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[NORTH OF THE WALL.]
[JON, QHORIN, and the party of Night's Watchmen creep among rocks and snow of a mountaintop, stalking a wildling camp by a fire. The wildlings are tending to their duties. QHORIN signals and one of the Night's Watchmen lets loose an arrow, striking a wildling in the chest. A short skirmish ensues. JON grapples a hooded wildling into submission, after preventing her from grabbing a weapon. Her hood falls away to reveal YGRITTE, panting. JON is shocked.]
"A girl."
"It would be death to underestimate a wildling woman. They are as much ruthless a fighter as their men" Rickard spoke.
Jon nodded mutely.
"A wildling."
"We could question her."
"You could. She won't answer. I've known a wildling to bite off his tongue instead of talking."
[QHORIN picks up the axe that YGRITTE was reaching for.]
QHORIN: She was reaching for this axe when you got to her. Give her half a chance, she'll bury it in your face.
Lyanna flinched violently at the imagery. To think it... she quickly shook her head.
[QHORIN throws the axe down to emphasize his point. JON stands back but keeps his blade trained on YGRITTE's face. She looks at the fallen wildlings.]
"You ought to burn them you killed."
"We'd need a big fire for that. Tell me, Ygritte. Why do you want us to build a big fire? Are there some more friends in the area?"
"Burn them or maybe you'll need those swords again."
"Our boy here's already killed one dead man. He can do it again if he has to."
"Qhorin knows he needs to burn them but knows what burning them would mean" Brandon the Elder noted.
"Not an easy decision" Robb nodded.
"What waits beyond the pass?"
"The Free Folk"
"How many?"
"Hundreds and thousands. More than you've ever seen, crow."
Robert's face grew grim. Should they pass... No, he'll need to deal with them sooner the better.
"Why come to the mountains? What's in the Frostfangs your king could want?"
[YGRITTE doesn't answer. She locks eyes with JON.]
"Do you mean to march on the Wall?"
"Didn't he say these people would rather bite their tongues off than talk?" Arya asked.
"He did" Jon nodded, "but he probably feels he should give it a go. No harm in trying."
"I guess" Arya mumbled.
[QHORIN leans down closely and places his hand on YGRITTE's face.]
"Do you know who I am, girl?"
"Qhorin Halfhand."
"Tell me true. If your people captured me, would they take me prisoner?"
"They'd take your head off your shoulders if they were feeling kind. If not, they'd kill you slow."
[QHORIN nods and stands back.]
"We have no food for her. Can't spare a man to watch her. Can't let her go. She'll bring Mance Rayder's army down on us. It needs to be done. Want me to do it?"
[QHORIN draws his sword.]
"No. No, I'll do it."
"Just let the man do it!" Robb sighed.
"What? Think I can't kill a person?" Jon asked.
"A woman, no." Robb half grinned.
"No, Even women I can kill if we are fighting it is she is my enemy" Jon stated
"Come, brothers. We'll leave him to it. We'll meet you at the top. Don't take too long. We're deep in their country now."
[QHORIN and the Watchmen exit. JON points his sword at YGRITTE's face, who still lays still on the rocks. He hesitates.]
"You never killed a woman before, did you? You don't need to do it. Mance would take you. I know he would. There's secret ways. The crows would never catch us."
"Are there?" Ned asked alarmed.
"The Wall has many places no longer manned. The Wildlings can cross through from there" Jon Snow explained.
Ned's anxiety soared at that. No, that could not be allowed.
[JON pushed the point of his sword into her chin to quiet her.]
"I'm as much a crow as they are."
[YGRITTE rolls onto her stomach, accepting her fate. JON positions his sword above the back of her neck.]
"Will you burn me? After?"
"Can't. Someone might see the smoke."
[YGRITTE pulls her hood back in frustration. She wants a clean death. JON rests the sword on the back of her neck.]
"Strike hard and true, Jon Snow, or I'll come back and haunt you."
"Probably the only girl willing to be with you" Robb teased. It was half-hearted and Robb didn't look like he really meant it. But Jon reacted anyway, just to take his brother's mind off of Theon Greyjoy and his betrayal.
[JON continues to hesitate. JON pulls the sword away. YGRITTE looks at him in frustration.]
"Do it. Bastard, do it!"
[JON brings his sword over his head and strikes downward, hitting the rock in front of YGRITTE's head. She looks at the blade before her face and realizes that JON cannot bring himself to kill her. They look at one another and she seizes her chance. She slams a rock into JON's knee and he falls. She runs, putting her hood back on. JON pursues her as she runs down the mountainside. Both are desperate. JON can't seem to catch up, but he spies an opportunity to shortcut the fleeing YGRITTE. He takes another route and slides down a hill to tackle YGRITTE. He drops his sword in the process, but pulls out a knife, and places it at her throat.]
"All that to just kill a woman. Just slice her throat!" Oberyn yelled in frustration. Back in Dorne, she'd have died just as swiftly as any man.
[KING'S LANDING, SHORELINE]
[In a skiff crowded with people, PRINCESS MYRCELLA BARATHEON sits down, looking back at the shore. The HIGH SEPTON blesses her travels.]
"May the Seven guide the princess on her journey. May the Mother give her health. May the crone give her wisdom. May the warrior give her courage."
Myrcella stiffened at her image. She was being sent away. She knew she would have been, but to see it... No, it did not feel right. She did not feel right being sent away to possible enemy territories, no matter how much they assured her they wouldn't hurt her.
"Myrcella-"
"I'm fine" she half snapped, looking away from her uncle.
Tyrion looked at her with a small frown.
[QUEEN CERSEI LANNISTER and LORD TYRION LANNISTER watch the boat depart.]
"One day I pray you love someone. I pray you love her so much that when you close your eyes, you see her face. I want that for you. I want you to know what it's like to love someone, to truly love someone. Before I take her from you."
She did care, her mother did care. Myrcella clutched her dress tightly.
[TYRION turns to face her. CERSEI continues to look straight ahead. He walks away, silently.]
[KING JOFFREY BARATHEON, LADY SANSA STARK, PRINCE TOMMEN BARATHEON, and SER MERYN TRANT watching in the crowd. TOMMEN is crying.]
"You sound like a little cat mewling for his mother. Princes don't cry."
"I do not" Tommen muttered affronted. Myrcella patted her brother's knee comfortingly.
"You don't. Joffrey is being mean" she assured him.
"I saw you cry."
"Did you say something, my lady?"
"My little brother cried when I left Winterfell."
"So?"
"It seems a normal thing."
"Is your little brother a prince?"
"No."
"Not really relevant then, is it? Come, dog."
[JOFFREY leaves, followed by SANDOR "THE HOUND" CLEGANE. They walk past CERSEI on their way out. She still stares after the skiff.]
