Chapter 76 Chapter 75 Samwell

"He sucks harder than my baby." Gilly held the baby to her nipple, stroking its head. "He's hungry," said the blond Val, whom the black brethren called her Wildling Princess, "used to live on goat's milk, and the blind maester's potion." The boy, like Gilly's son, has no name yet.It was the wildman's custom not to name even Mance Rayder's son until his third year, and his brethren called him "Little Prince" and "Battleborn." He watched the baby suck at Gilly's breast, and Jon watched too.He is smiling.It's a sad smile, but it's definitely a smile.Sam is happy, it's the second time I've seen him smile since I got back.

From the Nightfort to Deep Lake House and from Deep Lake House to the Queen's Gate, they dragged along a narrow path on callused feet, keeping the Wall within sight all the time.A day and a half away from Castle Black, Gilly heard the sound of hooves behind her, and a troop of black cavalry came from the west. "That must be my brethren," Sam reassured her. "No one travels this way but the Night's Watch." Sure enough, the arrivals were led by Ser Denys Mallister of the Shadow Tower, and included Wounded Bowen Marsh and survivors of the Battle of the Bridge of the Skull.When Sam saw Devon, the giant, and "gloomy" Eddie Tollett, he broke down and lost his voice.

From them he heard of the battle at the foot of the Wall. "Stannis landed his knights at Eastwatch, and then came along the ranger's patrol led by Cotter Pyke to surprise the wildlings," the giant explained, "and he routed them. Mance Rayder was captured, and his men came A thousand skeletons were killed, including Harma the Doghead. The rest fled like leaves in a storm, so they all say." Gods bless, Sam thought, if he hadn't lost his way and had come from Craster's South of the fort, he and Gilly might have walked right into the battle field... at least Mance Rayder's camp.That might be all right for Gilly and the baby, but not for him.Sam shuddered after hearing all the stories of the wildlings who had done to the crows.

Although the brothers had told him about Castle Black, it was still hard to accept after seeing it with their own eyes.The hall had burned to the ground, and the great wooden staircase had been reduced to a rubble of charred wood and shattered ice.Donal Noye, Rast, Deaf Dick, Red Alyn, and so on, they were all dead; and Sam had never seen a castle so crowded.Over a thousand of the King's soldiers occupied it, and for the first time in living memory there was a King in the King's Tower.Banners now fly from the Spear Tower, Harding's Tower, Greycastle, Hall of Shields, and other buildings that have been abandoned for many years. "The biggest one, the golden one, with a black stag, is the royal banner of House Baratheon," he told Gilly, who had never seen any banners before. "The fox and the flowers represent House Florent. The Turtle House Esmond, swordfish House Baer Emmon, and crossed trumpets House Winsington."

"They're all as bright as flowers," Gilly pointed out. "I like the yellow ones with the flames on them. Look, some warriors have the same emblem on their tunics." "A burning heart. I don't know whose coat of arms it is." The answer came quickly. "That's for the queen party," Pyp told him—and with a shriek, yelled, "Run, boys, bolt the door, 'Killer' Sam's out of the grave." His ribs felt like they were going to snap—"Don't pry about the queen. Stannis left her at Eastwatch, with their daughter and the fleet. He took no other woman with him but the red woman."

"The lady in red?" Sam asked uncertainly. "Melisandre of Asshai," Grenn said, "the king's witch. They say she burned a man alive on Dragonstone to give Stannis a fair ride north. She rode on him in battle. Beside him, give him a magic sword called 'Lightbringer'. Just wait and see, the sword is very bright, as if there is a sun in it." He looked at Sam again and grinned, hopelessly With a silly smile, "I still can't believe you're here." Jon Snow had smiled when he saw him, but it was a tired smile, the same one he wore now. "You're back at last," he said, "and brought Gilly with you. Well done, Sam."

According to Grenn, Jon himself did a better job.However, capturing the Horn of Winter and capturing the Wildling Prince was not enough for Ser Alliser Thorne's gang, who still called him the Chameleon.Maester Aemon says his wounds are healing well, but Jon has other scars, deeper than the dark circles around his eyes.He mourned his wildling girl and brothers. "It's strange," he said to Sam, "that Craster doesn't like Mance, and Mance doesn't like Craster, and now Craster's daughter is nursing Mance's son." "I have milk," said Gilly, her voice soft and shy, "my son only eats a little, not as greedy as this child."

Val the wild woman turned to them. "I heard from the queen's people that when Mance recovers, the red robe woman will send him into the fire." Jon gave her a weary look. "Mance is a deserter from the Night Watch. The only punishment is death. If he is caught by the Night Watch, he has already been hanged. However, he is a prisoner of the king. Except for the red-robed woman, no one understands the king's mind." "I want to see him," Val said. "I want him to see his son. At least let him see before you kill him." Sam tried to explain, "No one sees him but Maester Aemon, my lady."

