11 The Wolf Pack
The North
The Kingsroad
Early 301 AC
The sound of men laughing and merriment fills the Kingsroad as 30,000 soldiers begin to make camp by the roadside. Many of the men have still not overcome their wonder at seeing snow and as such snowballs can be seen flying through the air. Others are still struggling with the cold and can be seen hurrying to get fires going. Yet despite it all there is an efficiency to their chaos as the camp is slowly made.
Still on his horse, Aemon observes it all with a critical eye as Cregan and Hassan flank his sides with Ghost having disappeared into the woods a sennight ago.
"It is somewhat efficient." Aemon comments as he mentally notes every improvement that can theoretically be made using Jon Snow's knowledge and his 21'st century education as references.
"When the company began it was made of second, third, and bastard sons." replies Cregan.
Nodding in understanding, Aemon can see what he means. Those second, third, and bastard sons did not have families nor did they have households to follow them. As such a system had to be put in place for the camp to be erected efficiently by the soldiers themselves. They also did not have camp followers, and Aemon is all the more appreciative of that, for the Company of the Rose will be at the center of the many reforms he plans kickstart during his time as regent. With a change of name, training methods, and some cultural reforms they will ideally serve as a place to educate and recruit the next generation. The goal is to slowly implement a less brutal and more ethical version of Sparta's agoge; for Lycurgus had the right of it, healthy, disciplined, and able-bodied individuals are integral to a successful and functioning society. The challenge will not only be to implement this, but to do so in such a way that those not gifted physically will not be looked down upon. The process will be difficult and will most likely not see 10% of the work completed; regardless, he can lay down a basic foundation and leave books behind to guide his cousins and the next generation.
"Tell me of your son, Cregan." says Aemon as he watches Cregan's son observe his fellow soldiers in silence.
For a few seconds Cregan says nothing, but Aemon can sense his inner turmoil.
"Honesty would be best." he adds.
With a sigh, Cregan advances his horse to stand beside Aemon. "He has the potential to be a great warrior, but his mind is keener and sharper than his sword skills will ever be. Unfortunately he prefers to observe and listen in silence than be in the spotlight. It is not a good quality for a commander." says Cregan.
"I beg to differ." says Aemon as he dismounts his horse and hands the reins to Hassan.
With Cregan following in his heels, Aemon approaches Cregan's son, a boy ten and nine of age with the dark hair and gray eyes of House Stark. His features are sharp yet still softer than most northerners, giving his already handsome face a pretty quality to it. Unlike many of his fellow soldiers, he does not wear a cloak and seems quite comfortable with the cold.
"What is your name?" asks Aemon as he nears him.
"Sihtric, my Lord." replies Sihtirc with a bow.
"Not a lord." says Aemon with a grin before pointing at the longsword sheathed at Sihtric's hip. "How good are you with that?" he asks.
"One of the best in the company, but I've never faced someone of your caliber." he replies with his own grin.
"And what is my caliber?" asks Aemon as his grin widens.
"They say that you're the best warrior in the entire North and second only to Jaime Lannister in Westeros." says Sihtric.
"You believe these rumors? When there are no witnesses to my prowess?" asks Aemon with a raised eyebrow.
"That's exactly why I believe those rumors, my lord." replies Sihtric. "Besides, I've seen you move my Lord, if you're not one of the best warriors of this era I will eat my sword."
"Very well, follow me. Let us find out whether you shall become a sword swallower this night." says Aemon as he walks out of the camp and into a clearing.
Taking off his sword belt, Aemon hands it over to Cregan and takes Cregan's sword before turning to face Sihtric. By then, many of the soldiers had noticed these events and a circle has begun to form around them.
"We shall fight to first blood or surrender." says Aemon as he twirls the sword in his hand to acclimate to the weight.
The weapon is a longsword, slimmer and slightly shorter than Longclaw but heavier still. It has been a long while since he's fought with a normal steel sword and Aemon wonders how much that will affect his fighting style.
With a passable handle on the weight of the sword, Aemon lunges at Sihtric with a stab towards his chest. With a casual ease, parrying the probing stab as if it were nothing.
Nodding at Sihtric's alertness, Aemon retreats.
"Good, you did not wait for a command to start and remained alert." says Aemon before charging at Sihtric.
This time he does not retreat when his attack is rebuffed but instead continues attacking.
To Aemon, his and Sihtric's movements are slow despite their fluidity, but to everyone else, Sihtric included, they seem like a storm of swords and their swords clash in a song of steel as attacks are parried, blocked, or evaded. Having faced the Others, Jaime Lannister, and even Barristan Selmy, this fight feels more like casual training to Aemon as he must restrain himself to push Sihtric barely over the limits of his current skills.
To Sihtric, this spar feels more dangerous than any battle he has ever been in and despite knowing that he will not die, the pressure feels suffocating. He has never seen any man move in such a way before, blindingly fast yet still full of strength to make his arms quiver with every clash, his movements are so fluid and graceful that Sihtric cannot tell where one move ends and another begins. He cannot seem to find a pattern and everytime he believes that he found one Aemon changes the pace or move, interrupting his rhythm. Eventually Sihtric is forced to rely on his footwork to evade more and more of the attacks rather than meet them head on.
