Chapter 72 Chapter 71: Jon

Jon Snow tightened the straps of his saddle, and the mare neighed softly. "Good girl, don't be afraid," he reassured it softly.The wind whispered in the stables like a cold, dead air blowing in the face, but Jon ignored it.He saddled his bedding, stiff and clumsy through his scarred fingers. "Ghost," he called softly, "come here." Immediately the wolf appeared, eyes like two embers. "Jon, please, don't do this." He got on his horse, held the reins tightly, turned his horse and turned his head, facing the night.Samwell Tarly stood at the stable door, and a full moon shone over his shoulder, casting a shadow like a giant, huge and dark. "Sam, get out of the way."

"Jon, you can't just walk away like this," Sam said, "I won't let you go." "I don't want to hurt you," Jon told him. "Go away, Sam, or I'll step on it." "You won't. Listen to me, please..." Jon kicked his feet, and the mare galloped toward the door.In an instant, Sam stood where he was, his face as round and white as the full moon behind him, and his mouth opened into a big circle in surprise.At the last moment when the people and horses were about to collide, he jumped away, and as Jon expected, he staggered and fell to the ground.The mare leaped over him, into the night.

Jon raised the hood of his heavy cloak and patted the mare's head.He rode away from the tranquility of Castle Black, Ghost at his heels.He knew there were men on the Wall behind him, but they were facing far north, not south.No one but Sam Tarly, struggling to get up from the dirt in the stable, would see him go.Seeing Sam fall like that, Jon secretly hoped he was all right.He was so fat and clumsy that he might have broken a wrist or sprained an ankle. "I warned him," Jon said loudly, "and it wasn't his business." He moved his burned hand as he rode, opening and closing his scarred fingers.The pain is still there, but it feels so good to have the bandages off.

He galloped along the bow-knotted Kingsroad, the nearby hills silvered by moonlight.He needs to get as far away from the Wall as possible before anyone discovers his plan.Tomorrow he would be forced off the road and across fields, bushes and streams to escape pursuers, but speed was more important than cover right now.After all, his destination is obvious. The Old Bear was used to rising at dawn, so at least Jon would have time before dawn to put as much distance from the Wall as possible... assuming Sam Tarly hadn't betrayed him.Although the fat boy was dedicated and timid, he treated Jon like a brother.Sam would tell the truth if asked, but Jon didn't think he had the courage to go to the King's Tower guards in the middle of the night and wake Mormont up.

When they found out that Jon didn't go to the kitchen to help Old Bear with breakfast tomorrow, everyone would go to the dormitory to search, and then they saw Long Claw lying alone on the bed.Keeping that sword was hard work, but Jon wasn't going to be ashamed to take it away.Not even Jorah Mormont, before his exile.Lord Lord Mormont must find someone better suited to bear that sword.Thinking of the old man made Jon feel bad.He knew that by abandoning the camp and fleeing like this, he was tantamount to sprinkling salt on the commander-in-chief's pain of losing his son.It was ungrateful, considering how much he trusted himself, but he had no choice.Either way, Jon is going to betray someone.

Even now, he still doesn't know whether his actions are honorable or not.The style of the southerners is relatively simple. They have monks for consultation, and they will convey the will of the gods and help sort out right from wrong.However, the Stark family believed in the nameless ancient god, and even if Xinshu heard it, he would not be able to speak. When the last lights of Castle Black faded behind him, Jon slowed to let the mare walk.There is still a long road ahead, but he has only this horse to rely on.On the way south, there were village farmhouses along the way, with which he could trade for new horses if necessary, but not if the mare was injured or slumped.

He has to find new clothes as soon as possible, and I'm afraid he can only steal them.Now he is black from head to toe: high black leather riding boots, coarse black trousers and a black coat, a sleeveless black leather vest, and a heavy black wool cape.Longsword and dagger were in black scabbards, and black ring mail and helm in saddlebags.Each of these would be enough to kill him if he were caught.North of the Neck, any stranger dressed in black who entered the Cottage and Manor was looked upon with cold suspicion and watched.And once Master Aemon's raven sent a message, he would never find a place to stay, even in Winterfell.Bran might let him in, but Maester Luwin knew exactly what to do, and he would do his job, shut the gates and drive Jon out.Therefore, he had no intention of touching Winterfell from the very beginning.

