Eastwatch 301 AC.
Loras.
As much as he'd have liked to spend all his time with Garin, there were duties he had to attend to while he was here as well. While most of their forces were made up of the Rhoynish, Free Folk, and some men from the North, men from the Crownlands had joined with them as had men from the Vale, along with the Princess's own men. So Loras had been tasked to arrange all of their forces as well as he could. Though the Princess and Prince Garin were more in charge than he, he had actually faced the dead and so mostly they deferred to him.
He had also ridden to the evacuation points more than once in order to ensure that they'd set up the system to allow for quick and untroubled loading of the ships if the need arose. That more than arranging the men at Eastwatch had taken up most of his time. The Free Folk didn't do organized and they were not a people that were keen to follow orders. More times than he could count he'd had to bring up Jae's name and speak about Hardhome. Even now Loras was finding himself losing his temper with a large group of them who'd not been at Hardhome, and who were the most reluctant to do as they were told.
"Ask it of those who were there. Ask them and then act how you are. I saw thousands fall only to rise again, men, women, or children it mattered not. You see an army standing between you and the Wall and what lies behind it and Aye we'll fight for you. But should they come then you'll need to play your part." he said angrily.
"These kneelers are trying to tell us what to do." a voice called out.
"Aye, they are. Why do you think that is? Why do you think these ships are here?" he asked to silence "The king wishes you safe and to do that you may have to leave. The easier that happens, the more lives will be saved, it's not kneeling to do as you're told, it's only kneeling if that's all you ever do." he said to some nods and shouts of agreement.
It was night by the time he made it back to his camp and Garin was off amongst the Water Wizards to help prepare them for the fight to come. So Loras made his way to the princess's camp and the Dragon's Breath. He wasn't stopped or even challenged until he reached the ship itself. Once he did, the Unsullied wouldn't allow him on board until they'd been given the go-ahead by Strong Belwas. Not even the fact of who he was would let him board the ship unchecked and he was glad to see the princess was taking such precautions.
When he reached the deck he was escorted down to the largest of the cabins and he found he'd arrived just in time for the evening meal. Daenerys was sitting and laughing at something that Aurane was saying while Belwas took his seat beside the Hound and didn't bother to announce his arrival. Loras chuckling to himself at how long it took for the princess to notice he was there, so wrapped up was she in her husband's conversation.
"Ser Loras, all is well?" Daenerys said when Aurane noticed him and whispered in her ear.
"It is, I just came by to check that you've had no issues settling in?" he asked and Daenerys laughed as she shook her head.
"Other than the cold, no. Some of the Free Folk have come by from time to time, mainly to check that Ellagon is still here and hasn't left them I believe. Were I a less confident person then I'd perhaps be miffed that they care more for my dragon than me." Daenerys said with her smile still on her face.
"Have you been to the evacuation point?" Aurane asked as he was bid to take a seat.
"I have and I've spoken to some of the more disagreeable among the Free Folk. Explained some things to them that they seem to have taken to heart." he said as Aurane nodded.
"They're a most unusual people are they not?" Daenerys asked.
"They follow their own rules, princess." Loras said as he paused before speaking again in a bad mummery of an older man's voice "The freedom to make my own mistakes." he said as the princess, Aurane, the Hound, and Belwas all looked to him confusedly. "It was something that Mance Rayder told his grace and I when we were Beyond the Wall." he added hoping that it cleared up their confusion only to find that it led to more questions.
"He was a man of the Watch was he not?" Aurane asked and Loras nodded.
"He was. A number of years ago he was ranging Beyond the Wall and he got injured. A Free Folk woman saved his life or so he told his grace and me. His cloak had been damaged and the woman sewed a piece of cloth to it to repair it but since she had no black cloth she used red. When he got back to the Shadow Tower he was ordered to remove the red from his cloak and for Mance that was the day he left the Night's Watch." Loras said as they all listened keenly.
"He left over some cloth?" Aurane asked with a chuckle and Loras went to answer only for the Hound to do so for him.
"He owed the woman a debt and wearing the cloth was to honor her." the Hound said gruffly.
"Aye, that was the heart of it. That and the notion that even on such a simple thing he was been given no freedom to make a choice, to make his own mistake." Loras said and Daenerys nodded. "From there he united the Free Folk under his leadership and readied to bring them past the Wall."
"He sounds like a good man and I know my nephew thinks most highly of him." Daenerys said while looking at him to see if he felt likewise.
"We've fought and bled with him, princess. Him and the Free Folk. I know some think of them as wildings and savages, but in all the time they've been south of the Wall they've held true to their word. There are far too many in the South who have and did not." Loras said before shaking his head "And I think I'm done, I came not to lecture or to speak on things such as this, but simply to check all was well with all here." he said rising to his feet.
"Sit and eat with us, Ser Loras, come we'll talk on more pleasant things." Daenerys said looking directly at him.
"Thank fuck for that, I was about to go and find some other fuckers to eat with." the Hound said to laughs.
"No you weren't you lying fucker, we're the only ones that brought chicken." Daenerys said and Loras was soon laughing along with them as he ate.
They were joined by Grey Worm and Ser Bonifer not long after the food arrived and Loras began to feel a little like an outsider. Those at the princess's table weren't another court, they were more another family and though they made him welcome to visit, it was clear he was not and never would be a part of that family. Not that he minded that much, not only did he have his own family but he too had some of what those here had with Jae and Margaery, Jaime and Dacey, Joy and Sansa, and those that resided in the Red Keep. They were as much his family as his actual blood were or as those sitting at this table were Daenerys's.
It wasn't until the next morning when Garin returned, Loras having spent the night sleeping alone and he had missed him terribly. Garin's first words to him told him that he had felt the same and that his absence had been needed but not welcomed by himself either. They broke their fast and spent the early part of the day, riding through the camp and just going over drills with the men. Just after midday they made their way to the castle at Eastwatch and spoke to Cotter Pyke. It as they were readying for lunch that it happened, the air grew cold, and then Loras, Garin, and all of the men in the courtyard looked to the sky as day became night.
Eastwatch 301 AC.
Daenerys.
Ellagon had required more and more of her attention since they came here. The dragon didn't like being so close to the Wall and had made her lair in some caves that were cut into nearby cliffs. She ate on top of a large hill and Dany was forced to fly with her every morning and most evenings. Not until they'd spent time together would Ellagon calm and fly back to her lair to rest. It both warmed her heart that she was so protective of her and worried her that she felt the need to be.
