Chapter Text
Standing in the muddy courtyard of Castle Black, if it could actually be called a courtyard, Brienne stared up at the 700 foot ice wall. She had to lean back and squint her eyes in an unsuccessful attempt to see the top. It made her feel dizzy just looking up at it. The Wall was rather oppressive, leaning over Castle Black, a constant reminder of the threat on the other side. But she was in awe of it, unable to fathom how it had actually been built thousands of years ago. She had been taught the history of the Wall by her father, but the stories she had been told did not do it justice.
It was nearing dusk and with Sansa busy reuniting with Jon, Brienne had little to do but stare up at the Wall contemplating how she had ended up in Castle Black of all places. Tarth seemed so far away.
She was lost in her thoughts when she heard the shuffling of feet next to her. Turning her head to the sound, Brienne was supremely displeased to see the bearded wildling fellow standing a few feet from her. She wondered how long he had been there, staring at her with that dopey grin on his face. Brienne gritted her teeth, her hand instinctively dropping to rest on Oathkeeper. What did he want? He had done nothing but stare at her since she had arrived at Castle Black. It made her skin crawl. Why did he stare? Did they not have wildling women that were her size? No, that was impossible! There were bloody giants beyond the Wall! Was it because she was dressed like a man? No, that couldn't be it. From what she had seen of the wildlings, the men and women dressed nearly identical. She didn’t know why he stared at her like that. But she knew she didn’t like it. His stare brought an unwanted warmth to her cheeks and sent her stomach churning. She really didn’t like it.
“Yes?” Brienne growled, making no attempt to hide her annoyance.
If he was put off by her coarseness, he didn’t show it. He seemed pleased she was even speaking to him. “I saw you lookin’ at the Wall.” His voice was a deep baritone, marked by an accent she had never heard before. “It’s tall. Like you.”
Wow. The wildling’s ability to perceive the obvious was astounding, Brienne thought. What brilliant observation will he make next? Her response was a wordless grunt and nothing more. She turned her eyes back to the Wall, regretting her decision to talk to him in the first place and hoping that she could just ignore him and he would go away.
That didn’t seem likely.
“I could take you to the top,” he offered, taking a step toward her. “The view from up there is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. It’s fucking amazing.” There was an overt earnestness to his voice that set her teeth on edge.
Still, the offer was enticing. She wanted to see what it was like to be so high up there on the Wall. She did not particularly want him to be the one to show her, but he was here. And he was offering. Brienne was not the type of person that let an aggravating man get in the way of what she wanted.
“Fine,” Brienne replied, begrudgingly. The wildling looked ecstatic at her response. He didn’t seem to hide any of his emotions. It was all right there, plain as day, on his bearded face. How bizarre.
“Come on,” he said, gesturing for her to follow him. She did, walking two steps behind him without a word, her hand resting on Oathkeeper. The wildling led her across the courtyard and up some stairs until they were standing in front of the lift. He pulled open the large grated door and turned back to grin at her. Brienne eyed the lift with suspicion. It didn’t appear to be the most sturdy of contraptions and they were going 700 feet in the air. Much to her chagrin, the wildling noticed her hesitation.
“It’s alright,” he reassured her. “Nothing will happen to you. I promise.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively as he continued, “And if you get really scared, you can grab on tight to me.”
His flirting did nothing but annoy her further. And in her anger, she forgot her fear. Brienne marched into the lift, spinning to face the wildling with her chin raised and arms crossed over her chest. “I am not scared,” she snapped as she narrowed her eyes at him. If looks could kill, he would be dead and buried ten times over.
The wildling’s only response was to chuckle heartily. He signaled to one of the Brothers of the Watch to activate the lift and then moved to stand beside her. He pulled the door shut with a bang and they started to ascend.
Brienne felt her stomach drop as they began to move. Her whole body tensed and she reached out a hand to steady herself. It was disconcerting how swiftly they were moving. It was equally disconcerting to be stuck in a tiny wooden box with a large wildling man that was doing nothing but gazing at her with that same idiotic expression on his face. She heard him sigh and she could do nothing but frown in response. Perhaps she had made a mistake.
But, in the next moment, the lift came to a creaking stop. They were at the top of the Wall. Brienne could hear the wind whipping over them. It was frigid up here and she could feel the cold stealing the warmth from her body. The wildling pulled open the door and this time he didn’t wait for her to go first. He stepped out onto the icy top of the Wall and turned back to her. The red-haired man gestured for her to follow. She purposefully avoided looking at him and strode past. She only walked a few steps, however, before she was stopped in her tracks. He was not lying about the view. It was breathtaking. The land beyond the Wall was covered in thick snow, jagged black mountains rising in the distance. It stretched on and on, as far as her eyes could see in the fading light. She approached the edge of the Wall and made the mistake of leaning over to look down the sheer icy face.
