Calla

"Bloodraven," Calla hissed. It all came back to her— this was not the first time she found herself in the middle of the snow. She had been here before, but he made her forget about it… until some time before they received the letter in King's Landing. The monster... everything was connected, and they brought her here.

Was it all part of Bloodraven's plan?

"Yes, yes, it's me. Congratulations, you made it. Clap clap," Bloodraven said sarcastically. The snow parted ways, enough to let Calla see his silhouette— twisted, fluid, unstable. One moment Calla saw the man the way he was at Redgrass Field before she cut him to pieces, but another moment she saw… trees. Roots. Red and white, screaming faces. Calla gasped and took a step back. What had Bloodraven turned into?

But that ever-changing, terrifying form did not seem to affect Bloodraven's speech. He kept talking as if nothing had happened. "Now let's go down to business."

"No," Calla hissed, her hands curling into fists— in horror, she found out that she could not summon Crystal at all. "What… What are you? Did you lure me here, with my dreams and that letter? And the Others, the monster… are those all of your doing?"

"Quick to conclude, but you're wrong," Bloodraven snorted, "I'm on the same side as you, trying to stop the monster from killing all of humanity. They, as you might recall seeing, already cleared the Others, the Children, and many other creatures off the board. If you don't want humans to end up being next, better listen to me."

Calla frowned. The warning, her dreams, Bloodraven. What could she trust? He could not have been manipulating her all along, for Crystal was not a power he would have granted to his enemy. The Goddess was true and her story was real. But even so, considering Bloodraven… "I have no reason to trust you," she stated bluntly.

"Please," Bloodraven let out a dry chuckle, "I'm dead. You killed me. A dead man like me has nothing to benefit from tricking you."

"You're my enemy. House Blackfyre's enemy," Calla hissed, "Dead or alive, it changes nothing. You killed my family."

"Believe it or not, I loved Daemon. He was my brother, a friend I grew up with. I didn't want to kill him, it was your beloved husband that forced my hands," Bloodraven sneered.

Calla bit her lips. Aegor had lied to get her father to rebel, but... "You're no friend. You betrayed my father and shot him down with hundreds of arrows. And my brothers. My mother. Your assassins tried to kill me, too. Do you think I don't know about it?"

"You're exaggerating," he smirked, "I only shot forty-nine arrows that day. And yes, I killed them. I killed them all. You, however... you couldn't have awakened to Crystal's true power without my help."

For a moment Calla stared at Bloodraven, astonished at his shamelessness. "You were surprised when you saw me on Redgrass Field, I could see it in your eye. You didn't kill my mother and brothers to awaken my powers. Stop lying."

He shook his head slowly. "I didn't say I planned to help you, not at that point. I was under the impression that House Blackfyre could not be allowed to win, so I did my best to stop you. I was not aware of this disruption in the flow of time before I died."

"Disruption... in the flow of time?"

"You have seen it, haven't you? The original future, when five kings war against each other while dragons are reborn in the east. Imagine a river flowing down, branching off infinitely." With a flick of his finger, Calla saw the image he described. It floated in the air, ticking and buzzing against the falling snow.

"Time is the same. Men travel down one path without knowing what happens on another. Greendreams, dragondreams, glass candles, Shade of the Evening... humans have ways to glimpse into the future and the past, but they're always following one fork of time. It's the same for me. Before I died, I only knew a future where House Targaryen must survive, so dragons will be reborn."

"...My father wouldn't have killed all the Targaryens. We didn't kill every Targaryen. If we did..." Calla gritted her teeth, thinking of Aelor Targaryen, "I wouldn't be here."

"Don't you see it? If Daeron didn't win, Daenerys Stormborn, Mother of Dragons, wouldn't have been born, for there would be no one left to bear the Targaryen name. Only Blackfyres and men with the bastard name Waters. No dragons. Yet the point is moot now; the river has been poisoned. Everything has changed and you must live to fight against what is coming from beyond the Wall." Bloodraven sighed. "It will arrive soon."

It will arrive soon. Calla remembered what she had seen of the Others, mingling with them, merging into one. What was going on? "You said the Others have been cleared off the board."

"You're paying attention. Should I give you a pat on the head?" Bloodraven asked sarcastically.

Calla rolled her eyes. "No, tell me what happened - everything from the beginning. How did that come to be? I had thought the threat to humanity that Crystal is meant to fight would be something related to the Others, since we received that letter. What, exactly, are we facing?"

"The same threat your 'Hero' once faced," Bloodraven answered easily.

A chill ran down Calla's spine. "You mean… the Great Evil." She remembered the monster Skyasker had faced. Massive and purple with a pair of horns. That was… what she must defeat?

