#theaurochs

* Basically me upon discovering my free time had disappeared.

"…Grenn, I am fairly secure in the belief that it will stay frozen, as it always has, as we always are- but if you insist, I suppose we best defend it from the freak, possibly impending heat wave- or the Wildlings, just a thought."

"Ser, may I inquire as to how you ended up taking the black?" She could feel her very feet freezing up, she'd never imagined herself atop the wall. To look out across the frozen land, how had she ended up here again? Oh yes, sent because the war was simply to dangerous for her to be travelling with the Stark camp. 

                 Alys had been ridding hard for days, she couldn't slow her speed or stop to rest. If she did, her uncle would catch her and bring her back to Karhold where she would be forced to be his wife. She was exhausted and so was her horse, the only thing that kept her going was the thought that Jon Snow would help her. He was a Stark and she had faith in him. The Wall, she needed to reach the Wall. She would be safe there.

          She didn't know how far she was or when her journey would end. She just knew that she had to keep riding until her horse would die or she would find the same fate. Her vision was blurred and she was swaying, she feared to fall from her saddle or to faint. Her cloak was falling in pieces and her face and arms were full of grazes. She looked terrible but that didn't matter, all that counted was getting to the Wall.

           Her horse stumbled and she almost fell, when she looked up, she saw two riders coming her way. Fear seized her, what if it was Cregan's and his henchmen. She couldn't speed up, it was the end. But they were no enemies, they were brothers of the Night's Watch wearing large black coats. They spoke to her but she couldn't hear them or reply. She was too tired for that. She focussed her attention on the robust one who had calmly approached her. She clenched his arm and looked at him directly in the eyes.

We shall wed when the last White Walker falls...

The words rang in his ears with every mile that he rode.  Victarion had thought that he had proven his Iron when he helped flush out the last of the Ghiscari swine that vexed her, but it had only sustained the Dragon Queen until she burned the sorcerous rot out of the isles.  I could be their king, he had thought, when she had heard the news at the North and gave him the final condition, but he knew better.  The Lord Captain would not attempt to raise the islands up while there were dragons in the world: there was a castle in the Riverlands that stood to remind all of the folly.  Nay, he would fight the battle with his captains at his back, and they would emerge harder and stronger.  

The sail up through the river of the Gorge had been a pleasure cruise compared to his voyage across Essos, but it was the horse ride to Castle Black that truly vexed him.  They walked and rode from Westwatch-By-The-Bridge along the massive sheet of ice that was the Wall, until they reached the main keep of the Night's Watch.  There, Black Brothers and lordly men alike scurried about the icy ground, preparing their assault upon the Great Enemy.  Is a snowstorm the work of the Storm God? Victarion found himself wondering.  The Damphair would know.