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necessarian) wrote2017-12-01 08:43 pm
necessarian) wrote2017-12-01 08:43 pm
Entry tags:
hq wip amnesty: night's watch au
Notes:
It was on Tobio’s third night at Castle Black that everything went wrong. The horn sounded hours after the sun went down—two calls, for Wildlings—and the Castle sprung to life.
Tobio was the only new recruit not sharing his quarters with another. The rest of the recruits had come in pairs and, although he knew Akira and Yuutaro from the town near his home, they had elected to stay together. They were in the room next door, though, and Tobio didn’t know who else to go to when he heard the horn, so he grabbed his sword and knocked on their door.
“It’s nothing to do with us,” Yuutaro said. “Let the Rangers deal with it. ”
Tobio peered over Yuutaro’s shoulder—Akira seemed to be still asleep, and Tobio wondered whether it was the horn that woke Yuutaro, or his knocking.
“If it’s Wildlings, they’ll need all the help they can get,” Tobio said, glowering at Yuutaro.
“We’re just recruits,” Yuutaro said. “Go back to sleep, Lord.”
“In the Night’s Watch all brothers are equal,” Tobio said, as Yuutaro slammed the door in his face.
Tobio frowned and turned around, coming face to face with the recruits staying in the room on the other side of his. Both from the Westerlands, Kei was the bastard son of a noble family, and Tadashi was the son of their lesser bannermen. And as men formerly of lower status than Tobio, they seemed to feel duty-bound to antagonise him now that they stood on the same level.
“Ah, looks like Lord Kageyama is keen to see some action,” Kei said to Tadashi, ignoring Tobio entirely.
Akira, who knew that Tobio was from a noble family, had lazily coined the nickname. Kei had taken to it with more enthusiasm than he applied to his training.
“He could say the same to us, Tsukki,” Tadashi said, glancing over at Tobio.
“He could,” Kei said, “but will he be as much use in a fight as us?”
“Don't talk about me like I’m not here,” Tobio snapped. “I can wield a sword just as well as you, Tsukishima.”
“And you want to find favour with Sawamura,” Kei said.
Tobio gripped the hilt of his sword, and Kei moved to do the same, but was stopped by Tadashi grabbing his sword arm.
“Let’s fight the Wildlings,” Tadashi said. “Not each other.”
Kei didn’t argue—he just shook off Tadashi’s arm and pushed past Tobio towards the courtyard. Tadashi followed, but it wasn’t long before their footsteps stopped.
“Are you coming, Lord?” Kei called back.
Startled, Tobio turned to see them standing at the top of the stairway out of their barracks and towards the courtyard. Kei had drawn his sword, and Tobio noticed for the first time that Tadashi had a quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder and a bow under his arm.
“Coming,” Tobio said, unsheathing his sword and taking strides twice as wide as he usually would to catch up with them.
The courtyard was swarming with men, and Tobio quickly picked out Daichi Sawamura, the First Ranger. Of course, there were still many days to go before the new recruits would be assigned to an order, but Tobio was certain he would be under Sawamura’s command. It seemed only right to go to him to ask to join the fight. Kei had the same idea, and they walked beside each other, with Tadashi trailing behind.
“Ah,” Sawamura said, grinning when he saw them, “recruits.”
“We want to help,” Tobio said, “however we can.”
“We want to fight,” Kei corrected.
Sawamura nodded, pausing for a moment to appraise the three recruits. “Yamaguchi, you’re handy with that bow?”
“Y-yes,” Tadashi said, “relatively…”
“We need archers on the Wall,” Sawamura said. “Will this be your first time going up?”
“I’ll go with him,” Kei said quickly, “if you can provide me with a bow.”
Sawamura frowned. “I don’t want to separate you three. Kageyama, have you got any experience with bow and arrow?”
“Of course he does,” Kei said. “All nobles are—”
“I do,” Tobio said, talking over Kei.
“That’s all the reassurance I need,” Sawamura said. “Tanaka should have some spare bows for you—he’s over by the elevator. Tell him I sent you.”
The recruits saluted, and Kei led the way to the elevator. Tanaka, who insisted that people call him “Ryuu,” was in charge of training all new recruits, and even though Tobio hadn’t known him for long, he already knew that Ryuu was someone he’d trust with his life in a battle.
“My boys from the West and my favourite Northerner!” Ryuu greeted them. “Come to join the fight?”
“Sawamura sent us,” Kei said. “He said you’d have bows.”
“Bows, I have plenty,” Ryuu said. “It’s risky, putting new recruits on the Wall, but I know you three will do a fine job of it.”
“We will,” Tobio agreed.
“Don’t get too cocky,” Ryuu said. Tobio couldn’t read the intent in his sudden change in attitude, but he could tell from the shift in Ryuu’s tone that he was trying to sound like he was telling a joke.
Ryuu produced two bows and two empty quivers from a cart behind him, before shoving the recruits in the direction of the elevator. The winch shuddered the pulleys into motion and they began their first ascent to the top of the Wall.
Even though Tobio was wearing his furs, he felt too cold. Tadashi was shivering, and stood close to Kei for warmth.
“Where did you learn to use a bow?” Tobio asked Tadashi.
“My father taught me,” Tadashi said. “He was of a mind that I’d make a knight one day, but I was too timid for the sword, so he taught me to fight from afar.”
“There’s no pride in being a hedge knight, anyway,” Kei said. “He’d have been no better than a pawn in my father’s army. Being a Brother of the Night’s Watch is a more noble path.”
“That’s why I joined the Night’s Watch,” Tobio said. “To do something noble.”
“I thought it was because you’re a fifth son,” Kei said.
“And as a fifth son, I have no obligations but nobility,” Tobio said. He stepped forward slightly, daring Kei to challenge him.
Kei inclined his head in a nod. “You’re a commoner, now,” he said.
