Chapter 227

"What a fine lad." Ser Alliser Thorne said, "I thought we were done for this time, but I never expected it to end so quickly. If Jeor Mormont knew the wildlings were so feeble, he'd regret marching north of the Wall, and I wouldn't have lost Colin... Hmm, I heard a terrible rumor. 'One-hand' Colin was killed by you?"

"This is not the Black Castle, and this is not a rumor. He will continue to repeat this story until everyone knows it."

"He will not be afraid, and he should not fear questioning. In the name of the old gods, it was One-hand Colin himself who let me kill him to win the trust of the free folk and Mance Rayder."

"He can say it without burden, and he need not worry about unfair treatment."

"Ser Rodrik stood to his left, standing sternly silent; behind him were the officers he had brought from Winterfell, a few of whom he had met several times; to his right stood the reinforcements he had summoned from the mountain clans: Leylla Norrey scrutinized him lightly, as if a change of clothes made him look entirely different; Atoos Flint smirked at him, as if telling him not to worry; Beron Hacca and the other mountain clan chieftains already looked impatient, as if this were a foolish question."

"This is a formality. He repeated his statement once more."

"That is indeed Colin's style. He is a hero of the Night's Watch, the wildlings hate him to the bone, he knows he cannot survive, so he left the chance to live for you." He raised the cup in his hand, then gently set it down, "He is the finest officer of the Shadow Tower; I cannot think of anyone more suited to bear the Night's Watch's burden—until I saw you."

"What do you mean? Keep me at the Shadow Tower?"

"We have captured over eight hundred wildling soldiers and even more women and children; the simplest way is to kill them to avoid wasting food. But killing prisoners, or women and children, is dishonorable; Mance Rayder should be glad I am not that Parker, and reinforcements still include Ser Rodrik. Moreover, killing prisoners would give the wildlings beyond the Wall a bad impression, so I have decided to send them south of the Wall." He stroked his beard, "But the Shadow Tower is a small place; we of the Night's Watch have no manpower to guard them."

"My lord, what do you suggest?"

"I need the cavalry of Winterfell and the aid of the mountain clan chieftains, but Ser Rodrik says they are under the she-wolf's command and must obey your orders; I see the mountain clan lords beside you also approve of you."

"He seeks my help. Qiongen also does not know how to handle it concretely—yet some ideas have already been set."

"My lord, I and many other Night's Watch have seen many horrors beyond the Wall; any rational person knows our true enemy is not the free folk," if the gods set a test, Mance Rayder's wildling host is hardly a worthy trial, "we should muster all the living's strength to resist the dead."

"The free folk... that is what they call themselves. I just worry they are too free. You say you lived among them; do they have any honor?"

"No less than ours." Without doubt. But the people around stared at him strangely, silent; he felt this was not what they liked to hear, so he held his tongue, "If you worry about the settlement problem, we can vacate other strongholds on the Wall and assign people to settle..."

"Qiongen, the matter is more complicated than you think. These prisoners essentially do not belong to the Wall; the Night's Watch has no authority to settle them..." He shrugged, showing resignation, "Or rather, we have no right to dispose of them. I just heard you say we must unite the living against the dead—ah, these grand ideas have already surpassed the imagination of the old and timid! And I, too, am not the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch; I have no power to open other strongholds on the Wall, nor to negotiate with the wildlings."

"Then pick one." Qiongen suddenly grew somewhat annoyed, "And then talk with Winterfell..." His volume seemed abnormal, which irritated him.

"He immediately realized the problem."

"Yeah, talking with Winterfell—who is the most suitable person?" Ser Alliser Thorne lightly tapped the table, pulling his body into the furry coat, "The brothers beyond the Wall have been feeding me reports; they say the wildlings are retreating eastward. Ah, the east! It's near the sea; perhaps the wildlings think the sea offers more survival chances than the icy mountains. The Shadow Tower is too far for pursuit; this should be left to Parker and the Black Castle. Moreover, supplies here are too scarce to withstand the drain of reinforcements and prisoners."

"The hall fell silent."

"I hope you can take the prisoners to the Black Castle or other places designated for settlement by Winterfell." He lifted his cup and took another sip; the adjutant beside him refilled it, "Not only that, but do it quickly."

"Hey, the old man is rushing us! Too bad we don't have that much food to feed the wildlings!" Atoos Flint shouted loudly, his voice eliciting responses from the other mountain clansmen.

