MANCE

Mance Rayder was once a man of the Night's Watch. He was found as a baby by a Ranger and taken to Mow's Town to be raised. When he came of age Mance joined the Night's Watch. Many years later while out Ranging beyond the wall Mance is attacked by a Snow Bear. It would have killed him if not for a Wildling woman named Val. She killed the bear with her spear. Then she takes Mance back to her village where she tends his wounds.

Mance and Val fall in love. Val's mother Ola is a greenseer and tells Mance about his true heritage and his destiny as King beyond the wall. Mance to Val's broken heart returns to the Watch conflicted. On another mission Val is about to die at the hands of another Ranger. Mance kills the man and turns his back on the Watch.

Val and Mance marry in the old tradition before a Heart Tree. During this time Mance meets his closest ally and friend Tormund Giants' Bane; called so because he killed a Giant. The Giant's mate mistook him for one of her children and fed him at her breast. Vals' people have an alliance with the Giants.

The Giants were the first people Mance convinced to follow him as he learned their language from Tormund. The River Clan was next and then the Horn-foots. One by one Mance gathered the Free Folk clans together under one banner. Their goal is to get South before long Night came and them with blue eyes.

Mance is a natural leader and is the only thing keeping the Free Folk from slaughtering one another. The Elders gather together in the main tent eight days before Jon Snow is captured. "And I say we attack now!" Great Bear says. They call him Great Bear because he killed the Bear whose skin he now wears.

"Old gods help me I agree with Great Bear." Delba says.

"His wood that good?" Tormund Giant's Bane asks, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

"You all elected me to be your King…Trust me."

The Lord of Bones also known as Rattleshirt, Chief of the Rock Bed Clan stands up, "I will wait three days and no more. Then me and mine will leave."

"You and yours will starve and freeze ya halfwit." Karsi says.

"What about tha fuck'n food?"

"Adults will start eating one meal a day…Children under 16 two meals."

"The Mad King Beyond the Wall I say." Rattleshirt says.

That is when the Giant Wun Wun speaks. Giants rarely spoke in the common tongue and when they did it was very few words. "We stay!"

Rattleshirt, called so because his armor is made from the bones of the men he has killed waves them off and leaves the tent. "I'm going scouting!" He announces as he leaves.

"Why are we really staying?" Tormund asks after everyone is gone.

"Because I asked him to." Ola says entering the tent of Elders.

Mance shakes his head, "What in the world are ya doing here woman? Ya supposed to be watching over me wife."

"I don't need watching over!" Val says following her mother in. She is five months pregnant.

Tormund shakes his head, "Tell me you're not following the advice of this old bitty."

Mance sighs, "Have you had any back pan since you've been following my advice?"

"That is beside the point."

"Who you calling Old Bitty? Ya Red headed half-witted milk drinking son of Bitch!"

"You ya Old bitty…"

"Alright gods!" Mance says.

"Ola is a greenseer, Mance! Listen to me…We won't survive if we attack the wall. Wait and the one who will help will come to us…Only after he appears do we march to the wall…And remember no matter what he does or says, do not kill him."

"You've had another vision?"

"Yes!"

"Who is this person who will help us?" Tormund asks.

She sighs, "All I know is that he is a great man. A Prince who will one day become a King who sits on a throne of thousand swords."

Mance frowns, "The Iron Throne."

"Say what now? You know what she talking about?"

"Aye I do…"

"Mance listen to me…If our people find out you been listening to a Greenseer this alliance will fall apart."

"No listen to me! When he comes show him that we are not the savages others claim we are…Show him why we are the Free Folk."

The Free Folk do not trust Greenseers and Wargs. Some Clans when they learned someone was one they banned them from their village. Eight days later at midday a boy by the name Duck nicknamed so because he loves to hunt and eat ducks; runs into Mance's tent. "Mance!"

"What is it Duck?" Mance had taken the boy under his wing because he is an Orphan and a Warg.

"The Lord of Bones is returning…He's got a prisoner. A crow!"

Mance looks at Ola, "Is this the one we have been waiting for?"

She nods, "Aye and remember no matter what. Don't kill'em."

Mance remains in his tent waiting. Soon Rattleshirt enters with Ygritte and four men. They have a boy who seems to be of ten and six name days old. "Lord of Bones." Tormund says.

"We captured a Crow."

"A skinny one at that."

"Thought he could be of use, killed the Half Hand this one."

Tormund stands up and looks down on the boy, "This little runt killed the Half Hand."

"Aye I did."

"And suppose we should trust you now Crow?"

He drops to one knee, "Your grace!" Everyone starts laughing, "I'm your Grace now?"

"Your too ugly to be Your Grace…" Mance says standing up and walking to the front of the tent. "I am Mance Rayder…Stand up lad."

"The King beyond the Wall."

"Aye I am King Beyond the Wall…I am not King because of who my father was or because I sit on some chair made of swords. My people chose me after I proved I was worthy of it. Now what be your name boy."

"Jon Snow."

"Jon Snow…" Mance looks back at Ola, "The Bastard of Winterfell." Jon frowns, "That's right…I know who you are. Ned Stark's bastard. Why did you kill the Half Hand?"

