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Alyssa I Targaryen

Book : The Long Night

Chapter 7: The Evacuation of Last Hearth

Beta:

It was another day in the war her people were already calling the Second Long Night and Alyssa was once more responding to a wight attack from across the Wall, this time at the vulnerable castle of Westwatch-by-the-Bridge.

This castle was probably the most ill-defended of the nineteen castles on the Wall. Not because the castle was not well built, it was as sturdy as any of the other long abandoned and recently reoccupied Wall castles. Its weakness lay in the fact that it sat where the Wall ended and was flanked by the Gorge, a large, deep chasm that separated the Wall from the Bay of Ice. With the sharp rocks and a small lake at its base it was treacherous enough to deter all but the most determined Free Folk from descending it in the past, however the wights had no such qualms. They thus swarmed through the deep ravine without hesitation.

Fortunately, this also made them easy targets for the barrels of Wildfire and flaming pitch that was hurled down at them via catapult from the cliffs above. Still many wights scrambled through this barrage and made it across but these were easily dispatched by the disciplined lines of Unsullied and Westerosi spearmen who guarded the heights they needed to pass to truly cross the Wall. Less fortunately, this endless tide through the Gorge drew precious men away from the brutal fight on the Bridge of Skulls that crossed the chasm across which the wights pushed with their undead relentlessness. They were thus making steady progress across the structure.

Surveying all this at a glance from her vantage point in the howdah on Ghost's back, Alyssa made a decision.

"Ghost!" She shouted at her dragon verbally and through their bond. "Destroy the bridge."

He roared his acknowledgement and weathering the thrown spears of the wights thanks to the Mage Armor Alyssa had cast upon him, he flew low over their ranks and unleashed his dragonfire on the supports of the bridge starting from the northernmost ones and steadily making his way south. With each support he destroyed with his breath, a whole section of the Bridge of Skulls was sent falling down into the Gorge far below taking the wights upon them down as well. The dragon only stopping when he came to the section upon which the living defenders' line had retreated to whereupon he shot upwards and raked the wight occupied far end of the section with his dragonfire, alleviating almost all of the pressure that the defenders were under.

That this was met with ecstatic cheers from the defenders was no surprise. What was surprising was the ice spear that pinged off his magical protection in response.

"Walker!" Ser Wendel shouted even as he lined up a shot.

What in the Nine Hells is that fool Walker thinking by exposing himself like this!? Alyssa thought as she turned towards the broken remnants of Bridge of Skulls on the Northern lip of the Gorge and saw a lone White Walker standing there with another ice spear raised like a javelin. Is it frustration at being thwarted on the bridge? Can one of the Others even feel emotions like that?

Distracted by such thoughts, Alyssa was slow in calling on her magic. Ser Wendel was not and loosed his arrow even before Alyssa had managed to select a spell to cast. His dragonglass tipped shaft flew true and struck the White Walker in the chest just as the Other threw its spear. The moment the dragonglass made contact with the inhuman creature it dramatically shattered like glass being smashed by a heavy rock into chunks of ice and perhaps even more surprisingly, the many hundreds of wights that had been attacking the castle suddenly collapsed as if they were puppets whose strings had been cut.

And in a way I suppose they are. Alyssa mused as she had Ghost fly over the battlefield to make certain the enemy wasn't simply playing dead, as it were, to trick them.

Many of the defenders did not share her caution however and were already loudly cheering.

"So that's how to get rid of their wights fast? Kill the Others controlling them?" Ygritte commented from her fighting position even as she kept a close watch below them for any sign of deception by the enemy. "Good to know."

"Perhaps," Alyssa allowed warily. "But newly discovered weakness or not, the Night King still has the initiative."

"What do you mean?" The spearwife asked, sounding confused.

"These," Alyssa said gesturing to the hundreds of fallen wights. "Small, sporadic attacks along the Wall are tying us down and our Gate capable mages. It's distracting us from pursuing the Night King."

