113 Eyes of the North

Eyes of the North

Jon POV

The candle flickered its last light before it burned out. A shadow fell on my book, but I hadn't been reading it for some time already, so it did not disturb me. The light from the windows was long gone, too. Now, only darkness and shadows surrounded me. Still, I had no intention of lighting another candle. The darkness soothed me in these times. It was the cold that made me uneasy.

Walking to the window, I looked down at the lake surrounding my tower. Queenscrown, the stone holdfast tower, was built on a rocky island in the middle of the lake and surrounded by thick oak trees along the shore. On the lakeshore opposite the tower's entrance are the remnants of a village surrounded by oak and apple trees.

It was once empty and abandoned; only the remains were left. But now it houses hundreds of Free Folk. The run-down houses were rebuilt quickly and the tower was fixed up too. Stone and timber weren't scarce in these parts, and neither were the new inhabitants. The Thenns knew quite well about construction, and they were quite good workers, especially when they were building their new homes.

The causeway was probably the most annoying part of this tower. The stone causeway didn't need any repair, as it was sturdy and wide enough for the carriage to pass. But I don't think any carriage would want to try to pass it—not when it zigzagged through half of the lake before reaching the rocky island where the tower stood.

The turns are treacherous, and the long path means that anyone approaching would be exposed to arrow fire from the tower for a long time. The stones of the path were slimy and slippery as they were submerged partially underwater. So, it was quite a safe place against invaders. Well, since the Free Folk are its defenders, I don't think there will be anyone who would attack it.

It was a modest place, especially for the Hand of the King. Lord Stark still sounded foreign to my ears. And I didn't even have a chance to return to Winterfell. I was too busy settling the Free Folk into the abandoned forts along the Wall. Resources needed to be provided for them; it was left to them to rebuild the forts. The only thing they were not allowed to build were walls south of the Wall.

Still, that only housed about ten thousand of them, and tens of thousands still didn't have a place to go. The mountain clans of the North didn't want anything to do with the Free Folk, not even after I visited them. I shouldn't have asked them for more, so I was at least glad they were willing to support the Gift and the Wall with resources.

Most of the Free Folk built their villages along the Bay of Seals, south of Eastwatch by the Sea. At least they didn't need much to survive. And there were quite a few clans that knew a good deal about fishing and catching seals. So, they should be fine. I am more worried about those who would have to start farming in the Gift.

The land was fertile and good, but Free Folk knowledge of farming was limited. Not many men from the North wanted to help them either. Still, it won't take long before they get a handle on it and manage to have a harvest before Winter comes upon us. The food was the biggest worry to me. Hopefully, Robb will return from a journey to the Iron Bank soon and have a good deal with them.

It was already immensely hard to control the Free Folk. With Mance at the Wall and I in the Gift, we somehow managed. But a day doesn't go by without one of the Free Folk being captured breaking the law. If it were only a theft, it wouldn't be that bad, but stealing a cow or a horse is one thing, and stealing maidens is another.

The Free Folk didn't have much concern about stealing women. But it was not tolerated in the North. And the tensions between the Free Folk and the North and me were not lessening. The North at least saw that I didn't tolerate the crimes either. I would go to hunt down the assaulters personally if they weren't caught already. And I would geld them and hang them before burning their bodies.

Some of the Free Folk didn't like it. But at this point, I didn't care if they did. A law was a law, and they had to abide by it since they knelt before King Robb and gave their oath. The problem was I didn't have enough loyal men. Somehow, I managed to convince the Thenns to support me. But it was mostly because they saw an opportunity with me for a better life since I held immense lands and power within the North.

"If you continue like this, you will merge with the shadows and the darkness," Val said as she found me staring at the lake. "Or are you trying to freeze the waters with your cold gaze?"

"It is late," I replied, turning to my wife. "You should be sleeping."

"And you should be by my side," Val replied and joined me by the window. "And we definitely shouldn't be sleeping. I know what I am expected of. I need to provide an heir to you, a small price to pay for a chance to live here. But to do so, I, alone, am not enough. Maybe if we called Ygritte to our bedding, you would have more desire. I don't mind it. I like her well enough."

"Don't speak of it," I almost snapped, even though I shouldn't.

"You know nothing, Jon Stark." Val didn't care for my tone as she spoke freely. "We have to adapt to our new lives, with new rules and traditions, so you should understand ours. Or have you already forgotten everything about our lives? Since you have won now, you have won yourself a title, a castle, and lands; you don't care about anyone else. Why would you?"

"Winning? Is that what you think it is about?" I asked for the first time, raising my voice against her. "I didn't try to win anything. I am not doing this because I want this. Sure, I wished for a Stark name for as long as I remember. I even dreamed of taking over Winterfell with my brother's head under my feet. And I will hate myself for the rest of my life for dreaming about it. I am not perfect. I have desires; I have things I desperately want. But I know how to control myself! Something you and your people should learn!"

"My people?" Val raised her head against me, not even flinching a bit at my tone. "Is it not your people anymore? You defeated us. You made us kneel, something that has not happened for thousands of years. You did this. For whatever reasons you held, it doesn't matter anymore. "

"I did what I did because it was right," I didn't buckle at her words. "Because it was kind. I saw people, women and men, children and the elderly, trying to survive, trying to live with the little they had. I didn't see evil, as I had been taught since I was little. So, I decided to do everything I could to help you. I wanted to help because I didn't see much difference between you and the people I grew up with. But with each day, I am tested. I questioned if I wasn't wrong. The worst part is that it is me who is questioning, not anyone else. I am ready to give my all to help the Free Folk to find a new way to live. But are the Free Folk willing to put the same effort?"

