The morning was as cold as the fog that lay bogwater. But its feelings were somber.
The dead were being buried before the sun reached its peak. Shovels scraped against mud still streaked with blood, and the air held the grim weight of grief.
Levi stood with his arm tightly bandaged, his body sore but upright. Every movent reminded him of how close he'd co to dying.
n grunted. Won wept quietly as they laid their kin to rest. Children clung to mothers too drained to offer words.
The Starks' knights assisted where they could by digging, organizing the wounded, offering short blessings to those lost.
Mae stood beside a simple grave, not weeping but staring hard at the dirt. She'd lost no blood kin that day, but too many she'd fed and raised. Levi tried not to et her eyes.
He turned toward the keep where the Starks had made camp, taking a breath. There was one thing left he needed to do.
As he approached the small banner fluttering in the breeze, the wolf of Stark snapping in the wind, a trusted guard stepped into his path. Plate glead on his shoulders; his hand rested near his sword.
"Hold there," the man said. "State your na and business."
Levi lifted his hands calmly, his bandaged left still aching. "My na is Levi. I ca to thank the Starks for their aid."
The guard narrowed his eyes but said nothing. Before the silence could stretch too long, a familiar voice rang out.
"Let him through," said Ser Gewin Thalan, stepping out from behind a tent. His armor had been polished since the fight, though mud still clung to the soles of his boots. "He was among those who held the line."
Levi gave a respectful nod. "Ser Gewin."
The Leader of the guard nodded in return, then gestured for him to follow.
But before Levi could take a step, a sharp voice cut through the square.
"Levi!"
He turned. A group of mud-covered n approached Wendrick, the guild mason, in front, followed by carpenters and stone-cutters. Their expressions were grim.
"You said this village was safe," Wendrick said. "We signed on to build roofs, not die under burning ones."
Others murmured behind him, nodding. A few held crude weapons they'd wielded just hours earlier.
"We fought too," said one of the younger carpenters. "But this? This was never in the deal."
"You're pulling out?" Levi asked, though he already knew the answer.
"We ca to build a village," Wendrick replied. "But this... if you want us to stay, we need coin. Paynt. Or we leave before nightfall."
Levi glanced back toward the Stark encampnt, then at the crowd of guild workers, he truly felt tired, wounded, uncertain. He took a breath.
"You're right to be angry," he said. "I didn't see this coming either."
"Then we shouldn't have to pay for your blindness."
"No," Levi agreed. "But this place needs you. Not just to survive the next attack but to grow. You walk away now, Bogwater stays a muddy pit. You stay, and maybe, just maybe we could build sothing worth calling ho."
Wendrick scoffed. "We've heard speeches before. Talk's cheap."
Levi didn't flinch.
"Then I'll pay you today."
A hush followed. Several n looked at each other, brows raised.
"You will?" Wendrick said. "With what?"
"Leave that to ," Levi said. "I'll co find you before sundown. You'll have coin in hand or food worth the sa."
Wendrick studied him, trying to gauge the truth in Levi's tone.
"All right. We'll wait."
Levi gave him a short nod, then turned back toward the Leader of the guards. Ser Gewin said nothing of the exchange, only led him silently to the center of the camp.
There, near a small fire, stood Lyanna Stark. Her cloak fluttered in the breeze, and her hair had been freshly combed, though streaks of mud still clung to her boots.
Beside her stood Benjen, arms crossed. The younger Stark watched Levi with wary curiosity.
"You've a way of finding trouble," Lyanna said, voice calm. "Or trouble finds you."
Levi bowed stiffly. "I ca to thank you. You saved us."
"You saved yourselves," she replied. "We simply finished what you began. The village held. Not many could have."
Benjen stepped forward, gaze narrowing. "You fought?"
Levi lifted his left arm slightly, revealing the soaked bandage. "Poorly."
The boy frowned. "You could've died."
"Everyone dies but i will not. not until i know my ho is safe."
Lyanna studied him a mont longer, then glanced to Ser Gewin. "How many dead?"
"Eight villagers. Five wounded. One gaurd, and a hunter taken in the first wave. Two more wounded among our guard."
She nodded solemnly.
Levi shifted, eyes darting back to the workers still lingering near the square.
"I plan to pay them today," he said. "I won't let this ruin everything."
Lyanna looked back at him. "Then don't just rebuild. Prepare. This won't be the last ti soone thinks Bogwater an easy mark."
Levi nodded.
"If you truly intend to lead," she added, "then find soone to teach you. Sword. Shield. Bow. Doesn't matter as long as its any weapon. But u have to learn."
He gave her a small smile. "I will."
Benjen, younger but no less sharp-eyed, spoke up.
"Hard to believe you're no young lord."
"I'm not," Levi said.
"Could've fooled ."
Lyanna smirked at her brother, then turned back to Levi.
"We ride tomorrow at dawn," she said. "Winterfell's waiting."
"And so is Bogwater," Levi replied.
He bowed once more, then turned back toward the village where promises, debts, and cheats still waited.
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