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Ch 42 The Better Warg Part 1
🕑 Added 2023-10-18 16:49:05 +0000 UTCTHE BAY OF ICE... it wasn't exactly what it sounded like.
This expansive bay hugged the northwestern coast of Westeros, flanked by the imposing Northern Mountains to the east and bounded by the Wolfswood and the Sea Dragon Point to the south. Bear Island occupied a significant portion of the bay, but it was only at its northernmost tip, where it brushed against the frigid shores of the True North, that it earned its ominous reputation. Sailors who ventured here quickly understood the treacherous nature of this icy expanse.
Five Ironborn longships, their sails bearing the colours of the North, elegantly sailed through these frigid waters toward their ultimate destination—the True North. The sea was littered with icebergs of varying shapes and sizes; some were mere fragments, while others resembled colossal mountains, dwarfing even the largest of ships.
Navigating through this perilous maze required utmost caution. These frozen monoliths concealed much of their bulk beneath the surface, luring unsuspecting vessels to a watery grave. But these five ships were sailing through the last part of their trip towards the true North quite easily as they seemed to not be afraid of the icebergs at all, and they Navigated amidst the chunks as if they had a ready-made map of this place.
Any other seafarer would have already furled their sails, proceeding with extreme caution, calculating every move to avoid deadly collisions. These five vessels, though laden with cargo, maintained their full speed without fear. The reason behind their confidence was no surprise, considering the man at their helm.
"I am telling you, Jon. You're doing an absolutely stupid thing here," Val warned Jon with an anxious look on her face but Jon who was standing at the bow of the ship in front of her, didn't seem to be taking her seriously as he leisurely looked at the passing scenery without a care in the world.
Both of them were wearing their winter clothes; Jon was in customary black attire with an additional brown jacket made of bear pelt and leather gloves while Val was wearing her own wildling clothes that had somehow survived until now and were as good as new after having been washed and cleaned once, making her once again look like a real wildling.
"Hmm... What are you talking about?" Jon asked off-handedly.
"Are ye deliberately being dumb? I am obviously talking about this—This!" she exclaimed while waving her hand through the empty air encompassing the desolate decks of all the ships, "These nearly empty ships with only a handful of sailors, this is the force you're taking for a trade with the Free Folk…"
Jon had deliberately kept the crew to a bare minimum—just five sailors per ship—selecting only the most loyal, those with little animosity towards the Wildlings, and those who could maintain their silence. The only reason he could even get away with sailing with so little crew was that Bear Island was one of the closest places to the true North.
"If you go to them with this little protection— then they are going to eat you up, chew you out, and not even let out a burp—Stop Smirking! You bastard!" Val cursed frustratedly when she saw him smiling and not taking her seriously at all. She knew that getting angry wouldn't get her anywhere so she took a deep breath and tried once more a bit calmly, "I know that you're not that stupid... so you must have some kind of a secret plan, and I just want to know—"
"Oh!" Jon suddenly exclaimed and interrupted her while turning his attention towards the sky with a curious look on his face, "It looks like the welcoming party is already here..."
"Welcoming party? What—" Val asked in a confused tone while turning around before she caught sight of a small eagle flying high up above in front of the ship, looking at the ship with a look that was too curious for a bird. "That's not one yours, is it?"
"No, it's not mine," Jon replied, a sly smile gracing his features. "Since they've gone to the trouble of preparing a welcome for us, I'd hate to be impolite and not reciprocate."
Jon's cunning grin sent a shiver down Val's spine, and she silently pitied the Wildling who had earned Jon's displeasure.
...
On the other side, a few minutes from the Frozen Shore's coast stood deserted houses constructed from wood and stone. These homes once belonged to the Frozen Clans, who lived here before joining Mance's army. However, these dwellings were no longer empty; they had been claimed by the Warband led by the Weeper, plus an unexpected guest.
A peculiar group had congregated around the largest house in the village's centre. A massive snow bear rested outside, accompanied by three small wolves and a Shadowcat. Gathered around them, outside the house's entrance, were the wildling men from the Weeper's Warband, with the Weeper himself at the forefront. They all gazed inside the house at a small, bald, grey-faced man with wide-open eyes, eyes that were completely white and his consciousness was far away inside the eagle at the moment.
The instant he spotted ships through the eagle's eyes, he severed the connection and summoned the Weeper before returning to the eagle to check on the ships and report exactly when they would reach their ambush site.
After taking note of every single detail, Varamyr was just about to leave the eagle's mind when he suddenly caught sight of the most beautiful wildling he had ever seen on one of the leading ships. He recognized her instantly, having heard tales of her beauty and how she became lost south of the Wall during a raid.
He decided then and there that she would be part of his reward, in addition to the ship Weeper had promised him, as it would be pleasant to have some company when he decided to head south to the warmer climates.
As he was admiring his prize, it took him a while to notice the man conversing with Wildling Val and the moment he looked into the man's eyes he was almost scared to death as the Man was staring right back at him as if he knew that Varamyr was inside the eagle.
At that moment he immediately realised that he was the warg that Mance had seen south of the wall. The man said something to Val beside him before he suddenly gave him a sinister smile that sent alarms ringing inside Varamyr's mind but before he could do anything about it something huge slammed into him from above *BAM!* taking all the air out of his lungs, making the eagle scream in agony.
"SQUEAAAAAK!!!!"
Huge claws suddenly appeared out of nowhere and snapped his spine in two sending an unimaginable pain directly into his mind. Thankfully the neck was snapped next and the eagle died before Varamyr could go insane from the pain and he was snapped out of the eagle's mind.
