Free time has been really hard to come by recently, so I haven't really done much writing. Had a bit of brainwave about how I wanted to start the next chapter, so I stole an hour to jot it down. I'll use the weekend to write the other 14000 words but for now, I present, Naruto Uzumaki in Winter's Wolf chapter 5;
Fangs in the night
-Update -
I know, I know, I'm a piece of shit. I hate unfulfilled promises, but my laptop broke, and I lost literally all my work. I thought it was on the cloud, but I was dead wrong, so I've had a lot of catching up to do. I'm getting back into a rhythm though so expect more releases soon.
-0-
Snow. It was always snow. Northern snow. Pure and white and heavy. It wafted down from a black sky with but one star. It raced red across the night, casting wicked enmity down at him. In its trail, just behind it, high in the sky, was carved the shape of a longsword. That though, was a vibrant white, as if dawn broke where it's light fell. A sword which brings the morning.
Naruto powered on. Deep and heavy steps through the wisping snow. There was naught in all directions, but something told him forward was the way to go. He could not feel the cold, just as well, for he wore nothing but the skin the gods had seen fit to grace him with.
He had no thoughts on anything but his own steps. One, then another, then one more that led to many and another for good measure. He had walked for all the days he'd lived, it felt like. How did he know what a day was, he thought, days could not exist in a place without time. For that was what this place was. Naruto had a sense for things. He knew nature and it knew him. He could taste a storm days away, the wind whispered to him often and loudly, its many voices warning him of danger. This place was silent. Its essence dry on his tongue. There was no nature here.
He held up a rough, worn palm and let the snow settle up on it. A perfect flake landed in the centre of his right hand. He peered down at it with his icy blue eyes. It was in the shape of a crown. A royal circlet with tiny square jewels embedded all around it. How he could see such detail on a thing so fine as a snowflake he did not know, nor did he ask. Who would answer? He was alone. As more snow filled his palm the tiny white ice jewels about the brim of their crowns began to reflect the wicked red of the of the angry star above.
The red crowns were aglow in his hand, it was as if he held a clump of white-hot coal and for the first time in the lifetime he had wandered the nothingness, he felt something. He dropped the burning mass onto the floor and watched as it sizzled and melted away at the pristine snow.
When he looked up there was a door just in front of him. It was brown and dreary, old and worn. It had swollen with moisture over time, many passing moments had removed its splendour. Like a man who had taken in too much drink. There was once something carved into it, but time had taken that as well. If he reached out he could touch it. So, he did. With little effort the fat door was opened.
A room lay inside. It was more than a room. It was a hall, expansive and grand. Naruto's feet carried him through the threshold with absent prodding. Great pillars raced up to a ceiling that did not exist. Strung about them were banners as black as night. They hung low and trailed across the marble floor beneath him. The braziers at their base were lit and raged with fires of pitch black, verdant green, and glistening gold. A head of him the floor went up step by massive step until it became a platform that stood as high as his head. Naruto could not make out what stood atop the platform, but he kept walking towards it.
Hanging on the far wall high above and behind the steps and the platform were the skull of three dragons. Giant fierce things even when stripped of skin and bone. He could hear the roar of a waterfall but could not see it. Could not smell it. Could not feel it. Nature was not here either.
He took the first step, then the second and third in quick succession. After the fourth he was as high as this room could bring him. An arm's length away stood a great white tree with red leaves that fell from its branches like swaying drops of blood. When they hit the floor, they splashed and made that sound that the rain made before it became rain.
The tree was carved. A weirwood if he had to guess, he had never seen one, but he knew to be so. He was of the north, this tree was as flesh and bone to him, a part of him. The carving was of a face, long and sullen, its red eyes cried red tears of sap that hardened and crystallised its mourning. The face was familiar. Recognition danced at the edge of his senses but would not share its hand, it left him in a strange longing for something that he already had. He reached out and rubbed his hand across its chin in that way that he did.
The tree reacted to his touch. It crumbled into a heap of red stained snow almost the moment he laid a hand on it. There was a long moment when nothing happened. Naruto reasoned that there must be some other intrigue in this room.
Just when he made to walk away the bubbling mess at his feet began to rise up. As white as ever it rose and rose and it stood as tall as Naruto. From the writhing unknowable mass came a shape. A long snouted fox with nine white tails swaying in the shimmering air. The red of the sap and leaves became patterns across its body. In the centre of its great head was a red circle that swirled into a spiral. The same pattern was on both of its shoulders and strange wing like protrusions adorned the back of its front legs.
Stranger yet was the giant metal disc that floated just above the centre of its back. Great flames spewed from it in all directions, coating the white fox in a shroud of oranges and reds that played reflections across its milky body.
Its eyes were blue, glowing and icy and ethereal under the licking flame on its back. Its mouth curved into a serious line as it stared directly at him. Nature was here.
-0-
Fire. It was always fire. Crackling, balming, summer fire. He had roused to consciousness a few times. The spark of wakefulness ignited and broke his frozen dreams in a series numb, weightless moments that flittered away as soon as they came. The fire was ever present in those moments. It licked across his face and sweat ran down his temples. It reached deep and robbed the spit from his mouth. He was as kindling under its gaze, dry, brittle, a hollow thing to be consumed to satiate its hunger. Naruto didn't know which fire was worse, was it the fire that bathed this small room in a warm orange glow or the one that burned down on him from the black heavens. It was a dream, it had to be, but he knew it wasn't. He'd had that dream many times over. Each time breaking the sequence to wake for a half moment before slipping back into the waking illusion. The one with the blood star and the star sword. The one with the fiery snow crowns and the old door, the black banners and the dragon skulls. The wierwood on the pedestal, the blood drop leaves and of course the fox.
It always ended in the same way at the same place. Like any dream, he could not remember it until it had ended. He had questions for that fox. Its eyes lingered in the back of his mind. It was still there. It waited for him to return to it. To play its cryptic game. To return him to its twisted cycle. No, he thought, no more. It was time to break the wheel.
