Eastwatch By the Sea 301 AC.
Arthur.
He knew how hard it had been for Jae to say his goodbyes and his own had been just as difficult. Arthur had spoken to Barristan alone, the two of them telling stories of days long past and men who fell and both saying how happy they were that they'd gotten to serve together once more. It was not something he had ever expected to come to pass and he was glad that it had. There was no finality about their goodbye, no sense that they'd not see each other again. Instead, it was far more simple than that, Barristan had told him that he wished he was going in his place and yet he was comforted that he'd be by the king's side. Arthur knowing what he meant by that and telling him of his own comfort that he was there by the queen and princess's.
That was the truth of things and it was a truth that he knew that Jaime felt just as keenly as he did. Though the enemy they faced was far different than the one in the rebellion, the stakes if anything were even higher. For more years than he cared to think about he'd blamed himself for not being by his prince's side, even though he'd been where he was meant to be. Barristan had blamed himself for not being by Elia and the children's side, even though he too had been where he was meant to be. Now at least both of them were in a way being given the chance to right that wrong. He would be by Jae's side and Barristan would protect his wife and child. Perhaps this time they would be the right men for their tasks and would see a better outcome because of it.
They stopped for the night in the hills that overlooked the keep at Widow's Watch and for once he welcomed the cold air of the North. Jae played his harp as they sat around the fire and told stories and japed at each other's expense. Jors laughing as he told stories of the things his king and Joy had gotten up to when they were children and Arthur lapping up each and every morsel that was thrown his way. It had been a good childhood, one that he was happy Jae had known and his only regret was that he'd missed so much of it.
"Remember the first time you truly brought her riding, me and Alyrs were behind you and even we weren't sure you should go so fast." Jors said laughing as he drank some ale from a pouch that Jae had made sure he'd brought with him.
"Aye, what was it he said again?" Jae asked his own smile full.
"I do not think Lady Genna will approve of this." Jors said as Jae burst out laughing.
"He was right about that." Jae said a few moments later.
"To Alyrs and being right." Jors said raising the pouch.
"To Alyrs." Jae said as he raised his own that was filled with water.
Arthur listened to more stories and he watched as Jors eyes drooped as he got tired and then as Jae helped him to his bedroll. Being put to bed by a king, not many knights could claim such a thing and certainly few Kingsguard, and yet as he looked on it was not a king or a knight he saw. It was a boy and a man who'd been by his side for most of his life, a man who was more than a guard to him, though with Jae that was true about them all.
"I wish you'd had a chance to know him, Arthur. To see how good a man he was. His son is Ser Daven's squire now, cupbearer and page really, but squire he'll be one day and his daughter is being tutored and wishes to be a seamstress when she's older. A shop in Lannisport that is to be hers and hers alone and it's not even close to what I owe them or enough to make up for the years they've spent without their father." Jae said softly after he sat back down by the fire.
"Jae.."
"How many more good men am I to take from their family's Arthur, how am I to make up for that to their wives and children?" Jae said almost despondently.
"What's the alternative, Jae? What else can be done? It may fall upon you to end this fight but it falls upon men to fight it does it not? Me, Jors, Loras, Jaime, Oberyn, and every other man that's been called will or do know that. This isn't a war you started, nor one you wish, but it is one that must be fought and so you make it up to them by winning it because if you lose then it matters not about feeling sorry for their families, they'll have none." Arthur said and Jae looked at him and nodded.
"He was a good man, Arthur, and I miss him each and every day." Jae said wiping his eyes as he got up and walked over to where Rhaenix was laying.
Heart was a good thing, compassion, sympathy, and empathy each was far better to have than not and his king had them all in spades. Over the years that he'd been by his side he'd seen him as far more of his mother's son than his father's. Jae was far happier than Rhaegar had ever been, even with Lyanna by his side. Yet just as his father had, he too took things to heart far too much and when he did it was like he was sitting with his prince instead of his king. He bounced back quickly though and his words seemed to get through a little easier, and so when they woke the next morning it was Lyanna's son that he saw once more.
After they had broken their fast and washed, they were soon in the air once more, and just seeing the sheer number of ships assembled along the coast as they flew to Eastwatch was awe-inspiring. Rhoynish ships, Dornish ships, ships from the Velaryons and the Manderly's. Pinnacles, smaller ships, and longships from the Iron Islands. An entire fleet ready to evacuate each and every person from this side of the North and Arthur knew it was the same on the other side. They landed near the large encampment that the Free Folk had named their home and after dismounting from Rhaenix's back they made their way to speak to the clan chiefs.
Jae didn't stay long and just made sure the men knew to make for the ships if the worst was to happen and to do so quickly and then he watched as his king knelt to speak to some of the wargs and he believed to some of their familiars too. They were soon back on Rhaenix's back and back in the air and as he looked down he saw the Wall itself come into view. Arthur shuddering as he began to think about what was on the other side of that Wall and that soon he'd be facing off against dead men once more.
Castle Black 301 AC.
Ned.
There had been a time when he had considered sanding his nephew here, a time when he had thought what was best for the realm was to send the true king to the Wall. As Castle Black came into view and he saw it for what it truly was, Ned shuddered to think of how catastrophic that could have been. Not just to the realm at large or the North but to Jaehaerys himself. Trying his best not to let his guilt get the better of him and to let himself instead concentrate on the fact that fate and Jaime Lannister had intervened, Ned climbed down of his horse and was soon face to face with Jeor Mormont.
"God's Ned it's good to see you." Jeor said smiling as Ned did likewise.
"You too, Jeor, have any of the others arrived yet?" he asked as he took in the buildings that had seen better days.
