𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 || 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑾𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝑪𝒓𝒚 𝑶𝒖𝒕

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑽

𝑩𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒌
299 𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕
【———————————————————】

The tent was filled with a steady flow of music, of soft strumming and sometimes the fast striking of lute strings. It was a party of sorts. Of course, nothing like the feasts in Winterfell, not even close to half the size of one. It was mostly small conversations, the occasional jokes and laughs here and there. Ben leans back in a chair, tilting with his boot up on a bench as the other steadies him on the ground, his lute on his lap.

"A poor old man came riding by,
And we say so, and we know so..
Oh, a poor old man came riding by,
Oh, poor old man...

Says I, "Old man, your horse will die."
And we say so, and we know so.
And if he dies we'll tan his hide,
Oh, poor old man.."

Mance wore a smile. One of recognition but also a smile of amusement. He had Ben test his loins, and then he had him test his whistle and tongue, see if he really could sing how he said. Ben had to admit, he was impressed by the older man's voice. It sounded like a grandfather's voice in a way, soft yet stern, relaxed yet always at work. It was nice.

"We'll use the hair of his tail to sow our sails,
And we say so, and know so.
And the iron of his shoes to make deck nails,
Oh, poor old man..

We'll drop him down with a long, long rope,
And we say so, and we know so.
Where the sharks'll have his body and the demons take his soul,
Oh, poor old man..."

Jon had joined partway through, him having heard the shanty all but a thousand times in his life, as well as Mance, whom joined just the same having sung it himself. It was good fun, truly. Ben looked around the tent, eyeing all of the smiles and bright eyes of the Wildlings. Mance patted his shoulder as he walked by to go get more mead. Ygritte laughs with Jon as he turned back to her to whisper something, slapping his shoulder as he grinned. He smiled proudly as he watched the two before his eyes drift over to their right just a few spots to see near silver hair.

Val had already been looking at him. He felt it. He could feel her stare the entire duration of his songs, gazing at hin with something he couldn't quite decipher, not entirely. But beside Val, was Jarl the One Eye, someone Ben had hated since meeting. He too looked at Ben, but instead of a gaze, his look was a glare, something Ben all too willingly returned to him. And just to be a little shit, he stuck his tongue out at the Wildling, just to add some childish nature to the already petty rivalry that's formed.

Standing up with a slight but exaggerated groan, he throws the strap of his lute over his shoulder and begins to walk to the exit of the tent, doing just that as he steps out into the snow. The moon was bright as is looked down upon him. His sense of things was heightened with how quiet it was. He could hear a man approach behind him, even when said man was crouching, stepping heel to toe in a practiced fashion. And so, Ben decided to have some fun.

Hr began to lead the Wildling on a sort of chase. He began to pick up the pace through the camp, turning into an all out sprint as he grinned, the man behind him beginning to give chase. But eventually, Ben had ran all the way through the camp with not a weapon to protect himself. As he ran up one of the many tall hills winding through the endless landscape of snow, he spun around quickly with his lute in hand and swung it hard, slapping the hard ironwood right into the face of Tormund Giantsbane, knocking him straight on his ass and into the snow.

"Haha! You should've seen the look on your face when I stopped!"

Ben laughed as Tormund rubbed his cheek, eyes furrowed angrily as he spits.

"Damn you, Stark."

"Oh, I'm sure many have. You wouldn't be the first, my friend."

"I ain't your friend, boy."

In sudden fashion, Tormund swiped his legs out from under him, and Ben hit the snow, but never lost his smile as Tormund was over him in an instant, his hand picking Ben up by the collar of his furs and his other clenched into a fist near his face.

"You hurt her in any way, I'll feed you your own guts, boy."

"Who?"

"Don't play stupid, you cunt. Val."

"Why? You want her instead?"

Ben barely dodged the punch as Tormund's fist hit the snow behind Ben's head.

"She's my family, my blood. You may have the name Stark, and you might have some Wildling blood in your veins, but that won't be enough to save you if you fuckin' hurt her in any way at all."

