Chapter 16 - First Wife and Powers
Val and Manny walked together toward Mance Rayder and the other leaders, where the Lord Commander already stood with a few of his senior men. The air around the fire was warmer than the rest of the frozen camp, but the mood shifted when Manny stepped forward. He greeted Jeor Mormont with a small bow and said, "If everything here is under control, my lord, then I will have to leave soon. There is more I must do."
The Lord Commander raised his brows. "Leave? Now? And where would you want to go in this cursed weather?"
Manny answered simply, "North."
Benjen Stark, standing just behind Mormont, spoke from the side. "And why in the gods' names would you go farther north than this? What purpose calls you into a land even the dead fear?"
Manny held his ground. "Because someone is waiting for me there. There is something I must do, and it cannot be done from here."
Mormont crossed his arms. "You mean to walk into the deep north alone? That is madness. Even a seasoned ranger will struggle out there."
"I won't be alone," Manny said. "I've gained a helper. A guide." He nodded toward Val.
Val stiffened, eyes widening as if she had not expected him to say it aloud.
Mance blinked at Manny. "Her? You think she's going anywhere beyond this camp?"
Val stepped forward before Manny could speak. "I am going," she said. "I've already told him so, and he refused. The same way you are refusing now."
Manny looked at her helplessly. "Why, Val? Your sister will kill me for this."
Val shook her head. "I will speak to her myself. Do not worry. I know these lands better than you. I know how to walk the woods and how to avoid the dead. You cannot go without someone who understands the north."
Mance let out a long breath through his nose. Anyone could see he was not happy, not even a little. But Val's will was harder than frozen ground. Her jaw was set; her eyes did not move away from Mance's.
At last Mance said, "Come. We will talk to your sister." He took Val by the arm and led her toward the tent where his wife waited. Val looked back once at Manny, half warning and half promise.
When they were gone, Jeor Mormont and Benjen Stark both turned toward Manny with expressions that were somewhere between surprise and suppressed laughter. Benjen exchanged a look with the Lord Commander, then with Tormund, who had been listening from the side, and all three gave Manny the kind of smile only men know.
Tormund muttered, "Looks like the crow has caught himself one of our wildling beauty."
Manny lifted his hands quickly. "Do not blame me. She put a dagger to my throat, you know. I did not choose anything."
At that, Tormund burst out laughing, and the sound rippled through the gathered leaders. One of the older tribal leaders slapped his knee and said, "Aye, that's Val. Someone once tried to win her over by force. She handed him his insides quick enough. Lucky for you, boy, she only pressed your throat and didn't open it."
More men joined the laughter. Some shook their heads in amusement; others whistled low as if pitying him. A younger leader leaned toward Manny and said, "If she's set her mind on you, best dig your grave now. You'll be henpecked till the end of your days."
Manny groaned. "Gods… what are you all saying? Nothing like that is happening."
The laughter grew louder. Even Jeor Mormont joined this time, his voice rough and deep. "She'll make a fine wife someday. Strong hands, stronger will. I'm from Bear Island, boy, and we respect women who can break a man before breakfast."
Benjen Stark's expression softened for a moment, a brief memory passing behind his eyes. He said quietly, "My sister was headstrong as well. It's a rare fire. Hard to live with, but harder to forget."
Then he shook the mood away and clapped Manny on the shoulder. "But don't worry, lad. If she's chosen to follow you north, you'll have the toughest guide we have."
Manny rubbed his face. "Please, all of you… stop making it sound like I've married her already."
But the men only laughed harder, their voices rising in the cold air, because they all knew the same thing that once Val made a decision, nothing in the frozen world could turn her away.
---
Inside the tent, the fire warmed the air, and Dalla sat wrapped in furs, brushing out her pale hair. She looked up as Mance entered with Val close behind.
"What trouble have you brought me now?" Dalla asked, though her tone was calm.
Mance sighed. "Your sister wants to run into the deep north with the crow-boy."
Dalla set the brush down slowly. "Does she now? And you think dragging her to me will stop her?"
"That was the hope," Mance muttered.
Val stepped forward. "I'm going, Dalla. He can't travel that far alone. He'll die."
Dalla studied her sister's face for a long moment. There was no shaking in Val's stance, no doubt. Only determination.
"You've always done as you pleased," Dalla said. "But tell me - do you trust this boy enough to freeze beside him?"
