Flipping over a hillside, the view revealed a sprawling collection of tents, large and small, scattered haphazardly across the ground. There were few guards within the camp. Perhaps some were assigned the duty, but no one stepped forward to question them now. The Free Folk, being accustomed to their freedom, would not follow Mance's orders perfectly. Even when gathered together, the people of the camp were still a mess of loose sand.
Rattleshirt handed the task of settling the villagers to the men beside him, while he led Thorfinn's group toward Mance's main tent. People along the way cast curious glances. Thorfinn looked at the Free Folk, who wore mostly white, and found it novel; it was the first time he had seen so many of them.
The elderly and children mostly stayed on the camp's fringes. The higher one's status, the closer their tent was to the center, which generally showed the differences in rank among the Free Folk. The strong could justly claim more resources—an eternal, unchanging truth.
Children playing stopped in their tracks when they saw Thorfinn and Lyra. It seemed the handsome brother and beautiful sister had caught their attention. They clustered around, following behind Thorfinn and Rattleshirt, chasing and playing. Lyra, who usually lived deep in the forest, stood out even more by comparison. It wasn't that the Free Folk had a "sensitive nose"; it was just that Thorfinn and Lyra's aura was so exceptional it couldn't be hidden.
After walking for a while, Thorfinn seemed to have seen all the rare, different kinds of people who live Beyond-the-Wall: Cave People with faces dyed blue, purple, and green; the ferocious and aggressive Thenns; the semi-nomadic wanderers; the raiders of the Frozen Shore; and even the more savage clans who ate human flesh.
Someone fainter of heart would have surely lost their nerve, but Thorfinn and Lyra showed no timidity. They might have been a little afraid inside, but their strong mental cultivation was enough to keep them calm. Jeff, Mel, and Mil were not so lucky. The stares of the crowd put immense pressure on them. They never knew this place would be such a den of wolves and tigers, and all three were nervous the entire walk.
Most common Free Folk lived far from the center of the big camp. Being common meant being far from the center of power, so this kind of display was rare for them, too.
Finally, the clatter of bones on Rattleshirt's body stopped. Thorfinn had reached the outside of Mance's large tent. Rattleshirt pulled back the flap and beckoned, "Go on in, lad. Mance is inside." His eyes held a flicker of approval, finding Thorfinn quite agreeable.
Entering the large tent, a wave of hot air washed over them. The scorching air made them slightly dizzy. Thorfinn scanned the interior: only two women and Mance, who was reading a book. Seeing Thorfinn walk in, Mance's face broke into a smile, and he opened his arms, coming forward to greet Thorfinn.
"Hahaha, Thorfinn, brother, you finally made it! I've been waiting for ages."
Mance embraced Thorfinn, and Thorfinn smiled and accepted. After the hug, Thorfinn looked back at Rattleshirt with a smug, proud look, which earned the man's immediate irritation.
Rattleshirt was short, and after removing his bone mask, his face was ordinary, with a knobby chin, a short beard, flat, sallow cheeks, eyes that were mere slits, and eyebrows that spanned his forehead. After taking off his hat, one could see a few sparse tufts of black hair on his pointy, bald head.
Thorfinn: "Mance, it wasn't easy to see you."
Mance smiled, "Can't be helped. The camp's grown too big. It's not easy to manage."
At that moment, a gentle and beautiful woman walked over. She must be Dalla, Mance's wife. Val, by her side, was pulling a face at Thorfinn.
Dalla was a gentle soul in her eyes, voice, and demeanor. She seemed guileless, but she was Mance's harbor of peace, his soul's support.
Dalla smiled warmly, "You must be Thorfinn? Mance talks about you often. I've never seen Mance care so much about anyone other than me."
Thorfinn laughed heartily, "I didn't know you were such a sentimental man, Brother Mance! Does the future King-Beyond-the-Wall have moments like this?"
Mance's face darkened, "Dalla, don't talk nonsense. When was I like that? Val, take your sister out for some air."
But Val's attention wasn't on Thorfinn. The girl's eyes were full of gossip as she looked at Lyra behind Thorfinn, with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. She came to her senses when she heard Mance's words. Val ushered Dalla out of the tent and then returned for Lyra, saying something to her and bringing Lyra along. Before leaving, she glared fiercely at Thorfinn, leaving him utterly confused.
Only Mance, Thorfinn, and Rattleshirt were left in the tent. At Mance's invitation, the two sat down. Mance then said, "That little girl who came with you isn't simple, is she, Thorfinn? She's not Darie, and she doesn't seem like that Morla girl."
Thorfinn smiled, "Nothing escapes you, you old fox. Did you hear it from Val? That little traitor. You're right, but she's also my family. Her name is Lyra, and she's a witch's apprentice, just like me."
Mance was unsurprised, likely having already wrung all the necessary information from Val. However, Mance was somewhat puzzled as to why Thorfinn had brought Lyra along.
Thorfinn continued, "You need her more. Her skills are far more useful than anything I've mastered. Far more useful."
Mance raised an eyebrow, "What can she do?"
Thorfinn smiled confidently, "Lyra is skilled in prophecy. That's one thing I'm not good at."
Rattleshirt, who had been silent, felt awkward listening to the two of them. He had always been indifferent to magic. Unable to listen any further, he stood up, bid them farewell, and left.
