The Wall of Ice
Amarys pulled her black fur hood down and looked up at the Wall looming over her. She smiled to herself. She quest was about to begin.
It had been a long ride from her home in the Lands of Always Winter.
"There's someone approaching!" a loud, deep voice echoed from the top of the wall. A bell rang and Amarys spied archers pointing their arrows at her from the many levels of the ice wall. She stopped her black steed and stood completely still as the entrance to one of the tunnels under the wall opened and five armed men came riding out. They stopped about a hundred meters from her.
"Show your face!" the leader of the group shouted at her. They think I'm one of the Others, Amarys thought. She was hardly surprised. Her clothes were completely black and covered in ice and snow from her long journey south. She shuddered to think how cold and evil she must have looked.
She pulled her hood down and revealed herself. They gasped. She ran her gloved hand through her messy golden hair.
"Her eyes aren't glowing!" the one on the far right said.
"Correct," Amarys gave them a crooked smile.
"She's a Wildling. What are you doing here?" the leader asked.
"Incorrect. I am no Wildling. I come from farther north than the Thenns," Amarys said.
"The Lands of Always Winter? Impossible. They are unmapped. Unliveable," the leader said.
"Incorrect, again. They may be unmapped to you southerners, but that does not mean to say unliveable," she said. "It has been a long journey for me. I would like to stay for a while. I have some business to attend to. I need to see the Red Woman and your Lord Commander," she said.
"We do not let Wildings stay on the Wall," the leader spoke proudly.
"Then it's a bloody good job I'm not a Wildling then. I shall explain my situation to your Lord Commander. Please take me to him," she said, pulling her hood up.
"Fine. Follow me," the leader turned and led Amarys through the tunnel. When they came out the other side, men of the Night's Watch had gathered to see what their fellow brothers had retrieved from the ice beyond.
"It's Benjen!" someone shouted.
"No! He's too short. Benjen has been missing too long," someone replied.
She dismounted her black horse at the same time as her five companions did. When she pulled her hood down, she was met by a sea of gasps. She handed the reins of her horse to one of the stable boys who attended them.
"Follow me," the leader of the group said. She did as she was told. As they walked, she looked over the crows that surrounded her. She saw a drop of red amongst the black and her eyes fell on the Red Woman. The Red Woman nodded to her and she nodded back.
"May I have the courtesy of your name?" Amarys asked the leader.
"Grenn. You don't speak like a Wildling. You speak more like a lady," Grenn looked over his shoulder at her.
"There's a reason for that," she smirked.
"You're not one of the Mance Rayder's ladies, are you?" Grenn stopped and turned to face her.
"That false king? Please, be serious," she raised an eyebrow. Grenn turned unconvinced. She knocked once on the door at the end of the corridor.
"Come!" a voice from the other side called. Grenn opened the door and led Amarys in.
"Lord Snow, this is who was beyond the Wall. Says she needs to speak to you," he said.
Lord Snow looked up from his papers and raised his eyebrows at the young girl in front of him, as did the fat man sat beside him looking over some papers.
"You may leave, Grenn. Thank you," Lord Snow said. Grenn nodded and left, closing the door behind him. Amarys pulled her black leather gloves off and stepped forward.
"Lord Commander Snow. Your uncle will be pleased to hear how far you've reached," she said.
"My uncle?" Lord Snow looked puzzled, putting his papers down on the table.
"Your uncle is Benjen Stark, is he not? He is in the Lands of Always Winter. He sends his regards," she said.
"Stop it!" Lord Snow stood up abruptly. Amarys raised an eyebrow. "Do not talk of my uncle like that. He has been long missing and is probably dead. Do not tease me! Who are you?" he shouted. The fat man looked from him, to Amarys and back again. Amarys stepped closer and dropped her gloves on the table on top of the papers.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she whispered, giving the young lord a crooked smile.
"I have no time for these games. Who are you and why are you here?" Lord Snow asked.
"Have you ever heard of the Silent Kingdom?" Amarys asked.
