Chapter 69 Chapter 69: Jon

When Qhorin Halfhand told him to find wood for a fire, Jon knew they were dying. It is a blessing in misfortune to be able to enjoy warmth again, even if it is not for a long time, he thought as he felled branches from the dead wood.Bai Ling squatted and looked at him, as calm as ever.Will he cry for me when I die?Like summer when Bran fell?Jon couldn't help thinking.Can Shaggydog in Winterfell bark?Gray Wind and Nymeria who are in a foreign land, will they join in unison? The moon rose from one side of the mountain, and the sun set from the other. Jon rubbed a flint and knife to make a fire, and managed to make a wisp of smoke.The flames flickered and spread over scraped bark and dead, dry pine needles as Colin moved to his side. "The shy bride," said the tall ranger softly, "beautiful as a flower. The beauty of fire is truly admirable."

He wasn't the type of man who would talk about beauties and brides.As far as Jon knows, Qhorin has dedicated his life to the Night's Watch.He loved a woman?Ever married?Questions were hard to come by, so he just fanned the flames silently.When the bonfire was raging, he took off his hard gloves, warmed his palms, and sighed involuntarily. How could there be a sweeter kiss than this?The warmth spreads across the fingertips like melted butter. Halfhand sat cross-legged on the floor by the fire, the flickering light illuminating the firm lines of his face.They were the only two of the five rangers who had retreated from Windsound Gap, hiding in the blue-gray wilderness of Frostfang all day long.

At first, Jon was lucky and hoped that the servant Dai Liji would stop the wildling at the mouth of the gorge, but after a moment of silence, the hunting horn rang again, and everyone understood that the servant was dead.Then the eagle reappeared, soaring across the twilight sky on its majestic gray-blue wings.The stone snake bent his bow to aim, but the bird flew out of range before he could release his arrow.Ibben spat and cursed the warg and the skinchanger under his breath. They saw the hawk at least twice in the following day, and the hunting horn kept echoing in the mountains behind them.One sound is higher than one sound, and one sound is similar to one sound.When night fell, Halfhand told Ibben to take his own and his squire's horses and ride eastward along the road they had come at full speed toward Mormont's camp.The others will distract his pursuers. "Send Jon," urged Ibben, "for he is as quick as I am."

"Jon has other tasks." "He's still a kid." "No," said Colin, "he's a man of the Night's Watch." As the moon rose high, Iban left the team, Stone Snake walked with him for a while, and then turned back to cover his tracks.The three of them headed southwest. They traveled day and night, hurried on the road, slept in the saddle, and only took a rest when drinking the horses, and then continued to move forward.They trod over bare rocks, through gloomy pine forests and old snows, over ice ridges, and across nameless shallow rivers.Colin and Stone Snake went back and forth to clean up the trail now and then, but it was in vain.They are being watched all the time.Every morning, every dusk, the eagle hovers over the top of the mountain, like a point in the long sky.

Once, when they were walking across the low ridge between the snowy peaks, the shadow cat came out of its den and growled within ten yards of them.Though the beast was emaciated and hungry, the Stone Snake's mare panicked, threw people off her horses, and galloped away until she was found, stumbling over a steep slope and breaking her leg. That day, Bai Ling had a good meal, and Colin insisted that everyone mix horse blood with oats to strengthen their strength.The pungent gruel choked Jon, but he managed it.Before they set off, they each cut a dozen strips of raw meat from the horse's carcass, and left the rest for the shadow lynx.

It is unimaginable for two people to ride together.Stone Snake voluntarily stayed behind and surprised the pursuers. He said that he might be able to fight off a few before going to hell.Colin refused. "If anyone in the Night's Watch can walk across the Frostfang solo, it's you, brother. You can go up a mountain that horses can't. Go back to the Fist. Tell Jon what he saw, and how he saw it. Mormont. Tell him the ancient power has awakened, and he must face giants and wargs and something worse. Tell him the Eye of the Tree is back." He can't go back.Jon thought as he watched the Stonesnake disappear over the snow-covered ridge.He is like a tiny black beetle, crawling in the rippling boundless white plain.

