Tyrion is taking dinner with the high officers of the Night's Watch, including Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, Ser Alliser Thorne, Bowen Marsh, Ser Jaremy Rykker, and Maester Aemon, and informs Jeor that he will be leaving on the morrow. He mocks Ser Alliser, who gets up and leaves. Tyrion comments that Ser Alliser is not fit to be master-of-arms, but Lord Commander Mormont laments that they have too few knights or trained fighters. Few knights have taken the black during Mormont's tenure as Lord Commander, and Ser Alliser fought bravely at King's Landing. Ser Jaremy quips that he and Ser Alliser were on the wrong side in that battle, and afterwards Lord Tywin gave them the choice of taking the black or dying as traitors. Mormont accuses Tyrion of mocking the Watch, but Maester Aemon says that Tyrion is a giant come amongst them, which leaves Tyrion speechless.

After dinner, Jeor drinks with Tyrion. He tells Tyrion that he will give him an escort as far as Winterfell. Tyrion protests that he has his own men, Jyck and Morrec, and that Yoren is going south again too, but Mormont insists. Tyrion suggests sending Jon, but Mormont thinks that seeing his family again will just stir up feelings that are best left buried at this phase of his training. Mormont adds that his sister, Maege, rules Bear Island with his son's dishonor, and he has nieces he has never met. Lord Commander Mormont goes on to talk about the Watch's plight. The Watch is dying. There are less than one thousand men now, six hundred at Castle Black, two hundred at the Shadow Tower, and slightly less than that at Eastwatch, and only one third of these are fighting men. He regrets sending Ser Waymar out on a ranging with him so green, but he feared to offend his father, Lord Yohn Royce. He sent two of his most reliable men with Waymar, and was shocked when Eddard sent him Gared's head after he was executed as a deserter. He laments the fact that Ben Stark has gone missing and wonders who he should send to find him. Finally, he laments his own old age, sixty-eight, and worries that there are no suitable sucessors to his position. He pleads with Tyrion to tell Lord Tywin and King Robert of the Watch's needs. Jeor is desperate because the findings of the Citadel indicate that winter is on the way and it will be a bad one. He has reports from Denys Mallister of the Shadow Tower that wildlings are slipping south in greater numbers than usual, apparently ruuning from something, and the fisherfolk of Eastwatch have glimpsed strange things.

Tyrion takes his leave and is heading back to his chambers when he suddenly gets the urge to climb the Wall one last time. He gets to the top and walks west, meeting Jon and Ghost. Jon has been making progress with his fellow trainees. Grenn is better than he was, and he has starting helping another trainee named Pypar too. Ser Alliser has taken a special interest in making his life hell. Tyrion tells Jon that he is stopping by Winterfell on the way south and asks if their is a message he would like sent. He tells Tyrion to help Bran like he helped him. They shake hands as friends, and gaze off to the edge of the world.