Tower of the Hand

Gared attempts to convince his commander, Ser Waymar Royce, to turn back, as the wildlings are all dead according to Will. Ser Waymar mocks him for his unease, but Will notices that Gared is afraid despite having been in the Night's Watch for forty years. Will is uneasy also. He has been in the Watch four years and been on at least a hundred rangings, but this is the first time the haunted forest has ever terrified him. They have been traveling north for nine days pursuing wildling raiders, and every day has been colder and worse than the day before. Ser Waymar refuses to turn back, however. The youngest son of an ancient house with too many heirs, he is young and has only been in the Watch for half a year. Gared insists that they have done all that Mormont ordered and that they could already have a two week ride ahead of them if it snows. Waymar asks Will to repeat what he saw again. Will had been a poacher before joining the Watch, until Mallister freeriders had caught him and given him the choice of losing a hand or going to the Wall. He is the best in the Watch at moving through the woods unseen. He reports that the wildling camp is two miles away and that he spied eight men and women there. None of them moved an inch the entire time he surveyed the camp, including a spotter up in the trees. Gared says they must have been killed by the cold and that he had seen a man freeze during the last winter and also during the one before that when he was a boy.¹ Ser Waymar points out that it has not been cold enough for a man to freeze and orders Will to take him to the camp.

They ride into the night, before dismounting at Will's suggestion to go the rest of the way. Gared becomes uneasy once again, but Waymar only mocks him and tells him to watch the horses while he and Will continue on foot. Gared wants a fire, but Waymar refuses so as not to draw enemies. Gared claims it will keep away some enemies such as bears, direwolves, and "other things,"² but Waymar is firm. As they reach the campsite, Will is shocked to see that the bodies are gone. Waymar refuses to go back to Castle Black from his first ranging a failure, and so he orders Will to climb a tree and look for any sign of the wildlings. As he climbs, Will hears Ser Waymar issue an uncertain challenge. The Others, however, make no sound as they glide through the forest towards Ser Waymar. Will sees them briefly, but assumes it was a mirage. Waymar calls out to Will and asks why it is so cold, and Will realizes that it is now freezing. An Other comes out of the shadows to challenge Waymar. As Will watches, five more emerge silently to surround Waymar, but the knight does not see them. The newcomers watch as Waymar and the first Other fight. After a series of blows, the Other wounds Waymar in the side. Finding a last ounce of strength, Waymar lunges forward, but when his sword meets the Other's blade, it shatters. Waymar falls to his knees, and the Others all move in and butcher him. Will stays in the tree a long while after the Others depart before gathering the courage to come down. He decides to take the broken sword as proof of what happened and hopes that if Gared does not know what to make of things, then Mormont or Maester Aemon will. As Will stands, he sees Ser Waymar standing over him, his one good eye now sporting a burning blue pupil.³ Waymar grabs Will's throat and chokes him to death. His grip is icy cold.