"Do not worry so much, your grace." Loras told her soothingly. "Trust in your Aunt. I am sure that she can hold Last Hearth long enough for us to reinforce it should it come under attack."

"I hope you are correct, Loras." Alyssa said skeptically. "I really do."

Even as the armies of the living fought to secure what remained of the Wall, Thoros of Myr, a tall, fat man with a shaved head, smooth face and dressed in the red flapping robes of his office as a Red Priest of R'hllor was leading a group of newly arrived fellow Red Priests from Essos as they moved to support the looming battle at Last Hearth. It was no secret that while the situation at the Wall was mostly contained with men led by Ser Garland Tyrell and a newly arrived Ser Harrold Hardyng had even managing to retake the breach at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. That however still left a roving army of wights and presumably Others somewhere in the northeastern reaches of the North and most likely marching towards the northernmost of its castles. A castle defended by an undermanned force by all accounts and one Thoros hoped to reinforce as best he was able.

After his time in the Riverlands during the early days of the War of the Four Sovereigns before Queen Alyssa secured them from the marauding Lannisters, he'd received a vision in the fire showing him going back to Essos and recruiting his fellow Red Priests for a war unlike any other. He had questioned his faith ever since his inability to convert the Mad King all those years ago, but the rise of the magic wielding Queen Alyssa and the vision renewed it. He thus sought out the first ship back to Essos and dove into his new divinely ordained mission with fervor.

Sadly, recruiting proved difficult as few believed in his vision. Of the few who did, most were obsessed with the return of Azor Ahai and declared that the prophesied savior would be the only one to whom they would pledge their loyalty. It thus was not until Queen Daenerys had sailed to Westeros and joined Queen Alyssa's cause against the dead thus uniting both candidates for Azor Ahai reborn that he began to make progress.

Better late than never. Thoros reasoned as he led his band of a hundred fellow priests to the frontline. All of whom, he'd had practicing the new magic Queen Alyssa was disseminating as they traveled so that they would be of most use to the living in this pivotal conflict.

They were marching across one of the many dirt tracks that characterized the North's pitiful excuse for roads when suddenly the omnipresent snowfall suddenly began picking up in strength.

"This isn't natural." One of his brother Priests, a man known to dabble in the study of weather said loudly over the wind which had started howling ominously.

"No it isn't," Thoros agreed. "Prepare for an ambush!"

He barely finished shouting his warning when the unnatural snowstorm picked up in intensity once more and their vision became obscured by the blizzard. It however could not hide the massive shadow that moved through it towards them, nor its instantly recognizable shape.

"Dragon!" Someone shouted and Thoros' blood ran cold. A dragon in a blizzard like this? It could only mean one thing, the Night King had come!

"Brothers! Deflect it!" Thoros roared just as a tongue of twisted blue dragonfire shot out of the storm at them.

Thankfully, enough of his peers had heard his call and together they used their command over fire as Priests of R'hllor to deflect the undead dragon's breath into a dome around them. That it served as a barrier against the wights charging at them was fortuitous for the sheer number of the walking dead that had suddenly hurled themselves out of the swirling storm would have overwhelmed them otherwise despite many of his colleagues throwing Fire Bolts and Fireballs at them with abandon.

We can't keep this up forever. Thoros realized a moment later as the stream of dragonfire never stopped and a Priestess who had been helping in its deflection collapsed into a faint as the strain proved too much for her. That the loss of her assistance made the strain on the others greater just made their situation more dire. I have to get out a warning while we still can.

"Message!" Thoros cast, even as he continued supporting the magic deflecting the dragonfire. The strain of maintaining of both spells, each of a fundamentally different school of magic, sent shooting pain through his body but he endured. He had to.

Queen Alyssa! He practically shouted through the telepathic link his spell created. Night King! In region of Last Hearth!

What!? Who-

Thoros of Myr! Thoros sent back as the strain became too much and he felt the link start to unravel. Cannot hold link! Sorry!

