Giants

"As you all know I went to training a while ago and I still have a bit of work to do." She is planning to imbue magic into structures so now she wants to put a spell on the Haunted forest city that will work against any and all creatures with dark magic.

This way, even if she decides not to send her people away, they won't be attacked by the night king and his army. The ice wall has similar magic and it has worked for a few thousand years. It is now a dying spell. It was meant to prevent all supernatural creatures from passing the wall.

She doesn't know what are the implications for her own dragons who were born on this side of the wall. This all goes to show just how weak the spell on the wall has gotten over the years.

It will take time but she should be able to do it in a small scale like in her city and her own spell will be targeting those with dark magic. First she needs the recovery potions that will recover her mental power and by extension, her magic power.

She estimates this task to take two months at least. At a distance away from the city, leaf and the others stood watching her cast the spell on the walls, the ground and buildings of the city.

"Does she realize she is giving the city breath? Many years from now, this city will have a personality." One of the children said.

"She doesn't know. All she knows is that she wants to protect her people. Sounds familiar?" Leaf asked her friends.

"Too familiar. But we should probably warn her. The wall has had that kind of spell for so many years without developing a personality because no one sleeps, live and will grow old and die inside the i."

The magic they taught her was basic at most. Olivia used the language of her former life for spells and as long as she is using the power of her plant spirit root it works which is why she is able to imbue purifying magic on the walls and concrete of the city. Any unclean power will be unable to pass.

"Her magic power is still unique to ours. But it is pure and filled with life and vitality that is why I decided to teach her that little amount. I hope she doesn't die in the war to come."

"Let's go. Blood raven is waiting for our report."

...

"Magic is coming back, with it something sinister is coming too. It is especially dense in these lands." She said while others looked at her in slight puzzlement.

"The snow here has dark magic that lust over the living. I suspect it is why many people don't survive the winter." She explained.

"I want us to go and recruit the wildlings." They all became tense.

"Problem?" She asked knowing there is something they are not telling her.

"Veer led a team to patrol the surrounding lands and we found a group living very close to us. We didn't approach and just watched them to understand them. What we saw next.." Bhullheart's face turned pale he ran away from the table as if he has a stomach problem.

"They were dragging people into their camp to eat them." Enym finished for Bhullheart. Olivia looked at the food on the table, found a piece of medium rare liver meat and cut a piece for herself before eating it with relish.

The sight made the others wrench. Rolling her eyes she spoke "I assume you killed these people?" She asked.

"No."

"No?" She tilted her head.

"No."

"There is too many of them for us to fight at the time. Many soldiers were distributed amongst the islands abroad fighting against invading armies for practice." Gina said with an uncomfortable expression.

"Last I checked we have more than 7 thousand soldiers. Which I assume Is more now?"

"12 thousand." Veer said.

"12 thousand soldiers are all away on training?" Olivia asked.

"At the time there was a war in the disputed lands and we sent many of uor soldiers as sell swords."

"I see. How much money do we have?" It has been over a year of earning and little spending. Especially the paper should have earned a lot of money.

"The wine alone has earned a tens of thousands of gold coins but business was temporarily stopped when Myr declared war on the North a while ago. We solved it of course but currently business was delayed."

"The paper?" Olivia will revisit the war part.

"It is the most profitable business we have. We made over 200 thousand coins in one year." Ginyr said with pride.

"Why haven't you bought me soldiers then?" Olivia's sudden question surprised Ginyr.

"Mistress never gave such instructions." She said.

"Find me soldiers from the slavers it doesn't have to be the most powerful as long as they are healthy enough. Buy them as many as we can afford and also buy more reserves a long winter is coming and with it war." Olivia then revisited the topic of the Thenns.

"Let me get this straight, there is a group of cannibals right outside my door step but instead of getting rid of them you ran away and never even made plans to get rid of them?" Olivia asked incredulously.

"We were going go talk about it but then there was an opportunity for training and for the military castle to earn its own coin abroad." Enym said.

"What if they attacked the city why all our men are away? Did you think about this?" Olivia asked but no one answered.

"What about now? Why haven't you acted until now?" Veer said.

"They seen to have a long ongoing war with some other large group."

Gina went and took her group, Caine went and called the veterans and Bhullheart has a team from the former slaves each leader has over 3000 people in their team.

They have each been taking whoever caught their eyes from the group of new recruits.

"That was something." Dixon leading a small group of battle doctors commented to Gina.

"She is disappointed in us." Gina reasoned.

"I will ..." Someone ran up to them "There is a battle."

The others are also rushing to see what is going on. A while later after they reached the clearing trying not to be seen, they ran a distance away from the forest and finally saw the battle half an hour later.