The huge ginger spat as Ben shook his head, losing his smile as he frowned.

"I don't think she's the one that needs protecting. We're alone out here. I could kill you and bury you in the snow and say you got lost."

"Wonder how many people would believe you."

"Mm, it's not about believing. I could care less. Now, you lay your hands off me, and I might consider leaving your teeth in your mouth."

Before Tormund could even open his mouth to threaten Ben again, both Stark and Wildling froze in the sudden noise, a growl. Several.

Both look to their side and what greats them in the darkness makes both men to stop fighting each other to prepare for the ones coming for them.

"Oh, shit.."

"Wolves."

Tormund gets off of Ben as he stands back up, drawing his knife as he holds it up in preparation. Ben stands, but no weapons to draw as he chuckled half-heartedly.

"Well, fuck.."

The wolves began to surround them, as Tormund and Benget back up slowly, backing them into the corner of a slope that's too tall to climb up. But backed into a corner, the wolves before them have no idea that the wolf in front of them would fight to the very last to live. And one of the wolves in the night decided to try his luck, attacking Tormund as it it lunges forward in attack, only to be met by the huge Tormundthrowing himself forward with his knife held steady in front of him, the crude Wildling blade jamming into the wolf's throat.

Another wolf tries, but this time on Ben, lunging forward with a furious growl as Ben side stepped and brought up both legs and kicked the wolf's side, knocking it back as he falls into the snow. But another one lunges at Ben when he hit the ground, landing atop of him as barks and growls in his face, barring his teeth as it tries to rip out his throat. His hands on the beasts neck in attempt to hold it back whilst also in attempt to choke it, Ben struggles as he's pushed to his physical limit, but the wolf seems to get the upper hand.

Shouting in pain as the wolf's teeth graze against the side of his neck, scratching and clawing and cutting, another bites at his leg, but the thick furs do well to protect them. With a shout of effort, Ben brings his free leg up, his knee burying itself in the wolf's belly before falling down like hammer to a nail on the second wolf, knocking both beasts back. With another shout of effort, Ben grabs the wolf that had been atop him by the ear, forcing its head down hard onto the ground, slamming it's head back again and again, then once more it falls limp and bloody.

The wolves that are left numbering to four all howl in anger as Ben crawls quickly back to his feet, one hand holding the wound on his neck as he pants, Tormund coming up beside him as they stand together. But another wolf cries out, and the wolves before them suddenly go silent, fear in their eyes as a great shadow in the dark slams into them, ripping and biting, slashing with its great claws as the wolves are forced to run from the great beast.

"Frost!"

Ben called out in pain, a groan following his words. But despite this, he wore a smile. It had been some time since he last saw the wolf, and even in that time, the beast of black seemed twice the size he was last.

"Come here!"

Frost only met him with barred teeth, but Ben held firm. It wasn't towards him. It was towards Tormund, who still held firm whilst panting, holding his knife up still.

"You..you have a wolf?"

Ben didn't look to him, his eyes still looking directly into the opposite pare of violets of Frost, who had not stopped growling. He wondered for a moment if Frost even recognized him. It had been weeks and weeks spent with the Wildlings away from the direwolf, but Ben had raised the beast from a pup. He could still remember finding him along with Ghost after Bran and Robb had the others. He wondered if Sansa and Arya still have theirs.

"Frost? You remember me, I know you do."

He spoke, kneeling down the to the ground and reaching his hand out. Frost stopped growling for a moment, sniffed his hand, and then lunged forward in a surprising move, licking his face happily as Ben began to laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, I missed you too, buddy."

"You have a fucking wolf?!"

Ben only laughed at Tormund before standing back to his feet, snatching his lute on the snowy ground whilst still holding his neck.

"Yup. Try one-upping that, asshole."

He joked with a grin before beginning to walk back to camp, his direwolf in tow.

꧁~~~~~~꧂

"Are you alright?"