Other than because of her dragon's reluctance to be here, Dany had almost enjoyed herself since she came here. She'd watched as the Hound, Belwas, Bonifer, and Grey Worm had taken turns teaching the men of the Rhoyne and others how to fight what they may soon face. Each of her own men had been drilled by Ser Arthur and by Jae himself and she knew that Ser Loras too had fought the dead and was now drilling others. When not watching the men train or riding on her dragon's back, Dany spent her time with the young girls and women of the Free Folk who'd taken to her almost from the moment they'd first seen her.
Whether that was because of her dragon, Jae, or as some had said to her because her hair looked like the moon's glow, she cared not. She simply enjoyed being in their company and they seemed to enjoy being in hers. Her nights were a much different matter and perhaps they were the true reason she'd found herself enjoying being here. They would eat, laugh and jape, tell stories and even listen to songs. Dany finding out that both Belwas and Bonifer had decent voices on them even if the songs they sang were much different. Belwas's were funny and bawdy while Bonifer's more times than not tended to be sad. Then once the night was done, she and Aurane would retire to their cabin and spend the night in each other's arms.
She had found that it was not just at night she liked to lay with her husband either, Dany now smiling as she watched him dress. They'd been on deck when she'd felt a need to be with him, a need she'd been glad he'd given in to. With a simple look and motion of her head, he'd taken her hand and they'd hurried down to their cabin, and once there the hurrying, much to her pleasure, had stopped. As she lay in bed and watched him dress, she found herself content and happy, more so than she had ever dared to dream she would be. It was a feeling that didn't last long as she looked to see Aurane move to the window with an odd look on his face.
"Aurane?" she asked worriedly.
"It can't be, it's too early." Aurane said his tone more confused than concerned, or so she hoped as she rose from the bed and wrapped the sheet around herself.
"What can't be?" she asked before she heard Ellagon roar "Aurane?"
She dressed as quickly as she could, her husband helping her into her armor rather than her normal clothing. Grey Worm and Bonifer had come running to their door to make sure they were both safe and well and she heard Ellagon's roars grow ever louder as the dragon made her own way to them. Once they left the cabin she didn't waste any time walking up on deck and then off the ship. Ellagon arriving and landing almost at the same time as her own feet touched the ground. Dany moved quickly to the dragon and offered her reassurances that she was safe and well.
"I'm here, my love, I'm here." she said as Ellagon's eyes seemed to almost check over every inch of her "I'm here." she said softly as she stroked the dragon's snout.
Around them there was panic and she knew then what she needed to do. She climbed up on Ellagon's back and was soon joined by Aurane and the others who'd hurried after her, all of them now standing around while she spoke.
"I must fly and show them that we're here for them. Go amongst the men, have them light torches, and form up in case they're needed. Go, I'll be on Ellagon's back, go." she said as the dragon took to the air.
She lost count of how many times she had Ellagon fly and roar while releasing her flames not in anger but in a vain attempt to provide much-needed light. The dragon's presence did however seem to have a calming effect. When people saw that they were here and that they were using their flames not against an enemy, but against the dark itself, it seemed to have an effect.
Below them, Aurane, Sandor, Belwas, Bonifer, and Grey Worm had been joined by Ser Loras and Prince Garin in helping to calm people's fears. Dany then flew higher once she saw that the initial panic was over with and though Ellagon wouldn't fly past the Wall, she flew closer to it than she had before. The damnable thing about it was that in the darkness she could barely see it other than the few torches that had been lit. She certainly couldn't see beyond it and so after showing the men at the castle that they were in the air if needed, she and Ellagon flew back over the camp and then onto the evacuation point.
It took her longer to calm these people down, Dany actually having to land in order to do so. She ordered them to light torches and told them that the men up ahead had already formed up. When asked if they were under attack she told them they were not and hoped that she was in the right of it. Only when she was sure that they too were calmed did she fly back to the main camp and to Aurane and those she cared about. Ellagon was very reluctant to let her climb down off her back and so Dany was then forced to spend time speaking and calming her down while Aurane waited to speak to her.
"What do we know?" she asked her husband when Ellagon finally gave her leave to walk from her side.
"That one moment it was day and the next it was night." Aurane said his frustration clear.
"We need to go to the Wall, we must see over it and find out if we're under attack or not." she said and he looked at her with concern "We must, we're in the dark here, in more ways than one." she said to a nod.
Bonifer, Sandor, and Aurane all joined her on Ellagon's back after she'd told Grey Worm and Belwas to see to the men. They would need calm heads should this be what she feared it was and while Belwas at times acted a fool, he was anything but when it came to battle. As for Grey Worm, he was perhaps the single calmest person she knew. It took them no time at all to reach the castle at Eastwatch and she was unsurprised to find both Ser Loras and Prince Garin had come here too, both men having the same idea as she had no doubt.
"Princess, you and your men? " Ser Loras asked.
"Are safe and well, Ser, the Rhoynish?" she asked looking to Prince Garin who nodded to let her know that they too were well "Ellagon and I flew to the evacuation point, I believe we've calmed the Free Folk down for now. What is this?" she asked willing anyone to answer.
"The Long Night has fallen, princess. This is how things will be until the Night King is defeated." Prince Garin said his voice showing his concern but he seemed less fearful than she and the others were by this.
She looked to Aurane and to Bonifer, both of them staring at the prince with worried looks on their faces. The Long Night was a legend, a myth, something they'd not prepared themselves for because how can you prepare for it to be a night eternal. When she looked to Sandor she grew more worried as for once he wore a look on his face that showed his true concerns.
"We'll speak more on this later, for now, we need to see Beyond the Wall." she said to nods and Ser Loras went in search of the Commander at Eastwatch only to return and tell them that Cotter Pyke was way ahead of them and had already made his way to the top of the wall.
Bonifer and Aurane grabbed torches and she reached out and squeezed Sandor's hand when he stepped back from the open flame. They then made their way to the long winding staircase and by the time they reached the top of the Wall, she was out of breath and not looking forward to the long walk back down. Cotter Pyke was standing in a covered area that looked out over the other side of the Wall and so they made their way to him.
"Princess, it's good to see you. To see you all safe." Cotter said to them and Dany asked him if his own men had suffered any accidents or harm, relieved to find out they had not "I wish I could tell you more than I'm about to, but I can see nothing out there, not that there's nothing out there mind. Just in this…" Cotter said as he waved his hands in the darkness.
