Our
first glimpse into the world of Westeros is North of the Wall. We are
introduced to three Nights Watch Rangers, in the process of
tracking a group of wildling raiders. The Rangers are led by Ser
Waymar Royce, the third son of Lord Yohn Royce of Runestone. Through
the eyes of Will, we learn that being sent to the Night's Watch may
be used as a means of punishment. Will was arrested for poaching, and
Ser Waymar is a third son, unlikely to gain lands or titles.
Much
of the chapter is dedicated to showing the way that Ser Waymar, the
"lordling" is viewed by his common born brothers in arms.
Gared and Will despise Ser Waymar, and chafe at taking orders from
him due to his relative lack of service on the wall, age, and
attitude. Ser Waymar is overconfident, cocky, and unwilling to listen
to Gared, the older and more experienced man. Ser Waymar's
confidence, and his refusal to "fail on his first ranging"
in the end is what leads to his death and the death of his men. He
bravely faces off against a White Walker before being killed and
resurrected as a vengeful wight. Indeed, it is Ser Waymar who Benjen
Stark is searching for when he goes missing on his ranging.
The
chapter serves as a strong introduction. We're headed to a world
where the stories you hear "at a woman's teat" in the words
of Ser Waymar Royce, are about to come true.
What's
more interesting to me, more than anything that happens in this
specific chapter, with its three soon to be dead main characters, is
how Ser Waymar's failed ranging affects the way Jon Snow is treated
when he arrives at the Wall.
As
noted frequently in the series, the Night's Watch was once considered
a noble calling. Much ink is committed to reinforcing the fact that
the Night's Watch has changed from a group of knights and lords
dedicated to saving the kingdom to a group of malcontents and rapists
living bitter and miserable lives on the Wall. Ser Waymar Royce, as a
son of Bronze Yohn Royce, the second most powerful Lord in the Vale,
is a big catch for the Night's Watch and a glowing exception. His
coming does the Watch great honor, and they are in his father's debt.
As a result, they make him a ranger and give him command of a ranging
within six months of being on the Wall. Contrast that with the
treatment Jon Snow gets when he arrives and you see that what happens
here serves as an important lesson for the Watch.
Jon
Snow, despite being from a more powerful and prestigious House than
Ser Waymar, is trained with the regular recruits when he first
arrives. When he asks his uncle Benjen to go ranging, he is
immediately shot down. Furthermore, the need for men who can read and
write means that Jon is placed with the stewards, not with the
rangers, like Ser Waymar, which is directly against his wishes.
Since
we see Ser Waymar primarily through the eyes or Gared and Will, we
see his arrogance and condescension. We don't get the benefit of
seeing Jon through the eyes of Grenn or Rast, so we don't see exactly
how he comes off initially. But we do see that he is feared by the
recruits and disdained by the long-serving brothers. Going through
training "with the boys" helps prepare Jon for the entirety
of the life ahead of him, a benefit Ser Waymar didn't have.