He glanced across his tent, his head rising from where he slumped over to see the honey-haired Wildling girl standing at the entrance of his tent. Ben only nodded, closing his eyes as he slumped back down.

"Just peachy."

"Tormund was cut up a bit but wouldn't speak on about how he came by them. Care to explain?"

"Um...no."

Ben said with a faint smile before he sighed tiredly.

"I fail to remember the occasion of which got Tormund cut up."

"Remedy this failure."

She continued on, leaving no room to question her as Ben only groaned in response. Stepping further into the tent, Val approached Ben, crouching down to his level. He suddenly felt her hand on his neck, more specifically, the wound on his neck.

"Wolves?"

"Nah, just some unpleasant dogs."

He shook his head, but Val only flicked the wound with her finger, making him worse slightly as she rolled her eyes.

"You're hurt."

"Mm. You should see the other guy."

He joked, but there was no humor in his voice, no smile on his face as he frowned deeply, shaking his head.

"I saw them after it was done. It was a mother trying to show its young how to hunt. Ol' mother got me on the neck right here, you see. But Frost over their saved me."

Val turned to his outstretched arm pointing across the tent to the dark figure standing on four legs, with violet eyes glowing. But whereas most people would maybe shout in surprise, step back a bit or maybe even piss themselves from seeing a direwolf, let alone being surprised by one, Val did not have that reaction at all. Despite the stubborn attitude and hardened looks the Wilding princess gives off, her look now was changed to that of curiosity.

"A direwolf."

She hummed as he nodded.

"Indeed. I'm glad you know your wolves so I don't have to explain."

"Oh, you still need explaining on this part here, Benget Stark. How did you tame a direwolf?"

He only shrugged.

"You can't tame a wild thing. Can't truly understand them. But, you can be kind and gentle to creatures, even people, and they might just become your friend."

Ben smiled as he gazed at Frost wagging his tail happily before he glanced to Val, seeing her expressionless face once more. She stared only for a minute before scoffing.

"You? Friends?"

She remarked, but Ben only reached his hand out, seemingly grasping the remark out of the air and bringing it to his heart as though it were a compliment.

"You know what, Val? I think you're pretty sweet."

"Sweet, huh?"

She scoffed with a near smile.

"Let's see if you still think I'm sweet next time we have sex."

"Next time, huh?"

He grinned as Val's eyes widen slightly, understanding she'd just backed herself into a slight corner for him to tease her even more. She frowned deeply, narrowing her eyes as she shook her head with a scoff, standing back to her feet and turning, but not without him seeing her face turned red.

"Don't look so pleased with yourself, Benget Stark."

꧁~~~~~~꧂

Tormund, of course, had raged on about how he and the Stark butchered a pack of wolves in the dead of night. Ranting on and on about how glorious it was, and how much fun it had been. Ben let Tormund have his fun, let him laugh and cheer and tell his side of things while he kept his own side to himself.

He had told Jon, however. Told that instead of the glory of the supposed slaughter, the event actually shook him a little. He didn't let Jon in on that fact, but he told him how instead of a slaughter, only three wolves were killed, the rest scattered to find a fate worse than a quick death. A mother was just trying to teach her young how to survive, and he killed them.

But Tormund still had his fun. Spoke wildly and amazingly of how the two of them stood side by side, leaving out the part of him almost pissing himself when he saw Frost. It was dinner, though, so Ben would continue to let him have his fun. Fermented milk that more than likely came from a mixture of mammoth and goat's milk poured left and right. Across the table he watched as his little brother tried taking a swig, only for it to immediately come back out as the Free Folk roar in laughter, Ygritte of course making fun of him for his failure to drink.

Yes, everyone was drunk. Even Mance from what Ben could see across the large tent. It was incredible to see. Wildlings all gathered here, friends, families and loved ones. The stories Uncle Benjen would tell him were nothing like this. He depicted them as savages who ate their young, who kidnapped women and children in the night, who boiled Watchmen alive just for amusement. Sure, maybe the boiling part might have been somewhat true, but he left out the parts of the laughter and companionship here. The Halfhand said that a man could not know a wild thing.