"There's not even a moon to offer any light." Ser Loras said before he moved to the edge and looked out over it.
"Can your ravens fly in this?" she asked to a nod from one of the black brothers "Send word to his grace at Castle Black and ask for advice on how to proceed."
"At once princess." the man said before hurrying away to do as she'd bid.
"All we can do is make-ready and see that torches and fires are kept lit. We'll order the men to form up and your horns will need to be our call to arms, Commander." she said to Cotter.
"I'll post my best lookouts up here, men behind men just in case they're needed, each will carry a horn and I'd suggest that if you hear even one blow on it you make ready." Cotter said his voice shaky.
"I thought one blow was for rangers?" Ser Loras asked.
"There be no rangers out there, lad. In this darkness we may not get a chance to blow the horn more than the one time, best we accept that for the now." Cotter said and Dany saw the logic in the man's words.
Three blows of the horn meant others but how could you see them when you could barely see a few feet in front of your face. She left it to Prince Garin and Ser Loras along with Bonifer and Sandor to see to the rotation of their forces. Up until now, men had rested at night and only those on watch stayed awake. With the chance of an attack at any moment that could no longer be how they did things and they'd need to have a large force ready to be called into action at a moment's notice. Half and half was what was suggested and she left it to those more experienced than her to see it done.
Aurane had held her tightly in their bed that night or day or whatever it was, their room bathed in darkness other than the one candle that she insisted be left alight. How many hours had passed since they'd last seen the light of the sun were few and yet in the darkness it felt like many. The night is dark and full of terrors, Melisandre had said and Dany felt that to be an apt phrase. More so after making her way to her dragon where she now stood by Ellagon's head and stroked her snout to calm her down after a night or a day's sleep. When she heard her dragon's trill it caught her by surprise, as did the cheers that rang out. She turned to see what the reason for those cheers was and finally she saw a light once more.
Eastwatch 301 AC.
Jaehaerys Targaryen.
The feeling had come over him so suddenly that for the briefest moment he'd not believed it. It was only when he saw that there was no attack headed their way that he knew for certain. Once he was sure he then had no choice but to leave. He spoke briefly to his uncles and to Jaime and then he and Arthur hurried to the lift and to the ground below. When they reached the courtyard of Castle Black he wasted no more time and so after sending word to Jors to stay with Tyrion and Aemon, he and Arthur climbed onto Rhaenix's back and headed for Eastwatch.
As they flew he warged into the birds that he'd left near Dany's ship and Loras's tents and found that both the birds and his aunt and friend were now atop the Wall. Looking through the owl's eyes and out into the darkness allowed him to see further than any of those on top of the Wall could and yet he could still see nothing. He knew they were there though, waiting and watching and he only hoped that he arrived before they did. The forces at Eastwatch were prepared and in Prince Garin they were led by a warrior of some repute. This though was a war unlike any other and even he'd been shocked by what the Night King had been able to do so far.
They flew on the southern side of the Wall for no other reason than that's the side they were on. If he had thought he'd see what he needed to on the northern side then he'd have flown there, but he had a feeling that what was to happen at Eastwatch was to be different somehow. The Night King was not going to attack with a wall of ice and so the army of the dead would not be lined up how they had been at Castle Black. Flying over the Haunted Forest and laying down flames wouldn't yield the same results and he couldn't even be sure that the army of the dead was hiding amongst the trees.
He drew Lightbringer from its sheathe more to show those on the ground that he had come, rather than so he could see those below him, though it did help in that regards also. Since he'd held the sword aloft as he'd flown in the darkness from the Bridge of Skulls to Castle Black, a clarity had come to him. Lightbringer was to end the Night King and Bring the Dawn, but it was more than that too. It was a symbol, a thing to rally around, a beacon in the darkness, and beacons needed to be seen.
"Down there, Jae." Arthur said from behind him and he saw the wide-open space that the knight was referring to.
"Aye, down there." he said as he told Rhaenix to land.
No sooner had they landed than they were almost surrounded by people. Free Folk, Rhoynish, some men of the Vale, and those from the Crownlands. Mainly though it was Prince Garin's men and once she knew he was safe Rhaenix took to the air once more and went in search of Ellagon. Jae spoke only briefly to those around them and confirmed that he, Arthur, and Rhaenix would not be leaving Eastwatch for some time to come. Be it his words or Lightbringer being held in his hands, the effect was the same, and where there was worry or doubt only moments earlier, now there was hope and resolve.
"We should head to the Wall." he said and Arthur nodded, the two of them walking slowly but with purpose towards the castle and the stairway that led to the top of the Wall.
Was it another time he'd have hurried, was he not worried about the panic seeing him and Arthur running may cause, he'd have hurried still. He knew though that he needed to project a feeling of calm and a look of composure and so he simply strolled and by the time they reached the courtyard, Dany, Loras, Aurane and Prince Garin were all waiting for him, though it was Cotter Pyke who reached him first.
"Eastwatch is yours, your grace and mighty pleased we are to have you here." Cotter said almost smiling as he did so.
"Would that I was here for better reasons, commander." he said with a small nod "Can you gather your seconds and arrange a place where we can all meet and speak?"
"At once your grace, my solar should be large enough." Cotter said as he moved from the yard quickly.
Jae offered Dany his warmest smile when he moved to her before embracing her and kissing her softly on the cheek.
"It's good to see you, Dany." he said softly.
"You too, Jae, you're staying?" she asked worriedly.
"Aye, though I wish I was not." he said and felt her shiver against him.
"Loras." he said with a nod as he moved from Dany, though he wished he could embrace his friend too.
"Your grace." Loras said, smiling a true and relieved smile.
"Aurane."
"Your grace."
"Prince Garin, if you'll walk with me. I've organized a meeting with the commander, I'll explain what's going on once we get there." Jae said and Garin looked at him and nodded.
"Of course, your grace."
When they reached the commander's rooms he declined the offer of some food or something to drink though he insisted Arthur took some of both. He sheathed Lightbringer and took a seat and waited for the others to do the same before he began to speak.
"I stopped an attack at the Bridge of Skulls before destroying the bridge itself. As I was doing so the Night King and his army attacked Castle Black but were held back by the forces there until I arrived and they retreated. They're here or soon will be and so here I'll await them." he began before Dany interrupted him.
"The dark, Jae, how is it so dark?" she asked her voice shaky.
"The Long Night comes before the Dawn, Dany. Just as Lightbringer brings the light, the Night King ushers in darkness and until he falls, darkness is what we'll know." Jae said reaching out to touch his aunt's hand and offer her as reassuring a squeeze as he could.