“We’re brothers,” Tobio said. “I won’t... I won’t treat you as any more or less. Please do the same for me.”
“Of course,” Tadashi said, giving Kei an encouraging look.
The elevator stuttered to a stop at the top of the Wall, and Tobio grabbed one of the bars of its cage to steady himself. A slight man, wearing more fur than his own flesh, helped the recruits out onto the ice. Tobio recognised him as one of the senior stewards, although not one he knew by name.
“I’m so sorry,” the steward said, “I know you’re new recruits, but I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of being formally introduced.”
Kei spoke for the group, which Tobio resented, but he wouldn’t start a fight in front of someone who outranked him.
“Kei Tsukishima, Tadashi Yamaguchi, and Tobio Kageyama. Sawamura sent us to help hold the Wall.”
“Ah,” the steward said, “if Sawamura sent you, then that’s alright.”
“Alright,” Tobio said, “then we’ll—”
The steward stuck his hands out, palms facing Tobio. “Sorry! That was a joke. Sometimes my sarcasm falls a bit flat, but I can’t let recruits throw themselves into the line of fire. As the Second Steward, I’m responsible for all of you.”
Tobio narrowed his eyes. “There is no Second Steward,” he said.
The Night’s Watch was structured so that each order had its First Brother, and Tobio had already met the First Ranger, Sawamura, and the First Builder, Aone. He also had the dubious pleasure of having been acquainted with the First Steward as a child, so the less he thought about the Stewards, the better. But he was certain that the position of “Second Steward” had to be an invented one. Perhaps it was another joke?
“There is, and it’s me. Koushi Sugawara is my name, and at the moment I’m holding the Wall, so my say is final.”
“We came to help,” Tobio said. “You don’t have to put us on the front line. Just let us fight.”
“Tadashi can shoot fire arrows at the centre of a target from a hundred paces,” Kei said. “And I can do it from two hundred. There’s no way we can miss a few Wildlings.”
The way Tadashi looked at Kei told Tobio that this was a blatant lie, but even though Tobio was less than fond of Kei, he was willing to go along with this is if it meant he got to fight alongside the Brothers of the Night’s Watch.
“I can do it from five hundred,” he said.
“I can do it blindfolded,” Kei said, quick off the mark. Neither of them took their eyes off Sugawara.
Sugawara only laughed. “Am I meant to be impressed by your one-upmanship?”
“Let them help, Suga,” someone called from behind a barrel of hot oil. “What’s the worst they can do?”
“Get themselves killed,” Sugawara said, his tone halfway between glum and teasing.
As Sugawara paused to talk to the Brother manning the hot oil, Tobio turned towards the other edge of the Wall. If he got closer, he’d be able to see over the edge, and surely that’d be worth it, even if he didn’t get to fight?
There was a flurry of wind, and Sugawara swayed a little bit, almost blown over as he put a hand on Tobio’s shoulder—Tobio hadn’t even realised he’d been straying towards the edge of the Wall.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Sugawara said. “Kageyama, Tsukishima, you’re under Matsukawa and Hanamaki’s command respectively. They’re two of our most experienced and versatile Rangers, and they’re leading the archers.”
Tobio nodded, glaring at Kei out of the corner of his eyes.
“Yamaguchi, you’re with Asahi on oil duty,” Sugawara continued. “Just between you and me, he’s not our bravest soul, so you might need to give him a bit of reassurance every now and then.”
“Hold on,” Kei said, “Tadashi is the best archer out of all—”
“That’s not what you said earlier,” Sugawara said, smiling slightly. “Go on, to your posts before I change my mind.”
Exchanging a look with Kei, Tobio trudged in the direction of the archers. Kei tarried, grabbing Tadashi’s wrist and whispering something—Tobio didn't mind the chance to show Kei up by getting there first, but at the same time, he wished he had a friend and confidant at the Wall like Kei and Tadashi had each other.
Kei caught up quickly, positioning himself bedside Tobio as they approached the archers.
“Don’t rush ahead,” Kei said grumpily.
“What’s this?” one of the archers said, turning around at the sound. “Recruits? On the Wall?”
“I’m looking for Matsukawa and Hanamaki,” Tobio said. “Sugawara has placed us under their command.”
“Well, I’m Hanamaki,” the archer said. “Issei, look—Suga’s sent us recruits.”
“What for?” another archer, presumably Matsukawa, asked. “Bait?”
“Ideal,” Hanamaki said. “Let’s dangle them over the edge and see what happens.”
“He is joking,” Matsukawa said. “Just grab your arrows and aim for the Wildlings.”
For the first time, Tobio peered over the ramparts and to the world beyond the Wall. The snow glimmered brightly, even in the dark, and Tobio could make out moving shapes like bugs on the ground—Wildlings, a whole swarm of them, rushing towards the Wall with torches and battering rams.
“We can’t let them get through the gates,” Hanamaki said, and then his whole tone changed, his voice booming down the line of archers. “READY! FIRE!”
Tobio held back, as did Kei. “They’re so synchronised,” Tobio thought aloud. He wondered if he could send out arrows with such precision.
Kei didn't respond, threading his fingers together in front of him.
“Are you... going to... ?” Tobio began.
“I’m near-sighted,” Kei said, so quietly that Tobio could barely make out his words. “My eyeglasses broke on the way here, and Maester Ittetsu said he’d make me a new pair, but he’s waiting on the glass from Myr—”
“So you can’t see where to aim,” Tobio finished.
“I was going to ask Tadashi to cover for me,” Kei said, scowling. “Now it seems I have to ask you.”
“I’ll cover for you,” Tobio said. He didn’t like Kei, but he wasn't going to let him suffer either. “We’re brothers.”
Kei looked at Tobio with undisguised surprise, or at least that’s how it seemed. Tobio pulled an arrow from his quiver and positioned it in his bow, ready to fire. Kei followed suit, but Tobio could see he was hesitant.
