The universe of A Song of Ice and Fire and its characters belong exclusively to George R.R. Martin. This is a work of fiction created by a fan for fans, made solely for entertainment and the development of creative writing.
Only the characters created by me, such as the protagonist and some other original characters, as well as the changes to the canonical plot resulting from their actions, are of my own intellectual authorship.
I wish everyone a good read!!
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QUICK AUTOR NOTE
Guys, thank you so much for the comments, for the powerstones, and for adding this fanfic to your collections. We've reached the milestone of 1500 collections, and it all came at once right after I posted chapter 9 of Simple Nothing — a lot of people showed up! Thank you very much. To celebrate, I'm planning to release a bonus chapter this week. But since my classes are starting again and I have to balance work and study, I don't have much free time. Still, as soon as I can, I'll post a chapter to celebrate this achievement of ours. Thanks again!
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Chapter 10
Year 100 A.C
POV: Denovan
The night was silent, but my sleep was broken by a heavy hand on my shoulder.
"Wake up, son," whispered Sigorn's deep voice.
I opened my eyes, still groggy, seeing the massive silhouette of my father illuminated only by the faint light of a candle.
"Father? What..."
"Shhh. Speak quietly." He sat on the edge of my bed, his face serious. "About the trip... Valka won't agree. No way. If we try to convince her, she'll tie you up in the basement until the giants leave."
I sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes, the reality of what he was saying settling in.
"So you are here to help me?"
"Well... have you heard the story of the Warg King?"
I tried to remember any story like that in the books I read in my other life or in the legends here, but I didn't remember anything. I shook my head negatively.
A slight smile appeared on his face.
"The Warg King was a man of the Free Folk, powerful, who was blessed by the Old Gods. He united the savages, giants, children of the forest, and the greenseers and controlled a pack of direwolves. He was the last man who truly embodied the magic of the Old Gods..."
Sigorn looked at me intently.
"You, Denovan, remind me of that legend. After everything we've talked about, everything I've seen you do, I know of your strength and maturity...", he continued, his voice charged with conviction. "It won't be me who delays you from forging something like this. I know you never wished to become the Magnar of the Thenns... and I know you have plans to leave the valley."
"Father...", I was going to explain myself. It's not that I disparaged the legacy of the Magnars, it was just that I wanted to build something significant. I wanted to prevent lives on this side of the Wall from being so precarious. I was going to change this, I was going to unify the wild clans and perhaps forge the eighth kingdom of Westeros. That was what I wanted.
Sigorn interrupted me, raising his hand.
"No need to explain. You have your desires, your hunger for something more... I already had that fire, but you are better, son. And I will continue to place my trust in you. Go with the giants, and return with those beasts by your side. Show the Thenns that you can be a new Warg King."
My eyes shone. Sigorn was more than he appeared; he knew more than he showed. Truly worthy of being the only 'Lord' on this side of the Wall.
"Thank you, Father. I promise I won't disappoint you..."
"I'm not finished yet, brat... As I said before, I know you don't want to be Magnar, but you must not abandon your people, Denovan. Everything you have is because of us. So, when you achieve your desires, you will return to us and fulfill your duty. It may not be today, or tomorrow, but a few years from now, it will have to be you leading them. Our people follow the strongest. It has always been like this, and will continue like this. And you, my son, are the most worthy of it."
I didn't know if I really wanted to be the Magnar of the Thenns, I wanted something more... Fuck it, I'm going to say it. My father is placing this trust in me, there's no way I can say nothing and keep him in the dark.
I looked at him with focused eyes, shining in decision.
"Father... have you heard about Hardhome?"
"The largest settlement that ever existed on this side of the Wall... there are few who haven't heard."
"I intend to rebuild it. A few years from now, when I am better prepared, I will travel alone, pass through every settlement of the Free Folk and start unifying each of them."
I saw my father's reaction, saw his eyes shining with enthusiasm, and continued: "I will take them to a new Hardhome, rebuild it piece by piece, build ships and sail around the Wall. Trade with the rest of the continent and, who knows, manage to integrate us with the kingdom. Fewer of our people would die. Together we would be stronger."
"It's a great goal, son. But, to be honest, I can't imagine the kneelers of the south tolerating our presence."
"I'll find a way. Whether by talking or by force."
My father gave me a characteristic lupine smile.
"If the Old Gods help me, I intend to see, Denovan, every one of these steps of yours."
