Chapter 203

3 weeks later

"23 deserters in the last week. Two suicides." Lord Commander Jeor Mormont grumbled as he took a sip from the whiskey bottle kept him warm even on the particularly cold nights.

"You don't need to worry Jeor." Lord Greatjon Umber said, a serious look on his face as he stared at the amputated hand of his son and the Ice Sword kept at the corner of the dungeon room which had plunged the whole room's temperature a few degrees below 0 degree Celsius. "We'll find every one of those cowards and give them the punishment they deserve."

"Strange thing is that I don't even blame them." Lord Rickard Karstard said as he wrapped his cloak tightly around himself to stave off the cold "After seeing that… thing… I'm surprised you didn't have a mass desertion in your hands."

The Lord Commander didn't say anything and continued to look at the Ice sword for another moment before he spoke "Let's get out of here."

Both the other lords who had reached the Wall before any other lord in the North thanks to their castles being the closest to the Wall nodded and quickly left the room, their heirs Smalljon Umber and Harrion Karstark following after them.

"I'll need a good fuck to warm my balls after being in that room." Lord Greatjon Umber proclaimed loudly and started laughing at his own joke while the other merely shook their heads in exasperation.

"You'll have to go to Mole town for you whores." Harrion Karstark said "Unless you want to fuck Baka the Giantass."

"Hah! What I wouldn't give to fuck that giant of a woman and get some pups from her."

"I'm afraid Lord Bolton would cut your balls before you reach anywhere near her." Lord Commander said with a smile "He's rather protective of his people. And he sees the giantess as a little sister."

Lord Greatjon grumbled as they passed through the courtyard where Varko had taken Alliser Throne's post for the time being and was teaching the recruits how to hold a sword properly.

The climbed up the stairs, walked passed a corridor and finally entered the Lord Commander's solar where they all took a chair and went silent. Not really knowing what to say or too lost in their own thoughts.

"So… Benjen huh…" Lord Karstark said after a long moment and the Lord Commander let out a tired sigh at that.

"The White Walker killed him." Harrion Karstark said "Cut him straight in half. Right through the armor as if it wasn't even there."

"We know that boy." Lord Greatjon said "I've heard the story a dozen times now. And don't want to hear it again." Then he lord sigh, took the Lord Commander's bottle and emptied it at once "Poor Ned." He said at last.

"Yeah. The Starks were four siblings once." Lord Karstark nodded "Now Ned is the only one that's left."

"Well, at least Ned has half a dozen children in case something happened to him this Winter." Lord Greatjon nodded as his gaze once again went toward his own son's sword hand. Or what was left of it.

"You think the rumors about Sansa being betrothed to Lord Bolton are true?" Lord Rickard Karstark asked.

"Why? You want the lass for your own son here." Lord Greatjon asked burst out into laughter though it sounded forced and hollow to everyone's ears.

Maybe wondering if his own son had any chance with the lass now that he had lost his sword hand and years of training with it.

"Are you going to continue and skirt around the topic?" Smalljon asked once his father stopped laughing.

Both the lords turned to stare at him and he met their gazes unflinchingly.

"Or do you not have the balls to talk about the White Walkers and the upcoming Winter."

The room plunged into an uncomfortable silence at that.

"We'll talk about that when Ned comes." Lord Greatjon Umber said after a long silence "Until then, anything we…"

He was interrupted when the door of the solar burst open and the Lord Commander's steward entered the room with a desperate expression.

"Lord Commander… Jaremy… he…"

"He what boy? Speak clearly." Lord Commander said.

"He… he burned the wight."