Twenty-five chapters later, shit is really going down. I am planning to end this story after thirty chapters but if you want a continuation, let me know. I have plans for a sequel which shows life down the line into the future so if I remain with this story, I will continue to follow the lives of the Stark children as opposed to their children.
In this chapter, Bran and Arya's journey begins.
Everyone simply stared at Bran in shock.
Arya had not entirely accepted killing her brother off and travelling into his visions to collect faces but now, Bran was saying that Robb and Jon were the ones to deliver the killing blow.
"It must be done," he told them. "I must die to end the Great War."
"Why?!" Sansa cried out. "Why does it have to be you?!"
Bran shivered. "I did something in one of my visions... I tell you to never touch anything but before I learnt, I did."
He pulled his sleeve and showed them the scar branded onto his skin which he'd shown Arya.
"The Night King branded me. He knows where I am and he is coming for me."
"Why does he want you?" Robb asked in disbelief.
"You may not believe me when I say this," Bran replied. "The Night King has to kill me but he can't because I won't become the Three-Eyed Raven so I need you, Arya and Jon to kill me and-"
Arya's eyes widened in realisation. "You lied to me," she whispered as everyone turned to face her. "Are you the Night King?"
"I am not the Night King," Bran said. "If the three of you kill me before the Night King does, I end the cycle."
"What cycle?" Talisa asked everyone's question.
"The Night King shares a connection with the Three-Eyed Raven. He needs to destroy that to kill the Three-Eyed Raven. Without him, the Kingdoms will suffer and the Night King truly becomes unstoppable." He turned to his brothers. "When you kill me, I will leave the vessel of Brandon Stark and the Three-Eyed Raven will be reborn to be part of the prophecy in order for the Winter Throne to prevail. Only then, the Night King may be able to be defeated and the Long Winter will end and Robb and Jon may still live."
The floor began to freeze over and Bran's eyes became a sharper, brighter shade of blue.
"The Wall has been destroyed." He gasped out.
...
"Get ravens sent to Castle Black now!" Jon ordered Maester Lorin. He turned to Sam. "I want you to come with Robb and me to Castle Black."
Sam quickly nodded, heading off to collect his belongings and say his goodbyes as Robb rushed past the young maester with guards and bannermen behind him.
"We need to get the horses ready!" He ordered the men following him. "Get weapons, remedies, anything and everything we need."
Passing him, Arya made her way into the smithy and pulled Gendry to her body, kissing him.
"This isn't goodbye," she whispered, leaving before he could say anything.
She felt a hand grip hers and she turned to see him with his battleaxe.
"I love you, Arya," he told her. "House Baratheon stands with House Stark."
Arya gave him a smile and continued heading towards her brothers who were preparing to get on their horses.
She looked around and saw many Lords and Ladies on their horses. From Lord Manderly to Ser Jaime Lannister and Rickon to Missandei of all people. Even Lyanna Mormont.
"Many people are going with you," she noted to Robb.
Robb nodded. "We will take the fight to them. Their heirs and remaining family will stay. This is to ensure their Houses to not end."
"What about Lady Mormont? She's nearly twelve namedays," Arya stated.
"She persisted on coming. We will not allow her or Rickon near the Wall," Robb assured her. He kissed her head. "Stay alive, sister."
She gave him a smile. "Stay alive, brother."
She headed over to Jon as Gendry remained behind to talk to Robb about weapons.
Jon was saying his goodbyes to Ygritte and their children. Even Sansa had come out with Little Cat struggling to get out of her arms.
"I want to be there by your side," Ygritte said. "But I have to stay here."
Jon kissed her. "Until my last breath, I will love you," he promised her. He then kissed Benjen and hesitated when he turned to his daughter. "Lydia."
"Torrhen Stark's wife's name?" Sansa asked in surprise. She had read up on her History.
"It is a new dawn for our daughter. Mayhaps, she will forgive me one day and will not become overshadowed by her brother," Jon said to his sister. "If anything happens to me, tell her how much I loved her and her brother."
"I will," Sansa replied tearfully. She gave Ygritte a smile. "We will tell them everything about their father."
"But you must come home to us," Ygritte warned him. "Now go."
Arya followed Jon to his horse and when they got to it, she hugged him tightly.
"If anything happens, Jon..."
He shushed her, kissing his head. "Nothing will happen."
"But we have to kill Bran," she breathed out. "I'm supposed to collect faces."
"Arya Stark, you are a strong woman. You've always shown great strength since you were a child and now, you get to enforce it." He raised her chin so she looked at him in the eyes. "Stay alive, Night Wolf."
She giggled, sniffling. "You too, White Wolf."
She watched him get on top of his horse and ride over to Robb who was now talking to Rickon on his own horse, Lyanna sitting behind him.
