Chapter 1: A Different Land

The first thing that alerted Karl Franz to something being wrong was the cold. It was never cold this far south during the summer. He sprang to his feet, and grabbed Ghal Maraz.

"Ludwig!" yelled the emperor. He dashed outside his tent, cursing his sore body; he had forgotten to take off his armor the previous night. At first, the Emperor thought he must be dreaming; this couldn't be real, could it? His army was there, his tents were there, but "there" wasn't there. Instead of the rugged and recognizable landscape of Black Fire Pass, his army was in some sort of Tundra. Snow was everywhere, along with many trees. All around him, his soldiers looked around in confusion. Ludwig ran to him from withing the command tent. He froze when he saw the outside, and exchanged a panicked look with the emperor.

"Ludwig," said Karl Franz, with forced calm. "I think today is going to be very interesting".

Karl Franz exited his tent and walked briskly to the stables. His men were running around in a panic. He barked orders for calm. Some of his men listened, but not enough. He grabbed the shoulder of a passing soldier, and demanded to know what had happened.

"I have no idea Your Highness, one minute I'm on guard duty, the next I'm on the ground, as if I had been sleeping."

"I hope for your sake you weren't!"

The soldier professed his innocence, and claimed that every other guard on duty he had talked to told the same story. Karl Franz considered running to the stables, but decided against to avoid panicking his men further. He hurriedly mounted Deathclaw and soared over his encampment shouting all the while for his men to remain calm. It took a while, but eventually his troops formed ranks and stood, awaiting orders. As this happened, the emperor looked up, and gasped. Ahead was what appeared to be a frozen wave of gargantuan size. After several seconds, he saw a door at the base, and realized it was a wall. But it was a wall that dwarfed every fortification he had ever seen. He landed Deathclaw, dismounted, and approached his tent again. Kurt was awake now, and talking with Ludwig with a very concerned look.

"Gentlemen, we appear to be in deep shit," said Karl Franz, "nothing here is familiar, there is some sort of wall ahead, with a gate. Options?"

"We could enter the gate, though it is possibly a trap," Kurt said,

"I think it's out best option, considering we have no winter supplies or clothes," said Ludwig.

"I am of a mind with Ludwig," said the emperor, "We have no idea where we are, and our options are limited, we go through that gate."

Kurt and Ludwig nodded to him, and he left the tent. As he walked toward Deathclaw, Karl Franz saw his men watching him expectantly. They didn't show it, but he knew they were terrified. He also knew that these brave soldiers would follow him anywhere, in spite of their fear. As he climbed onto the back of Deathclaw, he saw the that the griffon was nervous as well. He scratched Deathclaw a little on the neck. Deathclaw rubbed his head against the Emperor's arm affectionately. The Emperor whistled, and Deathclaw took off, flying around his men. It was a splendid sight. 17,000 men in uniform and armor, banners waving in the wind, weapons glistening in the morning sun. The Emperor sighed, and began to call to his men.

"Men of the Empire! I know you are all curious as to our situation! I wish I could tell you where we were, and that everything will be fine! But, I simply cannot say this honestly! That gate ahead of us is our only option! I intend to go through that gate, and hopefully find some sort of shelter for us! I will not tell you to be fearless! I will tell you to overcome your fear, and triumph in face of it!"

The noise of the cheering was deafening. The Emperor again landed Deathclaw, this time outside the stables. He dismounted, and Deathclaw was tended to by one of his men. He approached his horse, Helmut, and mounted him. He started towards the wall, a company of the Reiksguard escorting him. As they neared it, the Emperor saw a a group of riders approaching them. He gave the order to halt. He could now make out the riders ahead of him. There were four of them, one bearing a white banner. The oldest looked at about 40, the youngest couldn't have been more than 12 or 13. One of them galloped up to him, he looked around 20, with long black hair. The man began to speak,

"I certainly hope your intentions are not hostile, as ours certainly aren't. Who are you?

"I am Emperor Karl Franz, and our intentions are to find out where the blazes we are."

"Emperor? I know of no Emperors beyond the wall. I am Jon Snow, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch."