Ch 14 A Plan Part-2

"Good! let's go, Peggy," Jon said and immediately started running ahead while following frost whose location was like a beacon in his head, with his white horse keeping up with him easily through the trees, roots, rocks, and difficult forest ground.

It would be almost impossible for a normal horse to move expertly through this terrain the way Jon's horse was doing. Jon had trained her since the day he had gotten her to move in all kinds of different situations and it was only possible because he was able to communicate with his horse at a human level.

And her intelligence made it possible for her to in things individually like a human. Jon had also taught Peggy among various other things, to fight expertly using its all-powerful front and back legs.

That was also the reason he was fearless in bringing Peggy into this dangerous forest as he knew for sure that she could take on most of the dangerous animals in here in a one-on-one fight using her combat skills.

And with her increased intelligence due to his regular warging came a massive increase in appetite as even though she wasn't fully grown yet, Peggy could eat twice as much as an adult Warhorse, and that was all converted into powerful muscles bringing her increased strength and speed due to her regular exercises.

Before long they came out of the forest, and Jon was barely out of breath even though he had run all this way. He didn't stop anywhere and went straight to his regular merchant in Wintertown.

As he was going there he noticed the atmosphere inside the town was a little weird, as he had passed at least three different gatherings of adults whispering to each other with grim faces.

He reached the merchant before he could think about it any further, "Jon! You bought another big one," the merchant said with a huge smile when he saw Jon coming with Peggy and before Jon could answer he turned toward a young helper moving behind him and yelled, "Boy, bring the game to the usual place,"

"Come, Jon, Come!" He happily said while beckoning Jon toward a wooden table a couple of meters away. He took out a piece of paper from the table and after writing something and stamping his seal, gave it to him, "You know, Jon if you keep on hunting such massive games with undamaged skin, it won't be long before I end up owing you more than I make up in a year,"

Jon took the IOU from him before asking him worriedly, "Is that going to be a problem?".

The sea trade with the outside of the North was halted due to the war with the ironborn. The merchant had asked for a delay in the payment until the war was over as he didn't want to use up too much of his liquid funds and Jon had agreed readily as not only had he known him for a few years, but he was also Becca's father which made him very trustworthy.

"Oh! It would not be a problem at all," he said airily, "Once the sea is calm again and isn't so filled with soldiers and pirates, there will be a sudden rush to fill the increased demand from the free cities as the rich magisters and nobles there are always happy to have more exotic skins to decorate their lavish homes,"

"That's good," Jon said with relief, as he had been hunting daily since Eddard had gone, and he was sure there was a special section in the warehouse filled to the brim with skins he had bought back.

Jon was leaving when he suddenly remembered something and asked the merchant, "Do you know what happened in the Town? Everyone was acting a bit out of place,"

"Oh... Do you not know?" The merchant asked, his face suddenly turning grim, "A fishing town was raided by the ironborn, and the survivors arrived in Wintertown this morning,"

"Survivors..."

"Yes... Only two heavily injured men, a woman, and 5 children... they were all that was left of a whole village," He said while shaking his head, "They were almost inconsolable, the villagers gave them some food and a place to stay. The adults I think... went to Winterfell to report or ask for help..."

Jon thanked the man unconsciously before moving toward the Winterfell with a grim look. Pegasus joined him shortly so he mounted his horse in a smooth motion and moved toward his home with a sense of urgency.

He dismounted the second he was inside the castle walls and moved toward The Great Keep with quick steps. Behind him, Pegasus went toward the stable without needing anyone's assistance. He went straight for the one place he knew he would find his brother after he had dealt with the survivors.

Jon knocked on the solar and wasn't kept waiting for long as Maester Luwin opened the door instantly. "Jon," Maester nodded and stepped aside to let his Lord's son inside before closing the door back behind him.

"You heard," Robb asked him the moment he entered, from behind the table where he was standing. In front of him on the other side of the table was Ser Rodrik, the person Eddard trusted unconditionally, and Vayne Poole, the steward, who was joined by the Maester.

"I did," Jon said while moving to stand beside Robb, Lady stark was heavily pregnant at the moment so the people gathered here at the moment were the decision maker of the Winterfell and The North.