Ivar and his companions returned to their settlement after more than a sennight on the road. Along the way, they stopped by Alfyn's settlement and collected the two axes they had won from their wager over who would be the first to locate Jorund's settlement. As promised, Ivar also shared Jorund's location with Alfyn, allowing him to steer his own warriors well clear of the area and spy on them from time to time.
Alfyn's expression was a sight to behold when he first saw Ivar and his companions riding atop horses. The man practically drooled with envy and disbelief that they had somehow managed to acquire mounts of their own. After learning that the horses had been obtained from the crows in exchange for revealing Jorund's location, Alfyn immediately came up with an idea of his own. He suggested selling Sylas's location to the Night's Watch as well and quickly asked Ivar whether he had already done so. If he had, Alfyn insisted that he deserved a share of whatever had been gained from the bargain.
Naturally, Ivar told him that he had not sold the information. He also explained that Alfyn could not simply approach the crows himself, as the agreement had been made specifically with him. Seeing Alfyn's disappointed expression, however, Ivar offered another solution. Alfyn could reveal Sylas's settlement to the crows through him, and in return, they would split whatever payment the Night's Watch offered. The proposal immediately brightened Alfyn's mood, and he readily agreed. He understood that the crows trusted Ivar rather than him, leaving little choice but to entrust the negotiation to the brat. As for Ivar, he had never intended to keep the entire reward for himself. Sooner or later, Alfyn would inevitably learn about the transaction, and Ivar had no desire to damage the trust that had slowly begun forming between them over a handful of whatever the crows would offer.
Now, standing atop the high ground overlooking his settlement, Ivar quietly took in the sight before him. The camp bustled with activity as men and women carried timber, tended fires, repaired shelters, and went about their daily work. It was the fruit of months of labor, planning, and perseverance. Looking upon the thriving settlement they had built with their own hands, Ivar could not help but feel a quiet sense of pride at what they had accomplished. It now resembled a proper village. Hide tents had all but disappeared from the center of the settlement and could only be found near the palisade at its outer edges. Sooner or later, once every family had a wooden hut of its own, no tents would remain within the settlement at all.
After savoring the sight for a while, Ivar turned to Hilde, who stood quietly beside him, equally absorbed by the bustling village below.
"Are ye sure they were really Thenns?" he asked.
"Aye." Hilde nodded before continuing. "They were carryin' bronze swords and wearin' bronze ornaments. They were practically announcin' they were Thenns without sayin' a word. They also asked whether anyone from our settlement had seen a group o' hunters. I think they were lookin' fer the ones who ambushed us in the northern forest before. Fortunately, none o' our people who were there said anythin'. Once they saw the size and strength o' our settlement, we quickly told 'em we didn't know anythin' about a group o' their hunters and sent 'em on their way."
Three days earlier, a party of Thenn hunters had arrived at their settlement searching for a group of hunters who had failed to return to their own settlement for more than a moon. Fortunately, no one in Ivar's settlement gave them any reason for suspicion. After receiving the same answer from everyone they questioned, the Thenns had eventually left empty-handed.
Ivar nodded thoughtfully. "Ye did well. Hopefully, that's enough t' steer their suspicions away from us."
He fell silent for a moment before continuing. "I still can't approach the Thenns and trade fer their bronze weapons just yet. I have t' head south again first and sell Sylas's location t' the crows. I also want t' see fer meself whether the Night's Watch actually attacked Jorund. We'll have t' delay any tradin' with the Thenns until I return."
Ever since killing the Thenn hunting party that had ambushed them in the northern forest, Ivar had remained especially cautious whenever the Thenns were involved. He had ordered his hunters not to venture deep into the northern forest, restricting them instead to its outer reaches. Until he knew whether a peaceful relationship with the Thenns was possible, he had no intention of risking another unnecessary confrontation.
"I understand." Hilde hesitated for a moment before asking, "Can I come with ye this time? Ye could leave Ulf or Haldor in charge o' the settlement's security."
