Prologue

(Using Google Translation)

Thousands and thousands of years ago there was a cold winter, hard and long like no man had ever known. There was a night that lasted a generation, the kings shuddered and died in their castles as well as the garbage in their huts. Mothers drowned their children with pillows so they would not see them starve, and they cried and tears froze on their cheeks. It was during that darkness that the Others appeared. They were cold things, dead things, that hated iron, fire and sunlight, and every creature with hot blood in its veins. They swept towns, cities and kingdoms, defeated heroes and armies.

They were innumerable, always on the back of whitish and dead horses, in front of corpses. Not all of the men's swords could stop their advance, nor did the maidens or breastfed babies arouse their compassion. They hunted the girls through the frozen forests and fed their dead servants with meat from human children. Then, as cold and death invaded the earth, the last hero wanted to search for the children, hoping that ancient magic could recover what the armies of men had lost. He marched to the dead lands with a sword, a horse, a dog, and a dozen companions.

He searched and searched for years, until he despaired of meeting the forest children in their secret cities. His friends were dying one by one, and also his horse, and finally his dog, and even his sword froze in such a way that it broke when he wanted to use it. And the Others smelled the hot blood that ran through his veins, and followed his trail in silence, chasing him with herds of white spiders, almost transparent, large as hounds ... "

-Tata

Eight thousand years before the Conquest of Aegon Targaryen

THE NORTH. THE ENCHANTED FOREST.

A vast forest covered in snow, the moon is hidden, the blizzard was strong and the snow never stopped falling. It was a dark, cold and long night, the sun had not risen in a long time. A cold and dark shadow cuts through the forest, only the branches of dead trees move with the freezing blizzard that lasts the night. Red eyes light up when the full moon is reflected in them. The beast stalks its prey. But, DireWolf is not the only hunter lurking in the woods. More shadows appear between the trees and the rocks, upright shadows covered in fur and leather.

Thirty men armed with axes , spears, and hammers climbed the trail up the hill. They wore gray robes with layers of leather, wool, and wolf fur. Their weapons were rustic, of bronze and sharp stone and the handles of weirwood. The first men make the first hunt during the beginning of the full moon. Men who came to the land of the west four thousand years ago. These men are lurking, moving silently between the rocks and the dead trees. The thirty men had long bushy hair and beards that covered half of their faces, except for the youngest, Thorir son of Thorred, of the Moonstone Clan Royce.

None of them lived in El Norte, they were men from the mountain valley. None of them had bathed in days, but the days did not exist, they were legends for them, they only knew the long night. Legends tell that there was light instead of darkness, a warm light that illuminated valleys and forests, that made life grow on earth, a good and green land, that light that was called the sun, but that was hidden every certain so that the moon could appear and beautify the world of darkness. But there was a day that the sun never rose from the west, when the white snow and the cold storm began to fall, the long night began to never end

Thorir's father was in the lead, a large, gray-haired man with a dirty beard, his name was Thorred, brother of the Queen of the Royce Clan. He was trained as a child in the art of hunting and war, known to the Clan as the Mata Huargo. The other men who followed him were not part of his clan, but were considered as blood brothers, direct descendants of the first men, men who arrived in the land of the west four thousand years ago and spread throughout the continent devastating forests. and building stone homes.

According to the story infused into the clans descended, shortly after arrival time of men, the creatures who already lived in the West, known as children of the forest felt threatened by the appearance of bronze weapons and of stone, the children tried to take refuge in their sacred forests, the same forests that were razed by the first men. The loss of their forests and their homes that had belonged to them for millennia caused great sorrow to children, the same regret that caused the war against men , the same war that they lost and that they were forced to abandon their sacred forests.

Still, the children were not the only ones who had lost in the war, a war that lasted for two thousand years and had extinguished clans and families of men, the men had won the war but lost to scendencias and dynasties . The men offered the boys a pact, to end the war, and to create a peace and prosperity that they would strive to fulfill for future generations. The children accepted the covenant in exchange that men would accept the customs of their gods, respect and protect the sacred forests. The pact came to an agreement, an agreement that has lasted for two thousand years. And thus four thousand years have passed since the arrival of man, an arrival that unleashed a war for two thousand years, and a peace prospers for two thousand more years. A peace that would come to an end when the long night had begun, when darkness swallowed the light, and cold and death took over the land.