"So the tales are true." Prince Garin said and Jae looked to him and nodded.
"All the tales are true. Myths and legends only became that because the truth of them was forgotten over time. The Children of the Forest, the Others, Wargs, Greenseers, Dragon Dreamers, and even Water Wizards, all became stories in books. I'm a Warg, a Greenseer, a Dragon Dreamer, I've met with the Children of the Forest and fought against the Others. The truth of things is simple. The Night King will cast the world in darkness unless he's stopped and I, we, will stop him." Jae said as firmly as he could.
From the moment he'd found out the truth of himself it had been a struggle to find his voice, his true voice. At times he'd let his worries and doubts influence not only his thoughts but his words and deeds too. He still had them, still worried, and was at times still full of doubts. What he'd learned though was that people looked to him and to Margaery too. They looked to their king and their queen and willed them to give them courage when they had none, to be certain when they were not, and to do what needed to be done without hesitation.
Through Ghost he knew that Margaery was worried and concerned for him and Elia, for Garlan and Loras, and for those they both cared about that were here and those who were not. He knew she was frightened and wished to be comforted and yet he could do little for her from here. So she hid her own feelings and offered comfort to the men, women, and children of King's Landing. She was their beacon, their light, and she spoke to them with a queen's voice. The least he could do was to speak to those with him with a king's one. So he had and the more he had, the more that voice was becoming his own.
"We will be attacked, how and when, I don't know. But we will be attacked and we must be prepared for anything." Jae said and Cotter nodded while Garin looked to him to take a lead.
"What would you have us do, your grace?" Loras said determinedly.
For the next hour, Jae laid out his orders and as soon as he was finished he was left alone with Arthur and Dany as they were carried out. He closed his eyes and looked through all of the birds one's once again and saw Jaime on top of the Wall with Oberyn looking out on what felt like an empty land. His uncle Ned was resting while Benjen was with his cousins, Val, Tormund, and Mance. All of them sitting around laughing at some tall tale that Tormund was telling them. Tyrion and Aemon sat around a fire with Jors and Bronn while Sandorix and Lygaron rested not far from them. The wolves were hunting for food and he was relieved to find their heckles weren't raised in the slightest.
"Jae, Jae." Dany said shaking him and he opened his eyes to see her looking worriedly at him "When is the last time you slept?" she asked him her hand touching his cheek softly.
"I'm not…"
"Don't tell me you're not tired, you just dozed off. Go get some rest, it won't do any of us any good if you're…"
The sound of the horn rang out, once, twice, and then a third time, and whether he needed it mattered not, for there would be no rest to be found this night.
"He's here." He said as he jumped to his feet.
Battle of Eastwatch 301 AC.
Borcas.
While below him Cotter Pyke had met with the king to organize the defenses and ready for the battle soon to come, the top of the Wall had been left to him to command. He stood there with almost two thousand men, some of whom would take no orders from him. They would however take their lead from him and though he hoped for nothing to happen until braver men then he led the line, lead the line he would.
What it was he was leading it against, he could only imagine. The tales of the Others had been just that to him and he'd not seen what some had claimed to have seen. He knew Stannis Baratheon though and that man was not one prone to exaggeration of flights of fancy. Borcas as Steward of Eastwatch had been the one who'd dealt most with the Wildings too and though he'd not trust one of them as far as he could throw one, he'd found no lies in their eyes when they spoke to him of Hardhome.
Some may name them liars and worse and while on the latter he'd been just as guilty as any man who wore a black cloak, on the former he'd never thought them so. Not unless it was information about their clan you were seeking that was. He pulled his cloak tighter around him and shook his head of such thoughts as he moved to the fire to warm himself up before he moved back to look over the edge of the Wall. He'd not be able to tell you why or how he felt it when he did. Nor how he knew it was a true feeling and not just his nerves playing tricks on him. All he knew was they were there and so he moved to the edge of the Wall and looked out before ordering a flaming arrow to be fired.
"Daeron, fire an arrow off." he shouted.
"At what, Borcas?" Daeron asked confused.
"Fire the damn arrow into the air so I can see what's out there, for fuck's sake." he shouted his agitation clear.
He watched the ground as the arrow flew, the light from it not showing him much. What it showed him was enough though and so he ordered more arrows to be fired, this time down below and not up in the air, and as they hit their targets he grabbed the horn from his waist and began to blow. For the next hour he ordered men to release arrows and below them on the northern side of the Wall dead things burned and yet kept coming.
Borcas felt sure that he was certain to die here and while that had always been the case, as pardon from the Watch was not something he'd ever be granted, he'd hoped it would be many years from today that he drew his last breath. He heard Cotter Pyke's voice behind him and he turned to look and saw Ser Arthur Dayne by his side, and he breathed a huge sigh of relief. He still felt he was going to die here and that today was perhaps still to be that day, but at least it would be only his own life that he'd be in charge of, and should he face his gods then it would be only his own life that he'd have lost.
Dany.
She'd been almost dragged away from the Wall by Bonifer and Grey Worm. The two men listening to her nephew's orders and not her own and it annoyed her greatly. So much so that she had barely listened to the words that Jae had said and it was only when she reached Ellagon that she remembered them. Dany was to mount her dragon and to be ready to fly if Rhaenix called for her and only if Rhaenix called for her.
"I do not know the plan here, only that here is where the fight is, Dany. Give me time to understand it before you and Ellagon are part of it, I beg of you." Jae said to her as Grey Worm and Bonifer arrived to usher her from the castle.
As they moved through the camp it was chaos, organized though that chaos was. Men and women ran as if they were in a panic, but the more she thought about it the more she was sure there was a purpose in their running. Around her a guard had formed, her unsullied, Ser Bonifer and Grey Worm all there in case she came under attack before she could take to the sky. That had been a concession she'd made to Sandor and to Aurane once he'd heard Sandor demand it of her. She'd not even argued with him like she normally would have. The knowledge that he saw her as a little sister and that he'd worry about her safety to the point of neglecting his own, was enough to see to her agreement.
"Fire, princess." she heard Grey Worm say and she looked to the distance to see torches being lit and flaming arrows flying in the sky.
"Where are they firing?" she asked worriedly.
"Beyond the Wall." Ser Bonifer said and Dany nodded "You must mount your dragon, princess." the knight added his voice now full of concern.
