The Citadel, Oldtown
After weeks of research and hurrying around the vast swathes of library space in the Citadel's Grand Library, Sam had finally found what he'd been looking for : Archmaester Serwyn Stark's Mysteries of the Ethereal. This was the book that Sam had heard rumours about since the raven had arrived from the Wall stating that the Wall had fallen. This was the book written by one of the most revered maester's of all, this was the book that if Sam was not mistaken was the book that he'd spent the past year and a half looking for, this was what they'd needed at Castle Black when the Other's had first emerged. Sam only hoped he wasn't too late in finding this book and that he would be able to write down all of his findings and send them off to Jon, whom Sam still couldn't believe was alive after having being burnt!
Sam opened the rather slim looking book, and began to read:
To Whom it may concern,
What you hold in your hands now is a tome that many have now ridiculed and are saying that my findings are preposterous and that I have finally become senile in my old age. However, I trust that the fact that you are reading this suggests that this is not the case and that House Stark's words have come true and Winter – The True and Foretold Winter- is finally come. These pages contain the details, as much of the details at least, of the legendary Long Night that I have been able to find across Westeros.
Enjoy
Archmaester Serwyn Stark, The Citadel 7 A.L.
Sam turned the page and began reading about the creatures that were plaguing the wall:
No one is exactly sure where they come from, but it is known that the Others did live in the Land's of Always Winter. Originally there were ten of them, and they controlled a terrifying army of wights, mammoths and giants. Their leader is known as the Great Other, but in truth whilst the Others may not be human, this Great Other does seem to have at least been human at one point, as seen by the fact that during the legendary Long Night the Great Other managed to have two young children, twins in fact. Of course the Others marched from their abode in the Lands of Always Winter down to where the Wall now stands and fought the combined forces of the Children of the Forest and the First Men, the battle fought was a bloody one, and it seemed as if darkness would triumph over the light. Until one day it was discovered that dragonglass, valyrian steel and fire could kill the Others and their undead minions. This knowledge gave the Children and the First Men great hope and so it was that they battled on, winning some victories and losing some battles, but still the war continued for whilst the wights, the Giants and the Mammoths died, so too did the Children and the First Men. But the Others continued to live all ten of them, until one day the famed 'Last Hero' emerged from his home carrying a blade now known as 'Lightbringer' this hero has taken many names over the years, in eastern folklore he is now known as Azor Azahi, he obtained Lightbringer after forging a sword and plunging it into the heart of his wife Nissa Nissa. The Last Hero along with the help of Brandon the Builder fought a lengthy battle with the Others eventually killing them until there were just two of them left. These two then killed the leader of the Children and were about to kill Azor and Brandon, when Azor's dragon burnt the two creatures too smithereens. But all was not done, a madness gripped Azor Azahi and he turned on his companion and fought him, for just as there was a Great Other of Ice, so too must there be a Great Other of Fire. Brandon eventually managed to kill Azor Azahi and in an act of remembrance of his fallen friend created the Night's Watch and raised the Wall for him. However, no one truly knows what happened to the two twins that were created by the Great Other whether they too had perished during the Long Night or whether or not they had survived. That was the main reason why the rangings that the Night's Watch now carry out were started, to find these twins if they still existed and kill them before they could ever create another threat to the light. The Rangings however, turned out to be fruitless nothing was discovered and soon the focus turned from finding these twins to preventing the Wildlings from crossing the Wall. Of course now with the Aegon's Conquest, I fear that we could be facing another similar battle, if not now then in a few hundred years time, especially with the Targaryen practice of incest and the Doom of Valryia. An Other of Ice will soon rise to challenge the light. And only the Prince of Ice and Fire can prevent the chaos that will soon return to Westeros.
Sam stopped reading and felt something in his stomach drop. A battle between Ice and Fire? The King and Queen were Targaryen, and rumoured to have dragons, Jon had been reborn from fire, could this mean more trouble? Sam had to warn Jon but how he could do that without raising any alarm would be very difficult, but he had to do it somehow!