Nerd In the North 5: Interlude III (Patreon)

Arc 5: Interlude III

The sun was a bastard, useless as the thing crawled its way up but bringing no warmth with its weak light. Mance Rayder, King Beyond the Wall, stared up at it for a moment, wind pulling at the grey in his brown head of hair, eyes tracking the camp that was becoming more than just a camp.

Free Folk pressed shoulder to shoulder, more than there had likely ever been in one place. Clan circles had long ceased being a thing, most of those having died at least nine moons back. Just bodies huddled against bodies, tents up against tents, smoke from a hundred cook fires thick enough to coat the back of his throat with the taste of char and rot.

Too many. The thought broke through like an axe against a tree, an unbidden one but not one unfamiliar to the Once-Crow. Too many mouths, not enough meat. The snow was heavier, the enemies were many and the nights were darker than they’d ever been. The Wall can't hold back what's comin'.

A flash of wheat-dark against the grey air caught his eye, Mance turning to see someone approaching from the left. Eyes bluer than the sky met his as he caught sight of his goodsister, Val moving with that shadowcat grace she'd found somewhere in the last six moons. One of the gifts, aye, though she didn't speak of hers much. He knew the cold bothered her a good bit less, her hunts came back with more food, and the last time a man tried to steal her…

Well, he’d seen a club give a cleaner death.

"Hornfoot's askin' for more guards again.” Her voice was clean, steady too; the kind of steady that meant she knew he wouldn’t be quite keen to hearing the rest. "Lost another four two nights past. Outriders."