His half-addled eyes opened slowly. They weighed almost more than he could bear to lift. Phantoms lingered in his vision; they took on the shape of a person not too far from him.
"He's awake!" he heard. It was if he was under water. The only clear sound was the hungry fire next to him.
"Easy, don't try to move." That was Will. He knew that voice too well. "Pour some water, now"
He tried to raise up but felt the weight of the world pressing down on every inch of him. His vision was returning quickly. It was indeed a small room, a dusty old one at that. A room in a tower he guessed, it was round in the way that rooms in towers tended to be. There were no windows, just the fire and small candles to keep the light.
He blinked a few times to clear the world in front of him and tried again to sit up. He felt a firm hand press down on his chest to keep him down. When he tried to speak the words didn't come. His throat was dry, only a spluttering cough came out. That's when he felt the daggers in his side, or the wounds they'd left in their wake. Either way the pain was intense, he lied down quickly with a tortured moan.
"Here" A voice said above him. It was a girl. Shona. The young lady Flint's lady in waiting. "Drink" She hefted a wooden cup to his dry lips and tipped slowly into his mouth. He drank eagerly. She refilled it four times before he'd had his fill.
Will looked on in anticipation, he smiled openly, and Naruto could tell he had a lot to say. His freckles danced across his pale face as he became more and more eager to speak. Before Naruto could say anything, Shona spoke again.
"Be careful, Ser." She smiled beautifully as she spoke "Your wounds were really bad, the healer declared you dead no less than three times." She turned to Will. "Mayhaps we should leave him be.."
The redhead interrupted "No. He's awake, he'll be fine. Just you wait, I know him. Why don't you fetch the healer and also Gar if you happen upon him?"
"Fetch me for what?" Gar spoke absently as he entered the room with a small cask in his arms. He almost dropped it when he saw Naruto staring back at him. "Others take you" he swore "do you know how worried I've been?" He placed the cask on the floor and hurried to Naruto's side taking a knee and beaming at him excitedly. Shona was quickly out of the room and disappeared out of view.
"You needn't worry Gar" Naruto spoke meekly "the three of us together are as dragons among men. Besides, I lose a bet if I die at night, in the rain, under the walls of a castle, to the blade of a mad easterner"
Will chuckled and rolled his eyes "The bet was; alone, at night, in the rain, under the walls of a castle to the blade of a mad easterner" Will added "And I'm sure the Maester was joking."
"Ten gold dragons, Will?" Gar said "He wasn't joking"
There a was a slim silence before they shared a chuckle between them. Naruto's was more cough than laugh, he held his aching side as he hacked up the water he just drank.
Will rose up quickly with worry etched across his face. "Shona will be back with the healer soon" he said "He'll redress your wounds. How are you feeling? Where does it hurt?" It seemed that Will did not want the girl to see just how worried he truly was. It must have been as she said, how close to death was he?
"Everywhere" He flashed his brilliant whites and tasted the lasting copper of blood behind them. "But no need to mother me. You of all people know this won't keep me down. We'll be back in the fight before too long, old friend"
Will sighed "back in the fight?" he asked "Gar, pass me the milk of the poppy, I fear he's taken a knock to the head. Maybe he's woken up too soon."
"Yeah" gar responded "All that talk of dragons among men, somethin' is not really settled up there yet"
"Stuff it, the both of you" Naruto rebutted.
"Fine, Aegon born again" Gar mocked "Or would you be Balerion the black dread by your compassion?" he laughed
"I'll be the boot that finds your arse if you keep at it" Naruto croaked out in mock anger.
Again, the three of them laughed.
"That was close" Will said solemnly after a moment. His hair had grown out and the faintest whiff of a moustache had taken hold under his nose. "I thought we were going to die."
"Yet you fought on" Gar said "You did well, long face. It is a deferent thing altogether when there's a man trying to kill you. I had thought myself brave before, but now…" he trailed off.
Naruto found the strength to sit up and Will rushed over to place a few soft pillows under him to prop him up.
"Yes, the training dummies don't quite compare do they?" Naruto asked Gar "But you did me proud, you honoured your oath."
"From this day to my last" Gar replied. "You spoke true about the night at the mill, I thought I'd feel a sense of glory but all I feel" he paused before continuing "All I am is glad we survived.
Another silence.
"Alright, enough brooding silences" Naruto tried to heighten the mood. "Where in the seven hells are we and how long was I out?"
Will answered "At the Half Tower. It's been three weeks"
"Three weeks! Sprits!" he really was close to death. "And the lady? Did she get back to Lord Flint?" he asked quickly.
"The Lady is quite alright, Ser." someone said from behind the door as it opened. It was Leyla Flint with a pile of linens in her hands. "It is you who should warrant worry. It warms my heart to see you awake, how do you fair?"
Naruto tried to show deference with a bow but was racked with pain as he moved, reducing him to a wince.
"Please, good ser" Layla said as she placed the linens on a crooked little stool by the entrance to the room. "Not on my account, you've done much and more to relieve yourself of any curtesy you think I'm owed. You almost died for me, that will not soon be forgotten." Her eyes locked onto his and Naruto nodded in appreciation. "The healer is fetching some poultice and will be here shortly, do you require anything in the meanwhile?"
"I.. I am fine, my lady. I heal quickly. It is good to know that we have brought you back safely. Your father will be most pleased when he arrives" He fell back into the mannerisms the good maester had taught him to adopt when dealing with nobility. Will and Gar had stood and cleared a path for the lady who strode to Naruto with purpose and placed a hand on his damp forehead.
"Your fever has finally broken" she said. "Now father with be pleased. He paces the hallway regularly awaiting news on your condition"
"Lord Flint is here?" Naruto asked
"Yes" Will answered. "It has been three weeks, remember. He rode with due haste when he received the news"
"I must attend..." Naruto began as he tried to get up.
"You must rest" Leyla pressed "You are gravely injured. I will not have our hard work on done at this critical juncture"
"Our?" Naruto asked in whisper.
