The four of them stood in shock as they looked at the recognisable man. Bruda's eyes darted around as he got a bearing of his surroundings. He then proceeded to crack his back loudly, bellowing out a satisfactory shout. He moved his arms about wildly as if he was getting the feeling to return to them. He quickly brought his hands to his beard, running them through the grey hairs as he let out a relieved breath. He did the same with his hair, pulling it down so he could see a strand. He let out a bark of laughter and did a little jig in excitement.

"Just what the doctor ordered!" he shouted with glee, stepping out of the slowly fading diamond. He stretched his arms out and noticed the different cloak that he was wearing. He observed it carefully. "Oh! Look at this! A new one! I don't like it. Or do I? It's hard to tell at the moment. Thoughts are all over the place. Or is that just normally the case? Who knows? And isn't that just great?" He looked at the group of people who were watching him cautiously. "I knew you lot would figure it out!" He turned to the closest person, who was Melisandre. "You were amazing!" he exclaimed before he took her face in his hands and gave her a deep and lingering kiss which took her by surprise judging from her wide eyes. He then pointed at Daenerys, walking up to her. "Brilliant! You were just brilliant!" He repeated the action, surprising her even more although she wasn't one to complain. Finally, he focused on Jorah and Davos. "Ah, my two boys! Excellent as always chaps." He hesitated for a brief moment. "Ah what the hell! You only live once!" Before they could react, he'd planted quick kisses on both their lips, leaving them standing there with startled expressions. Standing between them, he whispered quietly. "Do you get it? That was a joke. Because I...came back? No? Not the time?" He twirled around. He was moving about quickly due to the amount of built-up energy in his body. Daenerys needed to calm him down. "Well then, not a moment to lose! I need a word with Bran." His voice went darker at the mention of the Three-Eyed Raven and he began to walk off, heading towards Winterfell.

"Bruda!" Daenerys shouted, the first words they had all said since his return. He stopped in his tracks and turned around, his cloak billowing around him. She slowly walked up to him, scared that if she got too close, the dream would end and he would be gone again.

"Yes, dear?" he asked with a gentle smile, looking down at her. "I told you I would come back to you." She tentatively reached a hand out towards him, looking at him carefully. And slapped him hard, not for the first time in their relationship. His eyes went wide as he stepped back in shock, sputtering incoherent words as he processed what had just happened.

"You died!" she shouted. "And you knew it was going to happen! Yet didn't think to divulge that information to me. Just another secret you kept from me." That stung Bruda and he looked down at the ground. The others were letting Daenerys get this off her chest.

"It had to be that way. If I told anyone and they died...we knew that the Wights could transfer thoughts from the host person. The Night King could have found out and put all of his might into stopping me. Then we'd either still be fighting or dead already."

"I just feel that you don't trust me at times. You've lived such a secluded life and now you have people close to you. You don't have to keep things to yourself anymore."

"Of course I trust you," he said, his voice deep. He took her face in one hand. "I trusted you enough to help me finish my plan." She stared into his eyes.

"Is it really you?" she whispered. "You're still the same Bruda I knew?"

"The one and only," he replied quietly. She smiled for the first time at him and enveloped him in a tight hug. Once she released him, he turned back to the others. "Now then. Jorah, your sword. I'm sorry. It's gone. My staff incorporated it back. You'll just have to use your old one. No dead creatures to fight anymore so no need for Valyrian steel anyway." Jorah was still shell shocked from the kiss so just nodded his head slowly. "But Davos." He reached into his pocket, a golden glow coming from it before he produced the wooden dragon. "Make sure this gets back to Shireen safely."

"I...will do," he stammered.

"And, finally - Melisandre. My favourite woman with red hair." He winked at her as he walked towards her. "As a gift, for being so amazing…" A necklace appeared in his hand in a swirl of golden energy. "This should anchor your magic from now on. No reliance on the Lord of Light anymore. I'd say you're free but you're still stuck with me."

"I think I can manage with that," she replied with a smile. He placed the necklace around her neck before planting a soft kiss on her cheek. "You're not heavy are you?" She looked at him perplexed for a moment before her eyes lost focus and she collapsed to the ground, Bruda catching her just before she reached it.

"What happened? What did you do?" Jorah asked in alarm.

"Magical exhaustion. Finally caught up to her. She's never had to bring someone like me back before. She'll sleep it off. Davos, if you would be so kind, would you take our dear friend to her bed-chamber so she can rest?" The man in question nodded his head and moved over to the unconscious body. Bruda's expression darkened. "Now I need to see Bran."