But the Wildlings seemed so simple, yet complex. They were a group Ben could see himself actually getting behind fully, to stand beside them, as one of them. But that was just a dream.

The meat he was eating he cut with his dagger from his belt, seeing as how the Wildlings of course do not have civilized utensils like in Winterfell. Or the Wall, even. As he cut into the meat before him as the laughter and cheers and drinking continues all around him, he eyes his dagger for a very long moment, and then he glanced at Mance across the tent, a smile worn on the older man's face.

He could kill him.

He could end it right here and now. He could kill the King-beyond-the-Wall before he could properly march on said Wall. Ben understood what killing Mance Rayder would mean. The Free Folk would once more start to kill each other without their leader. But he also knew that in killing Mance here and now, Jon would die, and so would he. If he did, he'd get to see whether or not the boiling part of the stories is true.

The temptation was there, but Ben sighed heavily as he looked away from Mance and back to the conversation at hand at the long table.

"I tell you fuckers again, a great fight it was! The beasts surrounded us, twenty strong!"

Tormund half shouted with laughter as the others listened in to his nonsense with amusement.

"Twenty strong, against the Giantsbane and the.."

He spun his finger around trying to think of something to either mock more compliment Ben as he glanced at him before grinning.

"The Wolf Kissed!"

He laughed and the others raised their mugs and horns in cheer to Ben as he shook his head with amusement.

"The Wolf Kissed!"

"The Wolf Kissed!

"The Wolf Kissed!"

Even Jon and Ygritte shouted as Ben put his face in his hand and was laughing, the dark thoughts he had just moments before dissipating as they all continued shouting, howling and hollering. But through his laughs, Ben saw two faces that were steaming mad, but not at him. Not directly, anyhow.

His laughs turned to chuckles as Val spoke with Jarl the One Eye, before eventually the chuckles became a frown. And then it was a deep frown, one of a sudden rise of anger as he watched Jarl grab Val's wrist forcefully. Despite her strength, which she proved to Ben before, Jarl was nearly twice the size of her, and being in a drunken rage, he seemed more like a rabid animal than a man. A rabid animal whom wants something, or in the case before him, someone to mount.

"Oi!"

He shouts suddenly and the laughter around slows down as all eyes land on Ben for a moment before they travel his gaze towards the scene of Jarl and Val. Jarl shoots out of his seat.

"Bitch! You are mine! I stole you first!"

"Stole?"

Ben didn't stand up at all as Jarl glared, didn't even give him the courtesy of a look towards him, but he gritted his teeth all the same.

"She's a fucking person, One-Eye, not some bitch you can stick your cock in like some damn dirty dog."

"Oh, fuck you, Stark! What do you know of our ways, eh?! We take what we want, kill who--"

"I know that if you don't leave right now, I'm going to end your very way of life in a very quick fashion."

Ben looked up, finally meeting the angry Wildlings face as the tent was brought to a palpable silence. He could see from the corner of his eye Jarl reaching for his axe on the table right next to Val. He could see the rage in the man's one eye. And it felt good to see it. It would be even more enjoyable to see it end.

"Last chance."

But Jarl didn't take that chance. Before Val, Jon, Ygritte or anyone could say anything more make any move at all, Jarl was going for his axe. But he didn't even get the chance to touch the handle to it as Ben's dagger was suddenly and swiftly lodged through his one good eye, ending him on the spot as he collapsed to the ground, the dagger being buried past the hilt.

The tent felt like it could be on fire. Jon stared in shock, Tormund stared in shock, Ygritte, Mance and everyone else. Val stared in shock at the speed, but as the shock wore off quickly, she glared at Ben and stood up from her seat, gritting her teeth.

"I didn't need your fucking help."

