Chapter 24 - Drunken Sacrifice
As if she finally understood what Val and I had been dancing around, Leaf narrowed her eyes and leaned slightly forward.
"Oh," she said, with a little grunt of realisation. "So that is what you were worried about."
I opened my mouth to deny it, but Val cut in instantly, because of course she did.
"Leaf," Val said proudly, as if she was explaining something obvious, "he was thinking about how different you look from a normal human woman and how different it would be to, you know, "procreate" with you. That's why he was hesitating a little."
I groaned softly. "Val…"
Leaf blinked once, and then nodded, as if everything finally made sense. "Yes. I understand that."
She looked at me directly. "But don't worry, Manny. I think you do not know how we… mixed with the First Men before."
Before I could ask what she meant, Leaf stood up.
Then she raised both her hands.
In the stories, the Children of the Forest are described as small, slender beings, brown or nut-coloured skin like bark, big golden eyes, sharp features, delicate limbs, and hair like leaves or roots. Leaf was exactly that. Her skin had the soft, rough texture of old wood. Her fingers were thin, almost claw-like at the tips. Her face had that otherworldly, ageless look the Children carried. She was beautiful in a strange, forest way, but very far from a human woman.
But the transformation happened.
Her bark-like skin shimmered. The roughness smoothed out. The brown bark shifted lighter, softening into lighter tone and human skin. Her ears rounded a little, her eyes changed shape little by little, shrinking from that wide golden glow into something more human, but with golden pupils. Her limbs grew slightly longer. Her hair darkened into a deep brown that fell over her shoulders.
There, in a single blink, she completed the change.
The Leaf who stood before us now looked like a human woman. She was still only around five feet tall, but undeniably, shockingly human. Her face was soft, youthful, even pretty. Her hands no longer carried claws; they looked gentle and warm. Her eyes held the same calm intelligence as before, but now in a more humanely version.
She twirled once like a girl showing off a dress.
"Now," she said with a small smile, "is this form acceptable? Is your hesitation gone?"
I stared at her in disbelief. My jaw may or may not have dropped. Val, on the other hand, leaned forward with great interest.
"Oh," Val breathed. "Now that is something different."
I nodded slowly, unable to deny it. "How…? How did you do that?"
Leaf shrugged lightly. "Like I said. How else do you think we procreated with the First Men?"
"Well, men can do many foolish things in lust," I muttered, "that's what I thought."
Leaf smiled. "Yes, men can do many foolish things in lust, but even then there are limits. There is a real difference between our bodies and yours. Too much difference. That is why we used this magic. We first turned into a human shape. Only then could we mix our blood with yours. That is how the First Men gained a part of our magic."
I nodded slowly, finally understanding.
Val tilted her head. "Leaf, can you change into other faces too? Or look like someone else entirely?"
Leaf shook her head at once. "No. It does not work like that. This is my form. My true human form. It will not change. I cannot pretend to be someone else."
Val hummed thoughtfully. "Still, this is interesting."
Leaf folded her hands and looked at me again, calm and steady. "So. Now that you understand, how shall we continue?"
I sat there, wondering, staring at Leaf in her human form, and a strange thought came to me. A few minutes ago, I was thinking that I was making the sacrifice by sleeping with Leaf so I could gain the greenseer powers and all the magic tied to their race.
But now, looking at her, looking at the gentle expression she carried, the change she made just to match me, it felt like she was sacrificing for me. And honestly, I felt too damn lucky to grab her.
Here I was, thinking I was some brave hero making a big move for the world, and instead a full-blown bombshell had just transformed herself for my sake. I nodded slowly, still trying to process it.
Val grinned like she had won something. "Well," she said, nudging me with her elbow, "now it will be great. You can even stay with us like this, Leaf."
Leaf's face didn't show much reaction. She didn't show that she accepted the idea, but she didn't reject it either. That alone made my mind race in ten different directions.
And honestly, the thought wasn't bad at all. If she agreed… if she was one of my wives… it would help us not just here, but in every world. I was thinking too narrow mindedly before.
