[Chapter Size: 2358 Words.]

  Jon Snow POV.Somewhere on North.

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  Val POVFinally, we're back. Half of roup fell to the Wights in the east during a nighttime attack. We lost 200 free folk to save 500 from a tribe and bring them back to the camp.

  "It's about time we got here," a frustrated voiext to me said.

  "e on, Ygritte. You still have to introduce yourself to Tormund, and I want to see Dal. If she might be pregnant, I'll firm it today," I told my fiery-haired archer friend.

  "Okay, we split up here. I'll say that if Dal is pregnant, I gratuted a new warrior of the free folk who will be born," the archer said. I nodded, and we went our separate ways.

  I noticed everyone was talking more than usual as I ehe camp with my people. Despite many reizing and greetihey seemed to shift their attention to talking about someone new in the camp. Normally, people noticed me as one of the leaders, but I was being ignored along with my group. I didn't pay much attention because Dal and her well-beihe only things on my mind now; I didn't even want to go east, but there was an emergency. I tinued until I found Maent in the ter of the camp.

  I noticed a meeting was underway because there were men from all the leaderships outside. They didn't stop me, and I ehe tent quickly. I saw all the leaders discussing, but the most heated argument at the moment was between Karsi and the Lord of Bohe tter being unfriendly. I saw Dal beside them, but I frowned when I saw her hands resting oomach.

  I got angry and interrupted their discussion, which they hadn't noticed until then.

  "DALLA! What are you doing here? You're pregnant, and you should be resting!" Everyone looked at me after my angry words.

  "Val! Good to see you. Yes, I found out a few days ago, but I'm only one monant. I won't die just because I'm at the meeting wheher you nor Mance should attend," she said firmly. I ged at my older sister's words; after all, I am a very ed sister. "Val, you save your versations for ter?" Varamyr "Sixskins" spoke angrily at my interruption. I nodded, feeling a bit ashamed of my behavior, ao Dal to hear the discussion.

  "And what are you all arguing about?" I asked.

  "There's no one else north of here. Karsi refuses to send more men there," the Lord of Bones growled.

  "Do you wao send my people to death while yours stay here drinking mammoth milk?" she snapped.

  "There's no one else in the northern zone?" I asked incredulously, and Dal nodded.

  "All dead, and I agree with the Lord of Bones," Varamyr ented.

  "We need someohere, but I 't agree to send only Karsi's tribe. Lord of Bones and Varamyr, send your people!" I said firmly.

  "My people are already pnning to ihe South to distract the kneelers wheack the Wall, and I don't take orders from a woman," the Lord of Bones spat on the ground.

  "Then don't expeything when Mance is away," Del said beside me.

  The man was angered by my sister's ent but restrained himself.

  "Why don't you send that new southerner from your tribe, Karsi? I heard he fights well. He might be useful," Varamyr said, and I noticed a glint in his eyes.

  'New southern member? What the hell is this,' I thought.

  "True, we have that kneeler here; he's definitely a disguised crow, and Karsi took him in a week ago," Lord of Bones growled.

  "You try to kill him, but you're likely to die," Tormund, who had been quiet all this time, said. The Lord of Boared at the red-haired giant.

  "Just because he beat you and a few others doesn't mean he's strong or that t him like you. It just means you're weak," the man with the bone mask said.

  "And he fought a giant..." Dal ented, and Karsi started ughing.

  'I'm away for a week, and a stranger shows up in the camp. He fought a giant? What man would survive that?' I reflected on this nonsense.

  "HAHAHHAHAHA, by the way, Tormund, I know you guys are always drinking together; I hope you don't want to steal my niece's husband for your tribe." Karsi said with a critical smile. Tormund snorted.

  "I tried, I admit, asked him if he wao be our leader when he defeated me in front of the tribe, he didn't even think twice before refusing," Tormund decred, and almost everyone wideheir eyes at that.

  "You would make a southerner our leader?" Harma growled.

  "Mance is a southerner..." Tormund raised his eyebrows before tinuing. "But that doesn't stop you from following him; he may have been here for a week, but he's as free as any of us, not even wanting to be a leader or the women trying to steal him stop him; he's just carefree about everything, only wanting to know about fighting and partying. Maybe that's why I like him," Tormund decred.

  "You're shameless, Tormund," Karsi snorted, and Tormund just ughed.

  "I heard he's looking for someoo teach him the old tongue," Dal decred."How do you know?" Karsi frowell me something he does in this camp that everyone doesn't talk about for the rest of the day? He's practically the most famous person here nowadays, whether saying good things or bad things." My sister decred, and I could see how some leaders who didn't like this mysterious man frowned.

  "But don't worry, I taught these things to Val; now my sister here will take care of teag Jon Snow, the giant killer." Dal tinued and wi me as I frowned."What is my sister pnning with this?" I wondered what kind of man had earhat niame. I couldn't help but be curious about him, though.

  A few moments ter, the meeting ended with everyourning to their camp area."What are you thinking?" I asked indignantly."I'm thinking about you and my future nephews, Val," my sister said with a smile."Why do you think I would get along with a man I've never seen, and I don't even know if he has the strength to steal me?!" I said angrily.

  "I've seen him before; Karsi's niece is his wife, but she 't trol him. Maybe he needs someone fiercer," my sister said, and I just shook my head, finding it absurd.

