Mufasa set out with the army, accompanied by several Knights of the Round Table.
Ser Kevan, Mufasa's grand-uncle.
Yohn Royce and Robar Royce, father and son.
Garlan Tyrell and Loras Tyrell, brothers.
Their first stop was the Vale, because the Blackfish, Brynden Tully, was still there, and Grand Maester Pycelle had already sent a letter to the Vale.
The letter explained the request for Brynden Tully to join the Knights of the Round Table.
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Additionally, Mufasa wanted to see if he could find any wildlings among the Vale wildlings who could recognize the script on the giant horn.
Mufasa led the army for seven days and arrived at The Mountains of the Moon, where many wildlings were hidden; in the past, even Jon Arryn needed a large group of knights for protection when entering or leaving the Vale.
However, today Mufasa was leading a massive army. There was absolutely no need to worry.
"The Vale wildlings have been a menace to the Vale for thousands of years. I request Ser Mufasa to help the Vale eliminate this threat." Yohn Royce came to Mufasa's side.
"Eliminate the threat. Do you mean to kill them?" Mufasa asked.
"Or make them subjects under the rule of the Vale lords. Register them, record them in the census, have them farm the land, and pay grain taxes." Yohn Royce said.
"Let's go. Please lead the way; I want to talk to them." Mufasa said.
"What? General Mufasa, are you going by yourself? It's too dangerous!" Robar Royce said.
"Only this way can we make them believe in our sincerity. Who knows the way to the Vale wildling tribes?" Mufasa asked.
"I can lead the way for you, General Mufasa!" A person in a grey cloak stepped forward. She pulled back the cloak covering her head, revealing her face and long hair.
Black hair, black eyes; although her face was not exceptionally beautiful, it was full of sunshine.
"Who are you?" Mufasa said.
"My name is Mia Stone, a bastard of the Vale." she said.
"So it's you!" Mufasa said.
He knew this person's identity: the daughter King Robert had fathered while he was an Arryn ward in the Vale.
"Very well, girl. Please lead the way." Mufasa said.
The two of them walked into The Mountains of the Moon. Of course, besides the two of them, Heraka was also there.
Mufasa certainly would not go into a wildling nest without any protection.
Many wildlings lived in The Mountains of the Moon, also existing in the form of tribes. However, they did not face the threat of the Others, and the Vale knights had no effective way to deal with them.
So the Vale wildlings lived quite freely, often raiding travelers in the Vale whenever they felt like it.
When the two of them and a lion reached the depths of The Mountains of the Moon, there were already people monitoring them from the cliffs.
"General Mufasa! How did you rise from being a bastard to your current position?" Mia Stone asked.
"Luck!" Mufasa said. Because of his good luck, Robert had restored his status.
"If only I could also restore my father's surname. My surname is not simple; can you guess it, General Mufasa?" she asked with a smile, looking at Mufasa.
House Baratheon!" Mufasa said calmly.
"What! How did you know?" Mia Stone took a step back in surprise, stepped on a loose stone, and fell backward.
Mufasa grabbed her hand and pulled her back.
"Your identity is no secret. King Robert has many bastards; for example, Edric Storm in the Stormlands is one. He is living well in Storms End right now!" Mufasa said.
As they spoke, wildlings appeared from all sides and surrounded them.
"Where do you come from?" the lead wildling asked. He wore three human skulls around his neck as decoration, looking extremely fierce.
"I am the young lord of the Lion Tribe, here to meet my Vale wildling friends!" Mufasa said.
"Lion Tribe? Which Lion Tribe? Is there such a wildling tribe?"
The wildlings all began whispering and discussing among themselves.
"Of course there is. I've even brought the tribe's sacred beast. Look!"
Heraka let out a roar and charged forward, standing in front of Mufasa and emitting a low growl.
The Vale wildlings saw a lion larger than an elephant, and this lion had bull horns, dragon wings, a snake tail, and a scorpion's venomous stinger.
How strange! The wildlings all raised their weapons, pointing them at Heraka.
"Everyone, everyone, don't act rashly! Heraka has a pretty good temper and usually doesn't eat human flesh," Mufasa said.
"Young lord of the Lion Tribe, come with us into the mountains to meet our elders!" the wildling with the three skulls said, leading Mufasa deeper into the range.
Along the way, Mufasa saw wildlings from many different tribes. Some had burns on their bodies; those were likely from the Burned Men Tribe.
They would use fire to burn parts of their bodies. The more important the part burned, the braver they were considered.
Mufasa thought that if The Hound had nothing to do, he could come here and play at being a chieftain.
Mufasa was brought before the wildling elders. Although they were called wildlings, the Vale wildlings, like those Beyond the Wall, were pure-blooded first men. It was just that they stopped developing and stagnated, even returning to a primitive tribal era.
The first men were once very prosperous. They defeated the Children of the Forest, giants, and other creatures, spreading their bloodline across the continent of Westeros.
But later, when the andals invaded, the first men were driven back step by step.
Mufasa saw the wildling with the three skulls speaking to several elderly wildlings, who then all looked toward him.
"Young lord of the Lion Tribe, what business brings you to our Mountains of the Moon?" asked a wildling with half his face burned.
"I have come to ask about something."
Mufasa took the giant bull-horn horn from Heraka's back.
"This is an artifact of the first men, inscribed with their script. Can you help me translate it?" Mufasa asked.
"I can give you grain in exchange. I'm sure you know winter is coming. The Vale is the coldest place besides the North; without enough food, you won't survive this winter," he continued.
"Bring that horn here and let us see it," said a one-eyed wildling.
Mufasa handed the horn over.
"This is indeed the script of the first men. However, what is written on it is forbidden; ordinary people must not touch it. Everyone, retreat one league!" said a wildling missing an ear. He had once been captured by another tribe and had his ear cut off.
But later, he had killed the man who cut off his ear.
The wildlings retreated one by one until only a few elders and Mufasa remained. Mia Stone was also asked to leave.
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