Chapter 33: CH 24 Wildlings!!
Chapter Text
The wind whipped through Tara's hair as she stood on the deck of the ship, her gaze fixed on the spectacle unfolding before her. The crew were going through their usual morning training and Dacey Mormont, the formidable female warrior from the North, was going through the younger crew members one by one with ease and grace that she had never expected from a woman with a Morning Star.
Several days had passed since Tara and little Alla were rescued from Ironborn captivity, and Tara couldn't be more grateful. Jon Snow stood at the ship's forefront, with Alla clinging to him as if he were her blood brother. Tara couldn't fathom how Jon had so quickly charmed the shy girl transforming into her newfound best friend.
Little Alla was curious about everything and was constantly asking Jon questions about one thing or another. And Jon who had two little sisters back home was indulging her expertly and while Tara was a little unnerved she also took solace in the fact that Alla had recovered from her traumatic experience as an Ironborn prisoner remarkably fast.
Jon Snow was standing outside the impromptu ring with little Alla and both were on the side cheering or instead, he was goading on the crew members who were being decimated one-sidedly by their vice-captain, "That's it, lads! Don't let her off easy! Show her what you're made of!"
"Show 'em what you're made of!" Alla echoed enthusiastically, cheering on Dacey, who had quickly become her idol.
A teen calling a bunch of big-ass Northerners 'lads' would have gotten his ass handed to him anywhere else but it seems that no one had problems with it on this ship. But that Teen also being the captain of the ship was already too unusual so it didn't matter too much.
"Come on, Dacey. You're taking it too easy on them," Jon yelled enthusiastically.
Dacey flashed him a cocky grin as she deftly dodged a spear thrust, countering with a swift strike to her opponent's chest. "But... What can I do, They are too easy!"
Struggling to maintain his balance on the swaying deck, her opponent grunted in frustration, narrowly missing a swing at Dacey. She effortlessly sidestepped, teasingly taunting him. "Aye, lad, keep your balance! Can't have you falling overboard, now can we? Cory hasn't had dinner in a while. You wouldn't want to become fish food, would you?"
Laughter erupted from the crew, and the fighter's face reddened with a mixture of embarrassment and determination. He regained his footing and lunged forward, aiming for Dacey's midsection.
But she was ready, her reflexes sharp. With a swift twist of her body, Dacey spun around, mace connecting with the fighter's arm, sending his weapon clattering to the deck. "Better luck next time, my friend! Try to keep up!"
As the mock battles continued, the ship sailed steadily through the ocean, and the crew member fighting pushed themselves harder to compensate for the constant movement. After a few more mock battles Dacey's craving had been satisfied and she allowed the crew to resume their duties. Everyone dispersed, attending to their assigned tasks.
Little Alla went with Jon to his room, where he was teaching her all kinds of things like drawing, reading her stories and playing games with her. A stranger wouldn't even be able to tell that both of them didn't know each other just a few days ago.
Tara was left alone on the deck, her eyes scanning the vast expanse of the ocean in every direction. Left, right, front, back—the unending stretch of water was all she could see, devoid of any sign of a coastline. The sight filled her with an overwhelming sense of fear, surpassing any other apprehension she had experienced.
She couldn't fathom how these Northerners were navigating at all as it was the first she had ever heard of someone on a long trip like this one not sailing along the Coast. Initially, she entertained the notion that the crew somehow used the sun as a guide, a concept she had heard stories about, albeit considering it absurd. But as the ship continued its relentless journey, never halting even on cloudy days or during the night, she dismissed that idea.
Driven by curiosity, Tara discreetly questioned several crew members, only to receive the same response—they had no idea and that they left all the navigating to the Captain and the Vice-Captain. And she knew better than to ask Jon or Dacey because if it really was a new revolutionary way of travelling then there was no way they would even entertain the idea of telling it to a lowly maid like her.
