Warning: I do not own A Song of Ice and Fire, nor this Story.
This story deserves to be available for readers to read. This Story was removed, it deserved to be available, Original Author is Blackwolf2019 as i don't own this story or its work.
Comments and everything below is from the OA.
Chapter 7: The Northmen's March
Hope you all enjoy! Feel free tae comment as always!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Val
I wonder if this is what the Kings of Winter looked like when they weren't simply tales among the Free Folk.That was what Val thought as she marched ever closer to Torrhen's Square with Jon Snow, at the front of his army of Free Folk and Umbers in the snowy Wolfswood, unflinching in the wind. Everything about him screamed it in Val's head. His actions at Deepwood Motte, gutting the corpses of the Squids and offering it to the Heart Tree. How he got his army, fighting the toughest warriors they had, bare handed, proving his strength. His Northern attire, a mix of tartan, leather and chain mail, with a knife as black as night attached to his greaves, and Longclaw at his side, next to the guard on top of the tartan, all in dark colours or Stark Grey. A gift from the Umbers and the Mountain Clans. And his face, always etched with a sense of feral. It was there when his face was like ice, when he was angry and when he smiled. Always there, always wolfish. It all spoke of the tales of the Kings of Winter.
Val had wondered if it had always been in him before he died. She had seen the way he acted before his death, like he was holding back. Holding back his power as a Warg. Acting less because of the name Snow. Being completely reserved, almost isolated by the time he became King Crow. The wolfishness that had come after his death seemed to have taken that away. He looked relaxed in it, almost revelling in it. He looked truly alive in it all. Just like his wolf at the head of its pack. That had only kept growing as they marched through the wolfswood. Val was taken from her thoughts by Tormund's booming laugh.
"What do you find so funny Tormund?" Val asked, turning to the big man, who'd joined her at the front.
Tormund looked at her with an amused grin, "You looking at King Crow Val. You look like a wolf in heat! Har!"
Val gave Tormund a hard stare, "Go fuck another bear Tormund!"
Tormund laughed harder, "Har, Har! I might if I find one at Torrhen's Square. Or I might ask Wun-Wun if there are any giant women in that clan up at the wall that fancy a giant's member on a man!"
Val rolled her eyes at the man. She wondered how he had sons and daughters. "What do you think of snow now anyway Tormund? You've not said much on it."
Tormund raised his busy eyebrows then laughed again, "Aye you are wanting to fuck him! Har!"
"Answer the question Tormund or I'll geld you before you get your chances with the bears and giant women!"
Tormund laughed for a moment before calming down, "The lad's different, no denying that. I heard from the Umber lot what you all did at Deepwood Motte."
"You've been talking with the Umbers?" Val asked, not able to hide the surprise.
Tormund smiled, "A few fights first with them, then a few drinks but aye I have. Not a bad lot for kneelers that we've fought with for centuries."
Val nodded at him. She'd noticed that. The Free Folk and the Umbers were mingling. There'd been more than a few fights but nobody had been killed. A lot of testing each other's mettle. She wondered if it was because of how Jon acted with everyone. Or if it was because they we are the first men and women.
"But to Jon. The lad's got more than enough of his wolf in him now. A good thing for what's coming. We have a better shot of living through winter and long after it with him as he is now then before. And the lad was impressing me before then, for all his kneeler shit that he had!"
Val smiled at him, "Aye, damn good thing that he's lost that. Snow's not going to kneel to anyone anymore."
Tormund laughed again, "Assuming you don't steal him of course."
Val growled at Tormund, his grin widening.How has someone not killed you yet Tormund.
"See Val, I'm right. You're like a wolf in heat! Har!"
Tormund's laughter was interrupted by his son, Dryn, running towards them and shouting.
"Da!"
Tormund turned to the lad, "What is it son? You bit a kneeler?"
His son laughed like Tormund.
"Nah Da, I'm saving that for the Boltons. Jon says we're near Torrhen's Square. He wants us to get ready. One of the scouts says the army he sent by see is camped outside the walls waiting for us."
Tormund grinned at his son, "Sounds good son, been dying to show these Umbers and the rest of the kneelers what a proper son of the first men can do!"
