[Chapter Size: 2358 Words.]
Jon Snow POV.
Sowhere on North.
...
...
Val POV
Finally, we're back. Half of our group fell to the Wights in the east during a nightti attack. We lost 200 free folk to save 500 from a tribe and bring them back to the camp.
"It's about ti we got here," a frustrated voice next to said.
"Co on, Ygritte. You still have to introduce yourself to Tormund, and I want to see Dalla. If she might be pregnant, I'll confirm it today," I told my fiery-haired archer friend.
"Okay, we split up here. I'll say that if Dalla is pregnant, I congratulated a new warrior of the free folk who will be born," the archer said. I nodded, and we went our separate ways.
I noticed everyone was talking more than usual as I entered the camp with my people. Despite many recognizing and greeting , they seed to shift their attention to talking about soone new in the camp. Normally, people noticed as one of the leaders, but I was being ignored along with my group. I didn't pay much attention because Dalla and her well-being were the only things on my mind now; I didn't even want to go east, but there was an ergency. I continued until I found Mance's tent in the center of the camp.
I noticed a eting was underway because there were n from all the leaderships outside. They didn't stop , and I entered the tent quickly. I saw all the leaders discussing, but the most heated argunt at the mont was between Karsi and the Lord of Bones, the latter being unfriendly. I saw Dalla beside them, but I frowned when I saw her hands resting on her stomach.
I got angry and interrupted their discussion, which they hadn't noticed until then.
"DALLA! What are you doing here? You're pregnant, and you should be resting!" Everyone looked at after my angry words.
"Val! Good to see you. Yes, I found out a few days ago, but I'm only one moon pregnant. I won't die just because I'm at the eting when neither you nor Mance should attend," she said firmly. I cringed at my older sister's words; after all, I am a very concerned sister. "Val, can you save your conversations for later?" Varamyr "Sixskins" spoke angrily at my interruption. I nodded, feeling a bit ashad of my behavior, and went to Dalla to hear the discussion.
"And what are you all arguing about?" I asked.
"There's no one else north of here. Karsi refuses to send more n there," the Lord of Bones growled.
"Do you want to send my people to death while yours stay here drinking mammoth milk?" she snapped.
"There's no one else in the northern zone?" I asked incredulously, and Dalla nodded.
"All dead, and I agree with the Lord of Bones," Varamyr comnted.
"We need soone there, but I can't agree to send only Karsi's tribe. Lord of Bones and Varamyr, send your people!" I said firmly.
"My people are already planning to invade the South to distract the kneelers when we attack the Wall, and I don't take orders from a woman," the Lord of Bones spat on the ground.
"Then don't expect anything when Mance is away," Della said beside .
The man was angered by my sister's comnt but restrained himself.
"Why don't you send that new southerner from your tribe, Karsi? I heard he fights well. He might be useful," Varamyr said, and I noticed a glint in his eyes.
'New southern mber? What the hell is this,' I thought.
"True, we have that kneeler here; he's definitely a disguised crow, and Karsi took him in a week ago," Lord of Bones growled.
"You can try to kill him, but you're likely to die," Tormund, who had been quiet all this ti, said. The Lord of Bones stared at the red-haired giant.
"Just because he beat you and a few others doesn't an he's strong or that we accept him like you. It just ans you're weak," the man with the bone mask said.
"And he fought a giant..." Dalla comnted, and Karsi started laughing.
'I'm away for a week, and a stranger shows up in the camp. He fought a giant? What man would survive that?' I reflected on this nonsense.
"HAHAHHAHAHA, by the way, Tormund, I know you guys are always drinking together; I hope you don't want to steal my niece's husband for your tribe." Karsi said with a critical smile. Tormund snorted.
"I tried, I admit, asked him if he wanted to be our leader when he defeated in front of the tribe, he didn't even think twice before refusing," Tormund declared, and almost everyone widened their eyes at that.
"You would make a southerner our leader?" Harma growled.
"Mance is a southerner..." Tormund raised his eyebrows before continuing. "But that doesn't stop you from following him; he may have been here for a week, but he's as free as any of us, not even wanting to be a leader or the won trying to steal him stop him; he's just carefree about everything, only wanting to know about fighting and partying. Maybe that's why I like him," Tormund declared.
"You're shaless, Tormund," Karsi snorted, and Tormund just laughed.
"I heard he's looking for soone to teach him the old tongue," Dalla declared.
"How do you know?" Karsi frowned.
"Tell sothing he does in this camp that everyone doesn't talk about for the rest of the day? He's practically the most famous person here nowadays, whether saying good things or bad things." My sister declared, and I could see how so leaders who didn't like this mysterious man frowned.
"But don't worry, I taught these things to Val; now my sister here will take care of teaching Jon Snow, the giant killer." Dalla continued and winked at as I frowned.
"What is my sister planning with this?" I wondered what kind of man had earned that nickna. I couldn't help but be curious about him, though.
A few monts later, the eting ended with everyone returning to their camp area.
"What are you thinking?" I asked indignantly.
"I'm thinking about you and my future nephews, Val," my sister said with a smile.
"Why do you think I would get along with a man I've never seen, and I don't even know if he has the strength to steal ?!" I said angrily.
