New chapter is live.
Settle in, take your time, and let’s see what waits in the dark 🖤 ✦ Aeg left the music and noise of the hall behind him.
Cold air brushed his face.
The empty yard was unusually quiet.
Guards on the inner wall pulled their cloaks tight against the chill.
Aeg looked around, found the boy’s figure, and started toward him.
“Boy,” said an unfamiliar voice.
Aeg did not see the speaker at once, but he knew his memory had not failed him.
He had chosen the right moment.
“Is that thing beside you a wolf?” “A direwolf.
His name is Ghost.” Jon turned toward the voice and noticed Aeg coming through the doorway as well.
He twisted away so neither of them would see his tears.
“What are you doing out here?
Why aren’t you inside at the feast?” Aeg stepped around the pillar beside the door and followed the line of Jon’s earlier glance.
There he saw Tyrion Lannister, perched on the ledge above the hall’s front entrance and looking down at them.
If he had stayed perfectly still, he might have passed for a gargoyle.
“Too hot and too loud inside,” the dwarf said.
“And I drank a little too much.
Long ago, I learned that vomiting on one’s brother is considered poor manners.
May I have a closer look at your wolf?” Jon hesitated, then nodded slowly.
“Can you climb down by yourself, or should I fetch a ladder?” “Fetch a ladder?
You wound me.” Tyrion pushed off with both hands and flipped into the air.
He tucked himself neatly, landed on his hands, and sprang back to his feet in a nimble backward somersault.
The little direwolf backed away on instinct.
Even Aeg had to admit the feat was impressive.
The dwarf dusted himself off and smiled.
“I seem to have frightened your wolf.
My apologies.” “He isn’t frightened.” Jon bent and called softly, “Ghost, come here.
Come on, boy.” The pup trotted over and rubbed his nose affectionately against Jon’s cheek, but he remained wary of Tyrion Lannister.
When the dwarf reached to touch him, Ghost pulled back, bared his teeth, and gave a silent snarl.
“A shy one, is he?” Tyrion said.
“Ghost, sit.” Jon’s voice sharpened.
“That’s it.
Sit and stay.” He looked up at Tyrion.
“You can touch him now.
He won’t move unless I tell him to.
I’m training him.” “So I see.” Tyrion scratched the snow-white fur between Ghost’s ears.
“Good wolf.” * * * Aeg stood aside, looking for a chance to join the conversation and catch the dwarf’s attention quickly.
Now, with Tyrion silent and busy rubbing the direwolf’s head, he finally found one.
“Jon,” Aeg said.
“Forgive the familiarity, but I should tell you something.
Your uncle is trying to protect you.” “Protect me?” The boy was still angry.
“If he wanted to protect me, he should have stopped his brother from siring a bastard in the first place.” “Ah.” Tyrion had been listening.
He tilted his oversized head, realization spreading across his face, and looked Jon up and down.
“You are Ned Stark’s bastard.
You want to take the black, and Benjen refused you.” The dwarf had guessed the situation from a single exchange.
His mind was quick.
Unfortunately, the words were salt in the wound.
Jon pressed his lips together and stood.
Ghost slipped away from Tyrion’s hand almost at the same instant.
“If I have offended you, I apologize,” Tyrion said at once.
“But why refuse?
I thought the Wall cared nothing for birth and everything for ability.
A convenient place to dispose of—no, forgive me, to settle—a bastard son.” “When you have seen the camps of a hundred thousand wildlings gathering to attack the Wall, you will not think it a good place,” Aeg said.
“When you have seen giants tall enough to tear men in half, pale Others with blue eyes driving ice swords through your comrades, and dead men standing again after their bodies have gone cold, you will understand why.” “A rather gripping summary.” Tyrion rose and turned toward Aeg.
“Before we quarrel, let me make one thing clear.
I respect the Night’s Watch—truly.
I admire men willing to sacrifice themselves for the realm.
I would never swear your oath, of course, but I admire those who do.” He paused, then continued.
“That said, I do not believe in tales of giants, walking corpses, blue-eyed demons, and the like.
The only difference between wildlings and us is that when the Wall rose from the earth, they had the misfortune to be on the wrong side of it.” “Lord Tyrion, have you ever visited the Wall?
Do you know that it is the largest structure mankind has ever built?” “A widely accepted fact.” Tyrion shrugged.
“Not only the largest, but without question the most useless.” * * * “The most useless?” Aeg swallowed the urge to scoff.
Tyrion seemed approachable, but he was still a Lannister lord and Aeg a common black brother.
On their first meeting, caution was wiser.
“My lord, do you know how large the Wall truly is?” Tyrion gave him a curious look, as if the way this black brother spoke struck him as odd.
“A hundred leagues long.
Seven hundred feet high.
Wide enough at the top for twelve armored knights to ride abreast.
As for exactly how wide that is, I confess I have never measured it.” ✦ ✦ ✦ Want to keep going?
I hope this chapter gave you another reason to stay with the story.
There’s still plenty ahead, and things are only starting to unfold.