Reformation

"Are you done yet?"

"Almost done!"

"Come on, it's about to start!"

"If you're in such a hurry, get up and help me!"

"You know I'm not good with my hands!"

A beautiful young woman walked with a bowl full of popcorn over to the couch.

"You'd make a terrible boyfriend, that's why you must go on alone, little brother."

The young woman had blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, and as she smiled, small dimples formed in her cheeks.

"Shut up, at least I'm smarter than you!"

On the couch, a young man of about fifteen, sulked listening to his older sister's words.

"Just because you have a good memory doesn't mean you're smart, little brother, and put down your phone and turn on the TV, it must be starting."

The young girl smacked her little brother's head ordering him to put the program on.

"Okay, stop hitting me!"

The young man tossed aside his phone and turned on the television, and lucky for both of them, the presentation of their favorite series was just beginning.

"What's your favorite character so far?"

The young woman popped some corn popcorn into her mouth and asked her little brother.

"I don't know, what's yours?"

The young woman thought for a few moments before speaking.

"If you had asked me a while ago, I would say Dany, but she has suffered so much, with such a painful life that I don't like to think about her anymore, it would be like supporting her pain."

The woman offered popcorn to her little brother and continued.

"But now I like Bronn, Tyrion and Edd, because unlike most, they live their lives making everyone laugh with their comical their comments."

The woman laughed a little remembering the lines of her favorite characters.

The young man listened to his older sister as she pondered, he then had a thought and decided to speak.

"I like it better..."

"....."

".....ke"

"Blake..."

"BLAKE!!!"

Blake felt someone slap his cheek and opened his eyes to see Ygritte calling out to him.

"Blake, food!"

Drowsiness quickly left Blake's body, and he brought one of his hands to his eyes, touching frozen droplets to his face.

"A good dream?"

Blake was confused at the dream he just had.

Never, for as long as he could remember being in this cold place, had he had a good dream. He also felt a warm feeling in his heart.

"Blake, food, food!!!"

Blake heard his little sister again and smiled at her touching her head.

"It's okay, wait a little while I make it."

Blake prepared food for Ygritte, took care of the stable and traps, foraged for food, and went out to the tribe to lead some preparations.

First he made a stew for everyone in the tribe using his last reserves of fish. He also carried the injured, checking that their wounds were still the same, only now, most had recovered enough to stand up, except for the young man who had fractured his knee, even Cam walked to get his portion of food.

With the tribe assembled, Blake spoke to them as they ate.

"There is not enough food to keep eating for free. We can only eat today and tomorrow with what's left, so starting today the men who have recovered from their wounds will go out hunting."

Blake pointed to the floor where he had put the spears, bows and arrows he recovered, and had repaired so they would be ready to use.

"The women and children will help me by fishing and setting traps, we don't know when the warriors will return, but we need to have enough food in case of emergency."

The whole tribe listened to Blake's words in silence, until after a few seconds one of them responded.

"Well boy, I'm still wounded, but I'm more than ready to go out hunting. Say, if I bring you my game can you keep cooking? The food you make is really good, hahahaha!"

"Yeah, I'll give you my game too if you keep cooking!"

"Me too boy!"

Blake heard the shouts of the tribesmen nodding.

"I'll keep cooking tasty, hot food as long as you bring me your prey."

To these savages, Blake's hot food in which he used wild mushrooms, and much more importantly, salt rock scrapings that Oswin brought from Shadow Tower, was a delight.

Blake estimated that Oswin and the warriors should take no more than three days to return, so he wanted to make some preparations and take complete control of the tribe before then.

With the food problem solved, Blake ordered the strongest tribesmen to help him cut down the surrounding trees.

He wanted to make enough huts for all the tribesmen, and then, he would begin to build a wooden wall around it to defend himself in case of further attacks.

Blake carried his father's huge axe to do the job, it was no ordinary weapon, as almost no man could wield it because of its weight. It was as thick as a man's fist, except for the edge, and the handle was attached to the blade as if it had been forged from the same piece of metal.

Blake thought that this axe must have been used, rather than as a weapon, as a ceremonial tool, since its weight was so heavy that only people with monstrous strength like him and his father could wield it. It was also incredibly sharp.

Dozens of trees were cut down and taken to the center of the tribe where they would begin to make the huts and the wall.

Thanks to the hot food, and the fact that Blake had given well-made sets of furs to all those who needed them to protect them from the cold, the work was done relatively quickly.

Blake ended the day by cooking another stew and earning the thanks of all the tribesmen. After all, they used to eat when they were lucky, but with Blake at the helm there was enough food for everyone, and twice a day was no small amount of joy for them at this point.

During the night Blake used all the remaining furs to make more sets of clothing. He would give them to the warriors who needed them when they returned, and those that were left over would be sold to the night watch when Oswin made the journey to the shadow tower.

The third day passed the same as the previous one, only the warriors did not return as Blake estimated, but came back on the fourth day, bringing the women and also the heads of thenn's people as Oswin promised.

"WE RETURNED ALONG WITH THE HEADS OF THENN'S BASTARDS!"

"OSWIN!"

"OSWIN!"

"OSWIN!"

All the tribesmen pivoted as they shouted Oswin's name, and Blake noticed, not one of the warriors who went out to give chase had been killed.

Blake made more food to give to the warriors as well after the long hunt. His father was laughing and chatting with the other warriors, so he didn't interfere and waited to ask him alone in the hut later.

Since Blake had organized the tribe very well, they all went to their huts when evening came, and Blake had a chance to talk to his father.

"Did you find out why they attacked or if there will be any more attacks?"

In front of the campfire, Oswin nodded gravely and answered his son.

"There was no one but them, they are deserters from Thenn, it seems they failed in a task given to them by their Magnar, and preferred to flee than wait for death. In the middle of their journey they saw our tribe and sought to kill all the men to take over the tribe."

Blake nodded somewhat relieved.

"The young men and women, plus the wounded, listen to me, and you the warriors listen to you. Let's take complete control of the tribe at this opportunity to get them to help us."

Blake then devised a plan along with his father to put all the tribe members to work.

With more men, negotiations with Shadow Tower would be greater, and it would also be safer to visit other tribes to get more resources.

Oswin listened to his son and his ambitious plan, and decided to trust him again. Blake was smart, smarter than him at least, his words always came true, and if the dead really came, it was much better to escape from the north than to stay and die. Only the idea of kneeling in front of the southern lords didn't quite appeal to him.