Editing Conflict beyond the Wall (section)

==New Beginnings and Peace==
[[File:Marc_Fishman_march_to_the_wall_I.jpg|The free folk march to the Wall - by Marc Fishman © |thumb|400px|right]]
With King [[Stannis Baratheon]] at the Wall, [[Mance Rayder]] in irons, and Lord Commander [[Jeor Mormont]] dead, along with most of the senior Brothers killed at the Fist or the Gorge, the [[Night's Watch]] is left in a precarious position of having to not only elect a new Lord Commander but also preserve their political neutrality. After a contested election between Lord [[Denys Mallister]] of the Shadow Tower, [[Cotter Pyke]] of Eastwatch, and Lord [[Janos Slynt]], [[Jon Snow]]'s name is placed as a compromise that both Mallister and Pyke can agree upon. The political maneuvers of [[Samwell Tarly]] securing Mallister's and Pyke's support (to prevent Slynt, who both agreed would make a bad Lord Commander, from being voted in) and some fortunate election night events result in Jon Snow becoming the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Jon attempts to make an alliance between the Watch and the wildlings so they can fight their common enemy, the [[Others]].

Jon means to garrison the abandoned waycastles, restore patrols on the Wall, and establish a line of beacon towers along the top of the Wall, until they have more [[maesters]] and [[raven]]s. Jon also asks the free folk to help man the Wall.

According to [[Bastard Letter|a letter]] sent to the wall by [[Ramsay Snow|Ramsay Bolton]], the army of Stannis has been defeated and Stannis killed. When the letter is received at the Wall, Jon decides to ride south to meet the Bastard of Bolton in the field of battle, and several wildlings join him. [[Bowen Marsh]] and several of his followers, however, fearing that the neutrality of the Night's Watch is being threatened by their Lord Commander's actions, stab Jon several times. It is unknown if he has survived the [[mutiny at Castle Black]].{{Ref|aDwD|69}}