The White Wolf Lord

"We will never kneel!"

Inside the main hall of Winterfell, a man with a waist and abdomen like a wine barrel, a broad chest, and a fierce demeanor spoke loudly in a strange accent.

"Yes! We will never kneel!" Two young men behind him, who resembled him, also spoke up to express their stance.

"We have our own king!" another gloomy voice said. Although he was not as broad-shouldered as the other man, he was dressed in clothes woven from bones and wore a helmet made from a skull. He looked quite fierce.

The woman draped in a dog skin, sitting not far from them, also expressed her opinion; these people were all subtly led by the reddish-brown-haired man sitting in the middle.

Jon knew that the reddish-brown-haired man was none other than Mance Rayder, the King-Beyond-the-Wall. This fellow was quite an extraordinary man; when Robert Winterfell to recruit Eddard, he was able to climb over the Wall and sneak into Winterfell as a harpist to mingle at the banquet.

Those who spoke just now, in order, were Tormund, Rattleshirt, and Harma.

They were among the most loyal core members surrounding Mance Rayder.

In addition, leaders from other tribes, both large and small, also stated that as Free Folk, they would never kneel.

Jon didn't care whether these people wanted to kneel or not; as long as they could get to the Iron Islands, he had plenty of ways to get there.

So Jon generously declared that as long as they were willing to go to the Iron Islands, he would absolutely not force them to kneel, and he wouldn't even charge them taxes.

Even Robb and Catelyn were puzzled by Jon's decision. No taxes, no conscription— Jon, are you doing charity?

"Sir, you're not trying to trick us, are you?" Mance Rayder interrupted Tormund's delight and asked cautiously.

When faced with Mance Rayder's question, Jon did not answer directly, but instead looked at the other Free Folk leaders.

"I have a child who is about to be born. I swear on my son's life that I will never collect taxes from you or conscript soldiers from you. After you arrived in the Iron Islands, you still traded ore for food with me, and even—" Jon turned to look at a tall, thin father and son.

"There are still castles on the Iron Islands that haven't been officially granted titles yet; I can give you a few directly!"

Now, almost the entire Iron Islands have been redeveloped, and Jon now holds a large number of unclaimed castles. These castles are even remarkably well-preserved.

Although he wanted to send officials to manage the region and concentrate power in his own hands, the officials he had were barely enough to manage the Westerlands.

The land on the Iron Islands is somewhat barren, and the newly rich people he had previously bestowed titles upon might not even be interested in it. It's perfect for bribing these Free Folk.

Upon hearing that Jon was going to give them the castle, the father and son exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with disbelief.

They represent the Thenns.

Compared to ordinary Free Folk, the Thenns had fixed settlements, a well-organized society, and, importantly, they knew how to smelt bronze.

Although the Thenns were part of the Free Folk Beyond the Wall, they were more inclined to admire the lords and nobles of the south.

The castle Jon had just promised was exactly what they wanted.

A castle! A real castle!

"So what do we need to give in return?"

Upon hearing Jon's words, one of the older Thenns spoke up and asked a question.

Before Jon could speak, Mance Rayder's brow furrowed. He wasn't worried about his throne and power, but rather about the unity of the Free Folk. Jon was clearly trying to divide Free Folk.

But Jon is offering now is real, tangible benefits; no matter how skilled he is at uniting others, it's useless now.

"If you are willing to go to the Iron Islands, I will give you a castle. Whether you pledge allegiance to me or not, the previous agreement remains unchanged. The only condition is that you cannot hide in the castle I give you to resist me, and you cannot pledge allegiance to anyone else in the future. You can consider me a friend."

"Friend?"

Both father and son wore expressions of disbelief.

Although they did not know the strength of the Westerlands, they had actually fought against the Northern Army.

They observed that the relationship between Robb and Jon appeared to be one of near equality, with Jon even possessing a more refined demeanor than Robb in some respects.

It's baffling that such people would express a willingness to befriend them, especially since they consider the people of the Seven Kingdoms to be extremely arrogant.

Not only the father and son, but also Mance Rayder and others couldn't understand it.

Robb couldn't understand why Jon would give away the land he had worked so hard to conquer for nothing.