Val smiled while shaking her head, "I doubt it'll come to a fight Tormund. You were at the camp with Jon. There are barely any of them in that one."
Tormund glared at her with his smirk, "Aye but it doesn't mean they won't shit themselves to death when they see me coming!"
Val snorted, "Well you are an ugly fuck Tormund."
Dryn laughed. Tormund glared at the two.
"I don't need to look as pretty as you Val. All I need is for you lasses to take a look at me member. All it took for me to get your mother dripping, Dryn."
Val laughed as the boy gave a disgusted look at his father.Maybe his son will kill him for that thought.
Val was surprised that the Squids hadn't surrendered yet. The forces Jon had sent by sea had wiped out any aid that would come from the stony shore and had taken the ships that had been docked in the lake. They had nowhere to go and had been surrounded for a week now.
"There's only 50 of them in the castle!?" Tormund exclaimed to the group of commanders as they approached the front of the siege
"Then why haven't they surrendered yet then if there's so few of them? Or why haven't you just taken it?" Val asked.
Alsyane laughed, "You don't know much about Castles Val. There aren't many of them and it would be easy enough to take it. But we'd lose more men storming those 30-foot walls to get the Squids."
"Besides the bigger issue is the hostages." Laurence said angrily.
Hugo Wull grunted in response, "Aye, the lad's got the right of it. Us Wulls and Flints could have climbed in at the dead of night and slaughtered the lot of them but they'd kill the Tallharts."
Norrey nodded "It's why we're stuck. If we move, they'll kill the Lady Eddara and Lords Brandon and Beron. But we don't want the fucks to leave as free men."
"We have the Greyjoy Bitch though. We could trade her." Val pointed out.
"Then we'd have nobody to trade for Glover's children." Alsyane reminded her.
Jon, who had been staring at the walls as they all talked, finally intervened.
"Have you told them we have the Squid?" Jon asked the group, that deep growl ever present.
Wull shook his head, "No, we've haven't shown her at all when Dagmer first showed his face to talk when we surrounded the castle."
Jon nodded. "Good. I don't want him to know. We don't need her for this lot. Did you get any squids at the stony shore alive?"
Liddle nodded, "A couple."
Jon smiled wolfishly at him, stroking his wolf's head. "Go get them."
He turned to Tormund, "Go bring Wun-Wun and some of the giants."
Dagmer Cleftjaw was an ugly one. Val could see that as she stood to Jon's right. Snow white hair, a scar that ran across his face and a jaw that looked like it had been broken one too many times. He was the last leader of the Iron Born in the North, with two men to his side. Val could see the other squids on top of the walls.
The Squid gave an uncomfortable look at Ghost, then gave Jon a dirty look, "I thought all you wolves were dead. I had drunk me fill knowing that. But here you are, a Stark in the flesh, just like Ned Stark at Pyke."
Val watched Jon eye him up like his wolf did prey, then snarled, "I have terms for your surrender Squid."
Dagmer looked unnerved at the snarl, "What are your terms then wolf? Do they involve what I demanded? Free passage for me and my men?"
"Surrender the castle and you'll be sent to the wall." Jon said with a low growl.
Dagmer looked annoyed, "Those aren't terms boy. Offering us a prison where I can't wet my cock. And they're foolish ones if you want to get the Tallharts back alive."
"They're your only terms Squid." Jon said, snarl growing louder.
Dagmer laughed, "Not a smart one then. You might change your mind after I fuck that Tallhart girl in front of your army. She's made a good saltwife, so eager to please to keep her cousins safe."
The thought of that made Val angry, like the other Northmen present. She'd been told what a saltwife was.A vile thing.It was Jon though that was making the squids uncomfortable. Val wasn't sure who was growling more, Jon or his wolf. But she could tell it was making the Squids behind Dagmer nervous.
The Squid then looked at her, "Might make you jealous. Such a pretty woman left with this pathetic lot."
