ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋ, ᴋɪꜱꜱ ᴍᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴏɴʟɪɢʜᴛ

vi. the smith

┌─── ∘°❉°∘ ───┐

After two days, the storm had finally passed and Jon wasn't confined to the underground passageways anymore. And although he had never loved the sun as much as others might, he had to say he missed walking around the castle in its light.

Many of his brothers seemed to share this sentiment, as he had rarely seen so many men going after their work outside. Even Albett had joined them outside, though Jon supposed that was more due to coercion than his personal want.

"This thing is falling apart already," Albett said as he kicked a wood panel into place. "I don't understand why we should try and fix anything."

The storm had done considerable damage to the wooden ramparts and stone walls of Castle Black, so Othell Yarwyck had recruited anyone who didn't have a more important duty to help with the repairs. The recruits were the first to fall victim. Ghost, however, had taken off north of the Wall to hunt. Lucky dog.

"Well, he ain't wrong," Grenn said from the upper floor. "I almost broke my neck the past week walking down the stairs. And that was no storm causing that."

"That's no proof. You'd fall down the stairs of Highgarden if you ever set foot in the castle," Pyp countered.

"I wouldn't want to go there anyways."

Jon shook his head at the antics of his friends, even though he couldn't suppress a smile.

"You really should want to see Highgarden," Sam chimed in. "It is no Hightower, but the architecture is truly noteworthy."

Jon could already feel the insults on the other's tongues, so he quickly said, "No matter what, no castle will ever be as grand as Winterfell, I can assure you that."

"'Course he'd say that," Grenn said.

The group went quiet again. Jon went to move one of the boards at the end of the staircase in place. He looked around in confusion.

"Does anyone have any nails left?"

A resounding "No" came from everyone in the group.

"Fine. I'll go get some."

He had quickly found what he needed in the armoury and was on his way back when he noticed several brothers standing at the foot of the Tower of Guards, looking upwards. Intrigued, he walked towards them.

Following their gaze, he noticed a woman sitting on the tower's roof.

"What is Elle doing up there?" he asked the man next to him. Jon had seen him before but couldn't remember his name.

"Fixing the roof," the man answered. "She's the only one able to get up there."

Jon's eyes wandered down and up the side of the tower. He spotted a few alcoves and jutted-out bricks, but nothing providing a true way to reach the top.

"How?"

The man shook his head. "Don't ask. You need to see it for yourself to believe, it's as if she can stick to the walls by herself."

"We can be glad she ain't no wildling," a blonde haired man spoke up. "Otherwise the Wall would have long fallen."

Jon looked up again. Elle sat dangerously close to the edge, teetering on falling over. And yet she didn't seem to pay any mind to it.

"Instead of standing around uselessly down there one of you could finally pull up the box I know you already have," Elle shouted from above.

"Get it yourself! Or are you such a weak and fragile little lady that you-"

The blonde man let out a high-pitched screech as a brick fell down right in front of his face. It landed with a loud thud on the wooden floor. The three men around him broke out in laughter.

"You missed," one of them shouted.

"Better get me that box or I shall not next time."

The man Jon had spoken to walked towards a rope hanging down from one of the windows. He grabbed it with both hands and started pulling, heaving a small chest upwards.

"You scream like a girl," a man said, still laughing.

"Do not!"

Jon's gaze stayed on Elle, even as the men started bickering amongst themselves. She had noticed the rope moving. Putting down whatever tool she had been holding, she grabbed ahold of the edge and swung herself over it, as if she had done it a thousand times before. She climbed down the short distance to the window and took ahold of the chest as soon as she could reach it. She placed it on the window sill, took something out of it and quickly climbed back to the roof.

Jon's amazement must have been written clear on his face, because when the man had let the rope to the ground again and turned towards him he said, "Told you so."

He didn't know how to respond, so he just nodded and walked towards the staircase he was supposed to be fixing right now.

And even though he tried, he knew the smile on his face was clear to see.

└─── °∘❉∘° ───┘

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author's note: plz leave a comment and tell me what you think of this fic so far. and also if i give you enough hints as to who elle might really be hehe