Calla

"My Lord Hand, Winterfell is yours," said Donnor Stark, the young boy who was the current lord of Winterfell. Barely a step behind him, his mother eyed Aegor and Calla warily, her politeness could not hide her tiredness.

The widow to the previous Lord Stark was only a few years older than Calla, yet she was the mother of seven children. Alone in the north to fight for her children's rights, Calla knew that Lorra Royce was a woman to be respected.

For a moment Calla recalled what she had glimpsed of another future, where another woman from the south was widowed when the Stark of her era was killed by the "Baratheon" king. Her eldest son was around the same age as Donnor too…

And they were both facing the threat from beyond the Wall, of the Others.

It had been more than a decade since she claimed Crystal, and these histories this world would never trend had come to her in the early days, stored in a forgotten corner in her mind. But they would always come back when she needed it… the way Winter had returned to this world.

Magic had returned to Westeros a century earlier than it should. Was it because of Crystal— no, that could not be right. She was granted Crystal to fight the Evil up north.

In other words, it was because of the return of the Others that Crystal appeared to her. One had to happen before another…

But then, what was making the difference? Why did she not see Crystal in that history, if it was needed to defeat the Others? Despite everything she had changed, were both histories closer than she thought?

What could she learn from them? What else could she recall?

The return of magic was synchronised with the rebirth of dragons. Fire made flesh, they were supposedly the natural adversary of the Others. But they were not here yet, nor did Calla see the return of other magical creatures.

...For example, direwolves south of the Wall.

It won't hurt to ask, Calla thought. After Donnor kissed her knuckles with much flourish— an act that amused her greatly— she asked, "Forgive the sudden inquiry, but are there direwolves seen in the north recently?"

"Direwolves?" Lady Lorra frowned, her lips pulled into a thin line. "Such a mythical creature… no, I haven't heard of any sightings of direwolves."

Donnor eyed her curiously. "The sigil of my house? The wolves that my ancestors are said to ride with? Princess, the tales claim that you bend nature to your will by your sword. Has the Age of Heroes returned?"

Calla paused. The boy was sharp. "That is what I want to find out."

He's just a boy, yet he's as tall as me and I look like his age

Calla's shoulders slumped from that thought. It was unpleasant to be reminded of her abnormality.

Sensing her dejection, Aegor patted her shoulders from behind and changed the topic. "Any news from the Wall?"

"We have sent a few letters to the Night's Watch, and after that, our men, since we received the notification from the Crown," Lady Lorra replied, "It's true that the Lord Commander is missing, alongside the best rangers. The Night's Watch is in a mess right now, with no real leadership and the Black Brothers unsure whether they should elect a new Lord Commander or not. We have offered aid shall they need it, but nothing could be done until they sort out their leadership, it seems."

"That bad?" Calla murmured, more speaking to herself than to Lady Lorra. "The letter we received in King's Landing was sent by the Acting Lord Commander. What happened to him?"

Lady Lorra frowned. "I… have no idea, Your Grace. Perhaps it's the Lord Steward, or..."

"Perhaps there are different factions in the Night's Watch fighting for power, and it's one of them that contacted us," Aegor suggested. "In that case, our intervention might be viewed as an obstruction of the Night's Watch's independence."

Calla sighed. This was more complicated than she had imagined. "Then it'll be a problem. We might face hostility."

But Aegor shook his head, "Not a problem, Calla. Whoever holds the power now, they need our help more than anything." His gaze sharpened, "Unless, the—"

"Another Night's King rises to take over the Wall with his Queen Other!" Donnor shouted excitedly.

Calla blinked. "...What?"

"Donnor!" Lady Lorra scolded, "You should act like the Stark of Winterfell, not a child!"

Donnor shrunk from Lorra's harsh words, wincing. Half a moment later, he whispered, away from his mother's earshot, "But it's true, isn't it? What Nan said. There are Others beyond the Wall."

Night's King, Nan. I have heard about all of those before, in the depths of my deepest dreams. Every detail, significant or not, were falling into their places. "Is this Nan a nursemaid?" Calla asked, feeling the question flowing out of her mouth without her input.

For some reason, the sheepish boy widened his eyes. "...Why yes, she is. Your intuition is incredible, Princess Calla."

Calla shook her head and smiled sadly. It was no intuition. She turned to Aegor and whispered, "I have heard about that woman before, in another history."

Aegor raised a brow. "Is this of any significance?" Calla had told him about her dreams and visions, and to Calla's relief, he had accepted her story wholeheartedly. They were doing this together now, against the Evil lurking beyond the Wall.

"No, not at all," Calla replied, "Before, you wanted to say..."

"Targaryens and their allies." Came the answer Calla should have expected, "They are the ones we should pay our attention to."

Just as Aenys claimed, Calla thought. But it was true that the Targaryens were serving in the Night's Watch, alongside many men they sent to the Wall. They would not be happy to see her and Aegor even if they were here to help.

Especially not Calla. She still remembered Aegon's scream when he witnessed Maekar's death… Aelor's protest when she informed them that they were to join the Night's Watch… She did not know that she would see them again, at that time...