I smiled somewhat shyly and said: "It will be the greatest legend the world will hear."
"Then pack your things, Denovan, and go to Halgar's house tomorrow morning. He will go with you... I can let you go on this trip, but not unaccompanied. Halgar is experienced in excursions, he will help you with the things you need during the trip."
"Thank you, Father...", I said getting up and grabbing a leather bag to pack my things.
He got up too, ran his hand over my head and left the room, as silently as he entered.
Having someone place so much trust in you is intoxicating. It gives happiness, pride, but also gives fear. Fear of not succeeding... But now is not the moment for that. I slapped my cheeks and continued packing.
I didn't even ask how he will deal with Mom... he will have difficult nights... Good luck, Father!
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The next day...
The sun had barely risen. Our house was silent. I grabbed my things and snuck out, being as quiet as possible.
I left the house and headed towards Halgar's. When I got there, he was already waiting for me, but was hugging his wife.
Sigh. I felt a pang of guilt. After all, it was my fault he was separating from his family for a good while.
I waited for him to finish saying goodbye and spoke:
"Good morning, Halgar. Good morning, Gina."
"Good morning, Denovan," said Halgar, and Gina gave a respectful nod.
"Is everything ready?", I asked him.
"It is. Let's get the horses and head towards the mammoth herd. Let's talk to the giant chief, ask permission to walk among them."
"They are good people, they wouldn't refuse," I said already heading towards the corral.
Halgar gave one last hug to his wife and left behind me.
As we headed to the corral, I broke the silence:
"Did my father tell you how long we have for the trip?"
"Didn't the Magnar tell you?", he asked confused.
"Well, I'm leaving in secret, my mother doesn't know."
"May the gods and Valka have mercy on the Magnar," said Halgar in a somewhat serious tone.
"HAHAHA, it's not that bad, my mother isn't that fierce."
"It's because you didn't know her before she married the Magnar... she was too fierce," he said with a somewhat trembling voice, as if remembering the past.
"We have plenty of time for you to tell me these funny stories," I said with a smile for Halgar.
It turned out the subject was diverted from the intended one and I didn't care to ask again about the deadline. After all, that doesn't matter now.
"Hiiiiiiihihi!" Breu neighed as soon as he saw us approaching.
And right next to him, on the post, was Horus, watching us. Awakened by the noise, he flew in my direction and landed on my shoulder.
"Good morning to you," I said dividing my attention between both.
After a few moments, I started preparing Breu's saddle and tying things to him. In a little less than fifteen minutes we were already out of the village.
We left discreetly, taking a wide detour to avoid being seen. We followed the trail of the giants, which was impossible to miss—some fallen trees and footprints the size of bathtubs. We only approached when the village was already a distant point on the horizon.
Half of them had already left with the mammoths; only a few giants remained to finish the trade, and leading them was Trasg.
Trasg wasn't surprised to see us when we finally reached him.
"Small hunter came," he boomed, looking down at us from above. "Did you not bring the rest of the sharp points? You do not plan to break the agreement, do you?"
"No, NO... the trades will come in a few hours," I said hurriedly. I saw the giant's complexion soften. "I came here only to make a request to you, nothing that hinders the agreement."
"And what do you seek, small one?"
"I would like to see the saber-tooths you mentioned a few days ago. Wanted permission to accompany the herd and you to them."
"Just that?", he asked somewhat confused. "You don't even need to ask permission, you can accompany us, small hunter."
"Thank you, Trasg."
"We know the way... so go first, the mammoths and the other giants left a few hours ago."
"But that animal you have is fast, you will catch up to them in time."
"Thank you again, Trasg, we will meet later."
He nodded and I gave a smile. I turned to Halgar and said:
"Let's go, mammoths aren't that delicate, we have plenty of tracks to follow."
"Let's go, the sooner the better. The herd brings safety to those who walk with it, predators are afraid to approach."
I nodded and we left quickly, with Breu enthusiastic; after all, it was the first long trip for that beast. I looked to the skies and Horus was high up, observing everything. I closed my eyes for an instant and switched bodies with Horus. I felt the wind hit the wings, pass through the feathers. It was cold, but brought a comfort and peace I never felt before. I inhaled the freezing air deeply and again closed my eyes and returned to my body.
The feeling of flying was intoxicating. That's why the Targaryens are so arrogant; that feeling of superiority when you are in the sky is incredible.
