CHAPTER 6

Craster asked, shaken up a bit with superstitious trepidation, "Are you a messenger from the gods?" He wondered if she was magical or an entity.

She stopped eating and took a drink of wine. Ivy looked at him, shook her head slowly and said, "I'm just Harbinger. I saw you out in the woods earlier. What were you doing?" Craster was staring at her wondering what powers she held. He could feel that she was not just an ordinary woman.

He said matter of factly, "Leaving tribute to my gods."

She asked him to clarify, "You mean like a sacrifice?" She started feeding her black kitten.

Craster replied flatly, "Yes." He was surprised watching her feed an animal in a fur pouch around her neck.

She swallowed, took a sip of wine and said inquiring, "So you worship Death, because the White Others are a harbinger of the god of death. The God of Many Faces I am familiar with because he gets paid in death, but not these ones you call gods. They use death as a tool." She waited until the kitten was full and kissed it on the head, putting him back in the pouch.

He said wondering why she was so interested and was on guard, "I suppose I do." He thought she was a very unusual woman.

Ivy asked seriously, "So you do not fear death?"

He said getting upset at all the questions, "No, because I am protected from them. We made a deal. Why are you asking?"

She asked him directly, looking him in the eyes, "Are all these women and young ones your wives including the children you will make?"

Craster told her snapping, "They are my wives and daughter-wives. Why would you care about it anyway? They are mine!" She estimated about nineteen women of age to breed were in the keep.

Ivy smiled at him and said, "I see that. How long have you been here?" He had enough questions about himself.

He said angrily, "Perhaps you should get your child and go. I grow weary of your questions."

She smiled at him benignly, shrugging and said, "Forgive my intrusion. I was just… curious about you. I didn't mean to offend you. I find you different and fascinating from most Freefolk. You have made a deal with Death to leave you alone as you help Death increase their numbers to cause more death on other Freefolk above the Wall. Then you sit in your keep having the women serve and do all the work for you. You have incestuous sex with the female children you create to mature into another vessel of procreation. It is an interesting cycle of death and life you have created here within your home. But… alas, yes, it is time I got on with it." She stood up and stepped behind him and lightning-quickly slit his throat with a valyrian steel dagger. Craster had no time to react or know what was happening. The women in the room gasped and started to scream. He grabbed his throat looking up at her as the blood poured down his chest.

Ivy said flatly, "Yes, I am Harbinger and I came for your death this time, Craster, to pay the Many Faced God his entitled death so richly deserved." Craster gurgled and died right there. She wiped off her valyrian steel dagger on him, twirled it in her fingers putting it away. She walked over to the chair looking down at the sweet sleeping baby knowing his White Walkers brothers would come for him if left here. Ivy decided to take him with her.

She shouted out with authority, "I wish to speak to all of you! Please get everyone in here!" The women stopped what they were doing and assembled.

She said when all of the women were there, "All of you must prepare to leave and join another settlement of Freefolk on the morrow. There is enough in the keep to give you a share in provisions and gear to survive elsewhere. You cannot stay here any longer or The Others will be coming here for all of you to kill you. There will be no male children to give them anymore and this has to stop now. I have foreseen the Night Watch coming here also and raping and killing you all if you stay also. I want you to leave as soon as possible to take refuge in the settlements of the Free Folk. Take everything you want or need with you. This place is cursed."

The eldest of three older women said, "I will prepare them."

She said stoically, "You are now free from this slavery." Some were scared and crying, some getting busy and some happy. Ivy put the baby sling around her neck, put the baby in it and put on her heavy white fur coat again. She grabbed her gear and left with a bag of food and a few empty burlap sacks. She went out, saddled her horses again and headed back to the Wall at Eastwatch at the eastern edge of the Wall. Ivy followed the river bank.

