People can accomplish wonders when they are fighting for their survival. They can let go of their personal agendas, feuds, and come together like nothing else. They can fight off armies 10 times their own size. My people did the very same when we fought the vord queen for our survival. The freefolk had seen what was coming for them all at the battle of thenn valley. I could see it in their eyes. When I set out the plan for the city, they had gone to work like only people who have no other choice can. Even children were helping in whatever small ways they could.

There were no complaints or moaning. They were a hardy people who worked from dawn till dusk. They mined the stone and iron from the southern mountains and the mountains behind the city being built. Then the stone and iron was transported to the city. The mountains behind us also had some gold in them. But it had no use for us. We simply piled it to a side. Iron was more precious than gold at the moment. I had kept half of the giants at the city for moving the stones. Their power was crucial if i was going to build this city within time. They worked days and nights as did I.

But I could not work everywhere at the same time. So I had to prioritize my duties. As i figured the short term goals were to create a defensible position and arm the freefolk. So, I would craft the stones together and build them into squares as large as myself. The gates were the first ones created. The gates were all one 250 feet high piece of stone crafted together by me. they were so heavy that it took me and a hundred giants to put each gate up. And I only mean the one side of the gate. Not both sides. It took 5 giants to simply open the gate once it was operational. They were so wide that 10 men could walk abreast on top of them. At least no one will be ever be able to break into the city. Once the gates went up, It was all routine work on moving the stones to where we would be using them and I would craft the stones. Then the giants would move the stones to where they needed to be. Slowly, the city started taking shape.

After the gates were built, I could finally work on the city and weapons. For the city, I created pillars all around the city which supported the earthcrafted pavement that went atop them. the higher up i went the fewer the pillars got. But they got gradually taller as we went farther and farther in. But i simply lacked the time to make the city and the weapons. So, I had decided to split the duties with Alera. After I would earthcraft the base of a pillar, she would take over crafting the rest of the pillar. The freefolk did not understand the basics of how crafting worked. So, they never questioned it when the pillars started taking shape without my presence. They would place the mined stone atop it and Alera would do the rest. It took me all of 2 moons to create all the bases. After that i was able to focus on making weapons and alera making the city.

It was no surprise to find out that the freefolk had no smith with them. But even if they had a smith, It would be no help. It seemed that their steel was no match for the walker's swords. Only valerian steel worked against them. And nobody in the known world knew how to make that anymore. or so Brynden had told me. But i didn't need to make Valerian steel. I needed to make Aleran Steel, metalcrafted Steel. My old broken sword had killed that walker north of the wall. It was the closest weapon I could think of to equip the freefolk with.

Earth crafted stone was stronger than any mix of stone you could create. It could repair itself and last for millennia. It was near impossible to destroy as well. even with earthcraft. Just like that metalcrafted steel was stronger than regular steel. It always had been. even in Alera. And the only person who could make it here was me. So, I set myself to my task. The two ingredients required to make Steel are iron and coal. The iron was plenty in the southern mountains. But coal I had to find. Thank the furies for earthcraft or we would have been doomed. Earthcrafting proved useful again in finding the coal in the ground near the southern coastal mountain where the iron was found. I asked alera to pull the coal to the surface where it could be easily extracted.

The forge was the first thing i had created in the city. Even before the gates. We needed the tools to mine the stone, iron and coal. So i had created a forge in the heart of the city in the middle of the volcano. The earth crafted forge was the natural choice for the heat required being provided by the volcano. I had taken most of their "steel" and melted it to create a stronger metal. Iron when mixed with coal creates steel. But it is near impossible to get the exact mixture right. And even then impurities are hard to detect with the naked eye. But metal crafting goes beyond that. I was able to feel the metal even when melted and siphon out the impurities as we added more and more coal as necessary. As a last step, I would metalcraft the entire liquid metal to be used in weapons or tools.

I had created the molds for different weapons and tools with earthcraft. When the metal was ready, It was poured out into the molds to create the products. After the tools for the mining, the first weapons i had created were the hammers for the giants. The first one going to Mag, of course. I would prepare the metal and the giants would pour the metal into the molds. the beating and cooling was done by over a hundred strong young men I found among the freefolk. After the first moon, everything fell into routine. the city and the weapons started shaping up.

After Six moons, I decided to check on our friends north of the wall. I watercrafted to hardhome, frostfangs, thenn valley, last refuge but i found no trace of them. I tried reaching further into the lands of winter and i found them. All the dead simply standing and staring south with their cold blue eyes. As if the masters could see through their pets, they arrived to see me standing before them. one of the walkers threw a spear of ice at me and it passed through me as it would through water. I winked and said,"You are not the only one who knows some tricks." with that i cut the crafting.

I went outside to the guard and realized that i didn't even know his name.

"What is your name?" I asked him.

"Bael, Magnar", He replied.

"Like Bael the Bard?" I asked with a smile.

"Aye, Magnar", he replied with a smile of his own. He was about my age.

"Good name for one of the freefolk. now why dont you send a runner for mag, mance, styr and weaver", I said.

He nodded and strode off. I went back inside the tent and sat down next to shadow. He came nuzzling my hand and i felt his query as to why i was worried.