Calla's heart sank, but she tried to not let it show on her face. "I hope they don't hold any power in the Watch."

"We need to gather as much information as we can get before we face them," Aegor whispered, squeezing her hand reassuringly. Then he turned back to the Starks— more accurately, Lady Lorra— and asked, "Anything else in regards to the Night's Watch that you've found?"

Lady Lorra shook her head, "I have asked Lord Umber to keep a close attention on the happenings on the Wall, but he has no further reports."

"I see." If Aegor was disappointed, he showed no sign of it. "I want some men of yours to accompany us to the Wall. Someone you trust to represent Winterfell and House Stark…"

"That can be arranged—"

"I'll go," eyes brightened, Donnor offered, "It'll be an honour to serve you, Princess… and you, Lord Aegor."

Aegor's eyes narrowed slightly. Lady Lorra's face darkened, "Excuse me, Lord Aegor, Princess. I need to talk to my son."

Calla looked at Donnor's back as he was dragged away by his mother, feeling confused, "He's enthusiastic for sure. Young boys, huh?"

Aegor chuckled dryly. "It's certainly something a reckless, bored, and ambitious boy will do. Better that his mother rein him in; we don't want to hurt our relationship with the North by putting the Lord of Winterfell in any danger."

"True," Calla murmured, frowning. Aegor seemed to be amused by Donnor's action to some degree, but she did not understand why. Was it a joke she did not get?

But Donnor clearly won the argument with his mother, as he had left Winterfell happily and followed them to the Wall.

Well, "follow" was technically the wrong word; Donnor had appointed himself as their guide, and as such he was often in the head of their group, riding back and forth to tell Calla some snips of knowledge and rumours in the North.

It was halfway through the journey that Calla finally realised his intention, when he pulled a winter rose out of nowhere and gave it to her.

"A rare flower," Donnor said, "for the rare beauty that shows up in the North."

Calla could not help but make a face. He must know about her age and that she was married, yet he still made his advances… so that was what Aegor was hinting at.

For courtesy's sake, Calla accepted the rose. When she looked back at Aegor, merely a few metres away, she saw that he was quickly approaching them, his expression cold and unreadable.

Calla glanced at him, half wondering whether he would be jealous. Never once did other men attempt to count her, knowing who she was and what problem she had. Donnor… he was too young to mind, she would guess.

"Lord Aegor," Donnor greeted Aegor with a pleased, or rather, proud smile. He really had no fear, did he?

"Stark," Aegor huffed, "you got it right." When Calla was still nervously watching their interaction, Aegor took the rose from her fingers and put it onto her hair. "Rarest beauty, to be sure."

Calla felt her cheeks heated up. It was different when the praise came from Aegor's mouth. When she glanced up to him, she saw the corner of his lips lifted.

"Ah," Donnor sighed dramatically, "I see that I have no chance." He shook his head, murmuring to himself, "I shall recover, but I will remember your beauty, Princess… my flowers couldn't look better on anyone else—"

"Actually, where did it come from?" Embarrassed, Calla cut him off with the first thing she could think of. "Since we arrived in White Harbour, it was snowing all the time, and it only got worse the further north we went. Where did you pick flowers?"

"Last Hearth," Donnor answered, rolling his eyes at the mention of the land they just passed, "The Umbers have a small garden. Mostly it's for crops, but even those savages would sometimes need flowers."

...Savages, huh.

Silence. Calla frowned, hesitating to address his attitude. It's a matter of his House, not mine

Yet Aegor disagreed. "The Umbers are your kin too, are they not? Lady Umber is a Stark."

Donnor made a face, "Yes, but very distant. They might claim to be close to my house, close to— Winterfell, but in reality, they are no different to any other houses in the North. Just one of MY vassals."

Mine. With this emphasis, Calla could guess the source of his contempt. "Had they… made a claim to Winterfell before?"

"Not just them. The Karstarks, they—" suddenly he widened his eyes and shook his hands, "See what nonsense I'm spouting. Whatever happened before, my House— my hold on the North is secured. The Umbers are loyal and I have no complaints about them. Must be the shock of your rejection, Princess…"

As he turned around and left, Calla stared at his back and blurted out, "Wait…" If Stark's hold on the North was being contested even now, how could they prepare to defend the Wall— defend the North from the Evil incoming?

But Donnor only left faster. In horror, Calla recalled Lady Lorra's guard against them, and the fact that without Calla's interfering, Aegon Targaryen and Ser Duncan the Tall would visit Winterfell…

Beneath her gloves, Calla's palms sweated. It could not be that… because she stopped them from visiting Winterfell, the succession crisis of the North was never truly resolved?

It was but a moment. Aegor caught her arm before her panic could surface. "An advice," he called out, slow and clear.

Donnor stopped. When he turned back to face them, his eyes were impatient and guarded. "Yes, Lord Hand?"

"Seal your rage and contempt up and make it your strength. Let it be your sharpest blade, only unsheathe it at the moment of slaughter."