"Aye Ned. Karstark arrived a day or so ago and we received a raven from Last Hearth, apparently, there's to be a wedding before the Umber's leave." Jeor said with a smile.
"Any news from his grace?" he asked as Robb and Cregan joined him.
"Not as of yet. The Dornish have arrived at Eastwatch and word from the Shadow Tower says ships have been seen bearing Lion's banners."
Ned couldn't help but feel some pride in his nephew for that. He doubted that Robert could have united the realm the same way that Jaehaerys had. The old enmities that had remained from the rebellion not allowing him to and Robert's own nature would have caused even more issues. A part of him still mourned the man he had once named his brother by choice, but over time he'd come to realize that it was the thoughts of rather than the reality of the man that he mourned. With a nod to Robb and Cregan, he followed Jeor up the stairs to his solar taking in more of his surroundings as he did so.
The Wall loomed majestically over Castle Black and it was all that was majestic about the place. Over the years he had heard how Jaehaerys and Jaime Lannister had sent supplies, coin, and even tradesmen to help rebuild the Watch and its keeps. While there was evidence of their work around him, it was clear they'd not done enough or that the buildings had been in such a state of disrepair that they'd not had time to. Ned was pretty certain it was the latter as he knew his nephew would not have let Benjen and Aemon suffer these conditions for long.
"Lord Stark." a grim voice said and Ned almost didn't recognize Stannis Baratheon when he saw him.
"Lord Stannis." he said almost without thinking.
"Not a lord, Lord Stark, just a brother of the Watch now." Stannis said as they entered what he assumed was the Lord Commander's rooms.
He was happy to see a fire lighting in the hearth and he could see by the looks on their faces, that so were Cregan and Robb. Taking the seat when it was offered he accepted the mug of ale and smirked to himself at Jeor shooing away a raven from his desk. The bird flying to the nearby window and asking for corn when it landed there.
"We've not sent out any rangers as per his grace's instructions, but the men on the Wall have seen nothing, Ned. I know what's out there, Stannis has seen them for himself so I know better than to argue with a king, but do you really believe they march our way?" Jeor asked his tone a mix between disbelief and hope.
"I know his grace has called on the entire realm, Jeor. The North, Dorne, the West, Reach, Stormlands, Riverlands, Crownlands, and even the Iron Islands. All of them march our way, the largest army of men I've ever heard or read about, let alone seen. My nephew has made plans to evacuate the North, he's placed ships on standby to take as many people away from here as they can carry. You met him, both of you" he said turning to Stannis "Do you think him a man who does things with no reason?"
"No." Stannis said firmly.
"I wasn't suggesting…" Jeor said and Ned waved his hand.
"Aye, I know that Jeor, neither was I. I wish it were so though." he said with a chuckle that Jeor joined in with.
"We'll see you and your men housed, Ned, though it's going to be a tight squeeze." Jeor said worriedly.
"We're Northmen Jeor, we can save the comforts for the boys from the South." he said to another laugh as he finished his ale and rose to his feet.
"I'm glad to have you here, Ned, truly." Jeor said and Ned looked at him more seriously than he had so far.
"As am I for you both. It won't be for a lack of good men that we suffer in the days to come." he said to nods from both of them.
A young man led him from the Lord Commander's rooms to what he was told was the King's Tower. Ned seeing Rickard Karstark and his boys walking his way as he did so. It didn't take them long to settle in and after speaking to Jory he found that only a small number of his men would be sleeping indoors that night. The rest would have to make do with the tents and the fires they'd set up to keep them warm. Robb and Cregan went with Harrion Karstark to see that their men had all they could give them. Ned glad to find out from them both that the stocks at the Wall were in a far better state than the buildings.
Later that day he watched as Robb, Cregan, and others sparred in the yard, his nephew proving himself to be unmatched with a sword in hand and he knew that was mainly down to Arthur's teaching. He was informed that the Reach men had arrived at the Nightfort under Ser Garlan, Mathias Rowan, and Randyll Tarly's leadership and he was glad to hear it. It had been Randyll who'd handed Robert his only defeat during the rebellion and they would need men like him to see them through here.
When the offer came to see the top of the wall, he, Robb, and Cregan accepted and they were joined by Rickard and Harrion as Stannis led them to the lifts. Ned could feel the chill in the air as the lift rose and soon enough they had reached the top. Heeding the warning from Stannis to mind their steps, he and the boys were brought through the cut-out passages of ice and to the gaps that looked out onto the lands Beyond the Wal. Once there he heard both his son and his nephew's gasps at the sight they were presented with.
In all his years in the North, he'd never seen the like of it. The sheer expanse of white that stretched out below him and the trees off in the distance almost looking like they came from a different land to the one he'd known all his life. It was the North, but not the North at the same time. The True North he'd heard the Free Folk name it when he'd spoken to Benjen in Queenscrown. There was a beauty about it, a wild and untamed beauty and for some reason he found himself thinking about his sister. He felt the tear as it fell down his cheek and as he wiped it away he hoped that it went unnoticed by those who stood with him.
"What defenses do you have, Stannis?" he heard Robb ask and he turned his head to see Stannis show him some of them.
"Mainly rock and arrows, Lord Stark. The Wall also has a great blade that can be used should someone dare to climb it." Stannis said, his voice as grim as the look on his face.
"What fool would dare to climb something this big?" Cregan asked incredulously.
"Speak to the Free Folk when they arrive and name them fools, my lord. They'll tell you tales of men who've climbed the Wall more than once and if that's not enough to make you believe them, then remember one thing." Stannis said and Cregan wasn't the only one who listened more carefully to what Stannis said next "What we're to face here are not men."