Then he looked around the room. It was not large, but it held the four of them comfortably. Will's wasn't the only chair in the room either, there were four more with unrolled furs spread across the floor between them. He wasn't the only person sleeping in this room.
Leyla began to wipe at his head with a damp cloth she produced from a pile next to his bed. In the light he could her mother in her. Jet black hair and strong blue eyes. It was strange that the three women in his life, Hilda and the ladies Flint all had the same features. The smell of incense and blue wine wafted under his nose, and he opened his eyes wide at the realisation.
"The maester, karl, is here also?" he asked
"yes" she replied. "I just spoke with him in the yard. How did you know?"
"I was just curios" he added
"Well, the maester is here, a strange man indeed., though I do owe him greatly for organising my rescue." The lady said as Shona re-entered the room.
"I wish he didn't bring that foul smelling cat with him though." Shona said.
"Well its only right that Gar have his lady wife by his side after such a dangerous adventure" Will said and Naruto burst into painful laughter.
"No.." Gar began preventively
"I had heard murmurings of improprieties with a cat. Oh, that poor thing." Shona said with a gasp
"Shona, that is improper!" The lady said as she turned green at the thought.
"Will" Gar said sternly "There is a lady present, have you no sense of shame, man?"
"Yes, Will, do apologise to the lady" Naruto said hiding his own laughter.
"I beg your pardon, my lady" Will added.
"No need, Willam. You three seem very close, and I am not so easily offended, I'll have you know." Layla said "Shona, please apologise to Garland for your insinuation."
"Yes, my lady" Shona said with a bow "I am so very sorry, Lord Catsbane!"
-0-
Contrary to popular belief The Half Tower was not simply a half-built tower that loomed over the road to The Finger. No, it was at one point it was the second home of the Lords Flint and their ancestors. It was a day's ride to the Kings Road and served a strategic position in being on the one road in or out of The Finger. It also had its back on a cliff overlooking the Saltspear.
It was said that this was where the Flints and their banners of old stood against the blood tide of Iron Born raiders and broke their advance before eventually driving them back into the sea.
The reason for its unfortunate name was its state of disrepair, unlike its counterpart to the west it was mostly made of wood, all but for the main keep which was made of gritty grey stone. All around, the wood that once stood resolute now bowed and croaked. Large chunks of the interior and exterior walls had simply rotted away. The moat was a dry bed of prickly ferns and the rickety drawbridge that no longer went up had almost become one with mossy earth underneath.
The castle also had a kennel, two storehouses, an armoury and what was once a decent sized stable. The kennels roof had caved in, and the other buildings looked terribly worn but at least they stood against the middling morning breeze that ruffled against Naruto's furs as he stared down at them from one of the higher rooms of the main keep, The Half Tower. Time had not been kind to what was once its solar, it was nigh on four hundred years ago that the last Flint commissioned the use of the old castle and many a block had simply fallen out of place. Stood on the balcony as he was Naruto could hardly ignore that half of it was missing. A section of the parapets at the top of the tower had fallen loose and took most of the outer walls of the front of the castle with it. The room behind him had none of its past splendour but knowing the Flints it probably had little to begin with. Old, smelly, rotten tables and chairs and doors filled most of the upper castle to the brim, many a lord had wanted to revitalise the old place but there was always little justification in the expense. With the unification of the North under the banner of the direwolf there was adequate protection from all sides, Moat Calin to the west was impregnable, no army could breach its crumpled walls, so it was pointless to waste what little coin they had on this place.
Though it was the occasional home to a hastily drawn levy, those men usually occupied the slanted store houses or armoury. Even now with Mylas and his hundred, the place seemed empty. Empty at a glance anyway. All morning Naruto had watched caravan after caravan deliver wares from all over the north before retreating away back onto the Kings road.
They delivered grain and wood and swords and armour and sheep and goats. Some were brimmed with fine cotton and coarse wool and bushels of hay that shed when the carts carrying them bobbled on the divots in the road. As quick as possible Mylas barked his orders and his men shuttled off the cargo and stowed it wherever they could. A big empty castle was useful for that much at least.
The older man had proven an able commander, he had levied as ordered and garrisoned at the castle awaiting further instructions. Though he had not been idle. He had cleared most of the debris from the courtyards and had set up effective training grounds to ready his men.
It was not lost on Naruto that it was by his order these men where here and it was his winnings in Winterfell that they now scurried to house. It was strange to him how things had worked out, almost as if he had planned it that way.
A particularly chilling wind clawed at him as it wormed under his cloak and made his wounds ache. Gar had informed him of people gathering in the old, abandoned village a few minutes out from the castle. He could see them from where he was. The old village once teemed with life but like so many things here it was made hollow by winter. The lands around the half tower bordered with The Greycrann and were spectacularly fertile but a failed crop close to winter had forced the villagers to flee to the sanctuary of The Finger. So few survived the season that they saw no reason to return to their old homes. Now though, strangers had found refuge under their roofs and the blond wondered absently who they were and what they wanted. He could see men and women braving the frozen road as they trickled into the hovels that dotted the landscape. Far beyond that on the horizon he could make out the abandoned farmhouses and dirt roads that were once heart and artery of this ancient place.
He sighed in contentment and embraced the cold wind for a moment. He had almost died in Widow's Watch. He did not regret being there or resent the orders that put him in danger, in fact he found distinct honour in his service. But if he knew anything, he knew this was only the beginning. The Lady of Widows Watch was a wily one and this was a great slight she had been dealt, an open wound that would fester and sore till she could bare it no longer. Then there would be violence. Let it come, he thought, let her come and be driven into the sea. He would suffer no enemy of his Lord. That was a thought for another day. The Lady had no proof that Leyla was forcibly removed. No one saw their faces and Leyla would collude that she left of her own will and being a noble woman, it was her right to. That was the simple answer. In these matters nothing was simple. Laws and rules meant little in the face of the powerful and Lord Manderly was indeed that. His silver mines made him the richest man in the north, far wealthier than even the Starks. If one of his banners were so slighted it would take little for him to push their agenda. Questions would be asked, answers would fall under accusations and swords would be drawn.
He barely remembered his parents but in his heart, he knew the lengths he could go for a moment in their company, to hug his mother, to ride with his father. He would go to great lengths indeed. To see Lord Robin denied that, even by his own mother was unforgivable. No, Leyla was where she belonged and he did that, with help of course, but how many could have done what he did. Then he thought of his Winter Wolves, how many could achieve what he was about to.
"They trickle in, day by day" Karl's voice broke through behind him. "A raggedy tide of northmen looking for... well, I don't know what they're hoping to find here. Maybe they simply followed the caravans down the king's road." Naruto turned slowly to greet the man. His wounds ached something fierce when he moved.
"They've come for you" Lord Robin said next to Karl and surprised the blond with his presence.
"My Lord" Naruto rushed a bow and winced out when his abdomen protested.
"Easy" Robin said and rushed to put a righting hand on his shoulder. "You should still be in bed, I gave strict orders"
"I grew restless" Naruto said.
"And more than that, curious" Karl added. He wore his trademark brown robes with a thick book held in both of his hands. Lord Robin stood tall in his riding leathers, whisps of snow in his fur cloak told Naruto that he had only just arrived at the castle.
"Gar mentioned that people had been arriving for a while now" Naruto replied "I had wondered why"
"After your showing at Winterfell word spread of you and your wolves" Lord Robin said, "Look at them Naruto he pointed out at the old village." Their farms were burned, mothers and daughters raped." He sounded almost angry "brothers and fathers butchered. People like that usually walk out into the snow to die. But your proclamation has given them hope." He looked Naruto in the eye now. "You have given them hope. They are not caravan rats chasing the fall off of an upturned cart. No, they are here for you. Bear witness Naruto there stands the seed and fruit of your ambition. What grows from it is now up to you. "
That was an overwhelming prospect, Naruto had counted over a hundred people, mostly young women and men. Were these the casualties of the plague of violence that rampaged in the north. What did they expect of him, salvation, retribution, vengeance?
He would give them all that and more. For old nan, for Duntin, for Will, for Hilda, Naruto was going to burn holy war through the heart of the north and if these were to be his instruments, then so be it.
"Word of your deeds in the east has also spread" The maester added as he tried his utmost to avoid so much as a spec of the dusty room offending his person. Naruto's chest grew cold at the news. Secrecy was the main concern of that mission, it would be grave indeed should Lady Flint force her liege lord, Wyman Maderly, to call his banners to war for the girl. Naruto doubted Lord Stark would have any choice but allow their march, it was Robin who had transgressed and stolen Leyla from a court she was sworn to. It mattered not that she was his daughter. It was by her own admission, coerced or not, that she was with the old lady in the in the first. The blonds brain began to tick over with orders but before he could utter a word, his master a raised a calming hand.
"Mother has had no choice but to play down the rumours of our involvement, lest she would have to answer questions about why Layla was simply not allowed to leave" Robin said.
"As well as provide some detail on the easterners in her service" Karl added
Naruto still looked on perplexed.
"It would be her word against ours should questions be raised" The blond said "But as far as the rest of the north are concerned, she has the right in this, Leyla is a member of her court and we did take her by force, or so she could argue, that's reason enough for war. I have failed you, my Lord, were we not discovered…. Lord Manderly is surely now readying his reprisals"
"Lord Manderly is well and truly satiated, though a man with his appetites won't remain so for long" Karl said.
"I don't understand" Naruto said
"As is natural" karl mocked "think now boy, do you think it coincidence that Lord Manderly had a feast so soon after leaving Winterfell? He invited all of his banners at a time when they should be consolidating after weeks away, how many ships did you see on your way back to the Finger? Do you not find it strange that none of his patrols happened upon your stolen ship so close to shore?"
Naruto still looked on, dissatisfied with what he just heard. "But why would he allow this?"
Karl looked at him expectantly and the gears began to turn in Naruto's head.
"The granite!" he shouted after a beat "You used the granite. The trade agreement with unfavourable terms for his compliance. But that was my idea, I don't believe you would have waited all this time for me to happen upon the notion of a trade deal."
"Your idea?" Karl asked with a gasp "You believe you had anything to do with this? But for your skill in taking lives, you played a mummers role in a play with a plot beyond your dim comprehension"
Robin cleared his throat and fixed the maester a look. Karl sighed and pouted some, he enjoyed demeaning Naruto.
"I can see the clouds that block your understanding will not clear soon" karl continued "Naruto you are adept at intrigue for one so young but do not think yourself above being maneuvered. It was a lose word here and a half explanation there. The books I gave you to read, the grandeur in which I spoke of the granite deposit and how only the Manderley's could afford to quarry and trade it. Your eyes lit up at the mention of how proud our vaunted Lord Robin would be if someone could find a use for so abundant a resource. Truth be told the wheels were turning long before you came into your life under our banner"
"This whole time, I was just another… I thought I was." Naruto still could hardly wrap his head around what he was hearing.
"You played your part, Naruto, and played it well at that." Karl said, "See the lesson in this and it will serve you well."
"We almost died" Naruto said through a stern jaw
"Would you have declined my request if you knew then what you know now?" Robin chimed in.
"No" Naruto said and smiled wry in acceptance "It was… well played maester" It made sense know why they went to Winterfell, no doubt Robins disappearance was to trade words with Lord Manderly. Maybe even Lord Stark had a stake in this deception. Honourable men doing dishonourable things. Was this truly without honour though. A mother had her daughter, a house was whole again. He had his wolves, the trade with white harbour would bring riches that would feed hundreds. Sometimes maybe one had to be above honour.
"So, what comes next?" Naruto asked. It was more a question for himself.
"Now the pawn becomes the knight" Karl replied with a knowing look. "You've brought a conundrum back from Winterfell, a most welcome puzzle to be solved."
