A/N: The final (eventual) harem member's first POV chapter~
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"So Snow! You went all the way south did ya? To plead our plight to the kneeler king himself? Hah, who knew you had such a soft spot for us!"
As the crow flushes and stammers a response, Tormund just laughs boisterously at the effect his words are having. Ygritte grins from close by, arms crossed over her chest and eyes lingering on Jon Snow.
From a further distance away, Val watches all of this in mild amusement even as she sits with the aftermath of meeting the king of the kneelers. He was… different from what she was expecting, truth be told.
But then, what had Val been expecting? Certainly not a man half as tall as a giant, wielding a sword bigger than himself while clad in armor that looked nothing like anything she'd ever seen before. No, when it came to her idea of a 'kneeler king', Val had imagined some soft, pathetic weakling of a man who sat upon his cushy throne and gave orders to the kneeler knights to do his bidding.
Instead, Axel Baratheon had come all the way here himself to see what there was to see. No, more than that, he'd flown all the way here. Val had heard some rumors about that shit. They said that the kneeler king had powers. That he was stronger than a hundred men, had singlehandedly killed dozens of monsters, and could fly through the air as fast as swift as a bird.
Val hadn't really believed such rumors, obviously. And she was pretty sure Mance hadn't either. Now though? Now they both believed. Axel Baratheon had turned out to be more than just a man.
… Though he was also very much a man as well. Val bites her lower lip as she reminisces. The kneeler king was hunky beyond belief and carried himself like a true warrior despite his finery, strange armor, and the crown upon his brow.
More than that though… he'd listened. He'd sat with them and not only had he heard Mance out, but he'd let the rest of them tell their stories too. There was something… strange about that. But not necessarily in a bad way? Fuck, when was the last time any man actually listened to her without wanting to fuck her in exchange?
… Maybe that was the kneeler king's plan! Maybe he was trying to seduce her… by being kind? Val huffs to herself as she watches Ygritte and Tormund's continued ribbing of Jon Snow from afar. Yeah, even she knew she was being ridiculous with that one. More likely it was just that she wanted that to be Axel Baratheon's plan.
Mm, it wouldn't be half bad to be stolen by a man like that, even if he was a kneeler. If Val thought she had a chance, she might try to steal him herself. Sort of like she knew Ygritte was tempted more and more with each passing moment to do with the crow. Jon Snow better watch himself. If he wasn't careful, those vows of his wouldn't hold much longer.
The look in Ygritte's eyes made it crystal clear that she was- Val's head twitches, a whistling sound filling the air. It sounded like an arrow, but it just kept going and going… until…
KABOOOOM!
Val's eyes widen as the earth shakes beneath her. She manages to keep her feet and so do Ygritte, Tormund, and their pet crow, but it's definitely a near thing. Meanwhile, Val thinks she sees a massive plume of snow just a couple hundred feet away in another part of the camp.
Without thinking about it, she draws her bone knife from her waist and begins racing over as everyone else converges on the point as well.
"IT'S THE KNEELER KING!"
Val stiffens as the voice of Rattleshirt cuts through the air. She redoubles her pace, eyes narrowing into slits, and arrives just in time to witness what happens next.
Rattleshirt is standing over a body in the snow… and that body is wearing strange yet familiar armor while also clutching a massive, familiar sword.
Letting out a bark of laughter, Rattleshirt spits on the snow before moving forward. He plants his foot on the fallen man's chest, causing a roar of agony to rip from the downed man's lips.
"Not so tough now, are you kneeler? Let's see that sword of yours, shall w-urk!"
It happens so quickly that Val's eyes almost can't track it. The man on the ground is Axel Baratheon, of course. He seems to be injured. And he's only holding his massive sword with one hand. Rattleshirt, being the asshole that he is, is stepping on the injury, grinding his foot down on it to further weaken Axel.
Yet even in such pain, even in such a disadvantageous position, Axel Baratheon's sword flashes… and Rattleshirt's head flies through the air as his body tumbles to the snow, decapitated.
Val curses as the other Free Folk nearby, many of them followers of the Lord of Bones, all begin to roar in outrage and move forward. Before they can reach the kneeler king and get themselves slaughtered, however, Jon Snow finally arrives, the crow drawing his own sword at his side and standing in defense of his leader.
"Back! All of you! The King was defending himself! No one comes closer!"
