The cold wind was biting; the further north they went, the colder it became.
"Hodor..."
In the snow, a rough sound of heavy breathing came from the distance.
The tall and sturdy Hodor was carrying Bran on his back, traveling with Jojen Reed and Meera Reed toward The Wall to find Jon Snow. Bran's only hope now was his bastard brother.
Although their mother Catelyn Tully always treated Jon with cold indifference, both Robb and Bran treated Jon Snow as their own brother.
"Ahead is the territory of House Umber: Last Hearth. Should we go inside?" Jojen Reed, who was walking beside him, spoke up, asking for Bran's opinion.
Jojen Reed was short and very thin, accustomed to wearing green clothes. It was said that his deep green eyes were related to his ability, the greensight.
He came from the Reed family of Greywater Watch, one of the most loyal vassals of House Stark. It is said that three thousand years ago, when House Stark was still the King in the North, they had sworn an oath of allegiance to them.
After Eddard Stark died, in order to fulfill the oath to support Robb Stark, Howland Reed sent his son Jojen Reed and daughter Meera Reed to Winterfell.
Hearing her brother Jojen Reed's words, Meera Reed also cast her gaze toward Bran.
Meera Reed had a pair of green eyes and long brown hair; she was a short and thin girl.
Meera had been trained by her father Howland Reed since she was young, skilled with a net and a frog spear. She was an excellent hunter and could easily catch fish in the water with her spear.
Meera Reed had a cheerful personality, which contrasted with the melancholy nature of her brother Jojen Reed.
Moreover, along the way, Bran had gradually grown fond of this girl named Meera Reed.
On this journey, Jojen Reed had confirmed that Bran's warg talent was far superior to his own, so he planned to take Bran beyond The Wall to find the three-eyed crow, Brynden Rivers, after arriving at Castle Black.
"No, the North is now empty of troops, and House Umber is not safe. We shouldn't go there. Let's just follow the river north, pass through Brandon's Gift, and head straight to Castle Black." Bran's voice rang out, youthful yet quite decisive.
Bran looked at the vast white expanse around them; they had been walking for a month.
Along the way, Bran had warged into the body of his Direwolf, Summer, to sneak into various castles to investigate. Based on the news he heard, Bran had obtained some useful information.
Now his eldest brother Robb Stark and mother Catelyn Tully were safe at Riverrun, but he heard that some plan of his brother's had failed, apparently because of his uncle Edmure Tully.
Bran curled his lip, thinking it was all his uncle's fault. At his age, he couldn't understand the complex war situation; he only knew that his brother Robb must be right.
However, what puzzled Bran even more was that the soldiers were saying there was an old man who could control fire beside his brother Robb, called Kings Hand Ragu. Bran recalled those eyes he had seen in King's Landing during his first greensight vision.
That person had even called him Brandon. How did he know his name? Bran could not fathom it.
Bran also discovered an unusual thing; Summer had heard some knights of House Bolton near Long Lake saying that House Frey had a falling out with his brother.
While at Winterfell, Bran had heard stories about House Frey from Old Nan; it was said they were a bunch of upstarts who made their fortune by collecting bridge tolls.
Bran didn't know why this family had a falling out with his brother, and he didn't even know when House Frey had allied with House Stark.
...
"Bran, have you thought about what to do after you reach Castle Black and see your brother Jon Snow?" Jojen Reed asked.
"I don't know either."
Bran was also at a loss; he just wanted to find his bastard brother and avenge the people of Winterfell.
However, throughout this journey, Bran had developed absolute trust in Jojen Reed.
When they first met, Bran had heard Meera Reed say that her brother Jojen Reed had the ability of greensight, which could see the future, and even see the time of his own death.
Bran didn't believe it at first, but Jojen Reed's first green dream soon came true.
At that time, Jojen Reed said to Bran:
"You are sitting at the dinner table, but it is not a servant serving the meal, but Maester Luwin. He gives you the portion of the roast meat that only a king should enjoy; the meat is rare and bloody, with an enticing aroma that makes everyone present drool. At the same time, the portion he gives to the Freys is old and grey dead meat, but they are more satisfied with the food they received than you are."
Not long after that, Bran learned from Maester Luwin about his brother Robb Stark killing Stevron Frey at the Battle of Oxcross, and also heard the news that Stevron Frey had died in battle for his brother.
Bran was excited about his brother's victory, and the hostages sent by House Frey to solidify the alliance, Big Walder and Little Walder, were also excited about the death of their uncle Stevron Frey.
Furthermore, the two of them even got into a fight arguing about who had the higher succession rank, for which they were both scolded by Maester Luwin.
After this, Bran started to believe in Jojen Reed a bit. Subsequently, Jojen Reed told Bran about his previous green dream:
"I dreamed of a vast ocean surrounding Winterfell. I saw black waves smashing the gates and towers, salt water pouring into The Walls, submerging the castle. The courtyard was full of drowned people. At Greywater Watch, when I first had this dream, I didn't recognize those faces, but now I know, among them is Gage, the guard who called our names at the harvest feast. Your septon is also among them. And the master blacksmith."
Bran started to believe, but he didn't understand the meaning. He could only tell the people of Winterfell as a warning, but everyone didn't believe it, thinking Bran was crazy.
After Theon Greyjoy took Winterfell, Bran was taken out of his room and found that Meera and Jojen had also been taken as hostages. Gage, Septon Chayle, and the blacksmith Mikken were all killed by the ironborn under Theon's command, just as Jojen Reed's green dream had predicted.
After they escaped from Winterfell, Jojen Reed said that Bran was actually a legendary warg, possessing extremely powerful abilities, but he needed to open his third eye.
Jojen Reed helped Bran train this ability along the way, and according to him, Bran, who possessed the skinchanger ability, would play an important role in this world in the near future.