That was the thought he had in his head as they ate with Jeor and the men of the Watch that night. What was coming for them were not men, they'd not be forced back and shiver when they saw their numbers. They'd feel no fear of them and the dragons that were on their side and not care about the losses that were inflicted upon them. There would be no retreat, no parley, and no surrender. For the things that came their way feared not when men feared. Why would the dead worry about dying after all?.
His sleep was filled with terrible dreams of creatures that were dead and yet not. Men and women whose hearts beat no more and yet who moved all the same. There were other creatures amongst them too, animals and things even worse than they. Creatures carved from ice with eyes bluer than the bluest of skies and one that looked his way and that Ned swore wore a smile on his face. When he woke it was early and yet he left his room and walked around the empty yard. He enjoyed the silence and the peace of it and was lost in his thoughts when the horn rang out. One blow of it which meant rangers returning, only this blast came from the watchers on the gates and not the Wall and it wasn't a ranger's arrival that they announced.
"Who is it?" he was asked by Rickard Karstark, the man like him had not able to sleep and had come running when he heard the horn and saw him standing in the yard.
"I don't know." he said as honestly as he could as they both moved to the gates.
The Shadow Tower 301 AC.
Aemon Targaryen.
It had been almost a lifetime ago since he'd made a visit to the Shadow Tower. Just like then he had looked the same as he did now and he almost laughed at the whimsy of the gods. For more than sixty years he'd been the Maester at Castle Black. He'd met almost every commander of the Shadow Tower in that time and though it was not far away, one visit was all he made. Was there anyone still alive from those days then they'd think they were seeing a ghost, but as old as Ser Denys Mallister was, he had not been there when Aemon had last come.
Perhaps he was giving them too much credit too, as despite how he looked it wasn't him that attention was focussed on, but Sandorix as the dragon landed. The black brothers almost as relieved as they were wary to see a dragon in their midst. He climbed down off his dragon's back and told him to rest, they'd soon be flying once more when he escorted Lord Kevan and the Westerlands men to where they needed to be. Aemon traveled without a guard, much to his niece's annoyance and despite the offer of one from her and his nephew, both he and Shiera had refused.
Other than now and long before the fight was to come, he'd not be on the ground or off his dragon's back. So when Jaehaerys had said that perhaps he needed a guard for then, he'd laughed and told him that these men had been his brothers once. If he couldn't count on them to see him safe before the fighting had begun then they were all doomed when it did so. Reluctantly his nephew had agreed and then convinced his niece to do likewise and Aemon could only imagine that Shiera put forward an even better case than he.
"Prince Aemon, Ser Denys, and the Halfhand await you inside." a young man said as he looked past him to where Sandorix rested in the snow.
"Lead the way, young man." Aemon said as he followed behind him.
There was no formality to be faced with, no welcoming committee other than the young man and two more of his men as they led him into the grounds of the Shadow Tower. It hadn't changed much from how he'd remembered it either, other than the men themselves look happier somewhat. As he was led into Ser Denys's solar he could begin to see and feel the why of it. Castle Black had been falling apart around them and the Shadow Tower though better made had no doubt been in even worse shape. With his nephew's and Lord Jaime's help work had been done and though still lesser than what it should be, it was far better than it had been, even on that day he had come here more than sixty years ago.
"Some ale, food?" Ser Denys asked as Aemon took a seat in a rather warm room.
"I've eaten, but I'll take an ale." he said and the Halfhand nodded to one of the men to fetch him one.
"Is it just yourself that's coming, Aemon?" Ser Denys asked and Aemon found himself almost chuckling at both the put-out way he did so and the expression on his face as he looked at him.
Five and Thirty years the Shadow Tower had been under Ser Denys's command and while Aemon had only visited here once, Ser Denys had visited Castle Black many times during that time. He'd spoken to the man on each of those visits, taken note of the needs that he spoke to him about, and then wasted his time sending requests for those needs to be met. Looking around him, it was clear those requests had been answered far more regularly since Jaehaerys became king than they had ever been before then.
"Lord Kevan and the Westerlands fleet should be arriving and we'll be leaving some men to guard the ships and to add to your own. The fight though won't be here, or at least not at first." he said to a surprised look from the Halfhand.
"I had thought the bridge?" the Halfhand asked.
"His grace thinks not and it's to him we take our lead from. Castle Black and the Nightfort and then Eastwatch by the Sea." he said and Denys looked at him curiously.
"How can he be so certain, Aemon?" Denys asked and Aemon smiled.
"There are things my nephew can do that would blow your mind, Denys. I've seen them and even I don't understand them all. What I know is that we live in a world of magic and my nephew possesses more of it than any man I know." he said proudly and then heard the snort from the Halfhand "You don't believe me?"
"I believe that you believe and looking at you sitting there I can see there is magic at work. But this? Knowing where an enemy is going to be before it's there. Looking at the Wall and thinking that an enemy would march on Castle Black and try to pass it there, when the Bridge of Skulls is a far more true way of crossing over, no, Aemon I don't believe you." the Halfhand said.
"It matters not, for it's not Qhorin or I that are in command. My men will stay here, Aemon, and we'll welcome those you bring to bear though I wish your dragon was staying too." Denys said with a cough.
"My nephew will be coming here before the week is over, Denys. There is a reason why this is not where the fight will be, but that reason hasn't happened yet." he said as both men looked at him with looks of disbelief.
