Somewhere Further irue NorthPOV of Domeric Bolton

  “Wild Walkers?”

  "White Walkers." Mance Rayder corrected Raksa who was standing beside him while giddily looking at the giants who had just ehe camp along with their mammoths.

  "White Walkers and their army of wight. A rge army made up of dead people and animals. Just like in the legends." He told Raksa who was not even listening to him anymore.

  “Okay, I uand the situation.” Domeric said.

  "You believe me?" Mance Rayder asked suspiciously.

  "Yes. You ot lie to me. If you do, then I'll know." Or he'd know as long as he used legilimency while talking. Which he was at the moment.

  Mance looked slightly unfortable for a moment before he asked. "Is that why you're taking the giants South of the Wall?"

  "No. I'm taking them to the South because I want to create a sanctuary for them where I'll be able to keep them safe. Or that's my pn at least." He said.

  "We humans are afraid of anything that we don't know or don't uand. That is why we killed or chased away the Children of the Forest and Giants. I want to give them a sanctuary where they'll be able to repopute once again without any danger because I owe it to them."

  He did however leave out the part where he wahe Children of the Forest to tell him the secrets of carving the faces and eg the Weirwood trees to the magical ley lines in the world.

  The truth was that he would have tried to save the Children of the Forest even if he didn't hem. Mainly because they were a magical species and being a Wizard himself, he felt the obligation to save any magical species in the world.

  "But you know that the White Walkers are ing. So, will you help us?" Mance asked with no small amount of hope in his eyes. A hope that he unfortunately had to crush.

  "No." He replied. "The fact that you are telling the truth just means that you 'believe' that there were white walkers out there. Just because a desperate sailor sees nd where there is none doesn't make his belief true. So, you won't get any help from me. At least until I find out about these White Walkers myself."

  "And if they are real?" Mance asked and he instantly went silent.

  If the White Walkers are real, then he'd have to introduce gun power and ons as well as firearms sooo the world than he had initially thought.

  "If they're real." He finally said. "Then I'll allow the wildlings, or free folk as you like to call them, in my nds. But only those who're willing to bend their knees and follow the rules dedicated to them."

  Mance’s face sched up and he already uood what Mance wao say with Legilimency before the words eve his mouth.

  "We free folk don't kneel."

  "Aye, you don't. But if you wao allow you to e and live in my nds. Then that's what you'll do." He said, giving his ultimatum.

  "So, you'll just leave these people here to die. To let women and childre the hands of White Walkers because they don't bend their knees and kiss your feet. Just because you're too prideful to do what is right?" Mance asked loudly and every single one of his guards instantly took out their sword, ready to protect him with their lives before he raised his hand and sighem to stop.

  "Prideful. Too prideful, am I? Do you know hoeople live in my nd? Around 530,000. 530 thousand men, women, and children who rely oo keep them safe. People who rely oo keep them fed. People who rely on me as their lord to settle their disputes. People who rely oo give them shelter and food when the winter es. People who rely oo keep them safe. So no, I won't let your people enter my nds as long as I'm sure that they will follow my rules and not cause any trouble in my nds. And if hen I'll even send my men to defend the walls so that your men woer our nds and cause anarchy."

  "So, you'd rather have us as your ehan allies."

  "Yes. Better to have untrustworthy people as your ehan as allies. I would rather fight them head-on than risk the ce of having them stab me in the back."

  "I see. So, I guess you won't ge your mind?"

  "No. But if you ge the minds of your people, thehem to Hardhome by the end of the year. I'll send my ships to take them to my nds. But I'll only take those who will truly submit to my rules and not try to run wild in my nds. That is all I have to say in this matter."

  "Very well then. I'll see hoeople I persuade to bend their knee." Mance said bitterly, as if not believing that he'd even be able to do it.

  “And Mance you accused me of being prideful. But you and your people are the ones asking for help and refusing to bend. Aren’t you and your people the truly proud ones? If free folk couldn’t even learn to adapt to this dire situation, then they wouldn’t have a future.”

  His message was clear; beggars ’t be choosers. And Mance couldn’t find anything to say for a while. He just nodded and turo leave.

  "One more thing." He said as Mauro leave.

  "Yes?" Mance asked as turo look at him.

  "I'll accept the women and the children if they want to e to the South."

  "Even if they're not willing to bend the knee?" Mance asked. "Yes. But as long as they don't hurt other people in my nds." He said.

  "Why?" Mance asked and he shrugged ba reply.

  "Because of their nature. A child's nature be ged if he or she is raised in a new and different area. They adapt faster to ges than adults. As for women, their nature is that of a protector. As long as they have enough to feed their children, enough to survive, they'll not pose a problem." He said.

  "Men, oher hand, are more ambitious. And an ambitious and foolish person cause disastrous results."

  "I… see. I'll talk about this to the others. To see what they think about your decision." Mance said ahe tent.

  "Oh, and one more thing." He said as Mance came bace again and looked at him with an annoyed expression.

  "What is it now?" Mance asked.

  "Your warg. Orell. Send the man in. I have a proposal for him."

  "We he warg." Mance said through gritted teeth.

  "I'm sure you'll find someone else in this wilderness." He said with a negligent wave of his hand.

  "Plus, it's not like I'm forcefully taking the man away from you. I'm just giving him a proposal. If he doesn't like it, then he stay with you. He's a free man after all, isn't he?"

  Mance grimaced at his words but then simply nodded his head i "Aye. I'll send him in." He said before he left.

  "That giant is so huuuge." Raksa said in wonder while looking at the giant in the distance as soon as Mance left a out a chuckle at her words.

  "Never ge Raksa." He chuckled to himself.

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