It was not just he who was feeling the strain, already dozens of those helping to deflect the unrelenting dragonfire had fainted. Some he suspected had died outright.

"Thoros!" The weather dabbler shouted suddenly. "We can't survive this and we can't let the dead get their hands on our magic-"

"I know, brother." Thoros said with a grim smile as he surveyed the looks of resigned acceptance on those among his brothers and sisters who remained standing. "We are agreed?"

"For the Lord of Light!" One man shouted.

"For the Lord of Light!" Everyone able chorused.

"You won't have us, you monster!" Thoros shouted instead leveling a defiant look at the figure of the Night King who had been sitting atop his undead dragon throughout their struggle and looking down at them with serene contempt. "Flame Strike!"

Pouring everything into this one last spell, Thoros of Myr conjured a massive pillar of white hot flame that could be seen leagues away even through the Others' unnatural blizzard. It utterly incinerated himself and all his fellow Priests of R'hllor as well as a good chunk of the wights assailing them. The Night King however had escaped, his mount having just managed to fly to safety, though not without losing a chunk at the end of its tail. All told his losses were inconsequential yet the successful defiance of the humans still brought a frown to the inhuman monarch's face.

"We have confirmation?" Dany asked Lord Jon Umber, Lord of Last Hearth bluntly as they, Jorah, Grey Worm and Missandei met in Lord Umber's solar in Last Hearth to discuss the latest developments.

"Aye," the formidable warrior hailed as the Greatjon said with a tired nod. "Or as much of it as we're likely to get. My scouts found a spot showing all the signs of dragonfire and since you are certain, your grace, that neither of your dragons were in that area-"

"Then the Night King is in the area." Dany finished for him with a sigh. "Missandei, did my Niece say anything? Can she offer us any reinforcements?"

Missandei, bless her, had in addition to the plethora of things she already did had somehow found the time to learn the Message spell. As a result, they could now have ready contact with Alys at the Wall.

"I'm afraid not, your grace." The Naathi scribe said with an apologetic frown. "The Night King has launched an offensive all along the Wall and they simply cannot be spared. Not unless they want it to fall and thousands more wights to stream south. We must win this on our own."

"An offensive all along the Wall!?" Jorah, expressing everyone's shock. "How can the Night King still have so many troops?"

"We cannot be sure," Missandei said with a shrug. "But based on observations of the condition of the wights in the recent attacks, many of them being little more than skeletons animated by foul magic, Queen Alyssa surmises that they were raised from the long dead."

"Sard it!" The Greatjon cursed.

"Indeed," Grey Worm said, his face pulled into a frown. "If the Others can do that then we must revise the size of their armies up dramatically."

Missandei nodded before she added. "Thankfully, whatever magic the Wall has it is limiting the Others' powers somehow even though it's been breached as they do not seem to have this ability south of the Wall."

"So they can't raise wights altogether?" Jorah asked hopefully.

"We cannot be sure," Missandei said apologetically. "All we know is that the Others' powers when south of the Wall are noticeably weaker. What they can and cannot do still we are still uncertain about. However, judging by all accounts of encounters with them south of the Wall they at best can only raise the freshly slain."

There were sighs of relief at that, though they were restrained ones. As that was still a terrifying ability.

"What do you think we should do?" Jorah said, looking at Grey Worm with a grim frown.

"We cannot hold the castle." The Unsullied commander declared with a frown. "Even with the men we brought with us, we have only a little over ten thousand men here. The army marching towards us had, at last count, ten times that number."

"Can we hold out at least long enough for my Niece to reinforce us?" Dany asked hopefully. A hope shared by the Lord of Last Hearth even if the man already seemed mostly resigned.

"Only if the pressure on the Wall is lifted and there is little hope of that." Jorah said with a shake of his head.

"An evacuation is our best recourse." Dany said bowing to the inevitable even as turned to Lord Umber. "But these are your lands and your people, my lord. The final decision is yours."