Every night since that day has grown colder and lonelier.Ghost wasn't always around, but he was never too far away.Even apart, Jon can feel his presence, which is very comforting.Halfhand is an unsmiling person. Usually, he is seen riding a horse silently, with his long gray braids swaying slowly, and he has not exchanged a word for several hours. The only sounds are the light trampling of the horse's hooves on the rocks and the wailing of the cold wind.Above the mountains, the wind never calms down.Now he often sleeps without dreams: no wolves, no brothers, only emptiness.Cursed by the gods, there is no room even for dreams, he told himself.

"Is your sword sharp, Jon Snow?" Qhorin Halfhand asked through the flickering campfire. "My sword is Valyrian steel, a gift from the Old Bear." "Do you remember the oath you swore?" "Don't dare or forget." That is a vow that a man will never forget.Once exported, there will be no regrets.The fate of this world is determined by it. "Then repeat it with me, Jon Snow." "Yes." Under the high moon, the voices of the two merged into one, and Bai Ling and the mountains were their witnesses. "The long night is coming, I will watch from now on until I die. I will not take a wife, hold a land, or bear children. I will not wear a crown, and will not compete for honor. I will do my duty and live and die here. I am the darkness The sword in the sky, the guards on the Wall, the flames against the cold, the light at dawn, the horn that awakens the sleepers, the shield that guards the kingdom! To the Night's Watch I give my life and honor, tonight and all nights to come. "

After the recitation, there are only the crackling of flames and the slight sigh of evening wind between heaven and earth.Jon stretched his burned palm eagerly, the oath echoed in his mind, and he prayed to his father's nameless gods to make himself brave to die.Soon, the horse has reached the limit of physical exhaustion.Qorin's horse would not survive even tomorrow, Jon knew. The bonfire faded and the warmth faded. "The flames will go out," Colin said, "and if the Wall falls, all fires will go out under heaven." Jon had nothing to say.He nodded. "We either escape," the Ranger said, "or we are captured."

"I am not afraid of death." This is only a half lie. "It's not as simple as you think, Jon." He didn't understand, "What do you mean?" "When they catch up, you have to surrender." "Surrender?" He blinked in disbelief.The wildlings did not take these they called ravens as captives, and they would only die if they fell into their hands, unless... "They only keep oath-breakers, only deserters like Mance Rayder." "That's the role you'll play." "No," he shook his head desperately, "never! I can't."