“READY! ” Matsukawa called. “FIRE!”
Tobio aimed for a Wildling in the centre of the charge and loosed his arrow, tracing its path but quickly losing sight as a flurry of snow blew across his field of vision. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Kei still had his arrow resting in his bow, and out the other corner, no-one seemed to have picked up on that.
He blinked once, twice, and then looked back in Kei’s direction. He could have sworn he’d seen a flash of red to his left—but the fire arrows were all to his right, and there was no way the Wildlings could be lighting arrows as they advanced.
“What are you staring at?” Kei asked.
“I thought I saw something,” Tobio said, narrowing his eyes.
Kei turned to look in the same direction. “There’s nothing there,” he said. “It’s just the watchers’ post.”
The watchers’ post was skirted by a ridge of sculpted ice, a low wall around the cold antechamber where Brothers would huddle against the wind at night and find shelter while they watched for Wildlings. It was where the watchers would have been when they sounded the horn earlier that night, but now it was empty, with every man on hand to fight.
And there, again, Tobio saw something red, or maybe orange, moving so swiftly that it would barely be discernible if you weren’t paying attention.
“You’re imagining things,” Kei said, turning his focus back just as Hanamaki called the archers to be ready.
Tobio dropped his bow and quiver and got slowly to his feet. He heard Kei calling him to come back, but he ignored it as a noise in the back of his mind and made his way quietly to the watchers’ post. Slowly, one step at a time, he rounded the corner into the antechamber.
There, huddled in the corner, was a small, orange-haired child wrapped in furs as white as the snow and with eyes wide, staring unblinkingly at Tobio.
Tobio stared back. “Who are you?”
The child blinked. “Why do you want to know?” he asked.
His voice was lower than Tobio had expected, and had a crack to it, so Tobio readjusted his estimate of the child’s age. In fact, he was probably a teenager, closer to fifteen than five. But he sounded stupid, like he was confused about why he was there in the first place. He probably didn’t know. What was a teenager dressed all in white doing on the Wall, anyway?
“Tell me who you are,” Tobio said again.
“I’m Shouyou,” the boy said, pulling himself to his feet. Standing, he was a good head shorter than Tobio.
Tobio frowned down at him. “Shouyou of what house?”
“The Free Folk don’t have houses like you Southerners,” Shouyou said.
“I’m not a Southerner,” Tobio spat, curling his fingers into fists. “I’m from House Kageyama, of the North—”
He stopped mid-sentence, staring at Shouyou.
“You’re a Wildling.”
Shouyou narrowed his eyes at Tobio. “Only Southerners call us Wildlings. We call ourselves the Free Folk.”
“How did you get up here?” Tobio demanded. The only solution he could think of was that some sort of giant eagle had carried Shouyou in its beak and deposited him atop the Wall, but he’d never seen an eagle so big that it could carry a man, even one so small as Shouyou.
“I climbed,” Shouyou said, a note of pride in his voice.
The severity of the situation began to sink in for Tobio. There was a Wildling spy who had somehow climbed the Wall without anyone noticing—he had to stop Shouyou from doing whatever he’d been sent here to do.
“I’ll take you down the other side,” Tobio said, lunging forward and grabbing at Shouyou’s shoulders. Shouyou retaliated, aiming his fists for Tobio’s stomach. He was fast, but his aim was bad, and Tobio was barely winded as he pushed Shouyou backwards and against the wall of the antechamber. Shouyou tumbled sideways, and Tobio followed, feeling the ice sear his skin as the side of his face made contact with the floor.
Tobio quickly gained the upper ground, pinning Shouyou to the floor. “TSUKISHIMA!” he shouted, not taking his eyes off Shouyou.
“That’s not fair!” Shouyou wailed. “You can’t call a friend, that’s not a fair fight!”
Tobio kept focused on Shouyou, even as he heard two sets of footsteps approaching.
“What’s going on here, Kageyama?” Kei asked. “Is that—is that a Wildling?”
“By the Seven,” came Tadashi’s voice—of course, who else would Kei have brought with him?
Grudgingly, Tobio turned to face them. “He climbed the Wall. We need to take him to the Lord Commander.”
“We should go to Sugawara first,” Tadashi said, “since he’s closest.”
“Hey!” Shouyou shouted, lashing out at Tobio’s chest. “Don't underestimate me!”
“Help me lift him,” Tobio said, ignoring Shouyou and trying to pretend that his strikes weren't hurting.
Kei stood behind Shouyou’s head and knelt down, Tadashi hovering uncertainly behind him. With a glance at Tobio, Kei seized Shouyou by the shoulders and to his feet, and Tobio wrapped his hands around his thighs as they lifted.
“Grab his hands,” Kei said, pulling back from Shouyou, who was still lashing out. Mercifully, though, he was quiet—he must have known that making noise would attract more Brothers of the Watch.
Tentatively, Tadashi made a grab for Shouyou’s flailing arms.
“Hurry up,” Kei said impatiently. “We can’t get him out of here if he’s like this.”
“Sorry,” Tadashi said, screwing his eyes shut and lunging forward.
There must have been something in the way he apologised, because Shouyou stilled, watching wide-eyed as Tadashi took him by the wrists and folded his arms back to his chest.
“What are we going to do with him?” Kei asked. “Throw him off the edge?”
“What?!” Shouyou exclaimed, suddenly looking like he was about to throw up. Tadashi looked much the same.
“We can’t take him to Sugawara,” Tobio said, running through the possibilities in his mind. Sugawara would probably just laugh at them and, although this seemed to be steward business, Tobio was loath to come in contact with the First Steward.
“Sawamura, then?” Kei said. “It’s him or the Lord Commander.”
And no-one bothered Lord Commander Ukai unless they absolutely had to.
“Sawamura,” Tobio agreed. He took a step backwards and towards the exit, steering the four of them with Shouyou as a pivot in the middle. He’d calmed down a lot, considering that Tobio’s first impression of him had been tiny and murderous.