  "Believe me, you'll like him. He's more handsome than most women here." I scoffed at her ent.

  "You need a husband and children, Val; it's time to find a lover." She told me.

  "And didn't I say I would do that once we get through the Wall? I o fight iimes, and I don't want to carry a child with great danger behind us; my nephew is already enough." I said angrily, but I quickly ged the subject to avoid talking more about a stranger and asked about her pregnand my future nephew.

  My sister brought back the versation about the strahat night, and she forced me to go see him the day, so I relutly agreed.

  The day, I went to Karsi's camp to talk to this Jon Snow. From what I heard, many suspect that he's a disguised kneeler here to spy on us, but I also heard that he killed aire group of crows alone. Val couldn't deny being curious about a man with that kind of story.

  When I arrived, I was io Karsi's camp. I saw a crowd gathered in a circle that m, passed through them to see what was happening, and saw a tall, muscur, and handsome man training a boy.

  "Keep the shield up!" he excimed to the child."But it's heavy!" the boy groaned, holding a shield, one of the few in the camp, as this on is hard to e by on this side of the world from what I know."It's because it's heavy that it prevent a sword from pierg it," the man expined, his voice expressing power and authority.

  This man took the bronze sword and struck the child's shield with a force that knocked him down; the boy was tired. We never had time or privilege to train our children or people. This sight was rare to see in the camp, even surrounded by 140 thousand people.The man also showed that he knew how to handle and teach people, proving that he was from south of the Wall, but people respected him when they looked at him. He also didn't have that disdainful look that everyone says southerners have for us.

  "e here, you fought well. Time to rest a bit," he said, taking the boy's hand and lifting him off the ground.Karsi's niece approached; they exged some words, and I noticed how Lucis became frustrated with the unfolding versation. She looked at me for a moment and ented with him. He turo me, studying me, his eyes were beautiful like I had never seen before, purple eyes that seemed to shine and a strong gaze of a great warrior. I must say that few among all here have this look. It mesmerized me.

  'Maybe my sister is right that it's time for me to choose a father for my children...' a voice sounded in my head.

  "You must be Val," said a firm voice, snappi of my thoughts, and I looked at the man in front of me. He was already so close without me realizing that I choked a bit.

  "It's me, you must be Jon Snow, the giant killer as people say," I said, rec.

  "Great, Karsi said you would help me with the old tongue; no one iribe knows it. I'm ied in that if you teach me. Tormund isly a teacher, so..." Jon Snow spoke with a rexed smile.

  "Yes, he isn't, and I'm here to teach you," I said fidently after my surprise passed. I returo my normal self and gave him a mischievous smile, speaking again.

  "However, there's a dition," I said, smiling at him, raising an eyebrow. He wasn't even that surprised by my beauty.

  "You have to defeat me, prove that you deserve my attention, and I'll do it for you. If you beat me, I'll teach you the old tongue, but you must teach me to fight as well," I said.

  "Great, get your on," he told me, and I pulled out the sword that I always carry from my waist.

  Holding the sword he trained with the child, he walked to the ter of the circle, while I walked behind him. The crowd turheir attention to the circle again, and many whispers about my fight against him begauro me and took a bat stance; Jon had a pletely warrior-like posture, unlike anything I've seen around here. His fur clothes were even too small for the weather, but there was no sign that he cared about it.

  I took the first step, and he tered my first cut; I unched an attack, he tered, attacked from the left, he tered without taking a step, I cut from the right, and he just effortlessly moved his arm to deflect it.

  There was boredom in his gaze; I was being treated like a novice fighter here and now. It hurt my pride as a spearwife. I fought fiercely for minutes, but to my frustration, the result remaihe same without him eveing tired.

  That was until he started attag and taking his first steps. I could only walk backward trying to keep him at bay, but his attacks were steady, strong, and fast until he kicked my feet, and I fell to the ground with his sword poi my neck.

  "I guess I won," he said with a smile. I saw how distracted he was, as if I were a child to him. It infuriated me, so I didn't waste time.

  I kicked his leg in frustration, catg him off guard for a moment. He must have been so fident that he lowered his guard and didn't realize the situation until his body began to fall. I didn't waste time and mounted him, taking my bone knife from my waist a straight for his neck.

  However, before I could react, he grabbed my hand and disarmed me in a swift motion as he fell on top of me. When I realized it, he already had the same k my own neck.

  "Now, do you surrender?" He said pyfully with his words. He started ughing loudly, and I had to nod carelessly.

  "Damn, how did you do that?" I said softly while he was still on top of me, met with only his smiles as a response.

  People started ughing around us and appuding, talking about how the mighty giant killer was brought down by Val, even though he won the fight in the end. I noticed that even the boy he was training had wide eyes at this, and Lucis had a sadistic smile on her face, much like mine. She wao see that arrogant face surprised by his near defeat at some point.

  "Well, now you get off me..." I said a bit embarrassed. He got up, and I quickly stood up with a flushed face.

  "Well... looks like I'm going to learn the old tongue." He was scratg his head as he ented with a smile.

  "I'll teach you, but I want to learn to fight like you," I said, still with a red face, and I could hear some people ughing.

  "We have a deal," he cluded.

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