Okay, so. I have never read A Game of Thrones (nor watched the TV show, though that is less relevant here), but I was having a beast of a time finding a hero that both exemplified these lines of the poem and didn't violate any of my other self-imposed rules for this series. So I cast for opinions in the highways and byways (by which I mean I asked my family, friends, and fanfiction friends) and came up with this. Many thanks to: Qoheleth, who nominated Ned Stark and started me thinking about this universe as a possibility; meldahlie, who redirected the idea to Jon Snow, as well as providing me with the specific setting for the story, a summary of Jon's role in the first book, examples of her writing featuring him, and canonicity-checking/beta-reading; and Wikipedia.


If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run…


With a final heave and a great splash, the tall, dark-haired boy emptied the bucket of water into the half-filled wash basin. He leaned on it, panting, staring down into the water as though it held some great secret.

All his life, he had wanted to do great deeds. The longed-for chance to prove his honor, his courage, his place in the family…

No! he told himself, sternly. Sam was right. This is my duty—there is honor here, if no courage, no glory…nothing to make them proud to stand beside me…

He thought of his father's long years of toil, thankless and fruitless, while the other lords of Westeros, proud, uncaring, filled their days with ambition and corruption and the vain glitter of pageantry. Whose was the better part?

Winter is coming. Will you be ready?

With a new gleam in his eye and his young features set with purpose, Jon Snow straightened his shoulders, picked up the bucket, and headed back out to the well.