30

Chapter 30 – Gathering forces

The Great Weirwood, Beyond the Wall…

The cold winds seemed to be picking up outside and the chill made everyone wrap themselves tighter in their furs as they tried to focus on what they were doing rather than where they were at this moment and how cold it was.

The cave was filled with floating objects as the younger Lannisters and Starks tried their best to master the power that Hadrian had demonstrated some time before. Bran had no trouble at all and a few pebbles and bits of broken tree root were floating around him in a swirling pattern. The Three Eyed Raven smiled proudly at his young pupil.

Hadrian's sons and daughters were not too far behind if less confident than Bran was, Tyler and Richard seemed to be driven on by a childish rivalry to outdo one another but it was working Hadrian had to admit with a slight grin as they both mastered levitating objects quickly. His girls of course did not need any intervention from him as they worked diligently to master their new abilities and Joanna actually seemed to have discovered how to banish or repel objects with this same power and was just getting the hang of summoning them too. The sight nearly brought a tear to Hadrian's eye.

A frown however appeared on his face when he cast his eyes over to the other student in the room, Arya kicked the ground in frustration as she failed to get the stones around her to move. Hadrian was about to go over to help her when a gentle hand fell on his shoulder. Turning he saw Shaena who shook her head before she went over to the wolf girl herself.

Arya was about ready to growl in frustration, more like the animal that her house had made their symbol than a young lady. She just could not do it she thought with anger, kicking the roots of the tree in frustration. The sight of her own brother and the Lannisters doing it so easily did not make the situation any better. She was about to storm out of the cave when she saw the Targaryen that Lord Lannister had taken as a lover coming over to her. She was not a lady of any kind she had seen before though, nor any princess she acknowledged. Wearing tight leather that clung to the shape of her body but with dark furs over and a majesty looking sword at her hip, she had an unearthly beauty that seemed to radiate from every pore making Arya self-conscious about her own looks, much as Sansa had once upon a time. Another feeling she hated and made her feel even worst.

"Wrackspurts have infested your brain." Shaena Targaryen said and the statement was enough to stop Arya right in her tracks.

"What?" Arya asked completely baffled as to what the woman was talking about, Shaena Targaryen however smiled and told her.

"We shall have to work to remove them, they prevent you from completing your task. This is Dark Sister." She said suddenly pulling out the elaborately decorated sword that her own ancestors had wielded and showed it to the young girl whose eyes widened as she gazed at the storied blade. She ran her hand along the cold rippled steel and Shaena smiled as she whispered to her. "My ancestor Rhaenys Targaryen wielded this blade, the Dragon Knight Aemon wielded it too." As she whispered objects started raising from the floor around Arya as she was filled with excitement at the weapon she had long dreamt of seeing for real. Shaena's smile widened before she finally called the girl's attention to it. "Are you doing that? Because it is not me."

Arya looked up, confused at what Shaena Targaryen was talking about until she saw the objects floating around her. The sight was enough to surprise her and immediately the objects started falling to the ground but Shaena's voice sounded again.

"Focus, the objects are only as heavy as you allow them to be." Her voice which had been dreamy and relaxed only moments before was now deathly serious and as hard as steel. Arya felt sweat on her forehead as she heeded the Targaryens' words and to her own amazement the objects slowly and unsteadily began to float again.

Shaena smiled at her new pupil and said. "Belief that you can do something is critical, if you think you cannot do it then you have already failed. You have the power and brains to do whatever you want, but only if you believe that you can."

Arya took a few seconds to absorb those words before looking around at the objects floating around her, something that had seemed impossible only moments before until Shaena Targaryen had distracted her so much that she had not thought about it. Had her own father and Lady Genna not told her the same thing? That you have to belief in yourself to make anything work? But that the lesson had not sunk in yet it seemed much to her own sadness. Shaena Targaryen however did not allow her time to dwell on it.

"So shall we try again and maybe after that we can start on some curses?"

The idea of cursing her enemies immediately caught Arya's interest. Seeing the girl's eyes light up brought a laugh to all of them in the cave. Which again only made the girl frown and more eager to learn so she might pay them back.

-x-

Outside the tree however the Night King with his enormous army behind him stood as he surveyed the tree that housed his enemies. The return of magic to this world had caused him greater agony than he had even thought of before but it had led him to his place so it might as well have been worth it he considered.

The defences around the tree might well have been formidable once, but now he could feel them waning with the age of the accursed Three Eyed Raven. He could he realised with cold certainty force his way through. He would surround the tree first the Night King decided, then attack once his enemy had no avenue of retreat.

The Red Keep, Kings Landing…

The night's air was cool against the skin as Tyrion with Ser Gwayne as his escort walked through the now familiar passages of the Red Keep, gods he thought to himself he had spent more time here than anywhere else Casterly Rock aside. The work of a Hand of the King had driven him to frustration many times but he could not deny the power and respect the position demanded had been more than enough incentive to continue onwards.

The fact he had secured Duskendale as the new home of the Royal Fleet and ensured his castle's prosperity for years to come was just a dessert after a particularly delicious meal. However tonight he was being forced to carry out a duty that was not pleasant, explaining to his beloved niece and nephew that they were about to lose their royal status. He had hoped that it would not fall on him but his brother and Varys seemed to have passed the task on to him which he highly resented and had needed a few drinks as well as calling them a few chosen curse words before he finally felt ready to do it.

He was still busy with his plans against the new Faith Militant; his campaign of frame ups and revealing dirty secrets of various members had been paying off well he thought with confidence. The movement had become bogged down in scandal and disgrace, no longer did any of the city's people look on them with admiration or respect now wherever the Faith Militant went they were met only by scorn and derision. Whenever they tried to use violence to enforce their will the Goldcloaks would firmly put them down. Fear, the Faith's only real remaining weapon was being taken from them as he de-toothed the High Sparrow and painted his order's white robes with dirt. He still had some diehard followers but what he had planned for Septa Unella would soon begin to see even that unravel but for tonight, he had to ensure the wellbeing of his niece and nephew.

