What happens to Robert's gift? It's the armor Orryn's wearing, it's already had some modifications, but Gendry's there for that.
Orryn
The Wall
The Night's Watch granted us passage. They welcomed us as heroes, and while we brought our prisoners, many other wildlings remained on the other side of the Wall.
Jon Snow seemed to have some sort of bond with them, which was dangerous for a Ranger and, judging by the comments of his "brothers," not very advisable.
As was our right, my father and I took our seats in the King's Tower at Castle Black. We needed to see the Lord Commander, but there was none, and to make matters worse, Jon Snow's stories were becoming more and more fanciful.
"The Others have returned, just like in the old Nan stories. They raised our dead against us, they killed the Commander and a good part of our men at the Fist of the First Men. I know this because I saw them, I fought them."
"And do ordinary swords break against them?" I asked, still skeptical.
"Yes... but not this one." Jon said and pulled out his long sword. The ripples were pronounced, it was Valyrian steel.
"And neither is dragonglass." The young man next to Jon said in shock. He would have said more if my father's gaze hadn't made him wince.
"Is your name Samwell? Samwell Tarly?" I asked curiously and he nodded.
"The prophecy is drawing nearer. The promised prince, Azor Ahai reborn, will shine once more. As for the blades and the dragonglass... they bring with them the magic of fire, the opposite of the absolute ice that the others represent." Melissandre said melodically.
The red woman was gaining my father's ear more and more every day. It took years, but he's really converting him.
"Ser Hugh still has a good garrison at Dragonstone, the Iron Throne won't be able to take the castle so easily. We could let him mine more of it, maybe even bring some craftsmen here...". I offered and my father nodded in agreement, meaning something like, "Do it and take care of the details.
"These Others, ancient demons made of ice, snow and cold, they are the ancient enemy, the real enemy we have to face, but... there are some more urgent ones." My father spoke with a frown.
"I will send letters to gain the support of the northern lords, I intend to discredit Bolton's farce. But there are still some delicate points..."
My father's gaze shifted to Samwell and my cousin looked a little perplexed.
"I don't think this is for you, cousin... could you give us a moment alone with Snow?" I asked Samwell and he nodded quickly before leaving, he looked a little embarrassed when I reminded him of our close relationship, Samwell and I were nothing alike.
"Your brothers are dead and those who are missing will never be found, not if an attack by the Ironborn is the cause of their disappearance." My father began harshly and directly, the only way he knew how.
"Your sisters, though alive and attractive to the greedy lords in charge of the North, can be quickly cast aside for a male heir. A Stark man with Stark looks."
"Your Grace, I..." Jon started to say, but my father cut him off.
"I offer you my royal pardon for your oath, just as I can legitimize you as a true Stark, Lord Eddard's eldest son and heir to the North."
"This is an important decision Jon, think it over and give us the answer later." I offered with a serious look, implying that he shouldn't take too long to answer.
Jon walked away, somber and pensive. Sometimes he really did resemble Lord Eddard. "He won't accept... unless he has no choice and with his sisters alive, Jon will never accept the offer."
"Let him think, it won't hurt to have a little temptation in his head." My father said, crossing his fingers under the table. "Davos has personally gone to negotiate with the Manderlys, and we'll send letters to the rest of the lords. It will be their duty to support us."
"I don't count on it, they won't come unless we defeat the Boltons. We have the numbers to do it, but we don't have the time or the supplies."
My father nodded and rubbed his cheeks, which were growing increasingly sunken from the stress. The crown seemed to weigh heavily on his head.
"It will be impossible to lay a proper siege to Winterfell with our supplies. We have the Ironborn to expel, not to mention the wildlings."
"We'll have to seek help from those who weren't so committed to Robb Stark's march. The mountain clans might be a good start, and as for the wildlings-"
"They can cross over as long as they swear allegiance to the Iron Throne and convert to the Lord of Light." My father replied and Melissandre nodded in agreement, her hand resting on his shoulder.
"It won't work."