"Why are you so focused on him?" Daenerys asked.

"Because he's lied to us. And he has gotten away with a lot of things in his life it seems. Maybe I have changed. Because I don't feel like being my usual merciful self."

xxxxxxxxxx

Bruda charged along the corridor at an alarming speed, Daenerys and Jorah trying their best to keep up with the old man. His face was like thunder, an angry scowl etched deep in his face. The exuberance that had filled him after his resurrection had been focused into this fury. He was the only one who knew what Bran had done and what his actions had caused. He felt like a fool for not seeing it earlier. It had taken a meeting with the devil himself for him to figure it out. Maybe he'd grown too old or maybe he'd just started trying to see the best in people. But Bran wasn't a person anymore; that had been his main mistake. Daenerys was very concerned - this was a side to Bruda that she had rarely seen. He had been angry before, that was certain. She remembered his ire being focused on Bran before in one of their meetings. What had the young Stark done to cause a reaction as extreme as this?

"Where is he?" the warlock shouted to no one in particular, getting annoyed that the rooms he had checked in, without asking, weren't the one he was looking for. Daenerys had had enough. She was going to be queen and she would not allow anyone to direct her, even Bruda.

"Will you stop?" she asked in a loud voice. He quickly turned around to face her, stepping towards her. He stood inches away from her, towering over her diminutive form.

"Why?" he barked. "I've recently been through something that has changed my perspective on life. It can be short. There is simply no time to wait whilst we plan our next course of action when we can get on with it. Is that okay with you?" He then stopped, truly looking at her, the anger fading momentarily. She looked...frightened. His breath caught and he took a step back. He flexed his fingers as he looked at his hands in contemplation. "Is this what I've become? Is this what I am now? You live so long and anger at the injustices of the world can consume you. Lived too long." He sighed, sending a hand slowly down his face in tiredness as he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry Daenerys. I shouldn't have spoken like that to you. I'm keeping things from you again and I know you don't want that. Understandably so. But I'll tell you in a few minutes. Do you trust me?" He reached out to her but she flinched away, causing him to stop. It had been an involuntary reaction on her part but it spoke volumes. Tears filled his eyes as he nodded his head, turning away and carrying on in his pursuit.

"I...I just don't think I know who you are anymore Bruda," she said. "I know you're you but…" She let the silence hang for a moment as he stopped again.

"I understand," he replied quietly. The commotion though had got the attention of some of the other people in the castle. Jon was the first to arrive at the scene and his eyes went wide as he saw the warlock leaning on the wall.

"Bruda?" he stammered, taken aback. "They...they said you died."

"I did. Well...kind of. I was dead. But then I wasn't. Obviously. Because I'm standing in front of you right now and currently having a conversation with you. It's...complicated." His voice, although his words followed the usual exuberance of his mannerisms, sounded dejected and it hurt Daenerys to hear the sorrow she had caused. Jon just slowly nodded his head, accepting that explanation as so many strange things had happened concerning the warlock.

"But that doesn't explain the shouting," he said. Bruda looked away, the previous energy sapped from him. Daenerys was even less willing to speak at the moment so it was up to Jorah to talk.

"Do you know where your brother is?" he asked.

"He'll be in his room, I suppose. Is there a reason why you're looking for him? What's he done?"

"I don't actually know yet. Bruda seems to have found something out." They both looked at the warlock.

"Can you tell me which way his room is?" he asked impatiently.

"Not until you tell us what is going on." Bruda bit his lip, visibly annoyed at the needless delay. He caught Daenerys' eye who was looking at him sadly. Again, he sighed.

"You're not going to like this," he began. "You've got to remember that he is no longer the boy you knew, Snow. The Three-Eyed Raven is not a person."

"Quit the bullshit and tell me what he's done." They all had wide eyes at his word choice.

"Don't speak to him like that," Daenerys said. Jon maintained eye contact with her before dropping his head in submission. Bruda inclined his head in her direction. He still deserved respect.

"He's just concerned, which is understandable. I have reason to believe that he was the cause of the Night King targeting us."

"Well, that isn't exactly breaking news. He always said this to us."

"He didn't tell us that he was going to help him, though." That took the others by surprise.

"What?" Jon exclaimed. "No. He wouldn't...he's barely a man!"

"Did you not listen to a word I just said?" Bruda asked with annoyance. "He is not that boy anymore. I don't think he has been for a very long time. He has been playing us. Quite well, I must admit."

"No...you have to be making this up."

