I do not own any of the recognisable character below...

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CHAPTER 8: ICE AND FIRE

News of the Targaryan taking King's Landing surprised all of them, even Melisandre. The ravens said that it all had happened in a fore night, no one expected it. There were no reports of troops around the city, no strange atmosphere in the capital according to Stannis' spies. However, Daenerys and Aegon Targaryan had arrived with three dragons, eight thousand unsullied, the Golden Company and the Dornish troops, and managed to take the capitol within hours.

Dragons... Jon had heard of them, read of them, he knew they had existed, but he never thought they would live... He never imagined the possibility, and suddenly it was very real. Jon could only imagine Stannis' thoughts... They had been at war for years now, and all at once, they had two new competitors on this race to the throne, two new competitors that could fly. All rules changed now, none of the strategies used before were valid, Stannis needed new alliances and he was going to look for some of them within The Wall, Jon was sure of it.

Of course, no one could forget about the Lannisters and their abrupt disappearance. No one had expected the attack, yet Cersei Lannister had gone missing days before it actually happened. What did this mean for the Targaryans? Did they have a spy in their lines? No one was safe in this game of thrones.

Jon thought about what this meant for the realm. The Targaryan would not stop in King's Landing for too long, they could not. None of the high Lords had yet to pledge their loyalty to them, and being honest, no one would when their only conquest was King's Landing, even if it were the capital.

That meant they would start fighting soon... They would start fighting what was closest to them... And that meant...

"They are going to attack my bloody land next!" Satnnis said, entering Jon's privet library, and slamming the door. "Bloody Targaryan children and their bloody dragons... They will attack Dragonstone next... My daughter is there and she is the only heir to the throne, what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"You should send a raven, tell her that she has to leave Dragonstone. Command those who run your household to leave with her, and send them all to Stormsend. She will be safer there than in Dragonstone."

"I should go back, return and fight for our home... I should not have to leave my home like that, like a criminal... My poor daughter..."

"Will be fine if you send the raven now. Her handmaidens will take good care of her, and she will be well protected by your men... You shall not worry..."

"All the dragon glass we have there... It will belong to the bloody Targaryans now, and they will not even know what to do with it... This is insane... This cannot be happening..."

"What does Melisandre think about all of this, your grace?"

"She was fucking astonished about the dragons, then she kept talking about how pure they are because they are born from fire..."

Stannis' trend of thought was interrupted by a horn blowing once, then twice. When Jon hear that the horn was being blown the third time he got up from his chair and took off towards the upper levels in The Wall.

There they were, with their humanoid appearance, yet different from humans. They were taller than any human being Jon had ever seen, and had long, wispy white hair. Their skin was pale white too. But their most notable trait were their glowing blue eyes that could be seen from the distance. Jon noticed that the weather was colder now, than it was moments before, and it looked as if a great blizzard was coming towards them. This, Jon thought, was winter.

He could also see something else, people. No, not people, wights; an army of undead wildings. He could see them walking without direction, wobbling, following the commands of 'The Others'.

"Archers ready!" Jon shouted "Aim, fire! Get the dragon glass arrows and swords! I want everybody in formation now!"

Jon noticed how everybody around him hurried up: some started getting their armors on, others said their goodbyes… Jon grabbed Sam's arm and dragged him away from every one.

"If you think we are not going to make it, if the thought crosses your mind, take Gilly and little Sam and run. Take my horse and head south as fast as possible. If we fail and they get to the other side of The Wall, Westeros is lost, so safe yourself."

"But Jon…"

"Do not disobey your Lord Commander now Sam. Do as I say."

With those last words Jon flew down the stairs. He met his fellow brothers near the forge, grabbed a dragon glass sword, and got on the first horse he saw. He looked at the men that were about to go into battle.

"Some of you did not want to be here, but you have seen what is coming our way. If those creatures get passed us they will destroy your lands, your families and everything you love. Let us kill them all! Remember: the wights die with fire and the White Walkers die when stabbed with dragon glass."

Jon heard the doors to the other side of The Wall opening. This time things were different from the last one: they were fighting something worse that wildings, this time, he did not have to watch out for her… This time they had no other choice than winning.

Jon ordered his horse to gallop through the gates. The archers had already managed to burn some wights, so he managed to get a torch, and light it up. Then, he started swinging it as if it were a sword. His horse fell down when one of the White Walkers threw a knife that went through its heart. Jon did not hesitate and burned the agonizing horse. 'It is better than seeing it come back from the death.'

He did not have a lot of time to process what had just happened, because an enormous White Walker was approaching him. Jon drew his dragon glass sword and swang it. His attacker lifted his own sword, blocking Jon's moves over and over again. Jon managed to cut the beast's hand, making it crumble before him.