There were no more walls to keep Shouyou hidden as they carried him, but the rest of the men on the Wall were distracted by the arrows and the hot oil. Shouyou was light, but Tobio’s hands were cold even under his gloves and he felt that if he took one step wrong he’d overbalance and they’d all fall down, attracting attention—and attention would be bad, because Tobio knew that Shouyou wouldn’t stay complacent for long. Any other members of the Night’s Watch, and who knew how he’d react?
By the elevator, Sugawara had left his post. Tobio didn’t bother to see where he’d gone—instead, he opened his mouth to ask Tadashi to let them into the elevator, but Tadashi was a step ahead. He let go of Shouyou’s arms, his own going weak, and unlatched the heavy door to the cage.
After so much quiet, Shouyou spoke again. “Where are you taking me?”
“To see the First Ranger,” Tobio said.
“Stupid,” Kei said, “he doesn’t know what that means.” He looked down at Shouyou, adding, “We’re taking you to the other side of the Wall.”
“I know who the First Ranger is,” Shouyou said testily as Tobio began to back into the elevator. “Well, now who he is, but what he does—do you think we Free Folk don’t know anything about you? We’ve—”
From where the other men on the Wall were clustered, there was a yell. “THEY’VE BREACHED THE GATE!”
“Shit,” Kei muttered. “They’ll want to send more men down.” He let go of Shouyou’s legs and shoved him into the elevator, jumping in after him. Tobio noted that Tadashi took to a more passive role, and watched as, unprompted, he desperately tugged the rope to signal that the elevator should be brought down.
“—we’ve got all sorts of stories about you,” Shouyou finished quietly.
The journey down was worse than the journey up. Tobio felt like he would plummet off the edge of the world, and found himself glad that he was still gripping Shouyou by the shoulders, because having something to hold onto was enough to stop him from screaming and acting like a fool. Shouyou wasn’t much better, though, craning his neck to look out the edge of the cage.
“We can’t let anyone see him,” Tobio said, verbalising his thoughts to distract himself.
“Are you suggesting I hide him in the folds of my furs?” Kei asked, deadpan.
Tadashi cleared his throat. “Actually, Tsukki, that’s not a bad ide—”
“Absolutely not,” Kei said. “I’d sooner take all my furs off and freeze to death than let a Wildling underneath them.”
“That’s not a bad idea either,” Tobio said. “Even if we just put one layer of fur on top of his clothes…”
“I’m not doing it,” Kei said. “He’s tiny. They won’t notice him.”
“Excuse me!” Shouyou interrupted. “I’m kissed by fire—my friends tell me I always stand out in a crowd!”
Tobio narrowed his eyes. “Kissed by fire?”
“I think he means his hair,” Tadashi said.
“That’s right!” Shouyou said. “It’s very rare.”
Tadashi smiled, like a little bit of warmth in the middle of all the cold. “That’s great,” he said. “You must be very lucky. Here, you can borrow my cloak—”
“He can take mine,” Kei said, in the sort of tone that ends a conversation. He shed his outer layer, a heavy, hooded cloak of black fur, and handed it to Shouyou. Tobio let go of him reluctantly, telling himself there was nowhere Shouyou could run while they were still in the elevator.
Shouyou took the cloak with wide eyes, holding it reverently in front of him before putting it on. “This is so cool,” he said. “I feel like a real crow!”
“Don’t get too excited,” Kei said. “They probably won’t let you be buried in it.”
“Hey,” Tadashi said, nudging Kei gently. “Don’t say stuff like that. It’s alright—oh, I didn’t catch your name… ?”
“I’m Shouyou,” he said, “of house nothing. And I’m not going to die today.”
Shouyou wasn’t looking Tobio as he spoke, but Tobio could feel his intensity. It was strangely invigorating. Tobio wondered how good he was with a sword.
“... we’ll see what Sawamura has to say about that,” Kei mumbled.
As Tadashi introduced himself to Shouyou and began telling him all about being a recruit of the Night’s Watch, the elevator drew closer to the ground, and the sounds of fighting grew louder. Tobio thought back to the person he’d heard saying that the Wildlings had breached the gate. Was it possible that they were through to the other side already?
The moment the ground came into focus, Tobio could make out the Night’s Watch in their black furs and a mess of people in furs of all colours fighting amongst them.
“Wildlings,” he said to himself. “We’ll have a distraction, but if Sawamura’s fighting—”
“We could take him to the First Steward,” Kei said.
Tobio clenched his jaw. “We’re taking him. To Sawamura.”
Kei shrugged. “You want to get yourself killed, not my problem.”
At the base of the Wall, the elevator had been abandoned too, so Tadashi unlatched the cage for them. Even Ryuu had gone, leaving his collection of swords and bows and arrows unattended.
- New recruits:
- Kageyama – Steward – minor noble from the north, sixth son or smth, joined because he wanted to do something worthwhile… lmao kags… honour isn’t real
- Kunimi – Ranger – same part of north as kags, (reason?)
- Kindaichi – Ranger – same part of north as kags, (reason?)
- Hinata – Steward – wildling, has this weird unflinching desire to join the night’s watch
- Tsukki – Ranger – main house bastard from the west, got into a fight with some thugs and saved yams but they both got wall’d (may or may not have killed a man)
- Yamaguchi – Ranger – minor house kid from the west, see above
- Sakunami – Steward – iron islands
- Koganegawa – Builder – iron islands
- Rangers:
- Sawamura – first ranger, joined back when that was what third sons did, trunortherner
- Azumane – stormlander, afraid of everything, wishes he was a steward, always this close to retiring
- Noya – poor kid from flea bottom, this is actually a step up for him
- Tanaka – hot-blooded dornishman who trains the new recruits
- Iwaizumi – trunortherner. will punch a bear.