Even so, in his mind, he could clearly see the image of the castle, as if he had just left it yesterday: the towering marble walls; the fragrant and smoky castle hall, full of running dogs; his father's study; Own bedroom in the tower.Some part of him just wanted to see Bran laugh again, eat another Gage's beef and bacon pie, and hear Old Nan tell her stories about the Children of the Forest and Florian the Fool. But that's not why he left the Wall: he left only because he was his father's son, Robb's brother.He didn't become a Mormont just because someone gave him a sword, even one as good as Longclaw.Nor was he Aemon Targaryen.The old man made three choices, and three times he chose honor, but it was him.Even now, Jon wasn't sure whether the old maester made the choice out of cowardice, or out of a strong heart and devotion to his duty.But in any case, he understands the confusion of the old man, and he understands the pain of choice too well.

Tyrion Lannister once said: Most people would rather deny the truth than face the truth, but Jon has thought through all kinds of hardships.He knew exactly who he was: he was Jon Snow, not only an illegitimate son, but also a deserter who broke his oath, had neither mother nor friend, and would be condemned by God.All his life—however long his life may be—will be forced to wander, a silent solitary in the shadows, afraid to speak his real name.No matter where he goes in the Seven Kingdoms, he must live in lies, otherwise others will attack him.But none of that mattered as long as he fought alongside his brother and avenged his father.

He remembered the last time he had seen Robb.Robb was standing in the square, snow melting in his auburn hair.Now Jon may have to disguise himself before he can sneak up on him.He tried to imagine the look on Robb's face when he revealed himself.His brother would shake his head, smile, and he'd say... he'd say... He couldn't make up that smile, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't think of it.Instead, he unconsciously thought of the deserter who was beheaded by his father the day they found the direwolf. "You took your oath," Lord Eddard told the man, "you took your oath before your brethren, and before the gods old and new." Desmond and Fat Tom dragged the deserter to the stake.Bran's eyes were as wide as plates, and Jon made a point of telling him not to let the pony move.He remembered the look on his father's face when Theon Greyjoy handed him the ice, and then he remembered blood splattering on the snow, and Theon kicking the head to his feet with his legs.

