So Benjen did not quite understand what Kal meant.
As if perceiving the doubt in his mind, Kal gave a faint smile and explained, "This journey beyond the Wall is solely to scout the movements of the Others and learn the situation of the free folk."
"Our numbers are few, and we move lightly enough, so if we can avoid open conflict, we shall. We will endure as much as possible to prevent any mishap."
"After all, no one knows how strong the enemy we face truly is."
"But rest assured, I will bring JJ. Perhaps it may bring a different sort of surprise."
These words were also meant for Maester Aemon, for Benjen Stark, as Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, would accompany them beyond the Wall.
By then, nearly all matters of the Wall would have to be entrusted to him, and only he was truly familiar with the affairs of the Night's Watch.
Thus, as Kal spoke, Benjen's gaze shifted toward Aemon, who wore a hood that concealed his silver hair. His face was youthful, and only a pair of unusually deep violet eyes were visible beneath the shadow of the cowl.
"After I depart, the affairs of the Night's Watch will trouble you all the more, Maester Aemon."
Benjen inclined his head slightly toward Aemon in respect.
Aemon waved a hand, unconcerned. "The nobles of every region have many capable men. They are sufficient to lend aid to the Night's Watch."
"In that case, let us make ready to depart!"
There was nothing further to instruct. All that needed preparation had been settled in the past few days. Kal clapped his hands at once.
With the sharp sound of his palms striking together, JJ—who had just calmed down and was staring pitifully with wide eyes as Robert roasted meat for it—vanished in a flash and appeared before them.
The sudden appearance of the golden-furred hound startled everyone. For some reason, they always seemed to forget this dog that could stand toe to toe with a dragon.
Within the expeditionary host, a boy draped in a green cloak—small and thin of frame, with a pair of dark green eyes—had been watching it all along.
Erevi's gaze swept across them. After a brief pause, it shifted away.
Kal rubbed the great hound's head and gave a nod to Robb, who stood among the crowd holding the reins of a horse he had personally brought for the King.
On this northern expedition, Robb Stark would also take part.
Kal took the reins and swung up into the saddle.
The assembled host parted down the middle, and Kal stepped forward.
The passage through the Wall was long, winding, and narrow. The column bore torches and moved ahead slowly.
Within the tunnel stood three iron portcullises, each normally kept locked. Yet today, with the King's host riding out, the iron bars had been opened in advance.
The outermost gate of the passage was made of solid oak, nine inches thick.
Once they had fully emerged, the wind and snow struck their faces head-on, blinding them at once.
It was as though they had entered another world. Even at Castle Black the land had been bleak and mottled, yet here it was wholly transformed into a white expanse beneath a howling gale.
"Your Grace, there are no roads beyond the Wall. Your destination is Craster's Keep. It would be best for us to enter the forest first."
After ensuring that the entire column had cleared the Wall and that its gates had been shut once more, Benjen came again to Kal's side.
"Our rangers often patrol these lands. There are narrow paths that may aid us."
Hearing Benjen's words, Kal nodded and then called out loudly, "Here, you are the masters. I will need your guidance, Lord Commander Benjen."
Though Kal would never lose his way in such a place—least of all with Erevi, the great mage, at his side—he still chose to let Benjen and his men lead.
There was no need for him to show stubborn pride.
To ensure a clear field of vision, all trees within half a mile of the Wall had been felled. Thus, Kal and his party needed only to advance a short distance before entering the Haunted Forest.
The moment they stepped beneath the trees, the howling wind and flying snow were at once blocked by the forest, granting shelter to the column.
Many southerners, encountering for the first time the harsh conditions of the farthest reaches of the North, felt their uneasy hearts ease somewhat.
Benjen, true to his years as a seasoned ranger of the Night's Watch, seemed to return home the moment he entered. He led them onward, turning left and right, pressing forward with difficulty.
For what were called ranger paths were nothing more than countless hunting trails, ancient riverbeds, and tracks worn by men's footsteps.
Though no one had passed this way for a long time, and despite the bitter cold, parts of the path were still overgrown with shrubs.
Kal noticed that the Haunted Forest was composed chiefly of weirwoods and sentinel trees. A small grove of weirwoods they had just passed, Benjen said, was said to have been left behind by the Children of the Forest.
"What are the Children of the Forest? I have heard wood elves called by such a name. And those vexing druids—do they also have green hair?"
The bitter cold seemed to trouble the dark elf not at all. On the contrary, Erevi was observing her surroundings at every moment, as though anything here might stir her interest.
"Much about the Children of the Forest remains unknown. These mysterious folk, possessed of magic, have long vanished from the sight of men."
"They were the native inhabitants of the continent of Westeros. Long before the First Men came to Westeros in the Dawn Age, they already dwelt across the land."
"The Children of the Forest used no metal, wove no cloth, and built no cities. They used tools of stone, fashioned garments from leaves, and bound bark about their legs."
"Legend describes them as small humanoid beings, scarcely taller than children, dark-skinned and fair of face, with a deep chestnut hue and large ears."
"They dwelt deep within forests, in caves, on marshy isles, and in secret tree-top towns, as though they were one with the woods themselves."
As both a man of the North and a brother of the Night's Watch, Benjen knew more of such matters than most. Even Robb could not help but draw nearer to listen.
After hearing Benjen's account, Erevi tilted her head in thought. Creatures of such a kind did seem to resemble certain beings she knew.
"So you mean they are in truth goblins, or halflings? Yet they sound somewhat akin to those wood elves as well?"
Erevi asked with curiosity.
Kal himself knew little of the Children of the Forest and could only listen.
Yet at Erevi's words, a small, thin boy in a green cloak had at some point drawn close behind them.
"The Children of the Forest are not the creatures you speak of, my lady."
"They have their own tongue. When they name themselves in that language, they call themselves 'those who sing the song of the earth.'"
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