Chapter 12: Chapter 12 - Adventures in the North 09.
[Chapter Size: 3156 Words]
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Jon Snow POV
North Kingdom, Somewhere in WolfWoods, 289 A.C., 6 days later.
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It had been 6 days since Jon encountered the giants and began forming bonds with the men, some of whom were larger than the boy himself.
The giant with a scar over his eye had black hair, a beard that covered his entire chin, and was quite large; his eye was black, showing a fierce gaze with his lone eye. He stood at 4 meters, despite appearing quite lean. No one in the North could defeat him in a one-on-one battle. He introduced himself as Wallyk.
Like Wallyk, Wuual was his companion and the mother of the boys. She had eyes and hair as black as Wallyk's. Her gaze was fierce, with a warrior's aura, standing at 3.5 meters with incredibly long hair braided.
Their children introduced themselves as Carruuyi and Tuuuxy, both boys not older than Jon, with features sculpted by their two parents, having hair and eyes as black as the night. Each was 2 meters tall, which made Jon cautious not to let his childish side take over, knowing he could get hurt with almost double the size or weight that other children represented. He was also more focused on his own concerns and had no time to be a child now.
Kypyl and Huyys were another couple. Despite not having children, both told Jon they had been together for 5 years but never managed to have children. It seems that giants' fertility is much worse compared to humans. Kypyl had blond hair with a small beard on his chin and green eyes; his emerald gaze intimidated anyone at 4 meters. Despite looking primitive and lean, Huyys was a quite tall giant, at 3.8 meters, with hair kissed by fire and blue eyes. This made the boy frown when he remembered Lady Catelyn. Jon's mood changed when the giantess said she defeated her mate in a fight and stole him, as humans do beyond the Wall.
As for Seryna, the teenage giantess, she was 14 namedays old, with loose black hair and bright blue eyes in a 2.2-meter body.
The giants were very cautious with Jon and his animals while the boy was cleaning that forge in the early days. Jon, with his wolves, and the giants formed two kinds of groups in this place. It was only on the third day that they started talking for real. Then, they began telling stories to each other around the campfires they made at night while eating. The giants became more comfortable with the boy.
When the 2-meter children wanted to play with Jon, he had to step back, which was easy to do. However, Seryna was another matter. At first, she was cautious with Jon. After they started talking, she became curious and always followed him to the forge with curiosity. After that, to Jon's dismay, this curiosity turned into obsession.
In the past few days, Seryna followed Jon and became bold, hugging the poor boy like a straw doll. This made Jon even annoyed and fight back when these annoyances became unbearable. The adult giants laughed at it, and his wolves just looked at him with paws over their eyes and a lost whine, as none of this posed a threat to the boy's life. Caraxes kept complaining to the giantess but was ignored by the same.
But, to Jon's surprise, despite the size of the teenage giantess, when Jon raised his angry voice, Seryna got scared and started crying and running away. This made Jon feel a bit guilty. He had to console, a strange sight: a human child patting the back of a female giant almost twice his size, crying in a corner of that place.
Apart from his interactions with Seryna, Jon discovered that the giants seemed to follow him and even expected to receive orders from him. This surprised him. He had only intended to use the forge and let them live in peace here once their business was done, but they made their intentions clear after learning more about the blessed little human.
It was from there that Jon found out they had come from beyond the Wall with a raft made of trees. After successfully passing the northern part of Bear Island without alerting anyone from the Night's Watch, they reached the northeastern mountains, where the clans live, and descended south during the night, managing to arrive in WolfWoods without alerting anyone, by some miracle. Someone surely saw the trail, but no one must have believed it was about footprints many times larger than those of humans.
They also told the boy the reason for fleeing their homeland, about the winter spirits awakening and killing everything that moves in their eyes, and no one being able to stop them. This made the boy's hair stand on end with the giants' description of how their tribe of 60 giants was massacred near the Fist of the First Men. This made Jon feel that his mission to reach the Wall is related to this terror beyond the Wall. The people beyond the Wall are followers of these gods, which makes sense if the deities want to protect them.
Talking about the giants' clan made Seryna cry. Her father was its leader, and she saw him die in front of her. She said she had felt lonely until now, but with Jon, she no longer needed to worry about that, as she claimed to have found her husband, making his body hair stand on end even more than the description of the terror they went through. Jon could only try to escape when Seryna ran to hug him.
Jon shared his story and his goal with the giants. Even if he went to the Wall, the giants decided to follow him because they knew that their life here would reach a point where they would be tracked when they went out to hunt.
