Author's Note: Word of warning; I forced this chapter out, so it may not be much good. Perdon. :p

6: Elves

The Wolfswood was eerily quiet as Benjen led his mount through the trees, keeping a close eye on the animal as the horse was his only means to know if there was a predator in the area. It was a trick he had leaned from hunting throughout his life. Training his horses to detect and warn him if there was a predator nearby was one of the better tactics he knew.

His eyes were also trained on the skies about the thick forest. The Griffin, large as it was, wouldn't go amiss if it decided to drop in on him. Though he was loathed to think of it, his horse was also the perfect bait as the creature seemed to favor their flesh above any other farm animal, or, thank the gods, humans.

His horse snorted, causing him to stop for a moment to regard the animal. The horse shook its head, pawing at the ground with a hoof. [Human?] The hunter thought, knowing that this was the sign he had taught the horse to use when strange people were around. His hand fell to his sword...only to here to the rapid clop-clop-clop of a smaller horse nearing.

"Benjen?" The unmistakable voice of Tyrion Lannister reached him as his little bay pony copped into view. "Fancy meeting you out here!"

Benjen sighed in relief, "I would say the same, Lord Tyrion," he said, letting his hand fall away from his sword. "What brings you out in this direction?"

The Imp merely smiled, "As I've decided to stay in the North for a time, I thought it prudent to view this new port town that your brother, and Sir Mance are constructing for his people." He said, "I dare say that such a thing will be welcomed, though I fear that the Iron Born will try to exact their fabled iron price."

The younger Stark snorted, "I think they'll find their pirating ways will be met with equal brutality if Mance's men have anything to say about it." He said, "Most of his united clans favor bearded axes and seaxes over the typical sword. They would splinter the Iron Born's ships and shields long before they got anything of value off of a Free Folk dragon-boat."[1]

Tyrion couldn't resist a chuckle, "I must say that I never thought I would favor Wildlings over any of the people South of the Wall, yet here I am, praying to the gods, hoping that old Balon Greyjoy gets what's coming to him. The old pirate."

"The way that my brother talks at times, I think you may get your wish sooner than you think," Benjen said, his eyes still trained on his horse, "While I'm glad of the company, Tyrion, I must insist that you go back the way you've come." He said, much to Tyrion's confusion, "I'm on the hunt for that Griffin that attacked you."

"Ah," Tyrion paled at the mention of the great brute of a beast. "I do apologize...I hadn't realized that you could hunt such a beast alone?" He wheeled his pony about, prepared to ride off, "Do take care, Benje - Ack!" His pony suddenly whinnied frantically, rearing back on its hind legs. "What the deuce!?"

Benjen's horse snorted angrily and shook its head, ears flicking back against its head, "We're not alone," he recognized the clear sign from his mount for a predator nearing. "Quick, under the trees!" He order while passing his horse's reins to the Imp.

Tyrion was quick to guide both animals under the trees for their protection, his small sword leaving its sheath as Benjen readied his own sword. He stepped out into the open, making himself a target for the creature.

He heard the Griffin before he saw it, the loud thud of its wings rustling the leaves and branches they hung on. Then with the cry of a great eagle, the beast appeared right above him, talons outstretched, beak open.

Benjen had little time to strike, less time to avoid those deadly claws. He opted for the second option as the Griffin's talons gauged great scars into the ground, just barely missing him as it crashed into the ground. He was able to roll to his feet before the creature attacked again, lunging at him with its massive wings thrusting at him with the clawed joints.

He dodged right, left, right again closing the distance with each step until he was within range of that deadly beak. True to his prediction, the Griffin snapped at him with said beak. Benjen then raised his sword, and brought it down on the Griffin's neck. Bone crunched under the force of his blow even as the flesh was laid open. The monster shrieked once more before floundering and falling to the ground, blood pooling all around it as it died.

"Bloody hell," the younger Stark sighed in relief, leaning on his knees to rest. "I hope that's the last of these beasts we'll see in these parts for some time." He breathed out as he caught his breath. Though the battle was short, the beast had been quick, and agile. He had never worked so hard to bring down a beast.

"Benjen, my good fellow?" Tyrion called out as the man turned in his direction, becoming startled at what he saw, "I don't quite believe that our combined troubles are over just yet." The Imp said as his eyes crossed to look at the arrow that was now pointed at the tip of his nose by a hooded figure.

Benjen was about to come to his aide when another figure appeared right next to him with a blade pressed against his throat. "Bugger..."

Tyrion was visibly sweating, "I don't suppose you good people would like to hear about the time I brought a jackass into a brothel?"

Eddard had been going over his reports and paperwork in his solar when the notice popped up in front of him, scaring him out of his wits as he wasn't expecting it.