I looked at Halgar and asked the question again:
"You didn't answer me before, Halgar. How much time do we have? My father didn't even say anything, but I doubt he didn't give me a deadline to return, it's not like him."
"Li...ke what? Never mind," he looked at me strangely and continued: "The Magnar told me that in six months we have to be in the comfort of our homes."
"That is a lot of time, I don't plan to stay all that."
"Just the trip with the mammoths should take a month and a few days, it won't be as fast as you imagine."
"Hmm," I nodded. The truth is I really have no idea how long it will take, but six months is a lot, especially to live camping.
A little over an hour later, we spotted the mammoth herd. We were already close to them.
"Thought it would take longer...", I murmured.
"Our horses are fast and constant. A herd of that size has to stop all the time to feed, that's why the trip will take a long time. If we knew exactly where this place the giants told you about is, we could be there in some 20 days... I think."
"The return will be fast, at least."
"Yes," Halgar nodded with a sigh.
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Ten days later
We were setting up a tent in the middle of nowhere. It was snow everywhere we looked, a frozen desert.
"Halgar, is this really a good place to spend the night?"
"There is no worse place...", Halgar told me grumpily.
"Don't set up anything here then, let's spend the night near the herd, or together with the giants. They shouldn't refuse."
He looked at me with a raised eyebrow and said: "You want to sleep with a giant?"
"Let's sleep NEAR, not WITH a giant... don't confuse things."
"Hahaha... I understood, your face was funny, I have to confess," said Halgar laughing.
The days passed and, perhaps because we were far from home, Halgar was a bit more relaxed, even though he was annoyed to be escorting me. And as much as it was good to see him a bit more relaxed, there were times it was annoying.
"Let's go!", I said pulling Breu close to me. Horus was inside my coat, resting on the handle of the knife on my hip.
We approached the herd and the mammoths were lying down. It's even weird to see animals of that size lying down and sleeping. We started to skirt the mammoths and in the center it was possible to see the giants huddled, all together inside their makeshift tent.
I saw Trasg still outside the tent and said quietly:
"Trasg, my friend, could we spend this night near your hut? This storm is freezing my bones."
"If you want to use our tent, it should fit two small yous."
"Thank you, but here is already great."
"HM," he nodded.
Halgar and I spent every night in a small tent. We put the horses inside and slept leaning against them for warmth, but this night was too much. Snowstorm. We needed to stay in the protective circle of the mammoths; they protected from the wind and generated a heat that made this night a little easier.
We finished setting up the tent, and Breu and Halgar's horse, Reed, were already lying in the middle. We made a fire in the center and, since the tent was designed for that, there was no risk of us dying suffocated without oxygen; the smoke went out exactly through a small hole at the top, designed so that cold air wouldn't enter, but the smoke could escape.
I was leaning on Breu, Horus was beside me sleeping standing up. Halgar was already asleep, but despite his comforting presence, my bonds, and the giants, a worry began to gnaw at my mind: the village.
Leaving my family behind, especially with the silent threats of other clans or creatures, made me restless. I didn't know if the Others would appear only in the future, or if they could appear at any moment; I didn't have a record of any of that, actually according to the series, they appeared during the year 250 AD to 300 AD, but this was a real world now, they only showed themselves at that time, but who guarantees they aren't already walking around.
I needed to have a guarantee. I could send Horus, but it was useful to have him with me; in the last few days, it was he who found our prey, he is vital to stay with me.
I needed eyes back there.
Maybe I should get some owl, or even crows. They should serve, one can't be demanding all the time. With these thoughts, I entered the dream world.
A few days passed, and I found no owl. Maybe the movement of the mammoths scared them away, so I gave up and turned my gaze to crows instead.
It was on a gray afternoon that the solution appeared. Horus was hunting and knew I was looking for crows and owls, and he found them. Two crows landed on an elk carcass not so far from our camp.
They were opportunistic birds, but there was an intelligence in their black eyes that attracted me. If Horus were bigger, I would ask him to bring them to me, but even with his increased size, he couldn't bring them over a long distance.
"Halgar, I'll be right back, found the crows I was looking for," I said already deviating Breu from the path and heading in the direction Horus was.
"Hey, hey... brat!", Halgar shouted behind me.
In less than fifteen minutes I could spot the carcass. My eyes could see at incredible distances; it was at these times you saw their advantage.
"Bra...", Halgar was going to start a lecture, but I interrupted him.
