[Chapter Size: 3100 Words.]

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  Thrid Person POV

  Essos, 296 AC.

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  "We are all ready, ander…" A man dressed in an animal-hide cloak, clearly a noblemao the quality of his garments and evidently not aced to the northern cold, spoke in front of the ander.

  "Very well…" The ander replied as his gaze drifted outside the tent, towards the immense northern wall.

  All the southern forces, numbering over 15,000 men, had been gathering at the Wall for moons, traveling primarily by ships to the north. Every house that sent its men remaiatio the Wall, awaiting the final order to proceed beyond it.

  Two moons had passed sihey began anizing and waiting for everyoo be ready, alongside the awaited orders from the South. Two weeks ago, the ander had received a letter from the king's own hand, granting permission to tiheir expedition on a mission to uncover everything about Artica. Hehey had sent so many men, with the sole exceptions being Dorne and the North itself, which this and viewed as a band of cowards.

  "You may go… I'll be heading to speak with the Lord ander of the Wall." He spoke as the first noblemaed the tent.

  Edric Westerling, the younger brother of Gaweerling, had ended up as the most promi noble from the western houses to and this small army. He left his tent, mounted a horse, and headed towards Castle Bck with several men apanying him.

  They soon passed through the entire camp, made up of thousands of men trying to keep warm. Even though they were not yet in the harsher cold beyond the Wall, the ditions were unbearable, and Edrised the inefficy of the men, most of whom had never been to the North, much less this far north. It made him ment not having northern warriors, but Lord Stark seemed resolute in defying the king's orders.

  He reached the walls of Castle Bck, which stood before the Wall. As they approached the enormous gate guarded by Night's Wat, the guards, upon seeing the approag group and their banner, swiftly opehe gate.

  The Night's Watch could not pin about having so many meheir gate, as these past two moons had seen a generous supply of resources brought by the visitors to the order. Now, they he Watch's assista eculiar, but any aid was wele, even if it was rare for the Watch to be of use to the King of Westeros.

  Upoering the courtyard, Lord ander Mormont approached, apanied by the new maester of the Castle, Maester Harrion. Harrion seemed to despise being there but had no choice but to obey his superiors when they sent him to the far end of the ti. At least he was not iadel, where Jon had itted the massacre and looted the maesters' order, something that terrified him, knowing that this monster could very well be his neighbor.

  "Lord Edric Westerling," Mormont greeted, approag as Edric dismounted, aowledging him with a rough, hardened voice like one used to living in the North.

  "Lord ander Mormont," Edriodded iurn and tinued, "You must already know why I'm here. We'll be holding a meeting to decide everything o time," Edric stated.

  Mormont nodded as he ehe castle and asded to his sor, along with Edrid the maester. They were now seated around the table, with Jeor fag the southern nobleman.

  "So, everything is ready, then?" Mormont inquired.

  "Yes. We io leave tomorrow. Will you be able to open the Wall's gate for us?" Edric asked.

  "Yes, of course, I will do that. But in any case, you need more than just that, don't you?" Mormont looked at him.

  "Yes, we need men from the Watch, as we've discussed for moons. We need men who are aced to walking that nd. We'll be at a severe disadvantage, so we'd appreciate some assistance from the Night's Watch," Edric said.

  "Yes, but I 't force them to go as you , but we'll do what we . Why don't you apany me? Let's have a word with all of them," Mormont responded.

  Edriodded, following Mormont to the hall. Mormont instructed some men in the corridors to summon everyone for a meeting while Edric Westerling, along with other men, apanied him to the hall and took seats at the main table, watg as the hall gradually filled up.

  Edrioticed one of the meering, Beark. "You know that Lord Stark's brother could be quite useful to us, don't you?" he said, gng to the side at Lord Mormont.

  "He could be, after all, he is the uncle of that boy… but that's not my decision to make. Benjen is a great man of the Watch, and I won't and him against his will," Mormont replied.

  "But this is a royal order; he should obey…" Edric muttered, hoping that Lord Mormont would agree with him, but Mormont merely shook his head.

  "Yes, it's a royal order, but we're fortuhat the Watch is an indepe institution, as far as I know," Jeor said calmly.

  Edric appeared dissatisfied but said nothing further, merely waiting for the meeting to begin. The murmurs quickly began to rise in the small hall as it tio fill, with people gng towards the main table. Some poi the southern nobleman, while others even whispered the name "Benjen" occasionally.

  Until Lord ander Mormont tapped his mug oable several times, causing the discussions to quiet down aually cease entirely as everyourheir attention to him, knowing he would proceed with the start of the meeting.

  "As you all know, every man on this side of the Wall is preparing to advanorthward. This is Lord Edric Westerling, who has taken and following a reendation from Tywin Lannister," he said, while some murmured at the mention of the Lannister name, but no one spoke out. "He will be leading the army starting tomorrow," Jeor announced.

