Jorah and Bruda walked together across the courtyard with no particular destination set in their minds. They crossed the open space with no words shared, simply being in one another's presence. It had been a stressful few days and they both knew how difficult times would become in the near future. Their group had seamlessly settled amongst the people of Winterfell, with even Bruda not getting second glances. He presumed they were now accustomed to strange magical beings wandering around the place with Melisandre around all the time. His brief interaction with her had been a fun yet troubling one; she knew something but wasn't willing to let anything on. It was positively infuriating for the warlock so he tried his best to put it at the back of his mind. Jorah could sense that something was wrong so tried to bring about a conversation to distract him.
"Have you managed to find Marwyn yet?" he asked.
"Hmm? No, not yet. I've been...preoccupied, you could say. Although I do intend to speak with him at some point."
"Why do you want to see him anyway?"
"Pure fascination. He's had time to research dragonglass more closely. Since we're relying on it so heavily, I thought it best that at least I know its inner workings. I have a theory of course and, if I'm proved right, then we should be good."
"And if you're not correct?" Jorah hadn't seen the warlock be wrong about anything so far but he guessed it was still a possibility.
"That's what's troubling me so greatly. If I'm wrong, we don't stand a chance in this war."
"Well...let's pray that you're right. I hope you'll be able to share any information you discover with us."
"Possibly. Depends if I think you can comprehend it all." He began to laugh but stopped suddenly, his face scrunching up in confusion.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Panic began to rise in Jorah's voice.
"Can't you feel it? In the air…" He lifted his finger in the air after putting it in his mouth, walking in a circle around the knight. He stopped where he had begun, his eyes wide. "It's familiar...It's warm. Or getting warmer."
"So?"
"So?" he repeated incredulously, rounding on Jorah. "We're in the North. The last thing it currently should be is warm." He was looking wildly to the blue sky, the morning sun not providing any warmth as usual. He began to set off in a run of sorts, catching Jorah by surprise.
"What are you doing?" Mormont shouted, still confused by the quick change in his demeanour.
"Just follow me!" came the response as they climbed a short flight of stairs to stand on the outer wall of the courtyard. "I so hope it's what I think it is." Jorah was about to again ask what on earth was going through Bruda's mind when he heard it. Quiet at first but still so wonderfully recognisable. A roar.
The clouds parted as three great beasts soared closer to them. "Haha!" came the cheer from the warlock. "Oh, you beauty!" People who had been working down below looked up in fright, others running from their warm rooms inside to see what the commotion was. The largest of the dragons flew right over them, the two of them catching a glimpse of the person they had been waiting to see. Overjoyed, Bruda lifted his staff and shot out red sparks whilst cheering loudly. They began to set off in the direction the dragons were going with even more enthusiasm than before.
By the time they arrived, with other people getting a head start on them, a large and excited gathering had formed a bit off from where the three dragons had landed. More shouts ensued when a fourth dragon emerged from the valley behind them, burnt orange scales standing out amongst the pure white snow. Hidebyo was much larger than they remembered, getting close to matching Rhaegal and Viserion in size. It was just another thing that Bruda would have to talk about with Marwyn. But, for now, that was at the back of their mind. They barged past people as they forced themselves to the front of the crowd to see her.
Daenerys was in the process of gliding down Drogon's neck, showing a grace that didn't suit the situation. Once her feet landed on the soft ground, she gently stroked the scales that lined his face, thanking him for getting her here. She didn't understand how he had known where Winterfell was; she simply assumed he was intelligent enough to just know what destination she wanted. She turned around to look at the group of people that had followed the path of her flight and stopped in her tracks. Jorah was at the front, only a few steps away from her with a happy expression on his face. It suited him, she realised. He needed to smile more and she vowed that she would make that happen. A grin took hold of her face as well and they both started sprinting to one another. The knight wrapped her in his big arms and they both stood there for a while in silence, enjoying each other's embrace. She softly kissed him on the cheek and looked him in the eye.