The older of the Thenns thought for a moment and then said, "Sir, could you give us some time to consider this?"

"Yes, but the condition for my gift of the castle is only valid here. If you step out of this hall, our agreement will be void."

Jon had just been all smiles, suddenly turned cold. Since he had offered such generous terms, he couldn't let them act coy.

Jon understands the thoughts of the Thenns, who are generally unwilling to associate with other Free Folk.

If it weren't for the extreme cold and the threat of the White Walkers, they might not have joined Mance Rayder's forces.

"Hey! You're not really going to pledge allegiance to this young master, are you?" Tormund was getting a little anxious. After all, the Thenns were the "face" of the Free Folk, and also the respectable ones among them.

In his haste, he even used a trendy slang term he had recently learned. Not only him, but Rattleshirt and Harma, who were sitting next to Mance Rayder, also became nervous.

If the Thenns waver, their alliance will soon fall apart.

The father and Thenns, Styr Dis and Sigorn, were not influenced by Tormund and his group, since they didn't like mingling with other Free Folk.

For a moment, only the crackling sound from the fireplace could be heard in the hall; the conversation between the father and son was completely inaudible.

Of course, the two basically only communicated with their eyes; as the leader, Styr was the one who ultimately made the decisions.

"Jon, are you really going to give them the castle?" Robb asked Jon softly.

"We Stark have been able to rule the North for eight thousand years, isn't it all thanks to our trust?" Jon Snow retorted.

Robb nodded, unaware that Jon was nodding at him.

I just felt he was being a little too generous.

Not long after, Styr and his son approached Jon and said, "The Thenns are willing to pledge allegiance to the White Wolf."

As they spoke, they knelt down directly in front of Jon.

Rodrik, standing nearby, was initially surprised to see Jon subdue the Thenns so easily, but considering that Jon had used the Ten Towers as a condition for his bribery, he immediately felt it was quite reasonable.

However, it must be said that the title "White Wolf Lord" is indeed quite fitting.

"Very well, from now on, Thane will be your surname. I hereby bestow upon you the title of Earl Thane, Ten Towers will be the castle of the House Thenn."

As he spoke, Jon produced a portrait of the Ten Towers and showed it to everyone.

The Styr father and son's eyes lit up when they saw the portrait of the Ten Towers in Jon's hand.

With ten towers and tall, thick walls, they now not only had their own surname but also their own castle, and no one could call them Wildlings anymore.

The Thenns know about the Seven Kingdoms.

Although they are now Kneelers, they are also able to gain Jon's protection.

There was no other way; Jon's offer was simply too generous, and they weren't comfortable getting a castle for free.

It now seems their choice was indeed correct; the size and fortification of Ten Towers far exceeded their expectations.

When the other families saw the portrait of the castle that Jon had shown, they all instinctively widened their eyes.

After all, they had never seen any nice castles beyond the Beyond the Wall. Most people were homeless, and those who were better off lived in caves.

Only the Thenns can barely build houses.

Suddenly, many people felt that bending their knees wasn't so bad.

Even if there's gold below your knees, what's wrong with cashing it out now?

Soon, the leaders from other tribes began to stir.

However, some people are still stubborn, such as a woman with fiery red hair.

"You know nothing! We Free Folk have always been free!" A fiery red figure leaped from the crowd to stand before Jon. "We don't care about your stone house."

"Oh? Then why did you sit in the spot closest to the fireplace as soon as you came in?" Jon asked with a smile, his tone laced with teasing and a hint of surprise that was hard to pinpoint.

"I... I just happened to be sitting there," the red-haired woman said stubbornly, arms crossed and face turned to one side. Jon didn't care whether she was Ygritte or not, and turned to look at the newly formed House Thenn.

Putting everything else aside, at the very least, they are very pragmatic.

Having made their decision, Thane and his son immediately stood behind Jon, while the others watched in disbelief as everything unfolded before them.

"Traitor!" the tall Tormund exclaimed.

"A disgrace to the Free Folk! You actually kneel before those Kneelers!" Harma also expressed his contempt.

After all, the Thenns's betrayal directly broke the defenses of these Free Folk.

