CHAPTER 20
He said curiously, "What do you want 'child of man', that is what the gods call you? Why have you come to see me? You have entered this world to alter the path of many. I am still trying to keep up with the events as they change from your ministrations of foresight."
She answered, "I am trying to stop the war south of the Wall to come, so the population will be stronger this time and more prepared in numbers to fight the Second Long Night War. I wish to slow the numbers of the King north of the Wall. If I end Craster, can you tell me how much can be reduced in numbers?"
The old man was contemplating for a while with his eyes white. He said, "You will reduce his army by a quarter in comparison to before you came. He is delivering another son to him in two days time."
Lyra got another vision within this one. She saw a scene in her mind of a man walking through the forest with a crying bundle in his hands. He approaches a raised berm of pine boughs and abandons the crying baby in the Haunted Forest. No sooner did he leave, a White Walker comes and takes the baby with him to the lair of the White Walkers, deep in the Land of Always Winter. The White Walker places the baby on an icy altar, the Night King takes the boy and puts a finger to his face. The baby's eyes quickly turn the glowing vivid blue color of those of the White Walkers. The vision ended.
Lyra was thinking and asked, "Will my wish magic work against him or the others?"
He said, "No, but it can work around him indirectly. Fire is your main weapon."
Lyra said, "I am sorry to make you work so hard on correction from my path. I am just trying to save lives."
He said, "I know it was your choice to go where you could do the most good from your own world. Trust the visions and dreams to be the guide and harbinger of the gods to you. The gods have given you the greatest of tasks as a true seeker. Beware the Red Priestess when she comes and the brothers of the southern king."
Lyra said, "Melisandre, Stannis, and Renly?"
He said, "Yes."
Lyra said, "Thank you for your time, Three Eyed Raven." The vision ended.
Lyra stepped back and blinked, getting her balance and bearings. She saw Crystal at her feet and Jorah off at a short distance. Crystal stood and roweled rubbing her head on her thigh as she patted her. Lyra went to Jorah and asked, "We need to be at Craster's Keep in two days' time to stop him from sacrificing another infant son to the White Walkers. I'll get us closer with magic but on this side of the river from him."
Jorah sighed and said, "Again?" Lyra nodded, giggling at him. He rolled his eyes. She transported them all and they made camp in a group of pine trees that had high enough branches to allow for a fire if not too big. Lyra and Jorah set up the tent and made a comfortable camp in the snow. Lyra said a wish to have a safe perimeter that only both of them and Crystal could leave and enter.
Jorah was making the fire while Lyra was making stew and cutting up meat and vegetables into a pot. Jorah asked thoughtfully, "Lyra, my love, how did you get your magic?"
Lyra was poking pieces of meat from the cured venison shank into Crystal's mouth as she was cutting it up and getting kisses in return from her lion. She answered him, "I just happened upon it one day searching for a safe place to sleep for the night. It's really not easy to explain how it happened because it was strange and unbelievably scary at first. I will tell you before I marry you exactly how. I promise, Jorah."
Crystal growled at Lyra telling her a warning. Lyra took off her mittens, the front first quickly and said, "Jorah, we have company." They both stood up and Jorah drew his sword as Lyra notched her bow. Crystal was looking in two directions.
Lyra said, "Left side and behind."
Jorah shouted out, "Come into view! We know you are there!" Three free folk stepped out of the dark treeline. Two men and a woman wrapped in furs. Crystal grumbled.
Lyra said to Jorah, "There are more hiding."
Jorah shouted, "I know there are more of you! You can't fool the lion!" After a moment two more, a man and woman, came out of the trees.
Jorah shouted, "What do you want?"
The one man said, "We be wonderin' what ye have to take an what yer doin' with that big animal?"
Lyra said, "What we have is none of your business and neither is the lion."
The second man said, "Way I sees it, we be five an ye be two with tha animal." Lyra whispered a wish that nothing could penetrate the perimeter. Crystal was loudly growling and Lyra had her hand on her to stay her.
Lyra laughed and said, "Do you want to test that out? Go on, shoot an arrow at me. I have magic and you can't come through in my camp and your weapons either." Lyra patted Crystal's head. The one woman shot her arrow and it bounced off the air and landed on the ground. The five people gasped.
The woman that shot the arrow asked, "Be ya a witch?"
Lyra laughed and put her bow down, sat down and started cutting up dinner in the pot. She said, "No, I'm not a witch but a Maegi Lion Tamer and merchant." Jorah put his sword away watching Lyra relax but tended the fire, watching and setting up the tripod of sticks to hang the pot on. Lyra put clean snow in the pot with everything and took it over to hang over the fire to melt. She moved her log closer to the fire and sat down stirring and adding spices and herbs. The five others were just standing there watching.
Lyra said to them, "Why don't you make a fire and cook those rabbits for yourselves? It's as good a place to camp as any. Here!... These will go good with them." She reached in her sack of vegetables and pulled out five carrots and five potatoes and tossed them out of the perimeter towards them on the clean snow. The first woman went up timidly and picked them up off the ground. The young woman smiled looking at her and went back to the others.