Coming to his nephew's chambers Tyrion took a steadying breath and nearly hesitated for a minute, briefly entertaining the idea that maybe he help Tommen keep his crown but rejected it straight away. The Targaryens were coming with dragons and an army at their back while poor Tommen had nothing. Still such a child inside the poor boy had no chance of holding onto the throne no chance whatsoever and Tyrion conceded with weariness would he want too? He knew of his nephew's doubts and fears, he had never wanted the throne anyway and was having terrible nightmares, cuddling with his cats for comfort nearly every night. It broke Tyrion's heart to see his sweet nephew tormented like this, so perhaps it was a blessing that he had to give up the throne. Coming to the door where knights of the Summer Sons stood instead of the Kingsguard which had not been reformed since Bronn had slaughtered the previous incarnation of the brotherhood at Tyrion's order. He would have to do something about that when the Targaryens arrived Tyrion supposed but with a brief nod to the men, he was unopposed as he approached.

Knocking gently at the door he heard a voice calling for him to enter so he pushed open the door and came in to see his nephew Tommen and niece Myrcella sitting on the bed waiting for him, cuddling Tommen's cats as they did so.

"Uncle. What is the reason for summoning us here in the middle of the night?" Myrcella asked him furious at having been woken so late and dragged here, she struggled to suppress a yawn and not yearn for her bed. Tyrion nearly smiled at that, she was getting more beautiful by the day soon to surpass her bitch of a mother. He could only hope she did not follow a similar path as Cersei although he felt sure that she would stay well above the slime her mother had inhabited almost from the moment Cersei had been born.

"Forgive me my dears but I have news for you both that requires immediate action. The Targaryens are sailing for Westeros with an army and dragons at their backs." The news stunned the two young blondes who looked surprised only for a moment before fear set in on their young faces which made Tyrion feel all the worst for stirring such feelings in them so he continued to try and get the hardest part over with. "So both I and your uncle Hadrian have treated with the Targaryens and they had made an offer, abdicate the throne and give up any claim peacefully and there will be no war and we will all be spared the dragon's fire."

The silence in the room after that statement was complete, leaving Tyrion with no idea what was going on inside the heads of his niece and nephew. Myrcella was the one to break the silence after it continued for a few moments.

"You would see us cast out on the streets?" She said her voice trembling slightly as horrendous pictures of her and Tommen living on the streets of this city entered into her mind. Begging for food and being abused by any who cross their path. What would she have to do to keep them both fed Myrcella thought with dread, selling herself as a whore? Not exactly how she wanted to end her maidenhood she thought with fear as Myrcella honestly wondered how she and her brother were going to survive.

Seeing the look of fear on her face and hearing her words in his ears was enough to stir Tyrion to respond, hoping desperately to ease her doubts.

"No my dears, your uncle and I would never allow that to happen!" Tyrion said putting a comforting hand on hers. She looked like she was going to pull away from him but he tightened his hold on her hand. "Your betrothal to Prince Trystane Martell has been confirmed. You will wed him when you come of age, word is that the boy loves you deeply and was overjoyed when his father signed the agreement."

"So Myrcella is going to stay a princess?" Tommen asked, sounding delighted that his sister was going to be safe whatever happened. His own safety never crossed his mind, except for what would happen to Ser Pounce and his cats if he was no longer there to take care of them. His uncle's sudden smile reassured him and brought a lot of comfort. Myrcella herself looked relieved but her cheeks went pink with the idea of marrying Trystane making Tyrion relieved that she was open to the idea.

"Yes Tommen, Myrcella will become the Princess of Dorne and her children will be princes and princesses after her. You meanwhile can come and live at Casterly Rock and at Duskendale too if you want. You can do anything you like." Tyrion said with a warm look in his eyes while his voice became almost fatherly to the two young blondes who had never really had a father. Robert had ignored them, Jaime too and for obvious reasons Stannis and Renly had not liked Tommen and Myrcella either. Hadrian hardly saw them so it had fallen on Tyrion to step up into the role of surrogate father to the two children who needed guidance.

Tommen looked elated at the sound of that, most would have thought he would hate giving up the throne but it was like an answer to his prayers. He could leave this wretched city and go somewhere that he might be truly happy. Myrcella would be safe and keep her title as a princess, he could even keep his cats he thought happily. So he told his uncle with a smile.

"I will abdicate when the Targaryen king arrives."

Well Tyrion said with amusement that was not as bad as I had feared.

The Great Weirwood, Beyond the Wall…

The Night King looked around as his forces surrounded the accursed tree and prepared charge upon his command. He never smiled and never would as he stood there, with his three most elite warriors and a large body of his wights. He knelt to the ground and placed his hand firmly into the snow covered ground, a crack instantly erupted from where he had forced his hand into the ground which torn through the earth and snow until finally it reached the perimeter line and slowed before forcing its way partly through.

Inside the tree the ground shook and the cold air in the cave seemed to chill even more although none had thought that possible. Everyone apart from the Three Eyed Raven jumped to their feet in alarm, The Raven however only said one thing.

"They are here."

The old man looked more resigned than surprised and for the brief moment Hadrian and Shaena caught his eye, taking in his full meaning. With anxiety spreading inside them they ran to the mouth of the cave followed by the young ones until they emerged into the freezing night air. Despite the darkness brought by the heavy clouds above the large mass of the wights was impossible to miss. The real thing however that drew their attention was the four towering figures that stood before the army of the dead. Figures that made even Hadrian and Shaena's blood run cold.