The scale of the fight is large with a few hundred people clashing with swords or what looks like swords but is actually weapons made from stones and bones. It seems to be a mess.

Many are dead or dying but the ones alive and in good shape are still clawing and stabbing at their opponents. "I am going to enjoy your meat." One man said.

"Gghrr." The large man became enraged and doubled his efforts.

The sides are easily distinguishable from each other by one side wearing leather mostly looking brown of what one can only hope is animal skin and the other group is wearing what looks to be animal fur covered in bone armor.

Considering they are fighting each other with bones and stone weapons, it is not as useless as one might think. One man in particular is very fast and his heavy axe seems to cut through bone.

They seem to have been prepared to die here. Gina sent a signal and everyone returned back to report to their Mistress.

"Can you tell which side will win?" Olivia asked.

"The outcome of the battle is uncertain my lady. Both parties are very determined." Veer said.

"Very well, let them tier at each other."

"They are getting closer to the territory my lady, I believe they will hear the sounds from the mines soon enough if we do not find a way to chase them away." Dixon says

"I might be able to do something about that." Olivia stood up and went towards one of the main castles small towns. There, she followed a path to one of the apartments.

"It's me. Open up." She said after knocking a few times and no one answering. It has been over a year but this boy is still just as rude.

While she was using wood to dig through the ground so she can build her grand underground crops fields, she came accross an open space with many tunnels dug up like a bee hive. Intrigued, she went in and found a somewhat functional town underground.

At the time she found out who is the tamer and offered their group to stay in the city for as long as they don't bring harm to it. She promised to let them stay but if they do anything wrong she would kick them out.

"Dan. You seem well." Olivia greeted the young man.

"My lady. What can I do you for?" His cold eyes never leaving her as soon as she entered.

"How are you finding your accommodation?" She asked casually.

"I like it here, there is food, something to do and I am no longer responsible for the lives of my villagers." Young Dan said. He is two years older than Olivia but to Olivia who is always surrounded by grown ups, he seems young.

"How many animals can you tame at once? I heard skin changers can only control one animal at a time. Does that apply to you too?"

"No." He have had tens of wolves, apes and snow pigs fighting for him at some point. He didn't say this part out loud.

"Good. There are people fighting each other on the other side of the forest. I want you to have your animals patrolling the woods keeping them away from the forest. Can you do that?" She asked him.

Dan kept silent thinking about whether he should deny her and see what she will do to one who will challenge her rule like that. But in the end after looking into her sharp gray purple eyes decided against it.

"Yes. My lady." He bowed like a perfect servant.

"I hear you are good with setting up traps?" She inquired.

"Only on small scale my lady." She can see he has no interest in doing more than the bare minimum. She left his place after realizing there is no ambition in those cold blue eyes.

Tamers were not uncommon where Olivia came from. They were formidable if they tamed a powerful beast but they were ultimately nothing without their war beasts.

Olivia wishes she had studied formations in her last life because she has found that were are elemental magic cores in this world although she only saw an ice magic core and it looked like an ordinary stone, she could feel ice elements inside.

The children of the forest have collected some for charging their spells as the magic in the world became scarce. Olivia wants to use them as battery for her spell around the city.

The battle on the other side of the forest ranges on throughout the day. When they were finished and most were dead, the group watching saw the already tired remaining people pile the dead into a small hill and burned them.

The patience of it all made people raise eyebrows. There is something that interested the onlookers in this battle there was a giant of a man.

"Giants? I have only heard stories when I was young but If they really exist I want to see them." Olivia declared.

The council because quiet at her words. "What?"

"Well, we wouldn't know where to start." Gina said embarrassed.

"Don't mind that, we have a few locals who can help us." She left the meeting and went to see Dan.

"Giants?" Dan frowned.

"Why the long face?" Olivia asked also frowning in displeasure.

"Giants are not violent people but if you provoke them, they will fight till the end." Dan warned

"I am not fighting. Just want to have a civil chat." Olivia assured.

"Do I have a choice in this?" Dan rolled his blue eyes.

"There is always a choice." Olivia said coolly.

They rode fast and strong horses towards the direction led to by Dan two days later just to make sure they don't run into any of the people who are fighting the day before.

The North is really barren and harsh. All along the way they didn't encounter any animals or edible vegitation. It's hard to think any sane person would choose to live in a place like this.

A small settlement came to view when they tried to look into it they found it empty seeming to have been deserted. "This is further North than I have ever been. I can sense the corruption in the air." Olivia comments.

"The night king and his army?" Dan asked her.

"So you know about it? It's a king?" Olivia asked. The children of the forest didn't tell her much. They only said 'the time is not right'

"I have never seen it but Mancer claims to have seen it. I believe him."

