章節 43: Welcome Banquet
"Open the gates, the Magnar has arrived!"
At Cam's command, the west doors of the tribe opened, and shortly thereafter, a long line of men fully decked out in furs entered the tribe.
"Oswin, Wymond!"
Cam stepped forward, holding both their hands and shaking an embrace with Oswin.
"How was the trip!"
Cam spoke to the two.
"Damn winter, and damn Frostfangs, we lost 20 men along the way."
Oswin took off the cap that covered his head, tired, a long line of steam coming out of his mouth with every word.
"Papa!"
Ygritte ran from a hill straight into Oswin's arms, he welcomed her into his arms, lifting her and kissing her cheek with the big red beard scratching the girl's neck.
"Little princess, you look enormous to how I remembered you!"
"It was only a few months, though for you it seems like it's been much longer."
Blake walked from the hill, a little behind Ygritte, waving to Wymond and leaving a few words for his father.
Oswin and Wymond looked much more haggard than Blake remembered them, the journey had been hard.
The weight Oswin had gained from his year of inactivity was gone, and there were dark circles under his eyes.
"Take care of the men first, many have starved, others have died on the way, and all are tired and angry."
Blake nodded at the orders Oswin had given him as the Magnar, organizing the long line of people that kept coming into the tribe.
"Oswin, my good friend, I am glad you returned safely!"
Mance Rayder came down from the hill, greeting Oswin with a hug.
"It is good to see you too Mance, where are Qhorin and Jarman?"
Mance shook his head, explaining his situation.
"Lord Oswin, it seems the trip was profitable."
Benjen walked behind Mance, seeing 50 huge reindeer being led by tribesmen to the stables.
"That's only half of the ones I caught, the rest, as well as all the dogs, we had to eat on the way."
Oswin shook his head at Benjen's words, but Benjen turned his gaze to the long line of people still entering before speaking again.
"You also brought many people, I'm sure Blake will find a way to make them useful members of the tribe, so it's still a profitable journey."
There were many women, some with children.
"How many settlements did you go to war against to bring so many people from the Frozen Shore?"
Oswin stood chatting at the entrance, watching with a frown as his son laboriously organized all the people he brought. After an hour of people still arriving, Cam asked with a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead.
"The war was the least of it."
Oswin replied with a bitter look.
With 850 trained and armed men, no one would resist in the Frozen Shore, and live to brag about it.
There were two major factions among the Men of the Frozen Shore, the ones that were causing trouble for the tribe were the ones with antler ornaments.
Oswin tried to negotiate with them, but they refused, so Oswin marched with his 850 men on their settlements, killing those who resisted and taking their women or anyone who surrendered as part of the tribe.
After 3 entire settlements were taken, the Men of the Frozen Shore finally surrendered.
Oswin then, drunk with glory, visited the other settlements, proposing trades and convincing them to follow him as Magnar.
Many agreed, for Oswin was a man the likes of which had not been seen in a long time, and the promises of food, shelter, and clothing were too sweet to refuse. Those who refused to join him became allies with whom to trade food in exchange for the skins or blubber of seals and whales.
"After that, the trouble began."
Oswin's party had grown from 850 men to more than 2500.
Blake had sent enough food to feed 1000 men for 1 year, that, plus what they took from the settlements, should have been enough to feed everyone on the trip back to the tribe, but winter came upon them before they could cross the Frostfangs.
With the heavy breezes and snowfall, the Frostfangs became a death trap, where men fell to their deaths.
The first time they attempted to cross at least 30 men died before Oswin gave the order to return to the temporary camp.
Days passed and food became scarce, the packs of dogs they captured from the settlements were soon devoured, and the Men of the Frozen Shore who joined the black axe tribe were becoming increasingly sensitive and angry, forcing Oswin to ruthlessly maintain order.
"These damn people are as fierce as the Shadowcats, there were times when I thought they would kill us all in our sleep."
Thanks to the message he sent to the tribe describing to Blake their situation, men arrived with food and a relatively safe route that allowed them to cross the Frostfangs.
Oswin vowed never to cross those cursed mountains again when there were signs of winter's arrival.
"At least 50 men died falling into the gorges, and another 50 froze to death in the snows."
Wymond spoke with his eyes narrowed because of the cold breezes, a certain tone of bitterness in his voice as well as Oswin.
Oswin seemed very resentful of this result, he did not like it when men under his charge died, more so when it was entirely his fault for taking more people than he could handle and not foreseeing the coming of winter when the signs had been presented to him.
"My good friend, I know of no man who can carry so many people to safety in the middle of winter, more so to cross the Frostfangs, today let us drink to celebrate your arrival, I will play my lute and sing the best songs in my repertoire."
Mance Rayder said as the chatter continued.
Fortunately for Blake, these numbers were not beyond his expectations, he had built enough houses to house them all within the tribe, and comfortable barracks where the warriors of the second settlement could rest before returning. Blake had arranged for them to do so after the Night's Watch departed, as the second settlement was still being kept hidden from them, to avoid raising unnecessary suspicion. If they knew there was another black axe tribe settlement with a similar population to the first settlement, Blake wasn't sure how they would react.
Blake knew his father well enough to know that he would act recklessly and bring in as many men of war as possible, he wasn't criticizing him, it was something he would do as well, as human capital was not so easy to come by north of the great wall.
"Come to the mess halls, the cooks are already preparing a feast to celebrate the arrival of the Magnar."
