Twenty days later the Maester comes to him with. "A raven from Castle Black, your Grace. Maester Aemon pleads for help in a fight against the Wildlings who are going to attack Castle Black in two weeks time."
Bran feels like cursing. "We will have to answer them even if the Free Folk isn't the real threat. Hopefully they will have Mance Rayder with them so that I can treat with them. Lyra, how long would it take to get from here to Castle Black?"
"Three days by ship to Westwatch-by-the-bridge and five days from there by horseback, six days if you can't change horses, and eight days in bad weather, your Grace," answers Lyra.
"We must be ready day after tomorrow. The Night's Watch will already be stretched thin with the Winter coming so we will have to bring our own provisions. During this time, those not taken along should search for the ironborn's ships."
It is twelve days later that Bran rides to Castle Black with Rickon sitting in front of him, wearing his unicorn horn crown surrounded by Mormonts and those Glover men that hadn't been caught in Deepwood Motte. Together there is about one thousand and two hundred men and women riding with him, with another five hundred raiding the shores for ironborn ships and the rest had been left to defend Bear Island in case the ironborn tried to attack (again).
Donal Noye is there to greet them and seems pleasantly surprised to see them. "Your Grace, welcome to castle Black."
"Thank you," Bran says. "I'm sorry I couldn't bring more men but the bulk of the northern host is still in Riverlands and the ironborn are an increasing threat on the eastern shore. But we did send ravens to encourage others to send their men. I wouldn't be surprised if some Umbers and Karstarks joined us in the following two to three days."
"It is better than nothing, your Grace," Noye answers. "But why are you here personally?"
"Because I intend to treat with the Free Folk. They aren't the real enemy," Bran tells him and lets Osha lift Rickon down. "I doubt Bran the Builder built a several hundred feet tall wall to keep them from stealing."
"If not the Wildlings, then who is the real enemy?" Noye asks, annoyed, Bran can tell.
"The others," answered Osha from Bran's side, unstrapping his legs, her accent clear, startling Noye who eyes her suspiciously.
"Why do you have a Wildling with you, your Grace?" he asks.
"That's a funny story, but the gist of it is that she tried to take me hostage and failed and is now my servant," Bran shrugs as Osha lifts him to the basket on Hoodor's back
"The little King listens better than the rest of you kneelers," Osha shrugs. "Now where will the little King be sleeping? I need to take his things there."
"Summer!" Bran shouts as Summer, Shaggy and Rickon run deeper into Castle Black. "Follow Summer Hodor."
"Hodor," Hodor agrees and takes after the direwolves and Bran's brother.
Soon enough they find Summer and Shaggydog tussling around with Ghost, Jon's white direwolf, Jon not far from them, Rickon in his arms.
"Jon!" Bran calls happily to his brother who seemed to have frozen, staring at Rickon like he's seen a ghost.
His brother in black looks up from their little brother with wide eyes. "Bran!" he exclaims and sprints across the yard to Bran and Hodor, Rickon still in his arms. "What are you doing here?" he asks with concern.
"I came to treat with the Free Folk, see if they are agreeable to some kind of compromise, because I can't fight four wars at the same time," Bran explains with a mellow smile. "Robb left me a big mess to clean up. And on top of that, his wife is missing, possibly pregnant, in the Riverlands that are crawling with Lannisters and Freys."
"Four wars?" Jon asks with a tilted head.
"Lannisters, ironborn, the Free Folk and the Others," Bran lists.
"How do you know about the Others?"
"Osha!" Bran calls over his shoulder. "Come here and bring the sword!" He turns back to Jon. "Osha's a wildling who almost managed to take me hostage but after Robb saved me, she became a servant at Winterfell and she told me of the Others. She's told me much about the Free Folk and their traditions and stories. Did you know she calls Rickon and I "kissed by fire" and says that we're lucky?"
He sees Jon tense for a second before relaxing again and wonders what it was about. Then Osha comes, a few inches taller than Jon and Bran wonders if Robb wouldn't have been as dwarfed by Osha any more than he had at first. "You wanted the sword, little King," she says and offers Bran the unicorn horn sword with a benitoite in the end of the handle.