"If I had the power to decide, of course Mance should hug his son," Jon's smile faded. "I'm sorry, Val." He turned away. "Sam and I still have duties, well, at least Sam has. Excuse me, we will ask about your request to see Mance. I can only promise so much." Sam lingered a little longer, squeezed Gilly's hand, promised to be back after dinner, and then hurried off.There are guards with spears outside the door, queen party people.Jon was halfway down the stairs, and when he heard Sam following him panting, he waited where he was. "You don't like Gilly in general, do you?"

Sam flushed. "Gilly was good, kind and kind." He was glad that the long nightmare was over, glad to be back among his brothers at Castle Black...but some nights, alone in the empty room, he remembered how they had curled up together in the hides Underneath, with a baby in the middle, how warm Gilly was then. "She... she made me braver, Jon. Not braver, but... braver." "You know you can't be with her," Jon said gently, "just like I can't be with Ygritte. You swore it, Sam, as did I. We all swore it." "I know. Gilly said she could be my wife, and I... I told her the vow and what it meant. I don't know if it's good for her, but I did." He swallowed nervously . "Jon, if the lie is...well-intentioned, can it be honored?"

"I guess it depends on what the lie is and what it is for." Jon looked at Sam. "You are not fit to lie, and I advise against it, Sam. You will blush and speak sharply and stammer." "True," said Sam, "but I can lie in my letters. I'm good at writing. I have a...an idea. Maybe it's best for Gilly when things settle down here...I think... …maybe send her to Hornhill, to my mother and my sisters, and me... my father, father, father. If Gilly says the child is mine, mine..." He blushed again, "Then my mother will want him, I know, she will arrange a place for Gilly, find a job, it will not be more difficult than serving Custer. As, as for Lando, Earl Landau, he... he can't help Sponsored, but maybe would be happy to believe I had a illegitimate child with some bastard girl. At least proves that I'm a man, can sleep with a woman and have a child. He told me once that I must die a virgin, no woman would... ...you know...Jon, if I do this, write this lie...would it be a good thing? This kid's life..." "Growing up as a bastard in your grandfather's castle?" Jon shrugged. "Basically it depends on your father's attitude, and the child's own nature. If he's like you..." "No, Custer is his father. You've seen the man, he's as tough as an old stump, and Gilly is tougher than she looks." "If the boy shows skill with spear and sword, at least he'll get a place in your father's guard," Jon mused, "and it's not uncommon for bastards to be trained as squires and then made knights. But, you Make sure Gilly has enough acting skills. From your description of Lord Randyll, I doubt he will tolerate any deceit." There are more guards on the stairs outside the tower.Yet these belonged to the king, and Sam soon discovered the difference.The king's men were as simple and peaceful as any of them, not so fervent and devoted to Melisandre of Asshai and her Lord of Light as the queen's men. "You're going to the school field again?" Sam asked as we walked across the courtyard. "Is it wise to work hard with a leg injury?" Jon shrugged. "What else can I do? Marsh holds no office for me, fearing I'm a traitor." "Not many believe it," Sam assured him, "except Ser Alliser and company. Most brethren understand it, and I'll bet King Stannis does, too. You'd give him the Horn of Winter, captured Mance's son." "I just protected Val and the baby from marauding when the wildlings crumbled, and kept them where they were until the rangers showed up. I took no prisoners. King Stannis, obviously, kept his men in check. He let them plunder for a while, but all I heard was that three wildlings were raped and the offenders were all castrated. Guess I should have killed some of the free folk who ran away. Ser Alliser is preaching all over the place now , saying that I only draw my sword to protect the enemy, and revealing that I did not kill Mance Rayder." "That's Ser Alliser," said Sam, "and everyone knows what kind of man he is." With noble birth, knighthood, and years of service in the Night's Watch, Ser Alliser Thorne should have been the general. A strong contender for the title of Commander, but unfortunately he offended almost all the recruits during his tenure as coach.His name was brought up as a matter of course, only to finish sixth on the first day and worse on the second.So Thorne withdrew in favor of Lord Janos Slynt. "Everyone knows that Ser Alliser is a blood-born knight, and I'm the murderer of Qhorin Halfhand, the bastard who slept with a spearwife. They call me 'Wolf'. Not even a wolf, I ask you , how to make a wolf spirit?" The corner of his mouth twisted. "I don't even dream of Ghost. I dream only of the catacombs, and the stone statue of the king on the throne. Sometimes I hear the voice of Robb and my father. It seems that there is a banquet, but there is a wall between each other, and I am not there. s position." The living have no place in the banquet of the dead.Sam tried to keep silent, but his heart was about to break.Bran