Donnor's brows drew together, his fists clenched, seemingly unconvinced of Aegor's words— apparently, the idea of merely hiding his contempt was offensive to him. But when he opened his mouth, what came out was a sigh. "I'll remember that."

"Is it wise to encourage the animosity he has towards the northern houses?" Calla asked after Donnor left, "We need the north to be united."

"No animosity can be erased by one talk, but the boy can learn to hide it better. If he doesn't, we'll lose the north to civil war— and soon, what is threatening the Night's Watch beyond the Wall." Aegor's gaze fell on Donnor's back and nodded, "Whatever his feelings, he took my advice."

"...I guess so," Calla murmured, her gaze travelling from Donnor's back to Aegor's face. "You aren't jealous at all."

"What?" a wry smile occurred on his face, "Jealous of the boy? A man doesn't get jealous over someone who's no threat to him."

Pouting at his confidence, Calla thought, He's right. No one can be a threat to him. Everything she did… should have made that obvious.

Which was why it was incredibly reckless for Donnor to try what he did...

"If there's such a man, I'll ruin him—" Aegor's additional comment made her shiver. She stared at him, shocked, and saw the teasing gleam in his eyes. "—Is that what you want to hear?"

Yes, she thought, and immediately recoiled from her thoughts. Had the long period of yearning twisted her so? "There would never be such a man," she said, trying to calm herself.

A gentle smile grew on his lips. "I know." When he touched her face, she realised that it was a smile reserved for her.

Castle Black was engulfed in frenzied energy. The Black Brothers welcomed Calla and her party with such enthusiasm and excitement, she would think she was invited to a wedding instead of acting as reinforcements against the Evil beyond the Wall. Must be the rarity of royalty visiting, she thought. None had done so since Alysanne did more than a century ago.

In that joyful moment, she forgot about the royalties she sent to the Night's Watch herself…

Everyone, except for Aegor, drank into the atmosphere. Donnor especially seemed overjoyed, with the way he laughed and said, "House Stark is always the staunchest friend of the Night's Watch!" Many men answered his cry, which made him more excited.

They ascended the stairs, leaving the appreciative cries behind them. In the room of the Lord Commander, a man sat behind the table.

"Princess, Lord Aegor, Lord Stark." the Black Brother that greeted them had a mane of golden hair and emerald eyes, "On behalf of the Night's Watch, I, Tybolt Lannister, welcome you to Castle Black. We've been eagerly awaiting your arrival, please enjoy the hospitality of the Watch."

He offered them cups of hot wine. Calla took one, slipping the drink slowly. Where to start? Aegor stared at Lannister coldly, not touching the wine. Clearly, he saw the man as an enemy. And he has good reason to think so.

Out of all the ruling families that they had sent to the Wall, it just had to be the one they completely replaced. If it was an Arryn or a Baratheon, or even a Martell, Calla would not be so worried. They still had kin in the south, being lords of various lands under the Blackfyres regime. The Lannisters… not so much. The Reynes had cleared them out, with at most a few distant relatives left in Lannisport…

And Tybolt Lannister was not just any Lannister. He was the Lord of Casterly Rock, the rightful ruler of Westlands before they took his title and gave it to the Reynes. The only way this could be worse was to learn that they appointed a Targaryen.

Donnor gulped the wine, brief red flushing on his cheeks. "Are you the new Lord Commander?" right to the point, Calla thought nervously.

"No, but I'm the new Lord Steward. Our Lord Commander has encountered some… urgent business, and I shall stand in for him for the moment. Shall I explain the perils the Night's Watch is in? As it was reported, we lost—"

"Who is your new Lord Commander?" Aegor cut him off, his stare turning into a glare.

"...He shall be back soon. If you don't trust my words, then please wait and drink—"

"Lannister, answer my question!" Aegor roared, "Who is in command of the Night's Watch now?"

A smirk grew on Lannister's lips. "Well, you see—"

Thump as Donnor's head dropped onto the table, his whole body limped uselessly in his chair, completely losing his consciousness. "Donnor!" Calla pulled out Crystal… but her legs were weak, her arms were shaking. The image of Crystal… the warmth in her hands… wavered, until she fell as well and the sword disappeared from her fingertips. The wine. They poisoned us…

"So it goes, the Crystal Knight of House Blackfyre," another voice said with satisfaction.

Behind us behind us behind us. Calla wanted to scream, to attack, but she could not even turn her head.

A strong arm lifted her weight. "Calla," there was a desperation in Aegor's voice as he whispered.

She wanted, more than anything, to answer him. But the only thing left on her that could express her will was her eyes— and the control of those was cruelly taken away from her as her eyelids dropped.

With her rapidly losing five senses, she knew that he had gripped her tighter, closer. In someplace far, far away, he shouted, "You still have to get past me and Darksister, Aelor..."

But then, all that was left was silence. Darkness. Coldness.

Nothingness.

...No…

Calla could hear it. Calla could feel it.

The sound of the roaring winter. The feeling of snowflakes touching her face.

And—

"You're finally here. There's no time to waste," said a voice Calla instantly recognised.

—Bloodraven.