Chapter 54 Chapter 53: Jon (11)

Tormund the Giantsbane was not tall, but the gods gave him a broad chest and a huge belly.His lungs were so great that Mance Rayder called him Tormund the Trumpeter.It is said that Tormund's laughter is enough to shake snow from the mountaintops, and his roar is comparable to that of a mammoth. Tormund kept yelling and screaming that day.He roared, howled, and smashed the table with his fists so hard that he overturned a jug full of water.He kept a horn of mead close by at all times, so the spittle from his threats had the sweetness of honey.He said that Jon was a coward, a liar, and a chameleon, called him a black-hearted kneeler, a robber, and a carrion crow, and accused Jon of wanting to sodomize the free folk.He even threw the horn at Jon's head twice - after he'd run out, of course, so that Tormund wouldn't waste the good mead.Jon endured all the insults, didn't raise his voice, didn't retaliate, but he didn't back down from the planned bottom line.

Eventually, as the afternoon shadows grew longer outside the tent.Tormund the Giantsbane--Boggart, Trumpeter, and Icebreaker, and Tormund Thunderfist, Husband of the Snow Bear, Mead-King of the Red Hall, Father of the Living Ones, and Speaker of the Gods--stretched out his hand. "That's it. May the gods forgive me. Those mothers never would." Jon took his outstretched hand, the oath of the Night's Watch flashing through his mind.I am the sword in the dark, the guard on the Great Wall.I am the flame against the cold, the ray of dawn, the horn to wake the sleepers, the shield to guard the kingdom.He wanted to add a new sentence to himself: I am the guard who opens the city gate to meet the enemy.He'd give anything to prove he was right, but he's gone too far and there's no turning back. "It's a deal," he said.

Tormund had the same bone-crushing hand, and the beard was the same, but his face was much thinner under the thick white beard, and the lines were deeper on his flushed cheeks. "Mance should have killed you if he had the chance," he said, trying to ravage Jon's hand as hard as he could. "Gold for gruel, and boys for... blood money. What happened to my good brother?" " He was elected commander in chief. "It is said that fair trade will dissatisfy both parties. Three days?" "If I live that long. My people will definitely spurn me when they hear the terms." Tormund finally let go of Jon's hand. "No accident, your crows will complain too. I knew it, I There are countless black bastards killed."

"After the Great Wall, you'd better not talk about it loudly." "Ha!" Tormund laughed.That hasn't changed at all, he still loves to laugh. "Golden words, I don't want to be pecked to death by crows." He patted Jon on the back. "We'll have some meat and mead when my people are all settled in the Wall. Until then..." The wildling yanked off the hoop from his left arm, threw it to Jon, and took off the hoop from his right arm. . "The deposit. It was passed from my father's father to my father, and from my father to me. Now it's yours, you black robber."

The hoops were of old gold, strong and heavy, and engraved with the ancient runes of the First Men.Jon had worn them since he'd known Tormund the Giantsbane, and they seemed as much a part of him as the beard. "It's a shame the Braavos would melt them down. Maybe you should keep them." "No, I don't want to hear that Tormund Thunderfist forced the free folk to hand over their treasures and didn't take any of them out." He grinned, "I'll keep my dick on that ring, it's much bigger than these little things , enough for you as a collar." Jon couldn't help laughing. "You really haven't changed at all."

"Oh, I've changed." The smile quickly melted on his face like Xia Xue's, "I'm not the Red Room me anymore. I've seen too many deaths, and worse things. My son..." Grief distorted Tormund's face, "Dormund died at the Battle of the Wall. He was not yet a man. It was done by one of your king's knights. The bastard was covered in gray armor and had moths painted on his shield. I watched He cut down my son, and by the time I got there there was no one left. And Torwind... he had a cold. He was always sick, and he just got better, but he just walked away overnight. Worst of all, Before we knew it, he turned into one of those white-skinned, blue-eyed things. I had to finish him myself. That was hard, Jon." Tears welled up in his eyes. "Honestly, he was Not human. But he was my boy and I loved him."