"How so?" Naruto asked
"I have been tasked with turning your up-jump order into something of merit."
"I did not think it worth your mention, good maester"
"Maybe, but your actions effect more than just you" Karl said sternly "You are under the banner of house flint of Flints Finger. Everything you own, he owns, even your Winter Wolves. The eyes of the north a upon us . We cannot be seen to fail in this."
Naruto nodded slowly. He did not think about how this affected Lord Robin.
"Have you thought of who these Wolves will be?" Karl asked
"No" Naruto answered
"Provisions?"
Again "No"
"What of clothing, housing, training?" Karl hammered. "You have no idea where to even start do you?"
"Enough" Robin said, interrupting their conversation. "I am no follower of the seven. I cannot make a knight of you" he placed himself before the blond and looked down at him with stern eyes. "But for all you have done and for all I can never repay, I Robin of Flint, Lord of Flint's Finger, master of Cape Kraken and First Flint of the Flint Cliffs, here by grant you, Naruto Uzumaki the styling and the rights to Stone Spear and its associated lands, incomes and castles in perpetuity. May you serve me well, Lord Uzumaki."
"From this day to the end of days" Naruto said and tried to hide the tears forming in the corners of his eyes.
"Well," Karl said before scribbling away in his thick tome "I will have your contracts with you in due course. For now, we prepare. I hear you have high bloods on their way let us not be found wanting."
-0-
Naruto's head still swam after Lord Flint not only named him Lord but also landed him. Stonespear as it turned out was the few miles of land that the Half Tower, its village and farms sat on. After its abandonment it was brought back under the administration of the Finger. Now it was his, his seat, his land, his people. Under the grace of his liege of course but still his.
While Karl made it clear he had no intention of staying to help the blond get acquainted with his new station after preparing the castle for his guests, he did offer Mylas as an able second. The good meastre had further matters regarding Naruto's elevation that would take precedence over any help he could offer in the short term. He would scurry away to plot and plan how to elevate the Wolves and House Flint as a consequence. Now they all waited side by side as a troop of horsemen raced into view ahead of them. They stood outside the crooked entrance to the Tower on the old road and waited quietly.
On his right stood Will, ever loyal, beyond him was Gar and Mylas. To his left were Robin and the measter. The older men stared out stone faced against the strong breeze as it whipped up the fresh snow. He had been awake for a few days now and he was again walking strong. His strength had come back to him. He had yet to venture beyond the castle on orders from the medic and Robin but after today Robin would be gone and he could do as he pleased.
He looked up at a giant rounsey as it pulled to a stop a few feet away with another mere moments behind in a hearty gallop. They were far enough away to avoid the spray of snow and mud. Sat atop the great beasts were Dommeric Bolton and Roose Ryswell. Both men panted ragged puffs of steam into the morning air.
"I've bested you again, uncle" Dommeric said openly with a sly smile
"Shut up about it, remember where we are" Roose was boiling, Naruto could tell, but he dismounted easy enough and strode on beyond his triumphant nephew.
In a moment he stood before Robin "Lord Flint" he said and extended an arm.
"Lord Rywell" Robin responded and shook the offered arm. "I trust you travelled well?"
"As well as to be expected" Ryswell answered shortly and surveyed the assorted men. When his eyes landed on Naruto he grunted harshly and walked over. Surprisingly he extended the same curtesy. "As promised, here we are"
"Well met, Roose" Naruto responded "I did not doubt your honour"
"Even still, your horses will be here hence" he replied
Naruto looked beyond him to see dozens of horses being led up to the castle. He observed Dommeric taking the time to greet everyone who came to meet them. A kind word for each one.
"This it then?" Roose said as he eyed the castle in the background.
"Aye, it is" Naruto responded. "Please, you are most honoured guests, let me show you inside, you must be hungry from your ride."
Robin nodded at him before turning to the measter in conversation.
When they entered into the musty old main room of the castle Leyla and her mother were there to meet them. They had arranged a small table of food. Basted birds and roast vegetables added a welcome aroma to the old place.
"My lady Dacey Flint and her daughter Leyla, my lords." Naruto offered as he made introductions.
After the pleasantries his guests and their retinue dined alongside his own household in quiet conversation. Lord Flint was due to take to take the road with his wife and daughter tomorrow. He assured the other nobles of Narutos new position and the respects that were due to be shown. The blonde was happy enough at the praise.
Robin sat with his lady wife and daughter on the long table, Will was next to her with Naruto sandwiched between Lords Bolton and Ryswell.
"As a thank you for your hospitality and in the hopes of fostering our union under your commission, Lord Uzumaki" Dommeric announced, he was clumsy with his pronunciation of Naruto's surname but that was to be expected. "I have brought gifts." He nodded to two of his guards and the men rushed out to return a moment later with a large, covered cart between them.
With a flourish the cover was removed revealing a trio of birds.
"I was to be fostered in the Vale for the rest of the season. My aunt Barbery pulled many strings for that arrangement, she will be utterly disappointed to learn I will be here instead. These birds were a gift from the Lord Redford in anticipation. An Arryn Falcon and two Hawks of the Vale, I bestow them onto you."
"Most welcome gifts, my lord. I must admit, I have no talent in falconry." Naruto said.
"Not to worry, I'm happy to teach you"
Robin cleared his throat and stood with his lady wife at his side. "My Lords, I must bid you leave. My family and I take to the road on the morrow and there is much to prepare. I leave you in capable hands." With that the three of them disappeared into the castle proper, he could them whispering all the while.
-0-
"Why do you fawn over that boy?" Robin asked. He was stern almost angry. Naruto could tell they had stopped somewhere on the stairwell. "It is improper"
"I am simply being courteous" Leyla replied somewhat meekly. There was a bite to her father's tone and Naruto could tell the rift between them was still large.
"Husband, please, let her be" Lady Flint whispered.
"I don't understand her infatuation" Robin protested "That boy is.."
