[Chapter Size: 3500 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Castle Black, 299 AC.
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"Lord Commander... This is madness." Benjen spat.
"I know, I hate Stannis more than you, you can be sure of that." Alliser said with a hard face.
"What will he ask for next? My armor, my sword? He is mad if he thinks Jon will just stand still..." Benjen said.
"And he will pay for it, you said that Your Majesty still has 140 thousand trained men north of the Wall like an army. That should put fear into Stannis." Alliser suggested.
"It's useless. The fool, pardon my words, is blinded by that red witch, believing he is a messiah or something like that." Benjen still could not believe he had received that proposal that he should be the lord of Winterfell.
No, he would have done something that drastic only if he were certain that he was the last Stark alive in the world, which is not the case, even Jon would have more right, and Benjen would have gladly given Winterfell to his children.
Even so, Robb might have his life uncertain, but Bran and Rickon were alive, living, learning and growing strong in Arctic.
If Robb were to pass away, or even if he had to step down as the lord of Winterfell, given all the complications since he took the crown of the North, Bran would be the lord of Winterfell.
"We can do nothing against Stannis, only offer him a place to stay and let him depart." Alliser said despite a rather frustrated tone.
"I wish this would not bring trouble... but it is already happening... Jon can see beyond the Wall, although the range is not very great now, he already knows that Stannis is here." Benjen said.
"Then we may be in the middle of a war between two lords." The Lord Commander sighed.
Meanwhile, in another room, Davos Seaworth was thoughtful about what he had heard about Benjen Stark.
"Ser Davos... What do you think about all this?" Stannis suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
"About the war that Melisandre said you would wage and that it ended?" He asked with some caution.
"That, do you believe it?" Stannis asked in a neutral tone.
"I do not think there is any reason for Benjen Stark to be lying, I know the look of a man when he speaks the truth, and Benjen Stark is not a liar." Ser Davos said at last.
He knew that Stannis might be furious at the suggestion that perhaps everything they had been fighting for until now was a lie, that the war about which he had heard since the beginning of his campaign had already ended.
Stannis said nothing. He kept his gaze fixed on the window, watching the yard of Castle Black, while he noticed the wolf walking beside Benjen Stark, with the men of the Watch passing by him as they greeted him, already accustomed to the monstrosity of the creature. But his men moved away as much as they could from the direwolf.
He had heard that this wolf had been with Benjen Stark for more than 7 years.
That made him remember something. The war against the dead is over.
Everything Stannis had fought for, with the goal of winning the throne to ensure that he would lead the Seven Kingdoms against the Long Night, had been accomplished by someone else — someone who perhaps even had more right to the throne than he himself did.
But now it did not matter, whether the war against the dead had ended or not, he would still sit on the throne, there was no longer any path back from his goal.
Then Stannis finally broke the silence, "we will prepare for war against the Crown."
"But, my lord... the Arcticans" Davos still insisted that there was a powerful kingdom in the north. Even though even the Iron Bank had sponsored them. But that does not remove the fact that there is still a kingdom there.
"Now there is a new player on the board of war, Your Majesty. And, whatever he decides to do, his first move may shake all the players in the game of thrones." Davos murmured, already knowing more about the politics of Westeros in this last year than in his dozens of years alive.
"The Iron Bank sponsored us, Ser Davos. They believed in us more than in Arctic. Are you telling me that I should flee?" Stannis replied coldly.
"I am saying, my king, that we must be careful and observe the options. There is a dangerous player now in the game of thrones. He will soon make his move. I am only saying that, whatever may happen, we must evaluate our options and next actions. I would not recommend trying to recruit the wildlings of Hardhome."
"I appreciate your opinion, Ser Davos, but it is not welcome in this. I still intend to recruit that group. They were rejected even by Arctic to be there — they have nowhere to go. I will give them an option, as long as they fight for me. I think it will not be a problem when I unite the Seven Kingdoms," he said.
Stannis felt that he could win. Melisandre's words echoed within him: he was the Prince That Was Promised.
'But if the war against the monsters had truly ended, what would he be then? He would no longer be Azor Ahai...' That thought also invaded him.
