Chapter 211: Let Them Fend for Themselves

Chapter 211: Chapter 211: Let Them Fend for Themselves

After eating, Jacob and his group stayed in the longhouse and talked for another three hours before Karsi returned with three other clan leaders.

She looked at Jacob and said, "We are ready to leave, my king."

Jacob asked, "How many Free Folk decided to accept me as their king?"

Karsi said, "About ninety thousand. Only the Thenns and three other clans refused. They are about fifteen thousand of them."

Jacob nodded. "Alright. That’s their choice. I will respect it." He stood. "Lead the way, Karsi."

Jacob and the others followed Karsi outside the longhouse and found thousands of Free Folk gathered outside, looking at them with hostile eyes.

Karsi said, "These are the Thenns and the three other clans who refused to follow you, my king. My clan and the other clans who chose to follow you are over there."

Jacob looked where she was pointing and saw tens of thousands of people waiting a few miles by the shore.

Jacob nodded and followed Karsi, telling Wun Wun and the other giants to follow them.

As they headed toward his new people—now half a mile away from the Thenns and the other clans who had refused to accept him as their king—Malia looked at the mountains above Hardhome. A blizzard was coming, turning the sky dark.

"Jay," she said, "something is coming."

Jacob didn’t look back. "I know. It’s the army of the dead."

Allison looked back at the Thenns and the other clans who had refused Jacob’s offer. "Are we going to save them?"

Jacob’s voice was flat. "No. We are going to protect our own. As for the Thenns and the others, I offered them the chance to become my people, and they refused. They have their pride, and I respect that." His voice hardened. "But I have my own pride too, Allison. Let them fend for themselves."

Allison sighed. "That’s harsh... but I understand."

Jon’s voice was sharp, filled with disbelief and anger. "Are you serious? There are children and women among them! And you have the strength to save them!"

Jacob didn’t stop walking. He didn’t look back. His voice was flat, devoid of any emotion.

"I offered them a choice. They made theirs."

Jon grabbed his arm. "They’re all going to die!"

Jacob stopped. He turned slowly, his eyes meeting Jon’s. There was no anger in them. No sympathy. No warmth. Just cold and dangerous stillness.

"People die every day, Jon. I have no duty to save them. The only duty I have is to protect my family and my people."

He pulled his arm free.

"I’m not a hero. I didn’t come here to save everyone. I came here because I wanted to build a kingdom—because I thought it would be fun." His voice hardened. "But building a kingdom is not a joke. It needs to be built on choices. On loyalty. On consequences."

He gestured toward the Thenns and the other clans who had refused him.

"Those people made their choice. They chose their pride over their children’s lives. They chose their hatred over survival. And now, they will face the consequences of that choice."

Jon’s voice was tight. "There are still innocent children among them."

Jacob turned and started walking again. "Do you know what happens when a king saves people who refused to follow him? They learn that they can defy him without consequence. They learn that his mercy is weakness. They learn that they can ignore his orders, reject his authority, and still be rescued when their own choices put them in danger."

His voice dropped.

"A real king does not reward defiance with salvation."

Jon opened his mouth, but Jacob cut him off.

"You were there, weren’t you? You heard me when I offered them a future. I offered their children safety, warmth, food, and education. I offered them a chance to live. They threw it back in my face. They chose to stay in this frozen hell rather than follow a ’little southern twat’ as they called me." His voice was cold. "So let them fend for themselves. I will not save them only for them to curse my name tomorrow."

Jacob stopped, then added over his shoulder.

"But don’t worry, brother-in-law. I’m not totally heartless. I’ll save the children and women—but not before that bald-headed bastard and all his extremist friends die first."

He started walking again, his voice final.

"Now, let’s go to our people. Let’s watch the show for now. Unless, of course, you want to go join Loboda and fight alongside him." He glanced back, his eyes cold. "If that’s your choice, then you’re free to go die alongside him. I won’t stop you."

Before Jon could respond, Sansa caught his arm. "You will do no such thing."

Arya grabbed his other arm, her grip firm. "Jon, don’t do anything stupid. Jacob said the Thenns are cannibals. Let them and the clans who chose to stay with them die."

Jon looked at both his sisters, then sighed heavily. "I’m not an idiot. I won’t go there and get myself killed." He paused. "I was just asking him why he doesn’t want to save them—even though he has the power to do so with ease."

Arya’s voice was sharp. "Those are his powers. He can do with them as he pleases. And honestly, I’m with him. I was thinking of killing that bald bastard myself." She tugged his arm. "Now let’s go. And stop asking stupid questions."

Malia walked past them, her eyes fixed on Jon. She didn’t stop, but her voice carried back, cold and dismissive.

"You’re a self-righteous fool, Jon. I hate people like you. And I really want to beat your ass."

Jon opened his mouth to respond, but no words came. He watched as Malia walked away, her cloak billowing in the wind.

Sansa squeezed his arm. "She doesn’t mean it. She’s just... Malia."

