Terms of Alliance

After more than an hour of long, drawn-out discussions, Jon Snow paused as he took a deep breath, staring at the leaders before him.

"Very well then," He said, focusing his attention on Elsera, Josera, and Gared first, "let's go over this one last time to make sure there are no disagreements. You three want to go south and rush to the aid of House Forrester in their conflict with the Bolton-aligned House Whitehill. In exchange for the aid of my forces in breaking the Siege of Ironrath that has been going on for months, you agree that you will try your hardest to convince your half-sibling Lord to renew his oath of loyalty to House Stark, to back us up against the Boltons and to provide your magical services to aid the cause of House Stark when need be. Are we in accord?"

The three of them replied with an aye. "Help us save our family from the enemies that would see it destroyed and we will follow you," Josera Snow declared.

"To the Long Night and beyond," His sister added.

Gared said nothing else but his actions spoke plenty when he knelt, which made Jon feel slightly uncomfortable but tried not to show it as it wasn't the time for that. Instead, he gestured at the loyal squire to rise and went on to shake their hands.

"Then we have a deal," The new god proclaimed. "I will see to it that the very next campaign of my army involves an attack on the Whitehill forces that have been besieging your family's ancestral seat. Then maybe, after we have fully joined forces with House Forrester and gained access to their vast Ironwood supplies, will their immediate liege lord of House Glover be persuaded to renew his support to our cause. After all, it will look very, very bad on him if we win back Winterfell with the help of one of his vassal Houses but he himself remains neutral like I suspect he is currently planning to stay."

The sorcerers looked pleased with his current priorities. Josera even smirked, likely imagining an embarrassing scene in the future of Lord Glover should he fail to act. Jon turned then to look at Val, the gorgeous blonde staring at him with keen eyes.

"As for you," He began, "You say you want to lead your army of over 500 Spearwives to the Free Folk Camps and claim the mantle of leader that has been left vacant after Mance Rayder, your brother-in-law, died. Assuming you succeed, you pledge to support House Stark in the battles to come in exchange for land to settle for your people and supplies of food in the coming winter. Is there anything you would like to add?"

Val nodded in agreement. "I imagine that once House Stark reclaims their seat and kingship over the North it could be...problematic to acknowledge me as Queen Beyond the Wall and not just because we would be south of the Wall by then. That said, we Free Folk are a very proud lot so, trying to make us feel lesser is not the way to keep our alliance intact. And since even before the Battle of Castle Black, many of them across the clans and tribes had been calling me their princess, even if it was partially in jest, I think keeping that title would please them in this time of transition while we try to learn how to work together. And, to be honest, I have grown to like to hear my name being spoken that way by my spearwives in the months I have been leading my warrior women against the constant walking dead raids on our sanctuary."

Jon Snow scratched his chin for a few moments, debating the benefits and problems of such an open acknowledgment. In the end, however, he nodded. "It's a deal then. Just please, if you face opposition when you try to convince the elders to back you up, try to keep your ascension as bloodless as possible, will you? We have enough problems as it is without having to weaken some of our strength through infighting."

"Fair enough," The golden-haired warrioress replied simply with a nod.

At last, the former Lord Commander turned to the giant chieftess, her large head almost touching the rooftop.

"Magash Char," He said slowly, "are you sure you wish to do that?"

The giantess leader was silent for a long moment as if calculating Jon's newfound powers with her senses. Then, she gave him a very deliberate nod.

"If Mance Rayder had fully delivered on the promises he made to my cousin, I would have still said no," She replied in the Old Tongue. "If the White Walkers were not trying to hunt us to extinction to increase their strength, I would scoff at the idea and ripped the head off whoever suggested it. But there are just too few of us left, Jon Snow, and we won't be able to hold off the North Grove forever," The chieftess admitted. "If you vow to give us more bountiful lands to recover our numbers and come to our aid when we needed, well," The giant paused for a second but then, surprised everyone present by actually going through with it when she placed her huge femur ax on his feet and knelt, "then the giants and mammoths under my command will pledge themselves to House Stark of Winterfell, from this day until our last day. I swear it by all the Old Gods."

There was a deep moment of absolute silence as a giant leader swore fealty to a human for the first time in recorded history. Jon took a deep breath, taking a second to understand the magnitude of the situation. Then, he responded in the Old Tongue as well to make sure she understood all his words. "I swear to honor what we have agreed to, to try my utmost to keep the peace between our other bannermen and your people and to never ask all the giants to fight in the same battle, in order to ensure your continued survival. Rise Magash Char, a valued champion of House Stark."

The tall woman did exactly that and pounded her fist once. Before long, Spring broke the silence.

"Then it's settled," The female child of the forest declared. "Now we just need to wait for the giant party that headed out with dragonglass spears to hunt down the lone White Walker that lead the last wight **** to return and then we will be ready to move out. As for our method of transportation, the Three-eyed Raven told me to bring you to the nearby weirwood tree once you arrived so that you would get some form of inspiration on the matter, whatever that meant."

Jon raised an eyebrow, realizing that this must mean that before his ****, the greenseer foresaw the godly trick he was planning to pull after he learned about the North Grove. Before he could give a response, however, he felt the heavy pounding of steps moving through the entrance of the tunnel. His eyes widened, realizing the footsteps were too heavy to be the work of giants. Then he heard a powerful roar but somehow, it didn't felt threatening, more like an...insistent invitation. Spring actually smirked at his reaction.

"But first, I believe there is is a mighty creature that has been waiting for you since the Battle of Hardhome," She announced. "And I wouldn't keep her waiting any longer if I were you."

A/N: Any guesses as to what exactly was responsible for that roar? :D

Until next time.