"If you don't believe him," Jorah inputted, "why don't you take us to his room and we can figure this all out?" Jon hesitated for a moment, still reeling from Bruda's revelation. But then he marched away, Jorah quickly following behind him. The warlock was about to do the same when he felt a small hand on his arm stopping him. He turned around and saw Daenerys looking at him.

"Thank you for telling us," she said with real sincerity.

"It's the least I could do. But there's still more to know." He said this without his trademark smirk which left Daenerys feeling empty inside. Bruda turned and walked away, leaving her standing there as she collected her thoughts before she started pursuing them.

xxxxxxxxxx

Missandei practically skipped through the hallway after receiving the best of news. The only difficulty was finding the room because this old building was still a maze to her. It had been a fairly simple journey to get to the castle further south. Tyrion had said it was called Fort Taylen, an abandoned stronghold of a small Northern family that had been absolved and incorporated into another of the families around here at least a century ago. She doubted that it would classify as a castle nowadays since it was so small and in quite a state of disrepair. It was more like a collection of reasonably sized stone cottages. But all that mattered was that it could house the large number of people that had travelled with them. Most of them women and children, who she had gotten on well with. Yet she had made sure to stay close to Tyrion and Varys as she had been instructed. They had a better understanding of Westeros so would help her with any difficulties she had, something which had cropped up a few times already. Tyrion had been forced to intervene when she tried helping a lost wildling girl when the mother had come thundering over, hurling insults at her. She had stayed in her room for the rest of the evening until the dwarf had arrived at her door with a dusty bottle of wine.

Now it was her turn to arrive at his door. She knocked on politely, waiting for him to bid her entry. She had learnt from past mistakes. One time, after she had grown fairly settled with the two of them, she had entered his room without alerting him of her presence. She had never seen as red a face as his when she caught him walking drunkenly around with no pants on. It brought a smile to her face just thinking about it, even if she knew she shouldn't. This time, when she walked into the room, Tyrion was fully clothed and was accompanied by Varys. They were sat on two dusty old sofas, which, before they had arrived, she would never have expected either of them to touch with a large stick. They had both changed in a sense, so removed from their past luxuries. Yet they still had to have wine as if it was the most important commodity. Tyrion had vehemently argued that this was the case; they had debated the topic long into the night whilst drinking the aforementioned nectar.

Tyrion was the first to acknowledge her presence, probably because he was closer to her than the Spider was. He quirked an eyebrow at her positive demeanour. He saw two letters in her hand, one already opened and wondered what she had learnt. He hated not knowing things and hoped she wouldn't lord it over him. She seemed to relish the times when she could stump him. He took it as a compliment.

"I'm sure you're going to spit out any news you have," he said in greeting. "You look like you're about to explode if you wait any longer." He was surprised that she told them straight away. It was obviously important.

"The war is won," she told them with no messing about. They both sat up in surprise, sharing a quick look with each other. Tyrion stood up abruptly and walked over to her, reaching for the opened letter in her hand.

"What does it say?" he asked fervently.

"It comes directly from Mhysa. She writes that it was a gruelling battle with many casualties. Never a horror she has seen as ungodly than the White Walkers. But it was worth it as the enemy was defeated."

"Does she go into detail about how they defeated the Night King?" Varys asked, although his sombre tone suggested he already knew. Missandei's smile faded as she looked at the portion of the letter that was stained with tears.

"She talks of the greatest of sacrifices on the part of Warlock Bruda. He didn't make it." They shared a silent moment, remembering the old man. He had always treated her as if she was just a normal person, which she adored. Many people viewed her as a different entity but he didn't. He spoke to her just as he did with anyone else. A rare characteristic in people, she had found.

"He was as brave a man as any," Tyrion said, lifting his glass into the air. "Probably even more so." He glanced at Varys, which Missandei noted. She sent them a questioning look.

"Bruda was fated to stand in the way of the Night King," Varys explained. "I pieced it together just before we left Winterfell after I stumbled across an ancient collection of Northern family treaties. I say stumbled across...it was left on my desk one evening."

"Do you think he put it there?" Missandei asked curiously.

"I wouldn't put it past him. He probably wanted someone to know before the end. Secrets are a necessity of life but they don't half burn a man's soul."

"I dread to think what state yours is in then," Tyrion quipped. Varys gave a mirthless laugh. The imp couldn't tear his attention away from the unopened note for any longer. "You received two letters," he pointed out to Missandei. She nodded and handed him it. It had his name neatly scrawled on it.