With a world weary sigh, the Lord Umber that was famous for his ferocity could only concede.

"You and your advisors are correct, your grace, we have little choice. Give the order."

Reaching out to give the obviously distraught lord's arm a reassuring squeeze, Dany gave the order.

"Begin preparations immediately for a full evacuation of Last Hearth and its lands."

It was in fulfillment of those orders that led to Grey Worm and Jorah escorting a convoy of refugees fleeing from their village to Last Hearth on the ground while their Queen flew overhead with Drogon and Rhaegal.

Thanks to a shortage of Gate capable mages, further limited by the ability of most of these to only cast the spell twice a day and them only being capable of creating small short lived portals each time, they had been forced to carry out the majority of the evacuation the conventional way. They would thus be pulling in all the smallfolk from the villagers around Last Hearth into the relative safety of the castle itself then using Gate portals to send them further south where they would hopefully be safe.

They were thankfully aided in this effort by many of the villagers having already fled into the castle to weather the winter but there nonetheless remained many villagers, some quite large, that still needed to be evacuated.

Thus here Grey Worm was marching next to his fellow Unsullied on either side of the column of villagers carrying what supplies they could carry or load on the few carts they had as they traveled along the path to Last Hearth. Between his men and the villagers marched Umber men armed with bows each of whom carried torches for the fire arrows they would use to keep the wights from grouping up. Further out, Dothraki outriders kept the whole column safe.

Thank the gods that Missandei is safe at Last Hearth coordinating this whole effort and not out here risking attack by the Night King. The Commander of Queen Daenerys' Unsullied thought as he kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings, knowing that even with the many Dothraki outriders keeping watch an ambush was always possible. I wish the Queen would do the same.

It was wishful thinking and he knew it. She would not willingly abandon her men, much less her people to danger and not at least share it. Not if she could help it. Beyond that, she and her dragons were their best hope should the Night King appear on Viserion. Most importantly however, he knew that she burned with the determination to avenge and free her son from the abomination's control. And nothing would stand in the way of a Targaryen when they were determined.

Even as he had these thoughts, he had kept perfect pace with his brother Unsullied as they marched over the snow covered ground. Even though it was a far cry from the deserts and savannahs of Essos with which they were most familiar and they were clad in unfamiliar fur to ward off the cold, the training that had been drilled into them by years of abusive training allowed them to maintain the professionalism for which they were famed. Thus as the snowfall suddenly grew unexpectedly intense and the Umber men and the refugees began to panic, Grey Worm and his men kept their cools.

"Shield wall!" He shouted and his brothers obeyed immediately. "Incoming ambush!"

His men had just interlocked their shields and lowered their spears when the first wave of wights emerged from the now blinding storm screaming their hatred for the living as they charged their lines.

"Hold the line!" Grey Worm shouted at his men. "Protect the innocent!"

Where did they come from!? Did they use magic? Grey Worm thought in frustration at this ambush even as he surveyed his men whose formations were as perfect as they ever were and the Umber men taking courage from his brothers' discipline had recovered their nerve. They were hastily stabbing their torches into the ground behind them as they readied their fire arrows. If not surely the Dothraki would have spotted them coming!

The first wave of wights hit their lines just as the archers loosed their first volley, shattering against the implacable wall of Unsullied spears. The second wave thinned and forced to spread out to avoid being prematurely set alight by the fire arrows was repulsed even more easily. They were aided by the Dothraki whose shrill war cries Grey Worm could now hear as they rode through the loose ranks of the wights. All the while the smallfolk cowered in fear.

"Where is the Night King?" Grey Worm asked himself worriedly as he searched the unnatural gloom that surrounded he and his men.

The words had barely left his mouth when a screeching roar overhead had him looking up as surrounded by a sphere of swirling winds and wreathed in a sickly blue glow Viserion emerged from the storm, its dark master riding on his back.

"Die, you monster!" Dany cried as Drogon dove towards Viserion and the Night King, Rhaegal following close behind. "Dracarys!"

