CASSANDRA
Cassie had just opened her eyes that morning. The girls who shared the room with her were already gone. It mustn't have been late, or Rose would have woken her up.
Cassie rose from the bed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She had a shift until late at night before finally being able to rest.
She took the black dress that she had left at the end of her bed. The Keepers of Light dressed in black, but all of them had a different dress. They made them by themselves to accommodate each Keeper's needs. Cassie was very proud of her robe: long sleeves, her chest and waist covered in black leather, and a long skirt opened at the side of her legs. It was very comfortable, especially because she could move freely and fight easily with her knives.
The Keepers knew how to fight with every kind of weapon, but when they were skilled enough, they could choose their own. Cassie chose the daggers, not only because she had her own but because she was really good at using them.
Cassie stretched her back before moving across the little room to open the only wardrobe that she shared with Rose Rivers and Wylliana Manderly.
On her shelf, there were very few things. Cassie didn't own much at the Wall, but what she owned, she feared to love, like her Valyrian steel daggers. Her King's father had given them to her when she left for the Wall for the first time. It had been the only present he had ever given her, and it was given in person.
Cassie loved using those daggers; they were light and sharp. It was like not having them on her when she walked for days in the snow behind the Wall, and they felt like part of her limbs when she fought.
Even if she felt like something was missing when she was forced to fight with other weapons, she couldn't use her dagger at the Wall. Not for training, anyhow. She was allowed to take them only on missions beyond the Wall. Or when she left for the South.
Cassie had to use her training daggers, which couldn't cut anything, not to hurt the new girls and Night's Watch. When she took them, a piece of parchment fell, but she caught it before it could reach the ground. She looked at it before slamming it into the wardrobe again. Robb had written it to her, saying that little Bran had fallen and his back was broken. He was so young; it was unfair.
She closed the wardrobe door before turning to make her bed. She did it every morning. All the Keepers had to take care of their own belongings: wash and fix their clothes, make their beds, light the fire…
She then took something from under the pillow. It was a doll, her first and only doll. Ned and Cat gave it to her as a welcome when they met the first time. She had called her Daisy because of her dress with daisies embroideries. Cassie had never played with it because of her lack of free time. But she had never taken it in King's Landing, either. She was afraid that her mother would have given it to Myrcella, so Daisy waited for Cassie on her bed at the Wall. Only Cassie's two friends knew about her.
Finally ready, she walked to the main hall where all of the Night's Watchers and Keepers ate before starting their duties.
"Cassie, over here," she saw Rose waving at her from a table.
Rose Rivers was Cassie's best friend at the Wall. She was truly the sweetest girl she had ever met. Rose didn't like violence, and she didn't like to go beyond the Wall, but she was very skilled with arrows and bows.
"Good morrow," she said, sitting next to her friend. "Where is Wylliana? Is she not with you?" Cassie asked, not seeing Wylliana anywhere.
"She was on shift on the Wall all night, don't you remember?" Rose said with a gentle voice. Cassie thought about that, indeed she hadn't seen Wylly last night in her bed when she came back from her shift.
"Not a good day, is it?" Cassie rubbed her eyes again tiredly before starting to eat. "You have been strange since that raven arrived," Rose added. She was there when Cassie received Robb's letter.
"Did something happen?" Cassie looked at her friend before shaking her head.
"No."
Rose was about to say something else when someone sat on the bench in front of them.
"Wylly," Cassie said with a little grin. "Was it a fun night?" Wylliana rolled her eyes.
"Please do not talk," she said after a groan. "Try to spend a night with Todder, then tell me how much fun you had."
Todder was one of the new recruits of the Night's Watch, but he hadn't sworn the vows yet. He wasn't bright, funny, or even pleasant to look at… better a night alone than with him.
