Mufasa thought it best to kill Brynden Rivers first; as long as he was dead, there might be a slim chance of survival.
The rock in Mufasa's hand finally came down hard; Brynden Rivers' skull shattered, and he was dead as a doornail.
After he died, Mufasa felt the tree roots connected to his wrists quickly wither. They came off with a single tug.
When Mufasa turned back, a Bloodraven Guard was already right in his face.
Through the mask, Mufasa saw his pair of black eyes.
"Brynden Rivers is dead. Do you still want to kill me to avenge him?"
The Bloodraven Guards did not respond; they stopped their movements and then retreated like phantoms.
Mufasa finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Sitting on the ground, his fingers brushed against a nut.
At that moment, the Children of the Forest all gathered around, surrounding Mufasa from every side.
"You killed Brynden Rivers?" asked a Child of the Forest with hair like a bird's nest.
"What if I did?" Mufasa said.
"The Greenseer has lost his host; he will randomly possess anyone."
"That's impossible. Isn't it said that only House Stark and the Dragonlord houses can become Greenseers?" Mufasa said.
"That was a lie!" said the bird-nest Child of the Forest.
"We have lost the Greenseer's protection, and it is no longer safe here. So, we plan to migrate to the Isle of Faces on the Gods Eye in the south; it is the last home of the Children of the Forest."
"How will you get there? Scale The Wall or take a boat?" Mufasa asked.
"We Children of the Forest once learned powerful water magic from the Rhoynar. We can take small boats through the Bay of Seals, then follow the Narrow Sea into the Blackwater Rush, and finally reach the Gods Eye."
"Could you take me along for the journey?" Mufasa asked.
"No, our boats are very small and cannot accommodate humans."
Once they finished speaking, the Children of the Forest all departed.
Mufasa searched through the hollow tree and pulled a valyrian steel sword from a crevice: Dark Sister.
His previous rose sword had been lost somewhere, likely picked up by the Others.
Mufasa would certainly find a way to reclaim it in the future.
"Until then, I'll make do with this sword!" Mufasa said.
When he found Mance Rayder, the King-beyond-the-Wall showed a look of fear.
"You're Mufasa! You're not dead! Wasn't Brynden Rivers supposed to bind you in the Greenseer's hollow tree?"
"It seems you had ulterior motives when you saved me before, Mance Rayder. But he is dead, and I have come out alive. That proves one thing: I am stronger than him. Instead of following him, why not follow me?" Mufasa asked.
Mance Rayder pondered for a moment.
"Do you know the agreement he made with me?"
"I don't! He didn't say a word before he died," Mufasa said.
"He promised me half of The North's territory for us Free Folk. If you can do that, I will cooperate with you."
"Half of The North's territory!" Mufasa fell silent.
Brynden Rivers was no longer that noble bastard, nor the Hand of the King, nor the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.
His words were likely just to coax Mance Rayder.
However, Mufasa felt that he must have had other ways to make the Northern lords agree to this condition.
To persuade the Northern lords, the first one to convince would be the Warden of the North, the Lord of Winterfell, Eddard Stark.
During his time as a Greenseer, Brynden Rivers must have focused his observations on the members of House Stark.
He must have known that Eddard Stark kept the secret of Jon Snow's parentage.
If he used this to blackmail Eddard Stark, he might have relented and agreed to cede half of The North's land to the Wildlings.
But by then, Eddard Stark might have been abandoned by everyone, as he would have harmed the interests of The North.
"I cannot promise you that, because I do not have the authority," Mufasa said. He wasn't Eddard Stark, after all.
"In that case, we are even. You may go! Without our help, it's impossible for you to make it back to The Wall alive on your own," Mance Rayder said.
"You!" Mufasa looked at Mance Rayder, feeling he should have spoken more tactfully just now. Having spoken so bluntly, they were now certainly at a stalemate.
"Mance, we're acquaintances at least. It wouldn't hurt to assign me a few guides, would it?" Mufasa said.
He was unfamiliar with the land Beyond the Wall and had no idea where he was or his current position. He only knew to head south and nothing else.
"You help me, I help you. Since you cannot help me, I will not help you. Mutual benefit is the only way." After saying this, Mance Rayder waved his hand, having several Wildlings escort Mufasa out of their camp.
Mufasa stood outside the Wildling camp, watching them pitch tents, cook, and chop wood inside, when someone suddenly tapped his shoulder from behind.
Mufasa turned around and saw a woman with honey-colored hair, smiling at him.
"I've heard of you. You're the one the Southerners call the golden lion king, Mufasa, right?" she asked.
"And you are?" Mufasa asked.
"My name is Val, Dalla's sister. She is Mance's wife, although we Free Folk don't use that term for our women."
"What do you want with me?" Mufasa asked.
Although the woman before him didn't look like a Wildling, she had the air of a princess.
But Mufasa knew one truth well: the more beautiful a woman is, the better she is at lying.
"I heard Mance kicked you out, but you can stay in my tent for a while. How about it—as long as you're willing to be my slave?" Val said, giving a sickly, obsessive smile.
It was as if she treated Mufasa like some rare toy.
"Hmph, who do you think you are? Do you think you're The Maiden of The Seven? Do you think every man in the world is your toy?" Mufasa asked.
"Aren't they? Not a single toy I've set my sights on has ever escaped my grasp." The smile on her face grew even more unsettling.
"Jarl, seize him for me," she said.
A very sturdy man about twenty years old jumped out.
He blocked Mufasa's path, a spear in his hand.
"With just you?" Mufasa sneered, drawing Dark Sister.
Before three rounds of combat had passed, Mufasa had severed his head with the sword.
Their disturbance caught the attention of other Wildlings, and many began to gather around.
"He killed Jarl. This kid is pretty strong, isn't he?" someone remarked.
"Quickly, burn the body! Even with the head cut off, it's not safe. Only when turned to ash is it truly secure," another person said.
×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×
Read Extra Chapter Visit My Patreon
I have only 1 tier
19$ Tier – Access to 40 advance chapters
patreon.com/Lempil
patreon.com/Lempil