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***
Harald Karstark sat in the Great Hall of Carhold with a sullen expression on his face, barely touching the lunch before him. Alice, who sat beside him, looked anxiously into her older brother's face, but she dared not disturb him, and for good reason. Lord Karstark had returned from Winterfell, now in the Boltons' possession, in a foul mood, cursing through his teeth and clearly unsure of what to do. No one in the castle could understand the reasons for Harald's behaviour and everyone was lost in speculation.
Then came the news of the death of Russ Bolton and his wife and newborn son 'at the hands of the enemy', and everything fell into place. Fear came next. The only person who had been holding back Ramsay Bolton was dead, and now the only thing left to wonder was what the Dreadfort bastard, known for his sick and twisted imagination, would do.
- You must marry at once, Alice,' Harald said suddenly.
- Why? - The girl was somewhat taken aback by her brother's words, but did not dare to object. Times were dangerous, and therefore it was not the time for family conflicts.
- Because that bastard Ramsay will almost certainly kill Sansa Stark and become a widower,' Lord Karstark explained. - He's got an exorbitant appetite, and I'm sure we'll be his next target. Almost certainly he will want to marry you, and then I will be killed by the 'enemies of the house' and then you will suffer the same fate.
Alice was no fool, and so she could quickly visualise her prospects for the future if her brother was right. Ramsay Bolton was a terrible rumour, a monster in human form, feared and despised. He was a cruel man with a perverse imagination, and the thought of being his wife made Alice sick to her stomach.
- And who would I marry? - asked the girl.
- I am still thinking about it,' Harald answered, 'but it must be done quickly and quietly. Ramsay is not a man who will let talk of your marriage go unheeded.
The doors of the hall swung open, letting the Dorne-born Maester Karrman inside. Though he was in his sixth decade, his hair was still as black as pitch, his gait was still strong and confident, and his mind was still as sharp as a knife. With a confident stride he approached the table, bowing in a bow that made his chain make a sad jingling sound.
- Maester Karrman, has something happened? - Harald asked.
- 'Yes, lord,' the maester's voice was deep, strong. - Jon Snow, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, stands at our gates. Sansa Bolton is with him. They ask for your audience.
Brother and sister looked at each other in amazement. The last thing they would have expected was for a Stark bastard to arrive, and in the company of his half-sister. Yes, it was known that the young man had travelled to the Wall, but since then almost no one had heard from him, except that he had suddenly become Lord Commander. But what's he doing here?
- And what do they want with us? - Karstark asked.
- Jon Snow says it's about the future of the North,' the Maester replied. - He says our survival is at stake.
Harald Karstark thought for a moment, then turned to his sister:
- You've met Jon Snow. What do you think of him?
- He's like Eddard Stark,' Alice replied, then added, 'much stronger than Robb.
At the mention of the Young Wolf, Harald himself grinned as much as the direwolf on the Stark crest. His nostrils flared, his eyes glittering with barely restrained anger. The Karstarks had believed in Robb Stark, hoped in him, and he had betrayed them. Ignorant of the laws of the North, he was unworthy to rule them. When news came of Robb's ignominious death at the Twins, Harald only spat contemptuously.
Robb Stark had been on his own steady march to his finale, breaking promises and losing allies, and so this outcome was entirely predictable. And now Harald was suddenly curious about his half-brother.
- Let them come in,' Karstark commanded. - Let us see what the bastard has to say.
A few minutes later they entered: a black-haired young man in whom only a blind man would not recognise Eddard Stark's son; a red-haired beauty with a direwolf embroidered on her dress; a grey-haired man with no fingers on his right hand. They were accompanied by a tall maiden in armour, a dark-haired boy with an open face, and five brothers of the Night's Watch.
- Lord Karstark,' Snow began, 'let me thank you for agreeing to receive us. In light of the events that are currently unfolding, your agreement to meet with us is beyond gratifying.
- What do you want? - Karstark didn't beat around the bush.
- Help,' John answered as bluntly as he could.
- Help? - Harald asked with a chuckle. - Why should I help a Stark whose brother unjustly executed my father, breaking the laws of the North? My father paid for his blood with blood, and your brother beheaded him for it.
Jon glanced at Sansa, then answered:
- We didn't know that. What happened?
- My brothers died fighting for Robb Stark, and my father demanded Jaime Lannister's head for revenge,' Karstark said, hovering over the table. - Tell me, Jon Snow, wasn't my father's demand just?
- More than fair,' Snow agreed.
- It's good that you, unlike your brother, realise that. And then Catelyn Stark let the Kingslayer go and told this woman to protect him,' Karstark pointed a finger at the Lady Knight. - Don't think I didn't recognise you, Brienne of Tarth, my men have described you in detail.
- What curious details,' Jon turned to Lady Brienne. - I wonder why I am only finding out about this now.
Their gazes crossed at the maiden, but she didn't say a word, except to grip the hilt of her sword tighter. She looked into Karstark's angry face and replied:
- 'Your anger is just, but it is only directed in one direction. Why don't you blame Roose Bolton, who captured us and then let us go? He even gave Jaime Lannister medical attention and then sent him back to the capital.
- Is there anything you can do to back up what you say? - Alys Karstark spoke up for the first time.
- No,' Tarth admitted forcedly.
- Then it's nothing more than an empty breath of air,' Harald summarised. - Especially since Ruse Bolton is dead and there's no one to ask. Anyway, Catelyn Stark, despite her son's words, was not punished for her deed, so my father decided to seek justice himself by killing the Lannister prisoners. By the laws of the North, he was in his right, but it turned out Robb Stark didn't care about our laws, and my father was killed. So where is justice, Jon Snow?