Soon he falls into a rhythm where instead of relying on his sword his body begins to move as a whole to facilitate his lack of skills. Unfortunately the change comes too late as Aemon takes advantage of his fatigue to disarm him in a maneuver that none watching can properly follow.
With his sword on Sihtric's cheek, Aemon makes a small incision that bleeds as he stares at the young man appraisingly.
"Do you know what is one of the most important factors in a fight?" asks Aemon as a sweaty Sihtric falls on his but to catch his breath.
"There are many important factors, my Lord." says Sihtric in between breaths.
"A nonanswer." observes Aemon as he sheathes the sword. "The answer is mobility. Whether in a war or in a duel, mobility can give a decisive advantage over one's foes. A good warrior has mastered their footwork and can use it properly no matter the terrain, a great warrior incorporates their footwork in their every move and their body and feet move as one." says Aemon as he offers Sihtric his hand.
"And the greatest of warriors?" asks Sihtric as Aemon pulls him to his feet and the crowd begins to disperse Cregan approaches them.
"I will tell you when I know the answer myself." replies Aemon before he asks, "Tell me Sihtric, what are your aspirations for life?"
"Other than becoming commander of the company, nothing, my Lord." replies Sihtric.
"Very well, from now on you are my housecarl, the first of many." says Aemon as he retrieves Longclaw from Cregan and returns his sword to him.
"What is a housecarl, my Lord?" asks Cregan.
"It is similar to the Kingsguard, but you do swear off anything nor are you a mere bodyguard. You shall be a confidant, advisor, and right-hand man." replies Aemon. "Ideally when one is made a housecarl they already possess the knowledge and experience required to advise their lord whether as a warrior, commander, politician, or even a scholar. But since you are lacking in both knowledge and experience, I shall teach you myself and when I am gone you can serve as a proper housecarl to the other Jon Snow." says Aemon.
Realizing the severity of his position, Sihtric quickly kneels. "You honor me, my Lord." he says.
With a shake of his head, Aemon pulls Sihtric to his feet "Do not kneel, as a housecarl every action you take reflects on your lord. If you must show respect to your lord, place a fist over your heart and bow." says Aemon with a demonstration.
"Also, you may call me Aemon from henceforth." he adds as Sihtric bows.
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The North
Winterfell
Early 301 AC
After taking Sihtric in as his housecarl, Aemon decided that it was time to begin training what will be the North standing army now as opposed to later and to use the White Walkers and their army of wights as their trial by fire.
Taking into account the mindless nature of the wights, their relationship with the White Walkers, and the terrain of the Lands Beyond the Wall, Aemon chose to forego the Kingsroad and traverse through the snow ridden plains before plunging into the Wolfswood where they would pass near the White Knife, North up to the ruins of Tumbledown Tower before traversing back south into Winterfell.
The days of travel are filled with training for the soldiers of the Company of the Rose where they wake early and sleep late.
As they travel through the snowy plains they are taught close order drills and formations, marching side by side and unison. If anyone is caught out of formation everyone is ordered to march back from their previous position at the beginning of the day. The infantry march with all of their gear strapped to their back and at times are made to march in formations such as a shield wall or a phalanx. If anyone is caught slacking the entire Company suffers.
The cavalry on the other hand are made to practice vaulting onto and off of their horse and march alongside the infantry while practicing basic charging and retreating formations.
It takes the company an entire moon to reach the Wolfswood where by that time the men with qualities to be a leader began to stand out.
Upon reaching the Wolfswood, these men are set aside for further training at night by Aemon.
For a sennight, the company rests while practicing basic mobility drills and the leaders join Aemon in his tent at night for training in tactics and personal combat spars.
After that one sennight of rest, the company enters the Wolfswood where they only march for half of the day before spending the rest of the day learning of the nature of the North and the Lands Beyond the Wall. They are taught how to scout, how to live off the land, how to navigate the woods, how to perform their formations and drills within the forests, and even how best to anticipate snowstorms. They are also made to adhere to proper hygiene by Aemon as much as possible with the resources at hand.
Within the forest, those with a talent for scouting and outriding are quickly identified and are given further training on the subject.
Despite the reduced time marching, their speed is consistent for the men have completely familiarized themselves with the proper way of marching and the drills and it takes another moon for them to reach the ruins of Tumbledown Tower.
At the tower, the men put their practice into action by being split into 5 groups of 6,000 men and those 5 groups are further split into 12 groups of 500 men. These groups spend a moon facing one another in mock combat using branches and sticks as makeshift weapons. Poor substitutes for training weapons but needs must and Aemon will not have his men accidentally killing themselves before facing the Others.
When the third moon has passed, Aemon commands the men to pack and to make south towards Winterfell through the Kingsroad. He anticipates that it will take them 14 days to reach Winterfell, the soldiers surprise him and they make it within 5 days.
On the fifth moon of the year 301 AC, the Company of the Rose, now named The Wolf Pack, arrives at Winterfell just as dawn breaks over the horizon.
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Author's Note: Here's the latest chapter, tell me what you guys think about Aemon's plans for the North so far and don't hesitate to offer your own ideas. Also, I picture Sihtric looking exactly like Sihtric from The Last Kingdom and Cregan looks like Harald Sigurdsson from Vikings Valhalla
