Chapter 216

The wildfire, mixed with a large amount of lamp oil and pitch, had lost its explosive properties. In a typical siege, a wall of fire wouldn’t prevent attackers from scaling other sections of the defenses or breaking through. But here, before the unique fortifications of the Wall—where the only viable breach point was the gate—a strange green flame engulfing the entrance had become the best line of defense.

The wildlings had no intention of risking further attacks under the deadly rain of arrows and stones from above to extinguish the fire. And the roaring green flames clearly wouldn’t die down anytime soon. Now, it was time for Aegor to help the brothers of the Night’s Watch on the ground.

“Leave twenty men here and sound the horn if anything happens!” Aegor shouted, quickly picking out a group of older or weaker men to remain on watch. “The rest of you, grab your weapons and head down to assist our brothers below!”

Uncertain of the situation on the ground, Aegor waited for the first group to descend before he and the soldiers of the Logistics Corps took the elevator back to the courtyard. To his relief, the battle below was nearing its end, sparing him the need to personally join the fray.
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One of the towers was ablaze, corpses littered the ground, and figures—most still dressed in black—ran back and forth amidst the chaos. The low wooden walls and barricades had failed to stop the attackers, but they proved a hindrance for the wildlings during their retreat. In the area visible to Aegor, two wildlings attempting to climb the walls were skewered from behind by Night’s Watch brothers. Small groups of three or four men methodically searched the towers and other buildings for any wildlings who might be hiding. The battle wasn’t over yet, but Black Castle was effectively secure.

Now came the aftermath—extinguishing fires, treating the wounded, and tallying losses. Craftsmen and quartermasters laid down their weapons and began the grim task of cleaning up.

Jaime approached, his bloodied sword in hand. For the first time since their journey began, he seemed to have forgotten his guilt over his crimes. His face, no longer stoic, bore an almost amused expression. “This cursed place… is it always this exciting?”

“Hardly,” Aegor replied. He understood that the intensity of arriving and immediately being thrown into a bloody battle could easily shake new arrivals. Jaime and his guards had no choice but to endure it, but for the young men of the Logistics Corps—unbound by vows—it might tempt them to leave. “This fight happened entirely because of poor decision-making by the Night’s Watch leadership. Now that I’m back, there will be no more opportunities for the wildlings to launch two-front assaults.”

“Poor decisions aren’t the worst problem. As the headquarters of the Night’s Watch, why doesn’t Castle Black have a proper wall?” Jaime asked, his voice tinged with frustration. “There are plenty of unused towers. Tear some of them down, dig up some dirt, and you’d have enough to build a decent wall.”

Jaime finally speaking up was a good sign, and Aegor didn’t want to discourage him. Shrugging, he said, “I’ll relay your suggestion to Commander Mormont. Take your men and find a place to rest. Leave the cleanup to the Night’s Watch.”

A heated argument nearby caught Aegor’s attention. Recognizing Jon Snow’s voice, he quickly moved toward the commotion.
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“That wildling whore killed at least two of our brothers!”

“She surrendered. She’s my prisoner now,” Jon snapped, standing his ground.

“I didn’t see her surrender.”

Jon grabbed the red-haired wildling by the arm. “Did you surrender?”

“I surrendered,” the woman said, her breath fogging in the frigid air.

“You’re sweet on her, aren’t you? The Wall’s got you lonely, stirring up that bastard’s wicked blood of yours, hasn’t it?”

“She’s my prisoner,” Jon repeated firmly. “Since when is taking prisoners against the rules? We could interrogate her to learn more about the wildlings’ plans and movements.”

“Wildlings would sooner bite their tongues and die than give us anything useful. It’s a waste of time.”

Aegor stepped forward, cutting off the argument. His gaze fell on the red-haired woman in Jon’s grasp—Ygritte. Though her features were hard to make out in the dim light, it was clear she had participated in the assault on Castle Black, only to be captured in the chaos. Was it mere chance, or some twisted fate, that had brought Jon and Ygritte together?

Shaking off the thought, Aegor addressed the brothers, his tone firm. “If there are any living captives, take them. Even if we can’t get information out of them, they might be useful as bargaining chips with Mance Rayder.”

“They’ll eat our food!”

Compared to the disciplined soldiers Aegor had trained in King’s Landing, the Night’s Watch suddenly seemed disorganized and unruly. Even a lowly soldier dared to argue with the Chief Logistician. Aegor’s expression darkened. “Food supplies are the Logistics Corps’ concern, not yours. Stop arguing and get back to cleaning up the battlefield. Have the kitchen prepare dinner!”
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The Night’s Watch, craftsmen, and quartermasters worked tirelessly through the night. By midnight, preliminary casualty reports were compiled: twenty-six Night’s Watch brothers had died, with numerous others injured. Of the two hundred wildlings who had attacked, seventy-six were dead, five captured, and the rest fled into the darkness.

Jaime’s elite guards from the Westerlands had been pivotal. Forming spear phalanxes, they tore through the wildling ranks like an unstoppable force, accounting for nearly half of the enemy casualties while losing only four of their own. The wildlings had planned their assault meticulously, luring away the Watch’s rangers. But their carefully laid plans had crumbled when they encountered Jaime’s reinforcements—more deadly than any ranger.

Though the battle could be considered a victory, Aegor remained realistic. The wildlings outnumbered the Night’s Watch a hundred to one. Every loss, no matter how small, was a blow they could ill afford.

After a meal of hot onion soup and bread, the corpses of both fallen brothers and wildlings were burned. The Wall’s horn remained silent through the night, but no one could be sure if another attack was imminent. Aegor worked with the craftsmen and officers to draft a new watch schedule, ensuring twenty men were always stationed on the Wall’s summit and thirty in the surrounding towers.

As a non-member of the Night’s Watch, Aegor excused his Logistics Corps from sentry duty. After their grueling journey and the harrowing battle, they were fortunate to have suffered no casualties. Aegor assigned them quarters in Hardin’s Tower, the same place where Jon and his friends lived. Though Castle Black could house five thousand men, it was nearly deserted, leaving no shortage of space.
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The wildlings did not attack again that night. After a much-needed rest, the defenders woke to assess the aftermath of the siege. The situation was grim: a third of their oil barrels had been used, and only one jar of wildfire remained. Worse, the outer gate, damaged by the giants and the fire, was now warped beyond repair—unable to open or close, and incapable of withstanding another assault.

The wildlings launched another feint at dawn, retrieving their dead from the field and retreating to the forest to burn the bodies. That night, they returned with hide-covered battering rams, but the green flames of wildfire, impervious to water, repelled them once more.

By the third day, with wildfire and oil supplies exhausted, Aegor devised a clever ruse: he ordered the remaining empty barrels to be filled with water and stacked visibly along the Wall’s summit. Perhaps intimidated by the sight of these “oil barrels,” or deterred by their previous defeats, the wildlings ceased their attacks. Word soon arrived that Commander Mormont and Ser Jaremy Rykker had returned to Castle Black with part of the ranger force.

For now, the Wall stood secure. But Aegor knew this reprieve would not last forever.