When the Wildling army brought Giants through the Wall into the Gift, the Night's Watch, after considering several factors, settled these large folk dozens of miles northwest of Crown Town, near a forest by a river. Coincidentally, the location was just a few dozen miles south of Ice Mark City, so traveling there required no backtracking and wasted little time.
The Northerners, eager to return and defend their homes, moved with remarkable speed. Human initiative was powerful, and their packing and departure after breakfast could only be described as astonishing. Following the trail left by the New Gift People while delivering food to the Giants, the group reached the small forest, originally not marked on any map but now known as "Giant's Nest" in just half a day.
The snow had been falling since Robb arrived at Castle Black and had yet to stop. By most standards, it was not an ideal time for travel, yet from a distance, the group could already see what, or rather who, they had come to see—the Giants.
The reason was simple. These great beings did not build homes. Regardless of the weather, they simply found a sheltered spot and sprawled under the open sky.
Their thick fur, massive size, and heavy layer of fat made them impervious to the cold. Even in Winter, they lived comfortably and at ease.
In addition to towering figures visible in the forest, there were also the sounds and shapes of their mounts—woolly mammoths. Most of the sheep and pigs the Wildlings had driven through the Wall had already been turned into meat during preparations for Winter. Only the Giants' pets and mounts remained untouched, as neither the Night's Watch nor anyone else dared mention slaughtering them.
Aegor, as always, had a plan. Upon arrival, everyone dismounted outside the forest known as Giant's Nest. He sent a guide fluent in the Old Tongue to call for them, while the others waited at the edge.
…
"I heard Giants are bloodthirsty savages. They drink blood porridge for breakfast and eat a whole bull in one sitting." Mors Umber, in good spirits after finding his daughter and grandson, stretched his back and asked casually, "So how do you feed them?"
"Like most legends about them, that's completely false. Giants are vegetarians, strictly so. Their teeth and digestive systems cannot process meat. Even if they wanted to eat it, they couldn't." Aegor addressed the group patiently. "We settled them here because there's water and grass, and the location is relatively central within the Gift. It's convenient for the nearby settlements to bring them vegetables and other food."
"Generally speaking, Giants are fairly gentle... but that only means they won't attack without cause. It doesn't mean they are completely non-aggressive. That's why we're standing here and not inside their living area. There are over a hundred Giants in this forest, and we've only had limited contact with them. One wrong move could still be dangerous."
"You let that many Giants through the Wall. Aren't you afraid they'll cause trouble? That the Night's Watch won't be able to control them?"
"Of course I was worried. When we first brought them through, we only allowed two or three at a time and stayed extremely cautious. But after some time interacting with them, we found Giants aren't nearly as terrifying as we thought." Aegor gestured toward the forest. A Giant was now following the guide toward the group. "Take a look for yourselves. Doesn't he seem smaller than you imagined?"
About a hundred meters away, the guide returned with a Giant behind him. The guide stood about 1.7 meters tall, while the humanoid creature following him was roughly twice that. The difference between the two was striking, almost unsettling. Still, most had to admit—the Giant was far smaller than expected.
In legends, Giants were said to be dozens of meters tall, capable of crushing castles, swallowing people whole, wild and powerful enough to challenge gods. But the one approaching now was about three and a half meters tall. Impressive compared to normal men, yes, but it lacked the awe-inspiring, suffocating impact of seeing the Wall for the first time. He walked slowly, and there was no ground-shaking step like in the tales.
Robb watched the Giant approach and sized him up. In his estimation, a few elite soldiers with long spears could take him down if necessary.
"Indeed. Not as large as expected. Are all Giants this size?"
"This one should be the newly chosen leader of the Giants. The previous one was killed by the Night's Watch during the assault on Castle Black." Aegor replied. "Like wolves, Giant leaders must be the strongest in the group, which usually means the tallest as well. The rest are about the same size, maybe a bit smaller, with rare exceptions."
"Hmm…" Robb nodded. "You've already made the Wildlings into New Gift People. Have you thought about training the Giants too, so they can work or fight for the Night's Watch?"
As expected. Aegor had already anticipated this question and nodded. "Of course I've thought about it. But there are many problems... I'll explain them to the Lords in a moment."
He wasn't trying to be mysterious. While they spoke, the Giant had already arrived. Under the wary gaze of the Northern soldiers, the Giant knelt on one knee a few meters away and spoke in a deep, booming voice.
"Kneel... welcome Lord... of the North."
"Wow—" Arya was so excited she nearly shouted. "Can... can I touch him?"
"Don't even think about it," Robb warned, shooting a sharp glare at his sister. Then he turned to Aegor. "Didn't you say Giants don't speak the Common Tongue?"
"We taught them a few words of it," Aegor said. In truth, this Giant leader could only say that one sentence. It had taken a lot of effort, according to the guide, just to teach him that. "They speak the Old Tongue of the Free Folk."
Now that the Giant was nearby, everyone could get a closer look. The difference between the real Giants and the ones from stories wasn't just in size. Their appearance also defied expectations. Their arms were extremely long, almost reaching their knees, and they wore no clothes or skins. Their entire bodies were covered in thick, shaggy fur, as if wrapped head to toe in a coat of hair.
Their faces were strange too. Their heads jutted forward, not sitting atop their shoulders like a human's. Their faces were wide and flat, with small, squinting eyes and horn-like folds of flesh in the center.
They looked more like giant orangutans than oversized humans.
"Uh... hello. It's good to meet you, King of the Giants," Robb said, looking somewhat disappointed. After the guide translated for him, the Giant stood up and silently stepped aside, watching the large group of small Southerners with curiosity.
