𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐁𝐎𝐘

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴏɴᴇ

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Torsten sat solemnly on his horse, long brown hair stirring in the wind. His closely trimmed stumble was short, making him look older than fifteen. He had a grim cast to his brown eyes this day. There were questions asked and answers given there in the chill of morning.
One of his trembling hands grasped his horse's reins with a tight lock, while the other held an unopened letter. The tips of his gloved fingers fiddled mindlessly with the piece of paper, toying with its smooth surface. There was not a single thought going through the boys head.
The boy soon peeled off his glove and tucked it securely under his arm, his hesitation was clear as day. It had been the first letter he'd obtained that he didn't want to read. He'd been given thousands beforehand, he didn't need to open it to already know what was written inside. He kept all the others bound in a leather book he'd been given by the First Ranger of the Night's Watch. "You did well." The Lord Commander told him solemnly, bringing the boy's attention away from his letter.

"Thank you, my Lord." Torsten muttered low enough for the Old Bear to hear. It seemed colder on the long ride back to the Wall, though the wind had died by then and the sun was higher in the sky. Torsten rode with this brother's.
Two squirrels were tied to his saddle dangling lifelessly against the rope tied to their hind legs, while two snowshoe hare's were tied on the other side, swaying as his horse trotted forward.

"Worried about your letters?" The Commander soon asked as silence had drifted quickly over them.

"Aye, my Lord." Torsten nodded with a gentle sigh. "Always the same pointless thing on 'em." He informed. Every winter a raven would be sent for him, from a location Torsten had never been permitted to know about. The letter would remain in the Lord Commander's headquarters waiting for Torsten's nimble fingers to clutch and read.
Without much more thought to it, Torsten quickly scrunched the letter tight into a fisted hold.

"Are you afraid?" The Lord Commander's words had taken him by surprise, he'd pulled back on the spurs stopping his horse at once. He'd never thought of it like that, but he was. He'd never known who his parents were. Alliser Thorne loved to remind him, that he was nothing more than a useless bastard boy. His letters kept him in touch with who he once was but lately he was growing to realize he no longer cared and that scared him. There were times, not many, but a few when Torsten was glad he was a bastard. He couldn't bring shame to his family and he didn't need to worry about never seeing them again.

"A little." He admitted and the Old Bear frowned.

"You must learn to face your fears. You will not be a child forever." His words echoed through the cold morning air.

"Yes, my Lord." Torsten agreed. The words gave him a chill. Nonchalantly he kicked his horse forward and the two continued on towards the giant Wall.

At their return Torsten and the rest of the hunting party made it towards the Common Hall, where food was waiting their bellies. The Hall was hazy with smoke and heavy with the smell of roasted meat and fresh baked bread. He settled back in his place on the bench after grabbing a tray full of grub. Down at his end of the hall his voice could scarcely be heard.
Not one of his brother's had ever sat with him. They'd all enjoyed each other's company where Torsten could only ever enjoy his own. The long night had brought a hunger over him, even the god awful food couldn't halt. His eyes stung, Torsten rubbed at them savagely cursing the smoke. He swallowed another gulp of ale.

"Ale?" A familiar voice asked close at hand. Torsten looked up happily as Benjen Stark put a hand on his head and ruffled his hair. Torsten was in the middle of snagging a roasted onion, dripping brown with gravy from his tray. It crunched as he brought it up to meet his teeth.
The room had quickly fallen silent at the sight of the First Ranger's return. Benjen Stark straddled the bench with his long legs and took the ale cup from Torsten's hands. "Haven't missed it." Benjen commented with a toothy smile. "How many cups have you had?" The older ranger asked and Torsten only smiled.

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