This is my new fanfiction from GOT - I hope you enjoy it. I have taken things from the books and the shows and linked them together so they will be a bit different from what you are expecting. I'm taking the ages from the shows, it will be a mix, etc.

IMPORTANT: I know a lot of you will be thinking that I have replaced my character 'Etta' with Ygritte but I only changed their places in the first couple of chapters before I could go on so no one gets mistaken. Ygritte is in this story but there is NO Ygritte/Jon relationship apart from friendship. Sorry to everyone that hates that. Ygritte does have a large impact on how Etta acts and I don't want people thinking I just replaced Etta with Ygritte, they share similar looks and such, but Etta is not Ygritte.

Sorry if people do not agree, I accept all reviews; bad and good but if you do not like the story do not complain and then continue to read the story, stop reading it.

Thanks to everyone that reads this story x Sorry for any mistakes grammar/spelling xx Comet96 xx

Edited: 23/05/19

"Etta!" A harsh, cool voice spat snapping me out of my thoughts as I rested lightly against the snowy mountain rocks. I looked up to see Rattleshirt glaring down at me, he hated when I came with him to scout. He thought I spent far too much time in my head, and I found it funny thinking about Rattleshirt having time to think about something over than lust or his loyalty to Mance.

"What?" I grumbled, slipping from my rock and stand beside Orell. I could see that he liked me being close to him and before he could reach out to pull me closer, I stepped away from him.

I knew Rattleshirt was leaving me here that much I knew.

"We'll scout west of 'ere and you three stay put," he ordered nodding to me and two of his other men, Rane and Herne. Rattleshirt's eyes rested on me for a moment before he turned west ready to set off with the other clan members. "Don't move, we'll be back on the second morn." His words were directed to me and I almost smirked at this.

"Don't get yourself killed Rattle!" I called out to him knowing he would be angry that I shouted where the crows could find us.

The groans of Rane and Herne left me feeling slightly smug. While they were older, it was clear who was in charge here, which wasn't either of them. It was why they looked so appalled to be left behind.

"Light a small fire, we're staying 'ere tonight boys," I muttered to them pulling my spear closer to my side as I designated myself first watch.

The night was like most nights on a scouting trip. Freezing and bitter. I wished I was back in my warm tent wrapped in a thick fur, but I hadn't spent months begging Mance to let me come out here just to cry and sulk when I was freezing my arse off.

Rane was chuckling at something Herne had said but I didn't bother pulling myself from my bedroll. I was tired and trusted them to keep watch through the night. I could care less about what they were talking about as long as they kept the fire burning.

I sighed as Herne let out a laugh and turned away from them and on my back letting my eyes rest on the stars that shone brightly, taunting me. The Red Wanderer was bright tonight along with the Moonmaid, and I smiled at the story Dalla had told many times. Though in her telling of the story, she called the Red Wanderer the Thief.

It would be the perfect night for many free folk men to steal a woman.

Whispers reached my ears and the stories Val told me as a child about the lost children came to mind. Val said that on some night's you could hear the cries of the children as they tried to find their way out of the darkness after the downfall of Gendel and Gorne.

I also hope that they don't belong to the Others or any of their wights as I was in no mood to be turned into a wight myself. If the whispers belong to anything but the wind I hoped they belonged to Crows so I could stick my spear into some soft flesh and watch as the light leaves their eyes.

Normally when we went out scouting I didn't have to wait and play bait, I got to hunt and protect the clan, but this time Rattleshirt had changed his mind. It was Mance that made him do it and I would be sharing my feelings with him when we returned home.

I listened carefully to see if there was any sign or hint that we weren't alone, but I could only hear Rane and Herne talking about what they could be doing if they were back at camp.

I was just drifting off to sleep when I heard a thud arrow sailing passed me I lifted my head to see Herne trying to pull the arrow out of his shoulder. Within seconds I was on my feet turning around and aiming my spear at one of the crows. How they had snuck up on us I had no idea but one moment everything was fine and the next we were ambushed.

One crow came up behind me pushing me to the floor as he tried to get his sword to my neck. Remembering a time when Mance had me in this same position during training, I swung my head back, smacking it into the side of the crow's face. I took my chance then to dash over to my bedroll to grab another weapon. My fingers grasped against the wooded edge of an axe and just when I thought I had it within my grasp a crow pulled my hood back pushing me on the rock.