Jon put a hand on his shoulder. "I regret that." "What do you regret? You didn't do it. Yes, your hands are covered with blood like mine, but without his blood." Tormund shook his head, "I still have two strong sons." "Your daughter...?" "Munda," Tormund laughed again at the mention, "she made Rick the Spear her husband, believe it or not. I gotta say, that boy's dick is better than a brain, but he's really good for my daughter. I told him, if he hurts my daughter, I'll tear off his dick and use it to give him a hard time." He slapped Jon hard again, "You should go back. Stay any longer, and maybe they will Thought I ate you."

"Then dawn, three days later. The boys come first." "You've repeated it ten times, crow, and people will think you and I can't be trusted." He spat, "Okay, boys first. The mammoths have a long way to go, you make sure Eastwatch takes them, I make sure not There's war, and no one's going to rush at your damned door. They'll line up like ducklings, orderly and amiable, and I'm the mother duck. Ha!" Tormund led Jon out of the tent. The sky is clear outside.The sun, which had been absent for half a month, reappeared, shining blue and white light on the Great Wall standing in the south.The old men at Castle Black used to say that the Wall was more emotional than Aerys the Mad King, or more capricious than women.On a cloudy day it looks like a huge white rock, on a moonless night it's black as coal, and in a blizzard it looks like a snow sculpture, and in weather like this you wouldn't recognize it as anything other than a block of ice.In this weather, the Great Wall shone like a monk's crystal, and every crack and gap was lit by sunlight, like a frozen rainbow shining behind transparent ripples.The Great Wall in this weather is magnificent and splendid.

Tormund's eldest son stood by the horse and talked to Hide.The free folk called him Torreg the Tall, and though he was only an inch taller than Leather, he was a foot taller than his father.Harris, the burly Mole's Village boy nicknamed Horse, was curled up by the fire with his back to the two men.Jon only brought him and Leather to negotiate, because too many people would be considered timid, and if Tormund really started killing, it would be useless to bring twenty people.Jon needs only Ghost's protection, and the direwolf can smell enemies even when they hide their malice with a smile.

Ghost was not around at the moment.Jon took off a black glove, put two fingers in his mouth and whistled. "Bai Ling! Come here." Suddenly there was a clapping sound above his head.Mormont's crow flew down from the branch of the old oak and landed on Jon's saddle. "Corn," it screamed, "Corn, corn, corn." "Why are you here?" Jon wanted to chase the bird away, but finally stroked its feathers.The crow squinted at Jon. "Snow," it muttered, nodding knowingly.Ghost burst from between the two trees, Val walking beside him. They look like one.Val was all white: white wool breeches over bleached high boots, a white bearskin cloak fastened at the shoulders with heart tree face pins, and a white tunic sewn with bone needles.Even her breath was white...but her eyes were blue, her long braids were a deep honey color, and her cheeks were red from the cold.Jon hadn't seen such a lovely person in a long time.

"Are you going to steal my wolf?" he asked. "Why not? A man would be much gentler if every woman had a direwolf. Even if he were a crow." "Ha!" Tormund the Giant Buster laughed, "Don't argue with this one, Lord Snow, she's much smarter than you and me. Remember, you have to steal her early, before Torregg wakes up." What did that idiot Axel Florent think of Val?At the right marriage age, she looks good, with big breasts and fat buttocks, suitable for having children.The words are true, but the female wildling is different from ordinary women. It is proof that she can find Tormund that experienced rangers can't find.She may not be a princess, but she is definitely worthy of any lord. This road has already been blocked by Jon himself. "Torreg may try," he replied, "I swear." "She doesn't care, does she, girl?" Val patted the long bone dagger on his waist. "Master Crow dares to come, my bed welcomes you every night. When I eunuch him, wouldn't it be easier to keep the