Thus, she spent many sleepless nights wondering if they would be lost forever at the sea and that the ship would be the place where she would eventually die. But it seems she was the only one with such fear as the Northerners with their nerves of steel didn't seem to waste a single breath worrying about if they would somehow get lost on the sea.
And so when she went to sleep that night it was once again with a prayer to the Crone to guide her way to safety.
Thankfully her worry was for nought. When Tara woke the next day, an air of excitement permeated the crew as they went about their tasks with unusual vigour. When she asked about it they told her that according to Captain they would reach the Shore shortly.
True to their words, a few dozen minutes later, Tara spotted a port on the horizon, illuminated by the rising sun. Overwhelmed with emotion, she couldn't help but shed a few tears at the sight of land after the harrowing experiences she had endured. From the attack on her ship to Lannisport to her captivity and the cruelties inflicted upon her by the Ironborn, and finally, the uncertainty of ever reaching solid ground while aboard the ship with the Northern folk.
All of this was enough of her to stove off ever going on a ship for life.
...
As they entered the familiar port Jon was gratified to see that it was a little bigger than the last time, which was a familiar thing for him. Since he had arrived at Bear Island the construction for the port had been going non-stop without a single break. And he was proud to say that it was finally starting to look like a port instead of what it was before, a place where the locals tied their fishing boats.
He counted about 15 ships moored to the port at the moment and while it seemed like a big number, they were actually all their ships that they had "borrowed" from their generous neighbours to help them with pirating addiction. Since it would be wrong to call it a port when there was no foreign ship in there but that was how it had been for decades and it was hard to change it in a few years.
But Jon was working on a solution for that and he was happy to say that it was very close to being fulfilled. The main reason for the lack of foreign ships was very simple, lack of opportunities to make profits. If Bear Island could somehow export valuable things like Gold or silk, there was no doubt that the merchants would somehow find a way to make a trip here one way or another. Unfortunately, their resources were limited to wood, furs, and other inexpensive commodities.
And even those could be used to entice the merchants if they could trade safely and regularly but sadly that hadn't been possible because of the Ironborn. Only wealthy and powerful merchants, capable of commanding their own fleet and hiring sellswords for protection against pirates, would even consider the journey. And they would only make such a trip if it was worth their while and it wasn't so at the moment.
Or of course, on the other end, you could also be a pirate or a slaver like the one who contacted Jorah with a connection to the Ironborn so that they don't loot you on sight.
Jon had gleaned some rumours from the Ironborn he had "gently" interrogated, that Asha Grejoy, the heir of Balon at the moment was already in the Disputed Islands at the moment learning the ropes of Family business. And it was even said that Euron Grejoy was making regular trips there to reave the Essosi's to his heart's content.
Euron hadn't made his infamous Asshai trip yet so at the moment he was still a bit sane and was just one of the more notorious pirates and didn't have the fearsome reputation he would have in the future.
Anyway, the previously mentioned solution was that during the last few trips to Lannisport, he had been in contact with a few wealthy merchants who were interested in making a trip to the North to sell and buy if he somehow told them the so-called "secret" route he was taking. And that had given Jon the idea of establishing a small shipping company that would offer protection and secure passages for merchant vessels willing to join their fleet for a reasonable fee.
The only thing he was waiting for was a few more merchants to get on board so that they could create a proper fleet and make trade between the North and the South of the Western shore a reality.
After a while, the anchors were dropped, and both ships were securely moored at the bustling port. Almost immediately, a flurry of activity ensued as people began entering and unloading the cargo. Jon was one of the first to disembark along with Dacey and their guest Tara and Alla.
The moment he got down he was met with a short chunky, and muscular girl, with big hands, and thighs. Standing beside her was a younger girl who bore a striking resemblance to a youthful Dacey, clutching a small ledger in her hands.
"Jon! Dacey!" Lyra Mormont, the younger sister with the ledger, exclaimed with an exuberant smile, practically bouncing in place.
"Calm down, They are coming here whether you shout or not," the bigger girl said gruffly while rolling her eyes. She was Alysanne Mormont, the second eldest daughter of Maege also known as the She-Bear (no one said that to her face and lived though).