"You will. It's an order." "Order? But..." "Remember, we dedicate our lives and honor to the Night Watchman, just to maintain the peace of the kingdom. Are you a man of the Night Watchman?" "Yes. But—" "There's no 'but,' Jon Snow. There's only yes, or no." Jon straightened up. "yes." "Well, listen, once you're captured, you'll have to ask for mercy, just like the wild woman begged you. They'll make you chop the black cloak to pieces in your face, and swear on your father's grave that you'll forever spit And curse the brethren and the commander-in-chief. Whatever you are asked to do, do not disobey it, do it...but in your heart, remember who you are, and remember your oath. March with them, dine with them, and Together they fight until the time comes. Your mission: to observe." "Observe what?" Jon asked. "I don't know," said Colin, "your wolf saw them digging in the Milky Valley. Is there anything worth looking for in that remote cold wasteland? Have you found it? That's what you must seek." The answer, you must know before returning to Commander Mormont and your brothers. Remember, this is my commission, Jon Snow." "I will live up to my trust," Jon reluctantly agreed. "But...you will tell them the truth, right? At least tell Old Xiong? Please tell him that I have never broken my vow." Qhorin Halfhand stared at him through the flames, his eyes unfathomable. "Next time we meet, I'll tell him. I swear." He gestured toward the fire. "Add more firewood, more warmth and light." Jon ran to get more sticks, split each one in half, and threw them on the fire.The trees have been dead for a long time, but they wake up again and again in the fire, as if they were born again.The wooden sticks rotate and burn, emitting yellow, red and orange light, like a dance of fire. "Okay," Colin said suddenly, "get on the horse." "Get on the horse?" It was pitch black outside the bonfire, shrouded in the cold night. "where to?" "Turn back." Colin got on his tired horse. "May the light of the fire lead them on. Come on, brother." Jon put his gloves back on and pulled his hood up.The horse refused to leave the campfire.The sun is gone, and a waning moon casts cold silver light, shining on the dangerous road ahead.He didn't know what Colin was up to, but there might be a chance, and he hoped with all his heart.For whatever reason, I don't want to be an oath-breaker. They proceeded cautiously, moving as silently as they could, following the footsteps they had come, until they reached the pass between the two mountains, from which flowed an ice-covered stream.Jon remembered this place, drinking the horses here before sundown. "Unfortunately, the water started to freeze," Colin commented. "I wanted to walk along the stream, but there would be traces on the ice, revealing whereabouts. Now it is close to the cliff, and there is a curve half a mile ahead that can be hidden." He said Ride into the pass.Jon took one last look at the distant Huahuo with nostalgia, and followed him. The farther they rode, the tighter the pressure of the cliffs on either side.In the moonlight, the stream is like a ribbon, guiding them straight to the source.The stony shore was all ice, but under the thin crust Jon could hear the rippling of water. There had been a landslide on this road, and a huge rock fell across the middle, but their little plow horses squeezed through.Afterwards, the mountain walls became tighter and steeper, and the stream extended, leading directly to a winding and towering waterfall.Shrouded in mist, like the panting of a huge ice beast, the rushing water glows silvery white under the moonlight.Jon looked down at the waterfall in dismay.A dead end.He and Colin might be able to climb it, but not the horse.Without horses, they would not last long on foot. "Move fast!" Duanzhang ordered.The big man on the pony galloped towards the waterfall, passed through the curtain of water, and disappeared without a trace.He hadn't been seen for a long time, so Jon grabbed his mount and followed.His horse scrambled to escape, beating with frozen fists from the icy water, and choking with bitter cold that took his breath away. Then it passed.He was drenched and shivering, but it was over after all. The cracks in the rocks were extremely narrow and difficult to pass through, but after passing, the road opened wide and the ground turned into soft sand.The droplets froze on Jon's beard.Bai Ling angrily walked through the water curtain, shaking his body, shaking his fur dry, sniffing the darkness around him suspiciously, and finally lifted his leg to pee on the edge of the stone wall.Colin had dismounted, and Jon had done the same. "So you know the place." "I was younger than you when a brother told me to track the shadow cat through the falls." He unsaddled the saddle and took the bit away. and reins, and combed his mount's shaggy mane with his hands. "This road runs through the core of the mountain. Wait until dawn, and if they don't notice, we will be on the road. I will be on the first shift, brother." After speaking, Colin sat on the sand with his back against the rock wall, becoming a road in the gloomy cave. Blurred shadows.Through the sound of rushing water, Jon heard the slight sound of steel rubbing against leather, and Halfhand had drawn his sword: He took off his wet cloak, but it was too cold and damp here to let him take it off again.Ghost spread out, curled up sleeping next to him, and licked his gloves.Jon was grateful for his warmth, and thought of the bonfire in the wild again, wondering if it was