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She was camping and traveling in the direction to get to Eastwatch following the river. She felt a niggling feeling in her mind pulling her to a spot on the banks of the river. There was an area of heavy woods on a hill above by the bank of the river that had tons of debris and deadfall from the trees. Ivy tied her horses up to a large branch and went to the spot that was drawing her to it. She very carefully climbed into the debris on the hill and started pulling everything away from the spot. It took a while to move so much out of the way carefully with her two babies on her.

She found an entrance. Ivy cast a protection spell on her horses. She stepped aside and then cast a spell on the cave to expel all cobwebs, insects, snakes, creatures and anything poisonous. Debris flew out of the hole in large quantities.

Once it had stopped, she lit a flame in her palm and went inside the cave. As she looked around it got bigger inside and she found a vast amount of cauldon like pots stacked on top of one another. There were crates and chests stacked around also. It was a hidden treasure cave. She looked inside the pots and there were gold and silver coins, cut gemstones, uncut gemstones, gold nuggets, silver nuggets and more. Ivy got all of the coins, nuggets and gemstones to go into her pendant by casting a spell. There were 211,566 gold dragons, 23,890 silver moons. The items flew through the air straight into the open door of the pendant. She cast a spell so that all items of value that don't fit make a pile at her feet.

When the whirlwind stopped she had a pile of items at her feet. A valyrian steel bastard sword, a set of four jeweled daggers that were valyrian steel, four books old and tattered and a large box filled with magical glowing jewelry. She got a couple burlap sacks, filled them with the items and tied them closed with rope. Ivy took the bags to her horses and tied them on. She sheathed the bastard sword in the ratty sheath. She tied the sword to her horse. Ivy mounted up and continued to find a good site for camping before the sun went down.

As she was riding along, a man all in black approached her aggressively on horseback. She was on guard. He stopped a little ways away from her when he saw her and asked, "Who are you and where are you coming from? You're headed in the wrong direction."

She asked without revealing herself, "And who are you to tell me where to go?"

He said proudly, "I am Benjen Stark, First Ranger of the Night Watch. Who are you?"

Ivy pulled down her hood and looked at him and said, "I am Ivy Brightflame. I am from everywhere and nowhere." He was mesmerized by how unusual and beautiful she was.

He said, stuttering, "You're so beautiful… I mean you're not a wildling. H… How did you get beyond the Wall?"

She said, smiling at him, "It's just harmless magic, Benjen Stark, don't be afraid." She made a flame in the palm of her hand, surprising him.

Ivy said confidently, "Don't worry, Benjen Stark the Ranger. Nobody will pass but me. I'll be careful. Be safe, Ranger." She smiled at him and put her hood up and her horse turned to the Wall and started moving.

He yelled out, "Safe passage, beautiful magical woman!" She turned and waved.

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By the time she had reached Eastwatch, it had been fourteen days. Ivy had avoided all of the wildlings she came across to avoid any problems and just kept to herself. She made an ice walkway going around the castle on the water side facing east. As she passed an area the ice would collapse so nobody could follow her. She had also concealed her horses and herself as she traveled past them all including the ships. Once she reached dry land, she headed due south then veered to the southeast when she got past The Bay of Seals towards Karhold.

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When she got to Karhold, her ship was there waiting for her. Ivy was glad to see them all. She told her captain that they were going further south to White Harbor. She got in her cabin and got settled with the baby and her kitten.

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Five days later, they made it to White Harbor, they started getting the ship prepared. Ivy had stocked up the ship stores with good food, wine and herbs. She replenished her personal storage of items and had plenty of winter clothes and summer clothes depending on where they stayed from now on. They were headed to Pentos next.

Her servant, Caila, was about thirty years old and always wanted a baby but never was able to. Caila asked if she was keeping the baby for herself. Ivy had saved her and her sister Mina from the slave auctions in Volantis. She had changed the baby back to his original coloring. She gave her and her sister the little boy for their own to share between them. They were both so happy and excited. Ivy bottle of breast milk that she created that never runs out or spoils to make it easier feeding him. It will be very useful for the time he will be nursing for them.