"You know, this is the most you have spoken to me so far," Val replied after an awkward pause.

"How can I talk to you when you don't even take me seriously?" I asked, letting out my frustration.

"I do take you seriously," Val replied as she took my burned hand into hers. "I may not understand everything you do. But how can I when you won't say it? I am not some lady you Southerners try to protect or control. I want the same as you. For our people to live in peace. And I am as frustrated as you that some of them would tarnish this opportunity by not being able to control their base instincts. So, let me help you next time."

Only now did I realize that I barely knew Val. Robb quickly wedded us and gave Queenscrown to rule from. I barely even had time to talk to her or Ygritte before I was crushed by my duties of settling in and ruling over the lands. I barely had time to sleep or even eat. Maybe I have been pushing people away, thinking that it was only my responsibility. Clearly, I alone can't take care of everything, I needed help.

"Another one was accused of murder. This time the victim was a boy of eight years old," I told Val. "But I fear he won't be the last."

"What do you need?"

"I think someone is using them," I confessed. "One of the Free Folk is manipulating their people to see to what limit they can push their actions. Maybe it is one of the lords in the North. The crimes seemed too controlled, escalating little by little like someone was testing me to see how I would react. And I fear what they will do once they see enough."

"So, you caught up to that?" I waited for her to explain before jumping to conclusions. "It goes deeper. Free Folk are afraid. They want to live. But they want to live freely. They fear King Robb will take their customs and their freedoms. After all, he didn't care about the Night's Watch laws and tradition. Why would he respect the Free Folk? At least that's how many think."

"The Free Folk aren't alone concerned," I replied and turned back to look at the lake beneath us. "I know how some of the lords are talking behind my back. They probably heard how I betrayed the Night's Watch once. It will take more time for them to trust me if they care to give me doubt of the mind. No matter what I say, I have to prove it with actions. So, far I kept the Free Folk mostly in their place. But how long will they listen to me?"

"Thenns came here with you because they know that you are the only one who can give us what we want. And they aren't alone. We both need to compromise. The North and the Free Folk. But both are stubborn fools who won't listen to each other."

"And there will always be someone who will use this situation to gain power," I could perceive someone moving in the shadows and trying to use the situation to further their goals. "Do you know of any wargs that I could trust?"

"Borroq, you know him, and he knows you. And still, he doesn't hate you like Varamyr. Most importantly, he doesn't have an eagle that will scar your pretty face," Val said as she touched the scars over my eyes. "Oh, and I wasn't joking when I said that Ygritte could join us in the bed. I don't care for such little things."

Val didn't receive the expression she wanted from me as she left me alone. Maybe another man would have spluttered and jumped to the idea. But I couldn't. I loved Ygritte and still do. Yet, I am a married man and have to uphold the honor of my house. And it wasn't fair for either Val or Ygritte. I had to let her go and hope she won't hate me too much for it.

…

I knew the lords of the North. In some ways, they were very simple and straightforward, at least most of them. But they weren't without ambition and weren't below scheming. But what concerned me most were not those who loudly would say tales of how I was manipulating Robb to put me in my position and get me from my vows to the Night's Watch. I heard people call me many names. Oathbreaker, the crow who flees, craven, and many others that would indicate that I was a coward and my word couldn't be trusted.

Those people I could tolerate, their voices didn't mean much in the end. But the silent ones concerned me. I didn't want to accuse Manderly, but I noticed how the one with Robb looked unhappy when Robb agreed to marry Alys Karstark. It looked like the Manderly wanted something in return for helping us with the war. Hopefully, they will be satisfied with getting funds to extend their city and harbor.

"Crow," Borroq didn't seem too happy to greet me. "You wished to see me."

"I didn't expect you to settle in my village," I replied, a bit suspicious of him being near me, especially when I was going to use him to do something similar to what I was afraid of.

"I am here because I didn't want to stay at the Wall, nor am I a fisherman," Borroq replied, hiding his true intentions.

"Val says I can trust you, so I guess it was Mance who sent you to keep an eye on me," I said. The slight twitch of his eye told me that I was right. "No matter. I have a job for you."

"What is it?"

"I want you to keep your eyes on Dreadfort without anyone noticing you," The Boltons were the most dangerous to Robb, and I couldn't let them be without knowing what they were planning. "Getting in their castle would be too risky. But I want to know who comes and who leaves it. I give enough recourses as you might need."

"My reward?"

"It depends on what you find," I replied. "If you are discovered, I will deny that I sent you. But I will not force you if you don't want the job."

"I don't know how lordships work, but I hear they are quite great," Borroq said. "I want a title and my keep. A castle like this one might be too much to ask for, but a Keep seems reasonable for me."

"It is nothing but a tower," I said, motioning around us.

"Aye, but a tall and sturdy tower."

He wasn't wrong. It was enough for me, and it kept me close to the Free Folk and the Wall so I could observe both. Robb had other things to worry about, so I promised myself that I would take care of this part of the North in his stead. Robb trusted me, and I wasn't going to betray that trust. That's why I had to get rid of all Robb's enemies before they even made a move. I couldn't let anyone escape my sight.