Version 2.0
The party stared blankly at Elder Oak. "Great adventure you have had, yet you bring us troubling news. Winter's chill, a bitter pill. Whispering winds tell of woes, shadows dance in silent lows. Seek the warmth of unity, where hearts and roots shall fuse."
"Right …" Bradnon plainly said. "That is why we need everyone united. Only when both humans and children of the forest fight together can we beat this. With your magical knowledge, along with your help in making weapons, while we bring the numbers, there is a chance we can win. That is what you are saying?"
"You have grown a lot from this journey, Brandon. Our grove will help and do all that we can. But will it be enough?"
Brandon slides forward in his chair. "It will have to be enough. We know hardship; we won't shy away from it we can survive."
"I did not ask if humanity could do it; I asked if that would be enough. Do you believe that it is enough? For roots entwine, both yours and mine, in nature's ancient cues. Together we stand, hand in hand, against the icy muse."
Brandon shakes his head. "I don't understand what you are asking, Elder Oak."
"Are you asking us to gather more people like the Giants?" Hawthorn says.
"It seems the young one gets it, but still not the full picture," Elder Oak says. "You understand that all living things must unite to fight against The Others, yet as you are, you will never unite the humans of the North, let alone all things. We have lived for many years, Brandon and we understand humans, they can only be led by those they respect. Or culled to follow through fear. If you wish to unite the North, you must find how to do so."
Brandon falls silent for a moment. "I understand what you are saying, but won't the fear of the Others unite everyone?"
"Yes, in fear, they shall unite, but who shall lead the charge? Only the great can lead the fearful to victory," he says before standing to walk around the room. "During humanity's early age when you came to these lands, you feared us; you feared the power that we had over magic, the spirits, the forests, the lands, and all that live on them. With fear in your hearts, you attacked, hoping to destroy your ill-conceived worries before they could be used against you, inadvertently creating the very condition you feared. Fear led recklessly will lead to the very destruction that you are trying to avoid."
"A fear that united and broke us." Edric quietly said.
"It takes a great leader to see that the fear that humanity had was wasted for they did not understand what they feared. Once they did, they came to peace with it, which led to a deal of peace between our people. You understand what leads to this great winter. Only you can lead humanity; without direction in unity, it will only lead to disaster."
"You want me to lead humanity?" He asked.
"Yes, it must be led properly; otherwise, it will be destroyed. Only then can all things be united as one and be victorious."
"How do I unite them all, then?" Asks Brandon.
"Through the strength of words and sword. With honest truths and open words. With courage in your fear." He smiles as his dark green eyes glaze over. "I find it is best to start at home." With that, he heads into the back of his home.
"Well then," Jon says. "Unite everything from children of the forest to Giants is the jest of it. Piece of piss." He says as he dusts his hands.
"Sure. Let me just pop around to the villages, and see if people want to sign up. Since I am there, I also ask those petty kings as well if they want to join. Sure, they will fall head over heels to join us." Edric comments, earning a slight slap on the arm from Lyanna.
"Well, we have this grove with us. Let's get our home on our side," Brandon said, standing tall as he powered out the door.
"And there he goes," Jon says.
/
"Brandon, Brandon, wait," Jon says trying to slow him down. "You can't just walk up to the village chief and just ask him to help out."
"Yes, I can. Watch." He says blowing past Jon.
"Stop your stubborn ox," Jon says grabbing his shoulder. "There is no way that he is just going to believe you, just because you say so."
"Well, the only way we will know is if we talk to him. Come on." He says dragging the party along.
The party made their way through the snow-covered streets of the village towards the imposing house that served as the chief's residence. The structure, bore a certain rustic charm with its sturdy wooden frame and smoke billowing from the chimney. The air was filled with the comforting aroma of burning wood.
Approaching the front door, Brandon raised his hand to knock. The sound echoed through the quiet village, and after a brief pause, the door creaked open. Revealed before them was the village chief, a stout man with callused hands and a thick grey beard. Deep piercing shade of blue eyes squinted at the unexpected visitors. His fur-lined cloak and thick layers of clothing hung very loose.
"Brandon, Edric, Jon. Good to see you lads again. Quite the talk of the village you are but it is good to see you look good lads. And With friends, Welcome. Names Jorah, and welcome to Winterhaven. Guessing you didn't come to stand out in the cold come on in."
As they entered, the warmth from the hearth greeted them. The chief led them to a room adorned with furs and a large, sturdy table and homely chairs.
/
"You bring me tales of ice spiders and ice monsters that can bring the dead back to life. You understand how that sounds right, Brandon? I know you like your adventures, but even you have to admit that it sounds a bit outrageous," Jorah said after a lengthy explanation from Brandon.
"I know, chief, but it is the truth. In all honesty, I don't think I could make all of that up from scratch if I tried. It's real, and it is what we believe is causing this never-ending winter. If what we felt when we went north is anything to go by, it is going to get worse," Brandon said as he sat tall before his village chief.
"And you want our village to somehow stop it, do you?" Jorah asks.
"Not alone. The Grove of Elder Oak is already with us. I am now here asking you to join as well. After that, we go village to village, getting everyone to join us. Then we go to these petty kings that I have heard about and get them to join along with other groves of the Children of the Forest. Finally, we get the Giants on our side."
"Oh, so light work then. Haha." He laughs and he grabs his thinning stomach. "Well, I know Alarra and Torrhen well, and they won't raise no simpleton. I also know you're not some liar. Gods know your mother would have chewed you out if you were. You say you need our help; what exactly does that entail?"
"Well, we need people to fight. With fighters comes food. We will take care of the weapons, and only obsidian weapons can kill them. So, we need fighters and food."
Jorah seemed to contemplate this. "Well, we don't have much food or many people who can fight. But if we are going to die, we might as well die doing what we can. I've got nothing to lose and plenty to gain by this. If we need to band every village together to save our own, then I'll fight every one of them if I need to. I'll send a runner down to Raven's Hollow and Eldermoor. If it's from me, they'll join up. Outside of that, you'll be on your own, Brandon. We don't trade much else with them, especially with the rise of bandits."
Brandon gawks for a moment. "Thank you, chief. This is all we needed. We can take care of the rest,"
"Good work lad, and you can call me Jorah." He says before leading that party out of the house before heading off for a runner.
"And you said that I couldn't just walk into there and ask," Brandon nudges Jon.
"I didn't think it would be that easy,"
"Well, why wouldn't it?" Jocelyn asked.
"I don't know; I just thought people would give us more of a hassle, and I mean is the village chief," Jon said.
"Don't worry so much about it. Come on, we have more planning to do," Brandon said, leading the party to his home to plan out the next village and get them on board.