Snowfall

A.N. Hope, you like it.

Eddard POV

The Wall loomed over us and our men, it always is a sight, no matter how many times I see it. We warmly welcomed in the Castle Black, active Lord Commander Donal Noye meets with us and bids us to go to the King's tower. As I and my lords get into the room and Donal Noya and Allister Thorne and maester Aemon join us, we get ready to discuss about the forces beyond the Wall.

"Lord Commander Jeor Mormont took more than seven hundred men to the great raging, only little more than hundred have come back, without Lord Commander," Donal informs us.

"What exactly happened?" I ask him.

"Those who returned swear to have been attacked by the Others," Allister says,

"Bugger that, just say it was a Wildling horde, and be done with it, there no need to lie about it, just so they don't be seen as cravens." Greatjon Umber tells.

"I understand that is hard to believe, but a hundred men lying about what they have seen is more unbelievable." Maester Aemon slowly replies. "Many are new recruits, but there are still experienced and well-respected men, who claim to have seen the dead attack them."

"Is there anyone who has clearly seen the Other?" I asked.

"Not only seen but fought too, six men have encountered it," Donal says.

"Ask for them, I want to hear it from them," I order Allister Thorne to summon the men.

"What has happened to my brother?" Maege asks while we are waiting.

"There is a wildling keep near here, in there, our rangers get information from a wildling named Craster." Donal started to tell what has happened.

"So he was killed by some wildling?" Maege interrupts him.

"No he was killed by a traitor, after what has happened at the Fist of the First Men, a part of raging forces have decided to desert, he died in the fight that followed suit." He explained.

"What happened to his sword, the Longclaw?" She asks after hearing how Jeor Mormont has died.

"He gave it to Jon Snow, I wasn't here, but after swearing his vows, they found two rangers near the Wall, at the night they have risen and attacked late Lord Commander, Jon Snow have saved his life, and was given the Valyrian sword," Donal tells us, as a group of young men walk in, I was surprised to see Joffrey among them.

"So those are men that have fought the Other, it seems there nothing to worry about, if those scrawny boys could defeat them, it would an easy fight for someone like me." Lord Umber boasts after seeing the young men.

"If you have seen what we saw, you wouldn't say it." Joffrey replies, now taken a better look the young prince is different than I remember, he doesn't have his smirk or talks in a tone that is looking down on others.

"What have you seen, was it truly the Other?" Lord Karstark speaks first time after coming there.

"I don't know what it was, but it was a man covered in ice armor, wielding an ice spear and riding a dead horse." Another young men answers.

"What your name boy?" I ask.

"Grenn, my lord." He answers.

"What happened after you encountered him?" I ask again.

"It was a short flight, but it felt like it took hours." He starts. "Before we encountered him, our expedition was attacked at the night, it was chaos, dead bodies come from darkness, no matter how many time you cut them, they just stand up again, only fire seemed to work on them, as we realized that the fight was over, we have begun to retreat."

"So you decided to run away." States Lord Umber.

"My lord, there was nothing we could otherwise do, it was a night, we only could see as much as our torches illuminate, we just started to seek light sources." He defends himself. "As we retreated, we noticed that the light sources, started to disappear until there was nothing, but the darkness surrounding us, then a dead horse came silently, on it was a man, with cold blue eyes, covered in ice, the first man to attack him was cut with an ease, I tried to stab him when he was distracted, but my sword didn't even pierce his armor, there was nothing that fazed him."

"So how did you defeat him?" Again Lord Umber asks, not believing the story.

"It was Samwell, he attacked him with a Dragonglass blade, that went through his armor with ease, after being stabbed, the Other started to melt into nothing." He explains and points at the fat boy.

"The fat boy has defeated the Other, he seems like someone who would run away at the first sight of the danger." Lord Umber comments on the boy.

"Samwell is a brave boy, and if you only know how to insult brave men of the Night Watch, you should leave." Maester Aemon reprimands Greatjon.

"Enough Lord Umber, Samwell was it? Can you show me the Dragonglass blade?" I ask the boy who nods.

"Yes, my name is Samwell Tarly, Jon's dire-wolf, Ghost, has found the bag in the snow, in it was the blades and a horn." He informs and gives me the bag.

Looking over the blades made of the Dragonglass, and a bronze horn, I don't know what to think, the story might be unlikely, but they don't seem to be lying. Just as I was starting to question them more a horn was heard. Donal leaves to see what is going on.

