Game of Thrones

Blood Betrayal

White King: Chapter XI

"The war is not over. And I promise you friend, the true enemy won't wait out the storm. He brings the storm."

Jon found himself on the backfoot. The former Emperor had gathered an eerie blue light at his hands. He threw forth a stream of ice across the tundra to where Jon Snow was standing. The King Beyond the Wall, dived to the ground, rolling out of the way of the ice blast, as he got to his feet, he had to dodge another projectile, he heard the blast impact the wall and shatter, he looked down and saw some of the razor sharp shards of ice scattered about the floor. Jon looked up and saw the strange dead Emperor gather the eerie blue light again, Jon surged forward, dodging the latest blast of ice thrown at him, he swung Longclaw, the Emperor did not seem to move yet the strike missed, again, and again. Jon caught his breath and saw the slightest hint of a smirk on his quarry's face. With a cry of frustrated rage he swung wildly with Longclaw, The Bloodstone Emperor's movements were lightning fast, however the very tip of Longclaw scraped against his cheek. A thin black blue line appeared in the cold dead flesh, as a strange liquid oozed out. No sooner had the Emperor brought his hand to his cheek in disbelief, the liquid had frozen and melted away on the breeze.

Clutching his cheek, the Emperor's cold gaze burned with rage "You…" The rage subsides quickly, "Well struck. You truly are not afraid of winter. It makes me proud in a way. She was right, I am you. You are me. It is a strange turn of the wheel, us both being here, separated by ages yet in the same place. I have been you, Snow. I have fought the dead, tried to quell the Lion of Night's wrath. I have been a King. And yet here I stand. One day… when the wheel has turned many more times, you will stand here, giving the same speech to the next Prince who was Promised. But not for many more turns. You are snow, but fire burns in your blood. I know how this plays out in your mind boy. You stand alone against death, you strike me down, win the day for the living. Make amends for not killing The Night King yourself." Jon visibly tensed at the last statement. "But a Long Night is not one battle, boy. Perhaps you will kill me. But not today." A great wind whipped up around the Bloodstone Emperor, snow and ice circled him in a maelstrom, Jon shielded his eyes from the storm as his enemy rose from the ground, gliding on the wind, he landed gracefully at the head of his hoard, in the middle of a line of twelve hooded figures. Jon allowed his eyes to adjust as the wind dissipated.

Jon looked upon the hoard, thousands of winged demons, some hovering in the air, hundreds of thousands of dead men, most no more than skeletons, stretching back as far as his eyes could see, as if all the dead in the world had come here. "Why are you hiding!" He called across the snow "I came here to fight."

"And so you shall, Jon Snow." The Bloodstone Emperor called back, as one of the twelve hooded figures broke off and began to walk towards him.

"Coward." Jon spat

"Do you think I lived this long indulging my pride, boy? You should have paid more attention to your stone, there is much you have not seen."

The figure approached Jon Snow, he pulled the hood down from his head, his eyes shining blue, a circle of horns on his head. He cast the cloak off of his shoulders to reveal grey mismatched armour and an ice blade at his side. He said something to Jon, his voice like the cracking of ice.

"Was he your kin?" Jon asked, genuinely curious "Or just another poor unfortunate soul turned by The Children?" The creature made another sound like cracking ice and stepped forward. "I don't suppose it matters now." Jon shrugged.

Longclaw found its way to the ice blade of the creature in front of him. Ice and Valyrian steel rang out across the tundra, the Walker swung his blace high forcing Jon to duck down, the slightest flick of his wrist turned the blade on a downward trajectory, making sure Jon had no respite. As Jon staggered back the Walker lunged forward, putting a boot into Jon's chest, sending him flying back into The Wall, and crashing into the dust. With the breath knocked from his body, Jon got back to his feet on wobbly legs. He raised Longclaw and walked forward again. The Walker swung high, Jon blocked his strike, bringing Longclaw around in a high arc, he pinned the ice blade to the ground and brought his boot down on the Walker's wrist. Disarmed, Jon lunged forward with Longclaw, driving the Valyrian steel into his chest. The Walker shattered into countless pieces and fell to the snow, at the same time there was an explosion of ice from among the ranks of the dead, as the Walker's thralls collapsed to the ground with their master.

Jon looked back across the tundra to the hoard of the dead. The dead men were still too many to count. Jon stood up straight, he readied Longclaw as two more of the hooded figures broke off from the line and approached him. "You want me to go through all of them?" Jon breathed heavily.

"The whole army." The Bloodstone Emperor nodded "The sensible thing to do would be to go back through that Wall."

Jon turned to look back over his shoulder and took in the massive wonder of the world, he turned back to the horde "What's the point?" He shrugged, as he took in the winged demons hovering around the Emperor "What's stopping them just flying over?"

The subtle hint of a smirk crept onto his face again "You are learning, Jon Snow."

The two hooded figures disrobed and stood before Jon Snow, with ice blades drawn, the horned Walkers, began to circle him. The King Beyond the Wall, leapt forward at one of them, Valyrian steel clashing with ice once more.

