You do

“I accept.” You don’t kneel, having learned from your brothers, no, ex-brothers, that the Free Folk don’t kneel.

“Good choice, lad. Now, come with me, it’s time to sort you out as a real man o’ the Free Folk.” Mance smiles at you, handing you a horn of mead. You drain the horn in one, and follow the King out of his tent. “So, lad, what do you know of the Free Folk?”

“Not much. Mostly that you- no -we don’t take orders from many. I’ve heard they don’t call you your grace, but I’m not sure if that’s true.”

“It is. I’m Mance to most, ‘the’ Mance to others. If I were you, lad, I’d learn all I can about how to find myself a woman here.”

“Why?” You ask, raising your eyebrows. It’s clear you’re walking towards a storage area, probably so you can get rid of your black cloak and replace it with a sheepskin one.

“Haven’t you seen the way Val looks at you? Damn girl wants you in her, that’s plain to see.”

“Val? The woman in white?”

“Aye, that’s her. Sister to Dalla, my wife.”

“I see. How would I speak to her? Is there a method to this?”

“You have to steal her. Effectively, you’re **** her. You have to get her from her camp, wherever that is, to your camp. Simple. If you aren’t careful though, she’ll take your balls for a trophy. Eunuchs are eaten by the Thenns.”

You laugh. “Reminds me of the threat I received from the Knight whose wife I fucked. He said he’ll castrate me if I didn’t join the Watch.”

“Rightly so, cuckolding a man like that!” Mance says, but he’s clearly joking. “If you cuckold a man up here, be prepared to fight him, or lose more than just your balls. A friend of mine fucked another man’s wife, so the man cut off his cock and balls and then shoved the handle of his axe up my friend’s backside. Needless to say, be careful who you fuck.”

“Thanks, Mance. If I steal Val, then what?”

“She’s yours, as long as you treat her well. She’ll bear your sons, give you pleasure and the like if you’re right by her, she’ll cut your throat in your sleep if you’re not.”

“I see. I suppose I’ll be stealing her soon then.”

“You probably will. Now then, let’s get you a new cloak. Black’s not a colour for a man of the Free Folk. Keep the chain mail, though. Good steel is hard to come by up here. You any good with that sword?”

“Enough not to die in the battlefield.”

“That’s enough for me.” He hands you a sheepskin cloak, as well as some more furs. “This’ll keep you warm.”

“Thanks”

“And Harrin, I don’t need to tell you what will happen if you betray me, do I?”

“No, you don’t.”

“Good. Let’s just say it’ll make what happened to my friend a friendly misunderstanding. Good luck with Val.”