➵ Wolves of the North I ➵

Chapter 4: Thought

Ygritte spent more than a year since then, trapped in the Castle Black with the Crows. She'd been given a job and a place to rest her head, but it was not a home. Though she still hated all of them, she had to stay relatively neutral to their constant demands. She'd been attacked, beaten and almost raped, but she still had to act neutral. They kept her in a cell in the North Tower during the day, with books she couldn't read, a window to watch the men fight and whistle up to her tower. She often would just stare at the Wall, wanting nothing more but to leave.

During the night, when all the men were supposed to sleep, she was to clean the kitchens, halls and sometimes the weapons. She was thankful for every time she got to clean their blades and armor, it kept her sane. At times, she'd sneak off to the gate going North. She was far too weak, being a girl of ten, to lift the gate, but she'd see the Wild waiting patiently on the other side. Ygritte would pet the Wild through the grate, sometimes wishing she was younger so she might fit. She couldn't, she'd tried.

She missed everything about her old home. Her dragon eggs had probably frozen over the second the fire burned out. Talon was dead, left to freeze over past the wall.

She had a plan. She'd learned every inch of Castle Black. She had a plan ready to escape, but it would only work if she'd gained their trust. As much trust as you can from the evil Crows. She thought to herself bitterly. Even in her sleep, she could think clearly, allowing her to alter her good dreams and avoid the bad ones.

"Wake up, the halls need sweeping," the Maester, or so they called him, said. His eyes darted blindly. What were once grey eyes, now seemed snowed-over with blindness. She knew he was blind, but he could see with his other senses, and he might have been more dangerous. He was as frail as a bird's wing, but he had the knowledge and respect from the other men to have her killed on the spot. She'd noticed that the first day after she woke up.

She just mumbled, still not sure how to address any of the men here. She'd started out calling them captors, murderers and the names that signified how much of evil scum they were. It didn't last long, they either ignored her or took it as a compliment. She'd been their enemy long before she'd been born. Just for being born on one side of the Wall, and not the other.

"How long will I stay here?" Ygritte asked, still not looking at the man who was to watch her tonight. She scrubbed the stone floor of the dining hall, trying to focus on the task at hand. Ygritte wished it was one of those nights where no-one watched her and she could do as she pleased.

"Until we're through with you," he said, shuffling a little closer to her. She could feel his smirk, his bright pink cheeks pulling his lips up. She shook her head a little and turned to face him, for the first time since she'd started cleaning, about two hours ago.

"Well then, when will that be?" She asked, finally standing in defiance. She may have been shorter than him, by at least three heads, but she could see him back up slightly. He regained his composure, a smirk growing on his face. He shrugged and approached her slowly. She held her breath, refusing to let him see her nervous or scared. Ygritte knew what he might do, and she would never let him. She'd fight to her death before she'd let any of them rape her.

"Don't worry, we're going to keep you happy," he promised, reaching to her face and grabbing her chin roughly. She felt his hands at her side, keeping her still. "You know how I got here?" He asked, pushing her towards the wall. She shook her head, kept her eyes trained on him. He will not see me scared, she vowed that on her first day, no one will ever see me scared.

"Why?" She asked, feigning interest and pushing his much larger frame off of her. He looked bothered by it, but she was still cornered. He just smirked, his pink cheeks even brighter. Is he embarrassed? She wondered to herself.