They had both heard of the cursed White Walkers that wanted to bring a winter and night to the world that will never end but to actually see the monstrous creatures for themselves was a sight they had hoped never to have. Tall and skeletal with skin of a strange grey pallor, armed with ice weapons that could shatter normal steel and raise the dead to fight at their command. Their unnatural blue eyes looked down at the tree and the humans present could almost feel their focus turn on them.

For a moment, Hadrian met the eyes of the Night King…despite all the things he had seen and done in this world and the last he could honestly say it was one of the few things that scared him. The soulless blue eyes stared at him and his children without a single care or feeling, his deathly face expressionless but focused entirely on him.

Hadrian did not turn and avert his gaze and instead said to Shaena who was looking as concerned as he was.

"Get the portkeys, we are leaving now."

"Agreed." Shaena said her voice slightly less confident than its usual brashness. The children were still engrossed in the scene before them but did see the rope suddenly fall to pieces in Shaena's hands. Their eyes widened and reaching into the air, Hadrian extended his own magic only to give a frustrated snap when he found what he was looking for.

"Wards! You bastard!" Hadrian said with a vicious snarl and he said more calmly to the children. "Get back into the cave." He mind was running a mile a second as he tried desperately to think of a way to get his children and the others out of here but with an anti-portkey ward but short of flying there was nothing he could think of. He even considered how long it might take to make something he could fly them out on but the howling winds and presence of the walkers made him abandon that line of thought. As they all hurried back into the cave, he rushed over to the Three Eyed Raven and was about to speak when the Raven beat him to it knowing already what he was going to say.

"The wards that are preventing you leaving are all around us, there are no gaps to exploit. I can however bring them down given time." The voice and face of the Three Eyed Raven was fraught with worry as he began the work to try and dismantle the wards and Hadrian turned to Shaena who looked just as worried as he was. Their hands went to their Valyrian steel swords which thankfully they had brought with them and they nodded to each other.

"We will buy you the time." The children looked terrified at what was being said. Tyler and Richard moved to their father's side but he put a hand on their shoulders and told them.

"No boys, not this time. You need to stay here and protect the Raven. If he does not finish his work then none of us will be able to escape. The types of magic me and Shaena are going to have to use tonight, none of you are ready for. They would destroy you as readily as our enemy will." He told them and looking over to the side of the wall where a line of dragonglass tipped spears and daggers lay he said. "Arm yourselves with those weapons. If the walkers get in here only Valyrian steel or dragonglass can kill them. Wights on the other hand can be killed by decapitation or setting them on fire. Understood?" He asked and they all wanted to object and fight at his side, especially his own children but his gaze was as hard and unyielding as that of their grandfather so slowly they nodded.

Turning towards the mouth of the cave, both Hadrian and Shaena felt a mounting sense of dread as they walked back into the open air and drew their swords. They could feel the barriers around the Great Tree weakening from the cold presence of the Night King and despite their tense nerves they assumed their ready positions and began to draw on their magic.

"Levitate, blast and banish?" Shaena asked him as she noticed several large rocks around the place and had a sudden brain wave. He gave a brief grin at the idea, it might help even the odds against them a little he agreed. So with his sword still in his hand he levitated a number of the largest rocks he could manage, moving them towards the enemy lines while he held them in the air. Shaena with her own sword acting like a ward fired blasting curses followed only a split second later by a barrage of banishing charms, sending the small chunks of rock speeding through the air like bullets from a machine gun. Although whatever bits hit the walkers did virtually no damage, or whatever harm it did inflict healed itself straight away the wights were not so lucky. Their decaying and damaged bodies were shredded by the fast moving projectiles, ending their eternal service to the walkers by tearing their heads from their shoulders or damaging their bodies to such an extent that they were near disabled. Bigger and bigger stones were called forth, some as big as longboats that required two blasting curses to break into small enough pieces, shredding more wights in the process.

Of course or only worked on short sections of the wights, so more rocks were summoned by Hadrian who held them in place for Shaena to blast into smaller pieces and then send at their enemy.

However by the third salvo they had made only a slight dent in the mass of dead soldiers that surrounded them when they felt, rather than saw the barrier keeping the wights and walkers out collapse. Gritting their teeth they held the swords more firmly, ready to meet the wights when they came.

-x-

The Night King was surprised at the sudden and unexpected way his wights had been attacked, he could not help but admire it. Tenancy like that with intelligence was a rare thing in humans, who only sought to sought to further their own petty ambitions for wealth or glory in his experience. The man and woman that were defending the tree however were different and it was almost a shame to kill them. Had they been his kind they would have served his cause well.

But he did not bother with regrets and ordered his wights in to attack.

-x-

The wights then charged and looked horrendous as they came closer like a tidal wave about to hit them. Hadrian and Shaena both gave each other one look before turning to the enemy again and reaching deep inside them placing their swords back in the hilts, drawing on the type of magic they had hoped never to have to use.

"Fiendfyre!" They called out, the only spell for which they would use the words.

Erupting from their palms the fire that shone and burned hotter than any other on earth raced forward towards the wights, consuming them on contact. The enchanted fire proved an effective screen as any wight that came into contact with it burned into ashes within a moment of touching it while the children watched with awe filled eyes at the scene in front of them from the mouth of the cave. Two enormous masses of fire together formed a ring around the tree, a protective shield to hold back the enemy as long as they could.