The vertigo hit her forcefully and she gasped. She hastily stepped back, only to have her boot slip on the ice beneath her. The sensation was terrifying. There was nothing but slippery ice between her and a horrific plunge to her death. Her pulse instantly began pounding in her ears. Brienne scrambled back from the edge of the Wall in a sheer panic, running smack into the wildling and letting out a yelp as they both stumbled on the ice.
He obviously had not been expecting her fear to propel her back so quickly from the edge. But he acted equally quickly to regain his footing before grabbing her upper arms to steady her. She responded by clutching the furs on his forearms, her eyes wide and her breath ragged. He was shorter than her, but not by much. And his arms were strong.
His eyes held no mockery as he watched her slowly regain her composure. He did not point out the fact that she was scared and was indeed grabbing on to him, just as he teased her about. In his eyes, there was truly nothing but empathy. “Everyone acts like that the first time on the Wall,” he explained. “I remember the first time I climbed it, I was about half up and made the mistake of looking down.” The wildling shook his head at the memory. “I nearly pissed myself. It took me longer than I’d like to admit before I could start climbing again.”
Brienne just stared at the wildling, still unabashedly clutching his furs in her fists as she waited for the shakiness of her legs to subsist. He didn’t seem to mind. And she was too frazzled to be ashamed. She could only sputter in disbelief, “Climbing?” Was it really possible that this wildling had climbed the Wall? All 700 feet of it? How?
“Aye,” he said with a cocky smile. “I’ve climbed it too many times to count. It takes quite a bit of strength… and stamina.” The wildling winked at her.
Brienne stared at him, her lips twisted in a frown. Despite herself, she found his boast... impressive. The thought caught her off guard. She began to feel foolish for reacting so fearfully to merely looking over the Wall's edge when the man had scaled the entire thing. And she regretted holding on to him. Roughly, she released her grip on him and stepped back, her eyes dropping to the ice beneath her feet to ensure she didn’t slip again. She did not know what to say. This wildling was somehow not what she expected and it unsettled her.
“Look!” he said abruptly. “You’re missing it.” Brienne raised her eyes to see that he was facing the other direction now, looking back over the lands of the North. She turned to follow his gaze and was once again speechless by the view. The sun was setting and the sky was filled with streaks of pinks, oranges, and yellows. The puffs of clouds looked as though they were on fire. The North, as far as she could see, was bathed in a fading golden light. The snow seemed to sparkle and glow.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed as she watched the sun slowly slip away and the radiant colors fade.
“Aye,” he murmured in response. When she glanced over at him, he was not looking at the disappearing sunlight. He was looking at her.
Ugh. Her response now was an exaggerated eye roll and an angry exhale. Surely someone had put this wildling fool up to this. It was some sort of cruel joke or wager, just like when she had joined Renly’s army and the knights had connived to claim her maidenhead. That had hurt her. But this did not. This, whatever this wildling was doing, was asinine.
Her lips in a grim line, Brienne made her way past the wildling and back to the lift. She'd had enough of this. And with the loss of the sun, the temperature was dropping rapidly. She waited silently in the lift until he joined her there. She said not a word to him. Staring straight ahead, she heard him shut the door and shout for the lift to be lowered. It creaked loudly as it began to descend.
In the cramped lift, Brienne turned on the wildling. There was anger burning in her eyes and she gripped Oathkeeper tightly in her hand. She moved toward him, invading his space, and using her height to her advantage in an attempt to intimidate him. He stared up at her, looking confused, and something else… Thrilled? Enchanted? Insane? He did not seem to mind that she had nearly eliminated the space between them.
“What’s your game, wildling?” she spat.
“Game?” he asked, not a hint of intimidation in his eyes. Instead he looked as though he was thoroughly enjoying himself, his eyes darting to her lips before meeting her eyes again. It angered Brienne further. “I ain't playing no game.”
“I’ve had enough of your looks, and your sighs, and your disgusting way of eating meat,” she growled. “Stop. It. Now.” Venom seeped from her every word.
“And if I don’t?” he replied, his voice low as he held her gaze.
The lift came to a shuddering halt on the ground. Neither of them moved.
“You’ll regret it,” she threatened, before turning and heaving the door open. She stalked away without another word.
Brienne did not see the sly smile that crept on the wildling’s face.