The Beast is near. Thorred gripped the handle of his rustic bronze ax tightly. No s are seeing, and smelling.

The other men gathered behind Thorred, men from the Blackwood Clan, men from the Bracken Clan, lords of the horses, and one man from the Durrandon Clan of Storms, the latter being the second son of King Durran of the Storm, Johan. Johan came from the southeast of the continent, he had traveled for days only to hunt with the Mata Huargo, who was considered a legend among the southern clans. And they were right, the Warg were formidable and powerful beasts, no man could kill them, only a Warg was strong enough to kill even ten men from the Umber Fort Clan, the Umber clan was known to be the strongest clan in the north, but a direwolf could handle ten Umber men.

Thorred had killed five Warg in his entire life, the first on his sixteenth day in his name and the fifth when his son Thorir was born. Thorir would soon reach his sixteenth day in his name, and what better gift than helping his father kill a sixth Warg.

Thorred was almost an older man, nearly fifty, the same number of years since the long night began. Thorred Royce had been born on the same day when the sun last set. Thorir was shield next to his father, but his father did not agree and made him back off, this made the boy upset, but was calmed by Johan.

I'm ready. Thorir protested as he squeezed the handle of his hammer. I can do it.

I know you can. - Johan the calm comforted him. - but you are the only son of Thorred, you live more.

I can help father. Thorir says. But father can handle the beast alone.

Yes. Johan claps Thorir on the shoulder. - but we also want glory.

Kill a Warg would give glory to man and would be named in future songs, not all men could do, nor the most powerful nor the most courageous, only luck could give them that opportunity, but the first men did not believe in luck, thought that luck was to weak and lazy s , they believed in destiny, the destiny of the hard work and dangerous. And that man who would manage to kill a Warg with his weapon and his hands, was considered a child of the gods.

Thorir smiles sheepishly, and Johan joins in to walk side by side with Thorred.

It's in front. Thorred looks at Johan for a moment. I can feel his anger.

The strong snowstorm clouds the vision of men, and the DireWolf takes the opportunity to camouflage himself in the snow, he is a huge Beast with gray fur. Thorred looks at one of his men and points to a log in front of him. The man knew what to do and ran to the trunk. The first men did not speak much, did not know many words, only communicated with signs, body expressions, and runes on the rocks. The man in the log begins to hit the wood with his ax, he plans to attract the Beast with the noise. It strikes again and again, echoing in the Forest.

The Beast is drawn by the ax tapping against the wood, and slides between the rocks and the snow. The wind blows hard, and the snow covers the men's ankles. When the man stops hitting the trunk, a loud roar is heard in the dark near the man. Thorred yells at that man to run away, but it's too late. The DireWolf jumps from the rocks with such speed that the ax man barely had time to react, the Wolf falls on top of the man and gnaws his teeth in the back of the neck, killing him instantly.

Thorred gives the signal to attack and the men raise their weapons and run towards the DireWolf.

The Beast with a single bite rips off its prey and with a single movement throws the man towards the rocks. The Beast roars again as it watches the men approach with war cries. When the DireWolf tries to escape, one of the men throws a spear through his leg, the Wolf squeals in pain and the men run towards it, but slow down in the depth of the snow.

Thorir watches as his father leads the men, the Wolf roars in fury and pain, until he manages to shake off the spear. Beast gores men, it is much more bigger than burly hunters. Johan el Calmo tries to hit the Beast with his hammer, but is knocked down and falls on top of a log. Thorred approaches the Beast and stands face to face with it, the man is not afraid of him, but The Beast intends to kill.

The Beast pounces on Thorred, the man dodges his attack, avoids a strong bite on his right arm, Thorred had enough time to brandish his sword and slash the Beast's ear. The Beast charges Thorred, the man falls into the snow and injures his leg, a dry branch of the trunk goes through his thigh, Thorred screams in pain, and his son watches in terror. The other men try to lure the Beast out, making gun noises and screaming, but the DireWolf only fixes his attention on Thorred the DireWolf Slayer.

