Year 108 A.C.
POV: Nick
I remained in absolute silence. What should I answer to the monster who killed my sworn brothers? He didn't deserve to know anything. I might have failed the reconnaissance mission given by the Lord Commander, but I wouldn't stain the black by answering the questions of a wildling king.
Slap!
"Didn't you hear the King ask you a question? Answer!" the wildling warrior hissed through her teeth, right after delivering a sharp, heavy slap to the back of the neck of one of my men.
If he wanted us to speak, at least let it be me receiving his fury, and not my subordinates.
"You follow a shitty leader who hides behind women and beasts... to what point of decay have you wildlings reached..." I spat the first desperate insult that crossed my mind, trying to focus his attention on me.
The wide wooden hall fell into a sepulchral silence.
"Hehe... I am hiding?" the wildling leader let out a low laugh, but one that echoed heavy and threatening in the enclosed space.
He slowly stood up from the rustic wooden throne.
"If you won't answer the easy way, I will have to... make you talk. Who shall we start with?" the man said with a cold smile.
His steps echoed heavily on the floorboards with each advance. Right behind him, the enormous black direwolf stood up and followed him step by step. The creature was gigantic; the beast's head almost hit the wildling leader's chest, which only highlighted the imposing height of that King.
He stopped right in front of me, fixing those golden, slit eyes on me.
"You are their leader, aren't you? Tell me, crow... what would happen if I killed all your men right here, and let only you return alive to the Wall?"
I swallowed hard, panic freezing my blood. I would be seen as a deserter and a traitor. The Lord Commander would never believe that the wildlings let me return empty-handed and without having made an agreement. I would undoubtedly have my head chopped off for cowardice and treason.
When I opened my mouth to speak — at least to beg him to let my men return in my place —, the wildling leader looked away from me, ignoring me completely. He chose the youngest of us. A frightened young man who had taken the black very recently.
"Tell me, what is your name?" the man with the viper eyes crouched down, getting at face level with the tied-up boy.
The boy hesitated, trembling from head to toe, but answered:
"Bar-Barth... just Barth," he stammered.
"And why are you serving the Night's Watch, Barth? Were you expelled from your family? Did you commit a heinous crime? Or are you just an unwanted bastard?"
I didn't expect this kind of question from the enemy leader.
"I... I was caught stealing food from a lord's barn..." the boy murmured, ashamed.
"So, little thief..." the wildling continued, his voice incredibly soft and dangerous. "...tell me what you were doing here. Why were you sent to die in the ice? Routine patrol? Investigation?"
"Barth, don't open your mouth!" I yelled, struggling against the ropes. "You swore before the weirwood tree! The Old Gods will punish you!"
"Tsk," the wildling giant grumbled, annoyed by my interruption.
Grrrr...
I had barely finished my words, and the crushing weight of the giant direwolf was upon me. The beast growled centimeters from my face, its dagger-sized teeth grinding, while thick, hot saliva dripped from its jaws directly onto my neck. I froze, lacking the courage even to breathe.
POV: Denovan
By the desperate and protective attitude, I had already confirmed who the leader of the group was. But the young ranger, Barth, seemed terrified enough and quite willing to talk to save his own skin. So, I paid no more attention to the leader lying under Fenrir's paws.
I turned my gaze back to the boy.
"Barth, huh... Untie him," I ordered my guards.
"Hey, hey! What are you going to do with the boy?!" one of the other rangers yelled, struggling. "If I escape from here, I'll make you pay dearly, you damn wildling!"
I rolled my eyes. "Put gags in all of their mouths. They are too annoying and dumb for their own good."
Seeing the boy being untied and standing up on wobbly legs, looking at me with extreme caution, I made a gesture with my head.
"Follow me."
I went towards the kitchen, which was in a room adjacent to the main hall. Behind me, only Fenrir and one of the Marked warriors accompanied us.
In the kitchen, there was a long rustic wooden table — one that reminded me a lot of the table in my old cabin in the Thenn Valley, but nostalgia wasn't important right now. I sat down and made a sign pointing to a chair, indicating for the boy to sit down too.
He obeyed, swallowing hard.
"How old are you, boy?"
"I... I'm sixteen..." he answered, his head down, but his almond eyes wandered frantically around the room, looking for escape routes.
"Oh... only two years younger than me..." I said casually, just to catch the little crow's attention.
His head shot up. "You... you're eighteen?! That's impossible! How did you manage to unite so many wildling clans being so young? Was it... your father who did this?"
The Mark watching us from the door scowled and growled through his teeth: "The King began the unification on his own five years ago. Do not doubt his strength, crow of the Wall."
"Hehe," I half-smiled. "I was the one who did all this, little thief. But now let's get to what matters. Tell me everything you know. Now that I've separated you from your companions, even if I let you walk away with them, they'll think you opened your mouth to me anyway. They will never trust you again, Barth. You will be executed as a traitor the second you step foot in Castle Black. So... speak."
The boy's eyes filled with tears of despair upon realizing the trap I had put him in.
"I... I can't betray them..."
"You're not going to betray anyone," I countered, leaning over the table. "You're going to prevent a slaughter. If the Night's Watch comes to us, much blood will be spilled on both sides. If you tell me everything, this can be avoided. Think about it, Barth. What did the Southern nobles do for you? They exiled you to a life of chastity and intense cold just because you wanted to sate your own hunger. They do not deserve your blind loyalty."
The boy remained silent. He seemed to evaluate the proposal, his chest rising and falling rapidly. I would let him think for a few moments. If logic didn't work, I would have to resort to more extreme and unpleasant means, but I preferred manipulative diplomacy.
Finally, he yielded.
"We... we were investigating why the Wall stopped receiving attacks from invaders in the last few moons..." Barth started, his voice cracking. "The Lord Commander sent scouts. We found migration tracks and were sent to see what was happening. And then we were caught by your warriors... and brought here."
"And I believe your Lord Commander has already reported this great migration to the Starks in Winterfell? And maybe even to the Targaryen Crown?"
The boy looked at me with curious eyes, somewhat surprised by my accuracy.
"Yes... We reported the tracks. And the messenger ravens returned saying that Winterfell would send help if the threat was truly confirmed. Lord Stark has already armed some of his bannermen and sent them marching to the Wall to reinforce the Watch."
"I see..." I murmured, scratching my chin. "So the North is already planning an offensive against us. This is terrible. Do you already have a date for when the Northmen arrive?"
"No, sir..."
"Already treating me like a 'sir'?" I joked, breaking the atmosphere of terror. "Your sworn brothers wouldn't be very happy about that."
I saw his gaze return ashamedly to his own calloused hands.
"Tell me everything you know about the Watch's routes and plans."
This time there was no hesitation, although he still couldn't look me in the eyes.
"They sent several small expedition groups like ours. All with the mission to find the exact location of your new settlement, map the defenses, and then return to report. We had already received reports that several tribes were migrating to the coast. We were sent to see how many of you there were, if you had good weapons... I swear, I don't know anything else besides that."
"How long ago did you leave Castle Black for this expedition?"
"Two days..."
"And when were you supposed to return?"
"We were supposed to start the march back tonight, in case we didn't find anything."
"I see."
I sighed, processing the information. Time was shorter than I imagined.
"Boy... Swear loyalty to me," I proposed, my voice sounding like an irresistible command. "And I will give you a chance at life. You can be much freer and happier fighting for yourself here, in ScaleBay, than freezing to death and exiled serving no lord at the Wall."
"I..."
"You don't need to answer me right now," I cut him off before he made a hasty decision out of fear. "Just follow me for now. You told me some of their plans, yes, but don't think this is an unforgivable betrayal. You didn't tell me anything vital that I couldn't find out by killing you. What could I do with such shallow information anyway?"
I smiled reassuringly.
"I don't want to harm your people, boy, I just want to save mine. So don't feel guilty. Now... I'm going to let your brothers go back to their little ice house."
I got up and walked back to the main hall. Barth followed me in absolute silence, like a cowering shadow.
When we entered the room, I saw the four gagged men on the floor widen their eyes. They looked with surprise upon seeing their partner alive and intact. But the initial surprise and relief soon gave way to the purest fury and distrust when they realized Barth was untied and docile by my side.
"Your little crow brother here..." I said aloud, placing my hand amicably on Barth's shoulder, ensuring all the rangers saw the scene. "...decided to tell me everything I wanted to know in exchange for your lives. So that I would let you go in peace. So, be grateful to the boy."
They couldn't answer or curse the boy, after all, they had dirty leather gags strapped to their mouths, but they cast murderous and complicated looks at Barth. The boy's fate in the Watch was officially destroyed.
"Julge..." I called, looking at the Marked warrior who was supervising the prisoners. "I believe you have already confiscated their weapons and good armor?"
"Yes, my King. We kept everything of value."
