Strange Vision #14

Late at night, after Craster and his wives had gone to bed, Benjen approached Gale, seeking an explanation. "Mind explaining what that was about?" Benjen inquired, crossing his arms and eyeing Gale with a bemused expression.

Edd couldn't help but smirk at those words. "Now that's something I'd like to hear. First, you act like you don't give a damn, then you suddenly pick a fight with Craster..." He interjected, clearly eager for the explanation.

Gale responded with a blank look. "I'm shy to compliments. Craster gave me a pretty big one," he deadpanned, leaving Benjen momentarily speechless at the unabashed reply.

"It's not that I don't sympathize with Craster's daughters, but..." Gale continued, turning to Edd, who furrowed his brow in confusion. "Killing Craster would have been a mistake. He's likely been the difference between life and death for many rangers..." 

Benjen nodded in affirmation at Gale's explanation. "Gale's right. Craster may be a despicable man, but he serves a purpose. We can't afford to stir up trouble when we're so far north and deep in wildling territory."

Edd chimed in, "Surely we can't let Craster get away with this?" He asked with a troubled expression. 

"Well, it's not like there's nothing we can do," Gale said with a smile, his eyes flickering with mischief. 

"We can always have Craster killed and get someone from the Watch to take his place... someone to disguise himself as Craster's long-lost son, come to inherit his old man's land," he added, a sly chuckle escaping his lips. 

Edd's eyes widened at the audacious suggestion, his thoughts racing.

Gale continued, a touch of gravity entering his voice, "But then again, the situation wouldn't necessarily change for his wives... a great majority of the Watch were once rapists, murderers, thieves, you name it." He shook his head, the weight of the reality settling in. Edd's frown deepened, his moral compass struggling with the dilemma.

"At least the women would be free to leave that way," Edd said, his voice laced with empathy for their plight.

Gale sighed, his eyes heavy with the knowledge of the harsh world beyond. "Would they, though? Assuming the ranger posted here would be honorable enough to let eight young women leave, where would they even go?" He added, a sense of helplessness in his tone. 

"They'd be devoured by wolves, claimed by some other wretched wildling, or worse..." He concluded, painting a grim picture of the women's potential fate.

"So we're supposed to sit on our asses and do nothing?" Edd asked, his reluctance evident. He was not one to stay passive in the face of such injustice.

Gale, ever the pragmatist, sighed and responded, "Sometimes it's better to do nothing. Killing Craster is a lose-lose situation for everyone involved." He leaned against a wall, his demeanor pensive. 

"So long as the wildling threat persists, so long as the Night's Watch needs to patrol and scout the lands beyond the Wall, Craster remains a valuable asset—too valuable to lose, in fact." His gaze fixed on the ground as he spoke. "But his day would come, sooner or later," he concluded, a touch of grim determination in his voice.

Edd absorbed those words, the reality weighing heavily on his conscience. He was known for his pessimistic views on life, but the world always had a way of outdoing even his darkest imaginings. 

To find someone capable of seeing and accepting an even darker truth even he was not comfortable with was disconcerting. In the hushed silence that followed, Benjen had nothing to add, seemingly in agreement with Gale. 

However, their silence was soon broken by an unexpected voice.

"Well said, lad. Men like Craster are necessary so long as they serve a purpose. But they eventually outlive their usefulness..." a man emerged from the shadows, his approach stealthy. 

He wore the garb of the Night's Watch. "I assumed we'd be traveling with heavy baggage, but maybe that's not the case," he remarked with an amused smile as he cast a curious glance at Benjen.

"Two balls of glum and doom, these two," Benjen replied with a smile, his gaze shifting between Edd and Gale. "But they can take care of themselves," he added, shaking his head in amusement.

"In any case, it's good to see you, Qhorin. You're earlier than expected," Benjen continued as he turned his attention to the newcomer.

"So I see," Qhorin said. He introduced himself, saying, "Name's Qhorin. Though most people call me the Halfhand." He raised his right hand, which had most of its fingers missing, and added with a smirk, "For obvious reasons."