"I will, Bon." she said speaking the name she'd heard her mother call him by when they'd seen her in the Glass Candles, it was something she'd do from time to time and she knew that he brightened up when she did so.
She climbed up Ellagon's wing and when she reached her back she took her place in the saddle. Reaching behind her she opened up the pack she herself had tied to the saddle before she'd set out on this journey north. Taking out the belt she tied it to her waist and looked at the twin daggers. Though she'd spend her time on her dragon's back she knew that things could go wrong. If Aurane had his way then she'd be taking Sandor with her even in the air, but as secure as the saddle was for flying with passengers, it was not suitable to do so if she was laying down Ellagon's flames.
No, once she took to the air it would be up to her and Ellagon to see about her safety, and should she need to land in one of the many places that she'd scouted and thought it was safe to do so, she'd still perhaps need to protect herself. She untied the bow and placed it on her back, along with the quiver that was full of Dragonglass tipped arrows and then she, Bonifer, Grey Worm, and Ellagon waited for the call to come.
Arthur.
He moved with Loras and the Prince's men, lining them up on top of the Wall and making sure that each of them was armed correctly. Most held spears and shields, both of which had been tipped with Dragonglass. The Rhoynish shields incorporated a spike that they used for an attack as well as defense, and so the Dragonglass had been adapted into the design. Looking at it now he could see the advantages of it and he felt it should be something their own men used in the future. Firstly though they had to see that there was a future to be had.
After they'd readied the men and had them formed up, he gave Loras leave to go and find the prince and he moved to where Cotter Pyke and the other men of the Watch were standing. They had maybe two thousand men on top of the Wall, far less than Jae had said were at Castle Black but his king had said the attack here would not be the same. Arthur thanked the gods for that, the thoughts of seeing a wall of ice forming in front of him and what it may do to the men's morale were not ones that he wished to dwell upon.
"His grace." Cotter said, pointing at the light in the distance.
Arthur looked to where Rhaenix and Jae were flying, they were out over the Bay of Seals, and was it not for the light that shone from Lightbringer and the flames that Rhaenix was laying down, then he'd not have seen them. As he looked at the dead walking over the ice and moving around the bay, he wished he still could not. How many had attacked the Wall at Castle Black he knew not. Not even Oberyn or Ned Stark had been able to give them a number and it had frustrated him greatly that no one had the presence of mind to work it out.
Knowing the odds you faced was key to winning most battles and wars and yet he now felt a fool for being so annoyed at both Oberyn and Ned. How were you supposed to count a number when the army stretched as far as the eye could see and beyond that point they marched in complete darkness? All he could be certain of was that thousands marched across the ice and that the arrows they'd fired before he'd reached the top of the Wall, had not been aimed at the true strength of the enemy they faced.
"Ser Arthur, Ser Arthur." a voice called out and Arthur turned to see what looked to be dark shapes flying in the air towards them.
"Torches, grab the torches." he said as he swung the one he carried in his hand at what he could now see was a dead bird that shouldn't be able to fly.
Garin.
He'd left Loras behind so that he could get to his men and form them up and he hoped he was doing what was right, both for his love and his men. The king had taken to the sky and had headed North and each time he looked behind him, he could see the flames as they fell on the unseen enemy below. The attack had caught them in the middle of the preparations and so his instructions were far less than what they could have been.
"Gather the Water Wizards and move them to the water. Make them ready them for what may come their way." Jae had said before he'd ran past him and to the dragon that awaited.
As he ran he shouted orders to his men, he told them to form up and to face both the Wall and the sea. They formed an arc of men that almost made a complete circle and he hoped he was doing the right thing. He smiled when he saw Gylleo and Haran and his smile grew even larger when he saw Nesila already ordering the Water Wizards to line up and move to the sea. She even more than he knew where their strengths truly lay and no sooner had he reached her than she was running once more.
How she knew about the attack he couldn't tell but he heard the mumbling of her words as she called upon Mother Rhoyne and then the sound of the waves as they crashed against the shore. Then it was still, no sound, no wind, and no darkness. The water turned a gleaming blue as the waves stopped their crashing and formed into a large wall of water. He watched as it moved and then as it caught the birds and dragged them back down into the sea.
There were hundreds of them and then they were gone. The birds had been flying towards Nesila and the other Water Wizards and then they were just swept away. He moved carefully over the ground the water had covered a moment earlier and looked down at his feet to see that water that remained had already turned to ice.
"His grace wants us at the water's edge." he said and Nesila nodded.
"They intend to turn it to ice?" Nesila asked and Garin looked from the sea to the edge of the Wall and he knew the words she spoke were true.
"The Water Wizards are yours to command, Nesila. I'll gather the archers to make sure you're protected should you come under attack once more." he said moving away.
"The king?" she asked.
"Has his own fight to win." he said as he saw Loras in the distance heading his way.
Jaehaerys Targaryen.
They flew around rather than over the Wall, soon they were flying over the Bay of Seals, and then he saw them below. Without a word to Rhaenix he let her know that she was free to let loose her flames and let them loose she did. Just like with the wall of ice it soon became clear that they'd not melt the ice the dead now walked upon and so he didn't even try. Instead, he and Rhaenix concentrated on the dead themselves and burned as many of them as they could.
There were more of them here, more than had been at Castle Black and though their flames were devastating they were not devastating enough. No matter how many times Rhaenix let them loose, the dead kept marching and despite them being dead already it made him think of them as not. Jae imagined them as he would his own army, and considered how he'd feel if he suffered such devastating losses. How long would his spirit remain unbroken if thousands of those who marched for him fell. It made him wonder if the Night King's army was just so big that he could just simply accept such losses and it was then that it hit him.
"Skane, Rhaenix, he's heading to Skane and to Skagos." he said worriedly, and as he looked to the shore and the Wall so very far in the distance he knew he had now had no other choice "Tell her, tell Ellagon to fly."
They reached Skagos first, the island no longer was one as it was now surrounded not by sea but by ice. He saw them moving towards it and he knew what he needed to do. Rhaenix much to his surprise agreeing with him and not arguing and so he brought her in to land and saw the shapes hidden amongst the rocks as they looked out at him, Rhaenix, and the army of dead men that moved towards them. These were men and women of the North and though he'd not spoken to them and they'd certainly not knelt to him, they were his people too. His they would remain and he'd not leave them here to fall and rise again.
"I'm here to help." he said spreading his arms out wide so they could see he was not bearing a weapon.
"Who be you?" a large man shouted as he moved out from behind the rocks.
