Chapter 11: Beyond the Wall

Riding out of the Last Hearth with cheering men and the Umber family waving behind them. Giving them a wave and a kiss to Ellen Umber who he shared quite the special night with, he turned back to the road most of his men were as hungover like him, but still in a good mood with plenty of food and drinks in their bellies.

They would need it because in a couple of days they will be reaching the wall where they would be going over it and into wildling lands. He was happy that his number were bolstered as he gained 30 men from Lord Umber to support him and ease him on his trip, plus plenty of supplies loaded on extra pack horses.

Crossing the country all they saw were empty long abanded lands, with no people or structures in sight for countless leagues on end and a barely maintained road at all. Here in the North, the land was all sparsely populated but in the Gift it seem like there was not even a single soul in sight.

Before they knew it they spotting a giant structure sticking out of the earth as it stretched for leagues on end and seem to encompass everything. Immediately Jon knew what that giant wall of ice was, the Wall.

"Come on men," he shouted to the long row behind him, "we are almost there!"

Putting their horses in a gallop soon however they had to bring it down to a canter as the Wall seem faster than it appeared. Just as the sun was setting, they finally reached Castle Black the main stronghold of the Night's Watch and the seat of the Lord Commander.

"Halt, you goes there," someone shouted dressed in the black cloak of the brothers of the watch.

"Jon Snow, son of Lord Eddard Stark first of his name and Lord Paramount of the North," he declared in one breath, "I am here to see the Lord Commander, take me to him man!"

Looking a bit surprised at the countless smacked of titles, the man dimly nodded his head and Jon hopped off his head while his men did the same.

"Ancient Hoar, Ancient Dunn, Ancient Mich and you to Ancient Erner" he called out to the leader of the Umber men and his own superior officers. "Goodman," he called out to the black brother, "what's a good place for some entertainment around here?"

"Mole's Town, milord, there is a brothel."

"Here," Jon said as he tossed Ancient Hoar a purse filled with silver, "get the men their last meal and yourselves," he added with a wink. The last meal was a term used by sellsword companies and household soldiers when they were heading off into battle or dangerous lands, if you died at least you wet your prick and filled your belly with food and beer.

This was the least he could do for his men wh were heading into wielding land for him.

"Thank, my lord," the old soldier replied with a bow.

"Lead on," he turned back to the black brother who lead him past the training yard where rapers and bandits were being trained to become black brothers and up some wooden step to an office at the top of a tower.

"Milord," the man politely called out as he knocked on the door, from inside a gruff bear-toned voice shouted, "Come in!"

Opening the door for him Jon walked inside and met a sturdy bear-like man trying in some areas of his hair and beard who was sitting on a desk.

"My lord," he bowed respectfully to the old Lord of Bear Island.

"Who are you?" the man asked as he looked at him with narrowed eyes with a hint of recognition.

"This is lord, Jon Snow," the lad who lead him answered for him.

"Jon Snow, Eddard's son?"

"Yes, my lord."

"You did look like your nuncle, Benjen!"

"Is he here?" Jon asked as he really did want to met his favorite if not his only nuncle.

"Yes," the man answered, "but before that" he said as he got up to his full height and did something Jon never expected.

He kneeled before him with a blade right before him with a bear pommel on it. "I want to thank you, boy for the great boom you have given our house. My sister wrote to me the new form of income you have come up with and how you have shared it with our house. For that you have my eternal gratitude and of my house!"

It wasn't until now that the old head of House Mormont was kneeling to him that he realized what he had truly done. Bear Island was a poor land with only some timber and fishing and their situation was compounded with the contest Ironborn raids that they felt the brunt of.

Now with this new line of profit coming in, they are in a much much better situation with the likelihood of them rising up very much possible.

"My lord, please get up," he pleaded as he tried to left up the man, but it was a concerted effort as even as strong as he was it was like picking up... a bear really.

"I offer you this to repay my family's great debt to you," the old man continued as he slide the sword to him. looking over at the blade, Jon finally realized what the sword was exactly, House Mormont ancestral weapon- Bearclaw, Valyrian steel sword!

"I... I..." Jon tried to form the word, but he kept licking his lips and swallowing that he couldn't form any words at all. This.... this would be the greatest gift ever!

Suddenly the person he was looking for and might get him out of this mess walked in, his nuncle, Benjen stark.