Wylliana was the second daughter of lord Wylis Manderly, heir of Wyman Manderly, lord of White Harbor. Manderlys had been a loyal House of the Starks for ages. Their banner was a merman with a green beard, hair, and tail and a trident in his hand. Cassie had never had the pleasure to meet lord Wyman Manderly, who, according to Wylliana, was a very funny man.
Wylliana was three years older than Cassie and Rose; she was seventeen, and she was probably Lady Eloise, the Matriarch's favorite. The Matriarch was the head of the Keepers of Light, like the Lord Commander for the Night's Watch. She was probably a wise choice; Wylliana was patient and wise, and it was obvious to everyone that lords raised her. She was strict, but apparently, she had inherited her grandfather's sense of humor. Cassie was sure that Wylly could be a great Matriarch, and she hoped that Lady Eloyse would choose her as her successor. Because Keepers of Light didn't choose their leader like the Night's Watchers did. The Matriarch chooses the most competent one among them.
"Is the princess still sleepy?" that voice made Cassie roll her eyes. "Is it too early for you?" even without turning her head, she already knew who was talking. Ser Allyser Thorne, the most vicious member of the Night's Watch. Unfortunately, Cassie had to spend a lot of time with that scum; he trained the new boys and supervised when the Keepers trained with them. He had never liked Cassie very much. She wondered why; she was always so lovable.
"I didn't even have to turn to know that it was you," Cassie said, standing up from her seat with a smirk. "Your smell precedes you," she patted his shoulder. The man's face became red with anger. She smiled sweetly at him before turning to her friends. "I need something to drink. Do you want something?"
Rose shook her head, avoiding Thorne's gaze, while Wylliana kept eating to hide her smirk. Without another glance at the man, Cassie moved past him to go and take some beer.
Her mother always blamed Cassie's similarities with her father when she knew that Cassie liked to drink. What could she do? If there was something that never ended at the Wall, it was beer.
She looked at the main hall. Everyone was eating, drinking, and chatting. Her gaze stopped at a table where a young man was joking around, making everyone around him laugh. That guy was probably a few years older than Cassie, and he loved to make impressions of everyone. Pyp was his name. If she recorded correctly, he wasn't there when Cassie left for King's Landing. She had never spoken to him, but according to Rose, he was a nice guy to be with.
A bell rang, making everyone stop what they were doing. Immediately, all the girls in the room stood up. That was the signal for them to meet with Lady Eloyse in the yard, like every morning.
That day was cold; the wind was blowing constantly, very different from the cool breeze that reminded her of Winterfell. If it was cold for them, the boys would have had trouble today. Keepers of Light were more resistant to the cold. It made sense to Cassie; their power worked only if their hands were bare. Of course, they weren't immune to the cold, during the winter even Keepers of Light could die freezing, so they trained all their life to fight against it. Keepers of light's vests were all different, but there was something they had to have: a part of their body had to be bare. Cassie had the neck and the shoulders, Wylliana had the shoulders and part of the arms and Rose neck and a part of her back, everyone could choose when they sewed their own vest.
All the Keepers of Light lined up in front of their Matriarch. Lady Eloyse was a gentle woman, with green eyes and black hair strained with white. She wasn't old, but she wasn't even young. She had been Cassie's only Matriarch since she arrived at the Wall.
"Good morning to all of you," she said with a loud voice, to be heard by everyone. "Here are your duties," some peace of parchment in her hand. "Tresa, Wylliana, and Kyuna, you'll have to train the youngest." Cassie looked at the little girls; there were six of them; they had arrived a year before. Cassie let out a breath happily; she didn't like training little girls; they got tired easily and cried a lot. She didn't remember to have been like that at their age.
"Derya, Una, Rose, Elsye, Raven." At their names, the girls looked at the woman. "Train with the rangers of the Night's watch." That was fun; usually, they trained on how to work in couples. Beyond the Wall, they had to work closely with the rangers paired with each of them. Every Keeper went beyond the Wall when they were considered ready.
