When they returned outside, Ygritte still stayed close to Viserys, watching their surroundings warily. It was a habit she had developed over years of life among the Wildlings.
Still, she visibly relaxed. She had seen so many creatures of legend in a single day that she could barely take it all in.
Then her gaze fell on Dark Sister in Viserys's hand. She looked up at him again, a complicated expression flickering in her blue eyes.
At last, she hesitantly asked, "Will you kill me?"
"No. Do I look like someone who enjoys killing?"
"Now that you've got what you wanted, where are you going next? Back to the Wall? Or south, back to your kingdom?"
Viserys looked toward the Wall. "First, I need to find some people-a squad of Night's Watch Rangers. After that, we'll see. Ygritte, you have two choices now. I can give you some food and let you go free. You can try to find your tribe again."
He paused and looked at the young Wildling girl.
"Or you can come with me. Become my attendant, and I'll take you south. There won't be bitter cold there. You can learn a new language and see a different world. Perhaps one day, you could become a bridge between the Free Folk and the southerners."
Ygritte froze. Clearly, she had not expected Viserys to make such an offer.
Freedom was a deeply rooted belief for her. Kneeling before any king or obeying any laws meant submitting to unimaginable restraints.
But "south" and "no bitter cold" held an irresistible allure for her, too. She had grown up Beyond the Wall, in a dangerous land where death could come at any moment.
In the legends she had heard, the south was a land flowing with milk and honey, filled with