oath?" "Ha!" Tormund laughed again. "Did you hear that, Torreg? Stay away from this one. One daughter is enough for me, I don't need another one." Shaking his head, the wildling leader went back to his tent. Jon scratched the base of Ghost's ear, and Torregg helped Val lead the horse.She also rode the gray pony Mully had found the day she left the Wall—shaggy, stocky, and blind in one eye.She rode her horse and turned to the Great Wall, asking, "How does the little monster look?" "Twice as big as you were when you left, and twice as loud as crying. You can hear him crying from Eastwatch whenever he wants milk." Jon jumped on his horse too. Val walked beside him. "So... I brought Tormund back as promised. Now? Should I go back to my cell?" "Your cells have been requisitioned, and Queen Selyse has taken the King's Tower for herself. Do you remember Harding's Tower?" "The crumbling one?" "It's been crumbling for a hundred years. I've got the top floor out of it, madam, and the room is bigger than the old King's Tower, though perhaps not as comfortable. No one calls it Harding's House, after all." "For me, freedom will always take precedence over comfort." "You can move freely in the castle. Unfortunately, I have to remind you that you are still a prisoner. I will ensure that you will not be harassed by uninvited guests. It is not the queen who guards Harding Tower, but my people. Wangwang will sleep too In the hall." "A giant as a guard? Dana doesn't even dare to expect that." Tormund's wildlings watched them pass from tents and shacks pitched under dead trees.Jon noticed that the female wildlings outnumbered the male wildlings capable of fighting about three to one, and that there were about as many children as women.They were all yellow and thin, with sunken eye sockets, staring at him intently.When Mance Rayder and the free folk attacked the Wall, they had driven herds of sheep, goats, and pigs, and now there were only mammoths in sight.Jon was sure that the mammoth would have been eaten long ago if he hadn't been afraid of the giant's ferocity.They have a lot of meat. Jon also found signs of illness, which made him feel unspeakable anxiety.Even the people of Tormund were sick and hungry. What would become of the thousands who followed Mother Mole to Hardwood?Carter Parker will get there soon.If the wind was right, his fleet would even be as full of free folk as possible, and he would look eastward and return. "How was your talk with Tormund?" Val asked. "It will take him a year. Then comes the hardest part: I have to convince my people to eat what I planted, I'm afraid they won't like it." "let me help you." "You have helped. You brought me Tormund." "I can do more." Why not?They decided she was a princess, Jon thought.Val was a man of style, and rode as if he had been born on horseback.She was a warrior princess, he judged, not some puny creature sitting in a tower, combing her hair, waiting for a knight to save her. "I must report this agreement to the queen," he said, "if you will kneel, you can go with me." He could not offend Her Majesty the Queen before he spoke. "Can you laugh when you kneel down?" "Better not, it's no joke. There's blood running deep between you and my people. Stannis Baratheon is one of the few willing to admit that the wildlings belong to the kingdom, and I need his queen to support me in my endeavors." .” The playful smile on Val's face disappeared, "I promise, Lord Snow, in front of your queen, I will behave decently and look like a princess. She is not my queen, he would have answered.Honestly, I wish she'd gone sooner - if the gods are merciful, she'd better take Melisandre with her. They did not speak for the rest of the distance, with Ghost trotting behind.Mormont's raven followed them all the way to the gate, and flew up as they dismounted.The horse walks ahead with a torch to light the way in the ice tunnel. When Jon and his party appeared south of the Wall, a small group of brothers in black were waiting at the gate, including Ulma of the Kingswood.The old archer stepped forward to speak for the others: "No offense, my lord, but the children are curious. Peace, my lord? Or iron and blood?" "Peace," answered Jon Snow. "In three days, Tormund the Giantsbane will lead his men across the Wall, friends rather than enemies. Some of them will even join us as brethren." We shall make peace with them. Now return to your posts." Jon handed Satin the reins. "I'm going to see Queen Selyse." It would be considered slighting to the Queen not to see her immediately. "Write a few letters afterward, and send the parchment, quill, and a bottle of maester's ink to my room. Call Marsh, Arwick, Brother Celeda, and Clydas when you're done." Celeda Definitely half-drunk and half-sober, Clydas wasn't quite a maester, but he could only use them.Before Sam came back. "And the Northmen, Flint and Nori. You too, Leather." "Hub's baking onion pie," said Satin. "Are you asking them to have dinner with you?" Jon considered it. "No, tell them to meet me at the top of the Wall at sunset." He turned to Val. "Ma'am, if you like, please follow me." "The crow commands, and the captive obeys," she said jokingly, "If any man sees your queen and collapses on the ground, she must be furious? By the way, should I change my mail armor for wool and fur? These The clothes were given by Dana, I don't want to get blood all over my body." "If words can see blood, you have reason to be concerned. I think you are safe as you are, ma'am." They walked to the King's Tower along a path shoveled through piles of dirty snow. "I heard that your queen has a big black beard." Jon knew he shouldn't be laughing, but he couldn't help it. "Just mustaches. The soft ones, you can even count them." "What a disappointment." Selyse Baratheon is keen to call the shots, but she doesn't seem eager to leave the comfort of Castle Black for the eerie Nightfort.She had guards, of course—four at the door, two on the outside steps, and two inside by the brazier.The captain of the guard was Ser Patrick of King's Mountain, in his knightly suit of blue and silver, with five-pointed stars painted all over his cloak.Seeing Val, the knight got down on one knee and kissed her glove. "You are more beautiful than the rumors say, Your Royal Highness," he said, "The queen has praised your beauty countless times." "How strange, she has never met me." Val patted Sir Patrick's head. "Please rise, sir. Please rise, please." She seemed to be teasing a dog. Jon did his best not to laugh.He told the knight with a straight face that he wanted to see the queen, and Sir Patrick sent a soldier up the stairs to ask if Her Majesty would like to see her. "But the wolf must stay," Patrick insisted. Jon was not surprised.The direwolf made Queen Selyse almost as nervous as Wenwan Wig Wenwan Doll Wenwan. "Bai Ling, sit down." The queen was sewing by the fire when she entered, and her jester danced to a tune that no one else could hear, and the cowbells on their antlers jingled. "Crows, crows," Patchface sang when he saw Jon, "under the sea, crows white as snow, I know, I know, oh oh." Princess Shireen curled up in the window seat, pulling up her cloak. A hood to hide the horrific scars greyscale left on his face. Jon was glad Melisandre wasn't there.He knew he would have to face the red priestess sooner or later, but preferably when the queen wasn't there. "Your Majesty." He got down on one knee, and Val followed suit. Queen Selyse set the fabric aside. "Please get up." "Your Majesty, please allow me to introduce Ms. Val to you. Her sister Dana is—" "—the mother of that sleepless baby who cries every night. I know her, Lord Snow." The queen snorted. "You should be glad that she returned before my husband returned, otherwise you Bad luck, bad luck." "Are you the wildling princess?" Shireen asked Val. "Someone called me that." Val said, "My sister was the wife of Mance Rayder, King Beyond the Wall, and died in childbirth." "I'm a princess too," Shireen told her, "but I have no sisters, only a cousin who goes to sea. He's a bastard, but I like him." "Really, Shireen," her mother called to her, "the Lord Lord Commander did not come to inquire about Robert's bastard. Patch up your face, and behave yourself, and accompany the princess to her chambers." The Fool rang the bell on his hat. "Come on, go on," he sang, "come with me to the bottom of the sea, go on, go on, go on." He took the little princess by the hand, and hopped her out of the room. Jon said: "Your Majesty, the leader of the free folk has agreed to my