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Jimmy looked over the stacks of meat for a moment, then turned to Rickon.
"What kind do you like best?"
"Shaggydog likes venison," Rickon said immediately. "I like it too."
"Venison it is."
Jimmy pulled down half a frozen haunch of deer, the meat hard as stone, and carried it with them to the living quarters.
Inside, the hearth was already blazing with pine logs. The room was warm, the fire crackling. A simple table stood nearby with knives and forks laid out, and roasted venison rested on a platter.
Shaggydog crouched in a corner, watching Jimmy warily as he gnawed on a bone.
Rickon, meanwhile, kept asking questions about his parents.
He was certain of one thing.
His father, mother, and Robb were still alive.
Ever since meeting Jimmy, he had clung to him, asking again and again if it was true.
Jimmy finally tilted his head.
"How do you know they're alive?"
"I dreamed it," Rickon said simply. "I saw my father, my mother, and Robb. They were on an island in the sea."
Greensight.
The word flashed through Jimmy's mind.
For a moment his gaze sharpened. A faint violet glimmer flickered in his eyes as he examined the boy carefully.
Fortunately, Rickon wasn't a greenseer or some chosen vessel of the old powers. If he had been, Jimmy might have had to reconsider certain things.
Because Jimmy had begun to suspect something unsettling.
The gods of this world did not seem particularly fond of humanity.
…
After a moment of thought, Jimmy spoke.
"Right now, Robb's wife is pregnant. They won't be leaving that island until the child is born."
"I'll be bringing some people here over the next few weeks. If you don't want to wait that long, I can have Horus carry you to them once I finish setting things up."
Rickon thought carefully.
Then he asked something unexpected.
"If I stay here… will it help my family?"
Jimmy blinked.
"Actually, yes. Quite a lot."
"Your presence means House Mormont of Bear Island can support me. Which, in turn, means supporting House Stark."
A thought suddenly clicked into place.
Moving people south from beyond the Wall alone would take far too long. But if the North had a living Stark heir present…
That would change everything.
"All right," Rickon said firmly. "Then I'll stay."
Jimmy raised an eyebrow.
Well now.
The future King of Walnuts showing a bit of backbone already?
He hadn't expected that kind of resolve from a boy Rickon's age.
"Fine," Jimmy said. "You stay."
…
Jimmy tightened the bearskin cloak around his shoulders.
"Rickon, there's enough food, vegetables, and firewood here to last a while. Most of the caves around here were occupied by beasts before. I killed some and chased the rest away."
"They might come back once I'm gone. Be careful."
He knelt slightly to meet the boy's eyes.
"In the woods, Shaggydog can't beat a shadowcat. And he definitely can't beat a snow bear. Try not to wander too far."
Rickon nodded seriously.
"I'll be careful."
Jimmy stood.
"Protect him," he said to Osha.
Then he leapt upward.
Horus swooped low, catching him effortlessly before rising into the sky and carrying him north.
…
BOOM.
Jimmy arrived at the perfect moment.
His first target had practically delivered itself.
From high above, Horus had spotted what looked like a swarm of ants spreading across the frozen landscape—thousands of them chasing a scattered group of massive figures.
Wildlings.
Seven or eight thousand of them, fleeing in all directions.
Among them were giants riding enormous mammoths, lumbering forward as fast as their massive legs could carry them.
But the creatures behind them were gaining ground.
"Fire," Jimmy ordered calmly. "Burn them. Just watch out for the one throwing spears."
Before Horus could respond, Jimmy jumped.
He plunged straight into the middle of the White Walker horde.
"Kill!"
His twin blades whirled like a storm.
The great swords forged with the bones of Smaug sliced even more cleanly than Valyrian steel against the undead. There was almost no resistance when the blades struck.
It felt less like cutting flesh…
And more like a hot knife gliding through butter.
Horus joined the battle moments later.
A torrent of dragonfire burst from his beak as his massive wings beat the air. The wind fed the flames, spreading the inferno across the frozen ground in sweeping waves.
Entire ranks of wights vanished in the blaze.
The sight stunned everyone.
Free Folk.
Giants.
All of them were born warriors, They knew the truth of the creatures behind them. If the dead were not destroyed, the chase would never end. The White Walkers would pursue them until they collapsed from exhaustion.
Then they would rise again among the enemy.
Now an opportunity had appeared.
The scattered clans rallied immediately, They grabbed dried torches, lit them from the lingering dragonfire, and charged the undead.
Jimmy's blade flashed.
One strike.
A White Walker riding a skeletal elk split cleanly in two, its body bursting into flame as it died.
Then—
Crash.
The entire horde collapsed at once, like puppets with their strings cut.
Jimmy sheathed his swords and began walking toward the giants.
Behind him, Horus circled once before landing heavily on his back, his massive form casting a long shadow.
The pressure alone was enough to make the surrounding warriors uneasy.
Jimmy raised a hand.
"Who leads here? I think we should talk."
…
They gathered in a sheltered hollow.
The giants settled their mammoths nearby, One of them casually snatched two deer and lumbered over to Horus, holding them out as an offering.
"Eat."
Horus stared at the shaggy giant with mild disdain. Then, with a shimmer of motion, he shrank and landed lightly on Jimmy's shoulder.
The giant blinked in confusion.
Just moments ago the bird had been enormous.
Now it was no larger than a hawk.
He poked a thick finger toward Horus. The eagle darted aside gracefully.
By then, the leader of the Free Folk had arrived.
"Seek of the Frostpeak Clan," he said. "You have our thanks, Are you one of the kneelers?"
Jimmy shook his head.
"My name is Jimmy Howster. Call me Jimmy, I come from south of the Wall, but I kneel to no one."
Seck studied him.
"Then why are you here? And what is that fire-breathing eagle? And—"
He continued asking questions, but beside them, the giant who had offered the deer seemed deep in thought.
Finally, he lowered his massive head, considered the situation for several long seconds, and once again held out the deer.
"Eat."
Jimmy raised a hand.
"Let's talk first, What's your name?"
The giant scratched his head.
"Mag Mar Tun Do Tor Wog."
Seck chuckled. "You can call him Mag. Strong Mag."
"All right," Jimmy said. "Mag, Seck."
"I came north because I know the White Walkers have awakened, the Cold God is stirring again."
"I wanted to see them for myself, and I came to save people."
He gestured northward.
"I have land beyond the Wall, If you wish, you can settle there as my people."
Seck's eyes narrowed.
"You want the Free Folk to kneel?"
"No," Jimmy said calmly. "You kneel to no one, That stays the same."
"But you fight for me."
"In return, I give you land, Weapons, Armor, Grain, and seeds."
"You farm if you wish, you raise herds if you wish, The only cost is that when I call for warriors, you answer Or you pay a tax for the land you use."
Jimmy's voice grew firmer.
"I don't want to see you marching in the army of the dead, I'd rather see you standing beside me."
He paused.
"I'm offering you a future."
Seck frowned.
"We are Free Folk."
Jimmy met his gaze.
"Are you?"
"You starve half the year, you freeze through the other half."
"Your elders walk into the snow to die so the young can eat, You pray your children aren't born in winter."
"A single blizzard can wipe out half a clan."
He spread his hands.
"That isn't freedom."
"That's survival."
"Tell me this instead."
"When was the last time you tasted salt?"
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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