He wished he could tell them, let them know what it was that Jaehaerys had planned, but his nephew had been clear that he could not. Just as Jae could see the Night King and his moves, so too could he see some of their own, other than those hidden away in the mind of dragons that was. Aemon asked for and received some food for Sandorix, not enough to feed the dragon for true, but it would put something in his belly. Then after saying his goodbyes to Ser Denys and the Halfhand, it was back on Sandorix's back and they headed out to sea.
Once he'd seen the ships in the distance he told Sandorix that it was time to feed as it would be a little while before he could hunt again. The whale was small but it was enough for now and as Sandorix ate his fill, Aemon waited on the shore for the first of the ships to arrive. He didn't have too long to wait and it was Lord Brax and his men that he welcomed and their smiles at seeing Sandorix and himself were true ones. Tyrion had flown in the war with the Men of the West and they knew what it meant to have a dragon to call upon. Since his nephew would escort the men of Dorne this time around, Aemon had offered to escort the men of the West.
By nightfall, Lord Kevan himself had arrived and Aemon welcomed being able to stay in the Pinnacle ship rather than in the tents and out in the cold air. He knew the Men of the West had been prepared far better than most, both his nephew and Lord Jaime having seen to that. Aemon also knew that the cold of the North was a hard thing to get used to, even for a man like he who'd spent most of his life here. The food was most welcome and the comfort of the cabin provided him with the best night's sleep he'd had since he left King's Landing. Yet it was the night's conversation that he'd enjoyed most of all.
"How do men live in such a place?" Ser Addam Marbrand asked.
"Men are resilient and not all are lucky enough to grow up in the sun." Kevan said and Aemon chuckled.
"And some of those who did found themselves here anyway." Lord Brax said as the laughter rang out.
"Prince Aemon, these daggers, and spears, do you really think they more suitable to the fight to come than my axe?" The Strongboar asked and it wasn't only his eyes that looked his way.
"His grace does. He, Ser Loras, Ser Arthur, and Prince Oberyn fought these things we'll face, Ser Lyle. When he came back from Beyond the Wall, he was even keener that all men would carry Dragonglass. Knives, Spears, Arrowheads, Hammers, Axes, Aye Axes." he said when the Strongboar looked at him "I'll see you're given one since it seems your weapon of choice." he said to loud laughs.
"I thank you, my prince. And I meant his grace no disrespect." the Strongboar said though he didn't need to.
"It's no disrespect to question, Ser Lyle. My nephew wouldn't see it as such and neither do I. Fire, Dragonglass, and Dragonsteel, that's what it requires to end that we face and that's what we've been given. For those who can use them we have spears tipped with Dragonglass or Dragon steel. His grace wields Dark Sister and from what I've been told Lord Jaime carries Blackfyre." Aemon said to surprised looks on all the faces other than Lord Kevan's, the man knowing how important his nephew was to Aemon's own "And we have the dragons for the fire." he said to some banging of mugs on the table.
"To the dragons." the Strongboar shouted.
"Aye, to the dragons." Lord Kevan added.
He woke up the next morning with a headache and yet felt as good as he had in years and over the next three days more than 20,000 men landed and began to march, Aemon waited until the last of them did so before he took to the sky. As he flew, he looked to the Wall and felt Sandorix's reluctance to even contemplate flying over or around it. He'd thought that his dragon would do so since they were so close to the edge, but instead, he'd needed to be led across the Bridge of Skulls on a horse's back rather than on a dragon's.
As he'd stood on the bridge and looked to the vast lands beyond it with the abandoned castle of Westwatch by the Bridge behind him, he'd felt his own fears and doubts begin to rise. Whether it was the feeling that he was being watched, the thoughts of what exactly it was that was out there and moving their way, or knowing that something was stopping Sandorix from being here, he couldn't tell. What he could was that when he'd ridden back and was back on Sandorix's back and flying away from rather than to the Wall, it was only then that his fears began to fade.
Eastwatch By the Sea 301 AC.
Loras.
It was different, felt different being with Garin than it had when he'd lain with Satin. Whether it was because the prince was far more experienced than either he or Satin had been, or that he was feeling a deeper connection with him that he had with his first love, was hard to tell. All he could be sure of was that each night they'd sailed and shared a bed had been a night he'd remember for as long as he lived. He'd wake in the morning and find that his eyes were drawn to the man beside him. His fingers lightly caressing his face of his chest and as Loras closed his eyes he would still able to see what Garin looked like even after he'd done so.
Jae had told him often of how he felt about Margaery. He'd spoken of her in a way that were they any other two people in the world then Loras would have felt jealous of them both. Only that it was his closest ever friend and his sister had it allowed for him to be happy for them both. Happy and not sad that he did not have that in his life and that the chance he'd thought of ever having it had gone and left him all alone. Now though he felt it too, more keenly than he'd ever felt before and it made him love his friend even more knowing that Jae felt that way about Margaery.
"You're doing it again." Garin's voice said and Loras looked at him confused as his love's eyes were open when just a moment before they'd been closed.
"Doing what?" he asked to a chuckle from Garin as he moved his hands to Loras's mouth.
"That smiling thing I like so much." Garin said and Loras laughed as he shook his head.
"You would deny me my happiness?" he asked pretending to be put out.
"Never." Garin said and Loras felt a lump in his throat at the words and the looks that Garin was giving him.
"I...I love you." he said almost shakily, half expecting to hear a laugh or no words at all.
"I love you too." Garin said and a moment later he was kissing him, his tongue touching his own, and were it not for that then Loras would have shouted out in joy.
As much as he would have liked to stay in bed though, he knew they could not. So very reluctantly he moved away and began to dress only for Garin to move with him and make a game out of not giving him his clothing. By the time they were done, he'd been awake an hour and Eastwatch was coming into view. So strapping Rosethorn to his hip, Loras looked to Garin and with a nod, they both walked to the deck. Garin had surprised him with the sword on their first night at sea and Loras really should have expected it knowing Jae how he did.
