CHAPTER 4:

BRIEFING

Mance looked at Tormund with shock painted on his face. Though, he didn't know why he was even surprised, his friend was not known for having much tact. He noticed though, that everyone shuffled a bit. But they all looked at Kratos expectantly, waiting for his answer to the question. They did not have to wait long.

"We have more important things to discuss than what I am or am not."

"That was not a denial." Val observed stoically. Kratos did not see fit to reply. Neither to dispute nor ascent. He just stood there like some fucking WeirWood, staring at them. Mance had to get the conversation under control. So far it was not going in the right direction.

"I'm sure we're all curious about something, but he is right. There are more important matters."

"Hmmm."

"Kratos? We already got your name but, in our haste to achieve privacy, I didn't get to introduce my self and my companions. Allow me to correct that."

"…I am waiting."

"I am Mance Rayder, formerly a brother of the NightsWatch and currently trying to save as many of the FreeFolk I can from the threat you no doubt are aware of. The big fellow with the red hair is Tormund Giantsbane, a chieftain of these people, actually, every person here is a chieftain of some kind." He said making a sweeping gesture with his right arm.

He then pointed to the two women who were standing beside each other. "These lovely ladies are Val and Karsi. Don't let their pretty faces fool you, they are SpearWives, wedded to their weapons. They're just as likely to gut you as they are to greet you in the morn."

Mance thought he saw approval in Kratos' eyes at that piece of information. 'So, he respects fighters then. Not surprising' he thought to himself. He turned to the last denizens of the tent.

"These two fine gentlemen glaring up a storm are the lord of Bones and Varymyr six skins, murderous bastards, but vital to keeping the peace in this large assembly of ours." He finished, looking to Kratos to see his reaction. Hmm. he didn't even look at them. Curious.

With the introductions out of the way, Mance got down to business. "They said You killed a White Walker?"

"…If that is what it is called."

"Bare handed?"

"The weapon I had on my person at the time, did nothing in the way of damage to it. I had to discard it and use my hands." He stated, as if he were talking about the weather. Mance was stunned. This did not strike him as a man who would lie, but what he was saying was simply not possible. He heard a scoff and saw the lord of bones looking irritated.

"Ye expec' us to believe tha' pile o' Mammoth Shit?"

"I do not care what you believe."

"Ye fuc- "

"Oi! Calm it you fucker! If you don't know how to be anything other than a savage get out!" Mance exploded at the lord of bones, who looked like he had more to say but thought better of it for the time being. An act of the Gods in itself.

Through all this, he noticed that Kratos didn't shift an inch from where he was, didn't even bat an eye. Mance was honestly considering if the man wasn't truly a stone statue. The atmosphere became calm again after a while, as if still tense, so Mance told Kratos to lay out his reasonings.

"I will assume that you know, you cannot stay here indefinitely."

"Aye, that we know. We are going further south, across The Wall if we have our way."

"The Wall? I have heard of this structure thrice now. What is its significance?"

"Ya don't know about The Wall? What FreeFolk don't know bout The Wall?" It was Karsi who asked the question that was on everyone's mind surely. The wall was legendary. To not have known about its existence until recently would be something he would think impossible. But here stood a man, with either no clue what it was or the best Cyvasse face he had ever seen.

"What. Is. Its. significance?" he asked again. A bit more forcefully this time. He was clearly not used to repeating himself.

Mance sighs. He's been doing that often of late. It seems there was always something to be frustrated about.

"The Wall is a truly massive ice structure built as to border off the True North from the rest of Westeros, the main continent. Its 700 hundred feet high and 300 miles wide, from coast to coast." He paused a little to afford Kratos time to absorb that information.

"How did such an edifice come to be?" Kratos growled after a moment of contemplation.

"How? Well, that has been speculated at for centuries by men much more learned than I. Some believe it was commissioned by Bran the Builder, who ensnared giants with magic to help with the task some 8 millennia ago, in the Age of Heroes. It is Said he built it to protect the realms of men from the White Walkers."

"The most plausible reason."

"Aye. That same Bran the builder went on to become Brandon Stark of Winterfell and the first ruler of the northern most part of the lands below the wall." He added.

"Hmmm…What is impeding you from simply crossing this wall?" Kratos asked after another moment of what seems to be contemplation, but Mance was beginning to think was actually him fighting off his inner statue self.

There was a small laugh at his question. It came from Karsi. She followed it up with a question of her own. "Ye mean oth'r than the Bunch a southern Crows what defend it?" she asked in amusement.

"Ah yes, how could I forget to tell you about the defenders." Mance said light heartedly, trying to not allow the situation to escalate. Though, he had a sneaking suspicion Kratos wouldn't react to the jape. Don't ask him where he got such an idea, the man was normally so expressive. He continued his explanation.

"The Wall is defended by the NightsWatch, an order of brothers who swore off, children, lands and titles to spend the rest of their natural lives protecting 'The realms of men'." He said dramatically with an air of mocking.

"They seem to forget that there are men on this side of the wall as well. Aye, some of them are less than savages who'd rape and pillage anything in sight and deserve to be hung by the fucking balls. But the same is true for any side of the wall. Men are men wherever in the world you go, beyond the wall, Westeros or Essos." He took a breath to steady himself. This particular topic always made him severely upset.