Jon fought wights and Walkers at the same time, until one of them managed to push him hard enough to make him fall. Before the White Walker could even attempt to kill him, however, it died. Jon searched the snow the creature had left behind to find a dragon glass pointed arrow. 'We do not make this kind of arrows…' When Jon lifted his gaze from his hands, he was surrounded by people. They were not brothers of the Night's Watch, but they were not wildings or wights either.

They were all wearing armor and dark gray capes. Jon did not know who these people were, and even if they were helping them, he did not trust them completely.

"Get up mate! Do you want to freeze your arse?" One of them offered him a hand. He was tall, strong, dark haired and blue eyed, he had a war hammer with him and he held it firmly. His eyes travelled from the ground to the air, giving Jon the impression of being waiting for something.

"Who are you?"

"Would you not prefer leaving the introductions for a time when we are safe and sound inside that bloody castle of yours?"

Jon felt the air around him freeze even more, the blizzard the White Walkers had brought with them had arrived and Jon could see close to nothing.

"Come on Ally…" He heard his new companion say, and even if he did not know what that meant, he did not like the sound of it. Suddenly, the wind around him became so strong and cold Jon thought his brothers would find him frozen the following day.

He did not know how long they were surrounded by all that snow and wind, but he was really thankful when it abruptly stopped. Jon opened his eyes and saw all his brothers and other soldiers standing, looking at each other with no idea of what had just happened.

"Well done…" He heard the man beside him say. When Jon turned his head around, he could not believe his eyes: the White Walkers were gone and the wights were all dead, burned to the ashes.

Jon ordered everybody back to the castle, including the large group of strangers. He would definitely have a word with those men.

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Ally descended the stairs with light steps. She had done a perfect job in the battlefield and she could not be happier with herself. There was of course a tiny detail no one had predicted: arriving unannounced to The Wall had not been the best idea. Right now she could see her brothers and their men standing in the middle of the yard, being interrogated by the Lord Commander Whoever Snow. She could see Davos trying to talk, but every time he got interrupted by someone.

"How do you explain the dead wights?" The Commander asked Lord Reed.

"I cannot explain it… I thought you would have an explanation for it, I could not see with the blizzard."

"How come you have travelled this far Lord Reed?"

"As I have told you before, I was on my way to Winterfell when I met the Steel Company and decided to join them."

"And, how did the Steel Company know we needed help?"

"If I may Lord Commander…" Davos started again.

"They must be followers of the Lord of Light, I told you I had been praying for his help…" Ally could not stand that Red bitch and her talking anymore.

"You would be wise if you heard Sir Davos Lord Commander!" Ally shouted from the first floor of the castle making her presence known. She jumped down and landed on a cart full of straw that was conveniently placed, and walked towards her men. "He sent word to our home in Lorath, he told us about your problems here, and we decided to help. So, here we are."

"Who are you, exactly?" The Red witch asked.

"What a shame… You do not recognize me…" Ally heard her brothers laughing behind her: Gendry had the decency to try to cover his laughter with a cough, while Eddrick laughed out loud.

"You two, on the back!" Stannis said "Why do you not come up here and take your helmets off?"

Ally felt her brothers standing right behind her. She watched Stannis' expression as Eddrick, on her right, took his helmet off first. She was pleased when she saw how shocked Stannis was. 'Just wait for it…' When Gendry took his helmet off the commotion was even bigger. Ally heard a lot of men gasping: "A ghost!" they would say.

Melissandre's face was the best of all. Shocked, scared, even a little embarrassed.

"You…"

"Yes, me… It has been what, seven years since you tried to burn me alive? I suppose time goes by for all of us, it has certainly gone by for you…"

"Gendry…" Ally interceded. "Do not make fun of the old man, he is after all a king now."

"You are right little sister. Enough of this nonsense, we have travelled a long way to offer our services. These men, are the Steel Company, as Lord Reed has said, and they are here to help you protect The Wall. However, they will not become members of the Watch, we plan on leaving as soon as the situation is back to normal. You understand us, do you not, Lord Commander?"

"We will take all the help you can offer. Sam, escort them to their chambers."

The group followed a chubby man through the castle, the three siblings, however, stayed in the yard.

"My Lord, my brother and I would really appreciate if our sister could stay in another part of the castle… Somewhere where there are not that many men, perhaps? We will accept any accommodations you offer but…" Gendry said.

"Of course, I have sisters of my own and believe me, I would not let them stay anywhere near all those men."

"You know I am right here, and that I am totally capable of defending myself, right?"

"We know little sister, but that does not change anything."

Gendry and Jon had just started a deep conversation when Ally realized Davos had approached her. He looked older than the last time she had seen him, but the smile on his lips had not changed. Ally went over the few steps that separated them and hugged the man that had saved her and her brothers lives.