- Hanamaki – petty criminal from _
- Matsukawa – petty criminal from _
- Futakuchi – iron islander, ace swordsman & probs ex-assassin, not afraid to pay the iron price
- Stewards
- Suga – kags mentor, all the mystique of the vale and way kind, does all the real work
- Ennoshita – kind of just fed up with everything, shady background, north riverlands
- Kinoshita – works in kitchens, west riverlands
- Oikawa – first steward, northerner with a mother from the reach (which explains everything), grooming himself for command
- Yahaba – surprisingly violent swindler from king’s landing, now staffs the library
- Moniwa – the only quiet iron islander in town
- Builders
- Kamasaki – blacksmith, iron islander
- Aone – first builder, futakuchi’s henchman, never actually killed a man but everyone assumes otherwise
- Narita – old friend of kinoshita’s, west riverlands
- Kyoutani – straight-up wild sisterman
- Onagawa, Fukiage – iron islands
- ch1: wall defence etc, bring shouyou to daichi etc and decide what do, end on shouyou choosing a surname as part of his cover story
- ch2: training, bonding, “first years” getting to know each other…
- ch2.5: (not sure re: pacing lol) role assignment + swearing oaths, oi+kage bonding scene
- ch3: expedition north!!! pew pew
- then idk how this ends ha ha ha
Chapter 1
It was on Tobio’s third night at Castle Black that everything went wrong. The horn sounded hours after the sun went down—two calls, for Wildlings—and the Castle sprung to life.
Tobio was the only new recruit not sharing his quarters with another. The rest of the recruits had come in pairs and, although he knew Akira and Yuutaro from the town near his home, they had elected to stay together. They were in the room next door, though, and Tobio didn’t know who else to go to when he heard the horn, so he grabbed his sword and knocked on their door.
“It’s nothing to do with us,” Yuutaro said. “Let the Rangers deal with it. ”
Tobio peered over Yuutaro’s shoulder—Akira seemed to be still asleep, and Tobio wondered whether it was the horn that woke Yuutaro, or his knocking.
“If it’s Wildlings, they’ll need all the help they can get,” Tobio said, glowering at Yuutaro.
“We’re just recruits,” Yuutaro said. “Go back to sleep, Lord.”
“In the Night’s Watch all brothers are equal,” Tobio said, as Yuutaro slammed the door in his face.
Tobio frowned and turned around, coming face to face with the recruits staying in the room on the other side of his. Both from the Westerlands, Kei was the bastard son of a noble family, and Tadashi was the son of their lesser bannermen. And as men formerly of lower status than Tobio, they seemed to feel duty-bound to antagonise him now that they stood on the same level.
“Ah, looks like Lord Kageyama is keen to see some action,” Kei said to Tadashi, ignoring Tobio entirely.
Akira, who knew that Tobio was from a noble family, had lazily coined the nickname. Kei had taken to it with more enthusiasm than he applied to his training.
“He could say the same to us, Tsukki,” Tadashi said, glancing over at Tobio.
“He could,” Kei said, “but will he be as much use in a fight as us?”
“Don't talk about me like I’m not here,” Tobio snapped. “I can wield a sword just as well as you, Tsukishima.”
“And you want to find favour with Sawamura,” Kei said.
Tobio gripped the hilt of his sword, and Kei moved to do the same, but was stopped by Tadashi grabbing his sword arm.
“Let’s fight the Wildlings,” Tadashi said. “Not each other.”
Kei didn’t argue—he just shook off Tadashi’s arm and pushed past Tobio towards the courtyard. Tadashi followed, but it wasn’t long before their footsteps stopped.
“Are you coming, Lord?” Kei called back.
Startled, Tobio turned to see them standing at the top of the stairway out of their barracks and towards the courtyard. Kei had drawn his sword, and Tobio noticed for the first time that Tadashi had a quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder and a bow under his arm.
“Coming,” Tobio said, unsheathing his sword and taking strides twice as wide as he usually would to catch up with them.
The courtyard was swarming with men, and Tobio quickly picked out Daichi Sawamura, the First Ranger. Of course, there were still many days to go before the new recruits would be assigned to an order, but Tobio was certain he would be under Sawamura’s command. It seemed only right to go to him to ask to join the fight. Kei had the same idea, and they walked beside each other, with Tadashi trailing behind.
“Ah,” Sawamura said, grinning when he saw them, “recruits.”
“We want to help,” Tobio said, “however we can.”
“We want to fight,” Kei corrected.
Sawamura nodded, pausing for a moment to appraise the three recruits. “Yamaguchi, you’re handy with that bow?”
“Y-yes,” Tadashi said, “relatively…”
“We need archers on the Wall,” Sawamura said. “Will this be your first time going up?”
“I’ll go with him,” Kei said quickly, “if you can provide me with a bow.”
Sawamura frowned. “I don’t want to separate you three. Kageyama, have you got any experience with bow and arrow?”
“Of course he does,” Kei said. “All nobles are—”
“I do,” Tobio said, talking over Kei.
“That’s all the reassurance I need,” Sawamura said. “Tanaka should have some spare bows for you—he’s over by the elevator. Tell him I sent you.”
The recruits saluted, and Kei led the way to the elevator. Tanaka, who insisted that people call him “Ryuu,” was in charge of training all new recruits, and even though Tobio hadn’t known him for long, he already knew that Ryuu was someone he’d trust with his life in a battle.
“My boys from the West and my favourite Northerner!” Ryuu greeted them. “Come to join the fight?”
“Sawamura sent us,” Kei said. “He said you’d have bows.”
“Bows, I have plenty,” Ryuu said. “It’s risky, putting new recruits on the Wall, but I know you three will do a fine job of it.”
“We will,” Tobio agreed.
“Don’t get too cocky,” Ryuu said. Tobio couldn’t read the intent in his sudden change in attitude, but he could tell from the shift in Ryuu’s tone that he was trying to sound like he was telling a joke.