Val didn't hesitate. "I trust myself enough to keep him alive."
Dalla breathed out through her nose. Then she looked at Mance. "Let her go. You know she'll slip out at night if you don't."
Mance groaned. "Seven hells… I was afraid you'd say that."
Dalla only smiled. "Better she goes with your blessing than without it."
---
When Mance returned to the others, Manny straightened, waiting for his judgment. Mance tossed his hands up in defeat.
"She's going," he said. "I'd have better luck arguing with a glacier."
The men chuckled, and Mance pointed a finger at Manny. "You keep her alive, crow-boy. If she comes back hurt, I'll let Dalla deal with you. And trust me, that's worse than dying north of the Wall."
Manny swallowed hard as the others laughed.
Val came to Manny soon after leaving Mance's tent. She carried her spear, her small pack, and that familiar determined look in her eyes. "Be ready," she said. "We leave as soon as you've gathered what you need."
Manny nodded. They went over their supplies together—furs, food, daggers, the short sword Manny carried, and bundles of dry wood wrapped in oiled cloth so snow wouldn't ruin them. Manny had already guessed their journey would take at least a couple of days, maybe more, before they reached the place where Three eyed Raven was waiting. Because of that, they checked their food twice. Val insisted on extra dried meat and two leather skins of water. Manny didn't argue.
After a last round of goodbyes, Mance shaking his head and even Lord Mormont offering a quiet, "Stay alive, boy" they walked north. The wind met them immediately. It carried the kind of cold that settled into the bones if one wasn't careful. Val walked ahead at first, guiding them toward the distant hills Manny had seen in the weirwood's vision, while Manny scanned the sky for the raven that had led him earlier.
By the time the sun dipped behind the jagged northern ridges, the world had turned a pale blue. They looked for shelter, and Val found it soon. A narrow cave under a broken slab of rock. It was barely large enough for the two of them, but the stone blocked the worst of the wind. Manny gathered some snow to seal the edges while Val checked the ground for any signs of animals. There were none.
"We don't light a fire," Val said, lowering herself inside. "The night-walkers see light long before we see them."
Manny didn't argue. The cold inside was sharp, almost biting. They spread their furs on the floor and sat close, sharing the small warmth their bodies could make. It wasn't enough, not at first. Manny felt his teeth ache from the cold each time he breathed.
Huddling closer became necessary, not optional. Val didn't seem embarrassed by it. She wrapped her arms around him the way northern folk did when storms came which was practical, direct and firm. The closeness helped, but the cold still crept in from the stone walls and the night outside.
After a long silence, Val shifted slightly, her face near his. Her eyes held something like curiosity or challenge, maybe something she had decided much earlier. Manny felt her studying him, weighing him like she weighed any choice in the wild. He didn't know what she concluded, but she reached up and touched his cheek lightly, as if checking whether he was still warm enough to live.
"Manny," she whispered, as if testing the name.
He didn't answer at first. The moment stretched between them, full of cold air and shared breath. And then Val made her move, swift and sure like everything she did. Manny wasn't prepared for how quickly she could close the distance, how easily she could guide him where she wanted. He didn't resist. He didn't want to.
What followed wasn't something he could name neatly—something between a wrestling match and a very enthusiastic workout. If anyone had been outside the cave, they might have thought two stubborn goats were butting heads inside. Manny wasn't sure whether Val was helping him stay warm, testing his strength, or simply proving that she could outmatch him in every possible category. Whatever it was, by the time they were both lying breathless under the furs, Manny felt as if he had survived a full night's training session with the entire Night's Watch. Val, of course, looked annoyingly satisfied, as if this had just been her warm-up round.
Hours passed without either noticing. When the sky outside finally softened into the grey before sunrise, both of them were exhausted, wrapped together under the furs. Manny drifted into a shallow sleep for what felt like only moments.
Then he heard it, a soft ding in his mind.
It wasn't sound, not truly. It was more like a thought touching another thought, a small bright spark from the House Outside Time. Manny understood it instantly. Something had been confirmed. A bond has formed between Manny and Val which was recognised by the HOT and now he has gained powers, the first one.
He exhaled slowly.
Beside him, Val slept quietly, unaware. Manny stared at the cave ceiling, knowing the journey had only just begun.
He ordered in his mind, "HOT, show me what I got."
End of Chapter 16 - First Wife and Powers