going out at this moment?If the Great Wall falls, all fires in the world will be extinguished.The moonlight passed through the rushing water curtain for a while, casting several pale streaks on the sand, but it faded away quickly, and everything returned to darkness. Drowsiness finally hit, followed by nightmares.He dreamed of burning castles, of dead men crawling out of their graves.It was still dark when Colin woke him up.Falling asleep with a broken hand, Jon will lean his back against the cave wall, listen to the sound of water, and wait for the dawn. At dawn the next day they each swallowed a half-frozen piece of horsemeat before saddling their horses and putting on their black cloaks again.Halfhand made half a dozen torches during his watch, and now he took dry moss from his saddlebag, soaked it in oil, and tied it on.He lit the first, and went first into the darkness, pale flames leading the way, and Jon led his horse to follow.The stony tunnel twisted and twisted, at first downward, then upward, becoming steeper and narrower until it was almost impossible for a horse to pass through.Just go out and get rid of them, Jon thought as he walked, eagles can't see through rocks, can they?We will get rid of the pursuers, go straight to Fist Peak, and report everything to Elder Xiong. But after several hours of trekking, when they saw the sun again, the eagle was waiting for them.It perched on a dead tree at the top of the slope, a hundred feet taller than them.Ghost hopped over the rock and lunged at it, and the bird flapped its wings and flew into the air. Colin's eyes followed the movement of the eagle, and his lips became tighter and tighter. "The terrain is good here," he announced. "There is shelter above and a secret passage behind, so they can't sneak up on them. Is your sword still sharp, Jon Snow?" "Yes," he said. "Let's feed the horses first. Poor beasts, thank them for their heroic service." Jon fed his steed the last handful of oats, stroking its soft mane, while Ghost wandered restlessly among the rocks.He tore off the gloves violently, soothing his burned fingers.I am the strong shield that guards the kingdom! A hunting horn echoed across the hills, and Jon heard the hounds barking. "They'll be here in a moment," said Colin. "Keep the wolf in check." "Ghost, come here," Jon called.The direwolf barely ran back to him, tail cocked high behind him. On the ridge less than half a mile away, savages appeared one after another.The hounds ran first, gray and brown beasts mixed with wolf blood, menacing and howling.Bai Ling grinned, his hair standing on end. "Relax," Jon whispered, "don't move." There was a flapping of wings overhead, and the eagle perched on a ledge, screaming triumphantly. The hunters approached carefully to avoid being attacked by flying arrows.Jon counted fourteen people, plus eight dogs.Their great round shields were of wicker, covered with human skin, and painted with skulls.About half covered their faces with rough helmets of wood and boiled leather.On the left and right wings, an archer each put an arrow on a short bow made of wood and animal horn, but did not release it.Others were armed with spears or mallets, and one held a split stone axe.It can be seen that the tattered armor on their bodies was either snatched or obtained from the dead rangers.Savages neither dig nor smelt. North of the Great Wall, there are only a few blacksmiths, and forges are even rarer. Colin drew his longsword.According to legend, after he lost half of his right hand, he became a left-handed sword, which is even more powerful than before.Jon stood shoulder to shoulder with the tall ranger, longclaw in hand.Although the air was cold, sweat blurred his vision. They stopped ten yards from the mouth of the cave, and the leader stepped forward alone.His horse climbed the rough slopes gently, like a goat.As he got closer, Jon heard a rattling sound—it turned out that all horses and horses used bones for protection: cattle bones, sheep bones, the remains of goats, bison, and elk, giant bones of mammoths... and human bones were all worn on their bodies. . "Rattleshirt," Colin called down, coldly polite. "The crow should call me the King of Bones." The man's helmet was made of a giant's skull, his hands were from top to bottom, and countless bear claws were stitched outside the leather. Colin snorted. "I didn't see any big king, just a dog with a chicken bone, walking and making noise, showing off in the market." The savage neighed angrily, and his mount stood up.True enough, Jon thought, the other's bones were so loosely connected that every movement made them jingle and clank. "Yes, I'll hear your bones crackling later, Halfhand. I'll cook your flesh, use your ribs for mail, knock your teeth for necklaces, and use your skull for porridge." "Okay, I'll accompany you to the end." Rattleshirt looked dismayed at the invitation.The black-clothed brothers were guarding the narrow entrance of the cave, and the number of them was useless. At most, there could only be two of them.One of his female warriors led a horse and squeezed over, she must be a "spear woman" too. "Fourteen to two, crow, eight dogs against one wolf," she yelled, "fight or run, you are all lost." "Show them," Rattleshirt ordered. The woman pulled the booty out of her bloodstained pocket.Iban's bald head was as round as an egg, so she shook it by the ear. "He was brave," she said. "Still dead," said Rattleshirt, "and you too." He drew out his ax and swung it ostentatiously above his head.It was high-quality