"For you. Daenerys' writing again. I presumed it would be a reiteration of what was said in my letter." He took a small dagger from his pocket and sliced it open. They watched carefully as he read what was inside. All of a sudden, he thrust the dagger into the wooden table, startling Missandei, and let the paper drop to the floor. He went to the jug of wine and poured himself a fresh glass before downing it in one. "Tyrion," she said tentatively, approaching him.

"Bruda wasn't the only one to die. Daenerys has taken the courtesy of telling me that Jaime perished too." Missandei carefully placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I truly am sorry, Tyrion," Varys said earnestly. "Although I didn't know him as well as others, I know he didn't deserve such a horrid fate."

"He would have disagreed with you on that. He did some terrible things, as most of us have. He was beginning to accept that."

"He sounds like a good man," Missandei said gently.

"All that matters is that he was a good brother." They let him have another drink, not wanting to disturb his initial mourning.

"We now need to decide what our next steps are," Varys put forward.

"We should be heading back," Tyrion responded. "Daenerys knows that the misery isn't over with. She'll be beginning to think about how she approaches the next challenge. The undead are one thing but she's never had to face my family before. We need to be there to advise her."

"What are you going to tell her to do?" Varys asked.

"Whatever it takes to win the Throne. You know as well as I do that the capital is in turmoil. Tommen isn't a leader, not yet. I'm hoping it won't take a lot to oust him."

"It's not about ousting him. It is about removing him permanently. You need to accept that. Tommen has been wounded since getting on the Throne. And the one and only thing wounded animals know to do is lash out."

xxxxxxxxxx

Jon didn't bother knocking on Bran's door, he was that nervous of the accusations put forward. Bran showed no sign of surprise when he entered the room loudly, although he did raise his eyebrows slightly when Jorah and Daenerys stepped in. Yet the look of shock on his face when Bruda leant against the doorframe didn't resemble any emotion shown by him in the past few years. He gaped at the warlock, who he thought had thankfully been killed in the battle. Nothing else had gone right that evening. It was the reason he had been spending all of his time in here, trying to plan what he should do next. It was if his purpose was now obsolete. And that didn't sit well with him at all.

"What?" Bruda asked in a sarcastic tone. "You don't seem at all happy that I'm here. I'd take it as an insult if this was coming from anyone other than you." Bran didn't know why he was speaking to him in such a way. He'd never trusted the old man. His powers had never been able to get a good grasp on him, which was unsettling. He could see so many fates being played out but it was blank when it came to Bruda.

"I heard people talk of your death. I took it as the truth but it seems I was mistaken."

"I'm sure you're really upset about that."

"I'm more intrigued about why you are all here." Bruda walked fully into the room and knelt so he was at eye level with Bran.

"You disgust me, I hope you know that. All the people who died. Not just here but further North. They're all dead because of you."

"Jon, can you do something? I don't know what he is talking about." Jon looked tentatively at the warlock and then back at his brother.

"You need to tell us the truth," he simply said. He had to keep reminding himself that this was no longer his brother.

"About what?"

"About how you were going to work with the Night King!" Bruda roared, standing up and pacing around the room. "We had a chat. Just before I killed him. Pretty one-sided affair but one thing I found out was that the Three-Eyed Raven was not this figure with the capability to destroy the White Walkers. The original one hated the First Men just as much as the Children of the Forest and actually helped them create those monsters. A slightly different version of events you've told us. But, unlike the Children, he wasn't as reluctant to see what they became. He thought they were the perfect weapon. Yet they disappeared. And he lost his one chance.

He passed this information onto you with one goal. To help them. They killed the original because his powers were gone. Transferred over to you. You didn't know this when you first met him. But it settled on you." They all stood in shock as they looked at the two people close together. When he said it like that, it did make sense. But he had no definitive proof. For all they knew, he could have been making this all up.

"It's a nice story that you've spun," Bran eventually said. "But it's all a lie." Bruda laughed.

"You sit there, thinking your safe, You're thinking there is no way I can show this to be the case. Do you want to know how he died?" They all looked intrigued. "Pure magic. Mainly because my staff and the dragonglass he was created with were connected. And since the Three-Eyed Raven created the Night King, that connection will still be there, be it slightly weaker." He turned to Daenerys. "Would you mind giving me your hand?" She shared a look with Jorah before stepping closer to the warlock. He smiled gently at her before he waved his hand over hers. Golden energy erupted from his fingertips but she couldn't feel anything apart from a slight tickle. He did the same with Jorah and then Jon before turning to Bran. He was reluctant to give his arm, which was his first giveaway. He tried moving away but Bruda put his staff in between the spokes in the wheels of his chair to stop him. As he passed his hand over the arm of Bran, the young boy gritted his teeth in pain and they all could see a black pattern emerge on his skin. It matched the engraving on the Wall and the patterns Jon had seen past it. He eyed Bran carefully who dropped the facade and smirked. The Raven turned back to the warlock. The old man glared at him.