What would he have done, he wondered, if the deserter had been Duke Eddard's own brother Bunyan instead of a ragged stranger?Will there be a difference between the two?Sure, sure, sure... Robb would welcome him, no doubt.How could he not welcome him?unless…… It's better not to think too much about it.He gripped the reins tightly, his fingers aching.Jon gripped his horse's belly again and galloped down the king's road, as if trying to drive away the doubts in his heart.Jon is not afraid of death, but he doesn't want to be tied up and beheaded for public display like an ordinary robber.If he must die, he is willing to die in a duel with the murderer of his father and enemy, sword in hand.He wasn't born a true Stark, never was...but he could die like a Stark.Let everyone know that Eddard Stark has not only three sons, but four. Bai Ling followed his speed and ran for a mile, with his red tongue hanging out of his mouth.He urged the horse to speed up, and the people and horses lowered their heads and galloped.The direwolf slowed down and stopped, looking left and right, his eyes glowing red in the moonlight.Before long, he disappeared behind, and Jon knew he would follow at his own pace. On both sides of the road ahead, flickering lights shone through the trees.This is Mole Village.He urged his horse to gallop past, and heard a dog barking and a donkey braying from the stable, other than that, the village was silent.A few hearths glimmered through shuttered windows, or leaked from between the planks of the house, but few. In fact, the Mole Village is much larger than it seems at first glance, but three-quarters of it is located underground, consisting of deep and warm cellars, connected to each other through intricate tunnels.Even the brothels are underground. From the ground, they are just small wooden huts not much bigger than a toilet, with a red lantern hanging on the door.The defenders on the Great Wall called the prostitutes "treasures in the underground". He couldn't help wondering how many brothers in black were digging for treasures down there tonight?This is of course a kind of broken oath, but no one cares. It wasn't until the village was far behind that Jon slowed down again.By this time, both he and the mare were sweating profusely.So he jumped off the horse, only to feel trembling all over, and the burnt hand hurt even more.Under the bushes there was a large pile of melted snow, shining in the moonlight, and trickles trickled out of it, converging into shallow pools.Jon knelt down, put his hands together, and held the snow water.The melted snow was icy cold. He drank a few sips, then washed his face until his cheeks were numb.He felt dizzy, and his fingers hadn't hurt so much in days.I did the right thing, he told himself, but why am I so miserable? The horse was still panting, so Jon led him a little way.The road was so narrow that two people could barely ride side by side, and the surface was cut by small ditches and covered with gravel.It was really stupid to run like that just now, he was clearly asking for trouble, and if he was not careful, he would break his neck.Jon couldn't help wondering, what on earth did he do?Are you in such a hurry to seek death? He looked up at the sound of frightened animals screaming in the distant woods, and the mare grunted uncomfortably.Had his wolf found its prey?He put his hands around his mouth, "Ghost!" he called, "Ghost! Come to me!" But the only response was the flapping of some owl's wings behind him. Jon frowned and continued on his way.He led the horse for half an hour until it was completely dry.But Bai Ling never showed up.Jon wanted to get on his horse and go, but he was worried about the missing wolf. "Ghost," he yelled again, "where are you? Come here! Ghost!" Nothing in these woods could threaten the direwolf—even if the direwolf wasn't fully developed, unless... no, Bai A spirit would never be foolish enough to attack a bear, and if there were wolves around here, Jon would surely hear them howling. Finally he decided to eat something before talking.Food can soothe the spleen and stomach a little bit, and it can give Bai Ling more time to catch up.There was no danger yet, and Castle Black was still asleep.So he found a biscuit, a small piece of cheese, and a shriveled brown apple from his saddlebag.He also brought corned beef, and a slice of bacon stolen from the kitchen, but he wanted to save the meat for tomorrow.Because when the food ran out, he would have to hunt by himself, and that would definitely delay his journey. Jon sat under a tree and ate biscuits and cheese while the mare grazed along the Kingsroad.He saves the apples for last, and while soft to the touch, the flesh is still sweet and juicy.He was nibbling at the core when he heard the sound: hoofbeats, from the north.Jon jumped to his feet and ran to the mare.Can you run away?No, the distance is too close, and the sound will definitely be exposed, and if they come from