I was waiting for the blade to hit my neck. Any second now I would be dead and all I could think about was the stupid prophecy. I knew it was wrong, there would be no child strong enough to stop the Others and the Night King. The blade never came, and I turned my head to the side meeting the cool steel eyes of the crow that still had his hands on me. He just stared at me his sword raised yet he made no attempt on my life.

"A girl," his husky voice shouted out to his crows and a man dress in the usual crow black stepped forward. I lifted my eyes to him and knew immediately who he was. Mance would love to have him back home.

"A wildling," the man replied no compassion in his voice, and it was those words that would sentence my death.

"We could question her," the dark-haired crow that held me said flicking his eyes to the other man. A man I knew to oversee this group of crows, he was in charge, yet he was listening to this baby crow, why?

"You could." My eyes darted back to the known man and I watched as he turned his head to another crow. "She won't answer. I've known a wildling to bite off his tongue instead of talking," he stated, moving to walk behind the crow holding me. I kept my eyes on the moving crow until the one holding me shook me with a force that had my back hitting the rock forcefully and painfully.

"What's your name?" the crow asked me. I could see something in his eyes. He didn't want to kill a woman, maybe I could live a little longer today, hopefully, long enough for Rattleshirt to return.

"Etta," I whispered harshly not liking the way this crow held onto me so tightly. It was as if I was his possession. I was a free woman and I belonged to no one.

"She was reaching for this axe when you got to her. Gave her half a chance and she would have buried it in your face," the familiar Crow said reaching for the axe that was beside us and lifting it up to show the crow holding me.

I watched the crow carefully as he threw the axe on the ground not too far away. If I was quick I could reach the axe and possibly kill a few more of these crows. The crow holding me moved his hand on my fur, pinching at my skin beneath the material. I turned my eyes back to him and lifted my head back to get a better look.

He was a good-looking crow; he must have had good-looking parents to have a face like his. It would be a shame to ruin it by sticking an axe through it. Maybe I would leave the face, give myself something to look at while I waited for Rattleshirt.

"I gave you my name," I muttered hoping he would reply. I would like to know the name of each crow I killed tonight. The crow looked at me with a strained expression and pulled away slightly before moving his soft looking lips.

"Jon Snow," he told me releasing his hold slowly as if I would run. His last name hit a nerve with me, and my mind went straight to the prophecy. Was this the man from the prophecy? The one that would sire a child within me. He had the dark hair and the name as cold as winter and he was a crow, was this the man who would give the free folks an heir of the future?

My eyes flickered around the few crows around, I was looking for someone else with hair as dark as his, but I couldn't find anyone. My eyes settled on Kane and Herne and I felt anger within me. I hadn't known them well, but they deserved to be burned.

"You should burn your kills," I spat looking to the lead crow hoping he would take the hint. They would rise again if they were not burned. I couldn't have that, Mance wouldn't want that and the crows shouldn't wait for it to happen. The lead crow stepped forward slightly lifting his head as he looked me over carefully.

"We'd need a big fire for that," he told me resting one hand against the rock and peering into my eyes. "Tell me, Etta, why do you want us to build a big fire? Some more friends in the area?" I didn't like the way he stressed my name. A crow shouldn't be saying my name, not like that. It was mine to utter and not his. He pulled away from me and stood beside his baby crow.

"Burn them or you might need those swords again," I hissed, shifting slightly on the rock careful of the sword Jon Snow still pointed at me. I didn't want the steel slicing through my throat before I could take another breath.

"Our boy here's already killed one dead man, he can do it again if he has ta," the leader crow spat at me looking proud as he looked over to Jon Snow at the mention of the baby crow killing a wight. "What waits beyond the pass?" he asked, and Jon Snow gripped the handle of his sword as if warning me that he would use it if I didn't tell them.

"The free folk," I told him stating the obvious hoping not to tell him how many of us there was. He may find that out one day, he may not like that day, but he may find out.

"How many?" Just the question I didn't really want to answer. I could tell him that there was more free folk than crows. Mance would want me to frighten the crow, but he would want me to be tactful about it.

"Hundreds and thousands, more than you could count. More than you have ever seen, Crow," I taunted him lifting my chin up as I said so allowing Jon Snow's blade to slip down my throat and rest on my collarbone.

"Why come to the mountains? What's in the frost fangs your king could want?" This was one persistent crow and he wanted all the information I wasn't going to give him.

