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This is the last chapter. There is only the epilogue left.
Read the A/N at the end for more details! :)
Chapter Thirteen – Age 31
XIII
"Mamma" A sleepy voice called from the door, prompting Heddara to get up to unlock it.
Bran's face was white, his eyes wide and tearful.
"Come in sweetling. What is the matter?" She asked in a whisper, picking her son up and bringing him with her to her bed, after barring the door once more.
"Bad dream." He murmured, hiding his face in her neck as they got into the bed. Rohar still snoring softly.
"What about?" She asked, sleep trying to claim her once more.
"There was a scary man, like in Old Nan's stories, and he was trying to hurt uncle Ben. But uncle Ben used a torch to burn it." He said with a sniffle.
She brushed a kiss on his forehead. "Then everything is fine. Uncle Ben was safe. Don't worry, it was just a dream."
Bran nodded, hugging her tightly, and soon falling back to sleep.
She followed, many moments later, after sending a prayer to the gods that her son would not get the sight.
Bran didn't get any more dreams, at least for the moment. But Benjen sent a letter soon from Castle Black, regaling her with a story.
A story on how he had been attacked by a wight while searching for clues on the children of the forest and had survived by lighting the creature on fire with his torch.
It was what she needed to call a full council once more.
Euron quickly made his way into the Council chambers after being called in by a court secretary.
"My Queen" He said, kneeling. "My Lords"
It had been strange when the Queen had kept the Lords in Winterfell after the festivities were over and most nobles had already started to make their ways home.
Almost a moon they had been in talks, and the result had been a focus of the builders and workers on the holdings in the New Gift and the Wall.
Queens Crown had been swiftly raised to his former glory, the underwater causeway that led to the island where the Tower sat had been repaired and secured, the village in the shores of the lake brought back to living conditions and the Tower itself had been brought back to its full military potential, being repaired and garnished.
The Order of the Dawn now resided there, controlling the village and the trade that went to the Wall by land. Glass houses had been added to the village, and the full garrison stationed there had given people enough confidence to once more inhabit the rebuilt houses. It also helped that soldiers always had coin to spend on drinks and women.
The presence of the Order had greatly reduced the number of wildlings crossing over, but as predicted, more and more tried their hand at crossing by sea.
New orders had been issued by the Queen that any wildlings found at land or at sea should be given four choices: death, return to the lands beyond the Wall, kneel to the Queen's laws, or a one-way trip to Essos.
For some reason, Queen and Council had decided that the wildlings were worth the effort of ferrying them to the other continent – and that was what was happening, as that was what almost every single one of those shits had chosen.
Not that many people were against it. He certainly wasn't. The less Wildlings beyond the Wall, the less Wildlings that could cause problems in the future. Even if he thought that killing them all would have been much simpler.
And then there were the burnings.
Now that had caused a stir.
Most Northerners already burned their dead. It was an old tradition from the time of First Men, but it was not a written Law. Until now, that was.
Most smallfolk had found it strange, wondering and gossiping on why such thing was needed.
In the end, most people seemed to think that Good Queen Heddara was against the waist of land for the use of cemeteries, like the Southerners did, and seemed fine enough with just burning the dead. It was a much more regal end after all.
Euron was not so certain. He had already caught a few wildlings trying to avoid Eastwatch by-the-sea in dingy row boats and hastily made rafts. They had been surprised by the chance at going to Essos, and had, distractingly, taken the offer.
Their wide eyes at seeing the other continent had been full of hope, saying how they would never have to knell to Southrons. Euron had had no qualms in telling them of the dangers of slavers, and how kneeling to the Queen in the North was most definitely the better choice.
Most of those people, he had no doubt, would leave Bravos, where they had left them, and try their luck south, in Pentos. Bravos was a very harsh city to foreigners, especially those it considered barbarians. Pentos, with its trade with the Dothraki would be easier to maneuver in, but he had no doubt that most would find themselves under a Magister's soldier sword, probably an unsullied, after offending one of the fat shits.
Some of the wildlings though, spoke of strange things that had brought them south. That had made them desperate to try to brave the seas to cross the ice.
And those things left him with a disquiet that was hard to explain.
So, to be called back to Winterfell, less than a year since he had last been there, was worrying.
"Captain Greyjoy." The Queen greeted him. "Please raise. We have much to talk about."
The tale that followed was a confirmation of his worst fears and nightmares.
"Can they swim" He asked, suddenly. At the confused looks he got from the Lords he explained further. "The wights, you called them. Can they swim?" And that, was the worst fear of all.
The Queen shook her head. "As much as we know, they can't." She explained. "My brother has seen one, and promptly burned it to ashes, so we have no evidence to support these claims, but everything points to an inability to swim. Some wildlings have reported swimming across a river to run from them." She frowned in worry. "At the same time, all the scriptures we have found on the Long Night say that the Others magic froze the land to such a way were rivers and lakes froze over to a point where it took hours to dig over a river until you found liquid water below."
He gulped, imagining the consequences. If the ice went all the way south, could they freeze the sea between the Stepstones and cross to Essos?
"What do you want from me?" He asked, finally.
His Queen nodded, looking him in the eyes. "You have always shown an interest in the mystic arts, wanting permission to look further into these issues. Wanting to visit Valyria."
She raised then, going around the semi-round table to where he sat in front of it. "I am giving you a different status. I believe you are the only one that can search for what we need. I want you to sail to Essos, to Quarth, to Ashai, to the shadowlands. Anywhere you wish to go, as long as you look for ways to fight this enemy that is once again rising." She extended a scroll to him, that he accepted automatically, still focusing on her words.
"I know not when our enemy will attack. It could be in a few years, or in a few decades. The state of things between the Wildlings will be our way of gaging the enemy's movements. I know not how long you have to look, but I ask that you send word frequently. Apart from that, I ask only that you follow the Laws of your country, that you never take a slave, and that you only approach Valyria when you have found a way to guarantee yours and your crew's survival."
He nodded, incredulous at the outcome of this meeting.
"Do you accept this task, Euron Greyjoy?" The Queen asked.
"Yes" He said, his smirk finally returning to him.
A/N:
Next chapter is the epilogues plus a small annex (smaller than the last time, I promise!) where I will explain why I chose certain things and not others.
If you have any questions you would like me to answer, please leave a review!