Chapter 34

"You've talked with the Umbers already I take it?" he asked as he climbed on the back of his faithful Direwolf. Even though it was only a magical construction, he had grown attached to it.

"Yes. Smalljon will meet you near their border and will lead you toward the Wall." She said as she looked at him with worried eyes "Do remember to stop at the Last Hearth and dine with Greatjon for a little while at least."

He gave a nod but the worried look in her face didn't go away. She was a bit of a worrywart but he couldn't blame her.

If he had a son who wanted to go North of the wall with a 1,000 men in order to search for Children of the Forest and Giants as well as Direwolves and wargs then he would be worried too.

"Don't worry aunt. I'll be fine." He said and gently placed a hand in her shoulder in order to reassure her when he heard loud footsteps coming from behind him,

"Dom… Domm… How do I look in my new dress? Domm…" he looked back and found Baka the Giantess posing for him in the White woolen military dress that he had given to each and every one of his men to combat the cold in the North of the Wall.

"Yes Baka. You look very pretty." He said with a smile and she smiled back while showing all her crooked teeth and he let out a grimace at the sight.

Years of fighting the Slavers Pit had cost her a fair bit of her teeth. A problem that he intended to deal with very soon. After all, she was his sworn shields as well as someone he cared about so he'll make sure that she at least looks presentable.

"I do. Don't I." She said and moved forward to hug him and missed as he ducked out and escaped at the last moment.

"Baka. What did I told you about hugging me?" he asked and she looked horrified for a moment before she pouted and her lips quivered slightly, showing the she was about to cry and his heart melted right then and there.

He had no idea how it happened but over the past few months, he had come to care for this giantess a good deal and almost saw her as a little sister even though there nothing little about her.

"Now now. It's alright." He said and went forward and hugged her in the waist "You can hug me. But only very lightly. Okay?"

She put her hands gently around him as if he was a piece of fragile glass and nodded her head "Okay."

Then she smiled once again.

"Let's go Dommy. I want to see the giants that you told me about." She said and started pulling him away and it took a while for him to calm her down.

She has been rather excited to meet the Giants that live in the North of the Wall ever since he told her about them.

As he once again climbed on the back of his direwolf he looked back at his aunt who was looking sceptically at Baka with a worried expression. Wondering if the giant woman was more likely to kill him rather than save him.

"Don't worry aunt. It'll be alright." He said and hoped that he looked more confident than he felt.

At that moment, Walton rode on his horse and stopped beside him "Are you sure you want to take that giant woman with you?" the man whispered in his ears and he gave a nod.

"Very well then. All the men and supplies are ready. We're prepared to move. Just give the order."

He gave Walton a nod and looked back at the thousand men who had trained extensively for the past 6 months for this expedition.

All of them were wearing a white fur and thick clothes in order to deal with the weather in the true North. Each of them also had a spear and a short sword each with enough training to deal with any wildling in the hostile region they were going into.

Every five men in the group was given a Northern horse that they would use to carry around their food and supplies. He was doubtful that they would find food in the True North so they had to go prepared. And if they ran out of food, then they'll just have to butcher the horses and eat them.

"Very well then. Send the scouts ahead of us. And then give them the order to start moving." He told Walton before he bid one last goodbye to his aunt and left the gates of Dreadfort with a thousand men marching behind him as Varko and Baka moved beside him on their own horses as his sworn shields.