"Great. Then, untie the four of them and escort them outside the settlement's limits," I ordered. Next, I approached Sigrid.
"And, sister..." my tone changed, becoming harsh and low enough so that only she could hear. "Send Wind Wing to follow them through the skies. Make sure they are really marching back to the Wall and not spying."
"Hmm," Sigrid nodded dryly, understanding the mission.
I turned my attention back to the gagged crows as they were roughly hoisted from the floor.
"And you, curious crows... take a message from me. Tell your Lord Commander and Lord Stark that I, Denovan, truly do not want a war. You returning alive to your home today is the biggest sign of my goodwill that they will get."
The guards pulled the gags off.
"Manipulative bastard wildling," spat the leader of the group, Nick, glaring at Barth. "What did you do to make the boy talk?! And why isn't he coming with us?"
"Well..." I smiled cynically. "If he leaves with you... your Lord Commander, or even you, will kill him for treason on the way back, won't you? So why send him back to his death?"
"Tsk!" Nick turned his face away, infuriated that a wildling was right.
I brought my face closer to the ranger's, my expression losing any and all humor. My golden eyes narrowed.
"Just warn them, ranger... our people don't want war. We just want to survive in this frozen land. But... if the Northmen really come marching up here to attack us... I swear by the Old Gods that you will all die in droves in the snow. Of that, I am absolutely certain."
Terror finally seemed to sink into the ranger's eyes.
"Now, get them out of here and take them outside the settlement," I ordered the Marked ones.
As soon as they were taken outside, Melika and Sigrid appeared by my side. Melika, with her usual sensual manner, placed a hand on my shoulder, sliding her fingers inside my light shirt.
"Melika... have you counted how much time we have to feed these mouths before the food runs out?" I asked, without turning to her and subtly stepping away from her touch.
"So serious..." she said, amused, but her tone quickly changed to that of an advisor reporting a problem. "About three months... we won't last longer than that."
Sigh.
"Sig... I'm going to leave earlier than planned. Tomorrow morning the ships will have to set sail. Fenrir, Kali, and Orion will stay here; anything happens, just talk to them and I will know."
"Do you think we won't be able to withstand the crows attacking?" she asked.
"I'm not afraid of that... but I'm afraid we'll starve to death, Sig. If food starts to run out... this place will turn into a mess, especially if we're at war." I looked at both of them. "You and Melika will stay here. I trust you enough. And, Sig, just don't make any decisions before talking to Melika; you've improved, but you're still too hot-headed."
"I know, I know. You can go in peace. But next time I'm going with you, I want to see the South with my own eyes."
"I will show you... Now, Sig, warn all our warriors. Double the patrols and expand the perimeter. We could be attacked at any moment."
"I'm going to see the ships, we need to focus on what we have," I said, walking out the door without looking back.
As soon as I arrived at our port, I saw our few ships: a large longship and other small fishing boats.
I approached Torghen, who was finishing the adjustments on a large boat that looked like a longship, a vessel we were trying to build, but which was proving to be very difficult.
"Torghen... plans have changed. We are leaving tomorrow at sunrise. We're heading South. Call your best sailors; I will call the Marks..."
"Denovan..." he greeted with respect. "And why not in two days? What changed?"
"The Wall and the Starks already know about us. We have to get as many weapons and as much food as possible before they begin their attacks."
"Then I'll call my best, boss!" he said excitedly, already leaving the port with quick steps.
I turned my back to the docks and went to our largest building. It was a great hall, much larger than my house's. That was the War Room, and the most well-guarded place in all of ScaleBay. We had started to stock high-quality weapons and armor there, to be able to distribute them to our best warriors.
As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by two Marked warriors. With several tattoos, even wearing heavy clothes, it was possible to see the runic marks on the hands, necks, and faces of both.
"My King..." both said in unison.
"Summon our forty best men. Tell them to come to the War Room now, I am waiting for them," I said, passing by the guards and entering.
I sat in the chair at the end, which was reserved for me. The table was large and, well, in the future, a beautiful map would be spread out here. It took less than ten minutes for the hall to fill up. The Marked ones were all there, some standing and others sitting — we hadn't made chairs for everyone yet, and, to be honest, for now, we didn't need to.
The last to arrive was Tormund, the captain of the Marks. He was my best warrior. As soon as he saw the effects of the runes, he asked me to make them on him, and thus he became one of the strongest men under my command. Perhaps he could even give me an interesting fight if he joined forces with two others. And he is one of the warriors who has been with me the longest; he had my complete trust.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, I spoke:
"I sent for you because we are moving up our raid."
