Chapter Text
Jon coughed and coughed on the heavy smoke. The smells were horrific, almost making Jon not feel the wounds keeping him from moving. It took another minute before Jon was able to turn over enough to see through the dark clouds swirling about him. Screaming registered then, men were bloody, some dead everywhere. Brothers, men he hated or liked, all dead. No, not all because the screaming wasn't one person alone, most were moaning, but there was screaming too. He began to drag himself forward, looking for Ghost, for a weapon, anything. There were men left that needed defense, needed help. Jon yanked an arrow out of his shoulder and forced his legs to work. His left leg was injured somehow, Jon limped badly. He tried to lift an axe he found but his right hand was nearly useless. Fingers were all black and twisted. He wasn't as good with his left hand, but Jon grasped the axe tighter and limped forward.
It was very hard to see and Jon nearly tripped over his own pet. Seeing his wolf nearly cut in half brought tears to Jon's eyes and a burning rage to his heart. He continued forward in search of Brothers to save. They can organize an escape and live to attack another day. Except Jon saw why those men were screaming and all his calm planning went to hell. There was Samwell being carefully eviscerated by a Thenn while two others held him down, laughing at the dying squeals. Pigs squeal like that at their slaughter. It was too late to save him as they tossed his twitching, large body into a large pot of boiling water. It held the cook's stew for years, all the brothers ate from it, now it would feed the brothers to their enemies. Crow stew, thought Jon with horror and disgust. Jon may have tried to continue in hiding to find wounded but moving men. Except he saw a wounded man that lurched from nowhere to attack the three Thenns boiling Sam. It was Alliser Thorne and his rage carried his grievously wounded body forward. The man managed to run a sword through one of the cannibals. Jon surged forward then and killed another by putting his axe through the man's head, clumsily.
The third man gave a trilling whistle before he attacked and put his cleaver through Alliser's neck. Jon managed to dispatch the man while he was pulling his cleaver out of the body. He starred to run, hearing others coming but an arrow through his damaged leg brought him down. Still, he fought, clawing his way to a sitting position, still wielding the small axe, snarling in desperation. Two Thenns, one with another arrow notched and pointed at Jon, came forward towards him. "Did no one tell you, boy? It is all over, the Crows are slaughtered, Wall is ours now. Our King sits inside nice and toasty warm at your fires. Put the axe down and I'll make your death fast, you won't feel a thing." The man sounded almost kindly but Jon tightened his grip. "Go ahead and kill me. But I am going to try and make sure this axe takes at least one of you with me." He boasted, preparing to launch the axe into the closest bald head. Jon was ready to die, to join his brothers in death. A man, larger than the others, larger than Mance or Tormund appeared out of the smoke. He saw Jon and came closer, putting a hand on the man's arrow, lowering it.
"Well, aren't you a pretty looking one? I know who you are, Jon Snow, Mance's baby Crow, that fucked Ygritte then fucked over Mance. Don't put an arrow or sword through this one, no. I want him to watch us kill and eat his friends, his brothers. Do not feed him anything unless it is a juicy bit of Crow stew. Only water, we do not want to kill our new friend here. I have some plans for our pretty little bird. He growls like a wolf pup. Maybe that is what he really is. We shall find out soon enough." Jon cursed and threatened, but the three men overpowered him. The axe was taken away, Jon was unable to keep hold of it. Weakened and hurt, he was no match for the men. they kicked and punched until he was curled up, whimpering. His arms were protecting his head and then a sharp prick was felt against his testicles. Jon cried out but didn't dare to move as the large Thenn grinned, looming over him. "Now, are you ready to be a good baby crow? Or do you need another beating first? We won't kill you, just keep hurting you worse and worse. We are excellent at flaying, did you know that about us? I am going to flay you, just your cock, but it will be more pain than you have ever felt. If you continue to resist me, I am going to flay you. Are you understanding me, boy?" Jon nodded. "Good boy."
