"The three of you," Tormund Giantsbane said, his voice a gravelly rumble as he swept a pile of charred chicken bones into the glowing brazier. "You've been chattering away like a bunch of magpies, but have you forgotten old Tormund? What about the people under my command? My lads are starting to get restless staring at all that ice. When do we pass through the Wall?"
Eddard didn't answer immediately. He leaned back, the firelight dancing in his grey-blue eyes. "What about those cannibals, Tormund? The Ice-river clans and the others? Have they all been brought under control?"
Tormund nodded, a rare hint of genuine ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. "They have. As soon as you give the order, they'll disappear from this world. I can't stand those things that eat their own kind either. It's bad for the gut and worse for the soul."
He paused, leaning forward to probe Eddard's expression. "But you should think carefully. That's at least two thousand people, and most of them are young and strong. Give them a weapon, and they can become warriors. Can you really bear to throw away that much meat?"
Eddard didn't hesitate. His voice was calm, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, but the words were a death sentence. "Many people are willing to take up arms for the North and for House Karstark, Tormund. If I keep these cannibals under my command, the result will be a camp where no one can sleep soundly after nightfall. I don't recruit monsters to fight monsters."
He looked Tormund dead in the eye. "Kill them all. Burn them until there isn't a tooth left in the ash. Then, you swear to the gods, yours and mine that you will fight alongside the Night's Watch. Only then do you lead your people through the gate."
Tormund's expression soured. He had done a monumental amount of work over the past few days. He and his sons had brought the disparate tribes into a semblance of order, managed the dwindling supplies, and organized the gruesome task of burning the dead from the riot. To be met with an order for more slaughter rather than a reward stung his pride. He wanted armor, or perhaps a few of those fine steel swords the "Ice Warriors" carried.
But Tormund was a survivor. He knew the disparity in strength. He preferred Jon Snow, a man who seemed to have a decent heart but he feared the Riverrun lord, who was stronger, more cunning, and far more ruthless.
Eddard noticed the "King of Boasting" was unusually quiet. He smiled lightly, turning his gaze to Jon Snow. "Of course, I'm not asking for your service for nothing. Once you pass, your Free Folk will need to cooperate with the Night's Watch to garrison the nineteen castles on the Wall. It's an essential job. I've handed over a massive cache of supplies to Bowen Marsh. Jon will distribute them to your people: wine, grain, salted beef, warm woolens, and tools for repairing the ruins."
Hearts can be won in many ways. Eddard knew that not everyone needed to kneel. Some allies were better kept at arm's length, bound by mutual interest and full stomachs rather than oaths that would eventually be broken.
Tormund smacked his lips. "Alright, I guess. Wine and wool aren't steel, but they're useful enough."
"Weapons?" Eddard glanced at Tormund. "I've prepared spear shafts and iron heads. Jon, I have another task for you."
The new Lord Commander straightened up. "What do I need to do, Ned?"
"Samwell Tarly," Eddard said. "He's your friend, isn't he? Has he seen you since he returned to the castle?"
Jon's face showed a flicker of distress. "He has. He begged me to intercede for his brother, Dickon, who he heard was captured at the Twins. He also recognized Heartbreaker in your hand. He's terrified of you, Eddard. He recognized the ancestral blade and hopes to find a way for his house to redeem it."
Eddard chuckled. "I imagine he doesn't have the courage to ask me himself."
Jon nodded with a wry smile. "Sam is... Sam. He saw the iron hooves from the Wall, Ned. He saw how quickly the tribes were cut down when they refused to yield. In his eyes, you're more terrifying than his father."
"Tell him Dickon is safe for now," Eddard said, drawing Heartbreaker halfway. The firelight played across the dark, undulating ripples of the Valyrian steel. "As long as House Tarly can pay the price, they can have their sword back. But more importantly, Samwell killed a White Walker with a dragonglass dagger. Is that true?"
"Yes," Jon said. "I found a cache of it at the Fist, wrapped in a black cloak. Most of it was lost in the retreat, but Sam kept his."
"Dragonglass is the bane of the Others," Eddard emphasized, catching the attention of Styr and Tormund. "According to the books, Skagos has deposits of it. Jon, your fleet is at Eastwatch. If possible, I want you to organize a trade or a raid on Skagos. Get the obsidian. We need dragonglass arrowheads and daggers for every man on this Wall."
Eddard knew Dragonstone had more, but Stannis was currently busy invading the Reach and wouldn't welcome a Northern delegation. For now, the cannibal-infested island of Skagos was the better bet.
Jon considered the proposal. "Eddard, why not a trade? We've confiscated a fortune in gold and silver ornaments from the wildling camps. We can use the spoils of the dead to buy the safety of the living."
Eddard didn't reject it. "Decide as you see fit, Commander. If the Skagosi give you trouble, write to me at Winterfell."
Jon was surprised by Eddard's sudden flexibility. Over the last week, he had come to see Eddard as a domineering figure who demanded absolute obedience. To see him adopt a suggestion so easily was a relief.
Eddard stood up, grabbing Heartbreaker from the table. "Hornblower, one more thing. Come with me to find Marga."
Mag the Mighty had survived the lightning strikes, a testament to the terrifying vitality of the giants. He lay now under a massive weirwood tree on the edge of the camp, his thick fur providing a natural barrier against the cold. When the group approached, four men, the snow bear Avalanche, and Jon's direwolf Ghost, the giant opened his mouth, revealing his massive teeth in a slow, pained smile.
Eddard needed to divide the giants. Three hundred of them in one place would eat a territory into a famine within a month.
Through Tormund's translation, the negotiation lasted from dawn until the purple dusk. The giants were simple creatures: they followed strength and they followed food. Eddard had proven the first with his lightning, and he had provided the second with the Frey grain.
The deal was struck: one hundred giants would stay to guard the Wall, one hundred would go to the Dreadfort with Styr, and Eddard would take the remaining hundred to the Riverlands. As for the mammoths, they would remain in the North, their thick subcutaneous fat made the South a death trap for them until the true winter arrived.
By the time the matter was settled, Eddard's mood had improved significantly. He sat upright on Avalanche, walking back into the dark passage of the Wall alongside Jon and a few Night's Watch veterans like "Dolorous" Edd.
"The North is lucky to have you, Ned," Jon said, looking up at the massive wall of ice. "I don't know how we would have fed these people without your gold."
"I didn't do it for luck, Jon," Eddard replied.
Suddenly, a chill far sharper than the Northern wind bit into the back of Eddard's neck. He pulled on Avalanche's fur, turning the bear around.
For a heartbeat, he saw it: a flash of brilliant, ice-blue light deep within the shadowed tree line of the Ghost Shadow Forest. It moved with an unnatural, fluid speed, passing through the timber like a reflection on glass.
He blinked. The forest was still. The trees stood like a dark, silent curtain, showing no signs of life.
"Eddard? What is it?" Jon asked, his hand moving toward Longclaw.
"Nothing," Eddard said, though his heart was hammering against his ribs. "Just a shadow. Let's get inside. We have a long road to Winterfell tomorrow."
[System Notification: Alliance Finalized.]
[Unit Division: 100 Giants assigned to 'The Crossing Guards'.]
[New Strategic Resource: Dragonglass Trade (Pending).]
[Soul Power Gained: 200 SP.][Status: Observed by the Great Other.]
Drop Some Power Stones Plz.
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