Ryuu produced two bows and two empty quivers from a cart behind him, before shoving the recruits in the direction of the elevator. The winch shuddered the pulleys into motion and they began their first ascent to the top of the Wall.
Even though Tobio was wearing his furs, he felt too cold. Tadashi was shivering, and stood close to Kei for warmth.
“Where did you learn to use a bow?” Tobio asked Tadashi.
“My father taught me,” Tadashi said. “He was of a mind that I’d make a knight one day, but I was too timid for the sword, so he taught me to fight from afar.”
“There’s no pride in being a hedge knight, anyway,” Kei said. “He’d have been no better than a pawn in my father’s army. Being a Brother of the Night’s Watch is a more noble path.”
“That’s why I joined the Night’s Watch,” Tobio said. “To do something noble.”
“I thought it was because you’re a fifth son,” Kei said.
“And as a fifth son, I have no obligations but nobility,” Tobio said. He stepped forward slightly, daring Kei to challenge him.
Kei inclined his head in a nod. “You’re a commoner, now,” he said.
“We’re brothers,” Tobio said. “I won’t... I won’t treat you as any more or less. Please do the same for me.”
“Of course,” Tadashi said, giving Kei an encouraging look.
The elevator stuttered to a stop at the top of the Wall, and Tobio grabbed one of the bars of its cage to steady himself. A slight man, wearing more fur than his own flesh, helped the recruits out onto the ice. Tobio recognised him as one of the senior stewards, although not one he knew by name.
“I’m so sorry,” the steward said, “I know you’re new recruits, but I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of being formally introduced.”
Kei spoke for the group, which Tobio resented, but he wouldn’t start a fight in front of someone who outranked him.
“Kei Tsukishima, Tadashi Yamaguchi, and Tobio Kageyama. Sawamura sent us to help hold the Wall.”
“Ah,” the steward said, “if Sawamura sent you, then that’s alright.”
“Alright,” Tobio said, “then we’ll—”
The steward stuck his hands out, palms facing Tobio. “Sorry! That was a joke. Sometimes my sarcasm falls a bit flat, but I can’t let recruits throw themselves into the line of fire. As the Second Steward, I’m responsible for all of you.”
Tobio narrowed his eyes. “There is no Second Steward,” he said.
The Night’s Watch was structured so that each order had its First Brother, and Tobio had already met the First Ranger, Sawamura, and the First Builder, Aone. He also had the dubious pleasure of having been acquainted with the First Steward as a child, so the less he thought about the Stewards, the better. But he was certain that the position of “Second Steward” had to be an invented one. Perhaps it was another joke?
“There is, and it’s me. Koushi Sugawara is my name, and at the moment I’m holding the Wall, so my say is final.”
“We came to help,” Tobio said. “You don’t have to put us on the front line. Just let us fight.”
“Tadashi can shoot fire arrows at the centre of a target from a hundred paces,” Kei said. “And I can do it from two hundred. There’s no way we can miss a few Wildlings.”
The way Tadashi looked at Kei told Tobio that this was a blatant lie, but even though Tobio was less than fond of Kei, he was willing to go along with this is if it meant he got to fight alongside the Brothers of the Night’s Watch.
“I can do it from five hundred,” he said.
“I can do it blindfolded,” Kei said, quick off the mark. Neither of them took their eyes off Sugawara.
Sugawara only laughed. “Am I meant to be impressed by your one-upmanship?”
“Let them help, Suga,” someone called from behind a barrel of hot oil. “What’s the worst they can do?”
“Get themselves killed,” Sugawara said, his tone halfway between glum and teasing.
As Sugawara paused to talk to the Brother manning the hot oil, Tobio turned towards the other edge of the Wall. If he got closer, he’d be able to see over the edge, and surely that’d be worth it, even if he didn’t get to fight?
There was a flurry of wind, and Sugawara swayed a little bit, almost blown over as he put a hand on Tobio’s shoulder—Tobio hadn’t even realised he’d been straying towards the edge of the Wall.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Sugawara said. “Kageyama, Tsukishima, you’re under Matsukawa and Hanamaki’s command respectively. They’re two of our most experienced and versatile Rangers, and they’re leading the archers.”
Tobio nodded, glaring at Kei out of the corner of his eyes.
“Yamaguchi, you’re with Asahi on oil duty,” Sugawara continued. “Just between you and me, he’s not our bravest soul, so you might need to give him a bit of reassurance every now and then.”
“Hold on,” Kei said, “Tadashi is the best archer out of all—”
“That’s not what you said earlier,” Sugawara said, smiling slightly. “Go on, to your posts before I change my mind.”
Exchanging a look with Kei, Tobio trudged in the direction of the archers. Kei tarried, grabbing Tadashi’s wrist and whispering something—Tobio didn't mind the chance to show Kei up by getting there first, but at the same time, he wished he had a friend and confidant at the Wall like Kei and Tadashi had each other.
Kei caught up quickly, positioning himself bedside Tobio as they approached the archers.
“Don’t rush ahead,” Kei said grumpily.
“What’s this?” one of the archers said, turning around at the sound. “Recruits? On the Wall?”
“I’m looking for Matsukawa and Hanamaki,” Tobio said. “Sugawara has placed us under their command.”
“Well, I’m Hanamaki,” the archer said. “Issei, look—Suga’s sent us recruits.”
“What for?” another archer, presumably Matsukawa, asked. “Bait?”
“Ideal,” Hanamaki said. “Let’s dangle them over the edge and see what happens.”
“He is joking,” Matsukawa said. “Just grab your arrows and aim for the Wildlings.”
For the first time, Tobio peered over the ramparts and to the world beyond the Wall. The snow glimmered brightly, even in the dark, and Tobio could make out moving shapes like bugs on the ground—Wildlings, a whole swarm of them, rushing towards the Wall with torches and battering rams.
