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The white colossus split the world in two.
The Wall.
On one side: the Seven Kingdoms. Civilization. Green lands.
On the other: the frozen wastes. Wildlings. And the Others, vanished into legend.
Arya's mouth hung open. Her grey eyes reflected the pale light of the ice.
This was grander than any story.
Jon stared up, awestruck. This was what he'd spend his life defending. The doubts raised by Yoren's criminals faded before this monument.
Tyrion stopped reading. His mismatched eyes studied humanity's greatest work. For the first time in days, pure wonder crossed his face.
Only Lynn remained calm. He'd seen it beforeâthrough his predecessor's memories. But now, the Wall wasn't the end of the world.
It was a beginning.
The column approached Castle Black.
The fortress squatted at the Wall's base like a black stain on white snow. Crude wooden buildings, patched and ugly.
They passed through the tunnel carved into the ice. The cold bit deep. Hoofbeats echoed in the dark.
When they emerged into the courtyard, silence fell.
Dozens of black-cloaked men stopped their drills. Every eye turned.
Not to Benjen, the First Ranger.Not to Arya, a rare woman.Not to Tyrion, the dwarf.
To Lynn.
Hostility thickened the air.
"It's him.""The deserter.""He dares come back?"
A gaunt, sour-faced man stepped forward, dropping his practice sword.
Alliser Thorne. Master-at-Arms.
"A deserter returns alive," Thorne sneered. "Lord Stark didn't take your head?"
He glanced at the Stark soldiers. "What's this? Is Ned Stark replacing us with his household guard?"
The men behind Thorne laughed. To them, Lynn was a coward who broke his vows.
Lynn sat calmly on his horse, looking down at Thorne.
The hundred Stark soldiers placed hands on their hilts. They served Lynn. If he was insulted, they'd draw steel.
Killing intent flooded the yard.
Thorne paled. His rabble stepped back.
"Enough, Alliser."
Benjen rode forward, voice hard. "Lynn came with me. Take it up with the Lord Commander."
The First Ranger's authority froze Thorne's sneer. He stepped aside, but his eyes burned with hate.
The Lord Commander's chamber was plain. A fire crackled in the hearth.
Jeor Mormont, the Old Bear, sat behind a desk, reading parchment. White hair, thick beard, a face carved by decades of wind and cold.
A raven perched on his shoulder, eyeing the visitors.
"Benjen." Mormont's voice was gravelly. His gaze moved to Lynn. "Why is he alive? Why isn't his head on a spike in Winterfell?"
Benjen explained. The Others. The Old Gods' guidance. Bran's fall. The library assassination. Ned Stark's request.
Mormont listened in silence. Only the fire spoke.
When Benjen finished, Mormont stood and walked to the window, staring at the Wall.
"Ned wants him released from his vows?"
"It's a reward. Lynn saved his son."
"A reward?" Mormont turned. "Benjen, you are a man of the Night's Watch. Have you forgotten our oath?"
He recited it, each word cold and unyielding.
"Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children..."
Benjen's face tightened. The oath was sacred. Without it, the Watch would crumble.
"But, my Lordâ"
"No buts." Mormont sat down. "Ned Stark is Hand of the King. But here, I command. My word is law."
The room was suffocating.
Lynn stood silent. He understood. Mormont had to defend the rules. But Ned Stark was Warden of the North. The Watch depended on his supplies.
Mormont couldn't ignore that.
The Old Bear sighed.
"However..." He looked at Lynn. "Lord Stark values you. Keeping you here would be a waste."
He drummed his fingers on the desk.
"You remain a brother of the Night's Watch. Your vows stand. But your watch will not be on the Wall."
"Ned Stark goes to King's Landing. You will go with him."
"Remember: you are still a Ranger. This way, your oath is intact, and Ned's debt is paid."
Benjen relaxed. A clever compromise.
Lynn lowered his eyes, hiding a flicker of triumph.
Clever old bear. Mormont had just thrown the problem back to Ned. Technically, Lynn was still a Ranger. Practically, he was free.
"Yes, Lord Commander."
Mormont continued. "But I am not the only voice here. The men must accept this. Convince them yourself."
~~~~ââ~~~~~~~~ââ~~~~
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