Arya honestly thought she was looking at two dragons in human form as Lord Lannister and Princess Shaena created fire so hot that even from here she could feel its heat and consumed the wights completely. Not only was it the sheer heat and near blinding light that forced her to avert her eyes slightly, but the incredible and powerful aura of magic that it carried. Primal and hungry for things to consume, it was almost like the fire was alive. She had felt such things when bonding with her wolf Nymeria, all of them had when bonding with their animal companions but this…this was different. A creature of pure magic that only wanted to destroy.

Instinctively she walked back into the cave as did the others, not wanting to see any more of the magical fire. It was not the warm and comforting feel of magic that they all enjoyed, but something else that you should never mess with.

-x-

Outside the cave the adults would have very much agreed with the children as they struggled to control the magical inferno they had created. Their constant focus was the only thing holding the fire in check and stopping it from destroying everything around them, including the children and tree that they were trying to protect. They sweated and grinded their teeth as they struggled to keep the fire storm under control, it was like trying to hold water in your cupped hands but with a ton of weight attached to each wrist while standing on a cliff's edge. But thankfully it was proving effective as most of wight army was burned away, however they could not see the walkers who had perched themselves just outside of the fire's range.

Finally however they could feel the fire starting to slip from their control and pulled their magic back, the fire starting to be sucked backwards into their hands. Both panting furiously they nearly fell to their knees but kept upright as they looked outwards and to their mutual disbelief and anger that there were still wights on the field that were now charging forward again. Sharing a brief look of resignation they prepared themselves as best as they could for the next wave.

Their power not yet fully recovered from the Fiendfyre moments before they pulled out their swords and called on what magic remained to them. Their blades instantly were engulfed by bright orange flames that did not spread to harm the hands of the wielders and remained concentrated solely on the bladed parts of their swords. As the swarm of wights came closer, now far fewer in number than they had been before but still a terrifying sight Hadrian and Shaena drew on every bit of skill that they could command to help them survive this.

Little more than mindless beasts at the master's command, the wights had no sense of self-preservation so the fast flurry of strikes from Crimson Night and Dark Sister with magical fire flowing through their metal disintegrated many with only the briefest contact. Staying constantly in motion the muscles of the two human combatants were soon complaining as they avoided being cut to pieces by the wights, neither noticed when a golden light drifted almost like smoke to the humans from the tree. The smoke on contact with the humans eased their tired muscles and drained magic that the humans did notice and were grateful for as they continued the fight with renewed vigour.

-x-

Inside the tree the Three Eyed Raven smiled as he worked to lower the wards that were keeping his visitors here, when they noticed this the children turned to him and Bran asked.

"Why are you smiling?" He could see little to smile about, they were trapped here while Lord Lannister and Princess Shaena likely were giving their lives so they could have a chance to survive, he could feel the loss of the Fiendfyre and that it would likely be their end. Around him the others looked similarly confused and in the case of the Lannister children angry, they were terrified that their father was fighting his final battle with no hope of victory.

"The Children of the Forest and the Old Gods have decided to aid Lord Lannister and the Princess in this battle. Fear not, things are not as dire as they first appeared." His smile was kind and genuine, causing the children to creep to the mouth of the cave again and saw to their astonishment and joy that the golden mist that was aiding both Lannister and Targaryen by strengthening their arms and giving them back their full power allowing them to move with blinding, inhuman speed as their flaming swords, yes flaming swords the children thought excitedly cut through wights turning them to dust with a simple touch.

-x-

The trailing edges of their swords left a flame that covered a small arch, killing wights without even needing to touch some while brief contact rendered others to dust. Hadrian and Shaena although now revitalised by the magic of the Old Gods and the Children of the Forest were concerned as they cut down the wights. The real players in this battle had not yet entered the battlefield, where were the White Walkers? Where they going to just keep throwing wights at them, Hadrian and Shaena hoped not as they knew even with the help of the Old Gods they could not keep this up for ever. They could only hope that it worked for long enough for the Raven to bring down the wards holding them here.

Those hopes however were dashed when they killed the last of the wights only to see something else coming their way. Dismounting from skeletal horses three White Walkers came to them. Standing at nearly eight foot tall they dwarfed even Hadrian to say nothing of the shorter Shaena, and while they did not appear to be muscular the pair knew from legends that they had the strength of three or more men. Hadrian and Shaena then realised that the cold presence of the Walkers had stopped the power of the Old Gods reaching them. Still at least they were now back to more or less their full strength and with swords in hand prepared to fight the walkers, masking their fear with fierce discipline. The snow storm intensified around them as the walkers approached.

Turning to each other briefly and giving a quick nod together they fired a banishing charm at the middle walker, he resisted for a brief second but was then flung from his feet and sent flying backwards. The two remaining walkers charged forward, quicker than a horse could run but Shaena and Hadrian rolled to avoid their initial strike and dodged their fearsome looking ice spears. They quickly got to their feet before going on the attack, glad they were not wearing heavy plate armour as speed would be far more vital to them in this fight than whatever protection it could provide.

Swinging at the walkers they discovered that the legends of their incredible reflexes proved true as despite however fast Hadrian and Shaena swung their swords they could not land a single hit on the walkers but when the walkers swung their spears in an attempt to shatter the weapons of their opponents they were stopped. Smiling quietly to themselves Hadrian and Shaena then went on the offensive, knocking the ice spears aside while the Walkers were still shocked at the weapons that could stand up to theirs and struck slashing their blades hard into the walkers which shattered into tiny ice crystals on contact with their valyrian steel. Seeing the third walker staring at them in surprise as they had actually managed to kill his fellows, the Lannister lord and Targaryen princess prepared themselves readying their swords in position and the walker thought for a moment before it charged.

Hadrian and Shaena smirked before firing a tripping jinx, surprising the walker who fell face forward into the ground, sliding the rest of the way towards them and before he had a chance to recover the walker was impaled by Crimson Night and Dark Sister breaking into many tiny pieces.