Quest Update!

{People of the North - Bonus Quest}

[A member of the Stark household has made contact with the Wood Elves. Depending on the outcome of the meeting, a new ally will be obtained or a new enemy will be made.]

He groaned and scrubbed his face with his hands, "Dammit, Ben!" He bemoaned his brother for he knew that it could only be Benjen that had encountered the Elves he had meant to find himself, and attempt to placate due to the new town's foresting.

Now it seemed it would be up to his brother to take care of them, or at least keep himself from being killed by them.

"And I forlornly proclaimed 'madam, I was once six foot three!'" Tyrion warbled in a forlorn voice that had Benjen bellowing with laughter as well as the guards outside of their 'cell'.

Cell was a misleading description as they were suspended above the ground in a very sturdy wooden cage. Their guards were standing on platforms surrounding the trunk of a truly massive oak tree. In fact, the entire village seemed to be nothing but giant trees with houses built within their branches.

"You really don't give a hoot about our situation, do you?" Benjen chortled.

Tyrion merely smiled at his companion, "Not so, my friend, I do give a hoot," he said as he peeked down at the ground far beneath them, "I happen to be very, very frightened of heights, especially when I have nothing but a few wooden planks between myself, and a very nasty fall." He then looked at the guards who were still chuckling at his joke, "However, I believe a bit of levity will lighten our captors' moods enough to at least hear us out properly."

"I wouldn't bet on that." Benjen said as a serious looking Elf shouted something at their guards.

The Elf then moved their cage toward the platform, stopping just far enough for him to speak. "Why did you attack?"

"No attack was meant," Benjen said with a wave of his hand, "I was merely ridding my people of the griffin I slew."

"A beast that you would have had no trouble with had you not killed its mate," the Elf said, glaring, "My people have watched humans for many centuries, and they are never surprised to see that you never think of the consequences of your actions." He spoke calmly, but Benjen could easily see that their very presence seemed to offend him.

Benjen nodded in understanding, "I admit that this situation is caused by myself, and the killing of the female griffin, and I sought to rid us of the male because it was the only solution I could think of to put things right."

"Griffins can be driven off, and it is often very easily done," the Elf said, "Yet your first thought was of killing it, just the same as you had with the female."

Benjen shook his head, "The female was not our fault." He said, and the Elf looked affronted by his words, "My men and I were out hunting deer and boar, and the female came upon us. We would have gladly let her have the meat, but she attacked my men. I wasn't about to let them just be ripped apart."

"And how do you explain the destruction of our forest?" The Elf demanded, "Every day our Northern borders are whittled down further and further by your people."

Benjen merely shrugged, "I had heard of the conflict between you and Mance's men through my brother," he said, "I won't try to justify their cutting down your forest to ignorance of your people, you wouldn't believe me, but they needed the lumber from those trees to build their homes, and their ships so that they could fish and provide for their families. It was necessary. Simple as that."

"So you do not care that we are losing our homes." The Elf accused, "That is exactly as I - "

"Now wait a moment," Tyrion stepped in, the Elf looking at him in disgust, "Yes, Mance and his men have been cutting down your trees, and no, they didn't know that your people lived in these beautiful woods," the Imp started, "But the good Lord Eddard Stark cares for all of the people in the North, more than you would believe, I should think. The men that you are feuding with? They were considered outcasts among the races of men, and were cursed to be pushed beyond the great ice wall far to the North of here. But Eddard saw them as men, and not the cannibalistic monsters that man in the South would have you believe them to be. He went to them and offered to lead them into the warmer lands himself at great risk to his life. He gave them a home better than those frozen wastes they once had to carve out a living from. And I dare say that if you spoke with him yourself, you would find a man you could easily, and gladly trust with your life."

"It's true,"Benjen said before the Elf could dismiss Tyrion's claim, "My brother has already ordered that for every tree that is felled, a new one is to be planted in its place."

The Elf looked at him in disbelief, "Even if they do replant our forest, many of these trees are hundreds, nay thousands of years old." He proclaimed, "Tall and strong when I was but child, each with its own life and history, and -

"Are your homes not carved from their hollowed out trunks?" Tyrion asked as he gestured to the village, each home looking like it truly had been carved into the trees themselves or woven from vines so thick that they seemed to be trees growing within the branches of trees. "True, you do not cut the trees down, but you do make use of them, quite skillfully, I might add. I know nothing of Elves, save that you mistrust those not of your kind, which I cannot blame you for as human, and a dwarf, I must be careful of those in my circle of friends, however if you aligned yourself with young Eddard, I feel that the two of you could easily come to an agreement, and teach each other many things."