Thorir runs to where his father and The Beast are, quickly grabs a rock on the ground, holds it tight, and shoots toward the Beast's severed ear. When the rock hits the wound, The Beast reacts in pain and squirms, ignoring Thorred, now his attention is on Thorir . The Beast looks at Thorir, growls at him, and addresses him, intending to get new prey. Thorir recoils, but the snow slows him down, his father tries to get up on the ground, but all effort is useless.

Thorir observes the red eyes of the Beast, can see its reflection, also the reflection of death and the Beast's thirst for revenge. The Beast roars for the last time, arches to attack Thorir, but is pierced by a spear on the neck that was launched by Johan the Calm. The Beast screeches in agony until it falls to the ground with one last breath.

The Beast is dead and stains the snow with its blood, Thorir takes a deep breath and falls to his knees on the ground, exhausted with fear. The other men help Thorred up and assist him with his wound. Johan Durrandon approaches the dead Beast and removes the spear from his neck, looks at Thorir and smiles. Johan el Calmo has killed his first DireWolf. Edmund Blackwood applies a tourniquet to Thorred's thigh, preventing him from bleeding more. When his son approaches him, Thorred hits him in the chest.

That was stupid, son - Thorred leans against the trunk, almost passed out from the pain of the wound.

The Beast was going to devour you - says Thorir while looking down. - I wanted to do something.

You just watch - Thorred rests his hand on his son's shoulder. - See and learn. Do nothing. You live longer than me. You must take care of my name, your name and the name that you will give your children. The Royce name must last, not doing stupid things. When you have your children, you will understand.

Thorir nodded.

Bury the dead we must. - Edmund Blackwood suggests while looking at the mutilated corpse of his brother.

Johan the Calm asks for help as he lifts the body of the man slain by the Beast.

And we must cut the skin of the Beast - ends Thorred.

The snow did not stop. The men were exhausted, not only from burying the fallen Blackwood and skinning the Beast, but also from keeping the fire burning, preventing it from being blown out by the blizzard. They gathered around the fire and enjoyed the burned meat of the Wolf, the skin they needed had been stored in leather sacks, and Johan el Calmo sang a song, there were no lyrics, only melody. After the hunt, it was a peaceful night.

Men entertained while their exploits Thorred had more than the north, the Beasts who hunt, the tribes met, follo women who, because Thorred never had a devoted wife. His son and his men listened in awe by the stories of Thorred, and the laughter never did take.

Johan also participated in the stories, told them about his clan in the east, and how his father, King Durran, met his mother, Elenei, the daughter of the god of the sea and the wind. He also told them that he took her as his wife, but that he unleashed his parents' anger, and huge storms unleashed his home, killing all of Durran's guests.

Durran proclaimed himself King of the Storm and withstood every storm that was sent by Elenei's Father. Durran asked the Builders Clan in the North for help in erecting several castles in front of the sea, each one larger and more formidable than the previous one. Even so, each castle was destroyed by the wrath of Elenei's parents.

However, Durran did not give up and decided to lift a seventh fortress at the foot of a cliff, which was six times more larger than the previous ones . The seventh fortress built was the one that withstood the onslaught of the gods. Some attribute such resistance to the fact that a boy, the youngest of the Builders Clan, perfected the constructions of the fortress walls, making it invincible against each storm that was sent to undermine it. The construction turned out to be a success, and King Durran proclaimed it a Stronghold of Storms.

Durran took the boy with no name and no family, and called him Brandon the Builder, and gave him the name that Brandon would take for his lineage, gave him the name Stark, which in the east meant "Strong . " Johan told them that the storms stopped when Durran's first son , Durran the Devotee, was born. The parents had no choice but to accept the love that Elenei had for her first child. Edmund Blackwood interrupted Johan's story and asked permission, as he needed to pee in the woods, the other men laughed out loud, minus Thorred, for a strange reason.

Johan looks at a serious Thorred, and asks him why so much bitterness. Edmund retires.