"Can I get in on this?" The question came behind them and she recognised that voice. Bruda had a warm smile on his face that seemed to alleviate a number of his years. She looked at Jorah once again before she laughed and stepped over to the warlock. She expected maybe a pat on the shoulder, possibly a short hug. She wasn't ready for when he picked her up and spun her around in a dizzying circle, showing strength that belied his age. He plonked her on the ground, allowing her to regain her composure. His face grew serious. "Don't do that again. I can't tell you how much moping I have had to deal with from him." He gesticulated a finger towards Jorah, who was wearing a sheepish expression.
"I must apologise then. I should get you a badge for your service." Bruda had missed her playful quips.
"You gave us a fright though, Khaleesi." Jorah's words were full with sincerity and Daenerys had the grace to look ashamed.
"I know. But it had to be done. I saw that you'd made it to the beach so knew that I could set off."
"Set off where?" Jorah asked, a question that both of the men had been wanting to know.
"I think she can tell us all that in a warmer place." Again, the voice came from behind them. Stannis, trying to ignore the signs of emotion on display from his new ally, had made his way to the front of the crowd, joined by Melisandre and Davos. The Hand was trying his best not to smirk at the situation. Bruda leant to whisper in her ear.
"Stannis Baratheon," he explained in a whisper, her eyes widening slightly. "Act...queenly." She glared at him for his so-called help but was met with a smirk.
"Lord Baratheon, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm sorry for making you wait so long." She was now wearing a graceful smile, taking in the persona of the leader she was. It was a skill to change so suddenly from the gleeful young woman she had just been. It impressed Stannis a great deal.
"I'm sure you have your reasons and I'm also sure you have a few tales to tell us. Would you care to discuss these matters more privately?" She gave a nod of her head in response.
xxxxxxxxxx
A war council of sorts had formed in the main dining hall of Winterfell. It was the only room that was large enough to fit so many people in. Advisors for both rulers had been brought together so they could discuss their next steps. There were three large tables set up within the room, although not many were opting to sit. People were simply too agitated to stay in one place whilst the meeting went on. Stannis stood stoically by one of the tables, with Melisandre by his side. Bran, wheeled in by Meera, was watching the other people. By the other table stood Daenerys, talking to Jorah whilst Bruda looked around the room. Varys and Tyrion were also close by, whilst Jon and Davos bridged the gap between the two parties. Mance Rayder and Tormund had planned to come but, at the last minute, spoke of a fight breaking out between two former tribe leaders amongst the freefolk. Despite the shared pleasantries when Daenerys had arrived, there was still a tense atmosphere.
"Where do you want to begin?" Daenerys asked her host, trying her best to be polite.
"Why not tell us where you have been? If I'm to work by your side, I should probably know about your...escapades," Stannis responded. The way he said it annoyed her for some reason.
"When we were attacked, I took to the skies. I noticed that, apart from the sigil of your House, the main flag was of two towers." She enjoyed the look he gave her when she mentioned it was his nephew who had been thwarting him so far.
"The Freys," he reasoned. She nodded.
"I remember Ser Jorah telling me about them and how their allegiances aren't very strong. I didn't see it right that they should go unpunished for their actions so I paid them a visit. And burnt their towers to the ground." Most people in the room looked aghast at her admission, including Jorah and Bruda, but Stannis was impressed with her strength.
"In the long run, that will greatly help us in the pursuit of the Crown. But did you not think that your survival was more important to us in the Great War than your revenge?"
"It was on the way here," came her simple justification. Bruda laughed at her comment.
"Well...now that you're here, we should discuss the future. How do we approach a fight with an unknown enemy?" It was a question that was troubling them all.
Bruda spoke up. "We have to make Winterfell a fortress. We have plenty of dragonglass. When we've made weapons enough for all of us, we need spikes and traps around the perimeter and walls. If we can get rid of some of them without actually fighting, we'll have a better chance of winning."
"So we just wait until they arrive?" the Red Woman asked him, a scathing tone in her voice. He stopped himself from bristling.
"Of course not. It would make sense for some of us to travel further North to see what the White Walkers have already done. The only problem we have is that we don't know where they are or what progress they have made. For all we know, they could be a mile away and this is a pointless conversation."
"They're not." This time it was Bran who spoke.
"And how would you know that?"