And it was also from the moment Jojen Reed heard Bran say he dreamed of the three-eyed crow taking him flying in the sky that Jojen Reed began to implore Bran to go beyond The Wall to find this crow.
Jojen Reed explained that his ability of greensight was a gift from the three-eyed crow, and at that time, the three-eyed crow hoped he would lead the way for the young Greenseer.
Back to the present, Bran, who was clinging to Hodor's back, looked at Jojen Reed and said: "I will go, Jojen."
"Thank you, Bran." A rare glimmer of light appeared on Jojen Reed's habitually gloomy face.
"You don't have to thank me. I trust you, but that's only one reason. There is another, most important reason." As he spoke, Bran recalled the words the three-eyed crow had said to him when they first met.
"Because, winter is coming."
...
"winter is coming."
Located in the wildling tribe, Jon Snow remembered this house motto that had been passed down in House Stark for many years. He missed home once again; he truly longed for the embrace of his family.
Back when Jon Snow wanted to desert the Nights Watch to follow his brother Robb Stark, he was chased back by his brothers of the Nights Watch.
From then on, he was determined to be a qualified member of the Nights Watch.
Later, after many Nights Watch rangers, including Jon Snow's uncle Benjen Stark, went missing, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont launched an expedition; he wanted to take everyone to investigate what had happened in the Haunted Forest beyond The Wall.
Jon Snow accepted the position of steward to the Old Bear, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, and prepared to accompany Lord Commander Mormont and the rangers on the expedition north.
When they neared the Fist of the first men, Jon Snow encountered one of the three scouting parties—the scouting party led by the legendary Qhorin Halfhand.
In order to prove himself and search for the whereabouts of his uncle Benjen Stark, Jon Snow voluntarily applied to join this team, and Lord Commander Mormont agreed.
Near the Skirling Pass, their team encountered a group of wildling sentries. The mission of Jon Snow and his companions was to eliminate them without being discovered by the main force of wildlings.
Jon Snow had been taught by Ser Rodrik Cassel of Winterfell since he was a child; his swordsmanship was superb, and he very quickly took down one of them.
But when he held his blade to the throat of another, preparing to kill the opponent, he was surprised to find that the opponent was actually a woman.
His heart softened immediately, and his sense of honor began to interfere.
Thus, he captured this woman who should have been killed; the woman told him her name was Ygritte. Although Qhorin Halfhand ordered Jon to "do what he had to do," Jon defied the order and secretly let her go.
Regarding this, although Qhorin Halfhand had discovered it, he did not blame Jon for it. Because Qhorin Halfhand thought long-term, he believed that this action of Jon's might help the Nights Watch in the near future.
Sure enough, not long after, Qhorin Halfhand's idea came true.
They were discovered and tracked by a wildling party led by "Rattleshirt." Although they reacted quickly, retreated immediately, and tried to shake off the pursuit many times, they were still caught up.
Before they were caught, the Nights Watchman Ebben volunteered to stay behind to cover their retreat, letting the others leave, but it still did not alleviate the grim situation.
Thus, at the last moment, Qhorin Halfhand first ordered Stonesnake to proceed on foot at the fastest speed to the Fist of the first men to notify the Nights Watch there.
Then he ordered Jon Snow to join the wildling party as an oathbreaker to find out the wildlings' plans.
Because the wildling woman Ygritte, whom Jon Snow had released, was a member of "Rattleshirt's" party, Qhorin Halfhand believed this would make Jon Snow more trusted by the wildlings than they could be.
To enable Jon Snow to better go undercover, Qhorin Halfhand even chose to sacrifice his own life. In a feigned duel, Qhorin Halfhand willingly died in Jon Snow's arms.
...
The cold wind was biting, swirling up thousands of piles of snow.
When he first joined the wildlings, Jon Snow followed the wildling party of "Rattleshirt." At that time, Ygritte would stick to him all day, making him always blush, which made Tormund Giantbane laugh uncontrollably.
Later, Mance Rayder thought Rattleshirt might not trust the Nights Watch, so he transferred Jon Snow to Tormund's party.
As it turned out, Ygritte actually brought her brother "Spearwife" Ragwyle and others from the same village to run from Rattleshirt's party to Tormund's party, still sticking to Jon all day.
Ygritte's reason was: "The free folk can go wherever they want."
Jon was helpless and could only accept the status quo. Tormund actually quite liked this shy young man, Jon; even Tormund's daughter Munda watched this "southerner" with a face full of curiosity.
Every night when they camped, Ygritte would always drape her furs beside Jon Snow to sleep.
One time, Jon Snow woke up in the middle of the night and was surprised to find Ygritte actually snuggling against him.
Ygritte's arm was tightly hugging his body, with half of her body pressed against Jon.
Jon lay there listening to her steady breathing, using all his willpower to suppress the heat inside his heart.
In Old Nan's stories at Winterfell, when a knight was forced to share a bed with a lady, for the sake of honor, he would place a sword between them.
Thinking of this, Jon Snow placed the valyrian steel sword Longclaw that Lord Commander Mormont had given him in the middle.
During an attack by wights on Castle Black, Jon saved Lord Commander Mormont's life, for which his hand was severely burned.
Lord Commander Jeor Mormont therefore gave Jon a valyrian steel sword, a family heirloom of House Mormont. To highlight the house crest of House Stark, Lord Commander Mormont even specially carved the head of a Direwolf on the pommel of the sword.
Perhaps feeling that placing one sword was not safe enough, Jon Snow then brought over Ghost, who was already fast asleep, to block the space between himself and Ygritte.
Perhaps only in this way could he find temporary peace of mind.
Well, she is fine, and I am fine too, Jon Snow thought.
Only Ghost, having had his sleep disturbed, let out a aggrieved whimper: "Woo..."