"Nuncle," he explained.

"Jon," the man happily chuckled as he gave him a hug which he returned. "What are you doing here?" he asked then turning to look at the kneeling old man he asked with a hint more of confusion and surprise, "What are you doing Lord Commander?"

"I am offering Bearclaw to your nephew," the bear-like man simply answered as if it was the obvious thing.

"Okay, what?" Benjen asked in surprise and shock.

"Nuncle, you got to talk him out of it," Jon pleaded, "I... I can not accept it no matter what debt is felt to be owed."

"You mean the Ice thing?" his uncle asked.

"Even you know about it?" Jon demanded, did ever soul know what he did.

"Yes, my brother keeps me in the loop what's going on," the man replied. "Now, Lord Commander get up," he commanded as he sem to have an easier time picking up the man.

"This is no way for a man of your rank and position to act, and no, my nephew will not be accepting your family ancestral sword. He is in no position to do that as any lord would kill him for it and any knight would challenge him for it. So keep the damn thing, a castle forged blade would do fine for him!"

"I simply can not accept that," the old man stated as the bird he kept around began to squawk out loud. "Snow, Snow, Snow!"

Giving it a second look, he could have sworn for a moment that he saw intelligence from behind those glassy eyes, but shook his head and just saw regular old crow eyes staring at him.

"And you, Jon," his uncle said as he turned to face him, "What are you doing here? Don't tell me you are here to join the NIght's Watch, I won't allow it until you have seen a bit of the word and felt the touch of a woman."

"No nuncle, I am not here for that," he said with a share of his head. He saw the state the place was in with barely a thousand men here and a few more along the other two castles still manned by the watch.

It has fallen greatly from the once legendary order it used to be with 10,000 strong men manning this castle alone forget the other 19 it held at its peak. Now there were only murders and rapers left here with few honorable men left.

It was clear in a generation or two that the order would be disbanded with nothing the Northern houses could do about it with the way things are.

"Then what for?" he asked.

It seem that his father did not speak of the Great Expedition, so with a sigh he told him all about it.

After he was done, Jon imagined the man would try to stop him, he was after all his nuncle's favorite along side Arya, and this was one of those times it did him no good.

"I will be coming with you," the man finally spoke up.

"Really?"

"Yea, someone needs to guide you along those lands, and there is no one better than me from this side of the wall he knows that place. So yes, I will be coming."

"So will I, its the least I can do if you will not accept my gift," Lor Jeor Mormont cut in.

"NO," the both of them shouted.

"You are needed her my lord," his uncle smooth over. "The men need a strong hand to put them in line or else we will have mutinies before we are even out the walls."

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Walking up early the next morning, all his men were up and saddled as even his uncle was up in his saddle with the 10 extra men the watch could spar to guide them along the way.

He did ask his uncle if he wanted to lead as he held seniority among his family and was much wiser and experienced than him. However the man refused, simply stating this would be a good experience for him leading men in dangerous territory, and this was his expedition after all.

So here he was with 120 men all up on horse back with wagons behind them and packhorses as well. Taking a deep breath, he shouted, "Let's ride out!"

Without a word, all of them followed behind him as he galloped out of the tunnel leading out of the wall and into the open expanse of the land beyond the wall.

He did not know what he would be expecting along the journey, but he was ready to face anything in his way.

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Immediately as they rode out of the tunnel and into the great open expanse of wide empty land of just snow and ice, they continued along their way until they were soon over the shadow of the wall and into the Haunted Forest. That when he could feel eyes upon him.

"Uncle," he whispered to the older Stark, "I think we got watchers on us, do we prepare for a raid?!"

"No, my lord," one man who was a black brother answered for him. Mance Rayder, he recalled. "They are just curious. And could see we are in great force so they won't dare attack us."

"What if they form a great band?" he asked wearily.

"They won't," his uncle answered with a shake of his head. "The Wildlings rare ever unite on something each clan has a blood feud with this r that clan which goes generations back. It's what really prevented them for ever being a true threat."

"Though keep your eye out, my lord," the slender man advised, "that won't mean that will not make our every step difficult. They will surely put traps here and there, fell a tree along the road, set beasts upon us, carry off someone during the night, and so many other creative ways of making life difficult for us."

