Jon pushed open the door and strode outside.
He had only recently returned alive from Beyond the Wall and become the new Lord Commander, but he had not yet had the chance, or the time, to move from Hardin Tower to the Commander Tower.
The Night's Watch steward followed close behind.
As he walked, Jon asked:
"What's happened? What's wrong with the Wildlings outside the Wall? Didn't we mark out a camp for them and give them supplies? How could a riot still break out?"
His brow was furrowed.
The warmth that had just stirred in his heart was buried deep beneath the snow in the biting wind.
He still remembered his duty: hold the Wall, fulfill the Old Bear's charge, and honor his oath.
The steward replied, "I don't know. Everything was fine before. Those Wildlings were behaving themselves well enough."
"But this morning, the sentries spotted another Wildling tribe coming out of the Haunted Forest. Then the whole camp fell into chaos, and it's only gotten worse."
He paused, then added, "Lord Jon, Master-at-Arms Alliser is holding a meeting in the Commander Tower to discuss what to do. Should we head there now?"
Jon faltered for a moment and turned to look at the steward.
The man had not called him "Lord Commander," only the vague title of "lord."
His brow tightened almost imperceptibly. He said nothing, turned, and kept walking.
"Straight to the Wall. We'll take the winch lift up and see what's happening."
When he reached the top of the Wall, Jon found Davos there too.
Neither spoke. They merely nodded in greeting.
Jon went to the edge and looked down at the Wildling camp. It was nothing like the fairly orderly place it had been before. The entire camp was in chaos; calling it a