Falling Like ✸ Jon Snow ✓

29| 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔫𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱 𝔨𝔦𝔫𝔤

hardhome, north of the wall

— IT WAS HOURS LATER WHEN THE DOGS STARTED BARKING. Many of the Free Folk had been put on canoes and taken back to Stannis' ships. Those who chose to stay had been regarding them with glares and snorts of disgust. Nymeria was keeping an eye on both the loading of the canoes and the few brothers still inside the just from just outside the door when the barking began, and she didn't need to be learned in the ways of canines to know what that meant. Not with the storm brewing over the cliffs, pushing forward and over the edge with unnatural speed, getting closer and closer.

"They're coming," she whispered, if only to herself. "They're here."

Heart pounding, she turned and strode quickly back into the hut.

"Alright, we need to hurry," she ordered, eyes going to the satchel of Dragonglass in Edd's hand. "We have all of it?"

His gaze flickered briefly up to the giant still in the room. "I, uh-" He trailed off, face paling in horror as the screaming began.

It's coming from outside the gates.

She listened to the Thenn leader shouting for the gates to be closed, heard the slamming sound and the screams from the other side growing more desperate as they realised they'd been shut out. Slowly, the screams became fewer, and soon enough, silence descended, Nymeria's horror mounting as they did.

"Be ready," she warned quietly, all too aware of how closed in they were and of the gaping window in the hut's roof.

Then there was a sound like a hundred bodies slamming against the gates, and the screams from before were replaced with the animalistic grunts and snarls and shrieks of dead men. There were footsteps on the roof, drawing nearer far too fast.

"Arm yourselves!" Nymeria ordered, drawing her daggers. "And do your fucking best not to die today, because I won't have time to burn you!"

"Aye!" The Night's Watchmen all replied dutifully.

And then the first of the dead came pouring down on them.

°

By the docks, Jon fought against hundreds of bodies as the Free Folk fled for the ships at an alarming and overwhelming rate.

"Lord Commander!" Shouted a terrified-looking Night's Watchman.

"Get them to the ship and come back for me!" He ordered.

"But you'll never make-!"

"-Now!" He turned to the woman from the hut full of elders. "You should be on one of those boats!"

"So should you! My little girls got on. They're gonna let them pass the Wall even if you're not there??"

"You have my word. I've given orders."

"I don't think you're gonna be there to enforce those orders."

Then Tormund was beside him, pointing towards the gate. "If they get through, everyone dies!"

Jon's eyes locked on the gate, then on the hut a frighteningly short distance from them.

Nymeria.

That was where he'd seen her last. His stomach twisted horribly at the idea of her joining the ranks of the White Walkers' army.

"Night's Watch with me!" He shouted, drawing Longclaw.

Most of them were by the docks, and they pressed forward behind their Commander now, towards the gates.

The wights had broken a human-sized hole in the gates by now, and between that, the few scrambling under and the ones making it over, there were too many of them already, even once they managed to block the breach. The Watch and the Wildlings fought hard, but Jon knew it could only last so long. The dead were vicious, fearless, united, and they didn't tire.