As the days passed with the giants, Jon noticed some interesting things. His bonds with the animals were starting to change. His attention began with Panis, the unkempt horse that saved his life and brought him from the Icehill farm. Its burnt yellow coat was slowly and almost imperceptibly changing to a brighter color. Its fur started getting softer as Jon brushed it, to the horse's delight, every day. With the abundance of food that Jon created with fruit-bearing trees and even pastures, it was gradually getting out of its thin state, developing small muscles.
The horse expressed its happiness with this new owner, as unlike its time on the farm, it was living a dream with freedom and such delicious food that the boy gave it. Jon knew the thoughts of the animal and was pleased for Panis. The horse was developing with each passing day, nothing too noticeable yet, but Jon knew that his horse would be the envy of any general in 6 months.
Not only his mount, but the wolves were also changing. The boy couldn't believe that his wolves were becoming even more robust, or if this species could grow even more. With his enhanced eyes, almost nothing escaped his gray eyes with emerald halos. He could see the few extra centimeters of difference from when he first laid eyes on these incredible creatures, despite his initial fear.
Not to mention Caraxes, his first partner, who didn't seem to slow down his growth. His color was more beautiful than any other bird Jon had ever witnessed, his sky-blue spots shining in his pure white plumage.
But Jon knew that all these changes were not a natural course. They were changing due to his magic that bonded with his linked family members. He felt a slight flow of magic being sent to his animals and constantly strengthening them.
It wasn't just his animals changing around him; Jon felt changes in himself as well. Since leaving Winterfell, he was altering his personality. He had childish habits, but he felt he was growing more mature in some aspects, focusing on his own tasks over constant distractions. On the other hand, he was showing more of his emotions, something that could be a disadvantage, but he couldn't do anything about it.
At Stark's headquarters, Jon had always been shy and never showed anger, knowing it would be worse for him in Winterfell. But now he was free to express his feelings, although they often came without much control. His most constant feeling in the last few days was anger, especially after Seryna mentioned marrying him. Her pursuit was even more relentless, forcing him into hugs, but the teenager wasn't very careful, and most of the time, he was crushed by the giant.
Jon began to understand his magic as well, creating more trees. He was getting stronger, although his strength was increasing minimally. He knew the long-term results. He developed his understanding that magic was like a lake in his stomach. As he pulled, creating a river for his arms, he didn't need spells. If it was within his capabilities, he could cast a kind of command, and his magic was sent, forming a river from the lake in his stomach to his arms. He noticed that there was a fixed river going straight to his head without interruption all the time, believing that this is due to his Warg abilities being strengthened with this blessing from the gods.
Breaking from his thoughts, Jon looked at the "current camp." His wolves were off hunting in the woods, so they were absent. His pregnant she-wolf was still active, but it would soon be difficult for her to go further north, causing Jon to rethink his next steps.
Besides the absence of his wolves, Panis was eating grass that Jon made grow magically in a corner. A giant couple was sleeping, while the other was carrying firewood with Seryna. The children were playing among themselves and eating apples from the 10 trees that Jon created. His forge was clean with the help of the giants. There were some parts to fix, but he needed some resources, as well as the material he needed to start his experiments.
Sending Caraxes to the east and seeing through his eyes, he discovered that he was near a small town. Looking at the map, he located himself and found that the town was called FrostRoar, with just over 5 thousand inhabitants.
With the need for supplies, Jon decided to head towards this location. It took him a few hours to start heading east, after bidding farewell to the giants and sharing their thoughts, they nodded. Then, evading a dramatic Seryna, he mounted Panis in an old saddle he gained in Icehill and headed towards the city, his wolves accompanying him during the days. He was safe.
It was after 3 days of walking through the woods that he began to spot the first traces of civilization. As this was a city near WolfWoods, its economy was based on hunting and trade. So, he saw many hunting materials at the edge of the forest, being careful not to be seen by hunters, he left his wolves and changed his route as Caraxes spotted movements in the woods. It was in the middle of the third day that he finally emerged from the forest. He could see the city two kilometers away.
He mounted Panis and went to the city calmly. No one saw a child emerging from the forest riding a horse, but even if they did, some might question internally. But no one would meddle in others' business unless they intended to steal.
It took a while to reach the city through the west gate. He passed by some hunters, but beyond the odd glance, no one cared much. Northerners have their own stomachs and their children to feed.
Jon was wearing a cloak to withstand the low temperature, even in the summer. His cloak could hide his face with the hood. He knew he was more handsome than people with his noble blood, especially with his striking eyes.
He could only hope that no one would bother with a hooded child on an unkempt horse. Fortunately, he passed the guards at the gate without them noticing him much. Even a small town like FrostRoar has many passersby. It might not be the busiest gate, but all the hunters passed through here, and they believed that some children would try their luck in the woods for some food. So, it didn't attract much attention from the guards.