Tongues of black flames shot with red and orange-and-yellow fire shot through with veins of green shot at their undead brother from Drogon and Rhaegal respectively but were easily deflected by the sphere of swirling wind that surrounded him.

Thus protected, the Night King turned to look at her contemptuously as he slowly, lazily even, raised his right hand in which an ice spear formed from thin air and which he promptly hurled at her. Dany had learned the Mage Armor spell by this point and had clad both Drogon and Rhaegal in it, but her sons took no chances and with fluid grace evaded the deadly javelin.

This however seemed to be exactly what the monster wanted and while Drogon was still trying to recover from the evasion, it had Viserion slam into his bigger brother. While the blow did no harm thanks to the magical protection cast on him, the hit had such force behind it that it knocked Dany clean off her son's back and she plummeted towards the earth.

Is this how I die!? The Mother of Dragons thought as she prayed to whatever god was listening that the Mage Armor she'd cast on herself would be enough to save her.

She fortunately did not need to put her mediocre magical skill to the test as she was still in midair when Drogon swooped down and caught her in his claws. Looking up, she saw Rhaegal dueling with Viserion and the Night King holding them off as they tried to pursue. Despite her green scaled son's best efforts however, the abomination had the undead caricature of her fallen son fly through Rhaegal's desperate gouts of flame. Its protective sphere of winds keeping it safe, the wight that Viserion had become slammed once more into Drogon and attempted to rip into his back with his talons.

Startled, Drogon dropped her but thankfully they were barely ten feet from the ground by this point and Dany made a painful but safe landing thanks to her Mage Armor on a patch of ground suspiciously empty of any wights. Scrambling to her feet, she was horrified to see the Night King leap off Viserion's back to almost float down towards her. It looked vaguely like the Levitate spell that Alys used so often, but less refined but more natural at the same time.

Not that Dany had much time to admire it as the Night King landed just across from her and with a menacing smirk began marching towards her as a thin crystal sword that was alive with moonlight and gave off a faint blue glow formed within its right hand. She glanced skyward praying one of her living sons would come to her rescue, but even as they tried Viserion blocked them at every turn.

"Stay away from her!" Jorah shouted defiantly at the Night King as he appeared out of nowhere and placed himself firmly between Dany and the monster, his dragonglass war club raised.

The Night King paused at his sudden intrusion and tilted its head to the side and only then did Dany see the ring of wights that surrounded them and the rapidly filling gap in it that Jorah must have hacked through to come to her aid. This feat seemed to impress the Night King for the leader of the Others raised its sword in an unmistakable challenge.

Jorah did not hesitate and charged the monster. Demonstrating incredible grace, the leader of the Others effortless parried Jorah's powerful overhead slash and pushed him off balance. Despite the opening this created, it did not attack instead choosing to back away and allow her Bear to attempt another attack. This repeated itself for at least three more times before the Night King seemed to grow tired of the game.

Parrying yet another swing by Jorah with its crystal blade, the Night King slammed its empty hand into her loyal friend's chest. It was a simple open palm strike and should not have had much force behind it, yet this single blow somehow sent Jorah flying back and landing flat on his back.

"Jorah!" Dany screamed in horror.

Smirking at this, the Night King strolled over even as Jorah, with blood trickling out of his mouth, tried to get back to his feet. He was still on his knees when the Night King thrust at him. Even then, Jorah tried to block the blow with his weapon which he had not once released from his iron grip. But the leader of the Others simply stabbed its blade through the hard wood of the club and into Jorah's body, all while it sported a victorious smirk.

Dany screamed at the sight of her Bear, one of her oldest and most trusted followers being killed. The sight was much to her relief short lived as soon Jorah and the Night King was consumed with black dragonfire as Drogon strafed their position, even as Rhaegal plucked her off the ground while a badly injured Viserion crashed to the ground behind the Night King.