"What the Skyasker has once faced is only one fleet out of many, in search of your Goddess. Specifically, the Evil targets worlds that develop magic, believing it to be a sign of her interfering with the living. One of them dropped off in the lands beyond the Wall… some twenty-five years ago."

"That's— when my father—"

"Before the Blackfyre Rebellion, yes. It's when the future first branched off from what I had seen. If only I knew…" Bloodraven sighed, but even that sigh was distorted by intense hatred, "But nothing would have changed. The sword would fail to reach Daemon on time, and Aegor would still manipulate him to rebel. And thus, leading to this future."

"The sword," Calla repeated, feeling like a fool, "You don't mean Blackfyre, do you? You… You mean Crystal. Father…" She glanced at her own hands, those hands which had shed innocent blood many times with the magical sword. She knew that she was unworthy of Crystal. But if it was Daemon Blackfyre, then… "Father is supposed to wield Crystal, not me."

Bloodraven nodded solemnly. "Your father wasn't destined to be a king. He was destined... to be a hero. To save the world. If the Goddess had managed to reach him and deliver him the sword, he would have abandoned Aegor's vile schemes and put his power into what is right. Daeron would have recognised his efforts and rewarded him justly… the war would have been averted, and everyone would have lived."

"Then what went wrong?" Calla asked, "Why did it become…" She waved her arms, frustrated by the future Bloodraven described— it was beautiful, so much that she loathed the fact that it was not her reality. "...This?"

"A mistake on your Goddess' part. The time it took for her message and the sword to reach Westeros was slightly longer than intended. By the time Crystal arrived, everything that wasn't supposed to happen had happened."

"A mistake?" Calla could not hide the rage in her voice, "All the deaths, all the suffering… and you tell me it was all just a mistake?"

"I share your sorrows," Bloodraven's voice was cold, "But complaining to me won't change anything. Your Goddess won't hear of it. Fate… and gods like her are deaf to tears."

Calla clenched her fists tightly. This was all so unfair, yet nothing could be done. That future was forever torn from her. She could only try to save what she had.

She still had questions though. "Why me, then? Father's dead, and Crystal would need another wielder… even if it had to be a Blackfyre, why me?"

"I'm not your sword," Bloodraven raised a white, boney finger, "so this is merely a guess. When Crystal failed to bond itself with Daemon, it searched for the next best target— his children. At that time, out of all the living Blackfyres… your heart was the closest to him."

"It couldn't be. Haegon was the one who was most like my father. I… I was just a weak little girl back then."

"Did I say you resembled Daemon the most?" Bloodraven sneered, "I said that your heart was the closest to him. Your mind. Your will. Not over your whole lifetime— just that one moment Crystal appeared, it had resonated with you the most, just as it would with Daemon. Something inside you called for the sword, Calla Blackfyre."

Calla recalled that night. A sleepless night, just like many others. She had not gotten a good night's sleep ever since her father died. She was in her chambers, bigger than the one in Westeros but emptier and colder. She felt that she could hear the cries of her siblings… of Aegon's and Aemon's… but never father.

No, Daemon Blackfyre did not die crying. He died trying to save his son. In his last breath… he wanted his son to live. And so, Calla…

Calla wished… She wished to obtain the power that could protect her siblings. And for that, she was willing to do anything.

In exchange for Crystal—

"I vowed… to do anything to protect my family," Calla murmured.

"So that's the key. Your siblings wanted revenge. You, on the other hand, only wanted to protect." Bloodraven clapped, slowly, deliberately, a mocking sound. "A noble motivation, to be sure."

"They wanted revenge from you," Calla hissed, "and I desired vengeance as well. I wanted to kill you… and I did."

"Ah! But you see, it mattered not to the sword— all that counted was the moment Crystal was judging you, your heart was pure. The past, the future, it cared not," Bloodraven chuckled, "Even if you have since been proved to be a poor fit for the sword, it's still bound to you. For your lifetime."

"Tell me, how did you manage to stay alive? When did you learn about all these?" Calla asked. Bloodraven knew information Calla never learned, even after her direct communication with the Goddess. Calla needed to know how, if only to erase any remaining doubts she had about his words.

"Curious, huh? I suppose I can give you a few more answers." Bloodraven shook his head slowly, "But you aren't listening. I'm not alive. The Brynden Rivers you know of is dead."

"Huh? But—"

"Brynden Rivers was a follower of the Old Gods and a greenseer. His personality and memories were transferred to the trees as he died, to 'live' alongside the rest of the souls that formed the Old Gods," Bloodraven said.