'It does not matter,' he thought. 'The throne is mine.'
"And the dragon? The rangers spoke about a white dragon on the same day it was sighted in the north," Davos insisted once again. "If the enemy has a dragon and we do not, we will have no chance, Your Majesty."
That made Stannis frown as he turned to Davos.
"And what do you suggest then, Ser Davos?" he asked. The possibility of there being a dragon was not null.
"I believe we should negotiate with the king of Arctic. If he has as much power as we imagine, to the point of simply giving a suit of Valyrian steel armor to his uncle and other well-crafted armors, though not of Valyrian steel, to rangers who participated in the war, I think we will be in great trouble if we become enemies. Their weapons are clearly better than ours, they dominated the sea until a year ago." Davos paused.
"I ask that you give up on Hardhome, my lord. Wait for the king of Arctic to make contact. The Red Woman herself said that we are already being watched, possibly by him."
Stannis remained thoughtful before those words. He could not help but reflect on the entire status quo. He would certainly have to act carefully. "I will consider it."
"I thank you for considering it," Davos said at last.
Stannis nodded. He was in a very difficult situation: enemies in the south, possible enemies in the north. How would he manage to sustain his crown when he was no longer even the Prince That Was Promised, as Melisandre had claimed since she came to him? At least, according to Benjen's words, the war had ended.
The routine at Castle Black continued for a few more days and the day before, everyone received Queen Selyse Florenand Princess Shireen Baratheon.
The next morning, Benjen was somewhat frustrated as he thought about these past few days.
That Red Woman was trying to pry information about Arctic from those who had returned, at any cost. She had even gone so far as to stand naked before him, wanting him to give in to obtain information. And, although Benjen did not fail to cast a look of desire at the woman, he would not be manipulated.
Even gold had begun to be offered to them by Stannis' soldiers trying to bribe the men of the Watch. They imagined that one of the brothers might yield. But Benjen knew very well that no gold, not even a woman like Melisandre, could compensate for the threat of becoming an enemy of that kingdom. They all knew what Arctic was capable of, and none of them wanted to be labeled a traitor by a kingdom as powerful as that one.
"Well, if it isn't the wolf with Valyrian steel armor." Benjen was drawing water from the reservoir in a corner of Castle Black when he looked back and saw two of Stannis' men approaching with the same purpose.
He merely stared at them, saying nothing, and went back to filling the bucket.
"Look at that, seems the wolf is quite arrogant," one of them mocked. Benjen continued to ignore them.
"Well, you certainly become arrogant after your bastard nephew is king and gifts you with a suit of Valyrian steel armor. You could buy a castle with that," said the other, laughing.
That made Benjen growl.
"It's a shame that armor does not belong to King Stannis. It makes no sense for a crow to have Valyrian steel while our king does not," he suggested, and Benjen frowned as he turned to them.
"What do you mean by that? And I would be careful when speaking about my nephew, he is not a bastard, but a legitimized Targaryen, a blood far purer than you will ever have," he asked and declared in an unfriendly tone.
"What did you say, wolf?!" one of them growled, but he was stopped by his companion.
They exchanged glances and smiled maliciously. "I do not care whether the Targaryen bastard is one or not, we are saying that your armor should not belong to a crow. It should be given to a rightful king, as a form of gratitude."
"King Stannis did not ask for my armor nor my sword. Do not use that excuse to try to rob me," Benjen mocked.
The two men clearly did not like the remark. "Are you calling us thieves? Perhaps we should teach this crow a lesson and show him his place," the companion spoke immediately.
They advanced toward Benjen, trying to grab him. It was obvious they had wanted to provoke him from the start; they only needed an excuse to attack him.
But Benjen dropped the bucket of water and struck the face of the first who approached with a firm punch, making him fall dazed into the snow. The second advanced right after. Benjen dodged, placed his arm over the man's shoulder and threw him forward, making him fall directly to the ground.
Before the soldier could recover, Benjen still kept a firm grip on his arm.
He began to squeeze it, making the knight look stunned.
"Think carefully before trying to act like a thief. And I am doing this because you called the king of Arctic a bastard, because you will not survive when he hears that, do you truly think it is safe to be insulting a king?"
