Chapter 101 - Negotiations with Free Folk (VIII)
"I learned not to trust my visions of the future completely in the harshest way possible." Aenar I Targaryen, God-Emperor of Planetos.
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Seeing the Night's Watch recruits dragging the severed body and limbs of the Ice River Clan Leader, Aenar sat back down and spoke in a gentle tone: "Now that we've cleared the garbage from the environment, we'll begin negotiations again."
"We understand the benefits Your Grace is asking for, but this is not a decision we can take lightly. I'll go back to the camp and, after discussing it with the majority, I'll come back with a definitive answer," Mance replied, getting up from his chair.
He wanted to accept the proposal, but, looking at the leaders of the tribes around him, he knew that many were still reluctant to agree. He didn't want to force something like that. Forcing someone to submit can always bring variables, and he didn't want to cause any more chaos than was already occurring.
However, Mance could see that at least a third of the group was ready to agree to the terms, and that took a lot of the pressure off him. Knowing that he had supporters was comforting.
Aenar wasn't surprised. If Mance had accepted straight away, he would have suspected that the Free Folk were tricking him just to get into the North and spread quickly, making it practically impossible to eliminate all the Free Folk in the North in a short time.
"Winter is coming, and with it, death," Aenar spoke in a calm tone. "I'll be expecting good news, Your Grace."
Mance looked deeply at Aenar and nodded. "May the gods have mercy on us," he said with a serious tone.
"Mance, I'll be staying at Castle Black as a guest. I'll be seeing if the southern king is someone of his word," Val said, surprising Mance, who pondered for a moment and accepted the Wild Princess's proposal.
"Watch out for him," Mance said with a tone tinged with concern. "My wife will kill me if anything happens to you."