[Castle Black]
Lord Commander Jeor Mormont stood in front of the cellar of Castle Black, the fire casting shadows across his weathered face. He looked at Jon and Rob with steady eyes.
"Walk with me, both of you."
Both Jon and Rob have been running around since the day Bran was kidnapped, searching for his trail frantically, and in this chaos, the old man suddenly called for them.
Jon had a bad feeling the moment he was asked to meet the Lord Commander alone—especially when the old man was looking at him like he'd stolen his granddaughter's virginity or something. However, he followed the Lord Commander inside the cellar nonetheless.
Certainly, the cold winds of the North didn't do much for this old man, who felt more like Ice than the Walkers themselves—or at least both Jon and Rob thought so. If he had seen the real White Walkers, he might not have thought this.
There were, after all, only a few in Castle Black who had even seen the monster tied up in the cellar.
"What is this about ?" Rob finally asked.
"You'll know soon." Lord Commander just replied and kept on walking.
For a second, both thought this was some sort of ambush but that wouldn't have happened. Others might do it but an honourable man like Lord Mormont would never.
"With your father away, the lords of the North will gather only if you asked for them, the current acting warden. It's the best chance we've had to warn them of the true danger."
Jon, at this, was baffled. What danger? Rob was the same.
Mormont's brow furrowed. He stopped in his place and turned to Jon, making him shift in discomfort.
He looked into Rob's eyes, glaring at them. Then suddenly, without saying anything, he made a fist and hit the nearby iron bars, rattling them and making the entire place echo with their noise.
Jon didn't get it—what was the point of that? Was the old man trying to intimidate him? If so, then that wasn't—
"GWAAAAAA...." Before either of the boys could even complete that line of thought, a guttural growl vibrated through the entire cellar, making thier skin crawl. Goosebumps—which could be said to be all but dead in the chilly climate of the North—came back to life for them.
"If you really think your brother crossed the Wall, then consider him dead. Because where he has gone, he would face many of what lies there in the darkness," he said and pointed at the darkest section of the cellar where the sound came from. Only now did Jon and Rob feel a chill spreading around him. The place was colder than outside.
How was that even possible?
"What's in there?" Rob finally gathered his courage, asking about what he couldn't see with his eyes but felt and heard.
"The real enemy," he said, handing over the torch to Jon and signalling both of them to see for themselves.
Nerves screaming to run away, Jon pushed down his instincts and took the fire, taking steady steps into the darkness. Rob was right behind his brother.
And what they saw made them freeze. This was no man, no animal like he thought. This was an abomination. Bluish skin, cold icy eyes—and even after losing limbs, the thing kept on screaming and racking the cage it was in.
Jon instinctively gripped the fire tighter like it could protect him from the horrid creature he was looking at. Rob was all but forzen in his place. And those same instincts made him bring those flames in front of him, ready to burn the creature if he had to.
However, a strong hand with a firm grip stopped him from going any further.
"That's close enough. Back off now."
"What is that... thing?"
"Never heard of Walkers, Stark?"
"It's impossible... Those were..." Jon muttered in disblieve.
"Stories. I thought so too, until a few months ago when that man slammed the reality into our faces."
Jon didn't even care who that man was. He was too taken aback to think of anything right now. Anything but what the Lord Commander had told him earlier.
"This is the reason you must called the lords of the north and tell them the truth. Ned Stark should have done it but king has to show up right then. Take Ned with him." Lord Commander said. Looking both of them with determination.
Their mind raced hard. And only one name came to them
'Bran...'
If Bran really crossed the wall then... they didn't even wished to think about it.
"I have to go. I have to search for Bran," Jon said, almost in panic.
"I must go. If he's in the North, beyond the Wall, then he's in danger." Rob too chipped in.
Lord Commander Jeor Mormont just observed them, his eyes narrowing.
"Enough!" Mormont's voice boomed, echoing through the stone walls. "I understand your pain, but this is for the safety of entire north..."
Lord Commander planned on lecturing both youth further when suddenly, a loud knock stopped him.
"My Lord Commander, there is a raven from Winterfell. For Lord Stark." Came the voice, and that end the talk for that time.
Robb Stark held the letter in his hands as though it weighed more than his sword. His eyes ran over the words again and again, yet they did not change. His father, Lord Eddard Stark, was taken prisoner in King's Landing. Branded a traitor.
The torchlight flickered in the cellar, throwing shadows across his pale face. Jon stepped forward, worry sharp in his voice. "Robb… what is it?"
Robb swallowed hard. His throat felt dry. "Father… he's in chains. The South calls him traitor." His voice broke as he spoke the words aloud.
Jon's chest tightened. "Seven hells…" He tried to think, but his mind raced between Bran missing and now this.
Robb lowered the letter, his jaw set but his eyes stormy. "I have no choice. I must return to Winterfell. The lords of the North will look to me now. I have to call the banners."
Jon stepped closer. "And Bran?"
Robb turned to his brother, torn but resolute. "You will find him, Jon. You're the only one who can. If he is beyond the Wall, then he needs you more than ever."
Jon wanted to protest, to argue, but the weight in Robb's tone silenced him. He saw the truth—Robb could not abandon the North. And Jon could not abandon Bran.
Lord Commander Mormont watched them both, silent, grim. Who could have thought that things allign this well to what he wished to do.
Robb finally folded the letter, tucking it close to his chest. His voice carried steel when he spoke. "Father needs us. The North needs us. War is coming, Jon."
And with that, chaos swept through their hearts, binding each brother to a path he could no longer turn from.
xxx
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