  The murmurs grew louder; no one had expected it to be so soon. "And they want guides beyond the Wall, am I correct?" spoke Alliser Thorne in his bitter tone.

  "Exactly, Ser Alliser. That's why I want to call upon some of you to find Artica," Jeor stated.

  Everyone exged g this moment, a mix of fear and fusion in their eyes. No one had ever veo the kingdom of Jon, which y far beyond even a jouro the Fist of the First Men; ner had gone so far aurned alive.

  Some believed they were killed by wildlings, while others thought the Artis themselves were capturing them or ensving them.

  "I'll go!" someone raised a hand.

  "Are you sure? This seems like madness…"

  "Why wouldn't I? Have you seen the number of people out there? We fight against anything," the man replied with fidence.

  "I've lived a long time in the northern forests… I help!" another person offered.

  "That king with the ships is in southern Essos, isn't he?" another asked.

  "Yes… even if he returns, we have a few moons before he does, if that's what you fear. Our mission is to locate the kingdom and rey information to the king. I'm sure this could be the Watch as well, don't you agree, Lord ander Mormont?" Edric asked him.

  The Lord ander hough he preferred to remairal towards that group. After all, they were far too powerful for the Watch to have as enemies, even on their own nd. He believed they could be as destructive as they had shown themselves to be. He thought this especially sidering that there had already been flicts with Artica… Eveivity of wildlings had dropped to 40% of its usual rate i years, despite a growing number of them being sighted near Hardhome and others behaving quite strangely close to the Wall.

  "I be useful!" another man said, raising his hand. "We received some information from wildlings tured a few moons ago. They cimed to have seen Artica, a great kingdom with a high wall and a giant tree at its ter," he spoke from the middle of the hall.

  "I don't think this is safe. What if they truly are as the rumors say, blessed by the Old Gods?" a northerner excimed, his voice tinged with fear.

  "Old Gods? Bsphemy! They attacked the Seven; they deserve all divine punishment, and we must deliver it! I'll go too!!" shouted a southerner.

  "Calm down, men!" Jeor Mormont banged oable once more to restore order. Whehiled down, more and more men began raising their hands, volunteering to help without any talk ion.

  Alliser Thorne was each of them. His gaze fell on a man who remained silent, sitting in a er with his panions.

  "Why aren't you volunteering, Beark? I'm sure you would be quite useful!" Alliser said, looking directly at him.

  "I don't io participate in this, Ser Alliser. I thought you already khat!" Benjen replied coldly.

  "Why not? I'm sure the uncle of the wildling-lover would be a powerful card to py against the wildlings on leashes!" Alliser mocked.

  "Stop provoking, Alliser. I won't force him to go. If you don't want to join, Benjen, don't go," Jeor Mormont intervened firmly from his table, and the room fell silent once more.

  The discussion tinued after that, but Benjen remained quiet. In the end, a total of 3ers volunteered to join the expedition.

  "Very well. I believe this will be enough for your march," Jeor said, and Edriodded, turning to everyone.

  The man stood at that moment, addressing those who would apany him. "We'll depart tomorrow m, so be ready. In the meantime, I'll return to the camp to enjoy o night of warmth on this side of the Wall," Edric remarked, drawing a few ughs from the men as he exited, apanied by Jeor Mormont to the exit of Castle Bd then headed towards the camp.

  The day, everyone repared as the camp was dismahe men began marg through Castle Bck, with the gates open, both the castle's and the Wall's. The Night's Watch observed from around Castle Bck as the procession of over 16,000 men advanced with supply wagons and mounted soldiers.

  Some members of the Watch, positioop the Wall, watched the movement on the northern side. "Hey, Benjen, do you think your nephew will be okay with this?" a man asked, approag Benjen, who was also the men 200 meters below them.

  "He's not even here. He's traveling to southern Essos as far as I know. Where exactly, I don't know, but it's a sea voyage," Benjen replied calmly.

  He khat Jon was with Arya as well. He had received a letter from his brother inf him that Lord Manderly had found Jon and Arya in Braavos and that Arya's situation was better than they could have imagined.

  "And do you think they'll find the wildlings' kingdom?" another man murmured cautiously nearby.

  "They live better than us to be called wildlings. And do you really think you bring down Artica just like that? And Jon would leave his nd without ahere must be thousands of them waiting for this. I didn't reend ao go. If they get into a flict, it'll be a massacre. These southern soldiers don't know the North beyond the Wall and they don't know how to fight here. Their battlefield is under a sunny sky in a field of flowers e pins; they may have an advantage ierrain they are on now, but ohey ehe forests and the ndscapes of this nd, they'll all be lost. In a fight, they'd lose even to the wildlings," Benjen spoke as they walked.

  Hours passed until the entire group was north of the Wall, proceeding under Edric Westerling's leadership, alongside the members of the Night's Watch who apanied him, advang towards the North with the army marg behind them.

  Meanwhile, a three-eyed raven observed everything from the nearby forest, analyzing the situation and noting every detail it saw.