Jon noticed that besides the city having walls made of tree trunks, its houses were mostly made of wood. When he passed the gates, he could see the thousands of houses scattered around the area with chimneys releasing hundreds of smokes. It was mid-morning, but the Northerners like to warm their homes with wood.
Despite not coming from a regular gate, Jon looked like a typical farmer's son looking for supplies for his family to the local residents as he walked on horseback, hooded.
The boy noticed that besides the guards at the gates, the city patrols had the emblem of the local house on their armor. A white ice cube on a green field, House Frotniid, a small vassal of the Glovers, if Jon didn't forget Meister Luwin's insistent lessons about Northern nobility while still in Winterfell.
Going through the city and trying not to bump into anyone or the carts coming and going, Jon only saw inns near the west gate. So, he decided to head towards the center of the city.
As he walked, he heard people offering handmade products, but nothing that interested Jon. He noticed that the city was a typical northern city, with people always grumpy, caring more about their lives than anything else. Common men and women took care of their own businesses, children running in groups through the alleys, most of them in tattered clothes. There were some beggars trying to warm themselves from the cold and asking for money from people. Jon spent some time admiring the city on Panis. In Wintertown, he could hardly go, as Lady Catelyn always made sure he spent all his time working in the castle like the servants.
With people and guards hardly paying attention to him, Jon reached the areas with more shops, with various stores. He still hadn't found a blacksmith or a materials depot. It was 10 minutes later that he found a large house with a construction symbol, as it was futile to write. The overwhelming majority of commoners are illiterate.
Finally finding a construction material depot, he went to the location, putting Panis to the side without bothering to tie the horse. He went to the entrance and opened the door. The first thing he noticed was that his entrance caught the attention of a man sitting writing something at the main table. As a merchant, he should be minimally literate and should be writing his accounts.
The man looked at Jon with suspicion in his eyes, as it was unusual for a boy to come here, especially a suspicious one with old clothes and a hood entering his shop. He immediately thought it was a little thief.
"What do you want, kid? If you're here to cause trouble, you better leave before I call the guards." The man growled immediately. Jon looked at the man without saying anything. He didn't like this attitude, but it's better not to be hostile and get straight to the point. Sighing, he looked at the middle-aged man and spoke.
"I came to buy 200 kilograms of sand, 100 building stones (Bricks), and 20 kilograms of sticking mass (Medieval cement). I hope you can meet my needs; otherwise, I'll leave!" Jon spoke coldly. He came to buy materials, and he didn't like the initial prejudice, although deep down he found it understandable since he's still an 8-nameday child.
The man was more surprised by the boy's rhetoric than his demand. Jon didn't know, but the man wondered at this moment why a boy would buy so many kilograms of sand for his parents. It could probably be a small noble or a merchant. But he didn't dwell on it for long. At this moment, he expressed an apologetic smile to the boy because for this man, business is business.
"I can do that for you, but I need you to pay me first, house rules." He said in a not-so-hostile voice as before.
"And how much would that be?" Jon asked calmly.
"That will be 2 silver stags, or 20 bronze coins." The seller said.
The economy works in a fixed way worldwide, although the coins are different, the concept that 10 bronze coins are worth 1 silver coin, just as 10 silver coins are worth 1 gold coin.
In Westeros, we have bronze coins with no symbol, weighing 7 grams. Silver coins have the Baratheon symbol, as the second-largest house after Aegon and his sisters conquered the Seven Kingdoms, he made sure to make silver coins with the stag symbol in honor of his brother Orys, who took the name Baratheon and Storm's End.
'Ironically, almost 300 years later, the Baratheons would take power, overthrowing the Targaryens,' Jon thought but didn't lament much for the old monarchy when the mad king burned his grandfather and uncle unfairly.
In addition to the symbol, the coins are commonly called silver stags and weigh 10 grams. It takes 10 silver coins to be worth 1 gold coin. Gold coins are symbolized by a dragon carved on them and only work in Westeros; we call them gold dragons weighing 10 grams.
Robert Baratheon wanted to end everything the Targaryens represented, but that couldn't be possible with the economy. Changing the coinage would take at least a century. Or more, because only mining houses like the Lannisters could do that, as they have blacksmiths and molds for it.
Stopping thinking about the economy, Jon turned his face to the man who was waiting for his response.
"Can you sell me a cart and some horses too?" Jon asked, making the man surprised by it.
"T-This would be 1 gold coin, sir." He said as politely as possible. If the boy buys what he's asking for, he'll be very happy. He even charged a higher price to get rid of some horses and a cart.
The Northern seller became extremely greedy when Jon took a gold dragon from his purse and tossed it to the man.
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