Turning around the two could almost have believed it was over until they saw another mass of dark figures appearing on the horizon.

"Fuck me!" Shaena said with weary resignation as more wights appeared on the field. Just as many as they had just killed if not more. Hadrian was in full agreement, he could scarcely believe that a simple educational field trip had led to this. All he had wanted was to teach his children about their new powers in a place where they could be open about it, now they were trapped in what could be an endless battle with the dead and their puppet masters.

Just as he thought that however he felt a most welcome sensation, the wards that had held him and the others here collapsed and wasting no time, he and Shaena broke into a run back to the tree and dashed into the cave where the awestruck young ones greeted them.

"Father, that was incredible." Joanna and Sabine said together while his sons and other daughter nodded in agreement. The two Stark children looked similarly impressed but time was short so Hadrian and Shaena could not acknowledge it. Conjuring a new rope to he was about to turn it into a portkey when suddenly Bran spoke up.

"We cannot leave the Raven here to die." He cast his eyes over to the old man that smiled gently at him, touched somewhat by his care.

"Even if I was to wish to depart this place I cannot young Stark." He said regretfully, he had long sensed his end would come in this place. He was not afraid of it, he had lived too long anyway.

"Why not bring the tree with us?" Cassia asked drawing all their eyes. "Make it travel like the rope did."

"A tree is a lot bigger than a rope." Arya said while actually interested it whether or not it could be done. All the children's eyes turned to the adults in the cave who looked amongst themselves, the Raven himself was interested at the idea and wondered if it could be done to save the Great Weirwood at least.

"Has it ever been done with something this large before?" Hadrian said, worried if they had the magical strength between them to move something this big. Portkeys were usually small objects, never had needed to be big like this tree before. Shaena herself was having similar thoughts but came to conclusion.

"It should be possible, with the magic of the tree and the three of us. Where would we move it though if it stays on this side of the wall the walkers will just find it again?"

"Not further than the North. Any more than that could be dangerous." Hadrian said now conceding it could be done but where in the North should it go? There was plenty of choice but the Raven ultimately decided for them.

"The Wildling settlement on Sea Dragon Point, they know of this tree and its significance, they will protect it. It will also give them a place to worship." He smiled at the thought that they might outwit the ancient enemy and preserve this tree for future generations. Feeling much like this was a hell of a gamble, Hadrian and Shaena put their hands on the roots of the tree and along with the Raven cried out. "Portus."

The whole tree glowed gold and everyone grabbed hold before Hadrian said.

"Activate."

-x-

The Walkers and their wights would be denied their kills today as the entire tree and all the people sheltering underneath it vanished in the blink of an eye with a crack that was almost like thunder. The experience for those being carried by the tree was uncomfortable as they became momentarily weightless, all of them clinging on the tree for dear life before when a harsh thud, they arrived near the Wildling settlement at Sea Dragon Point.

Fall to the ground under the starry sky they all looked up and saw they had achieved it, the biggest portkey in the world. The Raven was smiling from ear to ear as the roots of the tree came to life and took a firm hold in the ground around them. Soon the area would teem with life once winter had passed, at least when he left this world one way or another something good would come of the events that occurred tonight.

However he had to restrain himself from laughing as the younger ones that were around him all kneeled on the ground, throwing up their last meal all over the place. Poor Hadrian and Shaena looked ready to keel over as exhaustion took them. He could hardly blame them, after the night they had tonight. He already felt his own magic being replenished by the tree so it took no effort for him to conjure a few lengths of rope that he enchanted into portkeys. Gently floating them over to each of them he said.

"These will take you back to where you need to be without anyone the wiser for you being gone. Go home and rest for you all have much to think on tonight as do I." His ancient voice said wondering how the events of the last hour would affect the future. Already the currents seemed to be shifting, and he would have much to do as the cave was reformed by the tree around him. Looking tired and ready for their beds the Lannisters, Starks and Targaryen did not even hesitate before grabbing the portkeys and taking them to wherever this night had started for them. Except for Hadrian and Shaena who the Three Eyed Raven spoke too.

"I must warn you that Stannis Baratheon has allied himself with House Bolton and House Frey who are about to launch a civil war in the North and the Riverlands. They have kidnapped many members of other noble houses to fight on their side. For all their speeches about fighting against the Long Night the Red Priests only seem to do the Walkers' work for them. Your army and your dragons will be needed." The Raven said looking between them.

"Another war with a larger and more crucial one so close behind." Hadrian said with incredible weariness. Why had they been born into this era? He wondered with anger, he and Luna he meant. They already experienced enough of war in either world and had no desire to see any more let alone against a near endless swarm of animated corpses and a bunch of ice demons that wanted nothing more than to smother the world in an endless night and a blanket of snow. But even before that they would have to fight an upstart king backed by a posse of fire crazed lunatics, ruthless sadists and worthless ferrets. The fact that his sister was almost certainly behind the Freys involvement infuriated him beyond measure, Old Walder might be devious but he could never pull off something like that on his own, someone smarter had to be pulling the strings.

"Then we will deal with it." Shaena said with a grim smile, all evidence of her playful and slightly unworldly air gone. She might have put on a ditsy act when she was Luna but she was still one of the smartest and most astute people Harry had ever met. These things had become more visible as she had become Shaena Targaryen but not diminished in the slightest. Hadrian admired her as much as he loved her, she would have made a great queen he thought to himself.