I could feel eyes on me, so I turned to face Jon Snow, his eyes were as sharp as the blade he held against my neck. For some strange reason I liked his eyes on me and I felt warm from his stare. I spend a few hours alone in the mountains and I become as soft as the southerners.

"Do you mean to march on the wall?" the leader asked another question and I turned my eyes to him but stayed silent, this wasn't something he was going to get out of me. He stepped forward and came close to my face. Something I instantly disliked but was grateful for. Jon Snow removed his blade away from my throat a bit as his crow leader breathed down at me.

"Do you know who I am, girl?" the crow asked, and I wanted to ask him if he knew who I was. I knew some crows had heard about the prophecy and I knew for a fact that many of them wished to be the crow that filled the girl with their seed. They would break their vows to protect thousands of people.

"Qhorin Halfhand," I muttered flicking my eyes to Jon Snow before looking back at Halfhand. He had a look in his eye, one I didn't understand but it was also one I didn't like. I knew who this man was, most free folk did. I think he liked that we knew him, I bet it made him feel big in front of his baby crows.

"Tell me true. If your people capture me would they take me prisoner?" he asked pulling away looking down at me like he did before. Was he testing me to see if I would lie to him about what us free folk would do to him?

"They'd take your head off your shoulders if they were feeling kind. If not they'd kill you slow," I told him repeating words I had heard Ygritte say to crows before when they had captured us and then asked the same question.

Ygritte was better in these situations compared to me. Together we had been captured plenty of times and she did all the talking because she was older. This was the first time I have ever been caught alone.

Qhorin Halfhand pushed away from the rock and away from me, and Jon Snow placed his blade against my throat again as he waited for orders. Halfhand paced back and forth a few times before he set his eyes on me and then looked out into the distance. What he was thinking I had no clue, but I knew that my end was drawing near. I could tell when he rested his hand on his sword.

"We have no food for her, can't spare a man to watch her, can't let her go or she'll bring Mance Rayder's army down on us. Needs to be done." He made it sound like he cared about ending my life, but I knew it was all for show. Most of these crows he had with him were babies, just like Jon Snow.

He was trying to show them that they had more power over us than we could ever have over them. I guess in one way he was right but deep down we both knew that if it came to a sudden war then the free folk would win. I heard the sword being pulled out before I could see it. The sharp clang of metal being ripped from its sheath wasn't something you could forget.

"Want me to do it."

"No," Jon Snow said sharply, pulling his sword away from me as he turned to face the Halfhand. His voice made me jump but for some reason, I was glad he stopped it "No, I'll do it." His words brought a fright I had never felt before.

For some reason it being his sword that took my life didn't fit well with me. I would rather he let me go or the Halfhand take my life.

"Come, brothers, we'll leave him to it. We'll meet you at the top. Don't take too long. We're deep in their country now," the Halfhand said to Jon Snow before leaving the two of us with the dead bodies of my two kin clan.

I had a chance to change my future now that I was alone with Jon Snow. I could persuade him to let me go because I could see that he had never killed a woman before.

"You've never killed a woman before, have you?" I decided it was best to try my plan at getting him to let me go. His eyes shifted as I asked him and I knew then that he had never killed a woman, maybe he had killed men but never a woman or a girl. "You don't need to do it. Mance would take you, I know he would. I'll ask him and he'll let you stay. Your Crows will never know," I muttered telling him in hope that he would allow me to live and give in to my words.

I hoped he would leave the crows and become a free folk like me. He would be a better free folk than he would a crow. Jon Snow didn't seem to think the same thing about being a better free folk than a crow and he pressed his sword against my throat allowing me to feel the threat that his blade was making on my life.

"I'm as much a crow as they are," he snapped, and I could hear how proud he was to be a crow. I was disgusted at such a thought. Why would anyone want to be a crow? They took away the lives of innocent free folk that were trying to protect their clan and then they expected us to tell them our plans.

"Could you burn me? After?" I asked him, knowing he wasn't going to give in and let me live. If I was going to make a request after he killed me it would be to be burned. I didn't want to be brought back as a wight.

"Can't ... someone might see the smoke," he muttered. I thought for a moment that he was sorry for not being able to do it, but he was only thinking about his life. He was following orders and at this moment I wished I would have followed the orders Mance gave me.

"Strike hard, Jon Snow, and make sure it's true, or I'll come back and rip your guts out," I told him turning on the rock so he would have a clear hit of my neck.