"Tall, handsome, quiet?" His lady wife offered. "They say daughters marry their fathers. Take it as a compliment" Then she sounded different "That being said, I think you have a more pressing concern. These clothes are oh so oppressive, will you rescue me from them, my lord?"
Robin grunted in a way Naruto had only heard when he wondered by the small brothel in Flint's Finger. The last thing he heard before they disappeared out of earshot was an excited eep from the once timid lady. Now that her daughter was back Dacey seemed to be filled with life. Her cheeks were flush and full, she clung to her husband's side like a swooning maiden. Their house was whole again. He wouldn't be surprised if she quickened again.
Naruto perished the thought and focussed on his guests. There was much to be discussed.
-0-
He could hear them over the thundering of his heart. He could hear them howling in the wind. Night fell fast and hid them from his view, but he could hear them. But only because they wanted him to. A thick branch scraped across his face as he ran through the forest. Harsh breaths became ragged as the chase went on. How could they move so fast in deep snow, these were more than mere beasts. The unforgiving claw in the darkness.
He had been so careful; he had been trained for this how could he let this happen. He was almost there now, the camp was not too far away, he could almost feel the fire warm him in his mind's eye. Cold laughter swept him from his thoughts. They were upon, swift as the northern wind itself they were upon him.
One of them howled and the others responded in kind. Many and more stalking in the Wolfs Wood. He took a heavy step and stumbled but was quickly back to his feet and sprinted on as fast as they could carry him. He looked to the sky in silent prayer. Who could he pray to though, what gods would claim him? After all he had done, the vows he'd taken to the black one. No, the old gods would not save him now. But neither would the black one.
What madness brought him to this. He had a lord once, standing, he was supposed to be a man of honour. Now the beasts were at his back, would that he could buckle his honour and brace behind it as he would any shield. But he had no honour left.
They were closer now, nipping at the cold leather of a dead man's boots. They were shadows in the bracken snarling and gnashing as they drew in on their prey. He should draw his sword. Fight and die in the memory of the man he once was. He could take no more, they had chased him for league and some, he could not catch his breath, but he willed on at pace.
He could hear their leader above him. A beast like no other, it stalked in the trees. From branch to branch, limb to limb it leapt gracefully, he could see the glint of its fangs under its matted fur that flowed in the wind behind the creature ever so gracefully.
"Mercy!" He shouted between ragged breaths "Mercy, please" Maybe the beasts would listen, maybe they would understand.
There was a whoosh followed by a sickening crunch. It was his spine. Before he could squirm out another plea, he was silenced by a fang in the back of his neck.
-0-
Naruto stared down at the man beneath him. His boot had left an imprint in the man's back from his landing. He wiped his blood from the tip of his dagger and sheathed it in a smooth motion. The others caught up quickly.
"You were right commander" one of the men said, he was out of breath "he's led us right to their camp".
He pointed ahead and Naruto smiled wickedly. Not far ahead of them smoke bellowed high from the raging fire at the heart of the bandit camp. A slew of dirty tents were thrown around it as their occupants laughed and drank under its warmth. Others slept in thick roles on the hard flow while others yet tended to horses.
Naruto and his wolves had been on the trail of this band for the better part of a week. They had left little of the men, women and children of the farmstead they had raided not too long ago. They raised the place to the ground in the hopes that it would hide their trail, but no one escapes the Wolves.
Now here they were about to become prey to fate they had so eagerly bestowed a week ago. He trusted Will and Gar to be in place. They had become able captains over the past six months, proving themselves invaluable assets as Naruto guided his fledgling order into something worthy of their name.
So far, they had a decent run of it. Roose Ryswell had helped him to set up infrastructure and to train his men, of which there was no shortage. They came from all over the North, most of them had fallen victim to raiders and bandits.
He trained them all for three months and for those who did not pass he made them into stewards and cooks and blacksmiths.
"This one served under a Lord" Roose said, he was crouched next to the body running a hand through the man's pockets.
"How do you know?" Naruto asked.
Roose raised the dead man's hand and showed it to the blond. On the man's finger was a ring, a bold thing of shining polished iron with a fist carved into it.
"He could have stolen it Dommeric" Added from the shadows next to his uncle.
Roose tried to remove the ring, it would not budge. "If he had stolen it, it would come off. No, he grew fat after he put it on".
"Why would one of Glover's men turn to this?" Dommeric asked
"Why do men do anything Domm?" Naruto countered cynically "The Glovers are poor, mayaps he fancied his lot better as a brigand and thief." He stared through the trees at the camp ahead as he spoke.
"It matters little" Roose stood fully after removing the man's finger with a dagger "We still have the element of surprise, best we use it while we can".
Naruto nodded in agreement. He raised a gloved hand and beckoned his wolves to him. Eight more men emerged from the shadows behind him. Each of them wore thick dark grey cloaks wrapped heavily over slightly padded leather amour. He had made sure they were as agile as possible, sacrificing iron and steel for lighter thick fabrics. Speed was of the essence in the vast north, so they travelled with only what they needed. They each had a sword, bow and shield carried along with their provisions by their horses.
He had taught them to survive off the land. Every man was responsible for his own upkeep and to carry his own load. They were rangers, meant to spend long stretches of time in the field with little outside assistance.
Their hood were long and heavy, shrouding their faces in shadow. No words were spoken as they began their advance. No words were needed. The north had kept them busy. It seemed every village, every town was beset by these animals. Naruto could scarcely imagine the task ahead of him to remove the ticks from the would-be carcass of the north.
As they drew to the edge of the clearing Naruto awaited the signal. He was still, battle no longer shook him. He'd slain dozens, Thunder was well quenched, it demanded, and it received. Even know with his hand on its hilt he could feel its quiet hum of anticipation. Any moment know he thought, you'll be set to your bloody business, and you will revel in it. Thunder vibrated in its ornate sheath, release me, it commanded. And no sooner did Naruto grant its wish when a flaming arrow took to the sky, it was followed by a dozen more as they peppered down at the unsuspecting men of the camp.