"What I say next doesn't need to be translated," Aegor told the guide, then returned to the earlier topic. "Training Giants to work or fight sounds great, but it faces three major issues—intelligence, mobility, and cost-effectiveness."
Everyone listened carefully, hands on their sword hilts, staring at the Giant.
"First, as you can probably tell, Giants do not possess human-level intelligence. They don't build homes or wear clothing. Other than simple manual tasks, it's hard for them to understand complex instructions. When calm, they seem capable of basic thought and communication. But once enraged, they become wild beasts."
"They can speak, though. How stupid can they be?"
"That's true. This is actually the least of the problems," Aegor acknowledged and continued. "Now for the second point. I need to explain something first. It's the relationship between size, strength, and weight. I won't go into the math, just the conclusion. Under ideal conditions, if a creature's size doubles, its muscle cross-section—that is, the thickness of its arms and legs—becomes four times greater, while its volume and weight become eight times greater. Take the Giant leader in front of us. He's twice my height. Assuming similar proportions, he should be four times as strong and eight times as heavy. I think the Lords understand what that means."
Explaining formulas to Northerners, most of whom were warriors, was pointless. But they had enough practical experience to understand what Aegor was getting at. Some quick-witted ones already grasped the implication. Others were still skeptical.
"But his arms and legs look more than four times thicker than yours."
"Of course. If his proportions were truly identical to mine, he wouldn't be able to stand. The bigger the creature, the thicker its limbs need to be. This one's limbs are likely five or six times thicker than mine. But arms and legs add weight too. So he's using less than ten times my strength to move more than ten times my weight. It's hard for him to move freely. If you gave him a steel weapon sized for him, he probably couldn't even lift it."
"I get it. You mean the Giant spends most of his energy just holding himself up. He's not nearly as strong as we imagined." Robb nodded. "But he's still stronger than us, isn't that enough?"
It wasn't that simple. The larger the creature, the more issues arise—slower nerve response, higher oxygen needs, weaker bones, limited endurance, poor heat dissipation...
Of course, Aegor didn't bother explaining those in detail. The Lords wouldn't understand anyway. He focused on the practical consequences. "Yes, they're stronger than us. But they have other weaknesses. Their vision and hearing are poor. They move slowly, and their stamina is lacking. Giving them work is troublesome, and using them in war... don't be fooled by those long legs. Even walking a mile is hard for them. If they joined a campaign, the main army would have to slow down to match their pace. They'd be a burden. While they might shock the enemy at first, the effort needed to bring them to the battlefield far outweighs the benefits."
Rickard Karstark frowned. "Hey, boy, you sound like you're trying hard to make Giants seem useless. Afraid we'll take them from you?"
"My Lord, you've truly misunderstood me," Aegor replied with a wry smile. "Alright, I'll stop listing their weaknesses. Even with all these drawbacks, Giants are still powerful fighters. Let's say one Giant equals ten elite soldiers. But they're vegetarians. Grass offers much less nutrition than grain or meat. They eat frequently, and to feed them, you need extra supply lines. Their stamina is poor. They can't carry their own weapons or gear, so a supply team would have to do it. With all that extra effort, why not just train more soldiers?"
Giants were never meant to be tools of war. Before the First Men came, they lived in peace with few threats. Without the need to hunt or fight, they never evolved to become laborers or warriors.
That didn't mean they were useless. For stationary labor or in siege and defensive warfare, they might be valuable. At the very least, they could drive mammoths to haul supplies.
But Aegor had another reason for discouraging Robb. Giants were gentle, but they weren't slaves. They had agreed to follow Mance Rayder only because of the threat from the White Walkers. If the Northerners took some of them to serve as cannon fodder and something went wrong, Aegor would be the one left to deal with the consequences.
He wasn't about to take on that kind of burden.
…
Fortunately, Robb didn't press the matter.
He had come for two reasons. First, to confirm whether the Giants posed a threat to the North. Second, he had briefly entertained the idea of using them in war to make up for the North's sparse population. But after seeing them in person—slow, dull, primitive creatures—most of those ideas vanished.
Just thinking about taking them into battle was a headache. It was far better to train more men.
"I believe you," Robb said, cutting off Rickard's challenges and waving his hand. "Just keep these big folk in check. Don't let them wander. If they scare or hurt any Northerners, I'll hold you responsible."
Aegor exhaled softly. "Of course. That is the Night's Watch's duty."
With that, the Lord of Winterfell looked up at the Giant once more and raised his voice. "King of the Giants, it was a pleasure meeting you today. If the White Walkers attack, I hope you'll stand with us to defend the North."
The guide knew what to do without being told and translated Robb's words. The Giant slowly nodded and mumbled something in the Old Tongue, expressing that he too was pleased to meet Robb.
Afterward, Robb gathered the group. It was time to move south and deal with the Ironborn invasion.
Of course, he had no plans to bring his sister to the front lines.
"Ser Rodrik, I'll lead the Lords straight to Deepwood Motte to command the campaign against the Ironborn. Take ten good men and return to the Wall with Aegor. Once the snow clears, escort Arya safely back to Winterfell along the main road from Castle Black to Crown Town."
"Ah?" Arya pouted, clearly unhappy. "I want to go with you!"
Robb shook his head, firm in his decision. He said nothing more and began organizing the Northern soldiers to mount up and set out. They were still hundreds of miles from the western coast of the North. If they wanted to reach it before the war escalated, not a moment could be wasted.
(To be continued.)
***
For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves
(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)