"I'm the Three-Eyed Raven." The warlock frowned at the revelation. He'd heard that name before but, at his age, he was susceptible to forgetting things at times.
"Okay...and what does that have to do with anything we're talking about?"
"I believe I share a connection with the Night King. I can see where he is."
"Well why didn't you start with that?" he exclaimed, a bit more enthusiastically. "That's very helpful indeed." Stannis was becoming a bit perturbed by how this man had taken control of the conversation but could tell he had a way of engrossing people when he talked. "Where are they now?"
"Last time I checked, they were still beyond the Wall but only just."
"That's why the Night's Watch left," Jon added. "They could tell that the Walkers were approaching."
"Has anything peculiar happened regarding the Wall since they left?" Bruda asked the group. "Or even just before."
"East watch fell silent," Davos pointed out. "No communication from them since the people at Castle Black left."
"So you think the White Walkers already got to them?" Daenerys asked.
"It's likely. There's no other reason why they wouldn't send reports back," Jon answered.
"But how? They'd have to get past the wall and, currently, we don't have any way of knowing how they would accomplish such a feat. Which means we need to go to East Watch." Bruda's words stunned the room.
"You can't be serious," Stannis said with an incredulous tone.
"Deadly. If they can get past the Wall, we need to know how. And what if there are survivors there? Isn't it our duty to help them?"
"It's our duty to win this war." He was beginning to get annoyed with the Red Woman. "Risking ourselves on this whim will do the opposite."
"Just a small party. Not everyone. I volunteer. We won't win unless we can figure out more about them and I have a feeling something there will be important."
"I agree," Daenerys said, getting an appreciative nod from the warlock. "If Bruda thinks it might hold some information, then it's worth the risk."
"And I can protect myself. And whoever else comes with me."
"Then it's settled," Stannis said, ending the discussion. "We still need more men to fight for us though."
"Have you thought about what I suggested?" came the question from Davos.
"I was meaning to talk to Ser Mormont about your proposal." Jorah perked his head up when his name was mentioned. "Your niece commands your House and the men it holds. It would make sense for you to be a part of the party that went to Bear Island to discuss an alliance."
"I haven't been back there for years. I don't think I'd be welcome. I'd probably diminish the chances of you reaching a successful agreement."
"Jorah." Daenerys reached for his arm, holding it gently. "You going might show her that this is a fight worth getting involved with. And we need all the support we can get."
"I'll go with you as well," Davos said. "You might need somebody with more political know-how to help you."
"But who will go with me?" Bruda complained.
"I will," Jon volunteered. It showed the warlock that they had moved past their rough patch. "And we'd take people with more knowledge of the area. Mance and Tormund will come. The likes of Sandor Clegane might as well. People are growing restless - they might want to just get out." Bruda nodded his head.
"At least we're getting somewhere now. Is there anything else we need to discuss?" Stannis could tell that the discussions were becoming finalised, which could be done elsewhere.
"One thing," Bruda said, looking at Daenerys. She was worried by the sad expression on his face. "I think you need to see someone. And you're not going to be happy."
xxxxxxxxxx
She looked down at the man sat in chains with contempt and rage in her eyes. Daenerys had trusted him. She felt like such a fool. Bruda had explained his reasoning behind Daario's betrayal and had the uneasy but correct feeling that it was mostly her fault. She had driven him to such a dark place and it showed her how little she knew about ruling and how to balance the needs of your close advisors. When she had voiced her worries, she had been quickly rebuffed by Jorah and Bruda.
"It is not your job to satisfy the wants of a greedy man," Bruda had said to her as they walked to the cell underneath Winterfell. It was a dark and grimy place and she felt it befitted the likes of the sellsword.
"I should have seen it coming," she had responded, disappointed in herself. Jorah didn't like how her confidence was waning because of one simple mistake.
"None of us did though and it's our job to stop these things from happening. The only person we can blame properly for his actions is Daario himself." That had been the end of that discussion, the two of them no longer listening to her concerns. They knew she had more important things to consider at the moment and wanted this nuisance to be dealt with as fast as possible.