"To your business, wolves!" Naruto shouted as he and his men charged forward into their enemy. The arrows caused confusion. Will had targeted the horses and tents. The beasts panicked and broke their bindings, they began to charge threw the camp as the tents caught fire lighting up the area in the dead of night. From the forest around them came howling wolves with fangs drawn.
Naruto was in first, Thunder raged in his hand with burning fury and cleaved away at a man's arm before biting into the throat of another. An arrow rang against the crude iron of his shield as he covered behind it reflexively. With three leaping strides he was upon the archer before he could reload his string, he cut the man's bow in half then brought his blade down on his crown.
With a cry and a flourish, his upon another, a thin man with sunken eyes and a dull sword. It shattered against Naruto's illustrious Thunder before his throat was crushed by the circular shield in the blonds off hand. The thin man grabbed and clawed at his neck in vain as he sunk to his knees.
Naruto didn't care, he cleaved the head off another and then splintered the knee of a charging bandit with the heel of his boot. This is where he came to life, no thinking, no games, no lords, no ladies, just instinct. The blade in his hand grew hot as it lanced through the thin armour of the enemy in front of him, it was that special heat, a fire from his very soul. The night lit up when Thunder roared its presence. Like a shooting star it seared through the night air dispatching bandit after bandit. Blood drenched Naruto's furs and filled his mouth with hot copper.
The snap hiss of an arrow caught his attention. Will had brought his men into the fray after the initial barrage of arrows. He unleashed two more from his quiver before switching to his longsword.
His Wolves showed their training, they moved in packs, a sea of swords that washed through the camp from all sides. It was a matter of minutes before the fighting ceased. Bodies littered the mossy floor as small fires burned at the dirty tents around the firepit.
He looked up and raised his sword with a triumphant cry. Howls followed and his men crashed their swords against the metal of their shields in a rhythm that echoed through the night forest and stirred that place in his heart that only warriors knew.
When the noise had died down, he set the men to tend to each other and secure any prisoners. They had been taught the basics in mending wounds. Stitching and bone setting could save lives if done early enough. Most men died well after battle had been fought, infection was the killer that no soldier could afford to ignore.
He set up in the largest of the tents that survived the brief battle. Will was next to him clearing away the belongings of whichever dead man had owned the tent before their arrival. In the corners, under matted furs were piles of trinkets and shoddy jewellery. The kind made by unskilled blacksmiths, the kind owned by farm hands and stable boys. The kind they would give to comely maidens as gifts to signal their intent. The kind that would be passed from mother to daughter with a swoon and a story of how their father won their hand on some pithy field somewhere in The Rills.
It was not lost on him that anything of value they found on these raids were ripped from the smoking corps of an innocent northerner. So far, they had sold some of it to supplement their rapid growth and mobilisation. He had purchased burned out towers and abandoned farmhouses all over the western regions of the north. In time they would serve as waystations for his order. A master stroke by meastre karl. It made little sense to keep his force completely based in the Finger. They were not fighting an army and it was cannier to approach this in the manner the Nights Watch did with Wildlings beyond the wall. Small, mobile packs of rangers that could stay in the field indefinitely and hunt their enemy across vast swaths of territory.
"It seems two more crawl out of the snow for every one we kill." The redhead said as he lit a tall torch that was embedded in the soft earth beneath their feet. The fledgling embers played shadows across his pale features. His freckles were pronounced, and the dirty, scraggly orange beard made a rogue of the young man.
"Let them come. We will see that they are returned to the snow as ashes on the wind." Naruto replied and steadied the wobbly table in the centre of the tent.
"What worries me is how little support we're receiving from the lords who pledged their hands to our cause." Will added.
"Truth of it is, Will, they did not pledge support. They simply agreed to let this experiment be carried out in their lands. They are hailed as saviours if we succeed and lose little if we don't."
"Have you read the letters from Lord Glover?" Will asked.
"No, I've decided to letter Dom deal with them. He has sway with the Glovers. I hear Galbart is obsessed with his aunt, the lady barbery. "
"And he thinks Dom will help him into her bed chambers?" Will laughed with the question.
"If it furthers our cause, I don't see why not" Roose said as he entered the tent with Dom and Gar in toe. He wiped his hands in a bloody cloth before reaching into his leather cloak and producing a series of queer metal brooches.
"And hand over Barrowtown to the Glovers?" Dom asked coolly. "Not very likely uncle. I'd think you'd want more for your older sister than the rotting corps of Deepwood Motte."
"My sister has sat Barrowtown long enough. She should pass on her claims and find a bed to warm and seed to quicken within her while she is still young enough." Roose added.
"The Lord Dustin, dead as he may be, hangs over her like a shadow and his family will not let their ancestral home be frittered away to you so easily" Dom said to his uncle. They were too similar in age for any real deference to be shown between them and far too different in temperament besides. Yet, they hung close to each other, Naruto rarely saw one without the other. It made sense. Dommeric was an only child and Roose was the youngest of his father's five children by over a decade. The man was even named for Dom's father after the Lord Bolton married Roose's eldest sister Bethany. These two were in a sense star crossed.
"You'd prefer it go to the Glover's. What would they do with such a prize?" He asked but did not wait to hear his nephew's response "Bah, it does not bear thinking about. When the time is right, she will do what is necessary." He opened his large, gloved hands and let five clasps fall onto the table. They rang out and quietened the bickering around them. All eyes peered down except Rooses. He looked directly at the Blonde. "What do you see?" He asked with a quizzing eye.
"I see a statement" Naruto responded. He had grown somewhat over the past three months and now stood almost on even footing with the men around him, so he looked Roose in the eye when he spoke. He ran a hand of the metal on the table. He was no blacksmith, but he had spent enough time around horses and soldiers to know different metals at a glance. Two of the brooches were glistening copper, red and fierce under the fire. Two more were heavy lead, polished and absorbing grey. The other, the largest was shimmering iron, the hand of an expert was apparent, one could mistake it for silver the way the light ran along it with cool iridescence, shimmering back at him. Each of the five had been cast in the shape of a snarling, irreproachable wolf's head. The visage was wild, foreboding, foretelling, fitting.