I sighed and reassured him that it was probably nothing. They arrived soon after. Last to arrive was weaver. After she arrived, I told them all what i saw north of the wall.

"Why haven't they moved south? I thought they would almost be at the wall by now" I asked them for their council.

"its good that they are not moving south. is it not?" styr asked.

"It could also mean that they are planning something. I dont like being in the dark", I told him.

they were all in deep thought. but it was weaver who broke the spell. "I think you stumped him" she said.

"He waited 10000 years to make his move and then you showed up and he failed. You almost killed him if you had the right blade"

"Aye that seems right" said mance. "If it weren't for you, we would all be dead and he would already be at the wall."

"Maybe maybe. But i dont think he will stop simply because i am part of the problem now", i said to them.

"No. But he will delay it until he is sure that he can kill you. or you are no longer a problem", weaver said.

They all stared at her. including me and shadow. then mag said what we were all thinking.

"what do you mean until he is no longer a problem?" he asked.

"Night king waited 10000 years to begin the second long night. He will not age and die. he has power over death. he could simply wait until Frost here is dead from old age and then move south. It will be like waiting for another moon for him after 10000 years." she replied.

It was even more quiet now than it had been after her earlier comment.

"So, he will wait another 100 years before moving south you think?" I asked her.

She stared at me for a while and said,"Do your people live for a 100 years?"

I could tell that she was curious and a little surprised.

"Unless I am killed by some other means, then yes. close enough to it at least. I dont know why you are surprised. according to you, you were alive during last long night", I told her.

"Yes, I was. But all my people are long lived. the men I remember, withered away in 40 or 50 years. hardly any made it past 60", she told me.

I thought about that for a while.

"Night king is just as old as you. so if you think i would most like perish in another 30 years, then so would he", I said to her.

She seemed to ponder it for a while and nodded.

"Best case, we have another 30 years or so. Worst case, he is planning something that none of us are aware off" I said to the room at large.

Then something occurred to me. "Didn't you say, you can see across great distances in the present? would you not be able to keep an eye on him?" I asked her. I mean i could keep an eye on him but i was stretched pretty thin as it was.

"we cannot look into the lands of winter. we can only look wherever the trees are. there are no trees in the lands of winter. not even dead ones. And there are other dangers of us spying on him", she said to me. she had said it to the room at large but the last was meant for me only. I eyed her for a while and thinking of all the implications of what she had told me.

I looked at all the others and said,"Nobody hears about this outside this tent. No one. I dont want the freefolk thinking that he is gone for another 10,000 years and start going back beyond the wall. For all we know the bastard is planning something. he could be at the wall tomorrow or in 30 years."

They all nodded back.

"Whatever time we have left, we are going to use it to prepare to meet him." I told them.

"Aye Magnar, Only a fool will go beyond the wall now. we forgot that he existed long time ago. But we remember now. we will prepare." Styr replied while others nodded.

"We will go wherever you say Frost. We owe you our lives anyway", rumbled mag.

"How many of the freefolk are properly armed now? with shield, sword, and spear", I asked mance.

" Around 15000," He said. too few. he must've seen it on my face because he continued,"But the production is getting better now. they know their work now. the first 3 moons were slow. but in another year or so, we will all be armed properly."

"A year we may not even have", I sighed. I shook my head.

"We should also train them on how to fight. I saw them fighting in the thenn valley. they are more a horde than an army." I said to them.

"Aye, but we have no sword master and you cannot train 160000 people by yourself", mance said to me. I smiled at him.

"Oh, I am not going to teach them how to fight one on one. they know how to stab good enough. I am going to teach them how to fight together as a legion. I am going to teach them how to defeat a horde that is 10 times their size if they work together", I told him.

There was a silence for a while. and then mance asked,"I was born in westeros and i have seen plenty of war and fight in my lifetime. But how exactly are you going to train them all to fight together?"

"Footwork", I told them with a smile,"Its all about footwork."

they were staring at me while i had started pacing my tent. As my father used to say, "A man doesn't have an idea. An idea has a man." Now i had a vague plan in front of me. After the freefolk were trained to be legionaries, they would prove formidable opponents even for the walkers. Even if i died. Properly equipped, with blade and mind. they could defeat the dead even after i am long gone.

"If they can become proper legionaries of my homeland, then the freefolk can defeat the walkers even on their own. without my help. one giant alone can't even open our own gates. but together a few hundred men can. Much can be accomplished when a thousand men work with one mind and one will", I said to them.

Mance and Styr looked at me as if they were still working on believing me. Finally styr said so. I laughed and put a hand on his sholders.

"Yes you can. Trust me, Styr. Since when have i lied to you?"

He seemed to think on that for a while. then i saw him square his sholders and look at me with steel in his eyes. "Aye Magnar. We will train with you. we will do whatever you want us to do. Make us legionaries."

I smiled. I had found my first officer.

Author's note

Sorry about the dealy. but life became hectic on this end. I will try to provide consistent updates from here on. Don't worry, i have not abandoned the story. I simply lacked the time to get back to it. I hope you like it. cheers.