"No. What are you talking about?" Lord Snow asked. Amarys turned to the fat man.
"What about you, maester? Maesters seem to have knowledge. What's your name?" she asked.
"S-Samwell. Samwell Tarly. I have read something," he said.
"Then tell Lord Snow what you have read," she said. She folded her arms behind her back.
"The Silent Kingdom is a kingdom in the unmapped Lands of Always Winter. They are said to be a kingdom of Seers. People who have a direct conection with the gods and can see whatever they like anywhere at anytime. They see the truth. But the Silent Kingdom is considered a myth. A myth lost in time," Sam said.
"Well this is one myth you had better believe," Amarys pulled up her sleeve to reveal a tattoo of a snowflake surrounded by a crescent moon and spirals disappearing under her sleeve and up her arm.
"That symbol was on the cover of the book," Sam gasped.
"So you are one of these Seers from the Silent Kingdom?" Lord Snow asked.
"Not just any Seer. My name is Amarys Iceranger, heir to the Silent Throne. And I'm here because I have to set an example," she said. Sam stood up and offered her his seat. "Thank you, maester," she sat.
"What sort of example, Your Grace?" Lord Snow asked.
"In the Silent Kingdom, when someone reaches the age of adulthood, they are sent on a quest to prove their true powers from the gods. We have to learn the truth and set things right. As heir to the Silent Throne, I chose to go south beyond the Wall. No one ever has before, and it seems Westeros is in need of some truth," she explained. Lord Snow thought for a moment.
"Sam, will you please leave us," he asked.
"Yes, My Lord, Your Grace," how bowed.
"Where I come from, we say 'Your Majesty'," Amarys smiled.
"Yes, sorry, Your Majesty," he bowed again and waddled off, closing the door behind him.
Lord Snow sat back down again and looked at Amarys.
"I apologize for my outburst. It was wrong of me," Lord Snow said.
"Apology accepted," Amarys replied.
"It will be dangerous. In the south, everyone will think of you as a Wildling," he said.
"That is not my concern, Jon Snow. And I am sorry for your losses," she said. Jon looked shocked for a moment, then remembered what she had said about being a Seer.
"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty. My father... he was no traitor. He was a good man," he said.
"I know. I saw," Amarys said, unfastening her cloak and draping it over the back of her chair. "Joffrey was a bastard, in all senses of the word," she added.
"And Robb, he only fought for what he knew was right. He was betrayed," Jon said. He offered Amarys a drink and she accepted.
"Yes, I would have done the same, in his position," she said.
"And Bran and Rickon. And Arya. They were children. Theon killed Bran and Rick in cold blood. And no doubt Cersei had Arya murdered. I do not believe that she married Roose Bolton," he sat back and sighed and drunk deeply from his horn of ale.
"It seems my quest starts here on the Wall," Amarys smiled and drunk too.
"What do you mean?" he asked. Amarys leant forward.
"They are not dead. Theon didn't kill Brandon or Rickon. They escaped with Hodor and a Wildling called Osha. Theon didn't want to lose face and murdered a couple of village boys," she said.
"What? How did you see that? Theon is innocent of their murder?" Jon said.
"Oh, yes. And Arya didn't marry Bolton. And Cersei didn't murder her. Last I saw she was in Bravoos," she drunk the remainder of her ale and stood up.
"Is she well? And Bran and Rickon?" Jon's face lit up, standing too.
"Oh, yes. Since I have a quest, I was wondering if you could help me," she said.
"Yes! Anything," Jon smiled.
"Let me go and find them and bring them here. Them and Sansa. I also have to journey to Jaime Lannister, to the King's Landing and beyond the Narrow Sea, but on my return north, I will bring them with me," she said.
"Of course! Yes! But the Iron Throne, and Westeros? What will become of them with your truths?" he asked.
"You let me handle that," she patted his arm and headed for the door, carrying her cloak.
"Lady Amarys, I cannot let you do anything to take the throne for yourself. The Wall is here, I am here, to keep the North separate from the South," Jon said, following her.