"Luna, Freema, Hydi, and Cassandra sewing lesson," Cassie smiled. That was what she wanted to do that morning; she was too tired to run up and down for hours.
The girls older than twenty had been sent to train with the weapons, and the girls between nine and eleven had to practice how to keep control of their powers. Soon, everyone knew their duty for the morning. Not that take them too much time; the Keepers were less than forty. The wildlings were becoming more violent, and lots of them had died at their hands. Others had joined the wildlings; other keepers had died of age, and with the winter closer and closer, fewer girls arrived at the Wall every year.
If there was something that relaxed Cassandra Baratheon, it was a sewing lesson. It was funny how her Queen Mother always thought that Cassie didn't even know what a needle was, while the girl knew how to sew. Well, she wasn't skilled like Sansa Stark might have been. Keepers didn't need to be skilled. They needed just to be able to fix their vests if they were ripped, be fast at adding fur to theirs and the men's cloaks, and, of course, suture if they got injured. Sewing had saved lives more times than a sword. You can't keep warm with a weapon.
She was there sewing together some ripped and old fabrics when she saw a piece of black cloth near her foot. She took it in her hand; there'd been something that she had always wanted to learn how to make an embroidered stag. She wanted to add it to her black dress. Maybe she could have practiced that.
I could ask Sansa when I'll go South, she thought bittersweetly. She didn't want to think about the Stark children spending time with Joff.
"Cassandra knows him." At the mention of her name, she turned her head to the three girls, who were talking to each other.
"Cassandra knows who?" She asked, annoyed, keeping sewing.
"You… You know the lord of Winterfell, don't you?" Freema said timidly. She was twelve, just two years younger than Cassie, and she didn't talk a lot.
"Yes, I do," Cassie answered, taking a piece of fur in her hand.
"See!" Hydi exclaimed. She was twelve, too, but she was definitely loud—so loud, too loud—and she loved Cassie, even if the princess had no idea why. She was always on her heels, no matter what duty she had.
"I told you! Cassandra never lies! Derya is the liar!" At the mention of that name, Cassie rolled her eyes. Typical…
Derya Rowen was two or three years older than Cassie, she wasn't sure; she honestly didn't care. Derya was the elder daughter of lord Mathis Rowan of Goldengrove in the Reach. Cassie and Derya had never gotten along, but everything got worse after Cassie's first mission beyond the Wall. Cassie was sure that she was jealous just because the princess had gone first.
Derya was a great warrior, the spear was her weapon of choice, she was fast, but Cassie had always been faster. Derya hated the fact that Cassie had always beaten her during their training, but after all, no one had ever beaten Cassie. Derya was even a big mouth, so every time she could, she talked behind Cassie's back, especially when the girl was away from the Wall.
"You should focus on the work," Cassie said. "Not on this rubbish." She had to tolerate gossiping around all King's Landing.
"I'm sorry," Freema apologized timidly with a light blush on her cheeks. Cassie looked at the girls, focusing their attention on their work.
"We were just curious if you knew what happened," Hydi exclaimed, standing up, hovering over Cassie, obviously talking about the man who had been executed.
"He deserted, and he got beheaded. It's the law," the princess said simply. They had been at the Wall for years now; they should have known how it worked.
"But Gared liked in here," Luna, a girl of sixteen, talked for the first time. "You know that," Cassie laughed, looking at the cloth she had in her hands.
"Why are you laughing?" Luna asked with anger.
"Gared was a thief before the Wall," Cassie answered sarcastically, keeping sewing. "This was the last place he wanted to be."
None of the Night's Watch liked to be there, except for the older men, maybe. But in any case, once at the Wall, they had to learn their place and focus on their duties, but they weren't free, and someone broke down sooner or later. Gared was one of those.
"You weren't here when he ran away," Luna argued bitterly. "He came back alone and terrified." Cassie looked at Luna; she was close to her tears. Luna was always so sensible, always the first to cry.
