#steward.

[thedolorous]

"this place is in ruins. doubt we'll get a good sleep for bloody weeks." they've been in long barrow for maybe five whole minutes before edd starts to complain. he can't help it; keeps him young of the mind. he just has a lot of grievances. he sighs, sitting on a barrell, looking at his companion. "an' jon thinks we can handle this on our own? he's putting a lot of trust in us -- in me. i fear i'll be crushed under the crumblin' foundation. that'd be a shit way to go: crushed to death... becoming human goo." he wrinkles his nose. edd wraps his cloak around his shoulders.

"where do we even start?" of course, edd could think of a game plan. he may not be the smartest of the bunch, but he could advise and take charge when necessary. "feels like we should be focusing on other resources. o'course i trust jon. i owe him my life and then some... but this..." he looks around, seeing the disrepair. "seven hells. the stranger really looks upon us unkindly. maybe they don't even want us to win..." he could ramble for hours if left to his own devices. / @tymptir for grenn

[thedolorous]

has it always been this cold?

their boots crunch in the snow as they trek back toward castle black. already, it has been a long road, and edd has all but given up any hope. karl tanner broke him. his back aches with every step, swear forming on his brow even as he shivers, as he trembles. they didn't have enough time to get any supplies during their escape. edd winces, glancing down to his wrist, skin split from their restraints. is there actually any way they can make it back home? they wouldn't send another party out for them, not with their numbers dwindled.

his teeth chatter as they go to speak, but instead edd lets out a dull noise. "w---w---we're gonna die out here." he announces after a while, glancing back over his shoulder. "grenn... i---i don't want to f-f-fucking die out here." he's gaunt, bloodied. how long had they been prisoners? are they going the right way? but grenn was a ranger, he was made for this... edd was small, scrawny. "i d--d--don't want to become a bloody white walker." his voice breaks, and he finds himself too cold to really move any longer. edd falls to his knees in the snow, hugging himself. he bows his head, trying to focus on breathing, but it's hard when he's been beaten so badly that his chest aches with every breath. tanner... if they do live, edd is going to make sure he gets a few stabs into him. "i c---can't. i can't." / @tymptir for grenn