The Wildling

undeg saith

The born blasted so loudly that Mara almost didn't need the Warg to confirm it for her, but confirm it he did when his eyes faded back to normal, and he turned to face the Wildling group from his place atop the hill. 

"It's time." 

Jon Snow watched the owl that had been hovering over the castle fly away with a screech when the horn sounded, and knew it had probably been a Warg spy the entire time, but there was no room for regrets now as the NIght's Watch prepared for battle. He walked to the edge of the Wall where he had been standing guard, and looked down the Northern side, watching the flames grow in the distance, the Night's Watch lighting torches almost in response. Barrels were being rolled up to the edge he was standing on, and it spurred him back into movement, Janos' words to 'Pick up the pace!' ringing around him. 

"There we go, boys. That's one. There's two. Come on, let's get the next lot. That's the last of the oil, Ser Alliser." Jon said loudly, turning to look at the acting Lord Commander. 

"A hundred thousand you say?" Alliser murmured, moving up to the edge to stare down at the flames below, not yet able to see the host behind it. 

"Yes sir." Jon confirmed, standing strong and proud, even though he knew everyone except his friends thought he was crazy, he wouldn't let the Night's Watch down. 

"You can say it if you like. We should've sealed the tunnel while we had the chance like you suggested." Alliser said quietly, trying not to let the others hear his doubt in his plan, but Jon was gracious, not letting his smugness get to him as he tried to comfort the man who hated him. 

"It was a difficult decision either way, Ser." 

"Do you know what leadership means, Lord Snow? It means that the person in charge gets second-guessed by every clever little twat with a mouth. But if he starts second-guessing himself, that's the end. For him. For the clever little twats. For everyone. This is not the end. Not for us. Not if you lot do you duty for however long it takes to beat them back. And then you get to go on hating me and I get to go on wishing your Wildling whore had finished the job." Alliser was snarling by the end of his speech, and Jon tried not to let it get to him as the man stormed off, leaving Jon alone once again. 

Ygritte could barely see a fat man with another smaller man standing up in the tower that overlooked the entrance, but from what she could tell, the rest of the men were up on the Wall, guarding it from the Wildlings on the other side. She spun, turning to run back towards the others down the hill, she could see Mara becoming impatient, so she didn't bother waiting to be asked, instead launching into her report before she had even fully arrived. 

"Most of their men are up top. Didn't count more than twenty down there. Leftovers. They've got a little fat one and a little bony one manning the front." She explained, and before Mara could ask more questions, Styr, the large Thenn leader, cut her off. 

"How high are the walls?" 

"Well, we'll be up and over before they know what's happened." Styr nodded, turning to look at Mara who was gazing up at the castle with determination painted across her face. Everyone watched her for a moment, until a smile that slightly looked like a snarl graced her face and she turned to look at her men. 

"Let's kill some Crows!" She yelled and turned to run, cheers and battle cries echoing behind her as she crested the hill with her men right behind her. 

Castle Black was between a rock and a hard place. They didn't know it yet, but Mance Rayder's forces were almost upon them, their giants and all hundred thousand of his men and women were bearing down on them, and even if they had the higher ground, they weren't just fighting for revenge, they were fighting for their lives, which gave them that extra advantage. 

"Archers knock, everyone else hold." Alliser called, as they stared down at the giant riding the mammoth in awe, the rest of the Wildlings looking like ants compared to that monster. The archers drew back, ready to shoot, until Grenn, the fool, accidentally dropped a barrel, it falling down the side of the Wall with multiple crashes that made every single person flinch, except Ser Alliser who was raging. 

"I said knock and hold you cunts! Does knock mean draw!" Alliser roared, and the men yelled back: 'No Ser!'

"Does fucking hold mean fucking drop!" 'No Ser!'

"You all plan to die here tonight?" 'No Ser!'

"That's very good to hear. Draw!" Alliser yelled, but was interrupted by a shout from one of the men near the elevator. 

"Help, down below!" 

Mara, Tormund, and their men had begun their attack, Ygritte assisting from further back by shooting flaming arrows at the men on the gates, as Tormund, Mara, and some of their men through rope up over the gate, the Thenns choosing the more silent tactic of climbing the wall where the Crows couldn't see them. 

It only took a moment, and they were over, the two men who were shooting at them from the Tower were failing ridiculously at making their shots, and so far none of the Wildlings had fallen, but they had barely started. With a, what some would call insane, grin, Mara launched herself at the men who were charging them, slicing the head off the first man she met. 

"No discipline. No training. Gang of thieves, that's all this is. I commanded the city watch of King's Landing. Those men obeyed orders." Janos Slynt was losing his mind as Rayder's troops started to advance, giving no orders to the men that Alliser had left him in charge of, leaving the great Wall defenseless. 

"We can't just let them attack the gate!" Jon cried, moving to look at Janos who looked on the verge as he stared down at the army in horror. 

"The bars of those gates are four inches of cold, rolled steel." He argued weakly, his eyes not moving to meet Jon's. 

"Those are giants riding mammoths down there. Do you think your cold, rolled steel's gonna stop them?" Jon cried, unbelieving that Alliser had left command with this... weasel. 

"No such thing as giants. They're stories for the children." Janos cried, finally moving his crazed eyes up to Jon, and that is when Grenn stepped in, moving up to Jon's side, staring at him with knowing eyes. 

"Brother Slynt! I've just got word that Ser Alliser needs you below. You're the most experienced man he's got, he said he needs ya." Janos nodded, dazed as he moved away from the command outlet, heading back towards the elevator. 

"Needed below? Yes. Yes." Jon sent Grenn a quick, thankful nod before turning back to the battle at hand. 

"Archers! Knock your arrows! Draw! Loose!" Jon yelled, the arches obeying without resistance, letting loose a volley of arrows at Rayder's men as they rushed the Wall and began the climb. 

"They won't summit before dawn." Jon said knowingly, having experienced the exact same feeling they were as they stared up at the never-ending summit. 

"How do you know that?" Grenn asked, looking over Jon's shoulder. 

"Because I've made that climb." Jon said simply, but Ed shrugged from Jon's other side, having come to help him when he took command. 

"I think they're in a bigger hurry than you were." Ed said simply, and Jon couldn't help but agree with him slightly, they did seem to be making faster progress then he had. 

"Knock! Draw! Loose!"