steel, with a cold light on both sides—Iban always cared for weapons.The other wildlings gathered around Rattleshirt, shouting insults.A few chose Jon as the target of their taunts. "Your wolf, boy?" cried a thin boy with a stone flail. "He'll be my mantle before the sun goes down." The boobs showed to Jon. "My dear son, do you miss your mother? Come, come here, have a drink, baby." Not to be outdone, the dogs shouted loudly. "Never mind their taunts," said Colin, giving Jon a meaningful stare. "Remember your mission." "Follow the crows," Rattleshirt roared over the noise. "Let the arrow!" "No!" Jon forced himself to speak before the fight started, and took two hurried steps forward. "We surrender!" "They warned me that bastards are natural cowards," said Qhorin Halfhand coldly beside him. "I finally understand. Fuck to your new master! Coward!" Blushing all over his face, Jon walked slowly downhill to Rattleshirt.The wildling leader looked at him through the eyeholes of his helmet, "What use are the free folk for cowards?" "He's not a coward." One of the shooters lifted his goatskin helmet to reveal a mop of red hair. "He is the illegitimate son of Winterfell, and he set me free. Let him live." Jon and Ygritte's eyes met, speechless. "I want him dead!" insisted the Lord of Bones. "The black raven is a cunning bird. I don't trust him." On the rocks overhead, eagles flapped their wings and screamed angrily. "The bird hated you, Jon Snow," said Ygritte, "for a reason. He was a man, and he died at your hands." "I don't know," Jon answered honestly, trying to remember the face of the man he had killed in the Pass. "You said Mance would take me in." "Yes," said Ygritte. "Mance's way out of here," Rattleshirt said. "Ravenler, stab him." The big spearwife narrowed her eyes: "This crow has to rely on his real skills if he wants to join the free folk." "I can do anything." It was hard to say, but Jon said it anyway. Rattleshirt's bone armor crackled with wild laughter. "Go kill Halfhand, bastard." "Don't even think about it," Colin said. "Turn around! Jon, die!" It was too late, but soon, Colin's sword was already in front of him, and his long claws reflexively hit the grid, and the force of the collision almost knocked it out of Jon's hand.He staggered back.No matter what you are asked to do, you are not allowed to disobey.He clasped the long sword in both hands and fought back sharply, but was swept away carelessly by the tall ranger.The two came back and forth, the black cloaks were intertwined, and the young man used quickness and dexterity to counter the brutal power of Colin's left-hand sword.In an instant, the sword of Duanzhang was everywhere, left and right, like rain, the sword moved with the heart, freely and freely.Jon only felt his arm gradually go numb. Colin kept his feet even as Ghost tore the Ranger's calf with his teeth.But at that moment, when he turned around, he showed his flaws.Jon held out his sword and flicked it back.The ranger stepped aside, as if the blow hadn't worked, but then a stream of vermilion tears rose from his throat, bright and vivid as a ruby ​​necklace.In the end, blood gushed out like a fountain, and Colin Halfhand fell down. Blood was also dripping from Bai Ling's nose and mouth, but the long-hilted sword was only stained at the tip, in the last half-inch.Jon shoved the direwolf away, knelt down and put his arms around his brother.The last gleam of light was fading from Colin's eyes. "...sharp," he said, lifting and dropping his crippled finger.he died. He knows, Jon thought numbly, he knows what they'll ask of me.He suddenly thought of Samwell Tarly, of Grenn and sad Eddie, of Pyp and Todd who stayed at Castle Black.Shall I lose them now, as I have lost brothers Bran and Rickon and Robb?Who am I?What the hell am I doing? "Help him up." A pair of rough hands pulled him.Jon didn't resist. "Is there a name?" Ygritte answered for him: "His name is Jon Snow, and he is of the blood of Eddard Stark in Winterfell." Rui Wenle said with a smile: "Hehe, who would have thought? Colin Halfhand died at the hands of the noble lord's bastard!" "Poke him," Rattleshirt insisted.The eagle flew towards him, stopped on the bone helmet, and screamed piercingly. "He surrendered," Ygritte reminded them. "Yeah, and killed my own brother to prove it," said a short, plain-looking savage in a rusty iron halfhelm. Rattleshirt rode closer, bone armor rattling. "That's dirty work done by wolves. Halfhand deserves to die on me." "Hehe, we all saw that you were eager to try." Luo Wenle laughed. "He's a wolf," said the Lord of Bones. "A raven! I don't like him." "If he's really a wolf," said Ygritte, "will he scare us?" The others yelled agreement.Rattleshirt glared at Jon through the eyes of his yellowed skull, but finally backed down.What a bunch of free folk, Jon thought. They built a pyre of pine needles, bushes, and broken branches where Qolin Halfhand had fallen, and burned his body on the spot.Some woods are still green, so they burn slowly and smokyly, with black feathers rising high into the bright clear sky.Rattleshirt took some of the charred bones, and the rest dice to decide where the rest belonged.It is Ygritte who gets the cloak. "Shall we go back to Windfall?" Jon asked her.He didn't know how he would feel when he faced the mountain again, and he didn't know if his horse could hold on. "No," she said, "there's nothing behind us." She looked at him with a look of pity. "Mance has led a large army down the Ruhe River, heading for your Great Wall."