"I've seen him before; Karsi's niece is his wife, but she can't control him. Maybe he needs soone fiercer," my sister said, and I just shook my head, finding it absurd.
"Believe , you'll like him. He's more handso than most won here." I scoffed at her comnt.
"You need a husband and children, Val; it's ti to find a lover." She told .
"And didn't I say I would do that once we get through the Wall? I need to fight in these tis, and I don't want to carry a child with great danger behind us; my nephew is already enough." I said angrily, but I quickly changed the subject to avoid talking more about a stranger and asked about her pregnancy and my future nephew.
My sister brought back the conversation about the stranger that night, and she forced to go see him the next day, so I reluctantly agreed.
The next day, I went to Karsi's camp to talk to this Jon Snow. From what I heard, many suspect that he's a disguised kneeler here to spy on us, but I also heard that he killed an entire group of crows alone. Val couldn't deny being curious about a man with that kind of story.
When I arrived, I was invited to Karsi's camp. I saw a crowd gathered in a circle that morning, passed through them to see what was happening, and saw a tall, muscular, and handso man training a boy.
"Keep the shield up!" he exclaid to the child.
"But it's heavy!" the boy groaned, holding a shield, one of the few in the camp, as this weapon is hard to co by on this side of the world from what I know.
"It's because it's heavy that it can prevent a sword from piercing it," the man explained, his voice expressing power and authority.
This man took the bronze sword and struck the child's shield with a force that knocked him down; the boy was tired. We never had ti or privilege to train our children or people. This sight was rare to see in the camp, even surrounded by 140 thousand people.
The man also showed that he knew how to handle and teach people, proving that he was from south of the Wall, but people respected him when they looked at him. He also didn't have that disdainful look that everyone says southerners have for us.
"Co here, you fought well. Ti to rest a bit," he said, taking the boy's hand and lifting him off the ground.
Karsi's niece approached; they exchanged so words, and I noticed how Lucis beca frustrated with the unfolding conversation. She looked at for a mont and comnted with him. He turned to , studying , his eyes were beautiful like I had never seen before, purple eyes that seed to shine and a strong gaze of a great warrior. I must say that few among all here have this look. It srized .
'Maybe my sister is right that it's ti for to choose a father for my children...' a voice sounded in my head.
"You must be Val," said a firm voice, snapping out of my thoughts, and I looked at the man in front of . He was already so close without realizing that I choked a bit.
"It's , you must be Jon Snow, the giant killer as people say," I said, recovering.
"Great, Karsi said you would help with the old tongue; no one in her tribe knows it. I'm interested in that if you can teach . Tormund isn't exactly a teacher, so..." Jon Snow spoke with a relaxed smile.
"Yes, he isn't, and I'm here to teach you," I said confidently after my surprise passed. I returned to my normal self and gave him a mischievous smile, speaking again.
"However, there's a condition," I said, smiling at him, raising an eyebrow. He wasn't even that surprised by my beauty.
"You have to defeat , prove that you deserve my attention, and I'll do it for you. If you beat , I'll teach you the old tongue, but you must teach to fight as well," I said.
"Great, get your weapon," he told , and I pulled out the sword that I always carry from my waist.
Holding the sword he trained with the child, he walked to the center of the circle, while I walked behind him. The crowd turned their attention to the circle again, and many whispers about my fight against him began. He turned to and took a combat stance; Jon had a completely warrior-like posture, unlike anything I've seen around here. His fur clothes were even too small for the weather, but there was no sign that he cared about it.
I took the first step, and he countered my first cut; I launched an attack, he countered, attacked from the left, he countered without taking a step, I cut from the right, and he just effortlessly moved his arm to deflect it.
There was boredom in his gaze; I was being treated like a novice fighter here and now. It hurt my pride as a spearwife. I fought fiercely for minutes, but to my frustration, the result remained the sa without him even getting tired.
That was until he started attacking and taking his first steps. I could only walk backward trying to keep him at bay, but his attacks were steady, strong, and fast until he kicked my feet, and I fell to the ground with his sword pointed at my neck.
"I guess I won," he said with a smile. I saw how distracted he was, as if I were a child to him. It infuriated , so I didn't waste ti.
I kicked his leg in frustration, catching him off guard for a mont. He must have been so confident that he lowered his guard and didn't realize the situation until his body began to fall. I didn't waste ti and mounted him, taking my bone knife from my waist and went straight for his neck.
However, before I could react, he grabbed my hand and disard in a swift motion as he fell on top of . When I realized it, he already had the sa knife at my own neck.
"Now, do you surrender?" He said playfully with his words. He started laughing loudly, and I had to nod carelessly.
"Damn, how did you do that?" I said softly while he was still on top of , t with only his smiles as a response.
People started laughing around us and applauding, talking about how the mighty giant killer was brought down by Val, even though he won the fight in the end. I noticed that even the boy he was training had wide eyes at this, and Lucis had a sadistic smile on her face, much like mine. She wanted to see that arrogant face surprised by his near defeat at so point.
"Well, now you can get off ..." I said a bit embarrassed. He got up, and I quickly stood up with a flushed face.
"Well... looks like I'm going to learn the old tongue." He was scratching his head as he comnted with a smile.
"I'll teach you, but I want to learn to fight like you," I said, still with a red face, and I could hear so people laughing.
"We have a deal," he concluded.
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