Jon remained silent, mulling over Karstark's words. He sensed that the man was not lying, that he believed what he was saying. If it was as he had been told, then Robb had condemned himself to death by quarrelling with his strongest ally. And in Robb's behaviour he could see the hand of Lady Catelyn, who had raised her children according to the laws of the South, even though they belonged to the North. One could even rejoice in the fact that Eddard Stark's wife looked upon Jon with hatred and did not raise him.
- This is what happens when Southerners interfere in the affairs of the Nords,' the Karstarks looked at each other in surprise, and Sansa frowned. The girl realised who Jon had decided to make extreme in this story. - Whenever Southerners teach Northerners how to live, everything ends in trouble.
- What are you talking about? - Karstark didn't understand.
- Your anger at Robb is understandable,' Jon admitted, and then added, 'but it's not entirely accurate. Robb could not have known our laws, for he was taught from childhood the laws of the rotting south. You don't believe me? Ask my sister. She's had a lot of grief for believing such nonsense after listening to silly tales of the noble knights of Summer. Catelyn Stark let the Kingslayer go, denying Lord Rickard the chance for revenge. And it was her upbringing that made my brother so foolish. I'm not excusing him, Robb made a terrible mistake, but he couldn't have done otherwise because he was raised wrong. I apologise for my brother, and he has paid for his mistake in full.
Alice looked at John, eyes wide with surprise. She remembered Snow from childhood, a quiet boy, mostly silent, trying to keep to the shadows. Had he always been like this... Like this? His words she wanted to believe, and she did. Even the anger in his brother's eyes had faded when Snow had apologised. Really, what was the point of being angry at Robb Stark if he was dead, having paid for all his mistakes?
Blood was paid in blood.
- What do you want from me? - Harald asked, sitting back down.
- I want you to help me save the North,' John answered, 'to save our people. We are facing a threat the likes of which no one has seen for thousands of years. The enemy of ancient legends has returned. The Night King is marching on the Wall at the head of an army of the dead. If we do not unite and stand shoulder to shoulder as true Nords, descendants of the First Men, we will have the unenviable fate of becoming part of the army of the dead.
Karstark's expression changed as he straightened as if he'd swallowed a crowbar. He looked at John and couldn't believe his ears. Somehow he knew he wasn't joking or trying to mislead him. Snow reeked of confidence in his words, his eyes reflecting what he had seen, and Carstark saw the horrifying sight of a vast army of the undead, led by an ancient monster from the worst tales he had heard in his childhood.
- I've seen them with my own eyes and even fought them,' Sansa looked at her brother as if seeing him for the first time. Podrick Payne and Brienne of Tarth were not far behind her, and only the grim faces of the sentries told her that the Lord Commander's words were true. - I've seen what they can do. I'd seen how, in a matter of seconds, the Night King had picked up all those killed in battle and made them part of his army. And that's why I let the Free People go beyond the Wall. If we'd left them there, the White Walkers' army would have grown even larger. I couldn't let that happen.
Alice Karstark covered her mouth with her palm, feeling a chill.
- The North must unite and come to the aid of the Night's Watch,' John continued, 'for we can no longer fight alone. We cannot wait for help from the south, for only a few trust us, so we can only rely on ourselves. If we do not survive, all will die.
Harald Karstark was silent, digesting what he had said. The picture that emerged was horrifying and promising the bleakest of prospects. Everything that had gone before paled in comparison to the threat from beyond the Wall. The Lord of Carhold believed Jon Snow.
- What is required of me? - Karstark asked, and Jon smiled faintly. The ice is broken, half done.
- The North cannot unite as long as a bloody, megalomaniacal madman is in power. Ramsay Bolton must answer for what he has done. He must be held to account for all his crimes, for all those that butcher has tortured to death.
- And then what? - Karstark asked. - Declare yourself King of the North?
- On what grounds? - John parried. - I am a bastard, sworn to the Night's Watch, and no one has ever released me from those oaths.
Ser Davos jerked forward, but Snow held up a hand, telling him to be silent. The Lord Commander was not going to talk about the fact that he himself had risen from the dead just the other day. When the time came, the people would find out, but now was not the time for such revelations.
- So what do you say, Harald Karstark, Lord of Karhold, blood kinsman? Will you help us in our fight, or will you condemn the North to death?
Harald rose from the table and walked around it and approached John. He looked into his grey eyes and saw there only determination to go to the end. In that moment, Karstark realised that the young man standing before him would go forward no matter what, he would not stop. Not after what he had witnessed. There was no fear of death in those eyes, as if he had faced the Unknowable before. Carstark was a warrior he wanted to follow into battle.
- We will help you overthrow the Boltons,' Carstark finally answered, 'and we will help you in the war against the Walkers. You have my word.
He held out his hand, and Jon did not hesitate to squeeze it in return, confirming the alliance that was most important to him. Without the support of the Carstarks, Ramsay Bolton was doomed. As he continued to squeeze Harald's hand, Jon spoke:
- Today, Lord Karstark, you have proven yourself to be the true Nord that our glorious ancestors were.
- Who are the Nords? - Karstark asked.
- 'I am,' John replied. - 'You are. All true daughters and sons of the North. It is long past time for our people to become one, and today you have taken the first step towards that moment. Your name will be remembered for centuries to come.
- And then what happens? If we win?
- Then, blood kin,' Snow's voice became strangely low, murmuring, full of Power, 'we will show everyone why it is so dangerous to mess with the Northmen. And we will ask our enemies for everything.