"Hey, kid," Dacey said with a warm smile and took her little sister in her arms and hugged her tightly, while greeting the older one with a smile, "How is it going, Aly,"
"Nothing much, just the usual," Alysanne said with a shrug and a soft smile.
Jon waited for the sisters to separate before he went toward Lyra and rubbed her head affectionately before asking, "How are you, Kid? Did you handle the port well while I was away?"
"I did! I didn't make a single mistake this time," Lyra proudly declared, showcasing the ledger she held. While Jon engaged in conversation with Lyra, Dacey introduced the two girls from the Reach to Alysanne. Jon had already instructed Dacey to accommodate them in the guest house, relieving him of any concerns regarding their well-being.
There were not a lot of literate and trustworthy people around this part so Jon had no choice but to teach little Lyra, Maege's daughter from the start so that one day when the port here becomes an actual port like the White Harbour, she would be well-prepared to take on the duties.
"I'll make sure to check that then," JJon replied, accepting the ledger from Lyra with a smile. Glancing over the recent entries, he inquired, "So where are the rest of the ships,"
"Well they are on their training trips," Lyra said gesturing enthusiastically, "Two are on their way to Barrowlands, three on the way to Torrhen's Square and a single one to Flint's island,"
The training system Lyra was talking about was part of a small system Jon had established here over the years.
After a few initial months and the success of his first few night raids, Jon had recognised one thing which was that the thing he would need the most in the future wouldn't be Ships but Sailors to sail them. So he worked out a system with Maege's assistance to help him with that.
What they had done was establish a small informal school that would produce a certain quality of sailors for them. There were three levels to this school.
The first level was the actual school which was just a small building near the Mormont Castle, where a few Veteran Sailor taught kids, teens, older men, women or anyone able-bodied from the nearby villages and castles, who came here to find a job or to become a sailor after hearing tales from the merchants about the money to be to made here.
Then for a few months, they were rigorously taught all the things they would require to work on a ship from rigging to tying various kinds of knots to how to raise a sail to even how to clean the deck and finally how to fight on a moving ship.
And after the veterans were satisfied with the few that passed their requirements they would send them to the next level where they would start learning hands-on on the ships. That is when they start to go on the so-called Training trips. These trips are usually taken from Bear Island to all the nearby Northern ports on this side such as Torrhen's Square, Barrowtown, and Flint's Finger and they even made a few trips to Moat Cailin.
And these trips were taken weekly which meant that not only did the prospective sailors get a lot of practice on relatively safer water. These frequent trips meant that Bear Island was not the only western port of the North that prospered. Since the ships almost always traded with the locals wherever they went there, it meant that they were making the locals richer a few gold dragons at a time with every trip.
The active trading along the western shores marked a significant boom for the overall economy of the North, reviving a dormant aspect of its commerce that hadn't been seen in centuries. And when Jon would eventually start making frequent trips down to Lannisport and Reach, it would be as if there would be a rebirth of the whole North, or at least that was a dream of Jon.
Anyway, after the trainee sailors completed enough training trips they would become proper sailors and get to go beyond Iron Islands and to be part of the Frost fleet. The Frost fleet is what the locals called it when Jon took as many ships as he could, filled with Starkhorses to brim with him to Lannisport and whenever he came back he bought back his ships filled with riches as well as products from Westerlands.
"All of this looks good, Lyra," Jon praised the young Mormont and she gave him a huge smile. She wasn't as good as her sister in combat and was more interested in Books and so when picked to train to be the future port master she was ecstatic and decided that she would work as hard as she could to succeed.
"Come on, Jon," Dacey said after finishing up arranging lodging for Tara and Alla with Alysanne, "Let's go to the Castle, Mother must have gotten the news of our arrival by now. And you know how she gets when she has to wait,"
"Alright then," Jon nodded and started to move with Dacey toward the castle after telling Lyra and Alysanne to take care of the new ship they had gotten. Evey time he got a new ship it first has to pass through a process so that it stops looking like an Ironborn's ship which involved some paint, some refitting and a few changes to sail.