….

There was an explosion of ice, as the second Walker felt Lonclaw's kiss. Jon sank to his knees, as the remains of his two foes were reclaimed by the snow. Jon brought a hand to his side and flinched, his ribs broken, his breathing heavy. His face, bloodied and bruised, he looked back across the tundra and the army of the dead. Jon drove the point of Longclaw into the snow and used it to hoist himself up. Three hooded figures from the Emperor's line stepped forward. Jon swallowed hard, he turned to look over his shoulder, at the glowing breach in The Wall. Tempted to run back through it, Jon turned, and raised Longclaw, awaiting his next challenge.

There was a rumble in the distance. Jon had not noticed it at first, but it grew louder. The Bloodstone Emperor, the three creatures approaching Jon, and those that remained in the line had noticed it. The low rumble was like thunder now, he had heard it before, it was the sound of hooves. Horns blew now, cutting through the air, and the thunder of the hooves. As the thunder grew closer, he could hear the braying of horses, and the war cries of men. Jon turned and looked east. A huge fast moving wall of black approached him from the ruins of Eastwatch's port.

…..

Once a busy thriving port, the lifeline of the Night's Watch. Eastwatch by the Sea was now a ruin. The galleys of the Watch now reduced to a few small trading cogs, the odd merchant ship from White Harbor, and a couple of fishing boats from Skagos the only trade at the port. Not today though. Sailing into the frozen waters of the Shivering Sea, a fleet of jet black war galleys, their prows carved into the likeness of dragons. Their sails black as night, flapping violently in the wind. Hundreds of vessels flood into the old port, while as many more wait to enter. The few fishermen and merchantmen plying their trade in these waters were thrown aside, those able to get out of the way in time saw soldiers and horses on the decks of these ships.

The first of the ships made port, flying black banners adorned with a script the sailors did not understand.

…

Wave after wave of cavalry approached, they carried vertical black banners, long and narrow, adorned with a strange script. The riders all wore plate armour, black as night. Some with helms or gauntlets adorned with dragons. The riders carried long curved swords, Jon could see the blades were thin, yet they caught the light in a way that reminded him of Longclaw, they seemed to resonate with the same spells. The riders numbered in their thousands, they swept across the tundra, following the Wall until they curved around and fell upon the Army of the Dead like a wave. Carving their way through the thralls, they snaked around for a second pass, as a second wave of riders emerged.

The Bloodstone Emperor began hurling blasts of ice nto the lines of cavalry, as the horned Walkers began organising their undead thralls. Winged demons leapt from the ground and began plucking men from their horses, two swarmed around Jon, who cut one from the air with Longclaw, causing it to shatter into pieces. There was chaos and war as the men armoured in black engaged the endless hordes of dead men.

A strange hissing filled the air, blurs flashed past Jon's periphery. He looked up, from atop the Wall, a barrage of arrows and bolts rained down. The arrows and bolts picked the winged demons out of the sky, one pierced the snow near Jon, he picked it up and saw a dragon glass tip.

Another cry ran out, as thousands of men of foot ran in formation into the fray. They carried long spears with an axe-like tip Jon looked across the battlefield. The Bloodstone Emperor clenched his fist, in an instant a maelstrom whipped up, a wall of snow to rival the Wall itself was being whipped around, it enveloped the army of the dead, driving back the unknown attackers. His cold blue eyes found Jon Snow, and bore a hole through him. His lips did not move. Nor did he make a sound. But Jon heard his words, loud and clear. "All men must die." The blizzard enveloped the Bloodstone Emperor, until only the burning cobalt spheres that were his eyes were visible. Soon they disappeared as well.

Jon could not say how long the storm raged for, but it petered out to a gentle snow, leaving no sign of the Army of the Dead. The mysterious men in black armour began to form up at the foot of The Wall, infantry and cavalry defending the ground they had, from an army that was no longer there.

Jon walked forward towards these men, a half dozen riders, rode out to meet him. Two men dismounted, and approached Jon. Their armour was polished black steel that drank in the light, a crest of black feathers on the taller man's helm. He carried a blade of shining steel with strange characters etched into it, he sheathed the sword as he approached Jon, and removed his dragon shaped helm. He was tall with a thin face, his hair jet black tied in a loose pony tail, a thin beard and moustache on his face, his skin bronze, his eyes narrow, Jon had not seen a man that looked like this before. He spoke to Jon in a strange tongue. "I don't understand you." Jon said cautiously.

The man he was with removed his own helm, he was younger, less battle hardened then his companion. He stepped forward with a bow "General Li asks, are you the King Beyond the Wall?"

Jon nodded slowly, turning his attention back to older man "I am." He cast his gaze across the thousands of men in formation at the base of The Wall "And who might you be."

The young man looked to the General who gave a stern nod, turning back to Jon he smiled slightly and bowed "We are the Watchers on the Walls."