"He got scared after being behind the Wall?" Cassie said, unimpressed. "Many people do, don't you know it? How many times have you gone? Two or three?" Luna shook her head at her words. Hydi and Freema looked between the two quietly.
"Sorry, I forgot," Luna said bitterly. "To the great Cassandra Baratheon, even being scared is stupid."
"Yes, if it gets you killed," Casse argued harshly. "What's the point of surviving if you go out there to get yourself beheaded? You survived, then fight."
Luna laughed bitterly.
"Time goes by, but you are always the same." Cassandra frowned.
"What? Honest?" she said. The two girls were looking at each other in the eyes, daggers from both of their gazes.
The bell rang again in all Castle Black. Luna throwed her work on the ground and exited the room quickly, Freema followed her immediately without a word. Cassie let out a frustrated breath, throwing her work away, not even caring where.
"You've been harsh," Hyde said without anger in her voice. "I'm sorry you two had a fight because of me." Cassie frowned at her words.
"People don't like the truth," Cassie said, standing up. "I do not care. It is their matter, not mine."
She was almost at the door when Hydi spoke again. "He was truly terrified; that's why I wanted to know what he said to the lord of Winterfell. I wanted to know if he said the same thing he said to me," Cassie stopped. Hydi's voice wasn't as happy as usual; she could sense fear in her words. The princess turned back at the girl, who was now looking at her own shoes.
"What did he say to you?" she asked, studying the girl. Whatever he had said, she seemed truly scared, not that Cassie blamed her. Hydi had never been behind the Wall, so it wasn't easy to learn what they would have faced once out there.
"He said he saw something," her voice cracked; Cassie never stopped looking at her. "He said he saw … The Others." That was not possible. The Others were stories. Just fairytales to tell the children at night and keep them in bed. Ancient creatures that come out just during the winter, their skin as pale as the snow, impossible to kill. Nothing like those had been in Westeros since the times of Brandon, the Builders, the times of the Long Night, but those were just stories.
"Is it true, Cassandra?" Hydi asked in a whisper, "Does the Others really exist?"
It wasn't possible. It must have been something else, something real. Hydi was looking at her, waiting for an answer, so Cassie took a breath.
"He could have seen many things," she said. "He was alone and scared; the mind plays tricks when you are running for your life." A spark appeared in Hydi's eyes. "There is no reason to worry about it."
"Focus on your duties," Hydi said with a smile before hugging Cassie, who went rigid all of a sudden.
"You are great," she exclaimed before running out of the room. That girl really changed her mood quickly. But her words kept spinning in Cassie's mind. She was aware of what could happen out there. And alone, everything was worse; the mind got confused even more. But still Gared was a ranger, he should have been used to that feeling. Why talk about the Others?
Cassie's mind was full of questions for the entire day. Why the Others? Why not just a wildlings? Something like the return of a legend must have had some kind of sign, but there had been none. There were just the wildlings who were becoming more insistent to attack near the Wall. Why? She wondered. They never attacked so much before.
Then she thought about Gared, a decent guy who chose to die instead of being relieved because he was still alive.
He was a ranger, she thought, confused.
Maybe he just went mad—it could have happened. Or maybe she was overthinking just about a dying man's last words. Someone changed after being behind the Wall; even Trevys had gone mad not so long ago.
And then he ran away and got beheaded, Cassie thought.
And it had happened two other times recently. She had even heard her father and Ned talking about some execution when they were at Winterfell.
A week had passed, and Cassie still thought about that conversation with Hydi. Frequently, she said to herself that she was stupid, believing in old fairytales. She had been beyond the Wall many times, and nothing supernatural had ever crossed her path.
"Smile, Cassie, smile," Wylliana's voice made Cassie turn to her.
"There is nothing to smile about," Cassie puffed. "I hate welcoming the novices."