Arya froze and she turned around to face Bran.
"It's time, Arya."
They went to the Godswood and soon, they entered a vision.
...
"That was the man who turned into the Night King," Bran said, watching as Leaf turned the man into a White Walker.
Arya turned to him. "Whose face do I take?"
"His."
Bran pointed towards the man being turned into the First White Walker.
Feeling a presence, Leaf stopped pressing the dragonglass against the First Man's chest and turned to stare at Bran in the eyes.
"You've returned."
"She needs his face," he told Leaf.
Leaf presented Arya with the dragonglass and Arya faltered. She turned to Bran in hesitance.
"I can't. This will mean that my hand will create the Night King."
"Not necessarily so," Leaf said. "Kill me and take my face."
Arya began to shake her head but Bran reached out to stop her from leaving.
"It has to be done," he told her.
Taking a breath in then releasing it, Arya took the dragonglass from Leaf's hand and gripped it tightly.
"We have powers to create life," Leaf told her, facing her. "You will not hurt the future." She looked at the Valyrian dagger. "Do it with that."
Without another word, Arya wielded her dagger and switched hands so the dragonglass was in her weaker hand. She stabbed Leaf to death and took her face.
"Wear her face," Bran told her.
Arya did as told and gave her dagger to Bran. She walked up to the First Man whose eyes widened in fear.
She began to press the dragonglass into his chest and his eyes turned blue. He screamed in pain and she kept digging the glass into his chest before clawing his face off.
When the screaming stopped, the First Man was no longer tied up to the tree. It was a White Walker.
Arya stared at the bloody face in her hand as she saw it through Leaf's eyes. Taking Leaf's face off, she thrust both faces towards Bran's way in scary silence.
"Who is next?" She asked.
...
"Who is that?" Arya asked Bran when they appeared at Winterfell where an old man waited for them.
Bran set his jaw. "The Three-Eyed Raven before me. Brynden 'Bloodraven' Rivers - King Aegon IV Targaryen's bastard son."
"You have returned," The Three-Eyed Raven said just as Leaf had told him. "And this is Princess Arya Stark of Winterfell or should I just say, Arya?"
Arya placed her hand on the hilt of her dagger and set her jaw. "Is his face the one you need?"
The Three-Eyed Raven gave her a smile and a nod. "You've come to stop him. You have come to end the Night King. Please, take my face as you wish."
Arya was about to step forward to complete her task but Bran stopped her and turned in the direction of a young Eddard Stark looking around the courtyard.
"Father," he told her. "The day he left for the Vale."
Arya gasped in surprise, staring at their late father in his younger years. "He was so young. Robb and Jon look just like him." She smiled widely.
Bran was about to reply but the Three-Eyed Raven cut him off.
"The time has come... leave me!"
Bran's eyes widened and he screamed, "No!"
Quickly and stealthily, Arya killed the Three-Eyed Raven by piercing her dagger through his heart. She stared right into his eyes as he began to turn into dust, a content smile on his face. She removed his face just as the skull left behind the skin disappeared.
"Here," she whispered, handing him the face in shock.
Bran took the face and stared at it. "We need one last face. It is a familiar one."
"Take me there."
...
Bran took Arya to an unfamiliar place. "This is the bog-filled lands of the Neck and the crannogmen. Before we collect the last face, there is something I need to do."
She followed him into the castle and she saw the banners which were raised proudly.
"House Reed. That is where Lady Meera is from," she stated.
"Indeed. This is Greywater Watch Castle."
"Howland Reed was a good friend of Father's," Arya said quietly. "Why are we here if not to take his face?"
Bran entered the castle and Arya was surprised to see that no one was there to stop them. Surely, it would be heavily guarded?
He led her to the Great Hall and Howland Reed sat alone, pen in hand and parchment paper in front of him.
The man froze and looked up. "Brandon Stark and Arya Stark of Winterfell. Eddard's children," he said fondly as he stood up. "My son told me of this day."
"I apologise for his death, Lord Reed," Bran said.
"It was meant to be," Howland replied sadly. "I was distraught of hearing about your father's fate."
Arya's eyes watered. "He spoke highly of you, my lord."
"Ah, Princess Arya... You remind me of your Aunt Lyanna. Both of you, strong warriors in your own rights."
He headed down the steps and made his way over to them. He gave them kind and comforting smiles.
"What do you need?"
"The Great War," Bran said. "The Kings need all the help they can get."
Howland beamed. "And they have mine. I was writing a message for your brothers just now. I will arrive at Winterfell soon and pledge my sword to protect their families at home."
"Thank you," Arya told him. "I didn't know your son like my brother did but I'm sure he would have been just as honourable as you."
