End Game// Tormund Giantsbane (3)

38. Fight For You

"My Jon. A King." Caro declared. "Ned could be proud of you, just like I am."

"Thank you auntie."

"Come on king Jon lets get some rest. As you said, winter is coming."

+

"You wildlings?" Ed questioned when he opened the doors at the wall.

"I'm Meera Reed, daughter of Howland Reed. This is Brandon Stark, son of Ned Stark."

"How do I know that's true?"

"You were at the Fist of the First Men." Bran remarked, Edd looking to Bran, his gaze off into the snow. "You were at Hardhome. You've seen the Army of the Dead. You've seen the Night King..." Bran looked to Edd. "He's coming for us. For all of us."

"Okay, come on. Let's get them inside." Edd agreed. 

+

"I want every northern maester to scour their records for any mention of dragonglass. Dragonglass kills white walkers. It's more valuable to us now than gold. We need to find it, we need to mine it, we need to make weapons from it." Jon declared "Everyone aged 10 to 60 will drill daily with spears, pikes, bow and arrow."

"It's about time we taught these boys of summer how to fight." Robett remarked with a chuckle.

"Not just the boys." Jon corrected looking to Caro. "We can't defend the North if only half the population is fighting." Robett stood looking to Lyanna.

"Damn right, you know how much shit Catelyn gave me training Arya." Caro's smile faded at the memory. Arya, where was she? Rickon smiled back at her as she held him tight to her. 

"You expect me to put a spear in my granddaughter's hand?" Robett countered. But Lyanna rose as well, confidence in her stance.

"I don't plan on knitting by the fire while men fight for me. I might be small, Lord Glover, and I might be a girl, but I am every bit as much a Northerner as you." Lyanna declared.

"Indeed you are, my lady. No one has questioned--" Robett began.

"And I don't need your permission to defend the North." Lyanna added getting soft smiled from Davos and Jon and a hoot of approval from Caro. 

"We'll begin training every man, woman, boy, and girl on Bear Island." Lyanna assured Jon. The men pounded their fists tables and shouting in agreement.

" While we're preparing for attack, we need to shore up our defenses. The only thing standing between us and the Army of the Dead is the Wall and the Wall hasn't been properly manned in centuries. I'm not the king of the Free Folk." Jon added looking to Tormund. "But if we're going to survive this winter together..." Tormund grunting standing up.

"Oh good I hate being the only one thats bitching during these things." Caro teased. 

"You want us to man the castles for you?" Tormund countered and Jon pushed away the murmuring of the men around them.

" Last time we saw the Night King was at Hardhome. The closest castle to Hardhome is Eastwatch-by-the-Sea." Jon reminded them.

"Then that's where I'll go. Looks like we're the Night's Watch now." Tormund countered sitting back down.

"Go back to castle black?" Caro countered softly. "No... I thought we had a non discussion, discussion about you not leaving and dying."

"I'm a hard fucker to kill." TOrmund corrected. 

"Thats what we all think until its over." Caro remarked softly. 

"If they breach the wall, the first two castles in their path are Last Hearth and Karhold." Jon remarked.

"The Umbers and the Karstarks betrayed the North. Their castles should be torn down with not a stone left standing." Yohn declared.

"The castles committed no crimes. And we need every fortress we have for the war to come. We should give the Last Hearth and Karhold to new families, loyal families who supported us against Ramsay." Sansa offered.

"Aye!"

"The Umbers and the Karstarks have fought beside the Starks for centuries. They've kept faith for generation after generation." Jon reminded Sansa

"And then they broke faith." Caro agreed. Jon sighed running a hand over his face.

"I'm not going to strip these families of their ancestral homes because of the crimes of a few reckless sons." Jon hissed.

"So there's no punishment for treason and no reward for loyalty?" Sansa questioned incredulously as the hall went silent.

"The punishment for treason is death. Smalljon Umber died on the field of battle. Harald Karstark died on the field of battle." Jon corrected.

"They died fighting for Ramsay." Caro reminded them. 

 "Give the castles to the families of the men who died fighting for you." Sansa spat. The men chattered and pounding the tables. Jons gaze shifted around hesitantly.

"When I was Lord Commander of the Night's Watch I executed men who betrayed me. I executed men who refused to follow orders. My father always said, "The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword," and I have tried to live by those words. But I will not punish a son for his father's sins, and I will not take a family home away from a family it has belonged to for centuries. That is my decision, and my decision is final." Jon corrected staring back at Sansa. She huffed a breath turning her cheek.

"Ned Umber." Jon declared turning to face the hall. "Alys Karstark." Alys and Ned approached, they were just kids.

"For centuries, our families fought side by side on the battlefield. I ask you to pledge your loyalty once again to House Stark, to serve as our bannermen and come to our aid whenever called upon." Jon remarked as they unsheathe their swords and knelt before Jon.

"Stand." Jon declared. "Yesterday's wars don't matter anymore. The North needs to band together, all the living north. Will you stand beside me, Ned and Alys, now and always?"

"Now and always!" They agreed.