terms." Queen Selyse nodded imperceptibly, "It is my husband's wish to provide refuge for these barbarians. As long as they maintain the peace of the kingdom and abide by the laws of the kingdom, the kingdom welcomes them." She pursed her lips, " I heard they brought many giants." Val replied, "Nearly two hundred, Your Majesty, and more than eighty mammoths." The queen shivered, "It's terrible." Jon didn't know if she was referring to the mammoth or the giant, "At any rate, these beasts can help my husband charge forward." "Perhaps, Your Grace," Jon said, "but the mammoth is too big for the gate." "Can't the gate be widened?" "I don't think it's...it's inappropriate." Selyse sneered, "You can do what you say, of course you know this better. Then where are you going to put the wildlings? The Mole Village is definitely not big enough...how many of them are there?" "There are four thousand, Your Majesty. They will help defend our abandoned fortress, so as to better guard the Great Wall." "As far as I know, those fortresses are ruins, a barren, gloomy desert, not much better than rubble. At East Watch, some people say that those places are a paradise for rats and spiders." The spiders were frozen to death, Jon thought, and the rats were a winter treat. "That's right, Your Majesty...but the ruins can at least keep out the wind and snow, and the Great Wall is a barrier against the White Walkers." "You have thought it over, Lord Snow. I am sure King Stannis will be satisfied when he returns home in triumph." If he can come back. "Of course," continued the queen, "the wildlings must first acknowledge Stannis as king, and worship R'hllor as God." finally come.There is no way to avoid meeting each other on a narrow road. "Your Majesty, with all due respect, there is no such thing in the agreement." The queen's face darkened. "What a mistake." The gentleness in her voice disappeared in an instant. "Free folk never kneel," Val told her. "They must kneel." The queen did not back down. "If you insist on this, Your Majesty, we will revolt at the first opportunity," Val vowed, "Give me freedom or give me death." The queen pursed her lips tightly, her chin trembling slightly. "You are so rude. But you are a savage, and we must find you a husband to discipline and discipline." The queen turned to stare at Jon. "I do not agree to this agreement, Lord Commander, and neither will my husband. .Of course, you and I both know that I can't stop you from opening the gate, but I guarantee that the king will ask you for the crime when he returns. It's still too late to take it back." "Your Majesty." Jon knelt down again, while Val remained motionless. "I'm sorry that my behavior has disappointed you, but I just tried my best to make the best choice. Can I step down?" "Go. Go now." As soon as he arrived outside the tower, far away from the Queen's party, Val complained angrily: "You lied to me, she has more beard on her chin than the hair between my legs. And her daughter...that face..." "Greyscale." "We call that the gray death." "It's not necessarily fatal for a child to get infected." "Beyond the Great Wall, it's deadly. We usually use hemlock to deal with it. Of course, the pillow knife is more effective. If I gave birth to such a poor child, I would have given her mercy." Jon had never seen this side of Val. "Princess Shireen is the Queen's only child." "I sympathize with them both, but the child is not clean." "If Stannis wins the war, Shireen is heir to the Iron Throne." "I sympathize with the Seven Kingdoms." "The maester says greyscale doesn't—" "The bachelor believes what he wants to believe, and the forest witch knows the truth! The gray plague will lurk and wait for an opportunity to recur. That child is not clean!" "She's a sweet girl. How do you know—" "I know. You don't understand anything, Jon Snow." Val grabbed his arm. "The monster and his nanny have to get out of here. You can't let him stay in the same tower with that dead girl." Jon shook off her hand, "She's not dead." "She is dead. Her mother can't see it, and you can't see it, but death hovers over her." She backed away from him, then turned and stopped. "I brought you Tormund the Giantsbane, You have to give me the monster." "If it can be done." "Give it to me, you owe me, Jon