Allison smirked. "No. She meant every word she said."

Arya said, "Jon, remember—Father died because of his righteousness and honor. So stop being so noble and start thinking with your head instead of your heart."

She let go of his arm and walked after Malia.

Sansa leaned in and whispered in Jon’s ear. "Piece of advice: never grab Jay’s arm like that again in front of people, brother. He didn’t like that. I could feel it. You’re not that close to him yet, so be careful around him. He is not a normal man. He is a king and a dragon. He won’t hurt you for my sake, but he will definitely hate you. And you and I both don’t want that."

She let go of his arm and followed Jacob.

Stiles chuckled. "Jon reminds me of Scott. The two of them will become very good friends. Probably even best friends."

Allison smirked. "Shouldn’t you be worried about losing your best friend?"

Stiles said, "No, Jacob is my new best friend. Right, Jacob?"

He was about to hug Jacob’s shoulder, but Jacob pushed him away.

Jacob looked at him with disgust. "Stay away from me. And I think your new best friend is Cogman. The two of you are both crazy psychopaths."

Stiles felt offended. "Hey, don’t compare me to Cogman! I’m not a psychopath like him! And he is not my best friend!"

Jacob smirked. "Are you sure? I remember what you did to that Kludde. You made him explode. Then I saw what you did to Stannis’s army—you were butchering them with a maniacal smile on your face. And you actually spend a lot of time with Cogman. You guys fight like children all the time. You hang out together a lot, talking about your favorite villains from Marvel and DC. You act like a girl from time to time to try and raise my blood pressure, and you even taught that to Cogman." He paused. "So yeah, I think you two evil bastards are best friends."

Stiles said, "Hey, you are the last person who can call me evil or a psychopath. You are more evil than Cogman—" He stopped. "Well, no one is more evil than that creepy bastard. Remember when he shrunk himself and entered that old man’s body, then got bigger inside his chest, making him explode, and got out of his body like a Xenomorph?" Stiles shivered. "I still have nightmares about that from time to time. I wake up in the middle of the night screaming and checking my chest."

Jacob sighed. "I forgot about that. Or more like I buried that memory deep in my mind until you idiot reminded me just now."

Malia said, "I remember. It was creepy, and I regret watching him do it." She paused. "But to be honest, I want to see him do it again." She looked at Jacob with a frown. "Does that make me weird?"

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Love, you’ve always been weird."

Malia shrugged. "I guess I am."

They kept talking until they reached the Free Folk who had accepted Jacob as their king. ninety thousand people stood before him—men, women, and children—their faces a mixture of hope, fear, and uncertainty. The wind howled around them, carrying the distant sound of the approaching blizzard.

Jacob stepped onto a large rock and faced them. He used his dragon voice—deep and resonant, carrying across the frozen shore like thunder.

"Listen to me."

The crowd fell silent.

"My name is Jacob Alexander. I am your new king. I am not a southerner. I am not a northerner. I am not even from this world."

He paused, letting that sink in.

"I am a dragon."

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

"I know you have seen strange things today—giants, and mammoths appearing from nowhere. I know you have heard Tormund and the elders speak of my power. I know some of you still fear. Some of you still doubt."

His eyes swept across them.

"That is fine. Fear is natural. Doubt is natural. But know this—I am not here to enslave you. I am not here to use you and discard you."

"I am here to build a kingdom. A kingdom where your children will not freeze. Where your old will not be left to die alone. Where your women will not starve or die during childbirth. I am here to give you something your ancestors have never had—a real home. With warmth. With food. With safety."

"But a kingdom is built on more than just promises. It is built on loyalty. It is built on trust. It is built on laws."

His eyes swept across them again.

"I ask you to obey my laws. Do not harm the innocent. Do not steal from your neighbors. Fight for me when I call. I will not send you to die for nothing. I will not waste your lives. But if I call, you will answer. And be loyal. I will give you everything I have promised and more. But if you betray me..."

His eyes flickered red.

"...I will not show mercy."

He let the words hang in the air.

"That is the price of joining my kingdom. That is the price of my protection. That is the price of a new life. And I promise you, it is a price worth paying."

He gestured toward the distant mountains, where the blizzard was growing darker.

"The army of the dead is coming. I can feel them. They are marching toward us even now. But you do not need to be afraid. You do not need to fight today."

He smiled—a cold, confident smile.

He looked at Allison and the others. "My family and I will deal with them."

He turned back to the Free Folk. "You wanted to know if I could keep my promises. You wanted to know if what Tormund and the elders said about my powers was true."

He spread his arms.

"Then I will let you see that you chose the right king."

His voice rose, carrying across the frozen shore.

"Stay behind me and my family. And enjoy the show."

He turned to face the approaching darkness.

"You are my people now. And I protect what is mine."

The Free Folk watched their new king, their eyes wide, their hearts pounding with a mixture of fear and anticipation.

To be continued... 😊

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