Fili sent a talking raven ahead to announce their arrival.
Even though the Old Bear already had one raven that could speak, this was clearly a different breed.
The Night's Watch watched in tense silence as the Harrenhal column rolled up to Castle Black like a silver tide. Every heavy cavalryman and infantryman rode in full plate.
"What the hell does Harrenhal want? Are they really here to help?"
"Maybe they're here to seize the Wall."
"Why would anyone want this frozen shithole? To freeze their balls off with the wildlings?"
Jeor Mormont ignored the whispers. His eyes stayed locked on Roman.
Roman felt it the mont they got close. His body started feeling wrong—off-balance, like sothing inside him was being pulled in two directions. The closer they ca to the Wall, the stronger the sensation grew.
What the hell is this? Is the Wall's magic reacting to ?
He pushed the discomfort down, dismounted, and walked up to the Lord Commander.
"Lord Commander Mormont. I'm Roman Whent. Lady Shella sent to bring aid for the Watch."
Mormont took his hand, studying Roman's pale face. "A pleasure. Maester Aemon told Harrenhal had a promising new heir. I assu that's you."
The old man glanced at the endless crates of supplies. "Give Lady Shella my thanks."
After the short greeting, Roman had his n start unloading. This shipnt was different from previous ones—twice the size and far higher quality.
Warm clothing, preserved food, canned goods, iron tools of every kind, and crates of dicinal herbs. Even glass jars, which the Watch rarely saw.
"All this… ca from Harrenhal?" Mormont sounded genuinely impressed.
A year ago the supplies had been modest. This ti it looked like Harrenhal was trying to single-handedly keep the Watch alive.
"You've done well with your lands, Ser Roman."
"I'm just a boy Lady Shella took in," Roman said. "I'd like to hear how things stand at the Wall, if you have ti."
Mormont nodded and led him on a tour of Castle Black and the Wall itself.
Fili released her ravens to scout the surrounding area. Roman had warned her to watch for wildlings trying to slip past.
As they walked, Roman listened while staring up at the impossible structure.
How the hell were a few thousand n supposed to hold sothing this massive? Martin built these things like gods, then gave the Watch barely enough people to staff a village. No wonder wildlings kept getting through.
When the tour ended, Roman couldn't hold back. "The Wall is the realm's first line of defense against whatever's beyond it. Is it really wise to leave it to an understrength volunteer force? What happens if a real enemy cos?"
Mormont knew the Watch was weak. There was nothing he could do about it.
"We take it one day at a ti."
They rode the heavy elevator to the top of the Wall. The higher they climbed, the worse Roman felt.
From the battlents the world stretched white and endless. Only a few distant peaks broke the horizon. Roman felt the snow itself shifting, like countless eyes were watching him from the far north.
His head grew fuzzy. His legs started to shake. Mormont noticed and moved to steady him, thinking it was fear of heights.
Then Roman's white-fla sight snapped into focus.
A pair of unnatural blue eyes stared straight back at him.
The Night King.
For a heartbeat they stood in that misty dreamscape again. This ti the Night King could reach him. He stretched out a hand toward the dragon standing before him.
Roman's magic finally broke free.
He jerked out of the vision and shouted, "Stay back! All of you—stay back!"
He sprinted across the empty stretch of ice at the top of the Wall. Mormont tried to grab him, terrified he would fall.
White fla and crackling lightning exploded from Roman's body.
He didn't let it touch the Wall. Instead he threw the power straight into the sky.
The air above the Wall ignited.
It was dusk. The sudden roar of fla and thunder drew every eye for miles.
The Night's Watch stared upward in fear. Only Fili understood. She felt the connection between herself and every living thing around her grow stronger. Roman's magic had surged.
As his apostle, she was changing too.
The outburst lasted less than fifteen seconds, but the heat that washed over the battlents left Mormont and the guards drenched in sweat.
"Ser Roman—are you all right?"
Roman stopped him with a raised hand. "I saw the Others. They're gathering in the north. We need to prepare."
"The Others have been gone for thousands of years," Mormont said. "They can't be back."
Roman held up his right hand. White fla and lightning danced across his palm.
"If sothing like can exist in Westeros, why can't the Others return from the Lands of Always Winter?"
Mormont still looked unconvinced.
Roman t his eyes. "Lord Commander, you forget—dragons flew over Westeros little more than a hundred years ago."
Mormont wasn't a fool. His entire duty was to guard against wildlings and the Others. But after so many centuries without either, the Watch had focused entirely on the wildlings.
Roman rembered that dragons and magic were linked. When the last dragon died, magic began to fade. Winters grew colder.
Is the Night King reacting to ?
He wasn't worried about the Night King reaching him directly. The Wall's ancient magic still held. Neither wights nor Others could cross it.
As long as they didn't get their hands on a dragon, the Wall would stand.
If the Seven Kingdoms united, the Others wouldn't be that hard to stop.
The problem was that Westeros would never unite. Even facing extinction, so n would still choose to line their own pockets.
They only learned fear when the blade was already at their throats.
Mormont saw the grim look on Roman's face and said, "We have no proof the Others have returned yet. But the Watch will start watching for signs. Thank you for the warning, Ser Roman. House Whent will always be a friend to the Night's Watch."
He ignored Roman's protests and steered him toward the elevator. They needed to get off the Wall.
On the way down, Mormont noticed sothing strange. Roman's white fla and lightning looked terrifying, but as long as he wasn't trying to kill anyone, the fire felt only pleasantly warm. It didn't even singe clothing.
Back at Castle Black, Fili threw herself at Roman the second she saw him, checking every inch for injuries.
She refused to let go afterward.
Mormont used the excuse of the Seven to send the nervous Watchn off to eat. The Harrenhal soldiers, who already knew what white fla was, relaxed once they saw Roman and the Old Bear were unhard.
That night everyone stayed at Castle Black. Fili used the excuse of "watching over Roman" to climb into his bed and stay there.
"Fili, I'm pretty sure checking my health isn't your real reason for being here."
"Hehe~ You didn't exactly kick out either, my lord."
Roman shook his head and turned back to the letter he was writing to Lady Shella.
A pair of small hands suddenly wrapped around his head from behind.
"Fili? What are you—"
"Lord Roman… what are these two bumps on the top of your head?!"
User Comments
0 comments from readers