Watching Rattleshirt leave, Thorfinn smiled and asked, "You trust him a lot?"
Mance: "Not as much as Tormund, but I can't neglect him. He's a reckless fellow."
Hearing this, Thorfinn couldn't help but laugh, "Tormund is reckless, too. Admit it, you just favor Tormund more."
Mance pouted, "If you say so, fine. No one can decide who gets along with whom. Speaking of which... why did only you show up? I prepared a good spot for all of you to pitch tents. You won't need that much space for just yourself."
Thorfinn found a jug of ale on the table and, without asking permission, found a seemingly clean cup and filled it for himself. He took a drink and said, "We agreed that I'd leave first to pick up Lyra, and the family would come a little later. But by my count, they should be here soon. You've hit the jackpot this time, Mance. All six of us are coming. Even my old man and my mother couldn't sit still. They just worry me."
Mance laughed heartily, "Don't worry. Your camp will be near mine. I've left you a prime location, enough for your whole family."
Thorfinn sighed with a sense of helplessness.
Outside, Dalla was very popular. Wherever she went, people came up to greet her, and Lyra also earned a lot of goodwill by association.
Dalla asked Lyra about her well-being, and Lyra was quite fond of the gentle woman. Women always find a way to bond with one another. Dalla and Val's informal chatter quickly closed the distance between them.
Dalla teased, "Do you like Thorfinn?" Lyra blushed a little but nodded her assent.
Val added, "Plenty of girls like him, you know. He has a girl back home named Morla who likes him, too. Thorfinn may look handsome, but he has quite a few admirers."
Lyra smiled softly, "I know. Thorfinn told me. But... who knows what the future holds?" Though Lyra was a little worried, she was confident. Granny Thenya had left her more than just magical knowledge; she also knew how to hold a man's heart. Lyra was determined to have Thorfinn.
Val was somewhat surprised by the answer. The three of them tacitly dropped the subject and talked about other things.
Just as Thorfinn and Mance were chatting happily, a messenger interrupted them. The man rushed in, stuttering and stammering as he reported what they had seen.
Mance: "Are you saying a group of skinchangers arrived? And one of them is leading a giant snow bear?"
Thorfinn was immediately excited by the news. "That's Orrik! My family is here!" With that, he lifted the tent flap and strode outside. Mance followed behind, and the three lads waiting outside also hurried along to greet the newcomers.
Before reaching the camp's edge, Thorfinn could already hear Orrik's loud voice: "What? We came all this way, and you won't even let us in?" Backing up Orrik's sternness, the massive snow bear beside him stood up and roared, its sheer presence intimidating the men who had tried to intercept them.
Thorfinn rushed toward Orrik and the others.
Seeing Thorfinn, Reynar and the others finally relaxed. Since Thorfinn was already there, nothing else would be a problem.
Thorfinn smiled, "Father, Mother, you're here."
Just then, Mance arrived. When Mance moved, many idle Free Folk followed him. As the host, Mance couldn't help but be pleased by the arrival of Thorfinn's family.
Reynar stepped forward and looked Mance up and down. "You are Mance Rayder?"
Mance smiled, "I am, and you are Reynar."
Reynar scrutinized him for a moment before saying, "You look the part, at least. My son trusts you, so as his father, I couldn't rest easy and ended up joining, too."
Mance replied easily, "You won't be disappointed. We've accomplished quite a bit now, as you can clearly see from all these tents."
Reynar finally smiled, "I trust Thorfinn and the others. And now... you need to take us to a place where we can settle down, Mance Rayder!"
Reynar's near two-meter height kept Mance constantly looking up. Having received Reynar's approval, Mance's tension dissolved. It had to be said that being a big man had its advantages, at least when it came to intimidating people.
Thorfinn called his lads to help Reynar and the others with their luggage. Darie also walked up to Mance and smiled, "Don't mind him. Reynar is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He's always like this."
Mance smiled, too, "What is this? As long as he doesn't take my head off, we can talk, right? With his size, it'd be easy to beat me, but luckily, I don't rely on my strength to gain respect, hahaha!" The tense atmosphere from before melted away in Mance's few words.
With the main characters gone, the others started buzzing. They discussed who could possibly warrant Mance greeting them in person, but one thing was certain: a beast had arrived at the camp. This family looked like they were not to be trifled with, as three Shadowcats and a dangerous Snow Bear certainly proved that point.
Older Free Folk vaguely remembered a figure: a man who used an axe, a man who had once raided but was not famous for his plundering. The younger folk had no idea who Reynar was, but a reputation is upheld by strength, and even the habitually low-key Reynar would one day rise to fame again.
In an empty field, Mance instructed people to help set up the tents, and Thorfinn's lads joined in. Thorfinn's family was warmly hosted by Mance. It was going to be another sleepless night filled with wine and feasting. Thorfinn's family had found a place in this vast camp. Although their strength was still small, Mance valued it highly.
Lyra had officially joined Thorfinn's family. Morla was not happy, and house troubles might be inevitable in the future, but that was a story for another time. Aside from Morla, everyone else welcomed Lyra, just as Reynar and Darie had once accepted Merek and Morla, even though Lyra was a forest witch.
Darie's generosity and Reynar's gentle nature meant that this family had no truly bad people. Perhaps because of Thorfinn, Lyra also chose to actively integrate. And it was because of this unity that the family found a foothold in this complicated and diverse camp.
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