Gale then introduced himself and Edd, saying, "Gale, and this is Eddison Tollet. Affectionately called the 'Otheless Freeloader' and 'Dolorous Edd,' respectively."

Qhorin chuckled and commented, "That's the Night's Watch for ya—the Wall tends to gather all manner of oddballs, each with their own story."

Sitting down next to Benjen, Qhorin got straight to the point. "Talk to me, Ben... what am I doing here?" he asked, his gaze locked onto the First Ranger.

"Winter is coming, and the wildlings might be rallying under one banner," Benjen explained. "You know these lands better than any ranger. You know Mance better than anyone," he added, emphasizing the significance of the Halfhand's knowledge.

"Aye, that I do," Qhorin replied with a sigh. "If the wildlings are rallying under one man, it has to be Mance indeed—granted that he's still breathing, and I'd wager he is," he added, his voice carrying a hint of concern.

"But that's not all, is it?" Qhorin questioned, his eyes briefly shifting towards Gale and Edd before returning to Benjen. He could sense that there was more to their mission. 

If finding Mance Rayder, the most likely man to be the King Beyond the Wall, and possibly eliminating him was the sole objective, then Benjen would have chosen the most experienced rangers for this journey, not two younger men.

Benjen nodded in agreement. "Aye, we have a secondary objective, but it's not our priority," he confirmed as he glanced at Gale. "I'm at liberty to share the finer details, but you'll learn everything eventually." He added, emphasizing that there were some details he couldn't disclose due to Lord Commander's orders.

"I can live with that," Qhorin replied, not pressing Benjen for further information. "In any case, it's late, and we ought to get some rest," he suggested. "We have a long trip ahead of us."

With that, the group settled down to get some much-needed rest, knowing that they were bound for a challenging and uncertain journey beyond the Wall.

...

As Gale's heavy eyelids closed, and the dream realm took him, he found himself in a strange place that felt eerily familiar. Gagged and bound to a large rock, he could only watch helplessly, grunting in frustration, as he observed a group of humanoid creatures with pale gray skin and large, expressive eyes that shone a shade of lime green. 

These creatures sat in a circle, whispering among themselves in a strange language that was entirely foreign to Gale's ears.

Suddenly, one of them rose from the circle, her height rivaling that of a human child, and started walking toward Gale, a black, jagged dagger gripped firmly in her hand. 

She continued to speak in the incomprehensible language, her voice growing louder as she drew closer. As she finally reached Gale, she ceased her whispering and raised the dagger, its pointed tip hovering above Gale's chest. 

She placed the palm of her other hand on the dagger and slowly began to press it into Gale's chest.

Unimaginable pain coursed through Gale's body, but he could only watch in sheer horror, utterly powerless to resist as the dagger relentlessly plunged deeper and deeper into his chest.

Fortunately, Gale's suffering did not last long. An arrow suddenly struck the creature in her small shoulder, forcing her to release her grip on the dagger before it could plunge further into Gale's chest. The creature's wide lime-green eyes widened in surprise as she turned around, discovering a man dressed in black armor with a bow in hand. 

Behind him, a sizable group of similarly clad men emerged from the green landscape.

Startled by the sudden appearance of these black-clad men, the creature let out a high-pitched shriek, and her companions swiftly rose from their seated positions, rushing to her side. With one last uneasy look at Gale, the creature turned and fled. The men in dark armor chased after the strange beings, determined to give chase.

As the commotion unfolded, the man who had shot the arrow approached Gale. He began speaking in an incomprehensible language, gazing down at the wounded man. Gale, weakened and his voice growing faint, could only respond with grunts, struggling to convey his distress.

The black-clad man seemed to realize something, reaching toward the dagger still partially embedded in Gale's chest. However, before his fingers could make contact, a chilling wave of blizzard erupted from within Gale's body. 

It swept over the area, sending the man flying and transforming everything it touched into an icy, frozen tableau.

...

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