The Elf frowned at him, "I have lived many lifetimes, and you believe that a short-lived human can teach my people?"

The Imp nodded, "And you could easily teach him." Tyrion said, "He is young, and fresh from war, yet he has already made allies with Dwarves, who have profitted from trading with humankind, and they were a race I never knew existed." He said before recalling the conversation a day earlier, "He seemed to wish for more allies. Friends, you see? He believes in something called the Long Night," when the words left his lips, he knew that he had struck a very tender nerve. "He believes that the next winter that comes will see the rise of the Night King, and his undead army. He wishes to stop him. Surely you can see that - "

"We will speak with this Lord Eddard Stark." The Elf said as he gestured for the guards to open their cage. "And then we will see."

Quest Update!

{People of the North - Bonus Quest}

[The Wood Elves of the Wolfswood seek a meeting with you. Forming an alliance with their people will give you a long lasting friendship, as well as their knowledge of foresting and farming as their magic brings health and life to the forest.]

Eddard sighed in relief, feeling that his brother was safe. "At least I can try to solve this whole problem diplomatically," he sighed to himself as he began to mentally prepare himself for the meeting to come.

Just then a knock came to his door, "Ned? It's Flint."

"Come in!" Eddard called out as the Dwarf let himself in, "What brings you away from your precious forge?" He asked with a small jape toward his friend, "Usually you and Eberk are hammering all day until supper."

Flint nodded as he stepped to the man's desk, "T'wouldn't be the first time," the Dwarf said as he pulled a chair up to seat himself, "But can't hammer nary a nail for the question you asked of us this morn." He said with a frown under his beard, "Eberk just keeps a'workin' but hearing you ask about a god..."

"I'm sorry if I've unsettled you," the young lord said with a bit of wariness, "But...I had to ask someone, and you two seemed to know - "

"It's no skin off our noses, Ned," Flint assured him, "If anything, I'm glad ya did what ya did and asked." He shook his head, "But I can say that having a god's attention ain't always a good thing."

Eddard frowned, "You never did say which god you think has his eyes on me."

Flint looked around nervously before reaching into his coat for his pipe, making a small gesture with it. Eddard gave his consent and the Dwarf stuffed it with tobacco leaf, "The god you described is the only god I'm afraid of," he muttered as he took a candle and lit up the end of his pipe, taking a long drag before letting out a cloud of smoke, "He can be kind, caring everything you could want as a god, really, but there's been tale that he's every bit as cruel, conniving and cunning as the worst of all one's enemies." He puffed out a smoke ring. "Odin."

The candle flames in the room seemed to flicker for a moment as a chill swept through the room. "That...is not a name I'm familiar with."

"You wouldn't be," Flint shook his head in understanding, "He goes by other names. All-Father, Lord of the Hanged, the Raven King to name a few." He sighed, "The Faith of the Seven your wife looks to would know him simply as the Father."

Eddard nodded, "Makes sense, I suppose...but why would he even take an interest in me when I worship the Old Gods?"

"He is one of the Old Gods," Flint explained, "He's the oldest of them all." He frowned, "But his other names may have had something to do with why he's interested in you."

"Lord of the Hanged," Eddard muttered slightly pale as he recalled his death in King's Landing.

Flint looked at him with worry, "If that's the name that's sticking with you, then I would take care," he said with a small gesture of his pipe, "You're a good man Eddard, far better than what I've heard of humans in general, and I'd rather see you live a long life for your kind."

Eddard shook his head, "I don't think Odin means me harm."

"He may not," Flint nodded, "But as I said, having the attention of a deity isn't always a blessing." He tapped the end of his pipe against his chair, "A god can grant much, but if a man prospers too much, then others will become jealous of that prosperity." He pointed at Eddard, "You'll have a might target on your back."

Eddard nodded. He had forged alliances with two people that were all but unknown to the people of the Southern lands, and he was planning on leaving for the Wall soon to make a pact with the Frost Giants if he could. Then there was the issue with the Elves...if things worked out, then the North would be a kingdom in its own right thanks to the bonds he would make.

[I also intend to hatch a Dragon,] he reminded himself as his gaze shifted to the hearth where at least half a dozen of the brightly colored fossilized eggs rested as decorations. He still carried one on his person in case it needed the closeness of another in order for it to hatch. Yet the little egg remained silent and still.

The Dwarf frowned deeply, "I won't tell you how to handle this, Ned," Flint said as he puffed on his pipe one more, "But I do caution you against trusting this deity completely; gods rarely do anything simply out of kindness."

Author's Note: I hope this chapter satisfies. If it does, ya know what to do. Adios Amigos!