"Hey! What are you doing?" the man said, sensing the danger.
Before he could react, Benjen snapped his arm, breaking it.
"AHHHH!!" The scream of pain came right after, loud and desperate.
The companion got up, stunned, looking fearfully at Benjen Stark as he removed his sword from its sheath. A growl, however, caught his attention. Raven, Benjen's wolf, was already advancing, baring his teeth.
The man frowned, realizing that if he attacked, he would have the animal's response. Even so, he raised the sword, considering the wolf the greater threat.
"Sheathe your sword if you do not wish to die. Raven is in a bad mood. If you do not put that sword away immediately, he will attack. Take your companion and disappear from here," Benjen spoke coldly.
The man hesitated for a moment, weighing his options. In the end, he sheathed the sword, cast one last cautious look at the wolf, grabbed his companion still crying in pain and began dragging him away.
"How are you, my friend?" Benjen said, touching the wolf's head, yet not failing to think about the trouble this will cause.
Stannis was with his wife and daughter when he received the news that his men had been injured by Benjen Stark.
He immediately headed to the main hall together with his men. Benjen was seated at the main table, his expression grim.
In front of him were the Baratheon knights, demanding justice.
As soon as they saw Stannis, they turned toward him.
"King Stannis, it seems you have finally appeared," said the Lord Commander when Stannis entered, accompanied by Melisandre.
"What is this?" he asked.
"The Stark broke one of your men's arm and threatened them with the wolf. They want justice, my lord," said another knight.
Stannis saw his wife approach right behind, observing the situation coldly.
"What happened, Benjen Stark?" Stannis asked, looking directly at Benjen Stark.
"What happened, King Stannis, is that your men were talking about stealing my armor. I merely gave a response when the two of them advanced against me after provoking me and insulting the king of Arctic!" Benjen said. Perhaps his time in Arctic had made him more direct, even more arrogant. But it did not matter. He hated those men even more for having tried to rob him and insult Jon.
"Is that true?" Stannis asked the injured man, who had already been treated by the maester before coming there.
"My lord, he attacked us, mocking you, saying that you were nothing compared to his bastard nephew," the man said.
"Liar!" Benjen roared. Even the Lord Commander cast a cold look at the fool who had spoken those words.
"You just complained that Benjen was supposedly insulting your king, which I do not believe — Benjen is not that type. But you are insulting another king in front of us. You had better watch your words, ser. We do not wish to place the Night's Watch in the middle of a quarrel, whether with your king or with the king beyond the Wall," Alliser said, growling and trying to appear neutral.
"We also cannot tolerate that your men injure our knights, Lord Commander," said another of Stannis' men before turning to the king. "Your Majesty, I ask that you give justice to our knight. He was injured defending your honor."
Stannis remained silent and looked at Melisandre, who observed everything attentively before turning her gaze back to Benjen, who had not spoken about Arctic.
"He may surrender the armor as compensation, my king. After all, if the dead have been destroyed, there is no longer any reason for the Wall to have such a piece here gathering dust," she spoke immediately.
Benjen stood up at once.
"What? I will not surrender my armor!" he exclaimed, growling.
Those wretches were merely arranging an excuse to take the armor he had received from his nephew. Now he understood why Jon had prevented Arya from taking the armor to Winterfell when she had been there. It would attract many greedy eyes, enough to generate intrigues and even murders to obtain it.
"I speak on behalf of Benjen," Qhorin stood up at that moment. "I can say one thing: Benjen Stark is not the type of liar, much less the type who goes around provoking and hurting people for no reason, Your Majesty. I am certain that, if you take the armor, the North you are trying to conquer will see it in a bad light."
It was obvious that, when the news spread, everyone would believe Benjen Stark and see it as a blatant theft by Stannis of the armor he had received. And they would never kneel before someone like that.
"My lord, certainly some people will be dissatisfied, but you can still reverse that. A suit of Valyrian steel armor will inspire your men far more than just your sword. It is a price worth paying, and the Lord of Light will always be with you," Melisandre said in his ear.
Stannis looked at her for a moment, while Benjen grimaced, refusing to believe they were truly debating that.