"I make no excuses for bad men... But there are children here. Children! Who had no say in where they were born but were dealt a large serving of bad luck! Why do they have to suffer for it?" No one answered him, none said a word. He didn't expect them to.

He took a while to get himself together, then shook his head to clear it. "Your pardon."

"Think nothing of it." Kratos replied easily.

"As I was saying, the NightsWatch. The FreeFolk call them Crows, because they only wear black leathers and fur. No color whatsoever. They have ten and nine castles in total on The Wall, but I know from memory that only three of them are manned. That's Eastwatch by the sea, which is the closest one to us. Castle Black, their headquarters and the most heavily manned. It also houses the Lord Commander of the order. Then lastly you have the Shadow Tower to the far west. Sparsely manned but still formidable."

"Then you have a plan." It wasn't a question.

"The makings of a plan, yes. There is no Guarantee it'll work."

"No plan survives contact with the enemy. Tell me of it." Kratos demanded while folding his arms at his chest.

Mance wasn't quite keen on sharing his plan. At least not while it was still in development, but he thought better of it. If ever there was a man to tell a plan, partially done as it may be, this was He. So, he told him. he told him he wanted to attack the Nightswatch head on, as a distraction of course, while some of his most trusted would infiltrate it from the inside.

"That is the rough idea of it. The details are not yet carved out, but they will be"

"…A promising outline."

Mance nodded and felt satisfied that this obvious warrior could see the merits in his plan. He knew the Finer points needed hammering out, but that will happen in time. He wasn't the fucking Smith.

"Tell me of your people, the FreeFolk?" Kratos requested.

It was Val who decided to answer him and Mance didn't stop her. She was the best Person to give him the information. She knew her people more than anyone.

"Not much to tell. We are a simple folk, honest." She did a quick glance at the lord of bones and Varymyr after saying that. "Well, most of us anyway." Mance heard her mumble.

"We're the same as any people, 'cept we're not kneelers. We are 'Free' Folk, and we are proud for it. We keep to ourselves mostly, 'cept those who do raiding down south." Her brows knitted at that. She had never agreed with the raids, very vocal she's been.

"There has never been this many of us in one place, not any time I can remember."

"Aye, she said it. Many different clans, all in one place. Too many. Fuckers can hardly live together." Tormund pitched in with his own two coppers.

"How many souls are in this camp?" Kratos asked looking pensive.

"About half a million, give or take. It's been hard to keep them fed and organized to any degree. And that's not even mentioning that they try to gut each other every other sennight." It was Mance who relayed this bit of information.

"Infighting."

"Aye, most of the clans here would kill the other on principle alone, Some hold grudges against each other."

"No' all 'njustly founded." Karsi said quickly. "It's a Harsh Place, some o' them had to steal from other clans to survive, to feed their little'uns" she said in way of mitigation.

Val Nodded her agreement to that. But then her face quickly took on a disgusted look.

"Some of the clans are just bastards. Like the Thenns, bunch of self-important cocks that they are, think every other FreeFolk are savages. The HornFoots have been at war with the NightRunners since…always. The Frozen Shore men hate the Ice River clans, actually everyone hates them damn cannibals." She finishes with a growl.

"Hmmm. So, what you are saying, Commander, is you do not have control of your camp." Kratos said pointedly.

Mance sighs at that and suddenly felt older than he is. He wasn't wrong but hearing it being pointed like that didn't do well for is mental state.

"You have to understand, I may-haps be trying to help these people, but I am not one of them. Not truly. While they listen to me to some degree, I am still only a man and there is only one of me. That is Where These Chieftains come in, they help me keep most of the fighting at bay."

"Well, it sounds like they are failing."

Karsi scoffs. "Who are you to tell us What we're failing at?"

"Your hubris means nothing to me. If you mean to save these people, then they need to become a unit. They need to be set in line."

"And who's going'o set us in line then? You?" lord of bones seemed to find much amusement in the suggestion. "Yur a big fucker, Aye, but yur only one fucker. Could neh kill all o' us." He said and spat on the ground.

"Yes" everyone stopped talking at that. They did not expect him to answer so succinctly.

"Bring the leaders of these clans, they will have to get their people to submit to order."

"And ye think they going to listen to you, do ye?"

"I will make them listen."

Mance stared at him for some time. Searching him for any doubt or deception. When he saw none.

he nodded and gestures for the other occupants of the tent to go and fetch the needed persons. A few of them didn't look so happy about it. But those two were never happy unless they were up to some form of depravity, so Mance didn't let it bother him. He instead turned to Kratos as the last man exited the tent.

"You know, you will have to fight them?"

"It was implied yes."

"And you are confident you will win? Against all of them? Savages some of the maybe, these hard sons of beasts. There is a reason they are chiefs of their respective clans." He pointed out, mostly to test the resolve of the man.

"I have fought worse things than men who think they are dangerous."

"…Aye, I believe it. Well, let us go wait outside then." Mance got up and walked to the entrance of

the tent, Kratos just behind him. They got out looked around the camp, then just stood there and waited.