Calla felt a chill rising. Bloodraven… the thing before her looked so calm, but according to its words, it was not human. Not at all. "So you aren't Bloodraven. You're the Old Gods of the First Men." That was why she saw glimpses of trees and roots and faces. They were what she was really facing.

"I'm Brynden Rivers— what remains of him, anyway." Bloodraven smiled forlornly, "Eventually, every soul here will lose all sense of individuality, and become one with the Old Gods… but it takes time. Convenient for us, for otherwise I could not speak to you in this form."

"What good will 'this form' do? I don't want to see you," Calla hissed, "Are you talking to me as Bloodraven or the Old Gods?"

"I'm talking to you as myself. But I also represent the Old Gods' interest," Bloodraven said, "saving the world, that is. The Old Gods learned of the Goddess many years ago, when an artifact landed beyond the Wall."

"...It can't be the day I received Crystal?"

"No— but the date is close. It was a passive artifact unlike your Crystal, meant to delay the growth of the Great Evil… but it also contained much wisdom and information. The Old Gods absorbed it, and slowly they learned about all they needed to know."

Calla sighed. As ridiculous as this tale was, it explained Bloodraven's knowledge. And at this point, she had no choice but to trust him. "How do I defeat them, then?"

"You're finally asking the right question. The Great Evil had evolved from when it first landed. With the ability to quickly adapt to its environment, the first thing it came across was—"

"An Other?" Calla remembered what she saw. Them merging with the Others.

"No," Bloodraven huffed, "It was a weirwood tree. It recognised the potential in the roots and sought to use their power as its own."

"Wait, are you saying that…"

"The Old Gods are being swallowed up by the Great Evil, tree by tree, root by root. From us they learned about the Others whose temperament matches its own, and thus sought to submerge them. Even when the artifact was working at its full strength, it could not have suppressed this invasion."

"But that means the Great Evil knows about us!" Calla stepped away from Bloodraven, noticing for the first time how the falling snow seemed to be getting stronger. The Others' link to Winter… if the Great Evil was using their power to erode the Old Gods, then how long could this realm last? Would Calla herself eventually be consumed as well?

"No, they don't. Not yet anyway," Bloodraven stared at her coldly. "The heart of the Old Gods lay deeper than where it can easily reach. It'll take more time for it to do so, more than enough time for you to destroy it before it does. You just have to—"

The snow stopped falling. Every snowflake froze on the spot, the light they reflected almost bewitching. Bloodraven paused abruptly. "It seems we will have to end our little talk here. We shall meet again."

"What in the Seven Hells?!" Calla shouted as her vision started to shift and darken, "You haven't even told me what's most important yet!"

"It's getting too close to you," Bloodraven warned. "Get yourself and other people out of there, and I will contact you at the right time…" Bloodraven's voice faded together with his image. Frustrated, Calla attempted to grab him, but her fingers could not reach him.

"Bloodraven—!" Only her scream echoed in her head.

"Blackfyre! Calla Blackfyre!" Someone shook Calla's shoulders violently, his voice laced with anxiety and fear. "Damnit, I thought she was invincible! How come the moment we need her, she's—"

"No, look, it's working! Whatever Aelor gave her, it's starting to wear off," another voice added. "She must not have drunk a lot compared to the Stark boy."

Opening her eyes, Calla saw two… no, three boys in a small dark room, the only source of light a small window near the roof. The one in the corner, clearly deeply asleep, was Donnor Stark… good, he's alive. But the two boys surrounding Calla were…

"Aegon and… Aemon," Targaryen, "You two were… not present when your cousin attacked us." Yes, Calla thought, I remember everything. Aelor Targaryen betrayed his vow to the Night's Watch and turned on us, alongside what must be most of the Watch. And I lost consciousness after drinking the wine… then Bloodraven…

Aegor isn't here, she noticed worriedly. But he was still fighting when I lost consciousness. Aelor might have put him somewhere else… maybe he's interrogating him now. I need to find him, quickly.

Turning her attention back to the Targaryens, she found both brothers groaning. "We weren't there with Aelor because we're against him," Aegon said, sounding frustrated, "There's a monster that killed the Lord Commander and all the best rangers of the Watch coming for the Wall, and Aelor thinks it's high time to try restoring Targaryen rule. He's insane."

"Blinded by his desire for vengeance," Aemon said softly, "He tried so hard to protect Uncle Rhaegel, yet it's all for nought."

Rhaegel… the lackwit. "What happened to him?" Calla asked, dreading the answer.

The two brothers exchanged a glance. "He fell from the top of the Wall and died," Aegon answered, anger in his voice, "Uncle Aerys died of a cold, Daeron executed for deserting the Watch. All happened within a year after we arrived."

"I… I'm sorry," Calla murmured, "We had intended for mercy when we sent you to the Wall. I didn't mean for anyone to die."

Even under the dim light, Calla could see Aegon clenching his fists, while Aemon frowned deeply, hatred in his eyes no less than Aegon's. "My family died because of you Blackfyres, but my friends were killed by the monster that's still coming south for all of us," Aegon finally said, "I won't forget what happened, but I know what is more important."

"If that crow was still with you, perhaps Aelor would be more willing to listen," Aemon sighed bitterly, "But he abandoned us again."

Crow... "Bloodraven," Calla started, "He's still alive… in some twisted form. And he informed me that there's a monster I must slay. Did he contact you as well?"

"In the form of a crow, yes. He warned me to escape from that monster, allowing me to bring the news back to the Wall… for what good it did," Aegon shook his head, as if to shake away the unpleasant memories, "Blackfyre, you have your powers. Can you kill that thing? Do you even know what that monster is like?"

"I only know that it's massive, it has some power of the Old Gods and the Others, and it's evil. As for your first question…" Calla held out a hand, and Crystal appeared in her grasp. Perfect, natural, an extension of her limbs. As it should be. "I think I can. But first, we need to get out of here."

The sight of Crystal startled both boys. Aemon looked half fascinated, half apprehensive. However, Aegon was particularly trembling, though he tried to hide it. He must be…

…Afraid of the sword that killed his father. "Sorry," Calla said, her voice softened, "I didn't mean to scare you." And for everything.

…She could not let those boys die this time. Even if she could not repent for the tragedies she caused, she must save what was left.

"I'm not afraid," Aegon claimed, pulling his gaze away from Crystal, "You're right. We need to leave. There are a few guards placed outside, and the door is locked. I trust you can handle it."

"With minimum bloodshed if possible," Aemon advised, "They're still brothers of the Watch. They've little choice but to follow the rest when the nobles chose to rebel."

"Don't worry, I don't plan to kill anyone if I can avoid it," Calla answered while approaching the asleep Donnor, pulling him onto her back. It was awkward— he was of Calla's height. She would be limited to one hand, but it should be fine…

"We can carry him." Aegon came forward and took Donnor from her. "You're the one that will be fighting."

"Thanks," Calla said, feeling slightly guilty as she watched Aegon and Aemon supporting Donnor's weight.

"I'm not doing this for you," Aegon said defensively, "Just open the door."

Crystal carved up the door like slicing butter. As Calla stepped out of the doorway, she could hear the guards' unbelieving cries. "She cut the door open! How are we supposed to fight this?"

That makes things easy. "Then don't," Calla suggested helpfully. "Get out of my way and your lives shall be spared."

Scattering like headless chickens, the guards ran down the stairs and disappeared from Calla's sight. "Let's go," Calla turned around and called—

The ground shook. A sound from the deepest of the Seven Hells pierced Calla's eardrums, yet she held Crystal tight instead of covering her ears.

Crystal shone brightly, being the only light source in the room now as that monster covered the sky. White and gigantic and built of roots and ice. That was what Calla was tasked to defeat.

"What— where am I— what is that?!" Donnor had finally awoken from his slumber, his eyes now widened at the sight of the monster. "Princess Calla! Please tell me, what's going on?!"

"We need to run," Aegon hissed, ignoring Donnor's question, his face as pale as the monster's skin. But Donnor had just awakened. Calla doubted that he could run fast.

Get yourself and other people out of there, Bloodraven had said. She could not fight it while she was inside Castle Black. "We don't have time for this. All three of you, come and hold me tight."

"What?" the three boys cried. Just this once, Calla hoped they would just listen and not waste time.

"I can travel faster than anyone! Just hold me tight, and we'll get out of there and away from that thing in no time!" Calla pointed to the monster, which was enough to persuade the boys to agree. They held onto her shoulders, her arms, and Calla used Crystal.

Electricity. Everything else around her slowed down. Each step she took took less time than it should have, and she descended down the stairs, passing through those guards and many more Black Brothers, who moved so slow that they might as well be frozen, their terrified shouts indecipherable.

Calla glanced at each man she passed, hoping to find Aegor. Where would he be? If Aelor had him, the Lord Commander's office then?

The inhuman shriek outside had stopped, yet the ground was still shaking. How long would she get before the monster attempted to bring the Wall down? Ten minutes? Five? Could the Wall hold, if it had a magical defence against the Others and the monster absorbed the Others' abilities?

"Calla!" She would never fail to recognise his voice. The moment their eyes met, Calla stopped, landing in front of Aegor.