"That's why you are here, Cassandra," Lady Eloyse said; the woman was walking ahead of them. That day little girls of five were coming to the Wall, Cassie and her friend should have shown them around, explain to them their new life at the Wall. Lots of girls usually cried, wanting to go back to their families. Cassie hadn't cried when she arrived at the Wall, not only because she didn't miss her mother but mainly because she was so happy to help the realm. To her, training all day wasn't so different from her normal days in King's Landing.
She didn't want to calm down desperate children; she didn't even know how. The only good thing was that with her, there were Rose and Wylly, or Cassie would have stabbed herself.
The heavy wooden door of Castle Black opened, making snowflakes dance in the air. Cassie looked at them flying before come back on the ground, the snow was so pure so innocent, it remembered of her child self, flying happily, and then growing up she came back to the ground.
"Benjen, Aljsha, Yoren," lord commander Mormont roared with a pleasant laugh. Lord Jeor Mormont, the Old Bear, had been the former Lord of House Mormont, but he joined the Night's Watch even before Cassie's father's rebellion, leaving the Bear Island to his son Jorah. She knew that Ned had exiled that man who became a slave trader. Anyway, Jeor Mormont was very different from his son, he was just, honest and the bravest man on the Wall. He was a good lord commander.
"Lord commander," Benjen greeted him politely, followed by Aljsha. Behind them, there was what seemed a cortege. Aljsha and Yoren usually went on missions together. He went to take new criminals to the Wall, and she usually took girls when they couldn't reach the North alone. Cassie thought the two of them must have met with Benjen on their way to the Wall.
"The Gods keep mocking me," Cassie muttered when she saw Jon Snow riding behind his uncle. The little lord on his horse, ready to start his new life in the cold.
"What's wrong?" Rose asked in a soft whisper.
"An idiot on a horse." Jon seemed to have heard Cassie's words because he looked down at her. No smile appeared on his face, not that the girl expected it to be. Jon Snow was the best guy that Cassie had ever known, gentle, quiet, shy… He wouldn't have lasted a day.
"Lord Commander, this is my nephew, Jon Snow," Ben said when Jon got down from his horse and approached the Old Bear. "He wants to join the Night's Watch." It seemed that Ben didn't manage to make Jon change his mind. Cassie shook her head with a cold, quiet laugh.
"Do you know him?" Rose asked.
"Of course she does," Wylliana answered. "He is Lord Stark's bastard. You must have met him during your days in Winterfell."
Cassie's eyes never left Jon Snow. Some snowflakes were on his dark hair, and around his neck his fur coat—always the same fur coat—and his eyes looked amazed at the Wall above them.
"Well, that's good," Rose said, looking at Jon with a smile. "A decent guy for us this time."
"An idiot, you mean," Cassie almost growled under her breath, but her friends heard her good. The two girls looked at each other with a pointed expression, Cassie was sure, she knew those girls very well.
Suddenly, something pulled the skirt of her dress off. Cassie immediately turned around, and her eyes met deep red ones.
"Ghost," she muttered, looking at the pup bigger than the last time she saw him. His white fur was shining, and his tale was moving happily fast.
"The Gods are fooling my eyes," Rose gasped, looking amazed by the creature before her.
"Ghost!" Hearing Jon's voice made the pup turn his gaze. "To me. Here!" Ghost let go of Cassie's vest before running to the boy and sitting next to him. She couldn't believe it—he brought it, and that pup was still listening to him.
"It cannot be," Wylliana breathed out with wide eyes. "That boy owns a direwolf."
"There are none on this side of the Wall," Rose whispered with an amazed smile on her face. "I thought their existence was a legend."
A legend, Cassie thought.
Direwolves were indeed a legend, and there he was. One of the seven pups that the Stark children found not long ago. A shiver ran down Cassie's back while studying Ghost. A legend back to life. Then, could it have been possible that Gared wasn't lying?
No, she thought, it's impossible.
Direwolves were ancient animals; maybe they were good at hiding, but the Others were undead monsters who ate children and had an army of dead and giant spiders, so it couldn't be possible.
