davos asked, "Does the wolf know you?" Dolorous Edd looks at Davos over his shoulder and nods.

Davos said, "We need all the help we can get. We need Aldarra and her people and soldiers." As Dolorous Edd moves towards the door, someone knocks on it. The Night's Watch brothers draw their blades.

Melisandre calls out, "Ser Davos?"

Dolorous Edd looks over his shoulder at Davos. He nods. The Night's Watch brothers sheath their swords. Dolorous Edd walks to the door and opens it. Melisandre enters. Dolorous Edd closes the door behind her. Melisandre is distressed at the sight of Jon's body.

Melisandre said, "I saw him in the flames, fighting at Winterfell."

Davos eyes her suspiciously, "I can't speak for the flames, but he's gone." Melisandre touches Jon's cheek.

Davos said, "Go get Aldarra here." He looked at Melisandre and said, "You better watch yourself when she gets here. She'll want your head." One of the brothers left to go get her.

—--

Aldarra came with the Night Watch brother to the room and they went in. Everyone sheathed their sword. She saw Jon and Melisandre. She wasn't sure what to react to first.

Aldarra said to Davos, "What in the seven hells is going on?!" She went up to Jon and Melisandre backed away. She said petting his head, "Oh Jon, you poor sweet man, your little sister is going to be broken over this. Oh sweet Sansa."

Davos said solemnly to her, "The Night Watch brothers following Allister Thorne all attacked him and murdered him. You need to bring everyone you care about in here for protection."

Aldarra said, "I'll send my soldiers to get the wildlings to help and tell Tormund what they have done. I'll get my people." She left out the door to get everyone in the room and send her soldiers to get the wildlings and tell them what happened.

—--

In the Mess Hall, Allister Thorne sits at the high table among the other leaders of the Night's Watch. The rest of the Night's Watch brothers are shouting at each other.

One said, "He was our Lord Commander!"

A second said, "He never should have been!" Allister Thorne pounds his fist three times on the high table, then stands. The room quietens.

Allister said, "You all know why you're here. Jon Snow is dead."

A brother asks, "Who killed him?"

Allister said, "I did." The Night's Watch brothers resume shouting.

Allister said, "And Bowen Marsh and Othell Yarwyck and the other officers in this castle."

A brother shouts, "Murderers!"

Another shouts, "Traitors!" The shouting resumes. Olly walks up beside the high table. Allister pounds the high table again.

Allister said, "You're right!" The shouting stops.

Allister said, "We've committed treason, all of us. Jon Snow was my Lord Commander. I had no love for him. That was no secret. But I never once disobeyed an order. Loyalty is the foundation on which the Night's Watch is built, and the Watch means everything to me. I have given my life, we have all given our lives to the Night's Watch. Jon Snow was going to destroy the Night's Watch. He let the wildlings through our gates, as no Lord Commander has ever done before. He gave them the very land on which they reaved and raped and murdered. Lord Commander Snow did what he thought was right, I've no doubt about that. And what he thought was right would have been the end of us. He thrust a terrible choice upon us, and we made it." The men began to murmur among themselves.

—--

Aldarra, her baby, the septa, wet nurse, Tyrion, Jorah, Barristan, Shireen, Shae and Sansa who is crying next to Jon are in the room. Aldarra is patting Ghost as he nudges Jon's hand and whimpers. She felt terrible for the poor wolf and Sansa.

Davos said, "He'll have seen we didn't come. Thorne will have made it official by now. Castle Black is his."

Dolorous Edd said, "I don't care who's sitting at the high table. Jon was my friend, and those fuckers butchered him. Now we return the favor."

Davos said, "We don't have the numbers."

Dolorous Edd said, "We have a direwolf."

Davos said, "It's not enough. I didn't know Lord Commander Snow for long, but I have to believe he wouldn't have wanted his friends to die for nothing.

Aldarra said, "My dragons can't do much inside the castle but burn it to the ground and that won't help anyone."

Dolorous Edd said to Aldarra, "If you were planning to see tomorrow, you picked the wrong room. We all die today. I say we do our best to take Thorne with us when we go."

Davos said, "We need to fight, but we don't need to die. Not if we have help."

A brother asked, "Who's gonna help us?"

Aldarra said, "I sent my seventy soldiers to see if the wildlings can help us."

Davos said, "Smart girl. They're not the only ones who owe their lives to Jon Snow." It washes over them with realization. Dolorous Edd turns to the Night's Watchman at his side.

He says, "Bolt the door. Don't let anyone in. I'll be back as soon as I can. I'll make sure they come." Dolorous Edd leaves through the door.