"I have met so many people in my life. I have had to face so many evil beings in my time. I hope you realise that, despite all you have done, you don't compare to any of them. You hide in the shadows to protect yourself and do nothing more than direct people with hints so they do your bidding. You are scum and I am going to enjoy watching you suffer." Again, it was a side to Bruda Daenerys had rarely seen. He got up from his kneeling position and stepped to the other three.

"I'm sorry Jon. I didn't want you to find out like this."

"I don't care. He's not my brother, just like you said."

"Daenerys, you need to decide what we do. Execution is obviously the main choice but, even if he's renounced all claims to Winterfell, he is still seen as a Stark. It would be risky because the Northern families could turn against you if he dies." She glared at Bran, hatred boiling inside of her. She thought back to the sight of Ser Barristan Selmy dead on the pyre. She felt the emotions well up from when she thought Bruda had left her.

"I can not rule a kingdom in which he still gets to live. They will come to understand the horrific monster he truly was. If not, I have enough men to cope without them. It would be Stannis who suffers the most, which I'm fine with. I want to see him burn."

They led him through the courtyard against the backdrop of the darkness of the night. Not many people were around, which was a blessing. What unnerved them was that Bran didn't put up a fight. He didn't complain or try and plead his innocence. He just allowed himself to be pushed to his doom. Bruda wouldn't be happy until he was confirmed to be dead.

"Where are you going?" a recognisable voice asked through the quiet. Davos emerged from inside the castle after seeing them all walking through the snow. He was confused when he saw Bran and their angry expressions.

"To fulfil my duty as queen," Daenerys answered vaguely. He raised an eyebrow at Jorah, who explained what was going on as they continued to walk. To say that he was as furious as the others when all was said to him was an understatement. Daenerys eventually stopped them just outside the walls of Winterfell. She closed her eyes for a moment and, soon, they could hear the flap of wings. Drogon landed with a heavy thud, snarling at them all as he bared his teeth. They set Bran apart from themselves. He continued to stay where he was with an impassive expression. "Bran Stark," she began. "You are tried with counts of treason, not only to your queen but also to the kingdom as a whole. Your actions nearly condemned us all to eternal darkness and, for that, your fate has been sealed as I can only see fit that you pay with your life." She was about to say Dracarys when Bran's eyes fogged over. They looked on in alarm as they tried to figure out what he was doing. Drogon roared out, shaking his head. Bruda's heart sank. The dragon turned its head towards them, his eyes the same pale colour that Bran's were. Daenerys looked on in fear as she worried for her child. He roared again, flames beginning to billow around his mouth.

"Behind me!" Bruda shouted to them all as he gripped his staff, raising it in the air as he prepared himself. Another roar and flames came surging out of Drogon's mouth. A blue shimmering dome appeared, repelling the flames as Bruda gritted his teeth. The others stood behind him, feeling the heat regardless of his intervention. He got a break as Drogon stopped for a moment but had to bat away another barrage of flames with a wave of his hands. The fire turned away, firing straight at the stone wall causing it to collapse in places. "You need to get out of here!" he ordered whilst ricocheting another stream of blazing heat. Jorah drew his sword, ignoring Daenerys' concerned look.

"Can you distract it?" he asked the warlock. Bruda looked at him and noticed the sword drawn. He nodded his head.

"You lot need to get away though." Davos took Daenerys' arm and led her behind the wall, Jon following behind them as he protected her from behind. Bruda and Jorah shared a look before the older man shot a ball of blue energy at Drogon. He moved away from the knight, waving his arms wildly. "Come on, you great big beast! Look at me!" The dragon turned his head and attention towards Bruda, shifting his body away from where it was protecting Bran. With the boy warging, he could not see the knight running towards him. Jorah managed to dodge the swinging tail of Drogon as he approached Bran. As soon as he got there, he plunged his sword deep into his stomach. It broke the connection between boy and beast, Drogon shaking his head again as the effects wore off. Bruda gave a large sigh as his shoulders dropped. He caught the look of Daenerys who was coming from behind the wall but it was the last thing he saw as his vision went blurry.