The Snow has not stopped falling at night - says Thorred.

The North always falls Snow. - Johan says with a smile.

More than before. - Thorred looks at the moon. - as if the snow god was upset.

The gods are always upset with us. - emphasizes Johan. - The God of the Storm upset with my father Durran. The Drowned God upset with the Kraken Clan. The God of the Arena upset with the Gardener Clan . Only the Golden God loves the Casterly Clan. The other Gods hate men.

Why do the gods hate us, father? - asks curiously Thorir

For killing his children - Thorred ends

The children of the forest - Thorir thought.

The descendants of the first men did not tell much about the war between men and boys, they did not want their children's children and future generations to be judged for the sins of their parents. The story that was told about the war to bare the soul of men, the massacres they committed against children were inhuman , because the war is cruel and not merciful.

While Thorir thought about children, and about the war that occurred thousands of years ago, Men enjoying the company of fire, the flesh of the DireWolf, and the stillness of the night, had come a long way just to accomplish their goal. , which was the skin of the Beast. Wolf fur is good for the cold, they said. Like the skin of the Bear and the skin of the Horses. But, that of the Wolf was easier to get in the North. And Bear worshipers would never allow their sacred animals to be skinned.

Just as the Clan of the Lords of Los Caballos also did not agree that their horses were skinned, as they use them as a means of transport and commercialize them for fish with the Clan de Los Pescadores on the west coast. Thus, to cover themselves from the incessant cold, to bundle up, and to keep warm in their clothing, the men from the South, from the East and from the West marched north towards a dangerous and unknown path to collect the valuable fur of the Wolf.

It didn't take long for them to realize Edmund's lateness in the woods.

He was supposed to urinate, his yellow water became ice, and he was trapped in the snow. - One of the men joked about it, intuiting that his cock froze while urinating.

How does that happen? Thorir asked as the men laughed

You don't want to know, boy. - A man from the Bracken Clan answered while biting a piece of meat. - or the same will happen to you as Cradus the Eunuch.

Do you cut it off? - Thorir asked stunned.

In one fell slash. - Johan intervened. - only the rocks remain, the trunk, it will belong to the snow.

He's a fool for urinating in the woods. - a man from the Blackwood Clan intervenes. - Edmund silly, always was, peeing near the fire, better.

The fool froze. - Another man from the Bracken Clan commented.

No. - Thorred did not think the same, he thought differently, he suspected.

Thorred even rose d the trunk, the pain of his wound was sharp, and or rdeno his son and Johan Calmo for him.

Johan asked him why send the boy with him, why better not stay with his father.

He is already a man, now. Thorred replied. - The Forest is time to explore it

Thorir rose slowly from the log. But Johan's gaze showed the disagreement. Well, the father must always take care of the son.

Be careful, son. - Thorred spoke to his son, he protected him, because he is his only son, and the future of his House. - The Night is Dark, and the monsters lurk in the forest.

Thorir nodded, he smiled at his father and hugged him tightly, took advantage of every moment spent with him, and he never failed to say what pride so that was to be the son of a legend, by being the son of the Direwolf Slayer. Johan got up, raised his hammer and walked to a log, a few meters from the campfire. He turned and watched as Thorir grabbed his ax, and looked for a moment at Thorred, he looked him in the eye, there he knew how much Thorred loved his son.

Thorred looked back at Johan and nodded, there were no words, there were no gestures, still, Johan knew of the responsibility Thorred had placed on him, he had to protect the boy, the future of the Moonce Clan Royce. For Johan, Thorred was not only a friend, but also a brother to him, perhaps they did not have the same blood, nor did they belong to the same Clan, but they had the same descent, the same culture, the same religion and the same fighting spirit that their parents had.

Thorir wondered why so much concern, Edmund had not gone far, it was only a matter of a few steps and a few minutes, but he also knew that the darkness of the night and the unknown of the North could never be trusted. As Thorir and Johan wandered into the woods to search for the lost Edmund, Thorir had never thought that tonight would be the last night he would see, hug, and speak to his father. Because, when the blizzard stopped and the silence took over the forest, The Others rose from the snow to claim the destiny of man.