"My name is Jaehaerys Targaryen, I'm the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark." he said, his mother's name bringing a larger reaction as the Starks meant more to the men and women of Skagos than the Targaryens ever had.
"You're a Stark?" a woman asked.
"I'm the nephew of Ned Stark the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. I am the King of the Seven Kingdoms and we are almost out of time and so I'd ask you not to look directly at the light." he said reaching for his sword and as he did so the large man moved for his ax.
"My dragon won't take kindly to that. And trust me it's me that you'll want to deal with and not her and certainly not the Others who now march our way." he said to a nod and then a look of amazement when they saw the light shining from his sword "You need to be on solid land, all of you." he said as they moved back and he turned to face the army that was off in the distance.
He knelt down and closed his eyes, the light from the sword shining even more brightly as he did so. Rising to his feet, he held hilt of the sword in his two hands and lifted it up so the point of it was facing the ice below and then he drove it down as hard as he could. Jae could barely hold onto the hilt of the sword, but he knew he must and as he did so he felt it and then heard the crack of the ice. It started small, moving out in all directions from where he stood and it was only when the light began to dim that he removed the sword from the ice.
"Rhae, we must go." he shouted, and then he heard the ice crack even more when she landed.
She was back in the sky just in time as the ice around them had now broken off and Skagos was an island once more. Jae told her to fly in the direction of the army that marched toward them and as he reached them, once again she let loose her flames. The first spear almost caught him by surprise and they barely moved away from it, the second they were far more prepared for and so it was much more easily dodged.
The ice behind them was no more and the sea between the remnants of the army they left behind and Skagos was too far for the dead now to cross. So he directed her to fly on to Skane and he hoped that when he got there he'd be as lucky as he had been so far.
"I'll let Ellagon know about the spears. She'll warn Dany." he said and Rhaenix seemed relieved by that, just as he was himself.
Loras.
He looked at the sea and watched as it turned to ice, the waves moving one moment and then not in the next. From the edge of the shore to around the end of the Wall and beyond off in the distance, what had once been a sea of water was now one of ice. Loras didn't need to know any more than that and so he gathered as many of the archers that he could, he made sure they had lit torches with them and they left the safety of land to move out onto the now frozen sea.
Once they were sure that the ice wouldn't give way, Loras having made some men with axes attempt to break through to no avail, he lined up his men and waited. It was not a long wait and when he saw how many there were marching his way he feared they'd not be able to hold them. He ordered the archers to make ready and when the dead came into range, he gave the order to fire.
"Light."
"Nock."
"Loose."
"Light."
"Nock."
"Loose".
"Light"
"Nock."
"Loose."
Over and over he said the words and watched as the arrows flew in the air and hit home. In the distance, he saw dead men burn and yet the light from the fires as they did so, only revealed the true extent of their predicament. There were too many for his archers to take down, far too many. They'd run out of arrows long before they'd even put a dent in the army that marched their way and unlike with a living army, those losses wouldn't sap morale. Looking from where they had formed up to the dead men in the distance, he knew he had no choice.
"Retreat, Retreat. Back to land. Fire at your own pace." he shouted and as the men did as they were bid, Loras looked to the sky in hope.
He managed to get the men to solid ground without any losses, even managed to get them to rearm, and was in the middle of forming them back up when Garin and Arthur came towards him. Loras was relieved to see them both safe and well, but he also wished that Garin was far from here. His fears and concerns for his love threatening to rob him of the senses he'd need in the fight to come.
"How bad is it?" Arthur asked as Garin looked to him concernedly.
"There are more than were at Hardhome, Arthur."
"The King?" Garin asked and Loras shook his head.
"Send word to the princess and to Aurane. We need a dragon and it's time to order the evacuation to begin." Arthur said as Loras looked at him not sure if he'd heard him correctly.
"We can hold them, Arthur." he said, his words more assured than he truly felt.
"And we will, but it'll take time to load the ships. The longer we leave it, the less likely it is that it'll be done should it be needed." Arthur said looking at him and Loras nodded.
"I'll send…" Garin began only for the sound of a dragon's roar to be heard as Ellagon flew over their heads and out towards the army that marched on the ice, Loras wondering if Jae had called for her or had the princess herself decided that now was the time she was needed most.
Dany.
She felt it through her bond, Ellagon had a need to fly and so Dany gave into it. First, she flew over the ships and she was surprised and relieved to see that people were boarding them and some had already begun to sai away from the docks. Aurane must have given the order and though she could see the Dragon's Breath was still docked, it too was taking people on board. It comforted her to know that they would at least be at sea and not near the land should the dead make it through their men.
This comfort didn't last long as her eyes took in the sight below her at Eastwatch. Where there had once been waves crashing against the shore, now there were none. Were it not for the people that she saw moving on what she knew wasn't land, then she'd have thought she was dreaming. The sea had been turned into ice as far as the eye could see, which admittedly wasn't far in this darkness. From the edge of the Wall to off far in the distance was now frozen solid and her first instinct was to have Ellagon let loose her flames and melt the ice.
Ellagon though did not listen, her dragon was reluctant to use her flames in such a way and while Dany argued with her, another target then presented itself. The shapes moved across the ice were heading from the north to the south and even if their direction didn't tell her who they were, Ellagon's anger and disdain for them did. Taking her dragon higher in the air, she readied herself for the dive and the flames to come.
"Dracarys." she said as they flew over the dead and Ellagon was only too happy to comply.
It was the light from the fires those flames started that showed her the true horror of what it was that her nephew, Arthur, Loras, and the Free Folk had faced at Hardhome. Dany shuddering as they flew over dead things that were aflame and she could see that the little flesh they had left was now burning away as they moved no more. She and Ellagon flew and brought more fire to them and didn't even make a dent in their ranks. Then she felt herself almost fall from Ellagon's back as her dragon dodged something that had been thrown at her.
She saw the next ice spear and it scared her as she worried that even with the armor that Jae had gotten made for the dragons, something like this could still actually harm them. Despite those worries, she brought the fire and dodged two more of the spears as she did so. What made her turn to see the men who moved on the ice towards the army she knew not, only that turn she did and what she saw made her even more fearful.
"Those fools." she said as she saw a shape that could only be Sandor and she cursed him for following her out here.