Jon kept still and fumed as the men roughly tied his hands behind his back. One of them brought over a length of rope with a noose on it. He pulled away, panicking, but the large Thenn fixed him with a deadly look. Pulling out the flaying knife, he tilted his head and stared at Jon, freezing him with silent warning. Jon growled but stayed still as one of them put the noose over his head and made it tight. It was not enough to choke him, but when the large Thenn took hold of it and pulled, it tightened more. Trying to breathe, Jon was forced to follow behind the Thenns as they walked further into horror, dragging Jon with them. He watched in tears as so many of his fellow brothers were slaughtered for meat. How could Mance allow this? Some of them were hacked to death, left to rot, wounded men ignored, to scream out their last before being made into food. Others that were taken captive were tied and waiting to find out their fate. Jon was brought past the small makeshift pen that contained Pyp, Griff and three others, all bloody and trying to not look terrified. They watched Jon stagger past them, led by his rope and Jon hated that they saw him this way. Up ahead were two survivors and this is where the largest Thenn took him. With a shove, the man sent Jon to his knees, next to Gilly.
The girl was tied hands and feet, plus a gag in her mouth. Jon looked up questioningly at the Thenn. "She is just a girl who was here for safety's sake, for her and her child. Where is the baby? Why is she bound and gagged?" Shrugging, the Thenn responded casually. "I will admit, we are not above killing babies, little crow. None of us killed her baby though, it was one of your own that did it. That fat, greying fuck rotting over there." With a long curved knife he has chosen to now play with, he pointed toward the body of Jonas Slynt. "When they were found in the storage room, the man grabbed her baby. He tried to offer the baby and the woman in exchange for his life. An arrow through his throat answered his question. The coward fell upon the baby, crushing it when he died. The girl went wild, screaming and attacking. I must say, this young lady was impressive in her agony. She nearly killed a man before they knocked her out. We heard she was skilled in cooking, preparation of food. We do not need her to fix our food, but the other Wildlings might enjoy a meal in the Keep. If she can stay behaved, she can become a slave and cook for Mance Rayder. Not a bad position, better than death." With a leer at the girl who stared back stonily, the man said, "I expect some of the men will have other duties for the one pretty little crow girl we have here."
Someone shifted next to Gilly and Jon saw that Olly, the little boy whose parents were killed and eaten by Thenns. That boy looked smaller and younger than ever before, bound with thick rope around his arms and chest. Jon was shoved against a post and then forced to kneel. The knife caressed his face, the man was so close, his leg nearly touched Jon's head. "Now I am going to tie your leash to this post. You are going to stay kneeling and quiet for me while I do that. If you don't I will break both your legs and you won't walk anywhere for a long time." "I won't move." Jon gritted out as the blade slowly slid away. "Good boy." The man gave an approving pat to Jon's head and stood back up. Tying the rope to the post, the Thenn continued to speak. "You have such long pretty hair, baby crow. It is perfect, matches that face of yours. So pretty. I wonder how you will look when we remove it?" The Thenn moved away from Jon and grabbed Olly by his collar.
The young boy tried to bite him and he cuffed the boy hard. "Bad boy. You need manners, little boy! Don't worry, we are going to teach you manners. First, let's go watch them cook your new-found protectors." Jon and Gilly had no choice but to watch as the large cannibal forced the young child to watch the men slaughtered and made into stew. Some were roasted over fires, limbs of men that Jon has lived with, fought with. Olly screamed in terror and despair as the despicable men forced a spoonful of stew down the boy's throat. The large one cooed and soothed the boy as he vomited all over himself. Jon growled and Gilly stared with eyes filled with ice. Mance won't stand for this happening, I need to find Mance. Jon thought frantically, uselessly pulling at his bonds. Or Tormund, he will just take my head and have done with it! But he will see the boy and girl safe, at least safe as prisoners. If only someone would come, but only more Thenns did.