Alliser Thorne's knees slammed into the snow with a dull thud.
The sound was like a signal.
Everyone in the courtyard stared at the scene before them with expressions as if they had seen a ghost.
They had expected Ser Thorne to fly into a rage, to deny everything, or even to draw his sword and fight to the death.
But they never imagined that this man, who always had the title "Ser" on his lips and was arrogant beyond compare, would actually kneel down directly!
Was he... admitting it?
Admitting Lynn's accusations, which had sounded unbelievable but went straight to the core of the matter?
Was he truly a Targaryen lackey?
Did he intend to use the White Walkers' invasion to invite the wolf into the house and help the Targaryen restoration?
This thought sent a shiver down the spines of all the Night's Watch members present.
If this was true, then Alliser Thorne wasn't simply hiring assassins.
He was a traitor!
He was a betrayal of the entire Night's Watch, of the North, and even of the entire Seven Kingdoms!
"Thorne..."
Jeor Mormont's voice revealed a sense of powerlessness.
He looked at Ser Thorne, who was kneeling on the ground like a pile of mud, his ancient eyes filled with bone-deep disappointment and fury.
He could tolerate Thorne's biting sarcasm, and he could tolerate his obstinacy.
But he could never tolerate a Night's Watchman, a black-clad brother who had sworn an oath to death, harboring ulterior motives!
"Look up, and face me!"
Mormont took a deep breath and roared.
Ser Thorne's body trembled violently, and he slowly raised his head.
The face that had once been filled with arrogance and harshness now held only the pallor of death.
"Is what Lynn said true?"
Every word Mormont spoke seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
Ser Thorne's lips twitched.
He wanted to deny it, but when his eyes met Lynn's calm gaze, which seemed to see through everything.
All the lies got stuck in his throat.
He knew that in front of this man, any defense was futile.
He was like a prisoner stripped naked, all his secrets exposed starkly under the sunlight.
This feeling terrified him more than death.
"I..."
Ser Thorne only managed to utter one word before he could no longer make a sound.
His silence was the best answer.
"Bastard!"
Mormont could no longer suppress his rage, and he abruptly drew the longsword from his waist.
He walked step by step towards Ser Thorne, the tip of his sword tracing a cold mark in the snow.
"Have you forgotten your oath?"
"Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death!"
"I shall wear no crowns and win no glory!"
"I shall live and die at my post!"
Mormont's voice echoed in the silent courtyard, filled with grief and disappointment.
"You faithless traitor!"
"You have defiled the honor of the Night's Watch!"
"You... are not worthy to wear these black clothes!"
Mormont raised the longsword high in his hand, its cold blade pointed at Ser Thorne's neck.
"No! Lord Commander! Don't!"
Ser Thorne finally broke down, scrambling backward on all fours, and a foul stench spread from beneath him.
"I was wrong! I was confused for a moment! Please, give me another chance!"
"A chance?"
Mormont sneered.
"Did you give Lynn a chance when you sent men to kill him?"
"Attempting to subvert the kingdom and betraying your oath, your crime is unforgivable!"
The longsword, with a whooshing sound, swung down!
Just then.
"Wait, Lord Commander."
A calm voice stopped Mormont's action.
It was Lynn.
Mormont turned his head, looking at Lynn with confusion.
"Lynn, he is a traitor, do not plead for him!"
"My Lord."
Lynn walked to Mormont's side and bowed slightly.
"According to the ancient laws of the North, and also according to the traditions of the Night's Watch."
"He who passes the sentence should swing the sword."
Silence once again fell upon the courtyard.
Everyone understood Lynn's meaning.
He wasn't pleading.
He was demanding the right to carry out the execution himself!
Mormont looked into Lynn's calm eyes, and he understood.
Lynn wanted to use Ser Thorne's blood, Ser Thorne's head, to declare to everyone who was the undisputed authority of Castle Black!
This was very Northern.
This was also very... Stark.
It was also convenient, as he intended to support Lynn's rise to power.
This was a good opportunity to establish his authority.
Since Lynn had this idea, Mormont nodded, then slowly withdrew his sword.
He looked at Ser Thorne, who was already so terrified he had soiled himself, with only disgust in his eyes.
"Lynn, you do it then."
"Considering he also served diligently, give him a quick end, let him suffer less!"
Lynn nodded and walked to Ser Thorne's side.
"Alliser Thorne."
Lynn's pronouncement rang out, clearly reaching everyone's ears.
"You have forsaken your oath, murdered your sworn brother, and attempted treason."
"I, Lynn, on behalf of the Nine Hundred and Ninety-Seventh Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Jeor Mormont, hereby declare."
"I sentence you to..."
"Death!"
Ser Thorne's body went limp, and he completely fainted.
Lynn, however, paid him no mind, slowly drawing his "longclaw" from his waist.
The valyrian steel blade shimmered with an eerie red glow under the overcast sky.
He did not look at Ser Thorne on the ground, his gaze sweeping over every Night's Watchman present.
At this moment, they all lowered their heads, not daring to meet Lynn's gaze, their eyes filled only with awe.
Lynn raised his sword.
He remembered the words Ned Stark had spoken on the execution block in Winterfell.
"If you would take a man's life, you owe it to him to look into his eyes and hear his final words."
Lynn walked to the unconscious Ser Thorne and poked his face with the sword sheath.
"Wake up, noble Ser Thorne, you're not dead yet."
Ser Thorne slowly regained consciousness, and when he saw the longsword raised high in Lynn's hand, his pupils suddenly constricted.
"Tell me, why did you want to kill me?"
Lynn asked calmly.
Ser Thorne knew he was going to die, and hatred filled his eyes.
"I hate you! I wish I could tear you to pieces!"
He roared:
"You damned deserter, you are a disgrace to the entire Night's Watch!"
"Very well."
Lynn nodded, no longer wasting words.
His hand rose, the sword fell.
A head was cleanly severed, rolling a few times in the snow before coming to a stop.
The hateful eyes were still wide open, reflecting the grey sky of the North and the figure standing with the sword.
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