With one more loosing of Ellagon's flames, she then turned and headed towards them to force them back to Eastwatch itself and as she did so she felt the pain in her shoulder. The arrow was made of ice and it broke as she tried to pull it from the wound, the blood pooling in her hands as she did so, and then she felt herself begin to slip from the saddle. Her eyes grew heavy as she crashed onto the ice and it was only that Ellagon had dipped low when she'd felt her lose her grip, or the fall itself would have been enough to end her. As it was it would be the dead that came her way who'd perhaps do that she thought, as her eyes closed and she spoke her husband's name.
"Aurane."
Jaehaerys Targaryen.
Flame after flame they'd laid down, hitting the army as it moved and as he drew closer to the island. Like with Skagos it too was surrounded by ice, but unlike with Skagos, he wasn't as lucky in his timing. The dead were here and the fight had already started, though the Night King had underestimated just how powerful giants truly were. He had though sent a large force to bring them into his army and had Jae not arrived, then it would have only been a matter of time until he did so.
He cursed himself for his lack of forethought and for not following through on the plans he had made. The giants were never to stay here, not when the fight came. True it was to be their home and Mag the Mighty had said they were happy here. Jae though had intended to use them in the fight to come and he'd made plans in how he would use them, and then for some reason he'd just forgotten about them. Had he time to truly berate himself, then he would have, but he had no time for such things and so he and Rhaenix did what it was they had come here to do.
It was as he was making another pass that he saw the first of them and so he had Rhaenix burn the dead around the White Walker and then against her will he had her land. The jump he made from her back may well have been a thing of beauty, the landing on the ice and his loss of balance was very much not as he skidded rather than landed gracefully on the ice. It took away his advantage and as he rose to his feet it was to find the Whiter Walker moving towards him rather than the other way around. Though he did stop when Jae drew Lightbringer and hesitated before he moved forward once again.
His sword of light crashed against the sword of ice the White Walker wielded and Jae was surprised to see the icy sword crack and break. Though not as surprised as the White Walker was and though he dodged the blow that Jae aimed at him with the sword, the Valyrian Steel dagger he held in his other hand quickly hit home. He felt it, the fall around him and though it was not all, he knew it was enough. Jae then climbing back up on Rhaenix's back and together they laid down their flames once more. Once they were done, he landed close to the Giant's Camp and he smiled to see Mag the Might and Wun Wun were both unharmed.
"Cé mhéad atá caillte?" (How many are lost?" he asked.
"Cúigear, beirt de na sinsir." (Five, two of the elders). Mag said his voice tinged with sadness and Jae thought he saw a tear fall.
"Ní féidir leat fanacht anseo a thuilleadh, ní go dtí go mbuafar an troid. Caithfimid máirseáil agus máirseáil anois. Feicfidh mé go bhfuil an cosán soiléir agus go bhfuil do chúl cosanta." (You can no longer stay here, not until the fight is won. We must march and march now. I'll see your path is clear and your back is protected." Jae said to a reluctant nod from Mag who then turned to Wun Wun and spoke to him before the even larger giant moved to gather the other and make ready to leave.
"Táimid ag máirseáil leat." (We march with you) Mag said firmly as he rose to his feet.
While the giants made ready, Jae and Rhaenix took to the sky once more. They flew for miles around and he was relieved to find no sign of any dead coming their way. When he returned to Skane it was to find the giants were ready to move and it was as the march itself began that he felt it.
"Caithfidh mé imeacht, teastaíonn mo theaghlach uaim. Fillfidh mé, nó gheobhaidh duine éigin. Feicfimid tú chun sábháilteachta." (I must go, my family needs me. I'll return, or someone will. We'll see you to safety) he said, his worries clear and Mag said no words and just nodded as Jae flew away.
It would take close to a month for the giants to reach Eastwatch. A month on the ice and he wished he'd not needed to make them leave the place they'd made a home of. Had he not just used so much magic to break the ice around Skagos then he'd have done the same around Skane. If he was certain that he'd be able to do so again in a day or more then he'd have left them there and come back to do so then. He wasn't, he couldn't be, and he couldn't let them fall and rise again. Yet as he and Rhaenix flew through the air faster than they had before it was with none of this on his mind. Instead, it was the pained cry that he and his sister had heard from Ellagon as Dany had fallen that both of them were worried about.
Sandor.
She was supposed to stay on the ground, it was the only reason he had agreed not to be by her side. Looking to the dragon as it flew over his and Belwas's heads and to the direction it was flying in, he knew he had no other choice. That he didn't even have to speak to Belwas to get him to follow was a sign of just how close they'd become over the years. Sandor had not been a man who cared for or even wanted friends and had never thought that he'd have any he'd ever name as such.
Grey Worm, Bonifer, Aurane, Missandei, and Belwas, maybe naming them as friends was doing them a disservice. Just like with the princess herself, maybe he needed to name them as what they truly were, family. It was a far better one than the one he'd been left with after Gregor had committed crimes against the very gods themselves. They were now his family and the best of them, the one that he truly loved with a heart that he'd long thought incapable of it, was now flying off into danger.
He ran, Belwas ran, and by the time they reached the ice they had been joined by Grey Worm and Bonifer along with some of the Unsullied and some of the men that Bonifer had trained. Pointing to the sky, he said no more and they followed him as he stepped out onto the ice, and then they ran some more. Sandor was out of breath when he finally saw the flames in the distance, they'd run for what felt like miles and they were still some way off. They'd gathered almost fifty men as some others had joined them, though most had refused to follow. When he saw the dragon turn and head their way, he breathed a sigh of relief only for that breath to catch in his throat as he heard Ellagon cry out and he swore he saw Dany fall to the ground.
"We need to get to her." Bonifer shouted out, Sandor for once not of a mind to make fun of the man for stating the fucking obvious.
Instead, he then ran faster than he ever had, and as he reached the princess and the dragon he knew what needed to be done. He knelt down to make sure she was breathing still and when she called his name it brought a smile to his face. Sandor then leaning forward to place a kiss on her forehead before he turned to Grey Worm and Bonifer.
"Get her to the dragon and out of here." he shouted.
"The dragon won't…" Bonifer began before he interrupted him.
"That fucking dragon is smarter than any of us, she'll know what to do. Get her on her back and go, Now." he said his voice rising as he said the last part of it and it seemed to do the trick "We need to buy them time to get her to safety, who's with me?" he said looking to the men around him and trying not to smirk when he saw Belwas's smiling face.
"No more honeyed locusts or chicken, eh, my friend." Belwas said as Sandor watched Dany being helped onto Ellagon's back, Grey Worm and Bonifer holding her between them as the dragon gave him a long look, her eyes staring deep into his own and he nodded as it then took to the air.
