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Pyp lowered his voice "The king’s dead"
Jon was stunned Robert Baratheon had looked old and fat when he visited Winterfell, yet he’d seeh, and there’d been no talk of illness "How can you know?"
"One of the guards overheard Clydas reading the letter to Maester Aemon" Pyp leaned close "Jon, I’m sorry He was your father’s friend, wasn’t he?"
"They were as close as brothers, once" Jon wondered if Joffrey would keep his father as the King’s Hand It did not seeht mean Lord Eddard would return to Winterfell, and his sisters as well He ht even be allowed to visit theood to see Arya’s grin again and to talk with his father I will ask him about my mother, he resolved I am a man now, it is past time he told me Even if she was a whore, I don’t care, I want to know
"I heard Hake say the dead men were your uncle’s," Pyp said
"Yes," Jon replied "Two of the six he took with hi time, onlythe bodies are queer"
"Queer?" Pyp was all curiosity "How queer?"
"Sam will tell you" Jon did not want to talk of it "I should see if the Old Bear has need of me"
He walked to the Lord Commander’s Tower alone, with a curious sense of apprehension The brothers on guard eyed him solemnly as he approached "The Old Bear’s in his solar," one of the for you"
Jon nodded He should have coht from the stable He climbed the tower steps briskly He wants wine or a fire in his hearth, that’s all, he told himself
When he entered the solar, Mormont’s raven screamed at him "Corn!" the bird shrieked "Corn! Corn! Corn!"
"Don’t you believe it, I just fed hi a letter "Bring me a cup of wine, and pour one for yourself"
"For myself, my lord?"
Mormont lifted his eyes from the letter to stare at Jon There was pity in that look; he could taste it "You heard uely aware that he was drawing out the act When the cups were filled, he would have no choice but to face whatever was in that letter Yet all too soon, they were filled "Sit, boy," Mormont co "It’s my father, isn’t it?"
The Old Bear tapped the letter with a finger "Your father and the king," he rurievous news I never thought to see another king, not atas a bull" He took a gulp of wine "They say the king loved to hunt The things we love destroy us every ti wife of his Vain woht to sell those poachers"
Jon could scarcely follohat he was saying "My lord, I don’t understand What’s happened to rumbled "Sit," the raven screamed "And have a drink, damn you That’s a command, Snow"
Jon sat, and took a sip of wine
"Lord Eddard has been ied with treason It is said he plotted with Robert’s brothers to deny the throne to Prince Joffrey"
"No," Jon said at once "That couldn’t be My father would never betray the king!"
"Be that as it may," said Mormont "It is not for me to say Nor for you"
"But it’s a lie," Jon insisted How could they think his father was a traitor, had they all gone mad? Lord Eddard Stark would never dishonor himselfwould he?
He fathered a bastard, a small voice whispered inside him Where was the honor in that? And your mother, what of her? He will not even speak her name
"My lord, ill happen to him? Will they kill him?"
"As to that, I cannot say, lad I ’s councillors in my youth Old Pycelle, Lord Stannis, Ser BarristanWhatever your father has done, or hasn’t done, he is a great lord He must be allowed to take the black and join us here Gods knoe need men of Lord Eddard’s ability"
Jon knew that other men accused of treason had been allowed to redeem their honor on the Wall in days past Why not Lord Eddard? His father here That was a strange thought, and strangely uncomfortable It would be a monstrous injustice to strip him of Winterfell and force him to take the black, and yet if it meant his life
And would Joffrey allow it? He remembered the prince at Winterfell, the way he’d mocked Robb and Ser Rodrik in the yard Jon himself he had scarcely even noticed; bastards were beneath even his conte listen to you?"
The Old Bear shrugged "A boy kingI iine he’ll listen to his mother A pity the dwarf isn’t with them He’s the lad’s uncle, and he saw our need when he visited us It was a bad thing, your ladyhim captive--"
"Lady Stark is not my mother," Jon reminded him sharply Tyrion Lannister had been a friend to him If Lord Eddard was killed, she would be as much to blame as the queen "My lord, what of my sisters? Arya and Sansa, they ith my father, do you know--"
"Pycelle makes no ently I will ask about them when I write" Mormont shook his head "This could not have happened at a worse tithere are dark days and cold nights ahead, I feel it inshrewd look "I hope you are not thinking of doing anything stupid, boy"
He’s my father, Jon wanted to say, but he knew that Mormont would not want to hear it His throat was dry He made himself take another sip of wine
"Your duty is here now," the Lord Commander reminded him "Your old life ended when you took the black" His bird made a raucous echo "Black" Mor is none of our concern" When Jon did not answer, the old o I’ll have no further need of you today On the morrow you can help me write that letter"
Jon did not re the solar The next he knew, he was descending the tower steps, thinking, This is my father, my sisters, how can it be none of uards looked at hiods are cruel"
They know, Jon realized "My father is no traitor," he said hoarsely Even the words stuck in his throat, as if to choke hi, and it seeone in Spirit su to an end
The rest of the afternoon passed as if in a dream Jon could not have said where he walked, what he did, who he spoke with Ghost ith hiave hiht Their wolves ht have kept them safe, but Lady is dead and Nymeria’s lost, they’re all alone
A north wind had begun to blow by the tiainst the Wall and over the icy battle meal Hobb had cooked up a venison stew, thick with barley, onions, and carrots When he spooned an extra portion onto Jon’s plate and gave him the crusty heel of the bread, he knehat it meant He knows He looked around the hall, saw heads turn quickly, eyes politely averted They all know
His friends rallied to hiht a candle for your father," Matthar told him "It’s a lie, we all know it’s a lie, even Grenn knows it’s a lie," Pyp chimed in Grenn nodded, and Sam clasped Jon’s hand, "You’re my brother now, so he’s o out to the oods and pray to the old gods, I’ll go with you"
The oods were beyond the Wall, yet he knew Saht As much as Robb and Bran and Rickon
And then he heard the laughter, sharp and cruel as a whip, and the voice of Ser Alliser Thorne "Not only a bastard, but a traitor’s bastard," he was telling the men around him
In the blink of an eye, Jon had vaulted onto the table, dagger in his hand Pypaway, and then he was sprinting down the table and kicking the bowl fro everywhere, spattering the brothers Thorne recoiled People were shouting, but Jon Snow did not hear theer, slashing at those cold onyx eyes, but Saet around hirabbing his arers
Later,cell, Mormont came down to see hi stupid, boy," the Old Bear said "Boy," the bird chorused Morh hopes for you"
They took his knife and his sword and told hih officers met to decide as to be done with hiuard outside his door to make certain he obeyed His friends were not allowed to see him, but the Old Bear did relent and permit him Ghost, so he was not utterly alone
"My father is no traitor," he told the direhen the rest had gone Ghost looked at hiainst the wall, hands around his knees, and stared at the candle on the table beside his narrow bed The flame flickered and swayed, the shadows row darker and colder I will not sleep tonight, Jon thought
Yet he s were stiff and cra since burned out Ghost stood on his hind legs, scrabbling at the door Jon was startled to see how tall he’d grown "Ghost, what is it?" he called softly The direwolf turned his head and looked down at hionenot to sound afraid Yet he was treotten so cold?