They then grabbed the rope and left for the Vale with an audible pop, arriving back in Hadrian's room where they did not bother to speak, both being too tired for that. They removed all but their small clothes and climbed into bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

-x-

Bran Stark had the shortest trip, arriving only a couple of hundred miles away in his room at Winterfell. He had not done much tonight, apart from learning to control the kind of magic he had not dared believe he had and seeing the ancient enemy with his own eyes. It had been terrifying, the sight of the endless hordes of the dead and the demonic White Walkers. He had seen parts of their history in his lessons with the Three Eyed Raven but to actually see them in the petrified flesh was something else entirely. He would not sleep easily tonight, nightmares of the living dead would haunt him too much.

-x-

At Casterly Rock the Lannister children and Arya all landed with much more grace than the first time they had used these portkeys as they had been called. Their minds were all rampant with thoughts of everything that they had seen tonight, feeling very much like they had been staring into an abyss and about to fall. What had started as a night of harmless tutorship in their growing powers had turned into a nightmare when the White Walkers, long having drifted into myth and legend had remerged from the depths of a frozen hell and were now threatening everything that lived. They had been amazed though, elated even to see their father and the Targaryen Princess drive them off. It had been awe-inspiring to see, magic that powerful and a reminder that they had dearly needed…that the walkers were not invincible.

They might yet have a chance in the war to come.

"Do you think we can use powers like that?" Cassia asked as the familiar sight of her elder brother's bedroom came into focus. Her own thoughts on the situation were how quickly they could master powers like their father had shown tonight. Richard however popped her hopeful bubble.

"Probably but it would take years. If it were easy then no doubt they would have just kept using that magical fire to hold the walkers off till we could escape." Richard said, his own thoughts wondering just how their father had learned such abilities. None of the texts he had ever seen talked of such things so that led him to believe that their father was keeping certain knowledge from them. It chafed and irritated him no end that information was being kept from him but Joanna, possibly the wisest of his sisters added her opinion.

"Father once told me some powers are dangerous, that they can destroy you as readily as they would your enemy. I wonder if this was what he was talking about, perhaps he held this spell from us till he thought we are ready?" She suggested looking around the room and seeing confused and angry looks on the faces of her family. Some like Cassia and Richard did nod in agreement but Sabine, probably the most impulsive of the sisters said with a stroppy tone.

"Doesn't it irritate you? Father has been keeping the best and most powerful magic away from us. When he comes back he had better teach us." Her tone was more like a child and her sisters were about to start arguing with her when Tyler finally stepped in and put an end to the discussion.

"Enough." He said firmly, sounding rather like their father which unsettled the others slightly. "Father has always had a reason for everything he has done and has always put us first. Whatever motive he had for not teaching us that magic it was for our own good. I suppose you did not feel that wild feeling that came with it, like it would gladly burn anything in its path if left unchecked. Father and Princess Shaena looked like they could barely control it when they used it, how might we fair without their years of experience and training?" He pointed out and it silenced all of them, making them realise debating whether or not their father should have taught them such power was pointless. They would ask their father when they saw him next and get him to give them an answer.

Arya remained quiet during the conversation which in itself was unusual but she was thinking on the things she had seen tonight and her encounter with the Targaryen Princess. She might she realised have found her new idol, a seeming reincarnation of Rhaenys or Visenya Targaryen that wielded a legendary sword and incredible powers. Not hiding behind men and spending her days stitching clothes but would fight right there with the boys up front. Confident, beautiful, quirky and powerful Arya smiled, she wanted to be just like her.

The Dreadfort, the North…

Catelyn Stark had no sense of time, she had no idea of just how long she had been here, in this miserable dark cage. It was not even a cell she thought with disgust, it was a dog kennel and she was not alone in her predicament either she thought looking around. In cages just like hers there were other nobles, all like her filthy and in varying states of injury. She shifted at thought of her own injuries, one in particular apart from her ruined hands from the vices and the cuts from different places where she had been stabbed or the burned and scolded skin.

Men of House Bolton, taking a liberty that belonged only to her husband alone. She thought, the blood on her skirts enough proof of how many times she had been violated. She felt dirty, unclean and not from her mud coloured skin, but from the inside. She pulled herself tighter into a ball, as if to hide from the world. She had known of these things but never in a million years had she dreamt that they would happen to her.

And worst was that she knew it was her fault.

She had left Winterfell without a guard and ridden south, telling no one where she was going. Her own hubris and single mindedness had put her in the position where she was vulnerable and now it had brought her to this hell. How she dreamed of being back in the loving embrace of her family, to see her sons, to hug her daughters and to make love to her husband once more, it hurt so much that tears began to roll down her face. She started hugging herself tightly, those hopes and dreams were all that kept her sane now.

The nights were long and freezing cold, woken by the growls of the vicious looking hounds that prowled around the cages and the screams of the victims of the Bastard of House Bolton, a devil in human form. Catelyn had always thought of Jon as spawn of the sin but she quickly realised that Jon Snow had been an angel and her the fool when she had met Ramsay Snow. The madness in the boy was worst than any she ever imagined and his sadistic whims had no end, she could see the flayed corpse of Lord Cerwyn on the wall in front of her as proof of that. He had been flayed alive, something her husband's house had banned thousands of years ago but the 'art' lived here as strong as ever it seemed. The sight had made her and even men scream and vomit what little food and water they were given and the cries of pain echoed in their ears still while the memory was engraved on their minds forever and wondered if it would be their corpses that hung on the wall next.

Catelyn stared at the body on the wall before carefully looking around to find the knife she had hidden when the guards had forced themselves on her last time. She looked at it briefly and wondered how best to use it.

-x-

Upstairs in the hall of the Dreadfort, Roose Bolton was holding court with the Northern lords he had assembled here. It was a feeling he relished, having these lords bend the knee to him so that he would take his house's rightful due, the lordship of the North. Some lords he had not even needed to be threaten to side with him against the Starks he thought with a dark humour, House Dustin and House Ryswell had long held a deep hatred for Eddard Stark after he had cost them their men at the Tower of Joy. It was the reason why Lady Dustin and Lord Ryswell sat at his side now. Others like the Ironsmiths, Stouts, Watermans and Lakes had hated the wildlings enough to defect on the promise that Roose would slaughter them to the last child an order he could live with quite easily.