is not dead, Jon, he should have said.With his friends, he rode a huge elk north to search for the Three-Eyed Raven deep in the Haunted Forest.It sounded so crazy that sometimes Sam Tully thought it was all his own imagination, a hallucination of fever and fear and hunger... If he hadn't sworn it, he might have said it. Yet he was sworn to secrecy three times: once to Bran himself, once to the strange boy Jojen Reed, and finally to Cold Hands. "The whole world thinks the boy dead," said his savior at parting, "and let his bones rest in peace. We do not wish to be followed. Swear, Samwell, Night's Watch, by the life you owe me. " Sam shifted the weight of his feet miserably, "Master Genos will not be selected as the commander-in-chief." This is the best and only consolation he can give Jon, "Never." "Sam, you're a lovely fool. Open your eyes. Judging by the situation these days, things are about to happen." Jon pushed the hair out of his eyes. Clear. Excuse me, I want to hit someone hard with a sword." Sam had no choice but to watch him stride towards the arsenal and the school grounds.Jon Snow spent most of his waking hours there.Since Sir Andrew was killed in battle, and Sir Alliser was indifferent, Castle Black had no coach, so Jon volunteered to take on the task of training with several recruits: Satin, Maer, Robin the clubfoot "Jump", Aaron and Aaron. Monk.When they had other duties, he practiced sword, shield, and spear by himself for hours at a time, fighting anyone who would. Sam, you are a lovely fool.Sam walked to the student's residence, recalling Jon's words all the way, open your eyes, judging from the situation in the past few days, something is about to happen.Was he right? It took two-thirds of the votes to become Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, and after nine days and nine votes, nothing even came close.Yes, Lord Janos has caught up lately, creeping past Bowen Marsh and then Othel Arwick, but still far behind Ser Denys Mallister and Eastwatch in the Shadow Tower Carter Parker.One of them would definitely be the new Lord Commander, Sam told himself. Stannis had also posted guards outside the maester's quarters.The room was hot and full of the wounded: men in black, men of the king, men of the queen, all three.Clydas passed among them with goat's milk and sleeping-wine, but Maester Aemon had not returned, and he had to watch Mance Rayder every morning.Sam hung his cloak on a hook and came to help.Jon's words still haunted him, even as he passed things and watered and changed dressings.Sam, you are a lovely fool.Open your eyes, judging by the situation these days, something is about to happen. After working for a full hour, he was able to leave and feed the crows.On the way to the crow's nest, he stopped to check the results of last night's statistics.When the election began, more than three dozen people were nominated, but once it became clear that they could not win, the majority opted out.There were seven left last night.Sir Denys Mallister had two hundred and thirteen votes, Carter Pike one hundred and eighty-seven, Lord Slynt seventy-four, Othel Arwick sixty, Bowen Marcy four Nineteen votes, Three Fingers Hobb five, Melancholy Eddie Tollett one—Pip's stupid joke.Sam flipped through the old records.Sir Dennis, Carter Peck and Bowen Marsh lost votes from day three, Othel Awick from day six, and only Master Janos Slynt climbed, day after day. The birds were chirping in the crow's nest, so he put down the paper and climbed the stairs to feed them.He was delighted to find that three more crows had returned. "Snow," they called to him, "Snow, Snow, Snow." He taught them.Yet even with the newly returned birds, the nest looked depressingly empty.Of those Aemon sent, only a handful have come back, and luckily one of them made it to Stannis.Get to Dragonstone and find a king who still cares about the kingdom.Sam knew that, thousands of miles to the south, his father had led the Tarlys in support of the boy on the Iron Throne, and that neither King Joffrey nor King Tommen would respond when the Night's Watch cried out for help.What's the use of a king who won't defend his kingdom? he thought angrily, remembering that night on the Fist of the First Men, and the terrible journey to Craster's Keep, darkness and fear and falling snow.The Queen's had upset him, rightly, but at least they'd come to help. Sam looked for Jon Snow at supper that night, but the cellars were nowhere to be found—the brothers dined in the great stone cellar now instead.In the end, he had to sit down by the bench of other friends.Piper was telling Melancholy Eddie about the bet on which Scarecrow Sentry got the most arrows. "You've been ahead, but Watt of Long Lake hit three arrows in a row on the last day and overtook it." "I've never won," complained Eddie, 'gloomily,' "and the gods always smiled at Watt.How lucky he was to fall into the deep pool and avoid all the rocks when the Wildlings knocked him off the Bridge of Skulls!" "Is there a high place to fall?" Grant wondered. "Did falling into the pool save his life?" "No," said 'gloomy' Eddie, "he got an ax to the head and was dead, but was lucky enough to avoid all the rocks. " Three-Finger Hobb roasted a mammoth loin for his