"Dear niece," Cassie's eyes widened in pure shock hearing that voice. Her uncle Tyrion Lannister and two of his men had just entered the gates. It was impossible not to notice them not just for the unique shape of her uncle, but because they were all dressed in crimson red and a golden lion was roaring on their capes.
"Why are you even here?" Cassie asked, approaching her uncle's horse. "This is not your place."
"Like a lioness protecting her territory," Tyrion said with a smirk. He seemed unimpressed by her reaction.
"I'm not a lion," she argued back with a growl.
Why was he here? He was too cowardly to join the Night's Watch.
"Cassandra," Mormont's voice made her turn. "Do you know this man?"
"Yes, Lord Commander," she answered, biting her tongue to prevent herself from saying something inappropriate. "The man is my uncle, Tyrion Lannister."
"Lord Tyrion Lannister," her uncle pointed.
"You may know him by the name of the Imp," Cassandra was quick to add.
"Thank you, Cassandra," Lady Eloyse said, making her understand to come back to her former place. Wylliana and Rose were looking at her with little frowns on their faces.
"What brings you here, lord Tyrion?" The Old Bear asked with his deep voice.
"I've never been this far North before," her uncle answered. "And my niece loves in here so much that it got me curious. I wanted to see the Wall with my own eyes." Cassie shook her head. That day was going great so far; first, it was Jon, and now it is him. If the next to enter that gate was her mother, she would have thrown herself from the top of the Wall.
"You are very welcome to stay," Mormont said. "One of my men will show you around." Tyrion bowed his head to the men before passing over Cassie without a glance.
She didn't want him in there, she didn't want none of her family in there. Why couldn't he come back to King's Landing or his precious Casterly Rock?
Cassie just wanted peace and quiet, and she couldn't have none of this with her uncle around.
"Girls," Lady Eloyse's voice made Cassie look up. "Here are the novices." Three girls, just three. If they were three now, what would have happened just before the winter?
"Please tell us your names," the woman said with a kind voice.
"I'm Alina,," a little girl with golden hair and brown eyes said, biting her lip, her hands gripping her cloak.
"I'm Calynda," a girl with auburn hair and green eyes said next to the first. Her eyes were puffy and red, and it was clear that she was fighting back her tears.
"I'm Judyth," the last said. She was very short, the shortest of the three. Her eyes were black as her hair. She was looking at the Wall and then at the men of the Night's Watch.
"Each of you with one of them, girls," Lady Eloyse said. The three older girls nodded their heads before Wylliana spoke.
"Of course, Matriarch." Then she turned her gaze to Rose. "Rose, would you take care of Calynda?" The girl approached the auburn child kneeling before her.
"Hello, my name is Rose," among them, probably Rose was the best with children; it was a shame that she could have never had any of her own.
"Cassie, will you…" But Wylliana got interrupted by Thorne.
"Lady Eloyse," the woman greeted him, bowed her head gently. "Since your girls aren't that busy today and I have many things to do, could it be possible that the three of them could show the new recruits around?"
Vicious, Cassie thought. Probably, he just didn't want to do it
"And from what I heard, the princess knows one of the new boys. The both of them being lordlings." He smirked at the girl who had her mouth ajar. He must have heard Wylliana before. Typical of Thorne, always creeping around.
"If you are so busy, that's fine," Lady Eloyse then walked closer to him. "But Allyser, the girls are not here to do your job. Are we clear?"
The Matriarch was kind, but she wasn't stupid, and Cassie was sure that the two of them had spent a lot of time getting to know each other during their years at the Wall.
"Of course, Matriarch," he said bitterly, but he smirked nonetheless. "Come on! Come here!" There were five of them, five men and a direwolf.
Jon was there, of course, and it was clear that he was the only highborn among them. Three of them were skinny and pale. The last one was fat, with dark hair. It was clear to Cassie that he wanted to show confidence, but he was scared. All of them were on their first day.