"No one is more honourable than a Stark, my princess," Howland replied with a smile. "You have to go now. There is one last duty you must carry out."
Arya nearly jumped when the ground began to shake and vibrate underneath them. Howland and Bran both remained on their feet.
"W-What is happening?"
Bran stilled. "'Our home, Greywater Watch, is no castle like you'll ever see. And seeing it once does not mean you'll ever find it again. For Greywater Watch... moves'. Meera told me that."
Howland chuckled to her, offering a hand to steady her as he nodded at Bran. "Greywater Watch is nigh-untraceable because it moves." He confirmed, giving her hand to Bran. "Farewell. By the time we see each other, I will be arriving just in time."
Bran gave him a firm nod and he turned to Arya.
...
They were transported beyond the Wall and from a distance, Arya and Bran watched Jon and Robb be swarmed by the Army of the Undead.
"Jon! Robb!" Arya screamed out, beginning to run towards them.
Bran appeared in front of her. "It has already happened. This is when they recovered the wight."
He turned around she breathed out, watching in unsettling fear as her brothers warned the undead back with their swords.
"Jon... Robb..." Arya cried out as the undead got closer.
"They can't hear you."
Just as it seemed as if all hope was lost, a man whose face was covered came riding on his horse and slew the wights surrounding them.
The man got off his horse in front of the brothers and removed his scarf.
"Uncle Benjen," Arya breathed out just as Jon and Robb did the same.
"Uncle Benjen, how?!" Jon asked in surprise. He began to fall to the ground - he was wounded.
With Robb's help, Benjen heaved Jon onto his horse's back and helped Robb onto it too.
"You ride for the pass," he told them.
"Come with us," Jon begged, holding his hand out to their uncle.
Robb held out a stronger hand as Jon shivered and retrieved his hand to his chest.
Benjen shook his head. "There's no time. Go!"
"Uncle-" Robb began to say but Benjen silenced him.
"Your father would have been proud, my nephews," he said wistfully. "Go and don't look back."
The horse began to ride away and Benjen drew his flaming sword for his final battle.
"Bran, he's going to die!" Arya cried out, rushing towards Benjen with Needle withdrawn.
Bran didn't stop her as she began to slay wights and it seemed as if Benjen acknowledged her.
"Niece," he said.
Arya was surprised. "You can see me?" She asked as they slew wights together.
"I know the Three-Eyed Raven, Arya," Benjen replied. "We go a long way back."
They had managed to slay the wights which surrounded them in the immediate area and Arya turned to her uncle.
"Is this when you die as Jon told us?" She asked.
"Yes, but you need my face," Benjen replied. "Take the face you need."
Arya shakily pointed her sword at Benjen's heart, tears slipping down her cheeks. "I-I can't."
"You can. The Night Wolf must do this." He gave her a smile. "I remember the day you were born. Your father was very happy. I will see him again soon with our older brother, sister and parents. Your mother would be there too and she would be proud of you."
Sobbing, she pierced him through the heart and retrieved his face just as wights began to swarm her and Benjen's dead body.
She stood up and walked away, stuffing the face into Bran's chest who looked on after her in bewilderment.
"Arya," Bran breathed out. He started to reach out for her but he dropped to his needs.
Hearing the thud in the snow, Arya turned around to see Bran's lips turn blue.
"Bran?!" She cried out, heading back towards him.
"We... need... to... leave," he gasped out.
He looked down at the faces they had collected.
"The cycle... must be... destroyed."
He grabbed her hand and they vanished from the snow.
Notes for this chapter:
(1) Bran reveals his connection to the Night King and that he must die by the three Starks' hands in order to end the Great War and break the cycle. He also says that the brothers may live.
(2) The Night King has destroyed the Wall and Bran tells everyone this through his eyes turning crystal blue.
(3) Preparations and farewells are done so the Kings and bannermen can go to Castle Black and the Wall to take the fight to the Night King.
(4) Jon renames Dawn as Lydia* which is Torrhen Stark's wife's name. He also hopes that the prophecy of his daughter being his son's darkness will be no more due to her renaming. *Not really, there isn't any information about his wife nor sons' names. It fits with the Lyarra and Lyanna names.
(5) Bran and Arya travel through time to collect the faces needed and they first visit the Night King before he became it.
(6) Arya retrieves the previous Three-Eyed Raven's face just before he turns to dust following the Night King killing his human form out of the vision.
(7) Arya and Bran visit Howland Reed who was expecting to see them since his dead son warned him to wait around for their meeting to happen. Bran apologises for Jojen's death and Howland praises the Starks, especially Arya, about how they have become good people.
(8) Arya retrieves the last face which is the face of their uncle, Benjen Stark in distress.