When he finally finished, he shouted towards his father, Cam, Wymond, Clay, Ygritte, and the members of the Night's Watch.
The feast in question was not much different from the regular food of the tribe, but he had roasted 3 Aurochs, 10 sheep, a score of chickens and rabbits, as well as brought out barrels of wine, beer, milk, and baked bread.
The Men of the Frozen Shore had the reputation of being extremely fierce people, and while assigning them huts, Blake confirmed this, so he would use this to demonstrate the wealth of the tribe and surprise them. Then it would be easier to assign them to work to do.
They all went to the mess halls where meals and alcohol were already being served.
With the good food, the security of lodging, and alcohol, the atmosphere soon became festive, with men and women drinking in large gulps while chorusing the songs sung by Mance Rayder.
"A bear there was, a bear, a bear!
All black and brown, and covered with hair.
The bear! The bear!
Oh come they said, oh come to the fair!
The fair? Said he, but I'm a bear!
All black and brown, and covered with hair!"
Blake saw a hundred people dancing to the beat of Mance's lute as he sang, Ygritte was off to the side, writing the words coming out of the black raven as she laughed.
"I STOOD UP, HOLDING MY SWORD HIGH, SHOUTING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS, (THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO SURRENDER, FOLLOW ME OR DIE!), RECEIVING NO ANSWER, WE MARCHED ALL TOGETHER, IN 3 PHALANXES. THEY ATTACKED US WITH ARROWS, WHILE A DOZEN SLEDGES DRAWN BY DOGS AS BIG AS DIREWOLVES SURROUNDED US, BUT THE SLEDGES FELL PREY TO OUR SPEARS, AND WHEN WE REACHED THE SETTLEMENT NOT A SINGLE ARROW HAD PIERCED OUR SHIELDS, THEN..."
Oswin, on the other hand, recounted his exploits with a tinge of exaggeration, while scores of warriors laughed and shouted in consequence.
Blake walked past, finally taking a seat next to Cam, who was having a conversation with Benjen Stark.
"Blake!"
Cam held up the glass full of wine as he made room for him to sit down.
"Go get a glass of wine for Blake, the greatest!"
Cam ordered Osha, who was pouring him drinks.
"Ever since you gave her that damn carved tree, she's done nothing but talk about you, you should take her and get her off my back, she's big enough."
Cam's cheeks were rosy from the wine, and Blake raised an eyebrow at his statement.
"Only my father knows me better than you do, Cam, do you want to hand your little oaktree over to someone like me?"
Cam took a big gulp of wine as he listened to Blake's words, shaking his head.
"It's because I know you that I'm willing to do it, I know it'll be safer with you than with anyone else, and you're the best man I know, more so even than your father, have no doubt about that."
Blake was slightly surprised by his friend's words, Cam was his most trusted man, and hearing the absolute faith he placed in him made him smile out of the role he constantly played.
"Perhaps when I take care of some problems, my good friend, but I will carry your words in my heart."
Blake took the jar with wine from Osha's hands, who happily walked away. Then he clinked glasses with Cam, taking a good drink.
"Tell me, Blake, what does your father intend to do with all these people, you know I have to inform the guard about these people Oswin brought, right? Lord Commander Qorgyle is getting more and more nervous about your tribe."
Who spoke now was Benjen, who despite having shared wine with Cam throughout the celebration, did not seem to have become inebriated in the least.
Blake looked at the young Stark thoughtfully about what to say back, after a couple of seconds, he said, looking him in the eye.
"The Night's Watch are afraid of my black axe tribe?"
Benjen narrowed his eyes before nodding.
"Of course, we are afraid of you, according to the records there has never been a settlement of savages so large or so strong near the great wall, it is natural for the men to be nervous."
Among the rumors of the night watch were those that said Oswin had slept with a child of the forest, and after bearing a son, killed her, that child being Blake himself.
Others said that Oswin had found Blake in a hollow tree in Weirwood, that he had been born directly from nature, and so could use magic.
Incredible as it may seem, the most credible of the rumors said that Oswin was gathering forces to proclaim himself the king beyond the great wall, which was not a good sign for the Night's Watch.
"Tell me you, Benjen, do you think we need to cross the great wall to have a good life?"
Benjen hesitated for a second before answering.
"Had I been asked that question by another savage, I would have said yes, but your tribe has shown me that even in the forgotten lands of the north, it is possible to subsist honestly."
Blake nodded. With the men in his charge and his knowledge, Blake had no doubt he could take the great wall whenever he wanted, he knew half a dozen ways to do it. The problem with that was, if he did, Eddard Stark would call his bannermen to lay siege to the castles of the Night's Watch, and if that wasn't enough, he could always call his friend Robert to march north with an army.
Any hostages, conditions, or deals he might ask for would mean little in the eyes of those people, they wouldn't care, they would just see savage raiders and finish them off, as they had done for generations. And Blake could not defend himself against white walkers to the north while he had enemies to the south attacking him, if he initiated a conflict much of the tribe's chances of survival would be lost, so the Night's Watch's concerns against the black axe tribe were meaningless.
"The reason we are preparing so much is because of the coming winter, not to invade the south."
Benjen furrowed his brows.
"We're already in winter."
Blake indulged in a slight chuckle.
"No, this is not the winter we are preparing for, but a much longer and darker one, a winter so cold it will threaten to wipe out all of humanity. If by the time it comes we are not united, we will all die, that much is certain."
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