If I was to go then I wanted it to be fast and painless.

Jon Snow pressed his blade against the back of my neck and the shock of the cool steel had me shivering slightly. "That's cold." I was growing impatient when I didn't feel his blade strike my neck. "Go on, be quick about it," I spat turning to face him, taking in his blank face before turning back around on the rock and waiting for him to strike. When I didn't feel his blade again I lost my temper and shouted at him. "Do it! Bastard do it!"

It was silent for a moment and then I heard movement from him and the sound of steel swiping through the air and then the clang as the blade hit the rock and I waited for the pain, but the pain never came. I wondered for a moment that maybe the pain was instant, and I was sent to the gods without suffering through any of it.

The heavy breathing of Jon behind me told me the truth and lifted my head to look at him. He hadn't killed me. I knew he wouldn't be able to.

His eyes watched me carefully trying to see what I would make of his failed order. Before he could do anything, I jumped up from the rock, sent a kick to his stomach and ran down the side of the slope leading off the flat surface under the mountain.

I ran as fast as I could because I knew that once Jon Snow was up he would be chasing me until he caught up. As I ran I hoped that I didn't slip on the snow and let myself be captured by the baby crow. I had years of walking and running on the snow and ice but there were still times when the best free folk walkers slipped on ice.

I couldn't say I knew this part of the Skirling Pass well, but I would do all I had in me to get to the west side to find Rattleshirt before the crow got me.

From the corner of my eye I could see him gaining closer to me and with that in mind I ran towards one of the ridges I knew was near and jumped across a small ditch before landing on the other side and running in the shadow of a mountain, hoping that Jon Snow would not see me. How well could the crow see in the dark? I was used to scouting in the dark and I had spent time running in the dark.

Mance had made sure that everyone could run in the dark, but what about this Jon Snow? How well could he run? Was it well enough that he could catch up to me? Even in the dark?

The mountain I was running beside dropped down into a slope up ahead and as I drew closer to the slope I pushed myself harder and jumped onto the small ridge that led me up onto the mountain pass. I knew this mountain; it would lead me over to the west mountains and hopefully over to Rattleshirt.

The sound of a body slipping down through the snow caught my attention and I snapped my head to the side thinking that maybe a shadow cat had spotted me, instead I caught Jon Snow sliding down from the mountain with his sword aimed at me.

Instead of running I turned to meet him as he came closer to me and pushed him down as he stood to meet me, his sword flew from his hand and I spun on my foot to run again when I was sure he would spend a few minutes looking for his sword. I had only taken a few steps before I felt his body crush mine into the snow, where he turned me to face him before setting his dagger under my neck. His eyes were wide, and he had a lost wild look within them like he had no idea what to do now.

"You can't do it. We both know it," I spat at him taking the look in his eyes as defeat as he lifted them to the sky before bringing them back down to me. I lifted my eyes to the sky as well and felt myself smile as the sky seemed to darken instead of light up. "It's dark Jon Snow and your friends are nowhere close," I told him knowing that he knew as well that we were all alone out here without his crows or my kin clan.

"I'll call for them," he stated, pressing his body onto mine as I tried to move from under him. I could feel every part of his body through his dark furs and leathers and I wondered if he could feel my body through my furs. I wore a great deal more than him, but I was told that you could still tell I was a woman from my body.

"Call for them, go on, call loudly," I told him feeling his face drop into a frown as I tried to get him to call for his brothers. "You'll only attract shadow cats and wights," I added nodding my head in the direction of all the mountains around us that held caves that the shadow cats dwelled in during the cold.

Jon Snow's eyes stayed on mine for a few seconds before he gave a sigh of defeat and turned his head to the side looking on top of the mountain top. Was he looking for his brothers? They wouldn't be returning, not if they went west, they would walk into Rattleshirt and they didn't call him The Lord of Bones for nothing.

I would be spending this long winter's night with the baby crow, Jon Snow and when morning came I knew he would try to take me back to his brothers. That or he would kill me. All I needed to do was survive through this night, the morning to come and the night after this before Rattleshirt was to make his way back to the watch pass where he left me.

I lifted my eyes to Jon Snow's again and knew that if it was just me and this baby crow he wouldn't kill me unless he found his brothers again. He wouldn't let himself be left in unknown land by himself and for that I was thankful. It meant I got to live for a few more days or until he found his brothers.

Thank you for reading and please review xx