Black Widow's Field Hospital

[Lilith Royce]

After weeks of travelling, the Widow's Band finally arrives at the wall and establishes a field hospital just east of the largest gate. The Band threw a party for the men of the wall and all local residents of the nearby town from the plump Berghers to the scrawny whores. The next day they started preparing for war in earnest.

[Lilith Royce]

After a few days, the widow started wondering whether her band had moved north in vain. There were rumors a plenty about the wildlings but no action.

[Bunny-Rabbit]

Ser Xavier Hill leaned against a tree just outside of the camp and stared at the line of troops marching into Castle Black. He was eating an apple by slicing away chunks with his knife. As he ate he felt a small pang of regret that he was not going into battle. That was what he had trained most of his life to do, and here he was standing within site of a battle and a part of him stirred to go join it.

Yet two things held him back. Hill had fought at the Rock during the last battle; and that had been awful. The screams, blood and horrible stench had almost sworn him off war completely. What else would he have done though. He was one of the Hundred knighted in the week that followed the battle, and knights fought he had thought his path marked. Yet maybe his life had taken an unexpected turn.

Hill turned and walked back toward the camp as he heard the other reason scream in anger. Little Petra was losing to a boy ten years here senior, only just barely though. Yet she wanted to win. She would go again and again, Xavier knew. Training her to fight was something akin to dancing with a bear. Once you started it was up to the bear to end the dance. The last time he had told Petra that he had enough showing her the sword; she had followed him around for two days throwing things at him whenever he took his eye off her.

Hill walked over to Petra and began to teach. Looks like this little bear still wants to dance.

[Bunny-Rabbit]

Hearing the crash of battle, Hill spins and stares at the wall confirming with his eyes what his ears have already told them. Looking to Grend and Pollock he nodded. The two warriors ran to get Petra and carry her away. They had been working with her the longest and were the best fights and worst healers of the band. They would carry her away and if needed flee first to Winterfell; then to King's Landing through White Harbour.

Xavier knew his position too. No more then three yards away from Lilith Royce until the battle was over, or he was dead.

[serdonaltyrell]

During a break in the fighting, Ser Donal limped up the hill, blood oozing out from under his mail surcoat, just above his left hip. He looked dreadful, covered in the blood and brains of his foes, his newly won sable cape was more red than white now.
He sank down onto one of the bunks as a healer tended to his wound.

[Deleted]

"Ser Donal!" Elane looked at his wounds in dismay. "Sit down, that looks ghastly." She glanced back out to the Wall and shuddered. "They fight like rabid dogs."

[serdonaltyrell]

Donal smiled wearily "They die like them too. We'll hold them off mi'lady, have no fear. I worry that we have not seen their giants yet, however. That'll be a harder fight" he glanced back to the field of battle as the nurse bandaged his wounds.

[Deleted]

Elane cleaned the wounds with a deft and practiced hand. "Giants?" she asked calmly, but her eyes sparked with a mixture of fear and interest. "Do they really have those?"

After a moment she said, "Well if giants - you know, if giants really exist, they aren't something to worry about too much, are they? Too big to get through the gates, and still too small to break the Wall. They say the Wall is guarded by spells as well as ice and gravel. I never used to believe it, but if giants exist, I suppose the spells do to."

[serdonaltyrell]

"Oh they exist milady, I have seen them. And skinchangers too, odd fellows those but it's off-putting for a man to be attacked by falcons and wolves I suppose." Realising how gloomy he sounded, Donal tried to lift her spirits by adding "Perhaps you're right about the giants though. After all, even they would have trouble stepping over that wall"

[Deleted]

Elane hid her fear with a light laugh, and rested her hand gently on his shoulder. "Well, with that Wall and such brave soldiers, I'm sure we have nothing to fear. Now I've dressed your wounds, but you shouldn't be walking around and killing yet. Lie back down, and we'll get you something hot to sip." She nodded at Lady Nymeria Waynwood as she eased Ser Donal back on the pallet, and soon Nymeria returned with a bowl of hot soup, looking proud as if she'd made it herself.

[serdonaltyrell]

Donal winced as his wound flared up in pain as he was eased back but smiled "Thank you, milady. I'll rest for now but I must soon return. There is still much bloody work which needs to be done before the day is done."

[Deleted]

"There are other men doing that," Elane said with a reassuring smile. "If you rush out there with unhealed wounds, you won't stand a chance, and you owe it to your men to take care of yourself." She glanced out through the tent flaps again. Though the battle was a distance away, she could hear the screams and yells. "Did you see my cousin Ser Garrett, Lord Rhodri or my uncle Lord Redfort? Or Uncle Robert? He's up on the top of the Wall with the archers."

[Deleted]

Seeing him wince at the pain, she mixed a poultice and carefully applied it.

[serdonaltyrell]

"I saw the Redroyce with his men, but I lost sight of young Garrett. He was supposed to be with me on foot but he raced off to join the mounted knights and gain some 'glory'. He's a headstrong boy that one. Heart's in the right place though" Donal gave an exclaimation as the poultice was applied "By R'hllor that's hot!"

[Deleted]

"This is place is too cold for R'hllor," Elane said in amusement. "Sorry if that was hot. Thankfully we have snow aplenty..." Nymeria dashed outside and brought back in a handful of clean, white, freshly fallen snow. Elane packed some around, and it melted coolly over the poultice. "I think that would have cooled it down a little bit. Nymeria, go and get some mulled wine for Ser Donal."

"I will, but...Ser Garrett is charging the wildlings?" Nymeria asked Ser Donal. "How brave of him!"

"The wine, Nymeria," Elane repeated. Blushing slightly, the girl nodded and dashed off again.

"These girls," Elane smiled at Ser Donal. "Sometimes I feel like their grandmother, hectoring after them like this, although they're not much younger than me, in truth. But really. Since we've come it's been, "Oh look, it's the Stormshield! Ser Garrett! The Knight of Thorns! Lord Jayson Plumm! The Redroyce!" She shook her head.