North of Castle Black

[Horas]

The harsh, rugged wilds beyond the Wall, north of Castle Black.

[Horas]

An army of wildlings camps in the forest beyond the Wall, their lines far enough back to obscure their true numbers. Dozens of wildling outriders patrol boldly near the Wall itself, just out of arrow range. By night thousands of campfires can be seen in the darkness.

[Quenton Baratheon]

Bremner Terrick was standing his watch atop the wall tonight. To a certain degree, he envied the wildlings by their campfires. Although they had hard times ahead of them, for now at least they were warm.

Bremner, affectionately known to most of his brothers as 'Burnt Brem' due to a mishap with a lantern, had been part of the watch for under a year. Captured by the King's forces during the Rabble's Rebellion, he had been one of an unlucky group of Riverlander prisoners sent to help man the wall.

He felt now like he had during much of that campaign - as though his world were coming to an end. He stared out with grim eyes.

[Sam]

Lord Commander Farman stood atop the Wall above Castle Black, among those of his sworn brothers whose watch was tonight, with his arms clasped behind his back staring out at the campfires, his face impassive. Behind him, on the southern side of the wall, was the camp of the northern clansmen who had rallied to his aid against the wildlings.

The Rangers of the Night's Watch were spread along the wall, doing segmented patrols between each castle, with runners to deliver the news if any wildlings attempted to scale the ice-wall. If not for the clansmen, Farman knew that his Watch would be overwhelmed quickly when battle came, and even now their chances did not look very good.

[The Flint]

The Clansman kept to themselves, for the most part, but in their camp, music was playing, and campfires burning. The belief was that tomorrow, or mayhaps they day after, they may die, so best to celebrate now.

The men of the North were not so celebratory as the clansman, nor quite so as morose as the men of the Watch. But they too watched, and waited.

[Quenton Baratheon]

Bremner caught sight of the Lord Commander as he wandered the wall. He attempted to read his expression for an indication of how he felt, yet he could ascertain nothing.

A strong gust of wind blew up over the edge of the wall, carrying with it the scent of smoke, fur and horses. Bremner shivered, though through the cold or something else he could not tell.