Game of Thrones: The Dragonborn - Chapter 67 - Taking Leadership of Camp 02.

[Chapter Size: 2100 Words.]

Third Person POV.
Westeros.

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"Jon..." Daenerys's voice called him as he finished carving some new runes into a few weapons he had brought from the South.

"Hm?" He looked at the girl approaching, carrying a dark garment in her arms.

"What’s this?" he asked curiously, eyeing the garment.

"I made it for you. It’s from that bear you brought here two weeks ago. I asked Ygritte to get the pelt, and I’ve been working on it since then," she explained with a shy tone.

"You learned to sew?" Jon asked, somewhat surprised. After all, he hadn’t seen her doing anything like that before.

"A little... Lucis knew how to sew some clothes, and she taught me," she said.

"I see. Well... it looks well made," Jon commented, examining the garment while putting aside his weapon.

"I know you have an important night ahead..." She looked at him expectantly as he lifted the cloak to study it.

"That’s true... well, I’ll wear it tonight," Jon said with a grateful smile.

"You’ll be fine... I heard some comments before coming here. Everyone will be watching what happens at the camp... they say you’re going to fight for the leadership of the place," she said, clearly worried. After all, she cared for Jon now. He was her family, someone who treated her in a way Viserys never did. He protected her the whole time, even here among those whom all the Seven Kingdoms condemned as wildlings.

"Of course I will... don’t worry about that," Jon said calmly. He wasn’t even nervous about dealing with the leadership of the entire camp.

"I know you’re never afraid of anything and handle any situation with ease... but I’m still worried," Daenerys admitted.

"I understand... Either way, you can wait. I’ll be handling all those men soon," Jon said, adjusting the bear-pelt cloak over his shoulder with ease. He liked what he saw. It might not have been the best craftsmanship in the world — after all, Daenerys had only started learning how to use thread and needle in the past moon — but it was still good enough for him to wear on this occasion.

"Very good. It matches perfectly with my leather armor... I think it’s time to change clothes," he said, approaching his armor, which he had taken after sacking Winterfell in those days.

Thinking about that made Jon momentarily forget Daenerys as he took off the fur coat commonly worn by the Free Folk and thought of the Starks.
‘I wonder how they’re doing in the South right now. How they’re handling everything that’s happened. Perhaps my dear uncle is already in King’s Landing.’

He didn’t need to remove his clothes as he put on the armor over them. He sensed someone else entering the tent just as Lucis approached Daenerys.

"I brought some fruit. Would you like some, Jon?" she asked, and he glanced at her with a nod of greeting.

"I’ll take an apple. It’s almost time for me to go," Jon said, adjusting his leather armor and taking the cloak from Daenerys to place it over his shoulders.

"Jon... are you going to fight tonight?" Lucis asked as Jon nodded.

With his usual carefree demeanor, he simply smiled as he raised both hands. In one hand, the Leviathan Axe appeared; in the other, Dark Sister materialized, both drawn from his dimensional space.

"Which weapon should I use... the sword or the axe?" Jon asked calmly.

"Jon, you should take this more seriously..." Lucis said, though she was already accustomed to the absurd sight of him pulling weapons out of thin air.

"By the end of tonight, you’ll see I’ll handle all of this effortlessly," Jon said, taking an apple from the basket Lucis had brought. He bit into it calmly while storing both weapons back into his dimensional space.

"You’re already getting cocky, Jon..." Ygritte’s voice broke in as she entered the tent.

"Hello, Ygritte. How are things outside?" Jon nodded to her.

"People are nervous. The whole camp is restless as night falls, and Mance has prepared an open space for the meeting. After all, all the leaders will be there — and when I say all, even the leader of the giants..." she said.

"I see..." Jon replied as he finished eating.

"Shall we go, then?" she asked, and Jon nodded.

Jon approached the wolf, who had been lying in the corner of the tent the entire time.

"I want you to stay with Daenerys and Lucius while I take care of a few things," Jon said, stroking the wolf before turning back to the girls.

Before getting up, he made his eyes turn white for a moment as he surveyed the entire camp, now filled with more bonfires than usual to light up the area.

At the center, near Mance’s tent, a circle had been formed with bonfires and torches surrounding the space. He could see Mance giving orders to his men, still organizing the last groups arriving from across the camp. Clearly, this meeting was drawing everyone’s attention.

The vision continued to soar through the sky as the owl observed every detail of the camp. Jon returned to his normal sight, regaining control of his eyes, which stopped glowing white.

The owl he had warged into was a bird he had acquired in recent weeks. Through his powers, he had managed to create a bond between himself and the animal, enhancing his warg abilities even further.

He still had his young raven, perched in a corner of the tent near the girls. However, it was too young to be of much use. The owl, on the other hand, was perfect for the night, and Jon had been training with it over the past few weeks, especially while he slept, learning to control the animal’s flight through the night rather than merely experiencing strange dreams of it.

Once Jon’s eyes returned to their natural color, he stood up and approached Ygritte.

"Let’s go. I’m ready to end this," he said as the redhead nodded.

"I’m right behind you," Ygritte replied.

"Stay with the tribe. We don’t know what might happen with some of the people who won’t be too happy about me taking leadership of the tribes," Jon warned Daenerys and Lucius.