"You see correctly. Wisely." Roose said after a moment. "'twas not gold nor silver that conquered the north, boys. It was iron. Cold, hard, unforgiving iron. Like the north. Like its people. It is iron that drove back the long night and it is by iron that we will return the north to its people. There is no more apt a thing to define our cause than iron." He reached for the shining brooch and walked to Naruto. "This is my gift to you." He pinned it to the blonde's breast and admired it for moment. "Fitting" he said finally. "Let them look upon you and know your command"
"It will be carried with pride, friend" Naruto answered beaming. The weight of the moment hung for an infinite second before Gar broke it.
"And these are for us I take it." He half asked reaching for one of the glimmering copper wolf heads on the table.
"Stay your hand or lose it" Roose barked. Gar didn't lose the smirk on his face, they were all well used to the temperate of lord Ryswell by now. Roose reached down and plucked up the two copper pieces before tossing one to his and nephew and pinning the other to his own chest. "Do not think this makes up equals, Bolton. I merely did not want too complex a hierarchy."
"How wise of you, uncle" Dom mocked gratitude. "I must say though, a most thoughtful gesture and practical at that." He then looked to Naruto "It is good we establish traditions and denotations as early as possible." Dom then reached for the remaining brooches to put the other boys out of their misery. "My uncle cannot stand for common men to be seen on equal footing, so lead will do for now it seems." He spoke to Gar and Will but handed the brooches to Naruto.
The blond felt the weight of them in his hands and smiled heartily as his friends approached. "These have been earned and a long time coming." He made sure the brooches were fastened properly before he spoke again. "Will, Gar from today onwards you will hold the title of First Rangers for you were the first of my wolves. Lords Ryswell and Bolton, you are honoured Captains among us, your leadership and guidance has been invaluable."
"You've borne leadership well so far. Long may it continue" Roose said as he produced a skin from his belt signalling the others to do the same. Naruto wasn't one for the sweetness of wine and knew full well that Dom had an aversion to alcohol, but this was a tradition of theirs now. After bottle Roose would toast a skin to their victory and continued good work. "To the commander!" The oldest among them cheered and as one they sank the wine to varying degrees of satisfaction.
The mood was broken when three of his wolves burst in with a dirty man in toe. He reeked of blood and shit. Clumps of his black hair had fallen out leaving red, sore pocked skin its place. He was wiry with barely enough skin to fit his bones. His eyes beady, sunken and bloodied above an uneven nose and crooked jaw. When the soldiers let go of him, he dropped to the floor, bodily, spilling out under his black rags and revealing his nudity. Someone had taken a knife to him, in intimate ways. "We found this one hiding in one of the tents, my lords." One of the wolves spoke. A tall young man with a full orange beard and blue eyes. "There were others in their as well but i… I"
"Out with it, man!" Roose demanded
"I think he'd been eating them" The wolf looked about to lose his lunch as he spoke. He turned a sickly green and forced out his next words "There were bits of women, children, seven hells" he spurted before running out of the tent and letting chunks of food spill out from his stomach.
"God's" Naruto muttered
"What manner of beast." Roose said and drew his sword in a flash. Dom stopped him and nodded to Naruto, awaiting his action.
Naruto could hear Will's heart thump in his chest and the quick reddening of his features signified his outrage. Gar looked on with a cool expression. He had a strong stomach for things like this. He was well acquainted with madness.
The blond walked up to the man and peered down at him, white fury filled him, and Thunder raged to life inside its scabbard on back. He drew the blade slowly and it lit up the room with its glow and its quiet hum filled the air. Its mere presence made the room dense.
"Feed him to the hounds at camp" Roose through gritted teeth. The other wolves that had brough the man in simply stared at the sword in Naruto's hand.
All eyes turned to the dirty man when he began to laugh, it was filled with madness and decadent joy. Naruto cut his revelry short with a boot to his chest. The man had to die. The battle was over, but the wall was too good for this manner of creature. Ned Stark came to mind; he was known to be fond of the old northern saying; let the man who passes judgement deliver the punishment. Naruto judged this man, and he would gladly deliver punishment.
"Oh, yes, yes, we are met. We are finally met!" The man still laughed through obvious pain. "And you are beautiful." What was left of his manhood grew erect and wept unto the floor beneath him.
"Disgusting!" Roose said. "Kill this man, Naruto, or let me do it. I should not suffer him"
"Calm, Roose, please" Naruto replied. "What do you mean finally, brigand?" Thunder's burning blade kissed at the man's cheek and so hot a kiss was it that it sizzled away his flesh. The man quivered in ecstasy, and the blond withdrew in revulsion. "Speak or the dogs will feast presently"
"The Black King, beautiful, bright boy, delicious boy," He spoke and licked his blackened, broken teeth with a tongue split long down the middle "My Black King"
"I know of no Black King" Naruto grew weary, Thunder thumped in his hand, it was foreboding.
"Oh, he knows you, man of the sun. Naruto, the light touched. He oft speaks of your future, my Black King does, the pain to come, the ecstasy to wipe that bright smile from your pretty face. " The man laughed through broken teeth. Ash and soot mixed with his spittle and created thick slime at the edges of his lips. "He will mount you, oh yes he will. The black goat will mount the bright fox and you will writhe beneath him, and you will scream when his malice enters you, only then will you know the sweet agony he brings."
Naruto had heard enough. With a single swipe he ended the man's miserable existence and turned to see the stone like faces of his compatriots around the table. Ned Stark came to mind; he was known to be fond of the old northern saying; Winter is coming.
Mini A/N
The Design of the fox is based on Okami from the old Wii game. I feel old just typing that.
-Update –
The brooches are meant to look like the Witcher logo. The one with the wolfs face.
Two more chapters of this arc then it's the iron born invasion. I haven't proofed this too thoroughly but hopefully there aren't too many errors.