"They want to pass, don't they? Then they'll have to accept our dictates. That is, after the next Lord Commander agrees to settle them here in the lands of the Gift, but that's a mere detail."
"If you allow me, Father, I can talk to them, see what they want, make a compromise. They have numbers, and we need them to take the throne. We can arm them and have an army like Reach's".
"Go ahead, but know that I won't change my mind on this so easily." I nodded and made my way down to the King's Tower.
I adjusted my cloak, put on my gloves and checked my boots, the cold was terrible in this part of the world, one careless step and my toes would turn purple.
It wasn't hard to find Jon, in fact it wasn't hard to find Samwell and he was with Jon and a girl, probably a wildling.
Footsteps came hurrying up behind me and I could see another wildling approaching. It was the young woman from Mance Ryder's tent, her blue eyes looking at me with judgment.
"Mance Ryder needs to see his son." She said simply and defiantly.
"And you should stay in your 'chambers' in the King's Tower." I smiled back and returned to my destination.
"Dalla is weak, she's lost too much blood. Mance should see her with the child."
"Listen..." I started to say, but stopped, waiting for her to introduce herself.
"Val." She replied, taking the hint.
"Listen, Val. As far as I remember, you're our prisoner. You don't make demands, let alone escape from your guards without punishment."
Seeing the 'discussion', Jon and Sam approached, and Orryn thought Jon's eyes would pop out of their sockets when he heard Val speak.
"They say your father wants to kill Mance. I can kneel, I can try to convince others to do the same, but Mance must live."
"Was Mance really a Ranger who broke his vows?" I asked and Jon nodded.
"Then he dies." I said simply, much to the chagrin of Val, who scowled at me.
"Mance Ryder is the only thing holding the savages together, my prince, perhaps sparing him would be a better way out." Samwell offered and I nodded dismissively.
"It's not like that, cousin. Ask your friend Snow if his father ever failed to execute a deserter from the patrol...".
"All the more reason to let Mance see Dalla and her son." Val insisted and I sighed. I pinched the bridge of my nose and ran my finger along the scar there.
"I'll tell you what's going to happen. I'm going to interrogate Mance Ryder with Ranger Snow and take him to my father. As we walk through the King's Tower, the door will happen to be open and in a moment of carelessness, Mance will enter and see his wife and son. A very brief moment, I should point out." Val's eyes seemed to light up at this information and she nodded before running back to the tower.
"Why should I go with you?" Jon asked curiously.
"Because Mance Ryder is a great warrior, as far as I can tell. He might get the idea to overpower me during this little reunion and take me hostage." I explained and he seemed to understand.
"You should know that Val is also dangerous. She may have promised to be well-behaved, but it doesn't cost her anything to start stabbing men."
"Is she a high woman among the wildlings?" I asked curiously and Jon denied it.
"She's the sister of Mance's wife, nothing more, nothing less."
I nodded, but found it odd. Even if she is rude, she seems well-mannered for a wildling.
"What about the clans? Who leads them now? Can you tell me anything about them?".
"I know a few things, my prince..." Jon began to answer me.
I listened to his stories and the things he learned during his mission beyond the Wall. He certainly knew a lot and that helped our cause even more, even without knowing it, Jon was helping me form a plan.
I asked Brienne to come with us; it was always good to have another good sword around Mance. In all the time I'd been with her, I'd never beaten the Heiress of Tarth, not really.
As agreed, Mance slipped into his wife's room as we passed. Dalla was weaker, she probably would not survive, and I dared not look at the scene that was unfolding in that room. A family beginning and falling apart at the same time.
I asked for an audience with my father and said Mance Ryder was willing to cooperate a little. When we entered, Mance sat down peacefully.
"So we have the King Beyond the Wall here." My father said dryly. "Are you ready to kneel?"
"I haven't thought about it yet... I'm a little slow, you know? I have too many responsibilities."
"I can only imagine how much work you have." My father scoffed and Mance laughed.