"Wait here, there is an elk carcass up ahead... we'll talk later."
I started walking silently, but hurriedly.
When they were a few meters away, I approached slowly. They didn't fly away. I extended my mind, the same way I did with Horus and then with Breu. It was the first time I was going to try with an already adult animal.
The process contradicted what I expected, I thought there would be more resistance, being an adult and intelligent animal, but now it was much more natural and faster than it was with Breu. I thought it would take some time, maybe a few hours, maybe I had to build trust.
But when the crows' eyes met mine, the bond formed almost instantly, as if they were waiting for it, or as if crows were naturally receptive to magic.
I was almost certain these had nothing to do with the Three-Eyed Raven, but he was the first that came to mind when we formed the bonds.
"Brynden Rivers, the Bloodraven, you have nothing to do with this, do you?"
I shook my head. That guy hasn't even been born yet. I don't know how the greenseer's power works, but I think he doesn't have influence yet. At least that's what I hope. I shook my head again and looked at the crows in front of me.
Two crows, what names can I give them?
"Muninn. Huginn," I said after a few moments. The names came to my mind, a fitting homage to my mentor "deity".
"Hehe, somewhat appropriate," I murmured to myself.
I turned to Huginn. He stared at me with scrutiny, turning his head every few moments.
"Go to the village. Alert me of anything strange you see. Be my eyes at home."
"CAW CAW," the crow left not silently at all, cawing as if alerting the world of his latest mission.
To Muninn, I gave a different task.
"Fly north, towards the coast," I said pointing to the side I thought was the coast. "Map the clans, the scattered tribes. I want to know where they are out there."
Muninn left silently to the northeast. He seemed to be the quieter of the two.
I believe both can reach their goals, and it would be a good test to see if I can locate my bonds in case they get far away. Besides being calmer with Huginn at home, monitoring and observing them, Muninn is doing what I've been thinking for a while: if I want to unite most of the savages in a few years, I needed to have a route. The North was big, very big. If I walked around aimlessly, it would take decades to have something significant, and I didn't want that. I want, in half a decade, to already have some good clans under my wings.
It was a first step towards the 'Conquest'.
The trip continued, hours turning into days, and days into weeks, but another problem became quite recurrent: the darkness. As good as a falcon's eyes were, they didn't see during the night.
The nights here were absolute. I felt an improvement in my vision with the bond coming from the crows, but very little, and it was also the only thing I noticed different and better after the bond. I could barely see a meter in front of my arms, while the giants seemed to see perfectly in the gloom.
"They have night vision..." That was what I had thought, but after a while talking to them, I discovered that, in fact, they have very, very bad vision, but have a very keen sense of smell. So, for them it doesn't make much difference if it's night or day, they see poorly just the same.
And well... I added more Pokémon to my wishlist.
"I need an owl." Been looking for one for a while. Maybe the camouflage of one in these snows is very good, or there simply aren't any around here, I haven't found any. I felt like a Pokémon master. Only, instead of capturing to fight in rings, I bonded to absorb genetic abilities. Much cooler—and useful—than the original.
A month and a few days after leaving the village, we arrived at a colossal barrier of icy mountains. We entered through a narrow passage the giants knew and, when we came out the other side, my breath escaped me.
A valley hidden within the mountain range. It wasn't immense, but it was protected from the cutting winds.
"Here we stay," announced Trasg, his voice echoing on the stones. "Five moons. The females give birth here. Then, we continue."
It was the perfect place. And, according to Trasg, the hunting territory of the saber-tooths.
"Let's make a more reinforced camp, to last a good while...", said Halgar as he dismounted the horse.
He continued: "I thought skin-changers took a while to manage to switch bodies. I remember it took a while for you to manage with your falcon, and then your horse, but those crows were in seconds... how long do you think you would manage with the saber-tooths?"
"My warg was getting stronger... you know about this characteristic of mine," I said looking at Halgar, who nodded while I spoke. "And I think I was just very compatible with crows, maybe that's why. And the saber-tooths, I don't know. If everything goes right, and I manage to find a cub, a few weeks. If it's an adult I don't even know if I can."
It was a half-truth; I was confident I could bond with an adult saber-tooth, but I didn't know how long it would take.
He studied me with his eyes and said:
"Help me set up camp there then... then we can already start looking, the sooner you manage, the better," Halgar said pointing to a stony place, but without accumulated snow.
I nodded and followed him closely.
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