Looking down at the dead Wildling on the floor, Val spit on him before storming out of the tent. He didn't understand, not really. The dagger flew from his hand so quickly that he didn't even get the second thought to not throw it. But it was too late. Scoffing, Ben stood from his seat and he too stormed out of tent. A moment later once he was in the snow and the cold, the party seemingly continued inside, raging even harder now as he could hear the shouts of laughter and cheer once again.

Val walked a fast pace up ahead as Ben began to make fast for her.

"Val, come on."

"Piss off, Stark."

"What? You just expected me to let that fucker touch you like that?"

"I can handle myself."

She spun around and held firm, Ben nearly bumping into her but was able to stop just before. He shook his head as she practically steamed with anger.

"I never doubted that you could--"

"He's done it before, you know. He's tried to show others that I "belong" to him and whatnot. But it's a show, Stark. An act. You saw right away that day in the tent with Mance that he'd never have me."

"But--"

"But what?"

Val scoffed, shaking her head with frustration.

"I'm no southern lady, Benget Stark. I don't need knights in sorry shining steel to save me from an even sorrier sack of shit."

"Val."

He spoke somewhat firmly, but was easy in his tone. Val turned away from him, throwing her hands up in frustration, running her fingers through her golden honey hair that almost appeared white.

"You know what I think your problem is, Benget Stark?"

He rolled his eyes before looking back at her.

"Do enlighten me, godess of wisdom and knowledge."

Val turned back to him, her crystal blue eyes gazing into his without any emotion now. Just cold emptiness.

"You want love."

Though he tried not to show it, his eye twitched just slightly, but it was enough for Val to know she was right.

"I see the looks you make, not just towards me, but all of your looks to the world and the people around you. Your smiles and your jokes and your songs might be enough to fool Mance and the useless lot, but it doesn't fool me."

She stepped forward closely, but Ben took a step back, breathing a bit harder as she got closer ever still, eyes not even flinching from him, not backing down.

"I'm not some damsel in distress like Ygritte likes to pretend she is around your brother. I don't need a protector, I don't need a warm body in my bed, I don't need a partner, I don't need anybody. So take your theatrics and just go, Benget Stark."

Ben closed his eyes for a long moment, and he could feel her start to walk away. The snow crunched under her feet, the snow blew softly in the night sky that was scattered with stars of different sizes and shades of light. The Sword of the Evening hung like a diamond blazing in the darkness like the sword itself. Shaking his head, Ben looked to Val as she walked away.

"If you didn't need me in any way at all, if you don't care about anything or anyone but yourself, then why did you volunteer?"

His question was a simply made blade, but Val froze in her spot as it cut deep. She didn't even look back to him, but he knows the question got to her. He knew it would possibly roll around for some time. But in that current moment, huffed before walking away into the darkness, leaving Benget alone with the stars and his thoughts.

꧁~~~A/N~~~꧂

Eh, not my most favorite chapter, but I hope you guys like it. I know the last two or three times we see Benget or Jon, it's not the main story, but all of this really is just to set up their respective relationships, setting them up to be building blocks for the future. If you don't enjoy this weird relationship dynamic between Ben and Val, then that's fine because you all are obviously entitled to your opinions. (Just don't be a jackass about it, alright? It's not that hard to not be one.) I don't mind feedback at all, whether it be criticism or praise. It helps me know where I'm at in terms of writing and story, so please, share anything you've got or want to say.

That being said, next chapter is where I hope things start to move along just a bit faster for Ben and Jon, but also for Robb and Talisa. I can't remember who mentioned it but someone said they didn't really like the Daenerys parts, but her parts are important to the context of her character and for the twists that I add to it and such. So just bare with me a little, lol.

Anywho, hope you all like this chapter! (And did you notice that Frost is back? Yeah, I know right? It's fucking awesome. Ghost is still missing of course considering he's with Samwell and the others towards Craster's right now I think. But whatever, everything will be addressed sooner or later for y'all.

Much love, guys! ❤❤