Val almost reached for her knife to geld the bastard until Jon put his hand on her shoulder. She could feel the heat off him, the anger. He kept his hand there for a moment until a thundering started. Then he gave them all that feral grin she'd seen him wear so often. Val knew exactly why he was smiling, and the squids before her and on top of the walls were getting paler and paler. She turned to see Tormund and Morgan Liddle, holding a squid each, with the giants behind them. Tormund had brought twenty of the two hundred that were with the army, Wun-Wun at the front of them. They were all holding large wooden shields and wooden clubs with spikes. That had been Jon's idea, to give shields and improve their weapons to the giants, a race that mainly used their hands and bows. She knew he intended to make iron and steel weapons and armour. The Karstark and Umber keeps were already building them. Val turned back to the Iron Born as the thundering of fifteen-foot Giants got closer and closer. They were as white as ghost.
When the group of giants arrived, with Tormund and Morgan Liddle, the squids looked truly terrified. Jon's smile grew more and more. The Northmen all seemed to be enjoying the show. Dagmer broke the Iron Born's terrified silence.
"My men will still be able to kill the Tallhart's before they break through."
Dagmer didn't sound confident at all.
Jon smiled wolfishly at him.
"Liddle, put your squid in front of Wun-Wun."
Liddle brought the squid in front of the giant. He looked scared. The giant gave his club to one of the giants. Then picked the squid up. He screamed.
"Tormund, tell Wun-Wun to eat him in ten minutes."
Tormund laughed, "Har! I don't think he'll get much out of the squid."
Val had to hold back her laugh. She knew that giants were vegetarian. She knew the Northmen knew, they'd been told when they worried at the thought of fighting alongside them.But the squids wouldn't.
Jon looked up to the squids on the walls, "Open the gates and take the black, or wait and watch what the giants will do to you!"
Val watched the squids stare and shock as they looked at Wun-Wun eyeing up the Squid in his hand, who continued to scream. They started to move quickly. The two Iron Born behind Dagmer kneeled. Then the gates opened up. Val watched as the Iron Born slowly left, each kneeling in front of the Northmen. Dagmer looked astounded. He couldn't do anything. He was the last to kneel. Wun-Wun put the squid back down, giving a loud laugh.
Jon looked the lot of them for a moment.
"Are there any of you hiding in the castle?" Jon asked with that low growl.
One of them was brave enough to speak, albeit in a stutter. "No. We've all left the keep."
Ghost moved towards the squid, growling and giving a sniff at the man, then returned to Jon.I reckon that wolf would have tore his throat out if he were lying.
"And the Tallharts?" Jon asked, just as menacing as before.
"The dungeons." The squid slowly said.
Jon nodded, "Wull, Norrey, go bring the men into the keep. Alsyane, go get the Tallharts. And Tormund… keep the squids with the giants."
Tormund laughed as him and the giants looked at the squids.
Val watched Jon look at the squids, "You all surrendered! You'll be placed in cells then sent to take the black!"
Val watched him turn to Dagmer, "Your leader though, will be gelded and executed. He only knelt after you surrendered."
Dagmer looked angry. He went to get up but Val unsheathed her dagger and put it at his throat. She unsheathed the other and put it next to his manhood.
"You better watch yourself squid. I'll make a much messier job than Jon will when he gelds and kills you. Will be much slower."
Val heard the Northmen and Tormund laugh, Alsyane's the loudest.
Val held her daggers until a contingent of guards grabbed the man along with the squids. When she sheathed her daggers, she noticed that Jon was looking at her with that wolfish grin, before turning to enter the castle gates.
Once Jon entered the keep, she heard Tormund's boom,
"Har! Seems The Jon's also a wolf in heat!"
Val ignored him. Even if he was right. Jon's smile had something she hadn't seen on him without it being held back. Lust. Val smirked. She wondered which of them would manage to steal the other first.I stole Jarl first. I can steal the White Wolf of Winter.
Hope everyone enjoyed, went fae a lighter chapter. Felt like taking Torrhen's square needed to be quick. Saving for the battles to come. Wanted the removal of the squids to be quick. And the giants being used like that seemed like a good idea. Stopped the Iron Born immediately. Jon offering them the watch is as light a punishment as he's willing to give, also useful fae bolstering the wall. We'll see the more savage Jon when the battle for Winterfell takes place against the Boltons. We'll also get something interesting next chapter too.