The clamor of the feast was shut out by the thick stone walls.
Below Castle Black, only the wind could be heard.
The wind whistled through the battlements, stirring up withered leaves and ice on the ground.
Lynn stood in the silent shadows.
The longsword in his hand reflected streaks of cold light under the clear moonlight.
He did not practice grand, sweeping moves.
Instead, he focused on the most basic thrusts, parries, and dodges.
He repeated each movement hundreds of times.
The soreness in his muscles further refined his control over this body.
Sweat trickled down Lynn's forehead, quickly dried by the cold night wind, taking away the last trace of warmth from his skin.
Footsteps approached from a distance.
The steps were light, carrying a hint of hesitation.
Lynn stopped his movements, but his grip on the sword did not relax in the slightest.
He turned around.
Jon Snow stood not far away, also holding a blunt practice sword.
He was not wearing formal attire for the feast, but a simple Black (clothes).
A look of melancholy, out of place with the feast, clouded his handsome face, which did not belong to the House Stark.
"I thought I was the only one here."
Jon's voice was a little low.
Lynn sheathed his sword.
"Me too."
Jon walked over and stopped beside Lynn.
He gazed at the brightly lit tower in the night, silent for a long time.
"They are all inside."
Jon's tone was flat, devoid of emotion.
"Cheering, drinking, celebrating the King's arrival."
"And I can only stand here."
Lynn said nothing.
He knew Lady Stark would not allow Jon at the high table.
At such a grand occasion, the presence of a bastard was her greatest humiliation.
Jon gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"Sometimes, I really want to leave here."
He raised the blunt practice sword in his hand and swung it at a dummy.
"Go somewhere no one knows me."
"Go somewhere my surname is no longer Snow."
His gaze fell on Lynn.
A hint of inquiry was in his eyes.
"Do you think the Wall is truly my only destiny?"
Before Lynn could answer, another voice emerged from the shadows behind them.
"The Wall is no one's destiny, child."
The voice was steady, carrying the unique rasp of the North.
Lynn's pupils contracted sharply.
A figure on horseback emerged from the darkness.
He wore worn Black (clothes), his figure lean, his face chiseled by wind and frost.
His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.
He was Benjen Stark.
Lord Eddard's brother, the First Ranger of the Night's Watch.
"Uncle Benjen!"
The melancholy on Jon's face vanished, replaced by the pleasant surprise of seeing a relative.
He respected Benjen as much as he respected his father, Eddard.
Benjen nodded at Jon, acknowledging him.
His gaze, however, passed over Jon and landed directly on Lynn.
The look was scrutinizing, but without hostility.
"You are the crow that flew back."
Benjen's tone was calm, as if stating a fact.
"When I returned to the Wall, all the Night's Watchmen called you a deserter."
Lynn did not argue.
He simply met Benjen's gaze silently.
Benjen's eyes moved from Lynn's face, to his hand gripping the sword hilt, and finally to the compacted snow at his feet.
There were countless footprints left by repeated practice.
A faint curve appeared at the corner of Benjen's mouth.
"A deserter wouldn't practice sword fighting like this."
"I also heard about the bandits."
"You did well."
Benjen took a few steps forward, and the chill from his body washed over them.
It was the aura of someone whose bones were steeped in ice and snow from years of living at the Wall.
"I saw you fight the Wildlings with my own eyes. I know you are no coward."
"And on this reconnaissance trip, I also saw the White Walkers."
Benjen concluded.
"I will make it clear to my brother."
"The Night's Watch needs warriors like you, not a corpse hanging from a gallows."
Lynn's heart gave a fierce thump.
A warm current spread from his chest to all his limbs.
The First Ranger's promise.
This carried more weight than any argument.
It meant that the sharp sword of 'deserter' hanging over his head had finally been removed.
"Thank you, My Lord."
Lynn bowed slightly, his voice carrying a hint of relief he had not even noticed himself.
"It's only been two months, and you've learned a lot of manners."
Benjen waved his hand, indicating Lynn did not need to be so formal.
His gaze returned to Jon.
"You've grown up."
A smile appeared on Benjen's face.
"I rode back through the night just so you wouldn't have to face those annoying Lannister feasts alone."
"You know, my brother Eddard, every time he attends such a boring feast, he's like a bear trapped in a cage."
"Aren't you going inside for the banquet?"
Jon gave a bitter smile.
"Lady Stark believes that a bastard sitting at the same table as royalty would be an insult to the royal family."
Benjen nodded, understanding.
No one knew Jon Snow's plight better than him.
He cared deeply for Jon.
"Well, there are no such annoying restrictions on the Wall."
"A bastard can take a seat anytime."
Jon stood ramrod straight.
He looked at his uncle, and an unprecedented light burned in his gray eyes.
"Then take me with you when you go back!"
"If you just speak to my father, he will surely agree!"
"I want to join the Night's Watch."
"On the Wall, lineage doesn't matter."
"I have no surname, only brothers."
Benjen's expression did not change.
He simply looked at his nephew, at his face flushed with excitement.
"You have no idea what you're saying."
Benjen said.
"We have no families."
"Once you put on the Black (clothes), you can never marry, never have children."
"Do you think this is some hero's game?"
"What we face are Wildlings, eternal winter, things more terrifying than death."
Unlike his previous inquiry to Lynn, Jon's eyes now held an unprecedented resolve.
"I don't care."
"I'm ready to swear my oath to the Night's Watch."
Lynn understood that Catelyn's actions today had deeply hurt Jon.
"You're still just a child."
Benjen's tone softened a little.
"When you realize what this truly means, you'll most likely regret it."
"Stay in Winterfell, Jon."
"When you're older, when you truly understand what you'd be giving up, then come and talk to me."
With that, Benjen stopped looking at him.
He patted Lynn's shoulder.
"Kid, I'm going in now. Remember to come find me later."
Then, Benjen turned and re-merged into the deep darkness.
In the Courtyard, only Jon and Lynn remained.
And the endless sound of the wind.
Jon stood rooted to the spot.
After a long time.
He finally looked up at Lynn, his voice hoarse.
"Uncle Benjen is right, isn't he?"
"Am I... too naive?"
Lynn looked at him.
He looked at the future Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, at the fragility on his face that was unsuited for his age.
Lynn did not comfort him.
He simply said calmly.
"The path is your own choice, Jon."
"No one can walk it for you."