The leader of the Others was not so easily denied however and an ice spear shot out of the flames that Drogon had left behind aimed directly at Dany. Rhaegal always having been the most agile of her sons easily evaded the first spear. But neither he nor Dany expected the second one that came shooting at her seconds later. Even then, Rhaegal made a desperate evasion and managed to avoid a direct it but the massive wound in her side that the lance left in its wake as it grazed her was more than fatal enough.

Screaming in fury, Drogon dove towards the Night King and unleashed a firestorm but the leader of the Others simply flew out of the conflagration atop Viserion's back and winged away. It might have been Dany's imagination or some delusion brought on by her injury but it seemed to radiate satisfaction as it did so.

"R-Rhaegal, la-land." Dany forced out through what she could only imagine was punctured lungs as blood trickled down her chin.

Roaring sadly, her green scaled son obeyed and winged towards the center of the circle formation her living warriors and the refugees had formed into. Hastily space was made for them and they landed in the middle of it

Immediately, Grey Worm and her Bloodriders rushed to her side even as Drogon incinerated the last of the attacking wights before landing just outside the circle which promptly opened a path for him as he walked towards where she lay dying.

"G-Grey Worm, Jho-go, A-Aggo, Rak-haro," Dany addressed them even as they tried to summon a healer. It was futile and they all knew it. The only healer with the power to save her now was her Niece with her healing magic, but she there was no way they could reach her in time.

We should have brought someone who knew Message. Dany's mind thought distractedly. Though since the only such person they had at their disposal had been Missandei and with she and her spell being so vital to the coordination effort back at Last Hearth, doing so would have been foolish.

She powered through the distraction though, she had no time for it.

"M-My standing o-orders," Dany forced out. "F-Follow them. F-Follow A-Alys. W-Win the L-Long Night."

"We will Khaleesi." Rakharo assured her. "We Dothraki will honor your wishes to the death."

"As will the Unsullied." Grey Worm said without hesitation.

"T-Thank you." Dany said with a sincere smile.

"What of the dragons?" Grey Worm asked, even as he clutched Dany's hand desperately.

"T-they will listen to my Niece. She's a Targaryen and the M-Mother of Mages. They will listen, won't you?"

Drogon and Rhaegal growled their agreement.

"Good b-boys," she said half-deliriously as she felt the grip of death tightening its hold on her. "D-Do your m-mother one l-last f-favor? B-Burn my b-body. D-do not let me b-become a wight!"

The two dragons crooned sorrowfully at that but they both nodded.

"T-Thank you, m-my sons." Dany said offering them both a motherly smile. "Y-you make your m-mother p-proud."

With that Dany pushed Grey Worm and her bloodriders away. They looked heartbroken but acquiesced to her final wish and stepped back. Once Dany was sure they were safely out of the way, she nodded to her two sons.

They exchanged one last sad look with her before combining their dragonfire they let it wash over her. Twice in her life she had dramatically proved that she would not burn. That fire could not harm her. But now, perhaps because she willed it or perhaps it was because this was dragonfire, it did burn. As the flames consumed her however she felt no pain like she imagined most would. Even as it incinerated her, fire treated Daenerys Stormborn differently. For instead of pain all she felt as her body turned to ash was the peace of release.

I leave the rest to you Niece. Dany thought as her consciousness faded from the world. I trust that you will show the Night King and his ilk the power of Fire and Blood!

And thus passed Daenerys of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons.

Done!

A bit on the short side but this felt like a very appropriate place to end the chapter.

Yup, I killed Dany. Why? Firstly, for the drama of course. Her death serves to raise the stakes quite nicely. Secondly, it's to prevent the need for a post-Long Night war because Dany is obsessed with gaining the Iron Throne. To the point, I feel at least, even after everything she would still try to fight Alyssa for the throne. To avoid that and thus having her become the villain, because the Seven Kingdoms don't want a foreign invader like her as their Queen, I decided to kill her while she's still a hero.

Till next time verið þið sælir!