Will clung tightly to his perch as he watched Ser Waymar Royce face off against the Other. The lordling's fear was evident from the way he shook and his voice cracked, and yet, Will felt that Waymar was finally a man of the Watch.
"Come no farther!" the knight warned with his failing voice. He threw his cloak over his shoulders, freeing his arms for battle.
Soundlessly, the Other slid toward Waymar, holding a longsword the likes of which Will had never seen. It was made of translucent crystal, exceedingly thin and sharp, and seemed to glow with a faint blue light.
Ser Waymar met the creature head on. "Dance with me then." He lifted his sword and for a moment hope blossomed in Will's heart. The remaining Others emerged silently from the trees, unnoticed by the fighting lordling. There were five of them. Will had to call out. It was his duty. And his death if he did. He kept his silence.
The sword of the first Other flew through the air and met Ser Waymar's. The Other unleashed a rapid flurry of blows. Royce managed to parry each, but was slowly being pushed back. The watchers surrounded the two combatants, but made no move to interfere. Soon, Royce's parry came a second too late, and the Other's blade pierced the armor beneath his arm.
The Other said something, it's words like crackling ice, in a mocking tone, and Royce was about to attack in a fury, when suddenly, a wall of blue flames formed between the combatants, along with a ring separating them from the watchers. It melted the snow and burned the grass beneath. Will could feel the heat from his perch.
The cracking voices of the Others sounded in confusion.
"Sorry, I couldn't watch that any longer," said a rather deep, yet clearly feminine voice from the trees.
Will looked to the source to see a woman in an ornate military uniform stepping into the open, holding two swords loosely at her sides, flanked by a strange woman with flaming blue hair and a sort of low cut blue dress. The latter had her eyes shut for some reason. Will hoped the girl's hair was always on fire. That outfit looked a little cold.
"I've never seen creatures like these, Lady Morag," the blue-haired woman said. "They don't seem friendly, though."
"Indeed," said the now identified Morag, "whatever Rex and Malos did at the cliffs, it's sent us a long way from home."
"Back, you fools!" said Ser Waymar. "The Others will slaughter you!"
True to his word, two of the nearest watchers started closing in on Morag and her companion.
"Brighid," Morag said.
Brighid nodded and stepped back, bringing up her hands as if reaching out to Morag. Morag swung one of her swords despite being well out of range, and a wave of blue fire erupted from the blade, engulfing the Other. When it passed, nothing was left but a wisp of steam. The woman then swung her other sword, which seemed to turn into a whip and bisect the other Other.
The remaining creatures backed away from Morag slowly, save for the one that was currently surrounded by fire. As if on cue to prevent their escape, a youth's determined shout echoed from the wilderness. A young boy in his mid-teens ran out of the forest, carrying a sword made almost entirely of golden light, and cut through the nearest Other like butter. Two women wearing bizarre clothing ran out after him, followed by a giant white cat. One of the women, a blonde, raised her hands in a manner similar to Brighid.
The youth cleaved through the remaining watchers despite their attempts to parry. Meanwhile, Morag walked through the fire she had apparently summoned to confront the remaining Other.
"Nia, looks like the armored guy's injured, can you patch him up?" the boy said.
The remaining woman, a silvery brown haired woman with what appeared to be cat or fox ears on her head, nodded.
"Leave it to me," she said, then leapt over the flames to Royce and held her hands to him. The lordling started to glow blue.
The remaining Other lunged at Morag, who parried it's blade with one sword and stabbed it through the head with the other, after lighting it on fire. The Other melted instantly and the blue flames died down.
The blonde glanced up the tree, directly at Will. "You can come down now."
Will almost fell out of the tree in shock, but managed to climb down calmly. When he arrived on the ground, he was treated to more surprises. The cat-eared girl had rejoined the youth and Ser Waymar's bleeding seemed to have stopped. In fact, he seemed perfectly healthy, perhaps in better health than before the fight. Morag and Brighid had also stepped over to the other four and was whispering in the boy's ear.
"I must thank you, strangers, I am in your debt," Ser Waymar told the group.
"It was no problem, sir," Morag said, stepping forward. "We do seem to be a little lost. Perhaps you could point us towards the nearest city?"
"You don't seem to be wildlings…"
"No, we are representatives of the Empire of Mor Ardain. I am Special Inquisitor Morag Ladair."
Will didn't know what a Special Inquisitor was, but it sounded important.
"Envoys from a foreign land?" Ser Waymar asked. "Come, I will escort you to the Wall."
"Thank you very much…"
"Ser Waymar Royce."
"Thank you, Ser Waymar."