Both nodded as Jon and Ygritte left the tent. As soon as they stepped outside, they noticed several people watching them cautiously. Jon was the center of attention that night. His presence at the meeting signaled that the important gathering was about to begin. Many members of Karsi’s tribe began to follow them.

They walked for a while before spotting someone already waiting for them.

"You’re finally here," said Karsi, approaching him.

Jon nodded silently. Without saying another word, they both continued toward the center of the camp, all eyes following them. A crowd began to gather behind the Dragonborn. As Ygritte had said, the atmosphere was tense. Men clutched their weapons tighter, mothers held their newborn children closer, and others almost prayed that nothing bad would happen.

"We will follow you!" shouted a man from the crowd.

"Yes, we will follow you too, Dragonborn. We know you’re more capable than Mance to lead us!" another man shouted.

This triggered a wave of shouts, some calling him Jon, others calling him Dragonborn — a nickname he had mentioned a few times, but which had clearly caught on among the Free Folk.

Finally, Jon, Karsi, and Ygritte arrived at the spot where some leaders were already waiting. He spotted Mance, who was talking with Val and Della. He also noticed a giant approaching slowly, leaving a group of ten other giants outside the circle. The giant was Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg, also known as Mag the Mighty.

"Good to see you, Mag," said Mance, greeting him.

Mag nodded in acknowledgment. "Mance." That was all he said before his eyes shifted to Jon as he approached.

Jon stepped into the circle, while Ygritte stayed behind, knowing she could not enter.

"Dragonborn," Mag said, with respect in his voice.

Jon knew he would have the giant's support that night. Mag had recognized Jon's strength from the very first day, when the outsider defeated him in a fair fight upon arriving at the camp. From that moment on, Jon gained both notoriety and admiration among the Free Folk.

"It’s good to see you too, Mag," Jon replied.

Mag gave a respectful nod before returning to Mance, Della, and Val, who were also present.

"Good to see you again, Mance," Jon greeted as the man nodded to him.

"You may leave us, Della," Mance said to his wife. "Val, stay with her."

Della nodded, and Val approached Jon.

"Be careful. I’ll be waiting for you," Val said with a confident tone, believing nothing bad would happen to Jon that night and that he would emerge victorious.

Jon nodded, watching as Val led her sister out of the circle.

More and more leaders began to appear, filling the space around the torches. The meeting was about to begin.

"Finally, this is starting! I’ve arrived just in time since you’re all here already!" Tormund exclaimed as he appeared, his boisterous personality on full display. He approached Mance first.

"Mance, it’s good to see you again. Welcome back. My friend here brought some of that drink the kneelers make in the South, and I must say it’s one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. I envy you for having spent so much time drinking with them!" he exclaimed.

"Tormund..." Mance greeted him calmly.

"And you?" Tormund turned to Jon. "Are you ready for tonight?"

Jon merely huffed in response.

Karsi and Mag remained silent as more leaders appeared.

Harma Dogshead entered quietly, the rattles of her outfit clinking as she walked. She greeted Mance, while the others stayed silent.

Rattleshirt, the Lord of Bones, also showed up, his face covered with bones. Jon had not met him before, having been away and only recently returning to the camp two weeks ago. The man nodded to Mance, but when his gaze landed on Jon, it was filled with disdain.

"So, this is the southerner who controls that white beast?" he said without fear. "I’ve heard you want to lead us... but you’ll never make the Free Folk kneel to you!"

"And you’re the man who walks around with so many bones that you’ve probably got some stuck up your ass. A pleasure to meet you, too," Jon replied calmly.

Tormund burst out laughing, while the other leaders raised their eyebrows at Jon’s boldness. Rattleshirt, however, shot him a murderous glare.

"What is he doing here?! I thought this meeting was for camp leaders!" a harsh voice rang out as Styr, the leader of the Thenns, appeared.

"He’s exactly where he should be, Styr. He will participate in this meeting as an equal," Tormund said, his tone dangerous.

"What’s this, Tormund? He shows up with a beast, and you’re already sucking his cock?!" Styr snarled.

"Jon has already proven he’s one of us, you fool," Karsi retorted.

"It’s true. He’s been leaving the camp these past weeks to rescue tribes seeking shelter. He even killed another White Walker. What have you done in that time? Sat on your ass in your tent," Tormund added.

"Don’t speak to me like that, Tormund!" Styr was about to threaten him, but Mance intervened.

"Enough. Regardless, Jon Snow will be part of this meeting. After all, it will decide the future of this camp," Mance warned.

"Don’t think I’ll agree to some southerner taking over the camp," Styr growled. He was afraid of Jon, but his pride wouldn’t allow him to back down.

The last to arrive was none other than Sixskins, who stepped into the circle with a wolf by his side.

"What’s this, Sixskins? You know it’s forbidden to bring animals to the meeting..." Mance said.

"I’ll keep my wolf with me, Mance. You don’t know what that man and his witchcraft can do," Sixskins growled as he joined the group.

"Let him keep the wolf. It won’t make any difference," Jon said, sounding almost mocking, as Sixskins snarled at him.

Finally, Mance Rayder, Mag, Tormund Giantsbane, Karsi, Rattleshirt (the Lord of Bones), Styr, Harma Dogshead, Sixskins, and Jon Snow were gathered. The meeting was about to begin.