Chapter 55 –"Loyalty"
The Kingsroad wound like a white serpent through the icy wilderness. Snow fell in gentle veils, blanketing trees, stones, and silence. Samwell Tarly rode huddled in his cloak, his nose red from cold, fingers numb despite the fur gloves. The Tarly banner fluttered weakly behind him, damp and wind-whipped, as his small party pressed northward — toward Frosthall, toward the Bloody Wolf.
He hadn't slept well in days. His father's words echoed endlessly in his ears:
"You'll go north and become a man. Or don't return at all."
Now, that looming fortress ahead — Frosthall — promised either redemption or ruin. Sam didn't know which terrified him more.
When the silhouettes of an army appeared on the ridge ahead, his stomach twisted with panic.
"Seven hells," one of his knights muttered, drawing his sword. "That's a damned host."
Sam stammered. "Are... are they Lannisters? Did we ride into a trap?"
But no red lions crested the hill. No polished gold or Southern arrogance. Instead, worn cloaks of black and yellow. Faces scarred by years of service, and some armor still bearing the faded sigil of the City Watch. Over a thousand men marched in tight formation, their families trailing behind in carts.
As they approached, a grizzled former Watch captain rode ahead and dismounted. He pulled back his hood, revealing a face Sam remembered from his brief time in King's Landing.
"We're not your enemy, Lord Tarly," the man said. "We're headed to Frosthall. To swear ourselves to Lord Cregan."
Sam blinked. "All of you?"
"Aye. Every man, woman, and child who remembers what loyalty means. We served him once, and we'd do it again."
Sam stared at the man, the soldiers, the families… and saw something he hadn't seen in all his years in Horn Hill. Not fear. Not duty. But loyalty. Unshakable, earned loyalty.
The North, it seemed, had grown more than wolves — it had grown a pack.
---
Frosthall's Message
The raven arrived at dawn.
Jon Snow read the missive beside the window where frost crept like veins along the glass. He turned to Cregan, who stood by the forge sharpening a blade of blacksteel.
"Two groups," Jon said. "One is the City Watch. Over fifteen hundred strong, plus their families. The other — a Tarly boy."
Cregan didn't look up.
Cregan's hands paused for a heartbeat on the whetstone. "And they're coming to us?"
"They'll reach from Moat Cailin to here in two days. Three at most."
The Bloody Wolf nodded slowly. "Then we greet them. As family."
---
In the Red Keep, a rare feast had been called.
King Robert Baratheon sat at the high table with a half-empty goblet in one hand and a leg of boar in the other, his face flushed from wine and laughter.
"Khal Drogo's dead!" he roared, grease on his beard. "And that silver-haired girl's dragon-spawn also died ! Hah! Finally, some fucking good news!"
Cersei smiled coldly. Jon Arryn remained silent, hands folded tightly on the table. Only Littlefinger smirked.
"I'll drink to dead savages any day," Robert declared, lifting his goblet. "At least one threat's been snuffed out."
But beyond the laughter, behind the feast, the South was trembling.
---
The Pack Returns
Frosthall's gates yawned open as snow-laden wagons rolled in. Former guards of King's Landing, now soldiers of the North, passed beneath towering stone arches. Children peeked out from cart flaps, clutching rag dolls and crusts of bread.
Cregan stood in the courtyard beside Jon and Kael. His guards stood in uneasy silence. One stepped forward.
"My lord," he said carefully, "What if there are spies among them? It could be a trick. The Lannisters—"
Cregan held up a hand. His voice was low, but firm.
"I trained them. I made them into a pack. You'd have me turn them away now? For fear of a few Southern cats?" He looked toward the snow-covered line of soldiers, families huddled close behind them. "I'm from the North. We don't abandon our own. Not for fear. Not for whispers. Never."
The silence was heavy — then broken by the commander of the former Watch.
He stepped forward and knelt. "We are yours, my lord. Not as dogs… but as wolves."
Cregan stepped forward, placing a hand on the man's shoulder.
"Then rise. As part of this pack."
The other guards, once hesitant, now stood taller. Those who had stayed, and those who had returned — one by one, their hearts beat in sync again.
Jon nodded quietly and thought. They'll fight for him. To the last man.
Cregan turned to him. "Find them food. Warm beds. And work. They won't just survive here. They'll live."
---
The Boy Who Trembled
Samwell arrived hours later, his breath fogging the air as he dismounted, cheeks pink and eyes wide. He looked up at the icy towers of Frosthall and swallowed hard.
Cregan approached, cloak rustling behind him like a wolf's tail.
"You're Lord Randyll's son?" he asked.
Sam nodded quickly. "Yes, my lord. He said you'd… make a man of me."
Jon cocked his head. "You sure he didn't mean to send a squire? Or a raven?"
"I can read," Sam blurted. "And calculate rations, and understand maps. I study ancient histories. I can help—just… not in battle."
Cregan watched him a long moment. Then, to Sam's shock, he smiled faintly.
"The North has enough swords," he said. "But not enough minds. You'll serve in the scribes' tower. And you'll learn how to fight, even if it's only with a dagger .No men of mine will be defenseless"
Sam's eyes welled. "Th-thank you, my lord."
Jon smirked and whispered, "He likes you. That's the scariest part."
Cregan patted Sam's shoulder. "Don't thank me yet. Training starts at dawn."
---
That Night
The courtyard of Frosthall was alive — not with drills or battle cries, but music. Children laughed, new recruits swapped stories, and a warm fire crackled in the great hearth.
Sam sat near the edge of the hall, sipping cider. He watched the City Watch men gather around Cregan, who laughed with Kael and clapped shoulders like long-lost brothers.
He had feared the North. He had expected cold and cruelty.
Instead, he had found something like home.
The pack had grown. And in its warmth, even the frightened found a place.
---
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