He passed through the port, where a small market had cropped up over the past few months. Though it paled in comparison to bustling markets like White Harbour or Oldtown, the small market that had emerged here was a significant development for the people from nearby villages and holdings who had probably never left the confines of their village.
Jon looked around in pride as he saw the rapid changes the place, which was just a small fishing village with a few crofters, had gone through in a matter of a few years.
The establishment of the Starkhorses factory and the influx of goods brought by the ships had created numerous job opportunities in the area. Merchants engaged in trading activities between Bear Islands and the inland villages, while woodcutters, cart drivers, port workers, and sailors became prominent figures in the local workforce. And with the arrival of these jobs came an influx of money.
With newfound wealth came the irresistible urge to spend it. Soon enough, pubs, inns, blacksmith shops, and clothing stores began to spring up, catering to the growing demands of the burgeoning community.
"I could kill for a drink, right now," Dacey said longingly while looking at the pub they were passing by. Even from out here, Jon could feel the liveliness that was being created in there. The clanking of mugs, laughter, cursing and shouts Jon could hear from outside told him about the celebratory mood in there.
"You don't have to kill for that," Jon said with a wry smile while pushing a very reluctant Dacey towards their destination, "I am sure your mother won't keep us for long and then you can go for some drinks. I am sure our crew would also be already there by then too,"
"I hope so too," Dacey said, before she looked at Jon with a raised eyebrow, "And you still won't drink a mug or two,"
"As I told you already, the day I grow a beard is the day I drink my first glass,"
"Pussy..." Dacey scoffed.
"Yeah! Yeah!" Jon rolled his eyes at the expected remark.
While he didn't know exactly know what effects drinking from such a young age would have, he was sure there was a reason his previous world had a minimum drinking age. So to be on the safe side Jon had decided to abstain from that until he was reasonably old no matter how many names he was called.
They eventually arrived in front of the Castle door, which had been upgraded recently to a heavy Ironwood one. Maege had earned quite a bit of tax over the past few years with all this improvement and after she had paid her debts, the first thing she had done on Jon's suggestion was to invest in improving the infrastructure whenever and wherever she could.
They passed through the Longhall and arrived before the Lord's Solar. And as they approached closer, Jon could hear multiple loud voices coming from inside arguing about some kind of an attack.
Jon and Dacey exchanged glances and before Jon could even raise his hand to knock, Dacey opened the door forcefully causing an abrupt silence to fall upon the room. Jon rolled his eyes and followed after Dacey, inside the room there were three people, two men and one woman.
The woman standing imposingly behind the dest was of course Maege, the lady of Bear Island and beside her was the Master-at-arms here, a bear-like handsome man named Brandon and if the rumours were to be believed he was also the father of all of Maege's daughter. And the last man was the captain of guards, Pod, a bald man with wild whiskers and a foul mouth.
The moment the door was slammed open Maege angrily opened her mouth to curse the son-of-a-bitch that dared to slam her door but closed her mouth at the sight of her own daughter.
"What happened," Dacey asked her mother impatiently, "Who are you attacking,"
"You came at just the right time. One of Jon's minions sent a letter an hour ago," Maege said greeting Jon before she turned toward her daughter with a smile, "Some wildings were sighted making their way here,"
"How many? And how far?" Jon asked immediately.
"About fifty and the letter said they were a few days away," Maege said calmly before she asked with a smirk, "So, the two of you tired or are you ready to join the festivities,"
"Of course, we're going to join," Dacey said immediately agreeing for him without a care about his opinion, "And I'll be leading this time," she said to Jon with her hands on her waist.
Jon sighed, shaking his head in mild exasperation. "Fine," before he said, "It seems like you're going to miss the chance to get hungover,"
"There are few things I'll choose over alcohol but..." Dacey said with a smirk, "Bashing in some Wildling Skulls is definitely one of them,"