A Game of Thrones 4-Book Bundle

alongside his ear with the back of his hand. “You? Seen?
You’re blind as Maester Aemon. You never even saw that bear.”
    â€œWhat bear? Was there a bear?”
    â€œThere’s always a bear,” declared Dolorous Edd in his usual tone of gloomy
resignation. “One killed my brother when I was young. Afterward it wore his
teeth around its neck on a leather thong. And they were good teeth too, better
than mine. I’ve had nothing but trouble with my teeth.”
    â€œDid Sam sleep in the hall last night?” Jon asked him.
    â€œI’d not call it sleeping. The ground was hard, the rushes ill-smelling, and
my brothers snore frightfully. Speak of bears if you will, none ever growled so
fierce as Brown Bernarr. I was warm, though. Some dogs crawled atop me during
the night. My cloak was almost dry when one of them pissed in it. Or perhaps it
was Brown Bernarr. Have you noticed that the rain stopped the

instant I had a roof above me? It will start again now that I’m back out. Gods
and dogs alike delight to piss on me.”
    â€œI’d best go see to Lord Mormont,” said Jon.
    The rain might have stopped, but the compound was still a morass of shallow
lakes and slippery mud. Black brothers were folding their tents, feeding their
horses, and chewing on strips of salt beef. Jarman Buckwell’s scouts were
tightening the girths on their saddles before setting out. “Jon,” Buckwell
greeted him from horseback. “Keep a good edge on that bastard sword of yours.
We’ll be needing it soon enough.”
    Craster’s hall was dim after daylight. Inside, the night’s torches had burned
low, and it was hard to know that the sun had risen. Lord Mormont’s raven was
the first to spy him enter. Three lazy flaps of its great black wings, and it
perched atop Longclaw’s hilt.
“Corn?”
It nipped at a strand of
Jon’s hair.
    â€œIgnore that wretched beggar bird, Jon, it’s just had half my bacon.” The Old
Bear sat at Craster’s board, breaking his fast with the other officers on fried
bread, bacon, and sheepgut sausage. Craster’s new axe was on the table, its
gold inlay gleaming faintly in the torchlight. Its owner was sprawled
unconscious in the sleeping loft above, but the women were all up, moving about
and serving. “What sort of day do we have?”
    â€œCold, but the rain has stopped.”
    â€œVery good. See that my horse is saddled and ready. I mean for us to ride
within the hour. Have you eaten? Craster serves plain fare, but filling.”
    I will not eat Craster’s food,
he decided suddenly. “I broke
my fast with the men, my lord.” Jon shooed the raven off Longclaw. The bird
hopped back to Mormont’s shoulder, where it promptly shat. “You might have
done that on Snow instead of saving it for me,” the Old Bear grumbled. The
raven
quorked
.
    He found Sam behind the hall, standing with Gilly at the broken rabbit hutch.
She was helping him back into his cloak, but when she saw Jon she stole away.
Sam gave him a look of wounded reproach. “I thought you would help
her.”
    â€œAnd how was I to do that?” Jon said sharply. “Take her with us, wrapped up
in your cloak? We were commanded not to—”
    â€œI know,” said Sam guiltily, “but she was afraid. I know what it is to be
afraid. I told her . . .” He swallowed.
    â€œ
What?
That we’d take her with us?”
    Sam’s fat face blushed a deep red. “On the way home.” He could not meet Jon’s
eyes. “She’s going to have a baby.”
    â€œSam, have you taken leave of all your sense? We may not even return this way.
And if we do, do you think the Old Bear is going to let you pack off one of
Craster’s wives?”
    â€œI thought . . . maybe by then I could think of a
way . . .”
    â€œI have no time for this, I have horses to groom and saddle.” Jon walked away
as confused as he was angry. Sam’s heart was as big as the rest of him, but for
all his reading he could be as thick as Grenn at times. It was impossible, and
dishonorable besides.
So why do I feel so ashamed?
    Jon took his accustomed position at Mormont’s side as the

Night’s Watch streamed out past the skulls on Craster’s gate. They struck off
north and west along a crooked game trail. Melting ice dripped