However the other houses that he had brought under his banner were not so trustworthy he thought. House Hornwood for example had only joined his side when he had captured their lady Donella and held her in the dudgeons. Houses Cerwyn, Condon, Flint, Lightfoot, Long, Marsh, Moss, Overton, Slate and Wells likewise were only kept in his grip by the threat of Ramsay against their loved ones, something that brought a frown to his face as his thoughts drifted to his bastard son, who was sitting at his right hand. Lord Cerwyn's death was being held as secret as he could make it and he had nearly beaten Ramsay to death when he had discovered what he had done. He needed the prisoners alive and unharmed where possible, his hold over his reluctant vassals was shaky at best. He could not afford for their loved ones to be harmed unnecessarily less they turn on him, the Cerwyns certainly would if they discovered his hostage against them was now mounted skinless on the walls of his dudgeons. Deciding to get this meeting started Roose stood and began to speak.

"My lords and ladies, the time is nearly right for us to make our move. Stannis Baratheon is as we speak preparing to strike at White Harbour where he will make his landing. With our armies at his back we will crush the Starks and take the North for ourselves." He said feeling a growing sense of anticipation at the thought of Winterfell becoming his, some of his guests looked quite pleased and even giddy at the news of new keeps and lands becoming theirs while others looked reluctant and the heir Cerwyn (now lord although thankfully he did not know that) even said.

"Or they will crush us. Have you not heard the rumours of Stark's nephew and the dragons?" He asked referring the tales of Jon Snow actually being a Targaryen and having a dragon. Some of the lords looked very worried at the idea and that Lord Stark's daughters were married to or would be soon into House Lannister and House Tyrell who might well aid the Starks and stomp them like bugs beneath their feet.

"Fantasy." Roose said waving away such idea, mere drunken sailors swapping tales. "Our army is real and it will be backed by a battle hardened warrior with the power of magic at his side. And to add sugar to the cake to sweeten our victory Lady Stark sits in our dudgeon, the perfect shield against her husband." Roose announced proudly causing the Northern lords to look up sharply in surprise, they had all been asked by Lord Stark to aid in the search for his wife and now they knew she was here they could only pity the woman. The mad eyes of the bastard Ramsay unsettled even the most battle hardened of them.

The Twins, the Riverlands…

The Riverlords that had gathered under Cersei however were not nearly as uncertain of their choice as the Northern lords under Roose were. Many smaller and ambitious houses had flocked to her with the promise of new lands and titles, feeling left out since the rise of the Westerosi Empire and the southern houses gaining so much land and wealth. Others like House Bracken had joined her out of rivalry with other houses namely the Blackwoods.

Others however she thought with a dark smile had needed…encouragement. She smiled a vicious grin as she remembered the show she had arranged for House Bigglestone, having the lady of their house torn apart by four horses pulling in opposite directions. The screams had terrified the rest of her family and they would not dare challenge her while Catelyn Bigglestone, the beautiful daughter of the house remained a prisoner in the cells for fear of her sharing the same fate.

Winterfell, the North…

Ned threw a message into the fire with frustration, a wolf like snarl coming to his face as yet another day passed without word of his wife. Discovering she was missing had been shocking enough although given a horse was also apparently missing from the stables he could guess she had gone south for some reason probably to do with their daughters again he thought with anger. He should have seen this coming, the fury in her building and building until finally she did something stupid like riding through dangerous lands without an escort.

None of the houses that had answered his missives had discovered any sign of her and he was getting more worried each day that passed without news. He hoped that she had just managed to slip through their lands undetected and was now in the Riverlands. He had sent a message to her brother Edmure in the hopes she might arrive at Riverrun or be found by the Riverlords but again his letters had been met with either polite apologies for lack of knowledge or silence.

His ultimate fear however was the one that kept him from sleeping or letting Robb go out there looking for himself, that the Boltons had her. If they did he could not afford to be careless or hesitate, so he had started to quietly call his banners. Only the houses he knew he could explicitly trust like Houses Mormont, Karstark and Umber at first but now the Glovers and other bannermen were now preparing for war. He would as soon as he had enough men begin marching on the Dreadfort. The silence however from some of his vassals was troubling especially the more powerful ones like the Dustins and the Ryswells. If Roose had been gathering allies he would soon need all the men he could get to keep the North and his family as safe and secure as possible. For that reason he had called Lady Lyanna Mormont, his son Bran and Ser Brynden Tully who entered covered in snow and furs as he had just been out looking for Catelyn.

"Is there any sign of mother yet father?" Bran asked desperate for news of his mother, he had hoped that maybe the Three Eyed Raven might help but all the Raven would say at the moment was that she still lived. That was a small relief but still left many troubling questions about her status. Why could she not have stayed with him and his brothers? He thought with anger, where they not enough for her? The comforting hand of Lyanna on his stopped his thoughts from turning any darker and her smile coaxed a difficult one from him.

"Any news Ser Brynden?" Ned asked hoping against reality that he might have found Catelyn only for the knight known as the Blackfish to shake his head in frustration.

"Nothing, it is as if she has disappeared off the face of the world. We will keep searching, she has to somewhere." Brynden said with anger but Ned shook his head.

"The search will continue I assure you Ser Brynden but I have something I need you to do for me. You may well be the only man I can trust with this." Ned said gravely causing worried looks on the faces of the other people in the room, but Ned did not waver from doing what he knew he had to do in case what he feared came to pass. "I want you take Bran, Rickon and Ladies Lyanna and Wynafryd with a party of men to join the garrison of Moat Cailin. Secure your position down there and only return to Winterfell when it is safe."