Obviously, Rattleshirt's warriors aren't really interested in listening to orders from some crow. But Ygritte and Tormund move into position on either side of Jon a moment later, Tormund with his axe and Ygritte with her bow. They don't say anything, but they also don't really have to… their support for Jon Snow is obvious.
At the same time though, Val can't help but notice all three of them throwing looks down at Axel Baratheon, able to see more easily the injury he's sustained. Even Ygritte and Tormund look ill at whatever they're seeing, which only makes Val more intrigued.
Striding forward, she makes her presence known at long last before things can truly devolve into a fight.
"HOLD! All of you hold! The Lord of Bones broke guest right… and paid for it with his life. None will lay a hand on the kneeler king! I declare him under my protection… and anyone who tries to touch him will have to answer to me personally."
That… quiets the crowd. Technically, Val is no one special among the Free Folk. She has no fancy titles like they have south of the Wall, nor does she lead a clan or even a band of warriors. Her reputation stems from two sources. Her own willingness to geld any man who tries to take her when she has not given explicit permission… and her relation to their leader's wife.
Val had told the truth when she told Axel Baratheon that 'King Beyond the Wall' was a southern construct. She wasn't some Princess or Lady just because Dalla was Mance's woman or anything like that. But at the same time, the title 'King Beyond the Wall' did still hold SOME meaning to the Free Folk. And combined with Val's own reputation as a Spearwife, it gave her sway she probably shouldn't have under normal circumstances.
At the same time, she's invoked guest right as well. Technically, an argument could be made that Axel Baratheon had left guest right behind when he'd departed from their camp earlier. But it hadn't even been a full hour since he'd gone and no one would try to make such an argument in good faith.
Not that Val didn't believe some of Rattleshirt's people would try later to make such an argument in BAD faith to Mance as to why the kneeler king should die. They most definitely would. But for now at least, thanks to her reputation and Axel's three protectors and the fact that the fallen warrior had killed Rattleshirt in the blink of an eye… nobody actually wants to try anything.
In the end, they all back down after a few moments of Val staring at everyone. The moment this happens; Jon sheathes his blade and turns back to his leader.
"My King! My King, it's me Jon… you… what did this to you?"
Creeping closer, Val finally gets a good look at the state Axel Baratheon is in with her own two eyes… and almost immediately regrets laying claim to him and making as many enemies as she had in the process. Because unfortunately… the kneeler king is dying.
He must be. There's a fucking hole through his chest that goes all the way out his back. Val can see bloodstained snow on the other side of the gaping wound and she knows instantly that Axel Baratheon can't be long for this world, her jaw clenching as she finds her mind whirling at the ramifications of this.
"S-Snow…"
"Wildfire is what killed the King's father and his trueborn sons. His Grace was actually Robert Baratheon's bastard and was only elevated to the throne because Robert and both his sons, Joffrey and Tommen, burned to death in a wildfire explosion."
Val frowns, humming as she takes this in.
"The King though… when one of his enemies used wildfire against him later on, it didn't work. He didn't die. Instead he burned for… for seven days and seven nights. And when the green flames finally came to a close, when the wildfire finally stopped consuming his flesh… he was whole again."
Looking her in the eye, Jon Snow clenches his jaw and purses his lips.
"… He won't die. He can't die. He'll survive even this. We just… we just need to give him some time."
Well, that worked for Val.
"Then leave. Go and get some rest. If your king isn't going to die you have nothing to worry about. He will still be here in the morning."
Of course, the crow doesn't like hearing that.
"What? No, I can't! I have to stay by his side, I have to-!"
In a flash, Val's bone knife is in her hand, cutting Snow off.
"This is my tent, crow. And I do not sleep in my tent with men I do not approve of. Unless you consent to me gelding you here and now, you will leave. I suppose, given your oaths, you might not care if I take your cock and balls from you."
As anticipated, that ultimatum gets Ygritte involved. Grabbing Jon by the arm, the other Free Folk woman gives Val a sharp nod as she begins pulling him towards the exist. The crow, meanwhile, is too busy getting flustered and stammering about how he would NEVER try to force himself on anyone to really stop the red head from doing so.
In moments, Val is left alone… with Axel Baratheon. Looking at him, she sighs and shakes her head.
A man who couldn't die? What was he then, unkillable? But if Axel Baratheon was supposed to be this… invulnerable monster, what the fuck had happened to him?
… Val hated how she was beginning to hold out hope that he might survive long enough to tell her.
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A/N: D'awww, Val will nurse Axel back to health in no time, I'm sure~
Don't worry, we're back to Axel POV next time!
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