She was fine with it because she was nursing her six week old kitten. Besides, they would be able to give him all the love and attention he would need between them while keeping him safe.

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When they arrived in Pentos, Ivy got off the ship with her eight week old ten pound baby shadowcat she had named, Nicodemus. He was in a heavy duty black burlap sack made into a shoulder bag to carry him in. She had all black on and a black gauze cloak with the hood up concealing herself. Ivy went to the brothels to find the man she had a vision of that was supposed to be the Bear man. She had had a vision of kissing him. She wondered what that meant.

Ivy walks through several brothels wearing a young man's face and glamor. She had to turn down many women saying she was just looking for someone. She began going through taverns and inns. When she found him, he was sitting alone in a tavern eating his lunch and drinking an ale. Ivy took off her face and removed the glamor. She boldly sat down next to him and flagged down the tavern wench.

She said kindly, "A wine, meal and a bowl of water." The girl looked at her funny. He had stopped eating and was staring at her. The wench brought her everything and she put a silver moon on her tray making the girl smile big. Ivy sat the bowl on the floor and pulled out Nicodemus from his bag with his little collar on a thin leash. She put him on the floor and let him get a good drink in the desert heat.

She patted him and said, "Good boy, Nicodemus." Ivy put a few torn up bits of meat from her stew on the floor for him.

She sat up, turned to look in his blue eyes, smiled prettily at him and said, "Hello. I am Ivy Brightflame. What's your name?" He didn't know what to think of her. He never had a bold woman just sit down next to him and be so forward. It caught him off guard, but being she was so incredibly beautiful he was dumbfounded. He finally snapped out of it and put up his guard.

He said low in a warning tone, "What are you doing here in Pentos, girl? If you're too overly friendly with people here, they will take advantage of you." He started eating again and drinking like it was nothing.

She said low in her voice curiously, "Why do you care?" Ivy put her hand under her chin in a flirty way.

He said seriously, "I've been watching you. You're too graceful and that is a sign of vulnerability." He took a bite of his food. He was being critical.

She said low voiced, "Ah, must be my training as an assassin. I am light on my feet with dexterity. At least I can kill like a man if I need to be silent with stealth." He chuckled. He didn't believe her.

She knew he would find it humorous and said, "So you think my training is funny? Don't let the face fool you or that I am a woman." He started laughing harder. Ivy took a bite to eat.

He said condescendingly, "Come on, girl, you can never beat me in sword fighting. You're a female."

She hummed and said, "You'll learn that fast is as good as brute strength someday, my friend. You could at least tell me your name?" She ate another bite.

He put his hand out and said, "Ser Jorah Mormont." Ivy shook his hand while taking a drink afterwards. Jorah started eating. She knew it was him she was looking for. He was older and ruggedly handsome.

She asked curiously, "How long are you staying in Pentos?"

He said seriously, "As long as it takes to get work. Hopefully soon." Jorah took a drink.

Ivy said self assuredly, "If you swear an oath to me, you'll always have work."

Jorah chuckled and said, "How's that, girl? I bet you don't even speak the language." She took a long drink of ale.

She said, "High Valyrian, Are you really so sure? Low Valyrian, Are you really so sure? Dothraki, Are you really so sure? Lhazareen, Are you really so sure? Summer Tongue, Are you really so sure? Common Tongue, Are you really so sure?" He looked at her stunned. Ivy took a drink.

She asked him, "That is six languages. Is that good enough for you, Jorah?" She took a bite of food.

He said huffing, "Fine then what's the job?" Jorah took a drink of ale.

Ivy said, "I have a big four mast galley ship at the docks. I have fifty guards that were sellswords that have been with me for eight years and are very good men. I also have my captain and forty crew, one cook and four servants. I would like to have a knight sworn to be my shield and leader of my guards and my advisor. Are you interested?"

He asked her, "Where are you from?" He finished his food and took a drink.