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"All day, Will had felt as though something were watching him, something cold and implacable that loved him not. Gared had felt it too.Will wanted nothing so much as to ride hellbent for the safety of the Wall, but that was not a feeling to share with your commander." — The prologue to A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin.

I am not sure about the meaning of the bold sentence. Does Will want to ride for the safety of the Wall?

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    Yes, of course he wanted to do that, just as a soldier may want to run away from a battle. But that was not the kind of thought that would be viewed positively in a military situation.
    – Robusto
    Commented Oct 1, 2019 at 1:33

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Hell bent (Idiom)

Mirriam-Webster: stubbornly and often recklessly determined or intent

Cambridge: to be extremely determined to do something, without considering the risks or possible dangerous results

Personally, I think the Cambridge definition is closest to the intent. "Hell bent", meaning that you will do something, regardless of the consequences, even if it means you end up [literally] in Hell.

I feel that the MW definition places the emphasis [wrongly] more on the stubbonness, which is a part, but I think it is more the 'regardless of the consequence' that is being implied here - you have considered the consequence, but carry on regardless, as opposed to the destination being a complete surprise.

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"Wanted nothing so much as X" means there's nothing he wants to do more than he wants to do X. So this is a very emphatic way of saying that he wants to run for the safety of the Wall. "hellbent" means "at all costs", so this is another way to emphasize his desire for safety.

But he suppressed this desire because it would make him appear cowardly to his commander.

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