Behind her, the three boys let go of her, panting, shivering from the terrifying experience. But Calla only cared about Aegor. "You're here," she simply said. No more words were needed; she saw the relief in his eyes, and it warmed her heart more than anything.

"And you're well," Aegor said, more a statement than a question. "You saw that creature just outside the Wall. Can you defeat it?"

Calla nodded, "I think I can." She decided not to mention Bloodraven and his explanation; there would be a better time for it later. "But we need to get out of here first. We don't know if the Wall will hold against this monster."

"The Wall is falling?" cried Aelor Targaryen, who was right behind Aegor and was staring at the scene with a panicked expression. From the ground that was still shaking, from the sky that was covered— he must know that this was a very real possibility. "Then— I need to get everyone out here… but other castles won't—"

"We won't be able to reach them in time," Aegon cut his cousin off, glaring at him, "The monster is right here."

Aelor paled. "This is my fault. We must at least evacuate Castle Black."

If Calla had any ill will towards Aelor before, seeing Aegor unscathed and his desire to save everyone was enough for it to cease. "You're right. Most people can and will leave the castle themselves, seeing that monster, but are there any other people who you have imprisoned? My retinue?"

Aegor shook his head. "Calla, they have been slaughtered wholesale. This little bastard didn't spare anyone but the ones he deemed useful."

Calla bit her lip. "...I see." Yet more deaths to her conscience. If she had not fallen for the trap…

"You need not consider this. Get out of the castle, and figure out a way to kill that monster," Aegor urged, "I'll take care of the evacuation."

He squeezed her hand. Calla nodded. "I'll do my best."

There were no more words to be said, so Calla ran out of the room. Where should she go so that she could kill it? If the Wall would collapse, then perhaps it was better that she stayed far away from it. However, considering its size she would need a high ground, which meant…

Calla turned and ran up the stairs. Even if the Wall collapsed, she would live. Her Crystal armour would see her survive the fall. But if she was on the ground and the monster stepped on her, then nothing would save her.

The first thing that caught her attention when she arrived at the top of the Wall was that the ground had stopped shaking. The monster faced the Wall, an unmoving mountain of snow and roots and flesh, towering over the sun. Calla saw no eyes on the creature; could it even see her? It was better that it didn't.

A crow flew towards Calla and landed on her shoulders. "You took your sweet time," Bloodraven said in his characteristic dry voice.

"Tell me what to do," Calla demanded. She had little patience for Bloodraven's mind games. "Will the Wall fall?"

"You need to pay attention to my words and forget everyone on the ground. Forget about the Wall, forget about yourself. Clear your mind and focus on that essence of evil. You will kill it."

Calla tried. Staring at the featureless monster, she poured all her attention onto it. Crystal shone brightly, illuminating the creature. Calla saw its limbs, its horns, all formed by twisted roots and screaming faces. Heart trees, she remembered. The Evil had gotten hold of powers that made it stronger, and it would be unstoppable if Calla failed to destroy it first.

"Think of killing it. Think only of killing it. It's your only mission in life."

Calla did. She imagined stabbing Crystal into that pile of snow and ending this threat right there. She could do it. She had killed many times, for less noble reasons. This monster would end the world. She must kill it.

For Aegor, for the ones she loved, for the ones she had wronged—

"For the world. For humanity. You must be willing to sacrifice everything to kill it."

Crystal dimmed. "What do you mean by everything?" Calla asked.

The crow glared at her with one bleeding red eye. "The Wall. The Gift. Lands beyond the Wall. Everything, everyone. To kill a monster, you must be able to make sacrifices."

Calla looked downwards. Men were fleeing south, abandoning the castle, but there must be a lot more still inside for the flow did not seem to be drying out. "You're telling me that I need to sacrifice everyone here to kill that thing," she said, struggling to stay calm.

"No, I'm saying that they might die. You might as well," Bloodraven hissed, "Think about what your Goddess showed you. How did your Hero kill the great evil?"

"He—" Calla's words were cut off when a hole opened in the monster's chest. The roots that made up its body retreated, and in the hole was… ice?

It did not take Calla long to wonder, for immediately a beam of ice shot out of the hole and hit straight on the Wall.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Calla shouted as the crow shrieked and flew to the south, leaving Calla alone. The Wall made a strange sizzling sound, but it did not seem to be damaged. This was good, right? The Wall should hold—

Then the beam hit again. And again.

On the fourth strike, all the stones that were previously held together with ice and magic fell.

Calla jumped at the last moment. Stone and dirt and ice tumbled down alongside her, burying any man unlucky enough to be under them.

The Wall had fallen.