"Qiongen knew why he had been brought here."

"Winterfell may temporarily not need to provide aid, but if the winter lasts longer than expected, she will have to give support. Yet in that situation, how much food can Winterfell spare to relieve the free folk? How should he speak to his sister? For every extra mouth the free folk eat, it means one less meal for Winterfell's smallfolk. Moreover, the actual situation is even worse."

"Beyond the Wall, there are ten times as many free folk..."

"Qiongen sighed inwardly, for what Ser Alliser Thorne said was entirely unproblematic."

"Whether Atoos Flint wants to go south to serve the Mermen or to track the wildlings and settle the prisoners, the Black Castle's location is more suitable, after all it was chosen through centuries of combined reasons; whether temporary stores or usable space, it far surpasses the Shadow Tower."

"Ser, what can I do for you?"

"The knights of Winterfell and the heroes of the mountain clans seem to acknowledge your ability, and you are still a black-clad Night's Watch brother, so I will send extra brothers to help you bring the prisoners to the Black Castle. This is a complex and perilous task, but I believe only you can accomplish it."

"Everyone can do it."

"Yes, my lord."

"The mountain clan forces number three thousand, and with the Starks and other northern noble lords along the way lending support, these troops exceed the prisoners' count, making the escort to the Black Castle not difficult."

"However, everyone knows the key of this march is how to transport them safely. He does not want chaos or escape on the road, which would force him to slaughter the prisoners en masse, nor does he want the mountain clan warriors who survived the great battle and the Winterfell soldiers to suffer harm."

"Moreover, he does not know how many mountain clansmen harbor an irrepressible grudge against the free folk, nor how many fools hope to take the opportunity to massacre the prisoners south of the Wall. He hopes there are none, yet the mountain clans' blood feud with the free folk is no less than that of other northerners, and their tempers are even more fiery than the already hot-tempered northerners."

"Beyond the Wall's strongholds, it is uncertain whether the free folk regard this as the long-sought moment of freedom. Moreover, the free folk are not monolithic; though they are still prisoners now, any slight relaxation will reveal their internal contradictions, leading to chaos, and there are hardly any officers or men who understand these dynamics."

"He suffered insomnia again."

"Early the next morning, he rose from the hall, washed up briefly, then took a few Winterfell soldiers from Ser Rodrik and went to see Mance Rayder, who had been cast into the prison."

"He is the linchpin of the free folk. If he escapes, he does not know what huge impact it would have on the North; if he cooperates, I believe the remaining prisoners will willingly follow him to the Black Castle."

"As for the mountain clansmen, he can only choose to trust their leaders, believing they can keep their followers in line."

"Mance Rayder was not imprisoned like the other prisoners in the ruined fort beneath the Shadow Tower; instead, he was cast into an underground stone cavern prison."

"The prison is pitch black; torches cannot light the path underfoot, far darker than the ice cell of the Black Castle, but if Qiongen had to choose, he would rather crouch in this stone prison."

"Night's Watch guards guided him through several steel gates, after many twists and turns he finally saw Mance Rayder inside."

"Qiongenxuenuo, tell me, if I had killed you back then, would the outcome have been different?" The raised torch's light first exposed Qiongen.

"I cannot tell you that, but I can say your child is very healthy."

"And Danna?"

"She died in childbirth; the child is now being cared for by Varamyr."

"You did not come here for these reasons." After a long silence, he seemed to have cleared his emotions.

"I have come to seek help."

"Seeking help, what fine humble words—you have no idea how hollow they are. If you want the skull on my head, take it; otherwise you cannot get any help from me. You had best not threaten me with a baby or anyone's life, for Mance Rayder never yields to threats."

"He is iron-willed."

"If so, I must change your prison for you."

"How sad. I know this prison well and like it; tell you, I am not the first time to be held here."

"Qiongen did not intend to ask when that was. His experience is rich, far beyond what he could attain."

"Night's Watch soldiers opened the prison door, dragging the man, covered in irons, out of the pitch-black space."

"I will send Winterfell soldiers to escort you to the Black Castle." Qiongen said to him.

"The chains clinked in the cavern; he offered no resistance, nor made any other sound."

"You are a traitor to the Night's Watch; by its laws, you shall surely die."

"I have always known." He turned his head with difficulty toward him, "For winter is coming."

"Indeed it concerns 'winter.' You are a prisoner of Winterfell; your fate is decided by Winterfell, not the Night's Watch."