Ivar looked at her with an amused smile. He knew perfectly well why she wanted to accompany him. Ever since Haldor and the others had returned riding horses, Hilde and the others had been more than a little jealous. Granted, the horses did not truly belong to any one person. Anyone could ride them if Ivar permitted it. Still, the temptation was obvious.
After giving it some thought, he nodded. "Alright. I'll bring all the horses with me again, along with the wagon I had our builders make. Ye can ride in the wagon while we travel south. Ye can also ride with the horses along the way if ye want and practice yer ridin' skills."
This journey would be different from the last. Besides delivering news of Sylas's settlement, Ivar intended to begin trading with the Night's Watch. He wanted to find out what value the crows placed on his surplus hides, mammoth tusks his companions found while hunting, low-quality bows made from the weirwood trees, and salt. That was the reason he had ordered his builders to construct a simple wagon that can be fastened with axles and sled at the same time. Hauling trade goods over such long distances on their backs would have been exhausting, while a wagon would allow them to transport far greater quantities with far less effort. Naturally, none of his builders had ever made one before with an axle, so Ivar had spent time supervising the work each day, guiding them through the construction from start to finish.
"Aye. Then I'll go an' prepare." Hilde's face immediately brightened with a broad smile. At last, she could put an end to Haldor's endless bragging about how wonderful it was to ride a horse. She had yet to ride one herself since they had brought the horses back. Truth be told, she had been a little frightened of the idea. But she had already made up her mind. During this journey south, she would learn how to ride properly until she became as skilled as the others.
She had just turned to head down the slope when Ivar called after her.
"Wait."
Hilde stopped and looked back.
"How're Garrik and Svenn? Have they recovered yet?"
Not long after returning to the settlement, Ivar had been forced to deal with Garrik and Svenn, both of whom had recently become leaders of their own hunting parties. They had been one of the strugglers before but had managed to lead their own hunting parties now after showing their martial prowess on their training with weapons and bows. The two had nearly beaten each other senseless before Ivar arrived and put an end to the fight by giving them both a thorough thrashing.
The dispute had started because Garrik had managed to bring down large game on two consecutive hunts while Svenn had returned empty-handed. Consumed by jealousy, Svenn demanded to know where Garrik had found such prey. Garrik refused to answer, unwilling to reveal his hunting grounds. Tempers quickly flared, Svenn threw the first punch, and before long the argument had turned into a full-blown brawl.
Hilde had been away hunting when it happened, while Freya and Ylva had little chance of stopping two enraged warriors by themselves. Had Ivar not returned when he did, the fight might very well have ended with one, or both, of them dead.
Disputes like these seemed to arise every now and then, and sometimes Ivar wondered if they would ever truly stop. The free folk were a stubborn and hot-blooded people, quick to settle even the smallest disagreements with their fists, sometimes with weapons. He could only hope that, in time, he would be able to change that part of their culture.
"They're fine now," Hilde replied. "Ylva says they should be huntin' again after another sennight. Don't worry about 'em. They'll forget all about this fight soon enough." She scratched the back of her head sheepishly before adding, "An'... sorry fer leavin' the settlement that day. I was gettin' bored, so I went huntin' t' keep meself busy."
Ivar let out a quiet sigh of relief. They still needed every capable hunter they could get, especially now that their numbers continued to grow. They had brought another twenty stragglers back with them from this journey alone, and since they would be traveling south again in a few days, he expected to bring back even more.
"That's good," he said with a nod. "Ye can go now."
Hilde returned the nod before turning and making her way down the slope toward the bustling settlement below.
Ivar watched her leave for a moment before turning his gaze back toward the settlement and allowing himself to relax. There was still some time before he needed to head to the northern side of the settlement, where his builders were hard at work constructing their very first wagon. It had been such a simple invention that few people ever gave it a second thought. Yet here, beyond the Wall, where no one had even conceived of such a thing, building one from scratch was a slow and painstaking process.