“We can’t let them get through the gates,” Hanamaki said, and then his whole tone changed, his voice booming down the line of archers. “READY! FIRE!”
Tobio held back, as did Kei. “They’re so synchronised,” Tobio thought aloud. He wondered if he could send out arrows with such precision.
Kei didn't respond, threading his fingers together in front of him.
“Are you... going to... ?” Tobio began.
“I’m near-sighted,” Kei said, so quietly that Tobio could barely make out his words. “My eyeglasses broke on the way here, and Maester Ittetsu said he’d make me a new pair, but he’s waiting on the glass from Myr—”
“So you can’t see where to aim,” Tobio finished.
“I was going to ask Tadashi to cover for me,” Kei said, scowling. “Now it seems I have to ask you.”
“I’ll cover for you,” Tobio said. He didn’t like Kei, but he wasn't going to let him suffer either. “We’re brothers.”
Kei looked at Tobio with undisguised surprise, or at least that’s how it seemed. Tobio pulled an arrow from his quiver and positioned it in his bow, ready to fire. Kei followed suit, but Tobio could see he was hesitant.
“READY! ” Matsukawa called. “FIRE!”
Tobio aimed for a Wildling in the centre of the charge and loosed his arrow, tracing its path but quickly losing sight as a flurry of snow blew across his field of vision. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Kei still had his arrow resting in his bow, and out the other corner, no-one seemed to have picked up on that.
He blinked once, twice, and then looked back in Kei’s direction. He could have sworn he’d seen a flash of red to his left—but the fire arrows were all to his right, and there was no way the Wildlings could be lighting arrows as they advanced.
“What are you staring at?” Kei asked.
“I thought I saw something,” Tobio said, narrowing his eyes.
Kei turned to look in the same direction. “There’s nothing there,” he said. “It’s just the watchers’ post.”
The watchers’ post was skirted by a ridge of sculpted ice, a low wall around the cold antechamber where Brothers would huddle against the wind at night and find shelter while they watched for Wildlings. It was where the watchers would have been when they sounded the horn earlier that night, but now it was empty, with every man on hand to fight.
And there, again, Tobio saw something red, or maybe orange, moving so swiftly that it would barely be discernible if you weren’t paying attention.
“You’re imagining things,” Kei said, turning his focus back just as Hanamaki called the archers to be ready.
Tobio dropped his bow and quiver and got slowly to his feet. He heard Kei calling him to come back, but he ignored it as a noise in the back of his mind and made his way quietly to the watchers’ post. Slowly, one step at a time, he rounded the corner into the antechamber.
There, huddled in the corner, was a small, orange-haired child wrapped in furs as white as the snow and with eyes wide, staring unblinkingly at Tobio.
Tobio stared back. “Who are you?”
The child blinked. “Why do you want to know?” he asked.
His voice was lower than Tobio had expected, and had a crack to it, so Tobio readjusted his estimate of the child’s age. In fact, he was probably a teenager, closer to fifteen than five. But he sounded stupid, like he was confused about why he was there in the first place. He probably didn’t know. What was a teenager dressed all in white doing on the Wall, anyway?
“Tell me who you are,” Tobio said again.
“I’m Shouyou,” the boy said, pulling himself to his feet. Standing, he was a good head shorter than Tobio.
Tobio frowned down at him. “Shouyou of what house?”
“The Free Folk don’t have houses like you Southerners,” Shouyou said.
“I’m not a Southerner,” Tobio spat, curling his fingers into fists. “I’m from House Kageyama, of the North—”
He stopped mid-sentence, staring at Shouyou.
“You’re a Wildling.”
Shouyou narrowed his eyes at Tobio. “Only Southerners call us Wildlings. We call ourselves the Free Folk.”
“How did you get up here?” Tobio demanded. The only solution he could think of was that some sort of giant eagle had carried Shouyou in its beak and deposited him atop the Wall, but he’d never seen an eagle so big that it could carry a man, even one so small as Shouyou.
“I climbed,” Shouyou said, a note of pride in his voice.
The severity of the situation began to sink in for Tobio. There was a Wildling spy who had somehow climbed the Wall without anyone noticing—he had to stop Shouyou from doing whatever he’d been sent here to do.
“I’ll take you down the other side,” Tobio said, lunging forward and grabbing at Shouyou’s shoulders. Shouyou retaliated, aiming his fists for Tobio’s stomach. He was fast, but his aim was bad, and Tobio was barely winded as he pushed Shouyou backwards and against the wall of the antechamber. Shouyou tumbled sideways, and Tobio followed, feeling the ice sear his skin as the side of his face made contact with the floor.
Tobio quickly gained the upper ground, pinning Shouyou to the floor. “TSUKISHIMA!” he shouted, not taking his eyes off Shouyou.
“That’s not fair!” Shouyou wailed. “You can’t call a friend, that’s not a fair fight!”
Tobio kept focused on Shouyou, even as he heard two sets of footsteps approaching.
“What’s going on here, Kageyama?” Kei asked. “Is that—is that a Wildling?”
“By the Seven,” came Tadashi’s voice—of course, who else would Kei have brought with him?
Grudgingly, Tobio turned to face them. “He climbed the Wall. We need to take him to the Lord Commander.”
“We should go to Sugawara first,” Tadashi said, “since he’s closest.”
“Hey!” Shouyou shouted, lashing out at Tobio’s chest. “Don't underestimate me!”
“Help me lift him,” Tobio said, ignoring Shouyou and trying to pretend that his strikes weren't hurting.
Kei stood behind Shouyou’s head and knelt down, Tadashi hovering uncertainly behind him. With a glance at Tobio, Kei seized Shouyou by the shoulders and to his feet, and Tobio wrapped his hands around his thighs as they lifted.
“Grab his hands,” Kei said, pulling back from Shouyou, who was still lashing out. Mercifully, though, he was quiet—he must have known that making noise would attract more Brothers of the Watch.
