(Third person)
Lord Stark approached the Wall, panting as he shouted.
"Lord Volmark, let's stop causing death and surrender to us."
"If we surrender, can you swear you won't kill me or my family?"
Aermir stepped forward and approached Eddard.
"My lord, if we spare their lives, they will not keep their promise and will defect to other lords as soon as we leave. We cannot leave anyone here to hold this position."
"You're right, but if we fight, we'll lose even more men."
He approached me and said.
"If the Druid don't intend to come back to help us, I don't want to waste my men's lives, because I can stop the fight."
Then he spoke in an even louder voice.
"Lord Volmark, let's talk about your surrender. I may not want to waste my precious life here, but if you continue to cause trouble, I have no choice but to break down the door."
Aermir considered this a useless bluff.
"My lord, they'll know you wouldn't do that. They're a bunch of fanatics. To them, we're insulting their god, and they wouldn't even blink an eye before dying for him."
Anyone who knows Eddard Stark, even a little, knows he would never slaughter a family, and Aermir knows that won't work.
"I have no need for bluster, Lord Stark; we all know you would never slaughter an entire family. My men do not mind dying defending their homeland and repelling invaders, for their very existence is an insult to the Drowned God. If you cannot offer something, we can accept it. We do not mind paying the price of iron."
Aermir had to admit that the Ironborn might be a pile of shit, but they were tenacious shit; they wouldn't give up. The North army was stationed inside and outside the Citadel, and a tent had been prepared for Lord Stark, where Eddard was considering how to circumvent the situation. The tent was sparsely furnished, with a large table in the center covered in maps. A portable bed sat in one corner.
Eddard looked at the bed and realized he was starting to miss his own bed and the warmth of his wife. He sighed heavily and turned his attention to the map. He wanted to achieve a result with as few casualties as possible, but they were rebels; he couldn't leave them as they were, or, as Aermir had said, they would come knocking. Just then, Aermir entered the tent.
"Did you look for me, sir?"
"Yes, are you planning to become Druid?"
"No, Druid only act when the king or the North army begins their attack. My only responsibility is to open the gates; I will not engage in any further fighting, but after the battle, I will come to heal all of us. If you hadn't summoned me, I would have already requested to meet you. My lord, could you send me on scouting missions so that I can leave the camp at my leisure and return as Druid after each battle?"
"Okay, I will do that, but what do you mean, Your Majesty? How do you intend to help him?"
"I've already sent a familiar capable of destroying the city gates; in this way, I'm also helping him."
"But you said you would help the North rise from poverty. Why didn't you help more in this war?"
"Because this is not our war, it is Robert's war."
Hearing Aermir say that, Eddard's face turned sour, and he said...
"You shouldn't speak to your king like that. You may be a knight, but you're not a nobleman with a title. Even so, you shouldn't speak like that."
"My lord, I certainly wouldn't say this to others, but I trust you. You know, whatever I do is for the North. As for our good king, my lord, please tell me the truth. Aside from the fact that he is king, has he done anything worthy of my or the people of the North's respect? Therefore, I will show him respect when I am out in public, but with those I trust, I must still express my thoughts."
"I have never seen a commoner like you. You don't have their unwavering obedience; you act as if everyone is equal to you."
"Yes, I'm trying to change and adapt to life here. My behavior has caused a lot of problems. I've even become enemies with Lord Glover, but I'm slowly adjusting."
Aermir sighed and continued.
"Since I, Druid, can't help, what are your plans to deal with the House Volmark?"
"If I don't grant them a full pardon, they won't surrender; and even if they do, we can't abandon them. If I disband their army after their surrender, then the soldiers will now join other nobles and fight alongside them against us. I need to think this over further."
Aermir thought for a moment and then said.
"My lord, even if the King executes the Greyjoy, he will not take the heads of all the Iron Islands nobles. He will not touch a man like Volmark. So promise me you will protect him, his family, and his lands, but ask that he and his sons remain your guests until the war is over. Oh, and you may also have them release their servants; in the North, we need labor."
"We don't even have enough food to feed ourselves, and you expect me to take in more people?"
"My lord, if we wish to improve the economy of the North, we need labor. As for the food shortage, I already have some plans, and I believe I can prepare us for next Winter. I have a feeling this Summer will be very long."