"Softy," he said, talking to Rose. "I have a gift for you today, this one. He barely speaks." The girl took a breath before gesturing to the guy to go with her.
"You," Thorne said, pointing at one of the two skinny men. "With the one dressed as a man," Wylliana rolled her eyes. Her vest didn't have a skirt, but trousers, and Thorne didn't like it when girls didn't wear skirts.
Idiot…
Then Thorne turned to Cassie with a vicious smirk.
"Princess!" He exclaimed. "You can certainly handle two, and one is even your friend, isn't he?" she glared at him; that man loved to go under her skin; it never seemed to bear him. "You must tell him he doesn't have privileges just because Cassandra Baratheon will protect him."
"I thought you have many duties, Thorne," Cassie said, looking at Lady Eloyse from the corner of her eyes. Thorne followed her gaze, and his smirk vanished.
"Get to work!" He said before storming off with quick steps. Cassie smirked, proud of herself; then she turned to the little girls.
"What is your name again?" She asked the girl with black hair.
"Judyth," she answered immediately, Cassie nodded before looking at Wylly.
"She is with me," her friend agreed before Cassie started to walk towards the training camp. The little girl was behind her for a moment, but then she noticed that Jon and the fat one were still where she had left them.
"Are you waiting for an invitation?" she yelled. "Come on!" Jon rolled his eyes before approaching Cassie with Ghost and the other one.
The princess started to show them around. She first took them to the training yard, where some men were training with swords. The sound of blade against blade was a sweet music on that yard, she liked it, she had always liked it.
"You will train here," Cassie said. Jon looked down at the men, studying their movements. She knew he wanted to go already. He loved sword fighting, even if he did it just with wooden swords.
"But…" Judyth said, "Where are the girls?" Jon turned to Cassie, curious as much as the child.
"We do not train out there, not at your age, anyway," Cassie answered, starting to walk again, heading to the next stop of their little tour.
"Why?" The fat one spoke for the first time, "Afraid to die of freezing?" Cassie turned to look at him with cold eyes.
They had a funny guy, now? She studied him up and down. He clearly had never met or spoken with one of them. Keepers weren't many, and in the Seven Kingdoms, not everyone knew precisely what they could do.
"It is not a gift for us," she said, looking at the man in the eyes. "It is for you," she saw his expression become confused, and he studied her to look for any sort of lying.
"Why?" Jon spoke for the first time. She looked at him, wondering if he was still angry at her. She certainly was at him, but not having him speak to her was very strange; Cassie had to admit it.
"Our powers are unstable when we are that young," she explained, looking Jon in the eyes. "Do you know how your powers work, Judyth?"
"Our touch is a danger. Our touch makes others become our slaves for life," she spoke, if there was something that a keeper knew was what they couldn't do: touch someone with bare hands. The little one was indeed wearing her gloves. Cassie hadn't worn them since she was seven, but it depended on how much control they had over their power.
"A single touch is enough," Cassie said, looking her friend in his eyes seriously. "If we are not in control, in just a moment, your conscience is lost, and nothing will get back to you." Jon's eyes diverted from Cassie's. He was so surprised. Ned and Catelyn must not have told their children the whole story behind her powers. To protect them, maybe.
Are you afraid, Jon Snow? Cassie wondered, looking at his expression.
"What happens if… I do it to someone?" Judyth asked timidly.
"They got killed," Cassie answered simply, and the girl gasped. Jon's gaze wandered between the two girls before him; he seemed so confused. "But we prevent it by training in another section of the castle."
When she took them in front of the Keepers' training chamber, she saw that the fat guy's face was very pale, his confidence already disappearing. So predictable…
Jon was looking at the door, curious. Cassie could see it in his eyes, but there was something else in them, something she couldn't place.