For a long time, the Thenns have represented progress and superiority to the Free Folk Beyond the Wall Great Wall.

However, the fact that the advanced and superior Thenns have chosen to submit to Jon Snow is something they find hard to accept.

Soon Jon produced two more maps: one of Grey Garden on the Iron Islands and the other of Sealskin Point Castle, though both were much smaller than Ten Towers.

Jon got up and went to stand in front of Styr and his son. When Styr saw Jon approaching, he instinctively straightened his body.

"I am pleased to have the loyalty of the House Thenn, so I intend to send two more castles, the last two of them. Again, whether you wish to submit or not remains up to you—"

Before Jon could finish speaking, a rustling sound was heard.

It's Rattleshirt!

He grabbed one of the castle maps and looked at Jon, saying, "I'm willing to go to the Iron Islands, and I'm willing to submit."

"Rattleshirt! I despise you!" said Harma was wearing a dog skin. The two of them were mortal enemies, and now that Rattleshirt had chosen to pledge allegiance, she felt embarrassed to make the same choice.

However, while she might not submit, many others did. A leader wearing a sealskin cloak took the last map from Jon Snow and simultaneously pledged allegiance.

Jon's conditions left Mance feeling somewhat desperate. He knew Jon was dividing the Free Folk, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Their fighting spirit was like ice melted by a fireplace, never to be rekindled.

"Think of your children, think of the cold winds Beyond the Wall Iron Islands and become my friends, or will you stay here and be my enemies? I believe you will make a wise choice." With that, Jon left.

These Free Folk were certainly a burden and a liability at first.

But Jon, who comes from another world, has far too many ways to make himself valuable.

Firstly, the Iron Islands will not be allowed to have any independent fleets or ships in the future, so there is no need to worry about them launching a rebellion that would affect their core area in the Westerlands.

Secondly, there's the question of what kind of wealthy people will emerge in the future who want to leave the Iron Islands for Westeros. They will have to work to earn the expensive tickets for the ship.

The Thenns, or rather the House Thenn, are the window through which they see the prosperity and beauty of the Seven Kingdoms.

Since they refused to kneel, Jon intended to corrupt their pride with desire.

In addition, you can make some nice clothes, delicious food, and so on. The scissors cutoff makes it incredibly convenient to use.

Perhaps in a few decades or even a decade or two, the Iron Islands will quickly see the option of "profiting from the land."

Once the wise among the Free Folk people choose to leave their community, they will have no choice but to accept the customs of the locals when they go to the Westerlands or other places.

Without the guidance of these naturally intelligent individuals, what kind of waves can the remaining Free Folk, whose average education level is equivalent to prenatal education, possibly make?

Moreover, Jon didn't think it mattered whether these Free Folk would kneel before him or not, as they would only live in the relatively isolated Iron Islands.

But it held considerable allure for these homeless Free Folk.

First and foremost is their safety; the Iron Islands are an island, and those terrifying monsters certainly can no longer harm them.

Secondly, once they reached the Iron Islands, those lands would be theirs, and they would no longer need to outwit and outmaneuver the North.

In the end Jon didn't charge them taxes or make them kneel. At least on the surface, this was fantastic. The Iron Islands were practically the paradise they had always dreamed of.

Soon, one tribe after another expressed their willingness to migrate to the Iron Islands to Jon.

However, simply relocating these Free Folk to the Iron Islands was not enough; Jon had another idea: to send Mance Rayder to King's Landing.

Jon wanted to stop Mance Rayder from proclaiming himself King-Beyond-the-Wall, to send him to King's Landing to submit to Stannis, and to receive a title like Earl.

After all, Jon wasn't planning on going to King's Landing, so he sent Mance Rayder over to appease Stannis and buy himself as much time as possible.

Having largely resolved the issues concerning the Free Folk, Jon decided to leave the North and return to Casterly Rock.

Out of gratitude for Jon's help in resolving another problem for Winterfell, Catelyn decided to travel with Jon to Casterly Rock.

One reason was that Margaery was about to give birth, and she wanted to go and offer her congratulations.

On the other hand, it's because she misses her children and, as a mother, wants to go and see them.