Castle Black... So he led the mare off the road and walked behind a thick gray-blue sentinel tree. "Keep quiet," he whispered, crouching down and peering through the branches.If the gods bless, the other party will ride past inadvertently.Eighty percent of the farmers in Mole Village are returning to their fields, but why are they leaving in the middle of the night? ... He listened quietly, and the sound of hooves came rapidly along the king's road, with firm steps and gradually increased.Judging by the voice, there were probably five or six people.The voice of the other party shuttled among the trees. "...Are you sure he's going this way?" "Of course not sure." "Maybe he's headed east. Or off the road and through the woods. That's what I'd do." "In this dark night? Don't be stupid. Even if you didn't fall off your horse, break your neck, and walk around without knowing the way, you will probably circle back to the Great Wall when the sun rises." "I wouldn't," Grant sounded exasperated. "I will ride south, and I will know which way is south by looking at the stars." "What if it's covered by clouds?" Pyp asked. "Then I won't go." Another voice cut in. "If it were me, you know what I would do? I would go straight to Mole Village to dig for treasure." Todd's sharp laughter echoed in the forest, and Jon's mare snorted. "Shut up all of you," Holder said, "I think I heard something." "Where? I didn't hear anything." The hooves stopped. "You can't even hear yourself fart." "I can hear you," Grant insisted. "Shut up!" So they all fell silent and listened intently.Jon held his breath involuntarily.It must be Sam, he thought.He neither went to see Old Bear nor went to bed, but woke up the other boys.It's terrible, if they haven't returned to the camp before dawn, they will be treated as deserters.What are they thinking? The silence stretches infinitely.From where Jon crouched, he could see the feet of their mounts through the bushes.At last Pyp said, "What the hell did you hear?" "I don't know either." Hodder admitted, "But there was indeed a sound, I think it was a horse barking, but..." "There's no sound here." Out of the corner of Jon's eye, he caught a glimpse of a white shadow moving through the trees.The leaves rustled and Ghost came running out of the shadows, and Jon's mare gave a soft cry because he came so suddenly. "There!" Hodder yelled. "I heard it too!" "I was killed by you." Jon said to the direwolf as he got on his horse.He turned his horse's head and walked towards the forest, but within ten feet they caught up. "Jon!" Pyp called after him. "Stop," Grant said, "you can't get away." Jon drew his sword and rode his horse back. "Stand back. I don't want to hurt you, but if I have to, I'll do it." "You want a pair of seven?" Hodder waved his hand, and the boys rushed up and surrounded him. "What are you going to do with me?" Jon demanded. "We're going to bring you back to where you belong," Piper said. "I belong to my brother." "We are your brothers," Grant said. "If they catch you, you will be beheaded, you know?" Todd smiled nervously, "Such a stupid thing can only be done by a stupid cow." I will not. "Glenn said: "I will not break my oath. " "Me too," Jon told them, "but don't you understand? They murdered my father! This is a war, and my brother Robb is fighting in the riverlands—" "We all know," said Pyp gravely, "Sam told us." "We're sorry about your father," Grant said, "but it's none of your business. Once you've made the vow, you can't leave, no matter what." "I must go," said Jon excitedly. "You swore it," Piper reminded him, "I'll keep watch from now on until I die. Is that what you said?" "I will do my duty faithfully and live and die here." Grant nodded in agreement. "You don't need to tell me, I know it as well as you do." Now he was really angry.Why couldn't they just be quicker and let him go?It's not easy for everyone. "I am the sword in the dark," Hodder recited. "Guards on the Great Wall." Toad followed suit. Jon started cursing at them one by one, but they ignored them.Pyp urged his horse forward and continued reciting: "Fire against cold, light of dawn, horn to wake sleepers, shield to guard kingdoms." "Don't come," Jon warned him, swinging his sword. "Pyp, I mean it." They didn't even wear armor, and if they did, he could chop them all to pieces. Mesha walked around behind him and joined in the chant: "I give my life and honor to the Night's Watch." Jon kicked his feet and turned his horse around.But the boys have completely surrounded him, approaching step by step. "Tonight..." Hodder blocked the opening on the left. "...Night and night." Pip finished his last sentence, reaching for Jon's reins. "You have two choices: either kill me, or go back with me." Jon raised his longsword... and dropped it helplessly. "Fuck you," he said, "you're all damned." "Should we tie your hands? Would you like to go back obediently?" Hodder asked. "If I don't run," Ghost came running from