"You won't enter here," Cassie said, resting her back on the wooden door. "Many little girls without gloves." Then she turned to the girl. "But you will come here every day from tomorrow." Judyth looked at the door. She was nervous, but she had good control over her emotions. Her hands were just shaking lightly. "You'll train constantly, and you'll learn how to control your powers better."
Then Cassie turned to the boys, "Of course, you are not allowed in here," but she was sure they would never get too close to that room. She was sure of the fat one, and she hoped for Jon.
Then she took them to the main hall, to the Septon, just in case they wanted to pray in the future, in front of Maester Aemon's study, to the armory, and finally to the quarters, where they all slept.
"Judyth," the girl looked at her with curious eyes. "The third chamber over there is yours; you will find a black vest on your bed; you'll have to wear that from now on," Cassie said. "It is ugly, but you'll grow fond of it." the little girl nodded. "So our three rules are as follows: do not touch anyone without gloves until the Matriarch tells you to. Take care of all of your stuff, if you don't nobody will. And train hard; only with training will you become a good Keeper," Judyth thanked her before walking towards her room.
"You can stay there until you hear a bell ring," Cassie called out. "When you do, go in the main yard." Judyth nodded once more before thanking her again and disappearing behind the door.
Cassie hadn't even asked her where she was from, but it didn't matter. When they were at the Wall, it didn't matter what lives they had out there. Luckily for Cassie, Judyth was a calm girl. She didn't want to think of what Rose was living. The little girl she had to take care of was already crying at the entrance.
Then she took the two boys in the male's section, and she stopped in front of a door.
"I'll leave you in your chambers; you'll find your new clothes there," her voice echoed in the dark corridor of Castle Black. That castle was quiet and so different from the other castles she knew. It wasn't colored like the Red Keep or warm like Winterfell, but she had grown to accept it, and she felt at ease behind those walls.
"You," she said to the fat one. "What is your name again?" He growled at her, since they had talked about the girl's power, he kept far away from them.
"Why should I tell you my name?" he argued, making Cassie roll her eyes.
"Very well," she said. "Wanker, it is," she saw Jon look at her, shocked. His eyes traveled between the two, and he seemed almost worried. The fat one became red with anger; he seemed ready to attack her. Cassie stayed calm; if he had even a little brain, he wouldn't have done anything.
"So, Wanker," she said, walking towards him, but she saw him take a step back. She smirked at his reaction. "This is your room." Then she walked past him, followed by Jon Snow and his direwolf.
"Cassie, do you know why he is here?" Jon asked in his concerned tone, walking closely to her.
"So now you are talking to me," Cassie said sarcastically.
"Stop it," he answered in a serious tone. "Do you know?"
"No," she answered simply, keeping walking. "Why should I care?"
"He is a rapist," she should have known by looking at him, actually. "He is dangerous." Jon was so naive that she almost laughed.
"Are you concerned about my virtue, Jon Snow?" she mocked him. "Believe me, he is the one in danger if he gets too close." Then he stopped her by the arm, his face serious, his eyes full of questions.
"Why didn't you ever tell me?" he asked, but she frowned at his words. "About your powers?" She was pretty sure she had told all the Starks she had special abilities. They knew she was different from them, so why was he so surprised?
"You have never told me how they work," she shrugged her shoulders. "You have never told me how strong they are." his eyes were kind, always kind, even now, even there.
"Are you afraid of me, Jon Snow?" she asked simply. He seemed shocked and almost offended by her question.
"I am not," he exclaimed. She shook her head, noticing no lie in his eyes.
"Are you going to act like that from now on?" She was just being honest. He was stupid. He was a stupid for being here, he was a stupid because he thought he was brave, he was stupid to come in a place of which he knew nothing. That wasn't his place; it couldn't be his place.
"Then you are an idiot." his face was confused, and he let go of her arm without breaking eye contact with Cassie's.
"This is your chamber," Cassie said, pointing at the door behind Jon. "Welcome to the Wall, Jon Snow." Then she turned her back to him and walked away.