Snow." Jon watched her stride away.She was wrong, definitely wrong.Greyscale was not as deadly as she said it would kill a child. The sun was setting, and Bai Ling ran away again.I'd like a glass of mulled wine.Two glasses is better.But this can only be postponed.He also has to face the enemy, the most difficult enemy-brothers. Leather was waiting for him by the cage, and the two went in together.The cage was raised and the wind crescendoed.At fifty feet, the heavy iron cage began to sway with the wind, blowing against the Great Wall from time to time, shaking off fine ice crystals, like raindrops shining and dancing in the sun.Soon they were taller than the tallest tower of the castle.At four hundred feet, the gale fangs grew and tore at their black cloaks forcefully, causing them to slap against the iron bars.At seven hundred feet, the wind nearly bit through him.The Wall is mine, Jon reminded himself, for a couple of days at least, as the winchman drew closer to the cage. Jon jumped onto the ice, thanked the winchman, and nodded to the two sentries standing guard with spears.They both had their woolen hoods drawn tight enough to show only their eyes, but Jon recognized Tay and Owen anyway—Tay with his back-length greasy mess, and Owen with a sausage-filled scabbard around his waist.He should have recognized them from their standing.A good commander must know his subordinates. In Winterfell, his father taught him and Robb once. Jon walked to the edge of the Wall and looked down on the battlefield where Mance Rayder's army fell.I don't know where Mance is.Did he find you, sister?Or is this an excuse for him to get out of his shell? He hadn't been with Arya for years, what was she like now?Does he still recognize it?Arya, the troublemaker, with a dirty face.He wants the little sword Mikken gave her, does she still have it?To stab enemies with the tip of a sword, he taught her.If the rumors about Ramsay Snow were even half true, Arya should have done it on her wedding night.Please take her home, Mance.I have rescued your son from Melisandre, and I have four thousand free folk to rescue, and all you need is a little girl in return. In the Haunted Forest to the north, the shadows of the afternoon spread.The western sky is blood red, and the eastern star suddenly appears.Jon Snow opened and closed his sword hand, remembering what had been lost.Sam, you sweet silly fat man.What a cruel joke you're pushing me to be Commander in Chief.The Commander-in-Chief has no friends. "Lord Snow?" Leather said, "The cage is up again." "I hear you." Jon stepped back from the edge. First up came Flint and the chief of the Norry clan, wrapped in furs and armed.Lord Norrie was like an old fox—wrinkled and frail, but with a hale heart and quick movements.Togenhen Flint was half a head shorter than Lord Norrie and twice as heavy--a stocky, brutish man with red-knuckles and tangled veins the size of a ham.Leaning heavily on a blackthorn stick, he staggered across the ice.Next came Bowen Marsh in a bearskin.Then there was Orcel Yawil.And finally Septon Celeda, half drunk and half sober. "Let's go together," Jon ordered.So they went west along the Great Wall, stepped on the gravel road, and went towards the sunset.Fifty yards from the warm hut, Jon said, "You know why I have summoned you. Three days from now, at dawn, we will open the gates to Tormund and his men, and there will be much preparation for that." The crowd responded to his declaration with silence.The first to speak was Osiel Yawick: "My lord commander, this means several thousand—" "—skeletal wildlings, hungry and weary, uprooted." Jon pointed to their campfire. "There they are. Tormund says four thousand." "Only three thousand, judging by the camp fire." Bowen Marsh was born to count. "It is reported that twice as many people went to Hardwood with the Witch of the Woods. Besides, Sir Denys wrote that the hill outside the Shadow Tower There is a large campsite…” Jon didn't deny it. "Tormund says the Weeper intends to attack the Bridge of Skulls again." Old Pomegranate touched the scar.That scar was from the last time the Weeper stormed the Bridge of Skull and forced his way across the Grand Canyon. "The Commander-in-Chief obviously won't let this... this demon come over, will he?" "I