"One more thing." Viserys stopped Dennis as he was about to turn away to make the arrangements.
He continued, "If I'm not at Castle Black when the time comes, I may be at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea or somewhere else. Remember to hand the troublemakers being escorted there over to Mance Rayder, along with a full account of this group of Free Folk. He should still be at Castle Black. Many tribes of Free Folk Beyond the Wall trust him, and sometimes his words carry more weight than the swords of the Night's Watch."
He paused, his voice betraying little emotion, then continued, "Besides, I want to know what choice this King Beyond the Wall will make when faced with these unruly Free Folk, the laws of the Iron Throne, and the chance at survival I have given them. Will he help the Night's Watch manage them, fully accepting his place and his newfound status, or does he have something else in mind?"
At the mention of Mance Rayder, Dennis's expression instantly grew complicated, and the wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes deepened.
Mance Rayder was a Wildling raised by the Night's Watch, and had once been an excellent Ranger himself. Yet later, he had donned that patched cloak the Wildlings had given him.
Moreover, he had chosen to desert the Night's Watch over it, and now he had become the leader of those very Wildlings.
At the Shadow Tower, many of the old-fashioned men of the Night's Watch regarded desertion as an unforgivable disgrace.
Even though many men currently in the Night's Watch had been loyalists during the Usurper's War, they had never considered leaving the Wall, let alone becoming a deserter like Mance, who had led the Wildlings against the Night's Watch for years.
Ser Dennis had served at