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No wonder he didn’t want anyone listening.
The little devil had no good intentions here, he’d taken a liking to Leon and was trying to poach him outright.
If even one other brother of the Night’s Watch had been present to hear this shameless recruitment pitch, they would have torn him apart on the spot.
“So?” Leon tilted his head, expression carefully neutral.
Truth be told, Leon felt neither aversion nor resistance toward being a man of the Night’s Watch.
He wasn’t a native of this world to begin with, so he carried none of the reverence, or the illusions, that a true-born brother might.
“Come with me.
Tonight!” Seeing the flicker of interest cross Leon’s face, the little devil immediately tossed out the bait.
“I swear by the name of House Lannister.
You want fame?
You’re young, with your potential, the least you’ll walk away with is a place in the Kingsguard.
You want gold?
House Lannister has gold mines to spare.
If you wish, you can follow my father and learn warfare and governance at his side.
I trust he wouldn’t refuse such an outstanding attendant, and he certainly wouldn’t be stingy with a castle and lands of your very own.”
“Sounds awfully selfless.
What’s in it for you?”
The little devil had done his homework.
Whether Leon had come north willingly or not, the undeniable fact was that he was a noble, not one of those gold-only sellswords from Blackwater Bay.
So the little devil hadn’t even bothered dangling the idea of making Leon his own squire.
“With your martial prowess, legends of you will spread across all Seven Kingdoms.
Whether you become a lord of the Westerlands or a Kingsguard standing before the Iron Throne, as long as you prove useful to my father, to the future of House Lannister, that’s enough.”
It seemed the little devil had not yet become the infamous kinslayer he would one day be.
He still nursed a faint, ingratiating hope toward his father, Tywin Lannister.
“And my Night’s Watch vows?”
Leon let a flicker of hesitation show.
This was genuinely a good opportunity to change his fate.
He knew that despite appearances, despite everything about the little devil that seemed unreliable on the surface, the man would one day prove to be the truest lion in all of House Lannister.
At those words, undisguised delight broke across the little devil’s face.
He leaned close to Leon’s ear.
“As long as you’re willing, I have countless ways to give you a new face and a new name.”
“What ways?
Be specific.”
“I’ll persuade — or buy off — the high command of the Night’s Watch.
The Watch is on the verge of running out of food right now, isn’t it?
And the only ones still supporting them are the Northmen.
I’ll have you ride south with me, officially tasked with raising funds and provisions for the Watch.
House Lannister alone can contribute a large portion to start.
And there’s precedent, a noble from the Reach did exactly this.
He lived out his days in peaceful old age at his home castle, holding the title of Night’s Watch steward.
As long as you don’t do anything too outrageous, no one will come looking.”
“But will the Old Bear and the others actually let me go?”
Leon furrowed his brow.
The little devil’s plan had a certain fanciful quality to it.
“What use are you here?
To them, you’re just another raw recruit.
But once you ride south with me — forget everything else, my personal coffers alone could raise an army of 2,000 to reinforce The Wall.
The Lord Commander and the others can tell which matters more.”
“Very well.
My decision is…”
Leon considered for a moment, then shook his head.
Part of him genuinely wanted to just get up and leave.
But instinct told him that wasn’t the life his heart truly wanted.
Becoming House Lannister’s hired sword on the strength of personal valor, even with lands and a castle in the Westerlands, he’d still be bound by his Night’s Watch vows, unable to openly marry and father children.
And when the War of the Five Kings came, he’d end up as nothing more than forgettable cannon fodder…
Visible disappointment settled across the little devil’s face.
He’d said so much.
Offered such generous terms.
And none of it had moved Leon.
For a moment, his confidence in his own silver tongue actually wavered.
Then, impatient and unable to stop himself, he fixed Leon with a look that all but begged for an explanation.
“Lord Little Devil, do you know the words of House Stark of the North?”
“I do.
But why, is that really why you’re refusing me?
You actually believe White Walkers still exist?”
The little devil could barely process it.
Leon was throwing away riches and glory within easy reach because of something so naive and childish.
“You’ve seen how tall this Wall is.” Leon turned and pointed upward, at The Wall, ancient and immense, visible from anywhere in Castle Black with a single glance.
“Do you really think it was built just to keep out a few wildlings who don’t know their place?”
“Even if White Walkers once existed, that was countless ages ago.
Even the Targaryens, with their dragons, never gave it much thought.
Why should mere mortals like you and me?”
The little devil still wouldn’t let it go, making one final effort.
“But the dragons are gone now.
And…
winter is coming.”
“If I don’t stand on humanity’s first line of defense,” Leon said, “when the White Walkers descend upon the world, who will stand in my place?”
The conviction in his voice left the little devil utterly speechless.
The look on Leon’s face brooked no argument.
A long moment passed.
Seeing not the slightest sign of Leon changing his mind, the little devil finally accepted reality.
Disappointment filled his chest, and yet, alongside it, something else rose: a peculiar respect for this young man, barely grown.
Leon was not yet a knight.
But in the little devil’s eyes, he was worth no less than any knight alive.
“I won’t speak of today’s conversation to anyone.” The little devil paused.
“I’ve heard about your…
particular tastes.
Unlikely as it seems, I’ll be waiting for you at Madam Anne’s in Mole’s Town.
One month.”
With that, he turned to leave.
But just before he went, something seemed to occur to him.
He glanced back, curious.
“By the way, why didn’t you draw your sword back there?
Those men were clearly out for your life.”
Leon gave a bitter smile.
Right there in front of the little devil, he drew the rusty sword from its scabbard.
The little devil stared at the rust-pitted blade, this so-called divine weapon that looked as though a stiff breeze could snap it in half, and decided it was better off staying exactly where it had been.
Any lingering regret dissolved on the spot.
The little devil turned and walked away without looking back.
Just then, Jon came jogging past from the side.
He spotted Leon and his face lit up.
“There you are.
The Lord Commander wants to see you at once.”
➤ Next: The Reason Leon Won’t Leave the Night’s Watch