Jon POV

Still locked in chains I was going through the Hounded forest, with the vanguard of the Wildlings army nearing the Wall. Next to me was Mance Ryder, who have decided to take my offer and have a meeting with my father. Some disagreed, like Rattleshirt and few others, but most have decided it was the best course of action, after hearing of the forces that guard the Wall.

"I hope you're right about your father, boy," Tormund tells me.

"My father is an honorable man, he will listen to you," I reply to him.

"He might be, or Qhorin tells them of our advance and they will come to kill us." He says it like it is what he wants to happen.

"You have me as a hostage, I might be a bastard, but I am still his son," I tell him.

As we near the Wall and get to the clearing of the forest, I see an army waiting for us, more than five thousand men, with Umber, Mormont, Karstark, and Stark banners. We stop at the edge of the forest, not leaving the cover of trees, I see an eagle fly above our heads as a rider comes with a white flag.

"In name of Lord Stark, the lord of the Winterfell and the Warden of the North, I, Harrion Karstark, invite the King beyond the Wall, Mance Rayder, and his entourage to meet at the Whitetree, to speak of the truce terms." The rider says after getting close enough for us to hear and then turns around and leaves.

"Well, it seems your father decided not to attack at our sight." Tormund remarks.

"Let's go, Tormund you, Rattleshirt, and Magnar of Thenns will join me," Mance says and leads us towards Whitetree.

At the Whitetree, I see an assemble of the most Northern lords and my father, with some Night Watchmen. There was a tense silence until the Wildlings were offered bread and salt.

"I am Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North." My father introduces himself and then other lords.

"I am Mance Rayder." The king beyond the Wall does the same.

"Qhorin told me why you have come here, you seek a passage through the Wall." My father says.

"That right, I and mine seek the Passage through the Wall," Mance confirms.

"It's hard to believe such stories, the Others were gone for thousands of years." Lord Karstark says.

"They weren't gone, they were only asleep, and now they are awake, taking everything north of the wall." Magnar of Thenn replies.

"It is indeed hard to believe, but when the Night Watch starts talking about dead rising, there isn't much of a choice but to believe it." My father says to not only the Wildlings but to other lords too. "I am willing to let you settle in the North, but only if you bent the knee to me and the King of the Seven Kingdoms, there can't be two kings."

"We are Free-folk, not kneelers." Rattleshirt replies.

"I told you so, they won't listen, we should just kill them here and now, a good wildling is a dead one." Lord Umber says.

"You can try if you want, but in thousand years you have failed and you fail again." Tormund remarks in an angry voice.

"My father has taught me that the one who sentences another to the death, is the one who should swing the sword." I interrupt them from the shouting. "Are you ready to kill the children, the old and feeble, Lord Umber? Because that is their fate if you leave them there."

"My son speaks the truth, you might be Free-folk beyond the Wall, but in our side, you will become my subjects, you will follow the laws of the Seven Kingdoms, and if your pride is more important than your lives, your loved one's lives, than I have nothing to offer you." My father says.

"We have your son, will you let him die?" Mance Rayder asks.

"His death will not bring you to our side of the Wall, but it will bring me to yours, and when I come for you, the Others will seem a nice alternative." My father replies and leaves with the other lords.

"What now, Mance?" Tormund asks.

"We have to decide if we want to accept their terms, we are going back for now," Mance answers and leads us back to the haunted forest.

…

It was an early evening when all chieftains of the tribes in the Wildling army assembled into the main tent. I was brought there too, to decide what to do with me, looking at all them, I see some are resigned, some are angry, some are afraid. Mance told them of the situation and about the terms, of letting them through the Wall.

"The boy lied, he said that his father would let us through the Wall." One of the chieftains says.

"My father is willing to let you through, you only need to accept his terms," I reply to him.

"To knee to some southern lord, it is unacceptable." Another one says.

"He isn't some southern lord, he is Warden of the North, if you want to flee the others, he is your only chance," I tell them.

"We won't survive the winter, if we stay there, I am willing to kneel, if it means I am at the other side of the Wall, then those monsters." Says another chieftain.

"We still have the Horn of the Winter, I say we use it, let's see how the crows and the southern lords stop us then," Ratlleshirt says, and some nod their heads.

"You have seen their army, even without the Wall they could kill us," Tormund replies.

"There nothing for us to do, but to accept the terms, those that don't wish so, can leave, you have time until tomorrow morning to decide." Mance breaks all discussion and leaves the tent.