don't want to," said Jon, not forgetting the bloody-eyed heads left to him by the Weeper.Black Jack Bulwe, Hairy Hal, Gray Feather Garth.I can't avenge them, but I won't forget them. "But unfortunately, my lord, he will come. We can't pick and choose among the free people, and stipulate that this can come and that can't. Peace means peace for everyone." Lord Norrie cleared his throat and spat. "Why don't you live in peace with greedy wolves and carrion crows?" "Peace in my dungeon," grumbled old Flint. "Give me the Weeper." "How many Rangers did he kill?" demanded Othel Arwick, "how many women did he rape and take?" "There are three in my family," said old Flint, "and he will blind any girl he can't take." "Put in black, and the crime is forgiven," Jon emphasized. "For the free folk to fight by our side, we must forgive their crimes as we forgive ourselves." "The Weeper does not swear," insisted Arwick, "nor wear black. Even the other raiders don't trust him." "You don't need to trust people." Otherwise, who of you can I use? "We need guys like the Weeper. Who knows Beyond the Wall better than the Wildlings? Who knows the Enemy better than someone who has fought the Enemy?" "The Wailers only know about looting," Yarwick said. "Once the Wildlings get past the Wall, there are three times as many wildlings as we are," said Bowen Marsh. "And that's only Tormund. Add the Weeper's men and those in Hardhold, and they'll be able to kill them all in one night." Kill the Night's Watch." "You can't win a war by numbers. You haven't seen them. Half of them are dying." "I'd rather they be buried," said Arwick, "if it pleases your lord." "Of course I don't." Jon's voice was as cold as the wind that tore his cloak. "There are children in the camp. Hundreds of children. And women." "Spearwife." "Some are. There are also mothers and grandmothers, widows and young girls... Do you really want to sentence them to death, gentlemen?" "Brothers, stop arguing," said Brother Celeda. "Let us kneel down and pray that the old woman will illuminate the path of wisdom for us." "Lord Snow," said Lord Norrie, "where are you going to put the wildlings? It's not my land." "Yeah," declared old Flint, "you'd be foolish to put them in the grant, but if they run wild, I won't hesitate to take their heads. Winter's coming, and I can't help it." Fill your extra mouth." "The wildlings will stay on the Wall," Jon assured them, "and I will choose an abandoned stronghold to house most of the wildlings." Home to re-garrison.Although these forts are severely short-staffed, a full ten more are unguarded ruins. "Men with wives and children, orphans, orphans under ten, old crones, widows, and women who don't want to fight, go there. Spearwives are sent to join their sisters at the Long Car House, and single men are sent to our reunion. Those who will wear black stay here, or send to Eastwatch and the Shadow Tower. Tormund will garrison Oakenshield, and we can watch close by." Bowen Marsh sighed. "If they don't kill us with their swords, they will kill us with their mouths. How will Tormund and his thousands of men be supported, Lord Commander?" Jon had expected him to ask. "By Eastwatch we buy food by ship, as much as we want. From the Riverlands and the Stormlands and the Vale of Arryn, from Dorne and the Reach and the Free Cities beyond the Narrow Sea." "There is no such thing as a free lunch... What should we buy?" Take gold, gold from the Braavos Iron Vault, Jon should have answered, but instead he said: "I agree with the free folk to keep furs and hides for the winter, and the rest must be turned in. Whatever Gold and silver jewelry, jade carvings, anything of value. We ship these across the Narrow Sea and sell them to the Free Cities." "The wildling's possessions," said Lord Norrie, "enough to buy a sack of barley. Oh no, perhaps two." "Commander, why don't the wildlings hand over their weapons?" Clydas asked. "Leather" laughed loudly, "Because the free folk want to defend against the enemy side by side with you. How do you fight without weapons? Throw snowballs at the ghosts, or poke them with sticks?" Most wildlings have no better weapons than a stick, Jon thought.Wooden clubs, stone axes, mallets, spears with tempered points, daggers of bone, stone, and