Ghost backed away froes where he’d raked the wood Jon watched hi disquiet "There’s so, the direwolf crept backward, white fur rising on the back of his neck The guard, he thought, they left a h the door, that’s all it is
Slowly, Jon pushed hi he still had a sword Three quick steps brought hirabbed the handle and pulled it inward The creak of the hinges aluard was sprawled bonelessly across the narrow steps, looking up at hi on his stomach His head had been twisted completely around
It can’t be, Jon told hiuarded day and night, this couldn’t happen, it’s a dreahtmare
Ghost slid past him, out the door The wolf started up the steps, stopped, looked back at Jon That hen he heard it; the soft scrape of a boot on stone, the sound of a latch turning The sounds came from above Frohtuard’s sas in its sheath Jon knelt and worked it free The heft of steel in his fistsilently before him Shadows lurked in every turn of the stair Jon crept up warily, probing any suspicious darkness with the point of his sword
Suddenly he heard the shriek of Mor "Corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn" Ghost bounded ahead, and Jon ca after The door to Morh Jon stopped in the doorway, blade in hand, giving his eyes a moment to adjust Heavy drapes had been pulled across the s, and the darkness was black as ink "Who’s there?" he called out
Then he saw it, a shadow in the shadows, sliding toward the inner door that led to Mor cell, a man-shape all in black, cloaked and hoodedbut beneath the hood, its eyes shone with an icy blue radiance
Ghost leapt Man and ent down together with neither screa over a table laden with papers Mor, "Corn, corn, corn, corn" Jon felt as blind as Maester Ae the wall to his back, he slid toward theand ripped down the curtain Moonlight flooded the solar He gliers tightening around his direwolf’s throat Ghost isting and snapping, legs flailing in the air, but he could not break free
Jon had no ti down the longsith all his weight behind it Steel sheared through sleeve and skin and bone, yet the sound rong soulfed hied He saw ar in a pool of ht Ghost wrenched free of the other hand and crept away, red tongue lolling from his mouth
The hooded man lifted his pale moon face, and Jon slashed at it without hesitation The sword laid the intruder open to the bone, taking off half his nose and opening a gash cheek to cheek under those eyes, eyes, eyes like blue stars burning Jon knew that face Othor, he thought, reeling back Gods, he’s dead, he’s dead, I saw hi scrabble at his ankle Black fingers clawed at his calf The ar with revulsion, Jon pried the fingers off his leg with the point of his sword and flipped the thing away It lay writhing, fingers opening and closing
The corpse lurched forward There was no blood One-ar Jon held the longsword before hione shrill "Corn," screa out of its torn sleeve, a pale snake with a black five-fingered head Ghost pounced and got it between his teeth Finger bones crunched Jon hacked at the corpse’s neck, felt the steel bite deep and hard
Dead Othor sla him off his feet
Jon’s breath went out of hiht him between his shoulder blades The sword, where was the sword? He’d lost the daht ja, he tried to shove it off, but the dead man was too heavy Its hand forced itself farther down his throat, icy cold, choking hi the world Frost covered its eyes, sparkling blue Jon raked cold flesh with his nails and kicked at the thing’s legs He tried to bite, tried to punch, tried to breathe
And suddenly the corpse’s weight was gone, its fingers ripped fro and shaking
Ghost had it again He watched as the direwolf buried his teeth in the wight’s gut and began to rip and tear He watched, only half conscious, for a long moment before he finally remembered to look for his swordand saw Lord Mor in the doorith an oil laerless, the ar toward hione Staggering to his feet, he kicked the arers The flame flickered and almost died "Burn!" the raven cawed "Burn, burn, burn!"
Spinning, Jon saw the drapes he’d ripped fro the lalass shattered, oil spewed, and the hangings went up in a great whoosh of flame The heat of it on his face eeter than any kiss Jon had ever known "Ghost!" he shouted
The direrenched free and ca froed his hand into the fla drapes, and whipped them at the dead man Let it burn, he prayed as the cloth sods, please, please, let it burn