When Jae hadn't given him a weapon that could defeat the dead he'd not thought too much on it, or at least not until Garin's ship had set sail. He was ashamed now to admit that once he had, he'd felt a little annoyed at his friend. True he knew that he'd given Blackfyre to Jaime and he'd not begrudge the man who meant so much to them both wielding a Valyrian Steel sword. It was however the thoughts that he'd not sought protection for him or had perhaps not cared to, that had begun to take hold in Loras's mind. Which was when Garin had called him to his rooms and presented him with a Valyrian Steel sword that was to be his and his alone.
"Our king wished to have a sword made for you, I believe he actually had already done so other than the hilt. I asked him to allow me to gift you one instead."
When Garin had told him that and handed him the sword, Loras hadn't and perhaps still wasn't sure who'd he'd been more grateful to. Jae for not forgetting about him and for caring enough to make a sword for him and for then allowing Garin to gift him so, or Garin for giving him a sword that he'd since found out had been in his family for generations. It was only that he himself wielded a spear that had allowed Loras to accept it, as soon enough his worry had been that it would be Garin who was unprotected.
He'd then practiced with it every day, not hitting it against anything, but just getting used to the feel of the sword in his hands. That Garin sat and watched him as he did so, gave him another excuse to stand on the deck and swing Rosethorn against opponents that weren't there.
"Eat." Garin said taking him from his thoughts and Loras took the plate off him, the two of them sitting on the bow as they ship pulled into the docks at Eastwatch.
They had passed countless other ships on their journey, Loras amazed by just how many had set out to sea and he was sure that more men marched in this army than had marched to see Jae crowned. He also knew that not all had marched and men like Gerion and others had been refused permission to do so, Jae making plans just in case the worst came to pass. Knowing what was coming for them, he was relieved that they were taking such precautions. The thoughts of them falling here and what that would mean to those left behind were not ones he wished to dwell upon.
Jae had made arrangements for Margaery and Elia, for Joy, Sansa, and Willas, and for his grandmother, mother and father to set sail if need be. The Lannisters, Starks, Tyrells, Martells, all of those that Jae considered family would be in the first ships and Garin would see them housed in Chroyane if needed. So he knew they would be safe, or as safe as you can be when the dead marched. It left the rest of those he cared about to face the danger, Jae, Jaime, and Garlan who would march with the Reach forces, and Garin now too. That he'd be by his love's side and not by his king's was both welcome and not. Though he knew that as with everything Jae did, this had a reason to it and in time that reason would be made much more clear.
"Now you're doing the thing I dislike." Garin said and Loras smirked as he looked at him.
"Maybe you need to turn my frown upside down?" he asked cheekily and Garin chuckled.
"Here, really? Do you not think that would be too much for the Black Brothers to bear?" Garin said and Loras laughed loudly as Garin pointed to the men waiting on the docks for them.
"Perhaps we should wait then?" he said with a smirk.
If he didn't know the truth of Prince Garin then he'd be certain that he was Oberyn's long-lost twin. Not only because of how he looked but how he acted at times too. He had a cheeky way of doing things, an irreverence about him that was refreshing and Loras wondered how his grandmother would take to him when she found out about them both. Margaery already knew, his sister knowing before he ever did no doubt. Jae knew too and his friend was as supportive as he had ever been.
Finishing the meal he handed the plate off to one of the men and then he and Garin readied to disembark. This would be their base, the Rhoynish wouldn't be marching to Castle Black and instead, they'd both protect the ships in case they were needed to evacuate the Free Folk and those of the North, and they would fight the dead when they came their way. By the sea was where they would be best placed to stop the army that marched their way. Garin telling him that Water Magic was just as powerful as the magic the Night King could wield.
"Please by the seven, make it so." he said softly as they walked towards the black brothers that seemed happy to greet them.
The Nightfort 301 AC.
Garlan Tyrell.
He had expected to be left behind again, when news came to him that Tarly was training men for the fight to come, Garlan had been sure that he'd be left in Highgarden once more. So he'd sent word to Jae and practically begged to be given leave to march. How that had gone down with his family he couldn't tell, but it had not gone down well with Leonette. When the raven arrived bidding him train his own men and letting him know that he could if he so wished march, she'd then stopped speaking to him for days.
Nothing he had said to her was accepted and his reasoning for why he had to march was just simply dismissed. Part of that was down to the fact that she was with child and she wished him there when she gave birth, a larger part down to the worry she felt about the danger he would be in while at the Wall. Loras had not been shy in telling their grandmother about what it was he and Jae had faced Beyond the Wall. After which his grandmother had not been shy in telling Leonette the truth of it, once Garlan had requested to lead his men there. He knew the danger, the risks, and that this would be a fight unlike any other. He also knew that his family would be fighting there, both Jae and Loras would be risking their lives. Leonette's brother, his goodbrother, would march as would Ser Jon Fossoway and men he had always named as friends.
It would be shameful for him not to, for a Tyrell not to lead and allow a Tarly to do so. True enough he wished for the glory that he'd not gained during the War of the One True King, the acclaim that he, as a warrior felt, was his due. There was more to his wish to march than that though. The fight to come was not just a fight for the ages, it was a fight for every man, woman, and child in Westeros. A fight for Leonette and their babe and for Margaery and his niece, for his mother and father and his grandmother. For every one that he knew and loved. Eventually, he managed to get that through to Leonette and despite her own feelings and worries, she gave him her favor and told him to come home safely.
After they'd said their goodbyes and while she had traveled to King's Landing to be with the rest of his family, Garlan had marched to Oldtown and joined the other Lords of the Reach. Command was to be split between him, Randyll Tarly, and Mathias Rowan, with Paxter Redwyne in charge of transport and of the ships themselves once they had reached the Bay of Ice. The journey to Oldtown was one that was spent in Tarly's annoying company and laughing with men he named his friends After they had arrived in the North he did at least see moments of respect in Randyll's eyes when he looked his way. Something that only made his need to be here more apparent. Tarly only respected warriors and men he'd bled beside and Garlan was sure they would all bleed in the war to come.
"He's still a miserable fucker." Ser Jon Fossoway said to him as Randyll and Mathias took their leave and went back to their tents.
"That he is, thank the seven we don't have him with us for his humour." Garlan said to a loud laugh from his gooduncle.
"True be that." Ser Jon said.
"I've never known cold such as this." Garlan said shivering despite the furs.
"You think that's why the king had us leave the ships so far from the Wall? So that we'd get used to the North?" Ser Jon asked and Garlan found himself contemplating that.
Their orders had awaited them at Oldtown along with their ships. They were to sail to Deepwood Motte where they would be met by some of the Northern Forces and then to march with them to the Nightfort. It would take them more than a month to do so and they'd already been marching for close to three weeks. The cold air and harsh conditions of the North already costing more than one man a toe or a finger and one or two their lives as they struggled to get used to them. Even those like him who'd done as he'd been bid had found it tough going, though he had found himself able to do more this last week than he had the previous two.
"I think it's part of it." he said realizing he'd been silent for a few moments "There's also the ships themselves as the young lad, Larence was it?" he asked and Ser Jon nodded "As Larence said our ships are to remain in case there is a need to evacuate the North." Garlan said and he could see the worried look on Ser Jon's face.
"I'd still have thought it for the best for them to be closer to the Wall." Ser Jon said.
"The West's ships will take up all the space, further along, the Rhonynish, Dorne's, and the King's own all along the eastern shores. I get the feeling that our ships and the West's combined leave no room for a free dock anywhere along the Western Coast and that's not even counting the Ironborn, Jon." Garlan said.
"Fucking Reavers, you think we can trust them to guard our back?" Jon said his voice bitter as he'd never liked the Iron Born.
"The king does and who am I to gainsay him." he said with a chuckle.
The dragon joined them the next day and when he saw that it was the green and bronze one he saw the surprise on the faces of the men with him. They were more than pleased to have a dragon with them and they knew that Prince Aemon was with the men of the West and Prince Tyrion with the men of Dorne. Garlan suspected that some of them had hoped it would be the king himself who was by their own side, but there wasn't a man among them who'd dare name Princess Shiera a second choice.
"Ser Garlan, Lord Tarly, Lord Rowan." the princess said as she dismounted the green dragon as if it were no more than a pony, Garlan watching as Rhaegal took to the air and flew off a little to the south of them.
"Princess, it's an honor to have you with us." he said with a warm smile.
"I only wish it was for a different reason, Ser Garlan." Shiera said softly "My niece has arrived at Eastwatch and Princes Aemon and Tyrion march with their own men. We're perhaps four days march from the Nightfort and his grace has left men there to help make it more accommodating, though other than sleep it's for the best if we don't dwell in that accursed place." Shiera said, the expression on her face was not one that he could discern.
"You'll march with us, my princess?" Mathias asked and Garlan was surprised at the warm smile that appeared on her face.
"I'm a dragon, Lord Rowan, and dragons belong in the sky. Rhaegal and I will protect you from there and stay by your side when we reach the Nightfort." Shiera said almost jokingly.
"His grace?" Randyll asked.
"Has his own tasks to do but I've no doubt that he'll join us not long after we reach the Nightfort itself." Shiera said to a brisk nod from Randyll.
They actually made it in three and not four days and as soon as he saw the Nightfort he could see why Shiera had named it how she had. So dark and imposing was it and with such an air of something that he couldn't quite name, that he and a lot of the men refused to settle in its halls. Unsurprisingly Tarly dismissed their concerns as silly and took up residence inside the walls as did some of the men who put their warmth over the eeriness of the place. Garlan though felt he'd made the right choice when Princess Shiera herself took a tent rather than a room and even more so a couple of days after they'd arrived, when so did the king.
Castle Black 301 AC.
Jaime.
The march itself had been easy enough, though given he rode with less than a thousand men perhaps that was the reason for it. He passed far larger forces of men and even Tyrion and Oberyn as he marched and he came very close to slowing down and marching with his brother and the Dornish before thinking the better of it. Jaime knew he'd see them all soon enough and he was eager to get to Castle Black and to see Jae once again.
Other than when they'd spoken as he'd departed King's Landing, he'd not seen his king in more than a moon and he found he missed him, both him and Loras. Though it would be even longer until he saw Loras again. He also had a need to get the Westermen ready for what they were to face, Kevan could lead them to the Wall but he was their commander and needed to be seen to be so by them. If he timed it right he'd arrive at Castle Black before they did and it would show them the wisdom of his choice to leave from King's Landing rather than from Casterly Rock.
When he finally saw the walls of the castle come into view it stirred up memories of his last visit here. He could hardly believe it was now almost seven years ago nor how his life had changed since then, and how the visit here in some ways was a large catalyst for that change. It had been coming here that had brought him a wife and two children. Here that had set in motion the events which had brought the realm a good and true king. That visit had alleviated fears that he'd had about his king and the strangeness of the things he could do. So as he rode in through the gates of Castle Black, he did so wearing a true and full smile.