"Take his armor," Queen Selyse said behind him. "That Stark does not deserve Valyrian steel, and your men need you to fight for them."
Stannis weighed his options. On one hand, he understood that taking the armor could be negative. On the other, he saw the advantages. If he simply refused to do anything about his injured men, they might begin to lose faith in him — and he could not allow that at that moment.
"You must surrender the armor, Benjen Stark," he said in a cold tone, making several brothers of the Night's Watch growl at the blatant theft.
Benjen was about to speak, but the Lord Commander stopped him, gripping his arm and leaning in to speak in his ear.
"Look, Benjen, I want to punch him as much as you do. I am just as frustrated. But we cannot do anything right now. That is why you must surrender the armor. We cannot fight Stannis and all those soldiers. We need to be rational. Your armor will be recovered. You know your nephew will not let this stand. It is better to hand it over than to start a bloodbath here. As much as I also hate this," Alliser said.
Benjen stared at him, surprised by the cold reasoning of the Lord Commander. He clenched his fists tightly, more than he ever remembered doing. He hated that situation. He hated handing Jon's gift over to Stannis. He hated the words whispered by those two women — one delirious with her god, the other arrogant.
"Very well. I will surrender the armor," Benjen said, reluctantly putting on a mask of indifference.
"But also, King Stannis, we want no more trouble. We want you and your men to leave the castle by tomorrow," the Lord Commander raised his voice at that moment.
"Very well," Stannis replied in the end, with no choice.
Alliser did not back down. Stannis' soldiers did not like hearing that they were practically being expelled, but they all had to accept it. If he attacked the Wall and the Night's Watch now, after his demands had been met, he would not be able to justify the situation.
"Very well." Stannis turned back to his men. "Prepare to depart by tomorrow. But I wish to ask a favor of you, Lord Commander. I desire that my wife and my daughter remain in the castle and have a place, together with their guards."
"As long as they do not cause trouble, it is acceptable, King Stannis," Alliser said after exchanging a look with his wife.
In the end, Benjen Stark had to surrender the armor, while the atmosphere at the Wall was far from friendly.
Davos learned of what had happened and could not help but be stunned by the decision. He went to request an audience with Stannis.
"Your Majesty, that was not wise. You know it," Davos said.
"I had to do it, Ser Davos. You do not understand. I need the men's morale," Stannis replied.
"But that armor was given by the king of Arctic. It is yet another reason for him to attack us in fury."
"Do not worry. We will depart for Hardhome immediately. I have already sent a raven to warn the men at Eastwatch to prepare. We will recruit them and march south, defeat the Boltons. If we free the North from the Boltons and the ironborn, the North will kneel before us. Arctic will not interfere in this, there is no time," Stannis said with great certainty. But he had no idea how much he underestimated Arctic's logistics.
"So we are departing, then?" Ser Davos asked.
Stannis shook his head.
"You will not. I want you to remain here, together with my daughter and my wife."
"Wait. I will stay?" Davos asked.
Stannis nodded. "You once told me to set the Red Woman aside and remain by my side at the Battle of the Blackwater. The result was not pleasant at all, Ser Davos. That is why, this time, you will stay out of it," Stannis said.
Davos fell silent, looking at him, wondering whether Stannis still carried the weight of the defeat caused by the wildfire.
Stannis spoke with the Lord Commander once more, against the latter's liking, while requesting a member of the Night's Watch to follow him. Alliser said that no one would be willing, but he thought of Harron, who had been reprimanded after what he had heard from him and his rebelliousness.
Harron had been removed as commander of Eastwatch and placed in an ice cell to spend a few days as punishment, even with his nose still broken from the Halfhand's punch.
In the end, he was recruited as well.
Stannis began to leave Castle Black together with his men, heading directly for Eastwatch, with Harron among them. His objective was Hardhome.
In Arctic, Jon watched everything, his teeth clenched in anger at what he had just witnessed.
He left the heart tree where he was, in the castle courtyard, and walked into his castle.
Ducken noticed the king's expression and felt the same fury. He looked at Jon with a questioning gleam in his eyes.
Jon merely turned to him and said: "We are going to Hardhome. Prepare the warships."
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