The Wildling

undeg tri

I knelt by Orell's body, and gently ran my hand down his face, closing his still open, completely white eyes. He had tried to jump from his body I think, right before Jon killed him, but it hadn't saved him. If it did, then his soul was trapped in his bird and there was no way to pull him back out. 

I straightened back up and turned to face those who remained. Those wolves had managed to do damage, but only one man besides Orell had been killed. I turned my gaze to Ygritte, who was still kneeling in the mud as she gazed off in the direction that Jon had fled. 

Tormund was by her side, staring down at her limp body with pity in his eyes, as he nursed the bite wound on his arm that she had inflicted after she head butted me. 

"Let's go. We can't give them time to prepare. We must strike." I ordered, as I walked towards Ygritte pulling the men to their feet as I did. They were exhausted, and if I was being honest, I was as well. But we had to do this, or all our people would die. 

"Ygritte." I called firmly, as I reached her. I stood in the pathway of her gaze, blocking her from seeing the imaginary trail that the Crow took. Her deadened eyes turned up to look at me, and I didn't bother trying to hide the disappointment in my gaze. He betrayed all of us. Not just her, and even though I had predicted it, I didn't want to be proved correct. 

"Are you with us?" I asked, arm extended for her to take if she agreed. She stared at it for a long moment, before finally reaching out with her long pale arm to grasp my leather clad forearm. 

"Yes rhaglaw." She mumbled, bowing her head before rising. I couldn't help but flush at the name. I knew it was my title. I was the Lieutenant of our camp, as was Tormund, but I was hardly ever granted the respect of my title. 

I squeezed her arm, showing my thanks and then I turned to look at the men. They were worn down, tired, but we weren't done. 

"Men. You climbed the Wall because you believed that we could kill the Crows. We still can. That traitorous piece of shit will not change that. We have to kill the Crows, or our people, your women, your children, your friends, they will all die out there in the snow. And then they will come back and kill us. So let's go hunt some crow eh?" The men grinned at me, nodding their heads as they came back to themselves, and then Grungrim, one of the men that Torment had chosen, pulled out his sword and pushed the tip into the ground. His eyes met mine, and he yelled at the top of his lungs. 

"Rhaglaw!" He said, and then the others took up the chant. Pulling their swords out as well, the pushed the tip into the ground, calling my title, pledging their loyalties to me. 

I could hardly breathe. The last time I had heard of my people doing this, was when they accepted Mance as their King. It had been many, many years since they pledged loyalty to anyone but themselves. 

I bowed my head towards them, and the stopped the call, standing there, at attention with their swords in the dirt, waiting for my order. 

"We will attack their villages. Plunder the towns between us and Castle Black. We will put fear into their hearts! And when we arrive, they will know death is coming for them." I said calmly, and hardly even noticed as Tormund shifted so he was behind me, showing to the others that this was now my mission, my men, and he was no longer my partner. 

Jon Snow will regret ever betraying me, that I can promise. 

Ygritte was weeping when she came back from her hunt, and she was carrying no food, and I knew what had happened almost instantly. 

"You found him?" I whispered, pulling her away from the camp as the men bustled around, setting it up. She nodded, furiously rubbing away the tears that were falling from her face until she looked nothing more than angry. 

"What happened?" I asked, clutching her biceps gently in my hands, trying to comfort her, but not really knowing how. 

"He was by a pool, cleaning his face from the bird. I was aiming at him. I thought I could kill him... but he turned it on me. Said that I knew who he was, what he is. He blamed me... and he said he loves me. And that... that he knew I love him, but he had to go anyway... He ran. And I shot him. It hit his shoulder, and I got another one in his leg. I think I got him in the back too but I don't know. He just kept riding off." She cried, tears falling faster now, but the rage was building in her eyes. 

"Ygritte. Why didn't you kill him?" I whispered, and I knew it was harsh. I knew I shouldn't have said it, but she should have killed him! He betrayed us. And he was sacrificing thousands of our people, simply to make himself seem like a hero to the wimpy little shits living in the castle. 

"Because I love him." She said, a bewildered look on her face as she stared up at me. I felt the glare overcome my face, and when I grabbed the hair on the back of her head and yanked her head so that it was tilted back, and pressed my dagger against her neck, she was too shocked to move. 

"If our people die... because you fell in love with a Crow, I will kill you. Slow, and painful. I've heard what you've said to him, that he knows nothing, because you think that you are the smartest thing to ever walk the earth. Well... sweetheart... you know nothing. You should have never trusted him. And never loved him. Because now? Your love will cost your life." I growled, pressing just hard enough on her neck to draw a small drop of blood, before I shoved her to the ground. 

"Now go back out, and get us some damn food." I hissed, before spinning away, back to the men who actually do what they're told.