Jorah kicked the sleeping body roughly, causing the Second Son commander to awaken quickly. It took him a moment for his eyes to become adjusted to the dark, as it did every morning he had been inside his prison. What caught his attention was the flaming torch that was being held by Bruda, which illuminated the features of Daenerys. When he realised that she was here, fear filled his eyes as he knew his fate was to come at that moment. He tried to scramble up to his feet but the Mormont knight shoved him back down. It was only right that she got to look down upon him as she spoke.
"My...Queen!" he stammered, pretending to be pleased by her presence. "No one told me you had arrived. It is a pleasure to see you." She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of his words. She didn't know how he could say such a thing in his situation with a straight face.
"Yet it really isn't." Her voice was filled with disdain for the man before her. "People are dead because of you." She had already taken the time to speak to Jon Snow so that she could share her condolences for his losses. He had been grateful but had wanted to get the conversation over with quickly, which was understandable. She wouldn't have wanted to talk about it too if she was in his position.
"So you believe the lies that creep says." Bruda simply smiled at his poor insult. "He has no evidence and yet I sit here as your prisoner."
"He has no reason to lie and he has, so far, never led me astray. He has given me a motive for your actions, which I see is my fault. But that doesn't absolve you. You are the one who betrayed me and I have been taught to never stand for that."
"I never spoke to anyone!" he denied vehemently. "I am devoted to you Dany. We have shared each other. Does that not count for anything?" She bent down so that he could see her icy glare.
"Never speak my name again. And it does not. I was foolish and made a mistake. But I won't make an error again when it comes to you."
"So what now? You kill me? Will you be my executioner? If you murder me here, my men will riot. They won't fight for you without me here. And I know for a fact that you are relying on their numbers to bulk up your army." She almost felt sorry for him in that he thought he was right and in a position to barter for his life.
"The Second Sons will fight along with the other men of my army. Side by side with Dothraki and Unsullied. Because they are sellswords and battle for money. Or have you forgotten that? I also remember you killing your two superiors to impress me and yet, they did not 'riot', as you put it so eloquently. I think I'll take my chances." He gritted his teeth and spat at her but it never reached her, Bruda waving his hand in an instance to stop it before it fired back at Daario. "As for who your executioner will be. You are right in saying that it won't directly be me. But I feel safe in relying on Drogon to carry out the act. And he has such a keen nose for guilt." His eyes belied the fear he felt inside of him, which was proof enough for Daenerys that Daario had betrayed them.
Jorah undid the chains that bound their prisoner and lifted him up. He held Daario's arms tightly behind his back, eliciting a pained grimace from him. The four of them walked through the dark corridors and eventually made it outside, although that did little to improve the amount they could see. Nighttime had fallen upon Winterfell, meaning not many people were wandering in the courtyard. Those who were gave them curious glances but didn't say anything when they saw the dark looks on their faces.
Daenerys led them out of the castle grounds, keeping her cloak tight to herself in an attempt to fight the biting cold. They could see the lights off in the close distance that signalled the campsites that housed the many soldiers amassed by the two leaders. She had seen a deep gorge when she had flown over and instinctively knew that's where her dragons would be. As they got closer, a black wing emerged from beyond the edge, followed closely by a claw. They gave Drogon the space he needed to spread out in front of them. When he saw the dragon, Daario began struggling again and pleading loudly with Daenerys to forgive him. That was enough evidence of guilt for her. Drogon's eyes focused in on the sellsword.
"Daario Naharis," she began solemnly. "I made it clear to my council that any act of betrayal would be severely punished and yet you went behind my back and risked the lives of all of us. I take that as a grave personal insult and no leader will stand for that. That's why I, Daenerys Stormborn, Breaker of Chains, Mother of Dragons and future Queen of Westeros...sentence you to die." Drogon let out a guttural growl as he snarled at his victim. Jorah let Daario go and, for one second, Daenerys thought he might do the honourable thing and take his execution where he stood. Instead, he tried running, slipping in the snow around them. Drogon turned his neck in the direction of the guilty man and let out a breath of hot flames. They swarmed around Daario and he screamed out in pain, collapsing to the ground a futilely rolling around in the hope the cold snow would soothe his suffering. Eventually, the body stopped moving and the three of them left, ignoring the sounds of bones crunching in the beast's mouth.