"Yet you didn't join him?"

"I couldn't trust my old and mostly women tribe into an army full of violent men including cannibals. He didn't give me too much problems since we wouldn't add too much value to his army."

"So this Mancer wants fighters?"

"And dragon glass. It's the only thing that would kill the dead army." Dan said.

"You are awfully chatty today." Olivia jumped off her horse just as it's stabbed in the neck by an axe from seemingly out of no where.

She landed a distance away pulling out her two long knives after taking a fighting stance. She listened and felt a heat from a small distance away. She can discern living things from dead things by the heat signatures they exude.

This was taught by one of the children. She is a natural scout in the team.

Olivia can discern many heat signatures coming from the ground. It seems these guys have been laying here in waiting for a while now. Only one person knew she was coming here and that is the only person with the direction for their journey. She has been set up.

Dan has led his horse a way from the cross fire.

A moment later people started coming out of the ground and from behind some big rocks. These are the people wearing bone armor and old fur underneath, she saw a man leading the group. "Mance."

Olivia smiled with abundant carelessness. After having been trained for over a year getting her ass handed to her with magic spells, it's good to face people who fight using old fashioned ways. "I hope you have more than a few bone knives and stone axes." She ducked a fast flying axe headed for her head.

She didn't bother waiting for the person still hiding next to her on the snow and thrust her long knive earning a scream from the man. She pulled out the knife dyeing the snow red with blood. Still smiling she jumped up and stood a distance away just as another person snuck up behind her from a tree.

Where she landed there are three enemies waiting with open axes to cut her down. Twisting in the air, she stabbed one in the neck, one through between his eyes and the last one is tricky so she kicked him and he crashed into a tree and fell unconscious.

She is still outnumbered but Olivia is also having fun. Her body is fast so she uses this to her advantage because of the fur worn with abundance by her foes, she has to stab her enemies and even ensure the knife reach the intended target.

Olivia hasn't been touched by a single weapon of the enemy. The men started to doubt their next move but this doesn't deter Olivia from havesting more lives. It has been a little over 6 minutes but she has already killed more than a dozen men.

"Enough!" A thunderous roar sounded just as she pulls back one of her blades from the stomach of one man. She turned to face the direction of the voice but a stray arrow flew her direction and in a moment of distraction it embedded itself at the back of her shoulder.

She pulled it out and used a lot of strength to send it back through the same path hearing a scream from a distance away. She stopped her bleeding but no one saw it when she used her power.

"You're not a giant." Olivia exclaimed in anger.

"Is that who you are looking for?" The man asked

"I want to see them."

"You fight fierce with no hesitation. Where did you learn how to fight like that girl?"

"Should I introduce my daily routine to you too? Where are the giants?" Olivia is losing patience

"Why did you build a city here?"

"Why? Are you worried the free folk will abandon the course to invade Westeros and choose to stay in their home under my rule instead?" She taunted.

"There is a reson I want to unite the free folk." The man became annoyed by her words.

"I am not here to stand in your way. I couldn't care less if you took all the free folk south, you'll all die there anyways. You know this." She pointed at the stone axe. "These weapons can never get through armor."

"Then answer my question. Why did you build a city here of all the places?"

"I like it here." She said surprising him.

"The dead marching and hunting here may put a damper into your plans." The man said looking down on her relatively short stature.

"Let me guess, you have a plan?"

"Yes, give me your city and I will use it wisely."

"I am finding it hard to believe you. Your tens of soldiers couldn't even subdue one little girl when they have her surrounded. What is it you are going to use my city for?"

"We just came back from battle and you are no ordinary girl."

"The king beyond the wall in this generation is you?" Olivia asked him.

"That is what they call me. But I am no king." The man said solemnly.

"Why did you ambush me?" She asked

"Like I said, we want that city as a strong hold."

"Tired of tents and beds made from rocks?" She smirked.

"If the army of the dead really comes out I will fight obviously but you lot, are not getting anywhere near my city. The only way you can have it is if you take it by force, I encourage you to try." She whistled and the horse which Dan had been riding came back running to her side.

"Tell Dan to come and pick up his people. They are exiled from my city."

She rode the horse back to the city. Dan had conspired with another group to take her city from her. The first thing she did upon arrival was to gather all of Dan's village people and had someone chase them out of the haunted forest.

The deal between her and Dan was for him to not betray her and she will provide them with shelter. For betraying her the deal is off. His people will starve in the cold outside.

Olivia is now a leader responsible for thousands of human lives. She can not afford to look weak, there should always be punishment for betrayal and clear rewards for loyalty.

....