Chapter 66 - Taking Leadership of Camp 01.
[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]
Third Person POV.
Westeros.
...
...
Jon was standing in front of Mance as Val and Della walked away.
"Don't go out through the camp yet," Mance began, looking at Jon. "I haven't spoken to any of my leaders yet, even though they sought me out yesterday. I just wanted to stay with my wife and the child she carries in her belly. But I know very well what is happening, Jon Snow… or should I call you by your other name, or nickname…"
"…" Jon said nothing and waited for Mance to continue.
"But I know very well what is happening here. I know that everyone in the camp is turning their attention to you. I doubt I will have the same respect I had when I left to go south," he said with an intense look.
"And you must be angry about that…" Jon commented, but Mance shook his head.
"Not in the way you think… in fact, I'm relieved," he said, and Jon raised an eyebrow upon hearing that, not expecting it, though he had already noticed that Mance didn't hate him.
"I know you're surprised, but I don't think I could defeat someone like you after everything I heard and saw at Winterfell," he admitted.
"You're giving up too easily," Jon remarked.
"You might be right about that. But instead of creating two groups fighting against each other, we should join forces to get past the Wall," Mance said.
"You know that's not how it works," Jon replied, knowing he would still have problems with the camp.
"No… it's not. And everyone will demand a fight in the end. That's why you'll have to fight in front of the entire camp," Mance stated, and Jon accepted it as something natural.
"If you think I'm going to kill you, I'm not that cruel," Jon said, acknowledging the value Mance still held.
"I hope not… but what I want is…" Mance admitted, not wanting to lose the chance to see his child born. "But I want to know what you plan for this camp. I've heard that you didn't seem very interested in taking command before, but Della mentioned your growing interest in leading everyone now," he said, still unaware of the details behind Jon's interest in the camp.
Jon nodded. "Before that, can you tell me what you think will happen once we cross the Wall? Let's assume we manage to hold off the Night's Watch. Now we're in the North, with the Wall behind us. What do you think will happen, and how will the North react to it?" Jon asked calmly.
"They won't accept us, obviously. But we'll have to fight them. We have over 100,000 men to fight on our side. We can withstand the attacks," Mance said, but Jon almost laughed.
"Mance… I know you're smarter than that. You've been on the other side, you've fought for the Wall, and you know how the southern armies work… Do you really believe the camp can fight against thousands of mounted men with spears? The Free Folk are great individual fighters and know how to survive, but in a pitched battle between armies, they'd be cut down like cheese by the southern trained men," Jon said.
Mance looked at him for a moment before continuing. "And what do you plan to do about that?" he asked, not disagreeing with Jon's reasoning.
Jon Snow knew that this might be the main reason why Mance clung to the idea of having someone better than him leading his people. The Wildling leader knew that crossing the Wall could be easy, but dealing with the South was the real challenge.
They would be easily defeated if all the houses of the North—or worse, all the houses of Westeros—united to fight them because of the Wildlings' entry into the Seven Kingdoms. No one would accept that south of the Wall.
Perhaps the idea of a man with a dragon leading the Free Folk would give them a much better chance. Mance was beginning to consider that, if they followed Jon, they might have a chance to live south of the Wall, far from the dangers of the far North. He wasn't doing it out of pride; he wanted a chance to reach a place where he could see his child grow up.
Jon knew they were desperate. Even aware of the situation, all they wanted was to cross the Wall and escape from one enemy, even if it meant falling into the hands of another. It would still be better for everyone to die by southern blades than to become wights under the control of the White Walkers.
"I know you won't like this, but I want to take the army south to fight by my side against all the kingdoms. After all, I have my personal revenge against the Baratheons, the Lannisters, and others—not just against a few people from the North," Jon spoke openly, leaving Mance stunned for a moment.
"You want to make the tribes march to King's Landing?" he asked incredulously.
"I know what you're thinking—that I won't succeed. But as long as these people don't put pressure on Westeros, there will never be peace. They'll have to fight. And even if they survive this generation south of the Wall, future generations will keep fighting their wars. Is that what you want? Especially knowing that the enemy is coming from beyond the Wall. Do you really think it will hold? And that we can face two fronts at the same time? The southern people won't believe in the White Walkers until they're here. There's no point in using pretty words to negotiate. We have to let our swords speak for us."
Jon paused before continuing. "That's why I want the people to come with me to the South. Fight by my side. Let's carve out our place in the Seven Kingdoms. That will create a solid base for the Free Folk to live in the South, without needing to return to the far North."
"You yourself said they don't stand a chance… How do you expect all the tribes to fight against the Seven Kingdoms?" Mance asked cautiously, as Jon smiled.
"Don't worry about that. I'll start training them."
"What do you mean by that?" Mance questioned.