Forests exist everywhere. Trees, plants, roots, life. Her powers and magic would be very useful there. And if a world didn't have forests, like a wasteland or desert, her nature magic would be even more valuable. Life magic, is the magic of growth and balance. It could heal, attack, defend, and support. All in one. I already imagined how powerful that combination was. It would be a blessing in any place we ended up.
So I cleared my throat and said, "Yes… if it is okay with you."
That was when the strange silence fell. The air turned awkward, as everyone was suddenly too aware of what we were planning. It was true that she looked incredible now. It was also true that she was ready to procreate. And I was ready. But the atmosphere still felt a little off, and awkward.
But she looked at me, frowning slightly. "Manny," she said, "you did not answer my earlier question. You asked if I had a partner. Why?"
I shrugged like it was nothing. "Just curiosity. Did you ever have one? Before? Now?"
Leaf shook her head. "No. I have not partnered or procreated with anyone."
And inside my mind, a ridiculous thought flashed and I almost choked on air.
Ten-thousand-year-old virgin. What a catch.
But I did not say it out loud.
Val suggested "You know what? If you're having so much trouble acting normal, we should get a drink. Let's have some ale or something. That will loosen your head a little."
I nodded too quickly. "Yes. Yes, that's a great idea. Something to numb the senses. Something to make this less awkward."
Because I was definitely the one struggling. Leaf wasn't awkward at all. She had lived for thousands of years. She had probably seen every strange thing in the world. And right now, she stood there steady, calm, ready.
"Yes," I said, rubbing my forehead, "let's go to Craster's Keep. That bastard stole, or 'bargained' half the wine and ale from the Night's Watch for years. His storage surely has barrels left in it. And tomorrow your Free Folk people should reach there too, so we should be there to welcome them."
Leaf and Val both nodded.
Before I could rethink any of it, Leaf reached out. Val grabbed my other hand. And just like that, in a blink, we vanished. A heartbeat later, we appeared near Craster's Keep. Not in front of it, because Manny had some sense left. We walked the last few minutes.
The lookout women spotted us first. Their eyes widened. Then came the bows, the knives, the rusty old sword that looked more dangerous to the person holding it than to us. Ever since Craster died, by my hands, it seemed they had stayed jumpy.
"Hello!" I called, raising both hands. "It's me! Manny! From the Night's Watch side. Not an enemy!"
The tension dropped at least a little when they saw Val and Leaf standing beside me. Two women with a man meant I was less likely to be trouble, or that's what they assumed I think
"This is Leaf," I said. "And this is Val. My companions. We need a place to spend the night."
The older woman of the Keep nodded slowly. "Where are your people?"
"They'll arrive tomorrow with the Free Folk. Then all of you will go to the Wall, and after that to the South."
She muttered a soft thank-you and showed us to a room.
Val, of course, immediately slipped to ask for ale.
And somehow she returned with two whole barrels.
I stared at her. "What will you do with so much ale?!"
She grinned. "Drink it! I've only tasted ale once or twice in Mance's camp. It was precious. Now we have plenty. Let's get drunk!"
I held my head in my hands. "Gods save me… what a ferocious but absolutely stupid woman…"
Val smacked my arm playfully. Leaf simply watched the barrels with calm curiosity.
"I have tasted many things," Leaf said, "but not this."
We poured three cups. Soon, one of the barrel was emptied, like immediately. Val was half-gone. I was warm and dizzy, and Leaf, well, she remained graceful even while tipsy.
The awkwardness melted cup by cup. The stiffness, the hesitation, the too-serious thoughts… gone.
Val made the first move, giggling, stumbling, and landing directly on my lap. Leaf followed more slowly, more gently, but with the same strange certainty.
It was chaotic, warm, embarrassing, overwhelming, and nothing I had ever expected.
And then, somewhere between the laughter, the dizziness, and the closeness, the night simply swallowed everything.
We didn't stop until dawn.
By the time the sun touched the treetops, the three of us were a tangled heap of exhausted limbs and fading warmth, covered in blankets and too tired to care about anything except sleep.
The wildling, the child of the forest, and me.
A ridiculous trio.
End of Chapter 24 - Drunken Sacrifice