Getting me to one of the tents, still chained, the Wildlings left me alone. After some thinking about the future, thinking of what will happen tomorrow, I decided to have some rest.

…

The next morning I was awoken by Ygritte, in the early morning, just before the sun risen, she shook me awake.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You should get up." She tells me.

"Isn't too early?" I asked again.

"I wanted to talk." She answered.

"About what?" I couldn't understand her before she was cold and disgusted with me, now she barges in my tent while I sleep.

"About south, most have decided to take your father's offer, but I don't know, what is it like to live there?" She asks.

"It's warmer there, it isn't that different," I answer and decided to add something more, as she looked at me with an unimpressed expression. "We warship the Old gods, we hunt, we survive the winter, well we do more farming than your people."

"That all?" She asks.

"Well, you won't be let to do as you wish, no more raiding, no more raping, and killing, otherwise you will be punished," I explain to her. "There won't be a reason for you to raid anyone anymore, you have enough food to survive the winter."

With my lacking explanation she left, I get up fully and followed her out of the tent, it was still early morning, but most wildlings were already preparing their stuff.

Eddard POV

Again I was meeting with the king beyond the Wall, at the Whitetree, this time he was here to swear upon the Old gods, that they will keep the peace and follow the laws, of the Seven Kingdoms. Every chieftain of the wildling tribes was here too, doing the same, when they have finished, I kneeled too and vowed to keep them fed and warm, afterward other lords done the same.

"With this done, I want my son back," I tell to the King beyond the Wall.

"And how do we know that you keep your word, once the boy comes back?" He asks. "After my people pass the Wall, I will release him."

"Fine, but you better hope nothing happens to him," I reply, remembering the promise to protect Jon.

Almost a hundred thousand men were waiting to cross the Wall, so it took a while, it was already getting dark, and yet a fourth of the men still have not crossed. Most of those who have not crossed were the main forces of the Wildlings, so I got impatient and demanded Jon be released. Mance Rayder agreed, but only if we stay on this side of the Wall.

"I am glad you are safe, son." I gave him a hug when I have heard of his disappearance, I thought I have lost him.

"I am fine father." He replies, gods how much he has grown up.

"I have heard of your feats, from other members of the Night Watch, and Qhorin told me, it was your quick thinking and persuasion that let him live and avoid the war between us and the Wildlings, I am proud of you," I tell him.

"Thank you, father." He replies with a smile.

"It was a mistake to let you join the Night's Watch," I tell him, and continue when I see his horrified look. "That why I have decided that you will be responsible for the Wildlings that come here, I making you lord of the New Gift."

"But father I had said my vows, I am to serve for a lifetime." He replies.

"You said your vows under the name of Jon Snow, now you're no Snow anymore, now you're Stark, I already send the letter to the King for your legitimation," I say, he looks at me with disbelief in his eyes. "I can't leave the Wildlings unchecked and other lords have less than a favorable impression of them, I already told other lords and there weren't many who objected in the Night's Watch."

"I always wanted to be Stark, it was my dream once." He replies. "But now I know, that a name doesn't make a man, I have seen what is there, I have seen the horrors that old nan talked about in her stories, I am needed here, I need to fight those horrors, I can't run from it."

"You are not running from anyone of anything, you are needed to be a lord to these men, you are will become the backbone to the Wall, the first one to answer to help the Wall, when they are needed," I explain it to him. "I have not seen the things you had, but if what you're said is true then you are going to play a bigger role than just a member of the Night's Watch, the North needs you, I need you and your brother will need you after me."

"I don't have a choice, do I?" He asks instead of agreeing with me.

"I am sorry, but no, you have your duty to fulfill," I answer. "I told last time that I will tell you about your mother next time we meet."

"Are you going to tell it to me now?" He asks.

"Yes, you're old enough to know, maybe I should have told you sooner, you're might hate me, despise me for not telling you sooner, for that I am sorry," I say to him, as the snow starts to fall from the sky.

"What do you mean, father?" he asks me confused.

"The truth is that I am not your…" I was interrupted by a sound of the horn, and then another, and then yet another one.

"The Others," Jon says. "We need to get everyone through the Wall, and prepare the defenses."

"Go and tell the Wildlings of what they have to do," I tell him. "I will get my men and cover your retreat."

As the darkness fell and the wind started to get stronger, I checked on my sword on my back, Ice gave me an ensuring feeling. Ordering men to form a shield wall, and for archers to prepare fire arrows, I went to the front lines and as the Wildlings rushed past us to the safety of the Wall, I readied my sword.