"While the enemy hasn't yet come from the North, I'll use this time to prepare the people. I want to make them strong enough to face any army. It may take months, even a year, before we cross the Wall, but I intend to make these people capable of fighting the wars they need to fight," Jon responded confidently.
Mance remained silent for a while, absorbing Jon's words. Even Val and Della, on the other side of the tent, were watching from a distance, listening carefully to every word Jon had spoken.
"I certainly don't know what to say about this, Jon Snow. I don't think anyone else would be capable of doing this… not even me. They only follow me because they want to cross the Wall, but… Maybe you can achieve something beyond that. After all, you're not lying when you say the wars will only begin once we cross the Wall. Maybe you can convince them. I don't know… You'll have to try. But, either way, I'll arrange a meeting with the leaders tonight. You'll have to convince them and challenge them all at once, along with me."
"That sounds simple. Don't worry about it, Mance. I'm used to dealing with crowds. I've already led an army myself," Jon revealed.
Jon then continued. "Anyway, I'm heading back to my tent. Are you staying, Val?" he asked, looking at the blonde woman standing beside her sister.
"Yes, I'd like to spend some more time with my sister, Jon," Val replied.
"Alright, I'll be going then," Jon said as he began to leave the tent.
"Good luck," Mance's voice echoed as Jon walked away.
"Don't worry. I don't need luck," Jon shrugged as he left the tent.
Now only the sisters and Mance remained inside. Della sighed and approached Mance with a concerned expression.
"Are you alright, Mance?" she asked.
"I'm fine… but everything is changing so suddenly that it's hard to think," he replied, thoughtful.
"Val trusts him. She says he'll guide our people south of the Wall and intends to follow him. Do you think that will happen?" Della asked, filled with doubts, unconsciously touching her belly.
"He is our best chance. But only time will tell. I hope you're right," Mance replied with a thoughtful tone. "After all, I've seen what he's capable of. He can walk into a king's feast without caring if everyone finds out who he really is. He doesn't even worry about it. It makes me think he could have dealt with all of Winterfell that night if he needed to. That's not just an ordinary man. And if he's here… let's see what the gods have in store for us."
Mance finished, while Della remained by his side, and Val quietly watched from a distance, tending to some tasks for her sister.
Meanwhile, Jon continued walking through the camp. Gossip spread quickly as soon as they saw him. Curious eyes turned toward him, and conversations intensified. It was a tense moment for the Free Folk.
They wanted to know how things would unfold, but it seemed that Jon had left Mance's tent in peace. What they didn't know was that, that very night, the leaders would be summoned for an important decision.
Jon made his way through the camp until he reached Karsi's tribe, where he usually stayed. As soon as he entered, he found Karsi waiting for him.
"Can we talk for a bit, Jon Snow?" she asked, her tone softer than usual.
"Of course," Jon nodded, signaling for them to enter the tent.
"I heard you went to Mance's tent with Val," she said as they found themselves alone, with a few guards positioned at the entrance.
"News travels fast. I was only there for an hour," Jon replied.
"Everyone is watching you in this camp, Jon. Nothing takes long to spread. And even without their eyes leaving you, everyone is wondering what will happen to this camp now. On one side, Mance is the man who united all these tribes. On the other, you appeared out of nowhere, capable of killing White Walkers, leading, and riding what you call a dragon," she remarked, crossing her arms.
"We will decide that starting tonight. Mance will call a meeting," Jon said firmly.
"Do you really want to lead all the tribes?" she asked, still uncertain. She didn't know much about Jon's plans since he rarely spoke openly about them and even asked his wives not to spread information.
"Yes. If you want to survive in the South, you'll have to follow my path," Jon affirmed.
She stared at him for a moment, trying to process the information. She didn't know what to say at first, but eventually let out a sigh.
"I hope you're right. There's no doubt you've become one of us. I knew that from the first time you walked into this tent with Lucis. Obviously, she was trying to shield you like a foolish girl. But I'm glad you came here and exceeded all my expectations," she admitted, smiling slightly.
"Sorry, Karsi, but I already have three wives. I'm not looking for another. That's too much work," Jon responded with a touch of humor, raising an eyebrow.
"That's not what I'm saying, you fool," she muttered, a bit flustered.
Jon simply turned his back to her, making a farewell gesture.
"There's nothing more to talk about for now. Let's leave it for tonight—since the show is going to be interesting," he said as he started to leave the tent.
Karsi stood speechless for a moment, sighing as she watched him leave. But she already knew the peculiar humor of the Dragonborn well.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 71 - Betrayals and Ambitions
Chapter 76 - Departing for King's Landing
Chapter 86 - A Conversation with Lord Stark
Chapter 95 - Hunting the Faceless Man.
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