"He called me the son of traitor. They say my father killed Robert Baratheon."

"Old Robert is dead? That is news." Mance takes a step closer to Jon, "And I suppose just cause you killed the Half Hand you want to join us."

"Or you can let me go." They all laugh.

"And you run back to the Crows and tell them the Half Hand was killed by a one of us."

"Sounds like a good plan to me."

"Problem is there is one person at Castle Black who will not believe you. Name is Maester Aemon…That old man is well known for his ability to sniff out a lie."

"I guess I have nowhere to go now do I."

"We could let you join us Jon Snow, but why should we trust you?"

"My brothers hate me, they call me the son of a traitor many of them. Then when we stopped at Craster's place…"

Mance stares at him and smiles, "You saw one of them didn't ya?"

Jon nods, "Aye I did. And the Lord Commander knew what Craster was doing…The Half Hand attacking me was the last straw."

"We shall see." They cut his ropes, give Jon some food, new clothes, and then he takes Jon on a tour of the camp. "Men, women, children, and the old. We are human beings, boy same as anyone who lives below the wall. And if we don't get below the wall they will all become soldiers for the Night King and his White Walkers." He grabs Jon and looks into his eyes, "The Night's Watch was meant to defend people from the White Walkers and over the years they forgot their true purpose."

He leaves Jon with Ygritte as they both seem taken with each other, "Well?" Ola asks.

"You say it is him?"

"I swear by the old gods…He will save us all."

Mance shakes his head, "A bastard cannot sit the Iron Throne."

Ola raises her head, "Have I ever been wrong?"

He sighs, "No."

"And I am not wrong now. He is the one. Give the order to march and when we do send him with Tormund and the others to climb the wall."

"And if he betrays us?"

"Oh he will and then he will help us."

FIST OF THE FIRST MEN

"They should have been back now." Jeor Mormont says.

"Perhaps we should send a group out to find them my Lord." Dunken says.

"I'll go!" Richard says standing nearby.

Jeor was about to respond when the horn sounds. One blast for returning Rangers. Jeor is relieved thinking the Half Hand's plan worked. Then the horn sounds again, two blasts for Wildlings. "To arms!" Jeor commands. The men rush to nock arrows man traps and catapults. Then dread fills his heart as in all his time as Lord Commander Jeor has never heard the horn blast three times.

"White Walkers!" Dunken yells.

A Storm of ice and fog rolls towards them and just before the storm reaches them, Gren and Pyp come running up the path. "They're coming! They're coming!"

"Where is Samwell Tarly?" Jeor asks.

"He was behind us, but when we turn to look he was not there."

"They're coming!" Arland yells cutting the rope and sending a barrage of heavy stones rolling down the path. The men cheer, but their cheers stop as the screeches and howls of the dead start again. "They're still coming!" Arland yells from his perch. He climbs down and joins the others.

"ARCHERS!" Jeor screams and they fire a swarm of flaming arrows into the horde of dead rushing them.

"CATAPULTS!" Ed yells and they fire flaming stones into the dead horde.

"They're coming up the side of the Mountain!" Another man yells.

Men of the Watch start dying six and nine at a time. Mormont cuts the head of a Wight and stabs his torch into the body. He looks around, "Set the fire traps!" Arland is stabbed, but he manages to throw his torch into the trench. A wall of fire bursts up killing hundreds of Wights. "We can't stay here…Gather the wounded we escape through the path."

There is a tunnel that goes through the fist of the first men. Jeor leads what is left of his men through the tunnel and down to the ground. "No one is following us." Gren says running up.

"Tend the wounded, Gren! Ed! See what you find for hunting around here we move in an hour."

Just as they are getting ready to leave, Gren and Ed return with a deer. "We will skin it when we stop to make camp. Move out!"

A few days later they find Samwell Tarly. Ghost saves him from a Wight, but Jeor sticks a torch in it. "Samwell by the gods you are alive…But tell me you sent the Ravens off."

"No my lord…I couldn't get to them."

He sighs, "You had one job Sam…Look! We are all that is left." Jeor says addressing the men. "We must get back to the wall and warm them about what is coming."

MANCE

As Jon travels with the Free Folk Mance gets to know him. He can see something special in Jon, but how can a bastard, take the Iron Throne let alone save the Free Folk and all of Westeros from what is coming. "Who was your mother?" Mance asks.

"I don't know Lord Stark never told me about her. He did promise that the next time I saw him he would tell me who she is."

"She must have been something else to make the honorable Lord Stark break his vows." When they make camp scouts return and take Mance to the Fist of the First Men. Jon goes with them.

"Looks like a battle happened here." Tormund says.

"Aye and looks like the crows lost." Rattleshirt replies.

Mance bends down and examines the dismembered bodies, "Burn them all." He looks at Tormund, "You ready for a climb?"

"I am…"

"Take the little crow with you."

"And if he betrays us."

"Kill him."

After Tormund and the others leave Mance goes to see Ola, "Did I just send my best friend to his death?"

"Maybe…maybe not…If he dies on the other side of the wall at least he won't become a Wight."