"Lord Jaime, we had not expected you so soon." Ned Stark said as he greeted him after he and his men had dismounted.
"Nor I, is his grace here?" he asked eagerly.
"No, we received a raven from my brother Benjen at Queenscrown telling us he'd met with them and then another from Last Heart saying he had arrived there. Apparently, my nephew has decided to attend a wedding." Ned said with a small smirk on his face.
"Who's getting married?" he asked not sure if he'd heard the man right.
"The Smalljon and Roslin Frey. Benjen's note said that Jaehaerys arrived to escort the Free Folk to the Wall and to make sure that those who weren't to march knew what it was they were to do and then he flew on to Last Hearth to attend the Smalljon's wedding." Ned said his smirk fuller now.
"I believe he feels he owes them both." Jaime said and Ned nodded.
"Aye. Come I'm sure some warm food and cider will be more than welcome. We've set aside rooms for you and Jaehaerys in the King's Tower." Ned said and Jaime turned to Arlan and Farrow to tell them to see the men were settled and fed.
As they walked up the steps he saw men training under the watchful eye of Jae's cousins Robb and Cregan and some men he'd not seen before. He looked at them trying to name them and was noticed by Ned who told him who they were.
"The Company of the Rose. They arrived a couple of days before you, gods even knowing they were back in the North hadn't prepared me for actually meeting the men." Ned said shaking his head.
"Jae used them to protect his aunt and sent them a message about the fight to come. He spoke to me about a prophecy they have, something about the White Wolf calling them back to the North." he said not truly remembering exactly what it was that Jae had said, which considering there was more than one prophecy relating to his king was no great surprise.
"The White Wolf will howl and we will follow, for he is the Prince that is Promised, and only together can we bring the dawn." Ned said almost reverently.
"Never simple are they?" he said with a loud laugh "These prophecies, they never just say what they mean." he added when Ned looked at him confusedly.
"I think this one was simple enough and I thank the old gods that Jae found Ghost." Ned said and Jaime nodded.
He stepped into the Lord Commander's rooms to find a man who could be only Northern, Stannis Baratheon, Jeor and Rickard Karstak all speaking animatedly. Only when they saw that Ned wasn't alone, did the words stop, and Jeor rise to his feet to greet him.
"Lord Jaime, it's good to see you again." Jeor said his greeting warm and true.
"Aye, you too Lord Mormont, though would you hold it against me if I said I'd rather we'd not be meeting now?" he said to laughs.
"Given what we're to face, I doubt there is a man in this room who would." Rickard Karstark said as Jaime shook his hand and then took his seat.
"Here, get this into you, no doubt the road's been about as kind as it always is." Jeor said as he poured him a mug of something steaming, Jaime enjoying the warmth and the taste of the cider as he took his first swallow.
"Perhaps you can talk some sense into, Torrhen here, Jaime." Jeor said almost exasperatedly.
"Jeor?" he asked confusedly.
"The company wish to travel Beyond the Wall and to scout for the army of the dead." Torrhen Snow said to a derisive snort from Stannis Baratheon.
"Then the company will be no more." Jaime said and Torrhen looked at him angrily.
He knew then the argument that was going to come and that Hand of the King or not he'd be told that he had no right to tell the men of the Company of the Rose what they could or could not do. Only Jae could do so and only he would they listen to. Jaime almost smirking when he heard the sound of the dragon as she landed and wondering if the Old Gods had decided for his king to arrive just at that moment, or was Jae's own timing just that damn good.
"The King's here, father." Robb Stark said excitedly as he almost burst into the room.
"You can take it up with his grace, Torrhen, see for yourself why it is he asked me and my men not to range Beyond the Wall for more than a year or two." Jeor said almost sounding like a man who'd won an argument that he was long tired off.
"Aye, I'll speak to the king." Torrhen said with a nod.
With one last swallow of the hot cider, he joined the others as they made their way to the courtyard. He could see Rhaenix towering over the gates which were now opening to allow Jae, Arthur, and Jors inside and they reached the courtyard just as he did. Jaime taking to his knee just as everyone else did and he was happy to see the smile that Jae wore on his face as he approached them.
"By the Old Gods, is that?" he heard Ned Stark ask and Torrhen Snow replied almost proudly.
"The Crown of the Kings Of Winter, The Crown of Torrhen Stark." Torrhen Snow said as Jaime looked to the crown of Iron and Bronze."
"Castle Black is yours, Your Grace." Jeor said as Jae stood in front of them.
"I thank you, Lord Commander, rise all of you, there is much work still to be done." Jae said firmly and Jaime saw the small nod he gave him when he rose and he was glad he'd hurried to make it here in time.
Castle Black 301 AC.
Jaehaerys Targaryen.
He'd flown through the North and watched as men had marched from every land in the Seven Kingdoms. All in all, he had more than a hundred thousand men to call upon. With perhaps close to another fifty thousand spread around in reserves and for protection for those who lived in the North. Should his own army fall, then those men would see that the people made it to the ships and took to the seas. Almost every animal that he'd warged into over the many years would play their parts too. Here in the North, in King's Landing, Highgarden, Oldtown, Lannisport and Casterly Rock. From Storm's End to Sunspear, people would wait and do what his birds and other familiars bid them to.
Would it come to that?
Would he need to evacuate the entire Seven Kingdoms?
If so would he be able to do so should he himself fall?
