Ursa Major | Tormund Giantsbane

Chapter 17

"Is it worse than sitting in a freezing cell, waiting to die?" asked Thoros of Myr.

"He's right," said Jon. "We're all on the same side."

Gendry didn't seem to agree with this. "How can we be?"

Jon's jaw twitched. "We're all breathing." He took the keys from Tormund, unlocking the cell. "We go together. All of us."

They got one good night of sleep before they were roused early to go back into the wilderness, where the snowstorms raged and it was so white, they couldn't see anything in front of them.

"You all right?" Jon asked Gendry once they reached a hill where the winds subsided and the sun shone over them.

Gendry hummed in agreement. "Ever been north before?" asked Tormund.

"Never seen snow before," said Gendry.

Thyrsa laughed, surprised how marveled he was by it. "I suppose it is magical to someone who's never seen it. Those of us who were surrounded by it constantly... well, I suppose sand would have that effect on us."

Tormund made a face, as if the idea of sand was disgusting. "Down south, the air smells like pig shit. Sandy air..." he pretended to gag. "I can breathe again here."

"You've never been down south," said Jon.

"I've been to Winterfell!"

"That's the North..."

Tormund blew a raspberry. "How do you live up here?" asked Gendry. "How do you keep your balls from freezing off?"

"You got to keep moving," said Tormund. "That's the secret. Walking's good, fighting's better, fucking's best." He wiggled his eyebrows at Thyrsa.

"You are sorely mistaken if you think I'm dropping my trousers for you out here," said Thyrsa, nudging his ribs. "I'd have to watch you sit naked in the snow for a whole day without shivering to even consider it."

Gendry let out a snort, which Tormund didn't seem to appreciate. "Oi," he said, "she's being serious. I would do anything to please her, as any man should with a woman. Only reason I won't is because I don't want you fuckers interfering." He fake-whispered to Jon as if Gendry wasn't perfectly capable of hearing him, "This one's maybe not so smart."

Jon smirked as Gendry slowed down to complain to the Brotherhood Without Banners. "Davos says he's a strong fighter."

"Good," said Tormund. "That's more important than being smart. Smart people don't come up here looking for the dead."

"Jon must be the dullest man alive," said Thyrsa teasingly, ruffling Jon's hair. "But you must have been clever to some extent to survive the Dragon Queen."

"She'll only fight beside us if I bend the knee," said Jon honestly.

"You spent too much time with the Free Folk," said Tormund. "Now you don't like kneeling. Mance Rayder was a brave man. A proud man. The King-Beyond-the-Wall never bent the knee. How many of his people died for his pride?"

Thyrsa slowed down when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Jorah cleared his throat, "Lady Thyrsa. It is good to meet you."

"It is good to meet you, too," she said. "I heard some talk that you'd been infected with greyscale."

"I was," he said. "Samwell Tarly saved my life."

She smiled. "He's a good man. I admire Samwell very much."

"As do I. As I admired your mother for many years. Saga was a brilliant woman, an even better fighter. I traveled to Last Hearth and met each of you when she gave birth to you. I was fourteen when she had Smalljon, three-and-twenty when she had you. I fought beside her at the Trident."