"Jon, this is for you," Bran says as he hands he sword to Jon. He thought it best not to mention that it'd originally been meant for Robb but that he'd never had the means to send it.
Jon frowns as he sets a beaming Rickon down and takes the sword. "I would have been happier for a dragon glass dagger as they kill the Others but this might come in handy."
Osha snorts. "Why do you think unicorns still exist? Their horns can kill the Others as well as dragon glass. That sword is a gift fitting for a king and you're just a bastard Prince. A dagger made of unicorn horn is a royal gift in itself and the little King goes around giving them to whomever he pleases."
"Unicorn horn?" asks Jon faintly, staring at his new sword. "Just how much is this worth?"
"About five years of taxes from Skagos," Bran shrugs. "Which equals almost the same as ten years of taxes from Dreadfort."
Jon blanches and holds the sword even more carefully. "That's almost a hundred thousand golden dragons!"
"I know," Bran looks at him dead in the eye. "Mother may have never considered you family but that doesn't mean we don't. Rickon will get a similar sword when he's more grown."
"It has a red stone instead of a blue one," Rickon tells him happily enough.
"What about you?" asks Jon, looking up from his sword, staring at Bran with his grey eyes.
"I can't fight anymore Jon, but I will have the broadsword Blizard as a replacement for Ice until we can get it back from the Lannisters," Bran answers. "I will have to make do being King rather than a knight. But did have my crown made of unicorn horn," he says drily, tapping his crown with his forefinger.
They are quiet for a moment, just standing there. "Thank you for coming Bran," Jon finally says.
"Of course," grins Bran. "The Starks are the second line of defense after the Wall, might as well make it official. Some Umbers and Karstarks might still join us in the next few days if we're lucky."
Osha snorts by his side. "You are lucky, kissed by fire as you are."
'*'*'*'*'*'*'*'*'*'*'
It does seem like Bran is lucky indeed and both the Umbers and Karstarks have answered his call. The Karstarks come from Eastwatch-by-the-sea and Umbers come along the King's Road and Bran's force now numbered in nearly four thousand on the Wall. It still isn't enough, with the Night'sWatch numbering in less than a thousand men and the Free Folk numbering in over several tens of thousands.
The battle begins in the early hours of the morning by the wilding assault from south like Jon had warned them. The force of two hundred that had been sent to attack from the south was quickly dispatched by annoyed Mormonts who had been woken from their sleep, and it really is better to let a sleeping bear lie. The following night Mance Rayder sent a probing attack at the wall before spear heading the attack in the morning by giants and mammoths. The battle rages on for several days, Donal Noye dying protecting the gate. Jon takes over the command and Bran refers his forces to him as he'll never have as good a battle understanding as those who can actually fight, even if he is a good strategist in straight, even landed battle. And his trust in Jon pays off as he defends the Castle Black with less casualties than should be possible. That is until Ser Alliser Thorne and Lord Janos Slynt arrive among the reinforcements from Eastwatch-by-the-sea, calling Jon a turncloak and throwing him into the icy cells under the Wall. Bran demands to have Jon's sword back from Janos Slynt who had been parading around with it.
"And what of it, cripple King?" spits Slynt. "It's a weapon of the Night's Watch now."
"No it isn't," answers Bran. "It's a weapon of the members of House Stark, of which you are not, Lannister dog. Now give me my brother's sword and you might live after."
"And who's gonna kill me? You?" Slynt laughs.
His laughter is cut short when Osha comes behind him, the unicorn horn dagger on his throat. "The little King don't need to sully his hands on the likes of you. He could have that wolf of his eat you alive should he want to. Now give the sword to your King, kneeler, and hope he won't come for you if his brother dies in those icy cells of yours."
"A wildling?" squeaks Slynt. "Men, kill the wildling!"
"Those of you who touch Osha, will be hanged," Bran announces and the Mormonts, Karstarks and Umbers buff themselves, intimidating the men of Night's Watch. They did outnumber them five to one⦠"Now give me the sword and pray to your gods Jon doesn't die."