  "So, it seems they've begun to act." In another, more distant pce… A voice was heard calmly in a pce lit only by a few torches.

  Brynden Rivers sighed after ending his warg. He couldend his ravens beyond the Wall due to the magical prote of the Barrier that had beeed many years ago. Not even Jon had that ability; for some reason, the Wall disrupted their powers.

  However, things were different on this side of the Wall, where he observed the southern army from various houses, with their banners, beginning their march towards the north.

  He sighed ahe room he called home, which was the shell of the Grand Weirwood where Jon had lived for many years. Walking through the sacred grove, he saw several Children of the Forest occupying the pce, dang, praying, and pying. Even his own small childrehere, learning alongside their mothers siheir births, as the species was gradually growing in number.

  Brynden passed them aered the streets of Artica, quickly requesting a horse, a request promptly fulfilled since he was one of the kingdom's ministers. The city was bustling, with people going to work, chatting, buying, ughing, and even drinking. Giants roamed the streets calmly while people made an effort not to stand in their way, yet it all seemed normal, just like any other day there. Wargs guided their animals, uy students ran with their books, soldiers, mothers with their children, and all kinds of people moved through the streets, sisting of the three most on species: humans, giants, and even dwarves.

  The dwarves were the noisiest, something that was easily noticeable as Brynden walked alongside one of the rivers cutting through the city. A boat full of dwarves passed by, and they shouted, sang, and drank, celebrating their day off from the Fes.

  Ign the otion, Brynden proceeded to the king's castle, being greeted by the royal guards and servants upory.

  "The queen is in the garden with Minister Aemon, Minister Brynden," a royal guard informed Brynden, who requested to be escorted and followed ohe man began to show the way.

  The garden acious and could be seen filled with dragons. Despite only two moons having passed siheir birth, they were growing rapidly and were already the size of dogs, surrounding the royal family. The rgest space, however, was occupied by a giant dragon lying with its head on the ground, eyes open, watg as if g for the smaller draic creatures.

  Seryna, the Queen of Artica, was seated on a benext to Aemon, who was holding little Lyanna as she tried to reach the dragons on the ground. The king's son, young Jon, was in his mother's p. Bryhought of the child as soon as he saw him; retly, the Children of the Forest had been calling him Loki. No one uood why, but the boy seemed quite fortable and calm, always atteo everything, the dragons, his sister, Aemon, his mother, and even Eragon with his two-colored eyes, which reminded Brynden of his old lover and half-sister, Shiera Seastar.

  Shiera had been a woman whht joy, anger, and jealousy to Brynden. When he was at court, amassing more power than ever as the Hand of his brother nearly a hundred years ago, she never wao marry him.

  She preferred to make him jealous while she slept with other men, but always gave him hope, keeping him close. Now, he saw that he had been a fool. He didn't know what had happeo her, but he suspected that after her departure to Essos, she had likely died there. Meanwhile, he himself had beeio die beyond the Wall but ended up being something else at that moment—the Three-Eyed Raven.

  "Brynden," Aemon remarked, while Seryna also looked at him, with the royal guards standing back to avoid disturbing the dragons. Seryna might not have the blood ons, but she couldn't get too close to the creatures. Even so, she allowed her children to be there; it was obviously healthy for them, and Jon wahat for them.

  Seryna missed Jon, but she uood the importance of that trade journey and also had a special mission: to care for the son she had always wanted with the man she loved and to care for his other daughter, whom she sidered her own. She was fully dedicated to motherhood.

  "My queen," Bryndeed with a nod, then turo Aemon and greeted him as well. He g the dragons before returning to Seryna. "My apologies, Queen Seryna, for my sudden visit, but I o inform you that the South has begun to act, and there are 16,000 men ing this way," he reported.

  "16,000? How long do you think it will take for them to reach here?" Aemon asked.

  "No Night's Watch ranger has ever e close to Artica all these years, so they don't know the way. They might mah the help of wildlings, but even if they do, it will take a few moons," Brynden replied, turning to the queen. "In the king's absence, meetings are taking pce among the ministers regarding this matter, as it s the safety of Artica, and I fear that you must attend, my queen," Brynden requested.

  Seryna nodded. "Very well, I'll do so in my husband's name, but he made ohing very clear," she said, gng at Eragon. "If Artica faces an attack, Eragon is authorized to strike. Just ask Du to prepare the troops; 16,000 me a band of messehis is a direct assault from the South, and we must respond as such." She replied, imagining what Jon would have done.

  The ministers present he drago its blue gaze on the smaller dragons surrounding it, which were even trying to climb onto it. Occasionally, it would release a puff of frost, which immediately irritated the other dragons, who protested at the rger one, as they were all fire dragons without exception.

  No og the rger dragon, even in this pyful moment, could ighat this creature could bee a lethal killer of thousands in the near future.

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  Ra Here:

  Loki is a development that drew me to the eldest son, after all, he is the son of a giant, just like in mythology.

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