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Torren crouched inside a thicket, his blade already drawn and held at the ready as he concealed himself from the hunting party they had spotted earlier that morning. He waited patiently for Ivar's signal to charge and slaughter the more than a handful of hunters ahead of them.
It did not take long.
The moment Ivar's sharp whistle echoed through the forest, Torren sprang from his hiding place and rushed toward the startled hunters. Caught completely off guard, some frantically tried to raise their weapons while others immediately turned and fled.
A grin spread across Torren's face. He had been the first to charge, which meant he should be the first to claim a kill. But just as he was about to bring his sword down upon his first victim, he caught sight of Ivar in the distance. Somehow, Ivar had already circled behind the hunters and, in the span of only a few heartbeats, had cut down two men.
Torren's heart sank at the sight. Even so, he forced himself to focus on the enemy before him. He deflected the hunter's desperate swing before driving his sword straight through the man's heart. As soon as his first opponent collapsed, Torren immediately charged the next. This one proved more capable, forcing him to exchange several blows before he finally managed to cut the man down as well.
By the time he looked around again, the fighting was already over. Torren let out a disappointed sigh as he had only managed to kill two enemies.
Ever since Ivar began training them, he had secretly made it his goal to one day match the number of enemies Ivar could kill in battle, perhaps overtake him. Yet no matter how hard he trained, he always fell short. Ivar was simply too fast. Sometimes, Torren wondered whether he would ever reach that level within his lifetime.
His thoughts were interrupted by Ivar's voice.
"Gather their weapons and everythin' useful they have on 'em. We've still got plenty o' people back at the settlement who need 'em."
Torren let out another quiet sigh before setting to work. He stripped the corpse before him of its weapons, clothing, and anything else of value before carrying the spoils over to the wagon, which had rolled up shortly after the fighting ended. After depositing everything in it, he returned to the first man he had killed and repeated the process.
This was the third hunting party belonging to Jorund that they had encountered on this journey south to trade with the crows. Whenever they crossed paths with one, Ivar made sure none escaped. Every hunter they killed was one less warrior serving Jorund. More importantly, it gave their own people valuable experience. This time, Ivar had deliberately brought many of the warriors who had recently completed their training so they could experience real combat for the first time. Judging by today's battle, the day before and day before that, the plan was working exactly as Ivar had intended.
Once he had finished collecting the spoils, Torren walked over to a nearby tree and sat beneath its shade to catch his breath. He had little doubt that, before long, Ivar would order them back onto the road. They still had several leagues to cover before reaching the place where they intended to make camp for the night.
Ivar swept his gaze across the aftermath of the battle, satisfied with how the warriors he had brought on this journey had performed. They had fought well, followed his orders without hesitation, and maintained their discipline throughout the ambush. Once he saw that everyone had finished stripping the corpses of anything useful, he gave the next order. "Let's move. I want t' reach our next camp before sundown."
He made no effort to have the bodies hidden. After what he had done at Jorund's settlement before, he was certain Jorund would blame these attacks on Sylas. It was only a matter of time before the two Magnars turned their warriors against one another again, weakening themselves in the process. When that happened, Ivar intended to strike the exhausted victor. If fortune favored him, he might even be able to eliminate both Jorund and Sylas.
He was also equally curious to see how the crows would act now that they knew the locations of Jorund's settlement, and Sylas's settlement when he handed it to them this time. Whether they chose to attack, or simply observe from afar, their next move would undoubtedly shape the balance of power beyond the Wall.
By the time the sun was nearing the horizon, they reached the same campsite they had used during their previous journey. After assigning the warriors who would stand watch through the night, Ivar made his way to his own tent, which had already been pitched by his men, one of the few luxuries that came with being their leader.