"It is so good to see you my girl. Look at you, you look like a lady now, so grown up. I am glad you found him, I am glad you found them… I trust everything is alright? Is she alright?" Davos said that last sentence whispering.

"Yes Davos, everything is perfect, and she is perfectly fine."

She took a moment to look towards Stannis. The man looked slightly like Eddrick, but they were completely different at the same time. He looked older than what he was supposed to, and he had a blank look in his eyes… Like if he did not really focus his gaze… Ally had learned to recognize the changes in a person when they were under the control of magic, and her uncle Stannis was definitely under some kind of spell. Ally felt disgusted: whenever the red with moved, Stannis would readjust his position; whenever she looked somewhere, Stannis would look in that direction. Davos had told her the witch had influence on Stannis, but this was just ridiculous, how on did they not realize?

She walked towards Gendry and Jon carefully, not trusting that woman, she had tried to burn him once, what would stop her from trying to do so again?

"Excuse me, I do not wish to interrupt your conversation" Ally started. "Lord Commander, I have thought about my brothers' request, and I find that he is right about the sleeping arrangements."

"You do?" Eddrick asked.

"Yes, Eddrick, I do. However, I would feel ten times safer if my brothers' chambers were located next to mine." Ally sweetly smiled at the end of the sentence, knowing that she would get what she wanted that way. Davos chuckled behind her and Ed and Gen looked at her suspiciously.

"I completely understand my lady" Snow said. "I will have someone prepare your brothers and you three chambers near my own, that way, I will assure you are not assaulted by anyone."

An old maester approached the group after a few minutes. He inquires about the fire that had killed the wights. He had been standing on the edge of The Wall when the blizzard had made it impossible to see, and, as all the fires around them had extinguished around them, he could not explain how the wights had appeared dead.

"Not all fires extinguish with wind or water maester Aemon, The Lord of Light can keep his fire burning even in the darkest times. I am sure it was the only true God, which helped us in our quest."

"With all due respect, my lady, I do not believe that would be right. I have only read about one kind of fire that can light in any circumstances…"

"How dare you! The Lord of Light controls the flames, The Lord of Light can see whatever he wants to see… The Lord of Light chose your king as his successor, he chose Stannis Baratheon for the greatest destinies of all… How dare you doubt that he helped us, leaded us to victory today?"

"My lady I do not wish to insult you or your beliefs, but we cannot only base our lives on them… Whatever happened out there destroyed an army of wights and scared the White Walkers away, this is too important to look aside…"

"The Lord of Light helped us today, there is no other explanation for it. We would have died if he had decided to 'look aside', we owe him respect. Do you know what I saw yesterday in the fire? Us, dead. The White Walkers freezing our lands as they walked to the other side of The Wall. So I prayed, I prayed so that he would spare us all, even you maester, so you should thank him."

"How do you plan on thanking him, offering him a crunchy bastard for lunch?" Eddrick mumbled. Gendry sent a murderous look on his direction before looking ahead again.

"Do not worry little brother," Ally whispered on Gendry's ear "I will protect you".

Melissandre talked about her visions nonstop for at least fifteen minutes, and Ally realized she just wanted to bore them all to death. The fourth time she started her speech about the Lord of Light Ally interrupted her.

"So, you say that you can see things in the fire, things that are yet to happen?"

"Yes, my child"

"Can you see whatever you want in the fires, my lady?"

"As long as The Lord of Light wants me to see it…"

"So, hypothetically talking, do you think you would be able to see your own death in the fires?"

"Ally…"

"I do not know my child, if the Lord of Light thought it necessary…"

"Can you watch anything in any kind of fire? I mean, I once read an old book written by a wise maester from Oldtown, he said that the Sun was a big ball of fire, so would you be able to see anything if you looked towards the sun?"

"Ally…"

"That girl is crazy Snow! Do something!"

"It is funny you know, how you tried to burn my brother alive, and yet you were not able to see Davos freeing him before it happened… Maybe if you had just looked towards the sun…"

Melisandre looked towards the sun, even though a great shadow had just appeared before it… Melisandre knew what was coming before anyone else, she enjoyed sacrificing people to the flames, well, that was about to change for her. Ally had told Gendry once that she would protect her family to the end of time, and she knew that her family would not be safe until that red woman no longer existed. That is why she took care of that problem with one last word…

"Dracarys."

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Dum dum dum…

Hello everybody!

Hope you liked it!

Thank you to each and every one of you who followed and favourited my story, you are awesome. I have a huge exam on Wednesday so I will not update until Friday or later…

Be your usual awesome selves and review or PM!

Be kind to one another!

Star :*