Tentatively, Tadashi made a grab for Shouyou’s flailing arms.
“Hurry up,” Kei said impatiently. “We can’t get him out of here if he’s like this.”
“Sorry,” Tadashi said, screwing his eyes shut and lunging forward.
There must have been something in the way he apologised, because Shouyou stilled, watching wide-eyed as Tadashi took him by the wrists and folded his arms back to his chest.
“What are we going to do with him?” Kei asked. “Throw him off the edge?”
“What?!” Shouyou exclaimed, suddenly looking like he was about to throw up. Tadashi looked much the same.
“We can’t take him to Sugawara,” Tobio said, running through the possibilities in his mind. Sugawara would probably just laugh at them and, although this seemed to be steward business, Tobio was loath to come in contact with the First Steward.
“Sawamura, then?” Kei said. “It’s him or the Lord Commander.”
And no-one bothered Lord Commander Ukai unless they absolutely had to.
“Sawamura,” Tobio agreed. He took a step backwards and towards the exit, steering the four of them with Shouyou as a pivot in the middle. He’d calmed down a lot, considering that Tobio’s first impression of him had been tiny and murderous.
There were no more walls to keep Shouyou hidden as they carried him, but the rest of the men on the Wall were distracted by the arrows and the hot oil. Shouyou was light, but Tobio’s hands were cold even under his gloves and he felt that if he took one step wrong he’d overbalance and they’d all fall down, attracting attention—and attention would be bad, because Tobio knew that Shouyou wouldn’t stay complacent for long. Any other members of the Night’s Watch, and who knew how he’d react?
By the elevator, Sugawara had left his post. Tobio didn’t bother to see where he’d gone—instead, he opened his mouth to ask Tadashi to let them into the elevator, but Tadashi was a step ahead. He let go of Shouyou’s arms, his own going weak, and unlatched the heavy door to the cage.
After so much quiet, Shouyou spoke again. “Where are you taking me?”
“To see the First Ranger,” Tobio said.
“Stupid,” Kei said, “he doesn’t know what that means.” He looked down at Shouyou, adding, “We’re taking you to the other side of the Wall.”
“I know who the First Ranger is,” Shouyou said testily as Tobio began to back into the elevator. “Well, now who he is, but what he does—do you think we Free Folk don’t know anything about you? We’ve—”
From where the other men on the Wall were clustered, there was a yell. “THEY’VE BREACHED THE GATE!”
“Shit,” Kei muttered. “They’ll want to send more men down.” He let go of Shouyou’s legs and shoved him into the elevator, jumping in after him. Tobio noted that Tadashi took to a more passive role, and watched as, unprompted, he desperately tugged the rope to signal that the elevator should be brought down.
“—we’ve got all sorts of stories about you,” Shouyou finished quietly.
The journey down was worse than the journey up. Tobio felt like he would plummet off the edge of the world, and found himself glad that he was still gripping Shouyou by the shoulders, because having something to hold onto was enough to stop him from screaming and acting like a fool. Shouyou wasn’t much better, though, craning his neck to look out the edge of the cage.
“We can’t let anyone see him,” Tobio said, verbalising his thoughts to distract himself.
“Are you suggesting I hide him in the folds of my furs?” Kei asked, deadpan.
Tadashi cleared his throat. “Actually, Tsukki, that’s not a bad ide—”
“Absolutely not,” Kei said. “I’d sooner take all my furs off and freeze to death than let a Wildling underneath them.”
“That’s not a bad idea either,” Tobio said. “Even if we just put one layer of fur on top of his clothes…”
“I’m not doing it,” Kei said. “He’s tiny. They won’t notice him.”
“Excuse me!” Shouyou interrupted. “I’m kissed by fire—my friends tell me I always stand out in a crowd!”
Tobio narrowed his eyes. “Kissed by fire?”
“I think he means his hair,” Tadashi said.
“That’s right!” Shouyou said. “It’s very rare.”
Tadashi smiled, like a little bit of warmth in the middle of all the cold. “That’s great,” he said. “You must be very lucky. Here, you can borrow my cloak—”
“He can take mine,” Kei said, in the sort of tone that ends a conversation. He shed his outer layer, a heavy, hooded cloak of black fur, and handed it to Shouyou. Tobio let go of him reluctantly, telling himself there was nowhere Shouyou could run while they were still in the elevator.
Shouyou took the cloak with wide eyes, holding it reverently in front of him before putting it on. “This is so cool,” he said. “I feel like a real crow!”
“Don’t get too excited,” Kei said. “They probably won’t let you be buried in it.”
“Hey,” Tadashi said, nudging Kei gently. “Don’t say stuff like that. It’s alright—oh, I didn’t catch your name… ?”
“I’m Shouyou,” he said, “of house nothing. And I’m not going to die today.”
Shouyou wasn’t looking Tobio as he spoke, but Tobio could feel his intensity. It was strangely invigorating. Tobio wondered how good he was with a sword.
“... we’ll see what Sawamura has to say about that,” Kei mumbled.
As Tadashi introduced himself to Shouyou and began telling him all about being a recruit of the Night’s Watch, the elevator drew closer to the ground, and the sounds of fighting grew louder. Tobio thought back to the person he’d heard saying that the Wildlings had breached the gate. Was it possible that they were through to the other side already?
The moment the ground came into focus, Tobio could make out the Night’s Watch in their black furs and a mess of people in furs of all colours fighting amongst them.
“Wildlings,” he said to himself. “We’ll have a distraction, but if Sawamura’s fighting—”
“We could take him to the First Steward,” Kei said.
Tobio clenched his jaw. “We’re taking him. To Sawamura.”
Kei shrugged. “You want to get yourself killed, not my problem.”
At the base of the Wall, the elevator had been abandoned too, so Tadashi unlatched the cage for them. Even Ryuu had gone, leaving his collection of swords and bows and arrows unattended.