under the tree, and Jon glared at him. "You're not going to help," he said, but those deep red eyes looked at him as if they knew everything. "We'd better hurry," said Piper, "if we don't get back before daybreak, the Old Bear will chop our heads off." What happened on the way back, Jon Snow didn't remember much, only felt that this journey seemed to be much shorter than the southbound journey, maybe it was because of his absent-mindedness.Piper led the team, galloping, walking, trotting, and galloping again.Mole Village has come and gone, and the red light hanging at the door of the brothel has long gone out.Pyp had timed it well, and with exactly an hour to go before dawn, Jon saw the dark towers of Castle Black looming ahead against the pale, gigantic Wall behind him.Only this time, the castle doesn't feel like home anymore. They could take him back, Jon told himself, but they couldn't keep him.The war in the South is not something that can be resolved in a day or two, and it is impossible for his friends to watch over him day and night.He just had to bide his time, let them let their guard down, think he was willing to stay...and run away again.Next time, instead of taking the King's Road, he'd walk east along the Wall, maybe as far as the sea, and then south over the mountains.It was the road that wild men used to walk. It was rough and dangerous, but it was enough to get rid of the pursuers.From the beginning to the end, he will keep a distance of more than one hundred leagues from Kingsroad and Winterfell. In the old stable, Samwell Tarly was waiting for them.He sat on the dirt floor, leaning against a pile of straw, too nervous to sleep.Seeing them, he immediately got up, patted the dust and said, "Jon, I...I'm glad they found you." "I'm not happy," said Jon, dismounting. Pyp jumped off his mount too, looking at the fading sky with disgust. "Sam, do me a favor and get the horses settled," said the little boy. "It's a long day, but we're not sleeping at all, and it's all thanks to Lord Snow." After daybreak, Jon walked into the kitchen as usual.Three-Finger Hobb handed Xiong Lao's breakfast to him without saying anything.Today's breakfast consisted of three brown hard-boiled eggs, fried bread, sliced ​​ham and a bowl of wrinkled plums.Jon returned to the King's Tower with his things and found Mormont sitting by the window writing.The crow paced up and down on his shoulder, saying, "Corn! Corn! Corn!" as Jon entered the room, the crow squealed. "Put breakfast on the table." Old Xiong raised his head and said, "I still want to drink some beer." Jon opened a shuttered window, took a beer bottle from the outside ledge, and filled a horn.Hobb had given him a lemon that had just been taken out of the Great Wall storage room, and it was still iced.Jon crushed it with his fist, the juice dripping between his fingers.Mormont drank beer with lemon every day, claiming it was the reason he still had such good teeth. "You must have loved your father very much," said Mormont when Jon handed him the horn. "Son, what we love is what we end up destroying. Do you remember when I told you that?" talk?" "Yes." Jon said sullenly.He didn't want to talk about his father's murder, not even to Mormont. "You must remember carefully, and don't forget. The cruel truth is the most important thing to remember. Bring me my plate. Ham again? Forget it, I admit it. You have no energy. Why, riding a horse last night Are you so tired?" Jon's throat went dry, "You know?" "Know!" echoed the crow on Mormont's shoulder. "Know!" Old Bear snorted. "Snow, did they choose me to be Lord Commander of the Night's Watch because I'm a goose? Aemon said you'd go, and I told him you'd come back. I know my men...and mine Children. Honor drove you to the Kingsroad...and honor drove you back." "My friends brought me back," said Jon. "Did I mean 'your' pride?" Mormont inspected the plate in front of him. "They killed my father, should I just ignore it?" "Honestly, you've behaved exactly as we expected." Mormont took a bite of the plum, spitting out the core. "I've sent someone to watch over you and know when you leave. Even if your brothers don't chase you back, you'll be caught on the way. At that time, it won't be your friend who catches you. Hmph, Unless your horse has wings like a raven. Do you have a horse like that?" "No." Jon felt like a fool. "What a pity. We need horses like that badly." Jon straightened up.He had already said to himself that to die with dignity, at least, he could do it. "My lord, I know the punishment for running away from the camp. I am not afraid of death." "Death!" cried the crow. "I hope you are not afraid to go on living, too," said Mormont, cutting up the ham with his dagger, and feeding a piece to the crow. "You're not a deserter—because you didn't make it. Why don't you just stand here right now? If I catch and behead every kid who sneaks into Mole's Village in the middle of the night, the only defenders