Chapter 92 – The Wall
A year had passed since Cregan Stark married Princess Myrcella Baratheon, now Lady Myrcella Stark.
Cregan stood atop the Wall, breathing heavy, watching the endless white stretch before him. The wildlands called to something deep in his bones. "It feels like, at last, I am at home. At peace."
"Enjoying the view, my lord?"Lord Commander Jeor Mormont approached, his aging frame steady despite the cold.
Cregan turned slightly. "Aye, Lord Commander. Forgive me for not greeting you upon arrival—I felt compelled to climb the Wall first. I don't know why, but it was like something called to me from up here."
Jeor smiled faintly. "It's alright, my lord. I should be the one grateful that you came at all.as You might have noticed, I'm sure—the Brotherhood is not what it once was. Even with supplies, weapons, and food from Winterfell and Frosthall, the men lack the honor they once held. They no longer believe in the Wall, nor the realm it protects. The Wall is now filled with thieves , rapists and uneasy brats, so It's a good news that you even bothered to come."
Cregan nodded slowly. "It has lost its charm and honor, aye. But in the North, the Wall remains sacred. It is our burden to bear. The North will honor it, even if the rest have forgotten. The Wall is better now than before as North is doing better in the last half decade, but still... not what it once was."
Jeor nodded, fully agreeing. "Aye."
The atmosphere shifted then. Cregan's voice became measured, sharp. "So tell me plainly—what is the true situation? Why did you request reinforcements from Winterfell in such numbers?"
Jeor's face grew grave " For what else but the Wildlings..."
"It does not make sense for me to ask for thousands of men simply to defend against wildlings—the Wall has held for thousands of years. And you would not ask for such reinforcement simply for that, no matter how many of the Brotherhood care for him. Robb, my twin, as the Acting Warden of the North was curious about the true state of affairs here. So I ask you now, Lord Commander—will you tell us all of it? Or do you still hesitate?"
"Thier numbers are too great for us handle this time. It isn't a regular attack My Lord. But an attack of a Army against our pitiful defences.There is more. The wildlings have united. Seventy thousand strong, perhaps more. They have crowned a king—Mance Rayder. He was once a black brother, like us. He took the oath, wore the black, and then... he abandoned us. He became an oathbreaker."
This made Cregan extremely alarmed. These numbers are nothing to scoff at . Especially when compared to pitiful Wall defences.
Jeor met his gaze. "Also what the letter states Benjen Stark, your uncle, has gone missing. He rode beyond the Wall months ago and has not returned. We sent men to find him, but there is no trace."
Cregan's expression hardened slightly. "That is grave. But there is more, is there not? You would not request such aid for a single missing ranger, no matter his name."
"No," Jeor admitted.
The numbers were alarming. A unified wildling army under a single banner—something that had never happened before. Yet still, Cregan sensed the Lord Commander holding something back.
"You hesitate still," Cregan observed, his tone cutting. "Your face is like a confused chick right now, Lord Commander. Speak plainly—what else troubles you?"
Jeor's expression flickered at the absurd comparison, but he pressed forward with the matter at hand. "You are a sharp man, Cregan Stark, there is something I am hesitant to speak of. What I am about to tell you, you as a Stark might understand it. It is a hunch, nothing more—no proof, only suspicion. But it was your uncle's hunch as well as mine. That is why he rode beyond the Wall to confirm it."
Cregan nodded for him to continue.
"Take this as caution, warning, or counsel or even as bad jape Take it as you see fit," Jeor said carefully. "But I believe there is something beyond the Wall far greater than wildlings. I do not know if it is the White Walkers of legend, or something else entirely. But there is something—something that even the wildlings fear. And I think they are not marching toward us. I think they are running from it."
Cregan fell silent. For a long moment, he said nothing at all. After a very long time he was too speechless to say anything.