A Game of Thrones-Chapter 52

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A Game of Thrones chapter
Page 462 US HC (Other versions)
Chapter chronology (All)
Jon VI
Sansa IV  ← Jon VII →  Bran VI



Lord Commander Mormont leads a detachment of rangers, along with hunting dogs, Jon, Sam and Ghost. They find the corpses of Othor and Jafer Flowers in the woods, two of the rangers who had accompanied Benjen Stark. The hounds and horses will not go near the corpses, no matter what. Ser Jaremy believes they were killed by wildlings, but no one voices the fact that it might be the work of the Others. No one wanted to believe that, for the Others have been gone for 8000 years, if they ever existed at all. Ben Stark has been missing half a year, yet Ser Jaremy thinks the corpses are only a day old. Sam disagrees, and shows them that the blood in the corpses’ veins is dry and crusty, as if they were dead for a long time. However, there is no corpse stink, and no pools of blood were found, indicating the bodies may have been moved. Nor were they decomposing.

Dywen then points out the corpses have blue eyes, which neither man had in life. "Burn them" someone whispers, but the Old Bear wants them returned to Castle Black so Maester Aemon could examine them. When they return, Mormont finds out from Aemon that Eddard Stark has been imprisoned as a traitor. He tells Jon, who doesn’t believe it. Mormont tells him that he will send letters to King's Landing requesting that they allow Ned to take the black. Later, at dinner, Ser Alliser mocks Jon’s father, and Jon attacks him with a dagger. The Old Bear has Jon placed in his room with Ghost, and his door guarded as punishment. That night, Ghost is scratching at the door and looking back at Jon. When Jon opens the door, he finds the guard dead, his neck snapped and his sword still in its sheath. He and Ghost race upstairs to Mormont’s chambers and find a man in a dark cloak shambling toward the Lord Commander’s bedroom door. The man is the corpse Othor, and his eyes burn blue. Ghost and Jon attack the wight, but even after its arm is hacked off, the hand still moves and tries to grab Jon. When Mormont comes out of the room, he sees the corpse ready to strike. Jon grabs Mormont’s lantern and sets the drapes on fire. He plunges his right hand into the flame and throws the burning drapes on the walking corpse, destroying it.

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References and Notes