Nodding his head in appreciation, Jon passed the warning off to his Ancients who knew what to do to prepare the men if anything thing came our way. He didn't bother giving the black brothers any for forewarning, they knew this land as much as he knew Winterfell.

It wasn't long before they started to experience some inconvenience- it started out small with little thing here and there along the way like potholes to break our horses' legs, trees blocking our path, and stuff along those lines.

But soon he could have sworn that they were trying to kill him, which he figured they were.

Just as he was getting sick and tired of it all and asking himself if he should just go in and fish them all out, they did something that put icing on the cake.

Jumping out of the deep shadows of the tree was a thick black furred shape with white stripes and bigger than a pony. It was able to leap high into the air and tackle one of his men to the floor and tear out his neck.

Before he could even process what happened two more of the creatures leaped out of the shadows and he could see more appear all around them.

"Shadowcats!" one black brother shouted, revealing what the creatures were.

Shadowcats were creatures found in remote places on Westeros, especially most prominently here beyond the wall. They have claws that were very sharp which they could disembowel a man with one paw and eyes appear to glow at night.. They also have sharp curved front teeth which they can crack bones to get at marrow, and a lashing tail with deep, rumbling growls and furious screams.

Looking around he counted 20 of the shadowy creatures, with them being as silent and agile hunters it was no wonder why none of his men caught hold of them before they attacked.

Stepping up over a rise were five Shadowcats that seem to be much larger and he assumed the males of the pride. The one in the center shadowed by the other four males had a scarred eye and he could have sworn the remaining one stared at him with human like intelligence.

Ignoring it for the moment since the beast seem to prefer surveying the battle field, he took command of his men into the first ever battle he was in.

"Form a circle around the wagons," he shouted as he pushed and shoved men along.

Once everyone was safely in a double ring circle with the Shadowcats prowling on the outside, he looked at the damage brought. More than anything, there were more dead horses then men as only a few of the beasts made as daring as a leap as the first one.

Still his blood turned icy cold and he stared at the creatures with murder in his eyes.

"Archers!" he shouted as he raised his hand up above his head, "NOCK!"

Hearing the snapping of bows being pulled back and arrows at the ready, he gave the final command, "LOOSE!"

Without a word, arrows flew through the air finding their spots along the creature's body and the ground. He could see thanks to their thick fur the damage was minimum, that was why most of all Shadowskin, the fur of shadowcats, were prized pelts which made fine warm and thick fur cloaks.

Still he didn't care, he knew one of the arrows would somehow find their way on to one of their eyes or throat, giving another command to let loose the arrows, he saw two of the creatures go down as they took fatal wounds.

Following his second volley with a third, this time the alpha stepped into the ring with its followers at its heel. Letting out a loud roar which he obviously understood as let go, Jon shouted, "SPEARS!" as the first line of men lowered their spears to the ground and the second line had them at torso level.

Running headlong into the pointy end of the spears with no disregard, the bodies of the creatures slammed against the horses. They neighed, but didn't bulk or run off as they weren't just any common farm horse but castle trained war horses.

"Swords, and Axes," he then commanded as he had the men chop into the creature's bodies.

Someone seem to be eying him especially as the alpha Shadowcat charged at him. In spite of it, he was ready as he held his shield up as the beast clawed at it into wooden shreds,  however he didn't care as he just wanted the creature to come to a halt as he had his sword out as slashed at its flank.

Slinking away in pain, he grabbed a spear and jumped out of his horse up into the air and stabbed down on the beast's neck.

Watching as it bleed out onto the snowy ground, he glimpsed the light of human intelligence leaving its eyes. Pulling the spear out, he could see the Shadowcats coming to a pause as their leader was gone.

One of the remaining male Shadowcats seem to want to take up the new position as it growled out to its companions. However, he was having none of that as he tossed the spear head long into the air until it went into the beast's mouth and out the other side of its head.

Now having absolutely no leader at all, the creatures broke and they begin to try and scatter to the wind. But after they men they killed and the horses, none of them were going to be left alive.

"After them," he shouted as he slashed at one near him with his sword and chased after another one.  However it seem like he didn't need to as another creature appeared tearing into the rear of the shadowcats.

Staring wide-eyed at the beast out of legend, the one that symbolized his very house, one that was thought to be extinct, he just couldn't believe what he was seeing.

More specifically, a Direwolf!