Oathkeeper

Chapter 61: Giant Stairs

Ilizabeth's legs ached in unimaginable ways. They burned so hot that her once solid bones had seemingly turned to a more squishy liquid as she dragged her feet up the slight incline. She could barely go any further, no matter how many nights of rest she and Jon acquired. To her it seemed as if they were no longer walking with a destination, but with the sole purpose of torturing her limbs. Ilizabeth was not only suffering from the internal pain of their agonizing journey but from the frost bite she was sure she felt spreading to her fingers and toes. Despite being dressed in the thickest set of clothing and fur she'd ever worn, she still felt a disconnect from different parts of her body. Especially her nose and ears. They'd gone completely numb, and occasionally she felt an urge to check and see if they were still there.

Everything beyond the wall was white. The clouds resembled pieces of torn up cotton that covered the entire sky and the rapidly setting sun. The snow piled up to at least five inches and only got thicker the further west they traveled. And the faces of Ilizabeth and Jon, which seemed to grow paler by the second. The only things that weren't, were the naked dried out trees. Jon had reported that although everything was cold and stiff, the woods of the North always remained tall and full of life. But that was no longer the case. Every bit of the tree was on the verge of turning black, the roots, the trunk, the branches, the leaves. As if the woods were engulfed in flames for weeks, leaving nothing but brittle char behind.

The conditions beyond the wall only served to make their journey more difficult. They were nearly through with the food and water given to them by Lord Commander Humble, most of the channels that formed from the Bay of Ice had dried up and they hadn't seen a live animal since they spotted the small sheep Winter hunted and devoured all by himself. Seeing as to how the wolf now stood at her a few inches before her waist on all fours, they didn't wish to fight over the rationality of sharing it. Still they went on with their journey, as they were finally, almost there.

Aside from being slightly dehydrated like the rest, the wolf seemed to be doing pretty well. If not thriving in the harsh weather conditions. While Jon and Ilizabeth practically dragged their feet up the mountain they'd been climbing for some time, Winter trotted ahead of them effortlessly.

"You alright?" He turned to check on the girl for a second.

"Mmhm," She nodded.

"We're nearing the end of the Giant Stairs should be approaching the hut soon," Jon said while reading the map,

"Good," Ilizabeth huffed.

"It's been well over a year since I left the area, so stay on your toes. Just in case there's something out there,"

"Like what?" She tried to mask the fear in her voice.

"There's no need to worry. I'm just saying,"

She failed.

In spite of the sudden fear her uncle's words placed within her, Ilizabeth hoped for a nice big chunk of bread during their next rest stop. She'd been fighting off the urge to finish it since the day before. For a moment if she closed her eyes and directed her head in the right direction, she could smell the food the cooks at Winterfell made. The sweet glazy garnish of the suckling pig, the freshly diced onions and fish in her stew. If she continued to walk, maybe she'd finally get a taste of it. At least that's what she told herself in order to keep going.

Alas they'd spotted it. Like a single distant flame in the darkness of the night. They stood less than a mile from the hut Jon had marked on their map. It was built many years ago, and seemed to be holding out in spite of its collapsing surroundings. The joyous satisfaction of their arrival made Ilizabeth want to run towards it. That way they could finally be out of the inevitable darkness and declining temperature, tucked into the small room where she hoped they would be able to conjure up a fire. Instead she and Jon continued to walk, as they both exhausted any excessive energy they stored days ago.