dragonglass, wicker shields, bone armor, boiled leather.The Thenns would smelt bronze, and raiders like the Weeper would pick steel and iron swords from corpses... but even these were old, pitted and rusted from years of use. "Tormund, Giantsbane, will never lay down his arms," ​​said Jon. "He's not a Weeper, but he's not a coward either. If I ask something like that, there will be swords." Lord Norrie twirled his beard. "Master Snow, you said that you want to place these people in the abandoned castle, but how do you keep them? How do you prevent them from going south to rich and warm places?" "That's our territory," added old Flint. "Tormund swore it. He will stand by our side till the spring. Swear the same with the Weeper and the other chiefs, or I will not let them come." Old Flint shook his head. "They will betray us." "The words of the weeper are worthless," said Othel Arwick. "Godless savages," thought Brother Celeda, "even in the South they are known to be treacherous." Leather crossed his arms, "Remember the next battle? I was on the other side, you know? Now I wear your black clothes and train your rookies to kill. Some people will call me a chameleon, maybe I am... But I am no wilder than you crows. We have faith, and we believe in the same gods that Winterfell believes in." "Those are the gods of the North that existed before the Wall was built," said Jon. "In their name Tormund swears. He will keep his word, and I know him as I know Mance Rayder. You should remember , I have marched with them." "I haven't forgotten." The Chief of General Affairs said. Yeah, thought Jon, I don't think you'll forget. "Mance Rayder swore too," continued Marsh. "He swore no wife, no children, no crown, no rivalry for honor. Then he became a chameleon, broke all the precepts, and assembled a A dreadful army attacked the kingdom, and these men beyond the Wall are the remnants of his army." "His sword has long been broken." "A broken sword can be reforged. A broken sword can also kill." "The free folk are lawless and despise kings," said Jon, "but they love their children too. Do you admit that?" "We don't worry about the children, we worry about the fathers of the children." "Me too, that's why I insisted they hand over the hostages." I'm not the credulous fool you think...and I'm not half a wild man, believe it or not. "I want them to hand over a hundred boys between the ages of eight and sixteen. Each chieftain and chieftain will provide one son, and the rest will be decided by lot. These boys will serve as squires and cupbearers to free our men. Some of them It is not out of the question that one day men will wear black. The rest remain hostages to ensure the loyalty of their fathers." The northerners looked at each other in blank dismay. "Hostage," Lord Nori pondered, "Tormund agreed?" If you don't agree, you can only sit back and watch your own people die. "He called it 'blood money,'" said Jon Snow, "but he said yes." "Ah, that's a good name!" Old Flint slammed his cane on the ice, "Winterfell also asked us for a boy, and we always called him an adopted son, but to put it bluntly, he was a hostage, a pledge offered by both hands .” "If a father disobeys the King in the North," said Lord Norrie, "they will come home short. Tell me, my boy . Just ask Janos Slynt. “巨人克星托蒙德不会挑战我的底线。诺瑞大人，在你眼中我或许只是个涉世不深的孩子，但我可是艾德·史塔克之子。” 总务长似乎还不满意。“你说这些男孩会当侍从。大人您不是想让他们接受武器训练吧？” 琼恩被激怒了。“不，先生，我想让他们去缝补内衣！他们当然会接受武器训练。他们要搅黄油、劈柴火、擦桌子、倒夜壶，送信……并在工作间隙学习使用矛、剑和长弓。” 马尔锡一下子涨得满脸通红。“司令大人恕我无礼，但这事没法回避。您的言行已近乎叛国。八千年来，守夜人的汉子坚守长城，抵御野人。现在您竟放他们进来，让他们住进我们的城堡，为他们提供衣食，教他们如何战斗。雪诺大人，需要我提醒您吗？您发过誓！” “我知道我的誓言。”琼恩复述，“我是黑暗中的利剑，长城上的守卫。我是抵御寒冷的烈焰，破晓时分的光线，唤醒眠者的号角，守护王国的坚盾。我的誓言是否和你的一样？” “如大人所说，一模一样。” “你确定我没记错分毫？你确定我没忘记如何讨好国王和他的律法，如何像守财奴一样攥紧每一寸土地和每一座废弃的堡垒？这部分誓言里有吗？”琼恩等待回答。无人开口。“我是守护王国的坚盾。请问诸位——野人不是人吗？非得等他们变成不是人的东西来跟王国作对吗？” 波文·马尔锡张开嘴，却一个字也说不出。他连脖子都涨得通红。 琼恩·雪诺转过身。残阳最后一缕余晖也开始暗淡，长城的裂隙由红变灰，由灰转黑，由奔涌的烈火变为玄冰的暗流。在长城之下，梅丽珊卓女士会燃起夜火，吟唱颂歌：光之王，守护吾等，因为长夜漫漫，处处险恶。 “凛冬将至，”琼恩最后打破尴尬的沉默，“白鬼随之而来。长城是阻挡它们的防线，长城正是为此而建……但长城需要人来守卫。今天的讨论到此为止。在大门打开前，我们有好多准备工作。托蒙德部众的衣食住行皆需准备。他的人有些得了病，需要医治。克莱达斯，病人就交给你，尽力多救几个。” 克莱达斯眨眨暗粉色眼睛。“尽我所能，琼恩。我是说，司令大人。” “备好所有的马车推车，以运送自由民去他们的新住处。奥赛尔，你来负责。” 亚威克愁眉苦脸，“是，司令大人。” “波文大人，你负责收取'过路费'。金银琥珀、项圈、臂箍、项链，全都要分类清点，确保安全送到东海望。” “遵命，雪诺大人。”波文·马尔锡说。 冰雪，这是她的预言，还有黑暗中的匕首，鲜红的血冻硬了，兵刃寒光闪烁。想到这里，他握剑的手开开合合。 长城内外，冷风吹起。