brethren, perhaps to get more votes.If that's his plan, he should get a young mammoth, Sam thought, pulling a piece of cartilage from between his teeth.He sighed and pushed the food away. There was another vote soon, and the air was thicker than smoke.Carter Pike sat by the fire, surrounded by a ring of Eastwatch rangers.Ser Denys Mallister was at the door, with a handful of Shadow Tower men.And Janos Slynt took the best position, Sam realized, between the flames and the gate.Uncomfortably, he saw Bowen Marsh looming beside him, pale and haggard, with the linen still wrapped around his head, listening to Lord Genos.When he pointed it out to his friends, Pyp added, "Look there, Ser Alliser is whispering to Othel Arwick." When the meal was over, Maester Aemon got up and asked which brother wished to speak before the vote was cast. "Slumber" Eddie stood up first, his face still as dark as a stone. "I want to say to the people who voted for me, I must be a bad commander in chief. Everyone else is the same." Bowen Marsh followed Putting his hand on Lord Slynt's shoulder, he said: "Brothers and friends, I request that my name be withdrawn from the election. The injury troubles me, and this position may be too burdensome for me... But for Jay Not so for Lord North, who commanded the King's Landing Wardens for many years, let us instead support him and trust him." Sam heard an angry murmur from Cotter Pike's side, and Ser Denys looked at his companion and shook his head.It's too late, the damage has already been done.He didn't know where Jon was or why he was running away. Most of the brothers could not read, so, according to the custom, the ballots were used as objects and put into a pot-bellied tin can dragged from the kitchen by "Three-Finger" Hobb and "Dummy" Owen.The different wooden barrels containing the ticket items are placed in the corners, separated by a heavy curtain to ensure the secret choice of voters.If you happened to be on a mission, you could have a friend vote for you, so some took two, three, or even four token items, while Sir Dennis and Carter Pike voted for the entire remaining garrison. When the hall was finally quiet and they were alone, Sam and Clydas emptied the jar in Maester Aemon's presence.Seashells, stones and copper plates cascade down over the tables.Aemon's wrinkled hands moved startlingly quick shells here, stones there, copper plates the other, and a handful of arrowheads, nails, and acorns separated.Sam and Clydas separately counted the piles and counted them each. Tonight it's Sam's turn to report the results first. "Two hundred and three for Ser Denys Mallister," he said, "one hundred and sixty-nine for Cotter Pike. One hundred and thirty-seven for Lord Janos Slynt, seventy-two Vote for Othel Yawick, five for 'Three-Finger' Harb, two for 'Moody' Eddie." "I counted one hundred and sixty-nine votes for Pike," said Clydas. "I counted two votes short, and Sam one short." "Sam is right," Maester Aemon said. "Jon Snow didn't vote. It doesn't matter. Nobody comes close to two-thirds." Sam was more relieved than disappointed.Even with Bowen Marsh's support, Lord Genos is third. "Who are the five people who keep casting 'three-fingers' Hob?" he asked suspiciously. "Brothers who want to drive him out of the kitchen," Clydas reminded. "Sir Dennis has ten votes less than yesterday," Sam pointed out. "Cat Pyke has nearly twenty less. Not a good thing." "Certainly not for them who would like to be Lord Commander," Maester Aemon said. "It's not good for the Night's Watch. That's not for us to decide. Ten days is not a long time. Once, the election lasted nearly two In 2009, more than 700 votes were cast. The brethren will always make a decision in the end." Yes, thought Sam, but what kind of decision was that? Later, in Pyp's room, drinking wine and water, Sam's tongue loosened and he found himself speaking his thoughts aloud. "Cat Pyke and Ser Denys Mallister are losing ground, but they're still about two-thirds combined," he told Piper and Grenn. "Either of them can be Lord Commander. Someone needs to convince one of them." One quits, supports the other." "Someone?" Grant said suspiciously. "Which one?" "Stupid bull thought it might be him," said Piper. "Actually, after he's persuaded Pike to reconcile Mallister, he might go on to persuade King Stannis to marry Queen Cersei." "King Stannis is married," Grenn retorted. "Look, what am I going to do with him, Sam?" Pyp sighed. "Cat Pike and Sir Dennis don't like each other," Grenn argued stubbornly. "They argue about everything." "Yes, but only because they all have different ideas about what's best for the Night's Watch," said Sam, "and if we explain to them—" "Us?" Piper said. "How did 'someone' become 'us'? Remember, I was 'wetty'? Glenn, um, Glenn." He smiled at Sam and moved. Zhao Fenger, "What about you...you are the eldest son of the lord and the assistant of the bachelor..." "And Sam the Killer," Grant said, "you killed the White Walkers." "Dragonglass killed it," Sam told him for the hundredth time. "The lord's eldest son, the maester's assistant, 'Sam the Killer,'" Piper mused, "you talk to them, maybe—" "Me?" said Sam, in a more melancholy tone than "Melancholy" Eddie. "I'm lucky I'm not speechless with fear."