"I'm king among the freefolk, you know what that means? Nothing!" Mance laughed even harder. "I have no crown, no throne, no scepter. I must be my own jester, harpist, and champion. And what a champion I have to be to keep all these idiots in line."
"And let me guess, without you, everything will fall apart."
"I don't know, who really knows what men think?" Mance shrugged.
"The fact is, Mance Ryder, your oath was sacred. You know you're going to die for it, don't you?"
"I know. Just as I know I didn't know what I was swearing when I knelt before the tree, I was too young to understand." Mance toyed with the words like the talented bard he was.
"But you were old enough to know the consequences of breaking the oath, that's for sure." My father replied with a scowl. "The law is the law, and by the law, Mance Ryder, you die."
"If I may, Father..." I spoke for the first time and my father nodded for me to continue. "Mance Ryder will convince the other leaders to kneel for us."
"Am I?" Mance asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you were going to die."
"You are, just not now." I replied with a smile. "It is your right and duty, Father, to make peace for the King. However, as Ranger Snow pointed out to me, it is common for cases of desertion to be tried by Lord Stark himself. In fact, many lords refer these cases to the Lord Paramount of the North."
My father's eyes narrowed. "You want to manipulate the laws? Make a spectacle of an oath-breaker?"
"No, Father, I won't. Mance Ryder is not only a brother of the Night's Watch, he is a king among free men; he deserves a trial, even if he already knows the sentence." I spoke, looking around the room, Melissandre smiling and the others looking at me intently.
"In announcing that you will try Mance Ryder in the Sacred Grove of Winterfell with the help of Lord Stark, the true protector of the North, we are enforcing the law twice. We will punish a deserter and restore to his rightful place a vassal who has been treacherously betrayed."
"It will surely be years before there is a suitable Lord Stark; do you intend to keep this man's rights for so long?" My father asked harshly.
"By then we will have suitable options and conductors for the jury." I shrugged.
There was silence in the room for a while before my father spoke again. "I'm not letting him out of our sight."
"And if he doesn't go, his sister-in-law will be the one to call the leaders of the clans that have fled. Val, if I'm not mistaken?"
Mance leaned back in his chair and looked pensive. "She can do it... Tormund probably wouldn't kill her, he's the type who knows his place and knows how to put others in theirs."
"She has ten days. If she's not back here in ten days... you die." My father said, glaring at Mance. The eyes of the two kings locked in a storm.
"I beg you to let her wait a few more days... my wife's situation is... delicate." Mance asked.
"All the more reason for her to hurry then. Ten days." My father replied firmly and turned to Jon Snow. "The same goes for you and your brothers in The Night's Watch. If a Lord Commander is not chosen in ten days, I will choose for you."
"Yes, Your Grace." Jon said stiffly.
"You are dismissed. Orryn, check the supplies for the girl, the sooner she leaves the better." Those were the last orders and we all left the room.
The guards dragged Mance back to his cell and I went down to the room where Dalla and Val were. Jon and Brienne were with me.
"What do you want? The prince was on his knees," Val asked in her characteristic way.
"You need to get ready, you're going after the leaders of your people as soon as possible."
"I'm not leaving my sister like this." She hissed, and Brienne put her hand on the hilt of her sword.
"You will not speak to the prince like that." The woman from Tarth glared at her.
"I'm not afraid of you, Gigant." Val replied, putting her hand on the handle of her bone knife.
Jon's eyes widened as he looked at Brienne, he probably didn't know who she was.
"As much as I'd like to see my friend Brienne spank you for your big mouth, I don't think it'll do much good. You asked me to help Mance, you set out on this journey, so do it soon. Ten days is all the time I have... for now."
Wrinkling her nose in a grimace, Val was ready to say more, but Dalla's hand rested on her arm.
"Val... do it. You know what you have to do and what your duty is now. I'm counting on you." She said in a weak, weakened voice.
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Val nodded and left the room with us.
I prepared supplies, just enough for her to carry. Val left that very afternoon to find her people, and I prepared myself. I prepared because in those ten days we would know for sure who our allies were and who our enemies really were.