I wanted to thank everybody who is reading this story.
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10. Fire and Ice.
"We did not see any menacing wildling army. We did see evidence of their existence, though: empty villages whose inhabitants have probably joined Mance Rayder in mass…" the leader of the ranging party address the men gathered in the Common Room.
"Or have fled south in despair" whispered Osha.
"…and we saw a few of their camps abandoned. Mance Rayder is gathering an army, that is for sure. We just don't know where they are and what he intends to do with that army."
"What of the strange creatures they all talk about?" shouted one of the men at the back. "That one" and he pointed at Osha "has been talking to the boy of Giants, and wargs, and white walkers. We saw the white walkers ourselves. Are they coming towards us in hordes?"
"I can't say. But our first priority should be to find Mance Rayder's army and deal with that threat".
"Aye, but we don't know where they are" shouted another man.
"And we don't have enough men. They will slaughter us".
"I can help" said Lady Melisandre as she stood up. "I can find them for you. If you let me assist, not only can I find them, but I can talk to them to reach an agreement" to which many of the men reacted outraged.
"Who are you?"
"What do you mean?"
"How can you find them?"
"You're a witch"
"You shouldn't be here"
When they were silent again she continued. "Yes, I have powers. Powers that you cannot even begin to comprehend. But as you yourselves have already seen, there are forces beyond our control in this world. I offer you my powers. Not just for the sake of the Night Watch, but for the sake of your King, Stannis and the Realm. If we are in danger I wish to help."
"How can you find them?"
The whole room fell silent as Melisandre started to slowly fade and a Shadow took her place. Nobody dared move or utter a single word as the Shadow flew out of the room. It didn't take long for the Shadow to return and for Melisandre to materialize again. "They are to the northwest, by a frozen waterfall, about two days from here. They outnumber us by the thousands. Do you still refuse my help?"
"That's the Silent Logger's Fall. If they come here, we'll all be dead in two days."
"All right, Lady, how can you help?" asked the Lord Commander.
"I can go with a ranging party and talk to them. They seemed to be running away, not planning an invasion"
"We have nothing to lose. You leave in an hour. Jensin, Moyes, Boreth and Fibs, you go with her. Lord Stannis, you are more than welcome to join them if it pleases you."
"As King, I do not need your permission. We are leaving in an hour"
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The journey was not an easy one, through frozen rugged terrain and a dark and gloomy forest. By the end of the second day, they could already hear the sounds made by Mance Rayder's people. It was not so much an army as a motley crew of assorted men, women and children.
"That's no invading army" said Moyes.
No sooner had he finished saying that than Melisandre was gone. They saw her walking swiftly on the snow towards the camp. They followed silently and hid behind the trees.
"Mance Rayder," she called "my name is Melisandre. You have nothing to fear from me. You are assembling an army to attack the Night Watch. That will be unnecessary. I know you are running away. I can help you fight your enemies and then you can help me fight mine."
"Who are you?" he spat.
"I am your saviour"
"Get her" he yelled. Ten men came rushing at her, but stopped dead in their tracks when she vanished right in front of their eyes. She materialized again standing next to Mance Rayder.
"You can't kill a Shadow, but a Shadow can kill men" she said and she burst into flames. Mance Rayder jumped back and waited for the flames to subside. "You can't kill fire, but fire can kill men" she continued. "and fire can kill fear. Tell me what it is that you fear and I will help you. I fight your enemies and then you help me fight mine"
"You can kill whitewalkers?" asked a suspicious Mance Rayder
"Show them to me and I will" she said confidently.
"That way" he said and pointed past the frozen waterfall deep into the forest.
Melisandre dematerialized again and floated in the direction Mance Rayder had pointed. She could see them. Eerie and quiet, these creatures did not look human. Taller than most men, these beings had pale white skin half covering their rotting bodies and icy blue eyes bulging from their cadaveric faces. Their long bony arms held fearsome blades and weapons. Cold surrounded them and Death enveloped them. This was an army to be feared. She now knew what she had to do.
The calm and silence gave way to a whirlwind of sound and light. Melisandre opened her mouth but the voice that echoed in the forest was not human.
R'hllor. Lord of Light. Give us your light.
R'hllor. Give us your fire.
R'hllor. Deliver us from ice.
R'hllor. Take these creatures from the darkness and put them under your service.
Sensing the disturbance, the creatures turned to where Melisandre was standing. A bright light surrounded them as she became engulfed in flames. The creatures stopped moving and stood still. Their icy blue eyes turned fiery red, and their cold glass blades became flaming swords. Fire and Ice. Red and White. Hot and Cold.
The whitewalkers formed a line behind Melisandre. She beckoned them with her hand and they followed her as she started walking. She motioned for them to stop and they quietly obeyed her command.
"Wait here" she ordered and they remained still as icicles.
Melisandre returned to where Stannis was and materialized again. "My Lord, a word?"
They walked away from the Night Watch rangers and Melisandre whispered in his ear. "I have found our army, the army that will win us the Iron Throne"
"This lot? Mance Rayder and his wildlings?" he asked pointing at the assorted group beyond the trees.
"No, not them. What they are running away from" she said. "Go back to Castle Black and wait for me there." She turned and disappeared into dust again.
The whitewalkers started moving again at her command. Walk, she told them. They marched for hours through the dense forest until they came upon Mance Rayder's camp. Destroy, she commanded. And the whitewalkers descended upon the wildlings with such force that Mance Rayder and his men barely had time to unsheathe their blades, raise their lances or load their bows.
Yes, Melisandre thought. This army will win us the Iron Throne.
TBC
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So, what do you think? Melisandre leading an army of whitewalkers ...
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