Bruda knocked on the wooden door deep inside the castle. He had been instructed that this was where the maester would be. Most people had learnt to give him a lot of space since he was so busy with vital experiments. When there was no prompt response, he slowly pushed open the door and peered inside. Marwyn was hunched over a large stack of scrolls and books, running a hand through his short grey hair. The warlock coughed into his hand to announce his presence, which caused the archmaester to jump in shock. He spun around with wide eyes before he relaxed when he saw who it was.
"Ah...warlock. This is a surprise to see you down here."
"I did knock," Bruda said, edging his way more into the room. He took stock of the mess in the room. Scribblings and drawings littered the room and a pile of dragonglass sat in the corner next to the table.
"I don't doubt you did. I was probably lost in my own world."
"A favourite pastime of mine, I must admit." Marwyn chuckled at the comment before he sobered.
"I wasn't able to greet you when you arrived. I've been busy, you see. How's Samwell doing?" Bruda's face fell as he thought back to the young man's demise.
"Sam...didn't make it back with us," he admitted solemnly. Marwyn had to steady himself at the tragic news, not expecting it. "I'm sorry...I'm sure you've heard about the attack. He didn't have a lot of experience with fighting but he still saved a lot of people."
"That's all he wanted to do. Help people. It's why he came to the Citadel. Far too young." Marwyn was more muttering to himself now rather than speaking to Bruda.
"He was a good man. But we can't let his death be for nothing. I was told you've been examining dragonglass and I must say that I have a passing interest in the stuff."
"As you should," he responded, trying not to think about Samwell. "It's not like anything I've worked with before. All I knew about it previously came from old tales."
"Thing is though...are those stories right?" Bruda picked up a piece of the rock, turning it around in his hand. It felt strange to him. As he moved it around, he could feel his magic being drawn to it. He just didn't know why. He had a similar experience during his first interaction with it in the caves at Dragonstone. He placed it down on the table, giving it a disgusted look as he wiped his hands on his cloak. "They spoke of it being formed by dragon fire, didn't they?"
"That was the accepted reasoning for centuries. It would explain how it gets such a dark colour."
"But you don't believe that."
"It's certainly a possibility. Hundreds of years ago, there would have been plenty enough dragons to form it. But it's such a rare substance...if it was formed by dragons, you'd expect there to be more."
"So what formed it?"
"That's the question. The shape it takes, it must be from fire. Recent studies claim that there are fires beneath the surface of the ground." Bruda's eyes lit up.
"Now that's interesting. What if there was something like a hot spot beneath Dragonstone, causing this fire to push up more there. It would explain why it had so much of the stuff."
"I was thinking something similar. But all that matters is that we know it was formed in flames. Possibly a key to defeating the white walkers."
Bruda stroked his beard. "It just all keeps coming back to fire," he muttered. "Speaking of, that dragon of yours has grown quite a bit."
"Another thing I've been looking at recently. The only thing I can think of is that it's due to the flames he was born in. Hidebyo hatched in wildfire, which is more uncontrollable than your average fire."
"So he's just able to absorb more energy from it and that controls his growth. Will be a useful weapon, that's for sure." Marwyn was about to agree when the door opened again. Jaime Lannister came through the opening, stopping short when he saw the unexpected person in the room.
"Another letter Marwyn." He handed the piece of paper to the archmaester before looking Bruda up and down. "I don't think we've been introduced."
"Warlock Bruda." He stretched his arm. Jaime took it hesitantly.
"Jaime Lannister." Bruda's eyes lit up with recognition.
"You're a far cry from home, aren't you?"
"Well, when I heard about the battle against the dead, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity." He noticed the ashen face of the maester. "What does it say?"
"Pycelle is dead. His final words seemed to be hastily added on at the end. Knew that they had found out." Jaime shook his head at the news.
"Who's Pycelle? And find out what?" Bruda asked them both.
"He was the Grandmaester at King's Landing. He was helping us research dragonglass and also gave the warning that saved you back at Dragonstone. The situation in the capital is worse than I thought," Jaime answered bitterly.
"Another person claimed in this war before it's properly begun," Bruda said. "And I'm sorry to say he won't be the last."