The first man said, "Why'd ya do that?"
Lyra said stoically, "Because you need to learn that not everyone is your enemy to steal from."
The first man said gruffly, "That is the way of the free folk. We find and take." Lyra and Jorah's pot was starting to boil. Lyra added more snow and stirred it. She put Crystal's mittens back on.
The second woman said to the first woman, "That smells good." They made a fire and were cleaning the rabbits. They put the three rabbits on a stick over the fire and the potatoes and carrots by the coals.
Soon they were all eating in separate groups. The free folk people were eating their potatoes, carrots and meat while Lyra, Jorah and Crystal were eating their bowls of barley stew. Jorah said softly, "You're a kind woman, Lyra. You know they meant harm?"
Lyra said leaning over, kissing him and taking another bite of stew, "I don't, though is my point." Crystal looked up at Lyra and chuffed. Lyra laughed, kissing Crystal on the nose and filling her bowl again.
Lyra said kindly to her, "I know baby girl, I don't have room for a great big bowl so I'll just keep filling it."
The third man in the other group said condescendingly, "Ye talk to yer animal? It don't understand what yer sayin' ta it."
Lyra said matter of factly, "My Crystal lioness knows what I'm saying and when I tell her in hand signals. I even know what she is saying too."
The first woman asked, "Like in hunting using yer hands?"
Lyra nodded yes and said, "Yes, exactly. I trained her from a tiny baby. She is incredibly smart and a great hunting partner."
The second man said, "I bet ya could lose an arm trying to take the kill away from her."
Lyra said, "Not my arm when she is with me. Maybe your arm she would eat. She even helps me drag it back to camp."
The first man said, "Oh, pishaw! I don' believe ye."
Lyra said, "If you all behave yourself in the morning, I'll get you a stag with my lion for you all to prove it." They looked at her curiously.
The first woman said out loud, "We could use that."
The first man said, "Ok, ifin' ya get us a stag, we be leavin' ye alone."
Lyra said stolidly, "You silly man, you will leave me alone anyway. I'm just trying to prove my point about my lion and help you all at the same time."
The second man said, "Be nice Bren. She bein' nice ta us."
The first man, Bren, said, "I know."
After Lyra cleaned the pot and put it away, they were getting settled by the fire. Jorah put more wood on the fire and asked, "Sing me a song, love." Lyra began to sing an old Irish tune.
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"Songbird"
For you there'll be no crying
For you the sun will be shining
'Cause I feel that when I'm with you
It's alright, I know it's right
-
And the songbirds keep singing
Like they know the score
And I love you, I love you, I love you
Like never before
-
To you, I would give the world
To you, I'd never be cold
'Cause I feel that when I'm with you
It's alright, I know it's right
-
And the songbirds keep singing
Like they know the score
And I love you, I love you, I love you
Like never before
-
Like never before; like never before.
~~~~~~~~~~
She then sang several more Irish songs like "Jenny Of Oldstones" from the TV show Game Of Thrones.
They finally went to bed in their tent all together as the others laid down by their fire. Lyra, Jorah and Crystal huddled together under all their furs and slept warming each other.
~~~~~~~~~~~
In the morning, they ate their breakfast in a skillet warmed with ham, melted cheese and wrapped in grilled bread. Lyra sat two loaves of bread and five thick slices of cheese out on the snow.
The first woman came up to them and picked it up saying, "Thank ye." They all divided it up between them saving a loaf of bread for later. Lyra and Crystal left the perimeter together and went tracking. After they were out of range, Lyra wished for a stag. She shot it in the eye and it dropped. Lyra and Crystal dragged it back to camp and dropped it by the five people in shock watching them drag it up together.
Lyra said smiling, "My arrow found this one first. But my word is my bond. I won't lie to you."
She nodded and was walking back to their camp when the man, Bren, said, "Thank ye." Lyra looked back at them, nodded and smiled.
Jorah asked her, "Tomorrow we need to be across the river, right?"
The first woman walked over a bit and asked, "How ye gonna cross the river? All there be over there is Craster's Keep. He be a mean sort."
Lyra asked her, "What direction are you all going in?"
The third man said, "We be going west towards Hard Home. We want to fish."
Lyra nodded and said, "That's smart more fish than game there. I wish you safely there." They all nodded, smiling at her, while gutting and cleaning the stag while another skinned it. They didn't know she just wished them safety to get to Hard Home. They were preparing the organ meat. Lyra went in the tent, wished for a bag of mixed root and squash vegetables in a burlap sack. She walked up to the perimeter and sat it outside on the snow.
She said, "For your journey to go with the meat." The first woman grabbed the big bag and took it to the second woman by fire and squealed happily pulling out the different vegetables and apples. The men looked at it all and then at her.
Lyra said smiling, "Not everyone is your enemy and kindness is sharing. I'm not like most people."
Bren said smiling, "No, ye be not at all." He started chuckling as he was cutting parts up to pack in the snow to freeze overnight. The other men were packing the meat and scraping the hide as the women were sorting the big bag of vegetables to put away in their packs they carried. They all ate well that night.