"Don't worry about that. I have no intention of taking the Iron Throne. I have my own made of Ice beyond the Thenns," she winked at him and opened the door. "I have to go and speak with the Red Woman," she said.
"Yes. You may sleep in my chambers, Your Majesty. They are the most fitting here at Castle Black for royalty.
"Thank you, Lord Snow. I would very much like to talk with you later," she smiled and left.
She walked around Castle Black and found herself in the dining hall. Men who were sat eating and talking all fell silent and looked up at the strange girl who had just walked in.
Not only was she a woman at the wall, unlike the Red Woman, she was dressed entirely in black like a crow. She wore tight leather trousers, a black corset waistcoat over a black woollen shirt and black, mid-calf leather boots. Sam waved her over.
"Your Majesty, allow me to introduce some of the men. This is Grenn," he motioned to the man at his left.
"Yes, we've already met," Amarys smirked.
"I apologize for my behaviour, Your Majesty. I did not know...I-" Grenn said.
"No matter. Who else do we have here?" she asked, looking at the only other man at the table.
"This is Pyp. Will you be staying long?" Sam asked.
"No, I'll be going as soon as I can talk to the Red Woman," she said.
"She's up on the top of the Wall. You'll find her there. She'll see you coming before you even decide too. I don't like her," Pyp said.
Amarys nodded at the three men and wrapped her cloak around her shoulders and made her way up the Wall. True to Pyp's word, the Red Woman was stood looking north with her back to Amarys. The girl in black made her way over to the Red Woman.
"The Woman of Fire. How nice to meet you at last. I have seen you in visions," Amarys stood next to her and joined her looking north.
"And you, The Queen of Ice," the Red Woman smiled. "Call me Melisandre. May I question your Faith?" she asked bluntly.
"You are wondering if I worship R'hllor, am I correct?" Amarys turned and looked at the woman in red.
"The only true god, although there are many false," Melisandre met her gaze.
"Incorrect," Amarys smirked. "The Seers of the Silent Kingdom know that R'hllor is real, as are the Seven of the South and the Old Gods. All others are fake," Amarys smirked, yet again.
"You are wrong, Queen of Ice," Melisandre spat at the girl in black.
"Oh, but I'm not," Amarys continued before Melisandre could. "The Seers worship the Old Gods because they show us what is true, the Seven for our minds and R'hllor for life," Amarys explained. "You may only believe in the one god, but do not mock the others. And stop calling me the Queen of Ice. I am no queen," Amarys lectured. It felt good to lecture someone so much older than herself.
"You are the Queen of Ice. R'hllor has shown me. You may not be a queen in your kingdom yet, but you will be. R'hllor shall forgive you this blasphemous outburst just this once, though," Melisandre stepped towards Amarys until their noses almost touched.
"How is it blasphemy when I'm agreeing with his existence?" Amarys smiled smugly. "There is a reason I came here to talk to you," Amarys changed the subject.
"Then speak."
"A week after I have left, have Jon Snow light bonfires a mile from the Wall, all along it. The White Walkers are coming," she warned.
"The White Walkers?" Melisandre laughed. "A northern myth," Melisandre mocked.
"Far from it. In the Lands of Always Winter, the White Walkers walk amongst the Seers. We share a bloodline. They are distant family. But they are dangerous. And they are heading south. Mance Rayder was nothing in comparison with them. He was merely an annoying fly. And one who tried to stake claim to lands that weren't rightly his," Amarys said.
"This is silly. Why should I listen to a child?" Melisandre sniggered.
Amarys stuck her hand in her coat pocket and pulled out a black, frozen hand and held it up. Its fingers twitched.
"Is it? Is it really. Heed these warnings, Melisandre of the Fire. You harp on about your Fire God, use his power to help protect the Wall. There will be trouble otherwise. Winter has come, and your pride will not help," Amarys threw the hand at the Red Woman. She caught it and it burst into flames.
"What will the price be if I don't?" she asked.
"Everything," Amarys turned and walked away pulling her hood up. It started to snow.