Time and time again he'd asked himself those questions and the best answer he could come up with was that he would see it done. Should it come to pass then with all he had left he'd see it done and buy the people as much time as he could give them. He was under no illusions that he'd be able to save them, that if he fell to the Night King those he cared about would somehow live in peace. In time the magic that the Night King possessed would bring the entire world of Planetos under his control, and life, all life would end. Jae often found himself remembering something that his uncle, Jaime, and Lady Olenna would say to him as he got closer to his throne.
"When you play the game of thrones and you win or you die. There is no middle ground"
This was no game, but the words were perhaps even more true here and now and it wasn't just his life that was at stake. Everyone that he cared about, from the people who had put their faith in their king to protect them, to his friends who meant so very much to him, to his kin on both sides. To those he'd left behind hoping to keep them from harm or to at least buy them an extra day, week, moon, or year in this world. His wife, his daughter, gods the thoughts of not seeing them again were only kept from his head by his determination to do just that.
"I will hold Elia in my arms and see her grow. I will feel my wife's lips on mine own once more. I will see my family again, those I've left behind and those I lost. I swear it on the Old Gods, On R'hllor, and on the Seven who are one. I swear it on Fire and Blood."
Each night he would go to sleep repeating those words over and over until his eyes closed. What Arthur or Jors must think of him he could only guess. Though he always said the words softly and perhaps they sounded more like mumbles than anything else. He had been happy to see Benjen and Frost again when Rhaenix had landed in Queenscrown. Seeing his uncle be so at peace and so content had almost made him demand that Benjen stay behind with Val and ensure the Free Folk followed his orders to move and run if the need arose.
If he believed for even a moment that he'd accept it then he'd have given the order, but he knew he would not. Instead, he'd watched as Benjen, Val, Tormund, and Mance had said their goodbyes and as the Free Folk marched into a fight better prepared and better equipped than the last one. He hoped it was enough and that he'd done enough, he prayed it was. What made him fly to Last Hearth he knew not, but fly there he did and arrived to find he was just in time for a wedding. The Greatjon was more than pleased to see him and even more so that Ghost was in King's Landing and not with him or part of the army that awaited them at the Wall. Though he did get the feeling he was also far more disappointed about that absence than he let on.
The wedding had been a boon to his soul and he'd wished the bride and groom well and even offered the Smalljon leave to travel with his bride. That part he'd done in private so as to get the man's true feelings and not to allow his bravado to be his guide. The answer he received was one that he knew would bring a smile to his face whenever he thought about it in the days to come. An answer that only the Smalljon would have been able to give.
"You think I'd let dead men march in the North, Jae? That I'd pass up the chance to fight in such a fight. I tell you what I'll do, this ax, this Dragonglass ax that I'm meant to wield, I'm going to take it and shove it right up the Night King's icy cold arse.
WHO'S NEXT TO FACE GOATSBANE?" the Smalljon shouted and Jae was happy that he was on their side.
He'd left before the Umbers had marched and had promised Roslin he'd do all he could to bring her husband back to her. It was a promise he'd do his best to keep, but he had made so many promises that he knew not all would be possible for him to do so. When they arrived finally at Castle Black he was happy to see Jaime there. To see Robb and Cregan, and to speak to his uncle Ned. He hoped he'd have some time with them all before the fight was upon them. After bidding them rise, he walked with them to the Lord Commander's rooms, his cousins, his uncle, his father by choice, all of them looking more to the crown than to him.
"Torrhen found it buried some miles from here. It seems that Aegon never took it with him after King Torrhen knelt." he said before the question could be asked.
"It looks good on you, your grace." his uncle said and Jae smiled at him.
"It's the only crown I could wear in the battles to come uncle. Aegon's crown is not for this place or for this fight. It was King of Winter and a King Beyond the Wall that turned back the original Night's King. Brandon the Breaker and Joramun beat him back and there is power in this crown I feel it. Though what that power is, I know not." he said to confused looks as they entered the room.
It didn't take too long for him to find out that there had been an argument of sorts going on for the last few days. Torrhen wished to travel Beyond the Wall and scout the enemy, perhaps even to attack them as if they were a common foe. With a nod to Jors, he waited while his Kingsguard ran to gather his things and a few moments later Jors came running back into the room carrying the chest. All eyes looked eagerly towards it and when he opened it and took out the Glass Candles he could see the surprise on Torrhen's face.
"I had hoped not to have to do this until the men of the West and Dorne arrived, I'd not seek to waste it on just the men in this room, no offense to you all." he said to chuckles "Lord Commander, gather the senior men of the Watch, Uncle, cousins, the Northern Lords, Torrhen your commanders if you will. Have them brought to the Common Hall." he said and all but Jaime left the room.
"You seem tired, Jae." Jaime said softly.
"Aye, I am. It's not lack of sleep though, so your not sending me to bed." he said to a laugh from Jaime and his Kingsguard.
"Then what is on your mind?" Jaime asked a few moments later.
"We'll speak later, come we'd better show them what it is they're soon to face." he said as he walked from the room, Jaime, Jors, and Arthur beside him as he did so.
A/N: Thanks to all who've read and reviewed. So as some of you may be aware, I deleted the two chapters I was ready to post while changing computers. Given where the story is, it took a lot longer to rewrite them as I needed to make sure they both didn't contradict what came before or mess up what came after. This meant a re-read of the entire story, then a read of the chapters I've written to come and was a pain in the arse lol.
Anyway, all is back on track, my work has all been moved to the cloud so I can't be stupid again and TDC is back on schedule. Up next, Dany, Tyrion, and Oberyn arrive where they're meant to, a look into the Glass Candles takes us back much further than Jae imagined as we see the King who Knelt and why. The NIght king shows off his power and the truth of the fight to come is finally made clear to all those at the Wall.