There was a murmur in the room.
"We will leave tomorrow, at sunrise. Everyone must be at Naga's port. We will depart for Skagos first. Let's see everything useful they have and then, if it's enough... which I doubt, we should return. And if it's not, we'll keep going down. Our goal is the Stepstones and Dorne. We'll take everything: boats, weapons, and food, and then we'll return."
I faced my generals sternly.
"We must do all this in three months. That's the maximum time we have. The crows and the Starks already know about us, and we must be back before they attack. Do you understand?"
Several began to nod, some with just head bobs, others with harsh words of agreement. One of them asked:
"My King, I'm not saying your decision is wrong, but we are going with the best warriors. Won't our home be left unprotected?"
"No. More and more warriors are arriving every day, and the contingent of Marks will increase in these months. Melika will continue to place the marks on trusted men and women, increasing our strength. When we return, we will be much stronger."
I slammed my fist on the table.
"THEN GO BACK TO YOUR HOMES AND HAVE THE BEST NIGHT YOU CAN HAVE!" I said, standing up. "Tomorrow we'll be in Skagos... They say they are even stronger warriors than us from the True North... Let's see if it's true."
The Marked ones became inflamed with the challenge and started to shout and talk loudly, beating their chests and the table.
"Go then. See you tomorrow morning," I said, sitting back down in the chair and waiting for them to leave excitedly.
We have twelve boats, one ready longship, and one failed longship under construction. We will take the forty Marked ones and the rest of the crew will be warrior sailors. We can't leave ScaleBay without fishing boats, so we will leave with half the fleet. We'll have around seventy warriors for this raid, and also, Orochi and I... it should be enough.
Maybe it's time to talk to Viserys again. Did he take my advice seriously last time? I would be very disappointed if he hadn't and Aemma had died in childbirth. Because, if that happened, then the Dance of the Dragons would break out, or at least it would be almost impossible to stop. But, if she was alive, there would still be good chances of things working out for the Realm.
I took a deep breath and, with a mere thought in our mental connection, Heindall flew out of the perch inside my main house and departed straight to the South.
It would be funny to see the Targaryen King's reaction upon seeing a giant eagle speak.
"Even though his speech is rudimentary, it should be enough," I murmured to the empty hall.
Huginn, my good old messenger raven, wasn't around. Neither were Horus, Nyx, or Muninn. They were flying far away, warning the more remote clans, and they wouldn't return anytime soon. So Heindall was the best resource I had. And well, Horus and Nyx didn't speak; the choices were between the raven brothers and Heindall, with his hoarse and guttural speech, which he could only articulate with me in mental control. But it would be enough for a message.
As I lost myself in tactical thoughts, Melika's honeyed voice sounded in my ear.
"Tired?"
"A little," I answered, without being startled. My enhanced senses were too good not to notice her scent and her soft steps as she approached.
"Things will work out," she said, running her hands down my neck, giving a relaxing massage to my tense muscles.
Silence settled in for a comfortable moment.
"Why not rest now? You're only leaving tomorrow..." she whispered.
I stood up, faced Melika, and stared at her.
"Is that an invitation?"
"It always is," she answered, bringing her body closer to mine.
I leaned down and kissed her. Our moments weren't very romantic, but, after a few years in this kind of brutal and loyal relationship, you end up getting attached without realizing it.
The kiss was wild. I lifted Melika into my lap and started walking with her attached to my waist. We were losing ourselves in each other when I heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching outside the doors of the War Room.
I interrupted the moment. Our lips were red and moist. Melika was flushed and seemed almost shy, a stark contrast to her seductive and haughty everyday self.
"We'll continue later... someone is approaching," I whispered, gently placing her on the floor.
The heavy wooden door opened and in walked one of the scouts I had sent to follow the brothers of the Night's Watch.
"My King... the crows are already far away. Only your sister's falcon is still following them, the rest have already returned to the camp."
I looked at Melika, who seemed a little annoyed by the abrupt interruption, and said to the messenger, with an amused tone:
"I see... thank you. You can rest now."
The man nodded, turned, and left. As soon as the hall door closed again, guaranteeing our privacy, I looked at Melika and whispered very close to her ear:
"We can continue in my bed..."
"We can," she agreed, with a fierce gleam of pleasure in her eyes, as she grabbed my neck and pulled me in for another kiss.
-
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