The following day, they resumed their journey south. Once again, they encountered one of Jorund's hunting parties and ambushed them while they were resting, just as they had done before. After the brief fight, they stripped the dead of everything valuable, taking their weapons, fur clothing, and any other useful belongings before continuing on their way.
The next day, Ivar took a detour to observe Jorund's settlement from afar. Much to his disappointment, the sprawling camp still stood undisturbed. There were no signs of battle, no columns of smoke rising into the sky, and no evidence that the Night's Watch had launched an attack. Although the outcome was not what he had hoped for, he did not dwell on it for long. Whatever the crows were planning, it clearly was not happening yet. With that thought, he quietly led his companions away and continued their journey south.
By the time they reached Castle Black, their wagon was packed to the brim with furs, clothing, and captured weapons. The haul was so large that Ivar had to load part of the spoils onto several of their horses, using them as pack animals since a single wagon could no longer carry both the loot they had gathered and the goods they intended to trade with the Night's Watch.
This time, Ivar wasted no time. It was still around midday when they arrived near Castle Black. He immediately ordered a fire to be lit and thick smoke sent into the sky as their agreed signal. After waiting for roughly half an hour, the gate of Castle Black slowly creaked open, and five mounted riders emerged from within.
Ivar narrowed his eyes and circulated his qi to enhance his vision. Almost immediately, he recognized the Lord Commander among the riders.
This Lord Commander certainly had a habit of exposing himself to danger. If Ivar had borne a grudge against the Night's Watch, or had no reason to maintain friendly relations with them, the man's head could have been rolling through the snow long ago.
Once the riders drew closer, Ivar stepped forward into the open and raised a hand in greeting to appear as nonthreatening as possible. Before arriving, he had already instructed his newly trained warriors not to draw their weapons under any circumstances, and thankfully, every one of them had obeyed.
He then closed the distance alone. It was obvious the crows were wary of the much larger group he had brought this time. When he was about ten paces away, he stopped and spoke. "Ye don't have t' worry. I had t' bring more men this time because we planned t' loot any o' Jorund's huntin' parties we came across on the journey. We've also brought goods t' trade with ye."
As he spoke, he gestured toward the heavily laden wagon in the distance, where two horses stood harnessed to it.
Harron's eyes shifted to the wagon before returning to Ivar. After a moment, he let out a slow breath. "Very well. Only four of your warriors may approach us. The rest are to remain where they are. Is that acceptable?"
Although Brandon had returned and confirmed that every piece of information the red-haired wildling had provided was accurate, Harron had no intention of letting his guard down. Trust was something that had to be earned over time. The main reason he had personally come this time was to see whether one of the Night's Watch's other wildling contacts had sent the signal. Instead, it was the same red-haired youth standing before him once again.
"Aye," Ivar replied without hesitation. "That's acceptable."
Turning around, he ordered the rest of his warriors to remain where they were before selecting four of his most trusted companions. Torren, Hilde and Maera, to accompany him and reveal the contents of the wagon.
Harron likewise motioned for two of his own men to inspect the goods the wildlings had brought.
Over the years, some of the free folk informants the Night's Watch dealt with had occasionally brought unusual wares to trade, including weirwood bows and mammoth tusks. Harron found himself hoping this shipment might contain something equally valuable as he could use them to trade in the south and used the profits to buy more food and iron ingots for the night's watch.
While the inspection was underway, Ivar smiled at the Lord Commander before asking casually, "Say, how much is the location o' Sylas's settlement worth? I hope it's worth the same as Jorund's?"
Harron's eyes widened for the briefest moment before narrowing with suspicion. "You have the location o' Sylas's settlement as well?"
"Aye." Ivar nodded with a smile. "A friend o' mine found it, an' he had me trade the information instead. This time, I'd like horses and food in return. Grains, livestock... an' more hens if possible."
