The morning star still gleamed in the sky, casting its light upon a formidable city wall that pierced through the mist. This dark fortress, named Castle Black, rose majestically with its wooden and stone towers built right against the Ice Wall.
It was a place steeped in history, serving as the headquarters for the Night's Watch, and it was as dark as the night itself.
From outside, several towering structures were visible. If Cole were there, he could easily identify each one:
The Commander's Tower, where the commanders of the Night's Watch resided. The King's Tower, used to entertain guests of the Night's Watch brothers. It was named for kings, though none had visited the Wall in at least a century. The Spear Tower, the tallest on the Wall, yet still only a third of the Wall's immense height.
Beneath Castle Black lay a complex network of underground passages, known as "wormways" by the Night's Watch. These tunnels connected the towers, providing passage when heavy snow made surface travel impossible.
Even before Cole's departure, Castle Black had begun to look desolate. Though it boasted the largest contingent of Night's Watch members on the Wall, their numbers barely reached 500. Now, the figures within the castle were even sparser.
Due to the disappearance of Chief Ranger Benjen Stark and other pressing reasons, Jeor Mormont, the 997th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, had launched an investigation known as the "Ranger Expedition." He had departed with 300 Night's Watch brothers.
Tragically, only 50 Oath Keepers returned to Castle Black from that expedition. At the Fist of the First Men, beyond the Wall, the Night's Watch expeditionary force had been ambushed by wights and suffered immense losses. The Old Bear, Jeor Mormont, managed to break out with 50 brothers and retreated to Craster's Keep.
There, the Night's Watch faced another devastating conflict, this time between Oath Keepers and traitors, resulting in the death of Lord Commander Mormont at the hands of the Oath Breakers.
While these losses were minor compared to the battles raging in the south, for the already understaffed Night's Watch, this Ranger patrol had decimated their most experienced combat forces.
It was during this crisis that the long-missing Cole brought even more dire news to the Night's Watch: Mance Rayder, the King-Beyond-the-Wall, was leading an army of 10,000 wildlings to breach the Wall. Moreover, an elite group of wildlings had already bypassed and scaled the Wall, now operating on its southern side.
The frontal assault was merely a diversion for the wildlings beyond the Wall. Their true aim was to attack various sections of the castle, forcing the Night's Watch to spread their forces thin, thereby weakening the defenses of their main base, Castle Black.
Mance Rayder, the King-Beyond-the-Wall, had once been a member of the Night's Watch himself, but he later broke his oath and betrayed them. Like Cole, he was raised by the Night's Watch, though Cole possessed Valyrian blood, while Mance had wildling heritage.
Mance had been a loyal member until he was wounded during a patrol and rescued by a wildling woman. During his recovery, she mended his torn cloak with red cloth. Upon his return to the Wall, the Night's Watch commander ordered him to switch back to a standard black cloak.
This seemingly minor infringement on his personal freedom led Mance to abandon the Night's Watch and live freely among the wildlings, as his heart desired. He gained significant influence among them, and in this time of crisis, he used that influence to unite the fiercely individualistic wildlings.
News of Mance Rayder's advance, brought by Cole, plunged Castle Black into despair.
Vicky was assisting the weapon master, Donal Noye, a skilled craftsman. Despite having only one arm, he was perfectly capable of wielding his hammer.
"Master Noye, do you think the king will send people to the Wall to help us?" Vicky asked, swinging his hammer as Master Noye helped him clamp an iron ingot with tongs.
"When forging iron, you must be careful," the weapon master instructed.
Though a bit clumsy, Vicky possessed the patience to swing his hammer thousands of times. He obediently quieted, listening intently to Master Noye's teachings.
When the final hammer blow fell, the weapon master seemed satisfied, plunging the newly forged longsword into water to cool. Vicky exhaled deeply, wiping sweat from his brow.
"The maester has sent ravens to various castles in the Seven Kingdoms. You mustn't worry about such things. From the day we swore our vows to the Night's Watch, we pledged our lives to this Great Wall."
Vicky nodded silently. He remained in the armory until his work was complete.
After leaving the armory, he made his way to the Crow's Nest, where the ravens were housed and where Maester Aemon rested. The injured Cole was recuperating there.
"Cole," Vicky said, pushing open the door. He saw Cole staring blankly at the top of the tower.
Cole turned, "Vicky?"
The short blacksmith's apprentice smiled. "How are you feeling?" Vicky asked, looking at Cole's leg injury.
Cole's face was a little pale, but he managed a weak smile. "Aside from being unable to move, everything else is fine."
"It's truly great that you're back. I thought..." Vicky stood beside him, noticing Cole's chapped lips. "Do you need me to get you some water?"
Cole nodded gently. "Thank you."
Vicky held the water to his mouth.
"How are things outside?" Cole asked with concern.
"The guards have been instructed to watch the south, and the maester has sent over a dozen ravens south."
"Were they sent to Winterfell?" Cole accidentally strained his wound, a bead of sweat appearing on his forehead.
"Yes," Vicky replied, taking the cup away. "And some were sent to King's Landing and Storm's End."
"Master Noye told me that the south isn't what we thought, Cole," Vicky continued. Master Noye enjoyed drinking after forging weapons and often shared news with Vicky.
"I know, the maester told me," Cole said, also aware that Theon Greyjoy was at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea.
He isn't worthy of being a Night's Watchman, Cole's heart cried out. But he quickly realized that the Night's Watch was recruiting people just like him. They must have known that I wouldn't forgive this traitor, so they sent him to Greywater Watch.
However, when Theon arrived, the Night's Watch actually believed Cole was dead.
"Is anyone coming?" Cole asked, thinking, Have the lords and kings of the Seven Kingdoms forgotten us long ago? Has my father forgotten this place too?
Vicky shook his head. "No. The king hasn't come, and no ravens have flown from the south."
[The border is in danger. Please do your best to help the Night's Watch defend Castle Black.]
At this moment, Eddard Stark sat in a chair in his hall, reading the news brought by a raven.