The ax he held in his hand was Dragonglass and edged with a spike at the top that was made from Valyrian Steel. Belwas's Arakh had been made the same way, the Dragonglass incorporated somehow into the curved blade which was not a combination of steel and glass and the hilt had a Valyrian steel spike that served as the pommel. With a last look back to see that Ellagon was now far behind them and heading to Eastwatch, he smiled as he looked to Belwas who nodded at him.
"Come on you dead fucks." he shouted as he ran towards them.
His ax caught the first one hard across the cheek, the blow taking half its head as Sandor moved onto the next. He heard the first scream as one of those with him fell and with another swing of his ax he repaid the dead for the life they'd just taken. More screams came and these he tried to answer too, but he felt himself grow weary and he almost laughed out loud when he saw the blood coming from his side. How long had he been bleeding he wondered? Who had been the one to inflict that wound? And had he paid the dead fucker back in kind?
He fell to a knee and readied to go to his gods or to the seven hells, whichever his destination was to be he was sure he'd earned it. The blow never fell though and he felt himself being pulled back to his feet, the bloodstained face and the cuts to his brow and cheek were still not enough to remove the grin from Belwas's face.
"Your time is not yet, my friend." Belwas said as he cut down another dead man and Sandor readied his axe.
"The princess?" he asked though he knew the answer.
"Is safe and well no doubt, we are not." Belwas said and Sandor nodded.
Belwas was the last scream he heard, the dead overwhelming him and dragging him to the ground. Sandor's ax then breaking as he fought his way to him before he too found himself against far too many to fight. He felt them as they cut into him, as their knives, hands, and he was certain even their teeth began to tear his flesh from his body. Then as he looked to the air he saw the white dragon and he smiled. As for the first time in his life, Sandor Clegane welcomed the flames.
"I love you, little sister, always." he said as the fire took him and those around him from this world and into the next.
A/N: Thanks to all who've read and reviewed. Sorry for the late update, had to work all day yesterday and it's thrown me a day behind with all my updates. For those who care about such things, the language the Giants speak is the Old Tongue and I've used Gaelic for it. Up next the Nightfort comes under attacks that are physical, mental, and magical at the same time.
Puffgirl: I want to make the end worthy of an ending, the Night King has a plan, and well, we're seeing it in action, just not all of it.
Daryl Dixon: So very glad you liked it.
Riptide: So very glad to hear that, it's a very big compliment that it interests you that much.
Victoria: Thank you, my friend. I'm so glad you're liking it, I wanted to make the Night King and the War for the Dawn a proper true test. Jae has been preparing for this pretty much from the first moment we see him, all roads have been leading here and so it wouldn't do to simply make it easy. Unfortunately, that means we're going to lose people along the way, some we care a lot about and as you see here, one that means a lot to Dany and will cause her much distress when she finds out about it. Each of these chapters is also a clue as to the Night King's plans and we'll see he's been working on them for a while. After the next chapter, we'll get another look into his mindset too, maybe even in the next chapter.
VfSanke: Thanks for allowing me to, we'll see it be brought up in a couple of chapters.
Guest: The Fiery Hand was a nod to the arrival of the Elves at Helm's Deep (one of my fave scenes ever) and both Tormund and Mance were channeling some LOTR (Mance using a spin on Gandalf's Fly you fools line). I won't be doing much in that regard with Loras/Garin, I wanted to show that they're together but there really isn't much time for romance given where they are, so if it's not your cup of tea it shouldn't be a problem as we've seen what I've needed to show.
Celexys: We've just had our first real big loss in the Hound, he won't be the last. Jae and the NK won't actually be coming face to face for some time, he's smarter than that but what he's doing should be become clear by the end of the next chapter.
Supremus: Thanks for saying so, we're at the end game and it pretty much needs to be a bit more epic I feel, the Long Night has to be more than a single battle and the NK more than just a one-hit kill.
The Sphynx: No worries my friend, though I much love your poems, I'm happy just to read any of your words.
Lady Octarina: I really thought that was what we'd have seen with them in Season 8. Like I was so sure that when Mel arrived in WF it was going to be with them. It's funny because they ripped off the charge of the Rohirrim for the Battle of the Bastards, I was sure they'd use the Fiery Hand as Haldir's elves too. Jae not sleeping is not just for show, nor his choice.
Jman: I hope to keep you there with some of the stuff to come.
Irish Hermit: All I'll say is that the NK has a strategy and we're seeing it at work. Val isn't pregnant, more she's trying to get there. Where she'd not allow herself to fall pregnant before now, so as to not have herself taken out of the fight, to get pregnant now is not so dangerous in her mind as she thinks the fight soon to be done and is looking to the future.
Anarchicmind: It's funny because I'm as far from someone who truly gets battle strategy, but I have read a lot about it, historically. So I take little things from the Romans or other campaigns and use them where I can. I also have read Sun Tzu and just following some of his quotes and knowing what they mean allows you to plan out a decent battle. Now, of course, it wouldn't win a true war lol, but it's more thought and foresight than the two idiots gave to either the characters and how they'd act in a battle or the tactics of the said battle itself.
Hell, we had Jon, Jaime, Yohn Royce all involved in setting up the final battle and the tactics they used was to ride straight into an enemy. They even forgot about the Double Envelopment and the reason it works so well on infantry. This is fucking pathetic because they actually make a point before the BOTB with Jon explaining to Tormund how it couldn't be used by Ramsay against them. So it's not like they didn't know about such things. Then again these writers also had Sansa point out to Yohn Royce how to properly armor men in Winter. Sansa who literally knows nothing about warfare and again actually makes that point when she speaks to Jon before the BOTB, tells Yohn Royce a man who fought in Robert's Rebellion and the Greyjoy one and who unlike Sansa has actually seen a Winter, need to get advice on armor from her.
The less said about their tactic of having everyone line up in front of a castle the better, considering the entire point of castles was to protect and to be defensible and you don't do that by putting men in front of them. So it's not a high bar I've been set to outthink them lol, but I'm glad you're liking it and can see somewhat what the NK is doing.
Xand007: Thank you, my friend. I'm glad I've come up with something you weren't expecting. The Nk has a plan, each of these chapters is traveling more and more of it. Now will Jae figure it out before it happens, we'll see. But I wanted to show the Nk and the Long Night to be a thing, not simply a battle as it was in the show, it's more than that. Stay safe and well my freind.
