Lord Lynd sat on the dragon's back and said to the people seeing him off, "Please be sure to assist the acting Commander in continuing to advance the plans we formulated earlier. I will find a suitable candidate for Commander as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, everyone expressed their willingness to assist the acting Commander. Samwell Tarly, as the acting Commander, looked bewildered, still not understanding why he had suddenly become the acting Commander, and hadn't fully recovered from the shock.
Just now, everyone was discussing using traditional methods to select the Commander, but Lord Lynd rejected it. If they followed the traditional method, they would need to summon people from all the castles along the Wall and recall the Rangers from the Beyond the Wall outpost camps to participate in the election. Doing so would only disrupt the order of the entire Wall.
Moreover, the more crucial point was that although the person who assassinated the Commander had been caught, his accomplices had not yet been fully identified. If they were to elect a Commander using traditional methods at this time, what if the chosen Commander turned out to be an accomplice of the former Commander's assassin?
Therefore, Lord Lynd directly rejected the traditional method of selecting a Commander. Instead, he would first appoint an acting Commander to temporarily exercise the Commander's duties. After he found a more suitable candidate with appropriate status and position outside, he would then have that person formally join the Nights Watch and take over the Commander's duties.
Although Lord Lynd's approach was somewhat unconventional, it was not without precedent. Maester Aemon found several similar examples where, in special circumstances for the Nights Watch, suitable Commanders could be chosen through special methods, without needing to follow the traditional method of every Nights Watch member voting.
However, the acting Commander Lord Lynd subsequently chose surprised everyone. He did not pick from the castle Commanders present, nor from the elite Rangers, nor from the seasoned Nights Watch members. Instead, he chose Samwell Tarly, who was known in Black Castle for his weakness and cowardice.
At the time, everyone was stunned by Lord Lynd's choice, and many even couldn't help but object. But the reasons Lord Lynd gave afterwards convinced them.
He gave only three reasons. The first was that among the entire Nights Watch, Sam was one of the least likely people to be involved in the assassination of the Commander, because no one would try to win over a weak fellow like Sam.
The second point was that Sam was one of the few unaligned individuals in the Nights Watch. He was neither a commoner nor a noble, nor was he part of the so-called Northern or Southern factions based on the regions of the Seven Kingdoms. Due to his poor reputation, no one was willing to bring Sam into their faction. Therefore, with Sam as acting Commander, he would not show favoritism in administration.
As for the third point, which was also particularly important, Sam had always been by the Commander and Maester Aemon's side, handling various related affairs. Therefore, he was very familiar with the current progress of the Nights Watch's plans, such as the wildling collection plan and the Others resistance plan. He wouldn't need any time to adapt and could immediately take charge.
For the current Nights Watch, what was most needed was not a warrior who could lead them into battle, but a Maester who could effectively execute existing plans.
Lord Lynd's reasons were very sufficient and quickly gained the approval of the Nights Watch. However, the real reason Sam became acting Commander was Lord Lynd's own strength. With Lord Lynd as a backer, any dissenting voices or thoughts had to be suppressed.
After Lord Lynd re-emphasized his support for Sam, he urged Nessario to fly, heading south.
The day after Lord Lynd left the Wall, several figures appeared near the Wall. These figures included men and women, some extremely tall, others small like children. Seeing the Wall in front of them, they all couldn't help but cheer.
These people were Bran and others who had escaped from Winterfell. They traveled by night and rested by day, avoiding all roads, taking mountain paths, and finally arriving near the Wall.
"Where do we go now? To the crows' Black Castle?" The wildling woman Osha looked at the Wall with considerable aversion and asked.
"No, to Icehold." Two voices said the same answer in unison. The speakers were Bran, who was carried on the servant Ado's back, and Jojen Reed, who had assisted Bran in evading pursuers along the way.
On Bran and company's escape route, they encountered the Reed siblings. According to the siblings, Jojen Reed had foreseen Bran and company's predicament, so he waited for them in advance to help them escape their pursuers.
Because Duke Eddard had mentioned more than once that House Reed of Greywater Watch was the most trustworthy vassal family, Bran and the others quickly trusted the siblings. And during their subsequent escape, the siblings also provided great help, allowing them to successfully pass through forests teeming with wild beasts and the desolate The Gift.
Although Bran and his companions were visiting the Wall for the first time, Bran and Jojen seemed to know the way, heading directly towards Icehold. They soon arrived outside Icehold.
However, to their surprise, someone was already waiting there. Upon seeing the group, they stepped forward and said, "Lord Willas is already waiting for you all. Please follow me."
After speaking, without any explanation, he turned and led the group into the castle.
"We should be careful. These crows are not trustworthy!" The wildling woman Osha gripped the wooden staff in her hand, her expression serious.
"Don't worry, they mean no harm." Bran comforted Osha, then motioned to follow behind the Nights Watch member and entered Icehold.
The arrival of two Stark survivors at the Wall was not spread by the Nights Watch of Icehold. Those searching for their whereabouts still believed they were hiding in the forests and wilderness of the North.
Lord Lynd, back in Summerhall, also ordered a search for Bran and Rickon's whereabouts, but there was consistently no news. If Lord Lynd hadn't been so clear about Bran's true situation, he might have thought Bran and his companions had died in the Wolfswood.
However, Lord Lynd did not spend too much thought on this. Although Bran was also one of the important figures in resisting the Others, the entire world situation had changed. Whether Bran was still as important as in the previous life's series was unknown.
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