Harron regarded the red-haired youth with renewed interest. Time and again, the boy had delivered exactly the sort of intelligence the Night's Watch desperately needed. With their lack of reliable information from beyond the Wall, the young wildling had proven himself to be both a dependable informant and, judging by the wagon he had brought, a promising trading partner as well.
After a moment's consideration, Harron finally spoke. "If what you say is true, then I'll exchange that information fer food. Grains, livestock, an' hens are all possible, but I can't offer you more horses. My men still need every horse we've got."
That was a lie of course. The truth was the old horses he had been willing to part with had already been traded away in exchange for Jorund's location. What remained were younger, healthier mounts that the Night's Watch could not afford to lose or owned by the wildlings.
Ivar considered the offer for a moment before nodding. "Fine. I'll accept the grains, livestock, an' hens. But this information is worth the same as the last one, so I expect more grains and livestock from ye."
"Naturally." Harron gave a firm nod. "I'll give you the equivalent o' six horses' worth o' grain, livestock, an' hens. You've no need t' worry about that."
He paused before adding with a faint smile, "Keep bringin' me valuable information, brat, an' both you an' your clan will prosper from what we can trade ye in return."
"We'll see about that." Ivar smiled back. "Valuable information isn't exactly easy t' come by."
At that moment, the two rangers inspecting the wagon returned and quietly reported their findings to the Lord Commander.
After listening to their report, Harron looked back at Ivar, his brow furrowing. "Where did you get that much salt, brat?"
"Found several sacks drifted ashore near our settlement," Ivar replied without missing a beat, repeating the explanation he had prepared beforehand. "Even if we used it every day, it'd take us years t' finish it all. I figured I'd bring some here first an' see whether it'd fetch a good price. If not, I'll just have t' trade it with other clans, even if it'll take more time an' effort."
Harron remained skeptical. The explanation sounded convenient, but he had no way of disproving it. More importantly, pressing the issue risked offending the only dependable wildling informant the Night's Watch currently possessed. In the end, he decided it was wiser to let the matter rest.
Turning to his men, he gave his orders. "Calculate the value o' everythin' they've brought, then add the equivalent o' six horses' worth o' grain, livestock, an' hens fer the information."
The rangers immediately nodded. Like any experienced traders, they quietly intended to appraise the wildlings' goods lower than their true worth.
Harron then turned back to Ivar. "Come, brat. Show me where Sylas's settlement is. Just like last time, you'll accompany my men t' confirm it."
Ivar's smile widened. "No problem."
He reached into his pockets, retrieved the prepared beastskin map, and patiently explained the route leading to Sylas's settlement. Once he had finished, he casually asked what the Night's Watch intended to do now that they knew the locations of both Magnars.
Harron merely smiled and didn't answer.
No matter how Ivar tried to steer the conversation afterward, the Lord Commander refused to reveal anything more. Instead, he simply reminded the young wildling to continue bringing valuable information, promising that the Night's Watch would reward him handsomely as long as he did.
Realizing he would get nothing more out of the old crow, Ivar simply nodded. He returned to his own men to wait for the goods promised in exchange, while Harron and his rangers rode back toward the Wall to prepare them.
As soon as the gates closed behind the departing crows, Ivar turned to Torren and Hilde.
"I'll need both o' ye t' come back here after we've delivered the goods back t' the settlement," he said. "Keep watch on both Sylas's and Jorund's settlements. The moment either one gets attacked by the crows, return immediately and report everythin' ye saw. Understood? Ye can also bring some of our men with ye."
Torren's eyes immediately lit up. The assignment meant he would have another opportunity to ambush some of Jorund's hunting parties while keeping watch over the settlements. He eagerly nodded his head.
Hilde, on the other hand, accepted the task with her usual calm seriousness and gave Ivar a firm nod in return.
Satisfied, Ivar walked over to a nearby tree and settled down against its trunk to rest while they waited for the Night's Watch to deliver the agreed-upon goods.
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A/N: Please don't forget to rate and review the story after reading. And if you want to read ahead. You know where to look.