of the Great Wall are ghosts." .But maybe you're going to run again tomorrow, maybe in a fortnight. Isn't it? Boy, do you think so?" Jon was silent. "I knew it." Mormont peeled off the hard-boiled egg. "Boy, your father is dead. Can you bring him back to life?" "No." He replied sullenly. "That's a good thing," said Mormont. "You and I have seen what it is like to raise the dead. I don't want that to happen again." He swallowed the hard-boiled egg in two big gulps, spitting out a few slices from between his teeth. shell. "Although your brother is on the battlefield, he has the entire army behind him. Any of his vassals has more soldiers than the entire Night Watch Corps combined. Do you think they will need your help? Could it be that you are really that powerful, or do you mean that you carry ancient spirits with you to add magic to your sword?" Jon had nothing to say.A crow pecks at an egg, pierces the shell, inserts its long beak, and pulls out the silk protein and yolk. Old Xiong sighed: "You are not the only one affected by the war. In my opinion, my sister should also take her group of daughters, wearing men's armor, and join your brother's army to the south at this moment. Meg is a superior An old monster with a stubborn personality and a bad temper. To be honest, I can't stand that bad woman at all, but it doesn't mean that I don't love her as much as you love your half-sister." Mormont frowned Pick up the last egg and hold it firmly until the shell cracks. "Maybe not as good as you. But anyway, if she is killed on the battlefield, I must be very sad, but you see, I have no intention of running away. Because I swore as much as you, my duty is here... you what, child?" I'm homeless, Jon wanted to say, a bastard with no rights, no name, no mother, and now no father.But he couldn't say it. "I have no idea." "But I know," Lord Lord Commander Mormont said, "that cold winds are coming, Snow, and the shadows are growing beyond the Wall. Cotter Pike's letter speaks of great herds of elk migrating to the southeast coast, and There are mammoths. He also said that one of his men found huge deformed footprints only three leagues from Eastwatch. Rangers from the Shadow Tower reported that several villages outside the Great Wall were completely abandoned. At night, Dennis Ser said he could see fires in the mountains, lots and lots of flames, burning from dusk till dawn. Halfhand Colin caught a wildling in the Grand Canyon who swore Mance Rayder was hiding in a new As for his purpose, I think only the gods in the sky know. Do you think your uncle Benyan is the only ranger we have lost in these few years?" "Bunyan!" The crow tilted its head and squawked strangely, egg white dripping from the corner of its mouth. "Bunyan! Bunyan!" "No," Jon said.There were others besides him, too many. "You think your brother's war is more important than ours?" the old man shouted. Jon pursed his lips.The crow flapped its wings at him. "War! War! War! War!" it sang. "I don't think so," Mormont told him. "Bless the gods, boy, you're not blind, and you're not stupid. When the dead come swarming in the night, you think it will make no difference who sits on the Iron Throne." Is it?" "No." Jon didn't expect this level. "Jon, your lord father sent you here, do you know why?" "Why? Why? Why?" cried the crow again. "I know that the blood of the First Men still runs in your Stark family, and that the Great Wall was built by the First Men. It is said that they remember things long forgotten. As for your little wolf... lead us to the wights He was the one who warned you about the dead upstairs. Ser Jeremy would probably say it was all coincidence, but he's dead and I'm alive and well." Admiral Mormont stabbed a piece of ham with his dagger. "I think you were meant to be here. I want you and your wolf to be with us when we go north over the Wall." His words sent a shiver down Jon's spine. "Cross the wall and go north?" "Yes. I'm going to get Ben Stark back, dead or alive." He chewed and swallowed the ham. "I won't sit here and wait for the snowstorm to come. We must know what happened. This time, the Night's Watch will go out in a big way to fight the King Beyond the Wall, the White Walkers, and other things. I will lead the army myself." He pointed the dagger at Jon's chest. "According to the usual practice, the Commander-in-Chief's clerk is his attendant... But I don't want to wake up every morning and have to worry about whether you have escaped again. So, Lord Snow, you give me an answer now: Are you a brother of the Night's Watch...or a bastard who only likes to play horseback riding and fighting?" Jon Snow stood up straight and took a deep breath.Father, Robb, Arya, Bran... please forgive me for not being able to help you.He was right, I belong here. "I... am at your disposal at any time, my lord. I solemnly swear that I will never run away again." Old Bear snorted. "That's a good thing. Why don't you put on your sword soon?"