Chapter 76: Settling the Free Folk
Saelen arrived at the council chamber, where Commander Jeor Mormont sat alone, waiting.
"Lord Commander, you wanted to see me?"
"It's good to see you made it back safely," Mormont said, visibly relieved at the sight of Saelen unharmed. These past few days, he had been overwhelmed with the task of managing the influx of free folk. Now that they trusted Saelen, many problems would be far easier to resolve with him taking the lead.
"Jon has already told you everything, I assume?"
"He has," Saelen replied with a nod.
"Before leaving, Lord Eddard Stark entrusted you with command of the Northern forces."
Saelen didn't refuse and accepted the responsibility, though inwardly he remained unconvinced. The Northern lords were proud and stubborn—without firm, even forceful measures, they would be difficult to command.
"Lord Stark believes that once he assumes the position of Hand in King's Landing, he'll be able to mobilize the power of the Iron Throne to support us. With that, we should have a steady flow of manpower and supplies," Mormont continued, his tone optimistic.
"Let's hope so," Saelen replied casually, though he didn't truly believe it.
The Iron Throne was already drowning in debt—millions of gold dragons owed—propped up largely by the wealth of the Lannisters and loans from the Iron Bank. That was why King Robert Baratheon both despised and depended on House Lannister at the same time.
After Jon Arryn's death, many factions had coveted the position of Hand—the Lannisters of the Westerlands, the Tyrells of Highgarden, and even Stannis Baratheon. Yet Robert had personally traveled north to appoint Eddard Stark, which naturally bred resentment.
Stannis ruled Dragonstone, a barren and resource-poor land. Highgarden, wealthy enough to rival nations, had no ties to Winterfell and would hardly support Eddard. As for the Lannisters, their rivalry with House Stark was no secret—they would be the least likely to lend aid, and more likely to obstruct matters behind the scenes.
That left only the Riverlands and the Vale. But the Vale was now under Lysa Arryn, whose concerns rarely extended beyond herself and her son. In truth, the only reliable ally Eddard might have was House Tully of the Riverlands—but even that support was uncertain in the long run.
After thinking it through, Saelen calmly laid out his analysis for those present. He avoided mentioning certain future events, knowing they would sound too absurd to be believed.
But his conclusion was clear—whatever help Eddard might bring from the south, it would not be as significant as Mormont hoped.
In the end, the North and the free folk would have to rely on themselves.
Saelen spoke at length for what felt like half the day before finally stopping, his throat dry. Everyone present was left somewhat stunned—they hadn't expected the situation surrounding the Iron Throne to be so tangled and unstable.
"So… in the end, we can only rely on ourselves?" Jeor Mormont said, his tone tinged with disappointment.
"That's the obvious conclusion."
"Then to hell with the king, and to hell with the Iron Throne," Tormund Giantsbane snorted indifferently. "We'll manage just fine on our own without their help."
Styr and the other chieftains nodded in agreement.
Jon, however, looked worried. "Then… will Father be in danger in King's Landing? He only took a few dozen guards with him—and Arya went too."
"That's almost certain," Saelen replied without hesitation. "Jon, I've been to King's Landing many times. The Red Keep is full of Lannister men in red cloaks."
"What should we do then? Should we send word to Robb and have him gather riders to head south and protect Father?"
"And how many men would that take?" Saelen countered calmly. "If you send too many, under what justification? Too few, and it won't make a difference."
Jon frowned, thinking it over. In truth, Eddard Stark was now the Hand of the King—by law, only the king himself had the authority to deal with him. Who would dare openly threaten him?
"Enough," Saelen said, cutting off the discussion. "That's far beyond our reach right now. We should focus on the Wall's defenses."
He then shifted the conversation toward the settlement of the free folk.
After discussion, they reached a decision: Saelen would lead the free folk into the Gift and settle them there first. Once things were stable, Tormund and Styr would organize a force of two thousand free folk warriors, which Saelen would personally train in formation and discipline.
In wartime, Tormund and Styr would command the force—but they would ultimately answer to Saelen. In effect, the army would fall under his direct control. Both men already respected him deeply, so neither objected.
This force would serve as a mobile reserve, ready to reinforce and support the Wall when needed. The rest of the free folk would remain in the Gift, clearing land and farming. Saelen would provide them with grain, seeds, tools, and other essential supplies.
Once the meeting concluded, everyone dispersed.
Saelen returned to his quarters and collapsed into bed. He had spent months beyond the Wall without proper rest, constantly on the move.
He slept for two full days at Castle Black—doing nothing but eating and sleeping—ignoring everything else.
By the time he finally reappeared, all thirty thousand free folk had passed through the Wall. Refreshed, Saelen led them south toward Queenscrown.
With such a massive group, progress was slow. It took ten days to reach their destination. Lawrence had already received word via raven from Castle Black and prepared temporary camps along with food and other supplies.
Saelen then gathered the chieftains inside a command tent and spread out a map. The land around Queenscrown had already been marked.
With a decisive stroke, he allocated a large stretch of territory to Tormund, Styr, and the giant clans—the very groups who had chosen to stay behind and hold off the Night King.
Having fought alongside them through life and death, Saelen naturally trusted them more. More importantly, they had proven their character when it mattered most.
Keeping them close also gave him greater peace of mind.
The remaining, more distant lands were assigned to the other tribes.
With their maps in hand, along with food, seeds, and farming tools, the tribes began moving toward their new homes. The coming days would be busy—building settlements, reclaiming land, planting crops, and sending men for military training.
As for Saelen, it was finally time for him to begin preparations for something far more ambitious—
the hatching of his dragons.