The looks on their faces was blank for a moment but that soon changed as mutinous expressions but Ned said quickly with a voice as strong and unbending as iron.

"Listen, if civil war comes to the North and I fear that it might well come to that then I want Bran and Rickon somewhere safe. If the worst happens with me and Robb dying then I need you and your younger brother to be far from the reach of our enemies." Ned said his eyes focusing in on Bran who suddenly seem to regress in years, going back to a child under his father's gaze. "To go south and get help from your sisters and their families to reclaim Winterfell if you have too. I will do my best but with all the vassals not answering my letters I have to take precautions."

Ser Brynden looked he was sure as unsettled as he felt, it was so unlike the normally grim but strong northern lord to act like this, giving him a real insight into how concerned Ned was about possible war here in the North. So reluctantly Brynden bowed in respect and left to make preparations for their trip to Moat Cailin as soon as possible.

The Great Sept of Baelor, Kings Landing…

The light of dawn brought the city of Kings Landing to life as its people began their day, none of them knowing that Tyrion had arranged a little show for them outside of the Great Sept while the bells signalled the morning's service.

The city's faithful flocked to the centre of the Seven Gods for their morning prayers while the critics of the Faith Militant and followers of the Old Gods laughed and started their day early, none of them knowing what Tyrion had been up to.

Septa Unella was coming to the Sept after her early morning walk around the city, blissfully unaware of the trap that had been set for her. She climbed the steps of the Great Sept when a familiar voice stopped her cold with dread.

"Delena?" The voice called her by her first name, one she had divorced herself of when she had joined the Faith and become Septa Unella. Knowing full well she must not turn around and face the man who had called out to her she said as quickly and as sternly as she could.

"I am sorry good man but you have me confused with someone else." She went to walk into the Sept where she could escape but he would not be put off that easily and she felt a hand grab and hold her wrist and pull her round to face him while another pulled her robe's hood off her head, showing her bright blonde hair to the world but that did not matter to her at that moment as she came face to face with Gawen.

Her husband.

"Delena. It is you." Gawen said with breathless joy, tenderly stroking her cheek as he done when they had shared a bed in Oldtown. The feeling of his calloused fingers on her smoother cheek was enough to remind her of…pleasures she had denied herself since joining the Faith and a brief shudder ran through her before she supressed it. She was septa, sworn to Seven and the Seven alone. Such…base desires where beneath her now.

"Leave Gawen, your wife is not here." Her voice was frosty as she said the words which instantly she regretted. Her husband, no Gawen she corrected herself looked hurt but matters were about to go from back to worst for her.

"Mommy?" A sweet and scared voice said and she could not help but look, her heart beating like a fierce drum as she did so. Her stomach seemed to lurch as she caught sight of her three children; Mariya her beautiful eldest daughter now nearly a woman with her hair long enough to touch her bottom. Long were the hours that she and Mariya had spent in the kitchen of their small home and cooked or sewn while Gawen had been out earning their living on his fishing boat. At his eldest sister's side was Lucias her only son. It had been him that had spoken and he was looking at her with scared and frightened eyes where once there had been unconditional love. And if her heart was not already breaking from the hurt expression on her son's face the third person that greeted her made sure of it. Her youngest daughter Jeyne, still so small that she could lift her in her arms. Her angelic little face was already welling up with tears at the sight of the woman she only just remembered…

The woman that had abandoned her and the rest of their family to serve the Seven.

"So much for the mother's love." A voice shouted and Unella or Delena whichever name she used realised that quite a crowd had gathered. Mortification welled up inside as tears did when the expressions on her children's faces registered in her mind. The tears on Lucias and Jeyne's faces tore her up inside as did the anger of Mariya's and she wanted so desperately to run over and sooth their troubled frowns but she remained rooted to the spot, not able to move. Her heart was threatening to tear itself out of her chest as the jeers from the crowd got louder. However her eyes remained focused on Gawen who looked at her like a stranger.

"How could you do that to us? You disappeared in the night! Left no note! How could you abandon all we had? Your own children?" Gawen asked her desperately needing answers, her children too looked at her with pain stabbing at their hearts at how their loving mother could have done that to them.

Delena was powerless to break her gaze with theirs however much she wanted too and could not explain why she had done what she had to them because it was so stupid it would only hurt them more.

It was because Oldtown was not the same.

After the raid on Oldtown by the pirates and slavers years ago the city which had been her home all her life had not been the same, burnt out and ruined with so many of her friends dead. She had gladly rolled up her sleeves and helped in the reconstruction at first, her husband had even acquired some land in the city that could well see them raise in status but then she had noticed something. No-one was rebuilding the septs that had been destroyed and instead the Weirwood trees of the Old Gods had become the places of worship in the city. She had spoken up for even a small sept to be built but no-one seemed to be listening. Her parents had always been deeply religious, one of her own earliest memories had been of services in the Starry Sept but the sight of the beautiful building in ruins and no one bothering to fix it had shaken her and all her words had been ignored when asking about it. Then her constant talking about it had led to arguments with her husband and he had told her in a fit of temper that the Seven were false and the Old Gods were true, that he was going to convert.

Something had snapped inside her, she could not let the seven die. She had to do something, so she had snuck away in the night and headed for Kings Landing to join the Faith where no one would recognise her. While widows and unmarried women could become septas, women who had living husbands could not. She had lied about being a widow to gain admission to the Faith and she could see from the brief glimpses she could get of her brothers and sisters in faith that they were unimpressed at her duplicity.

"If she still has a husband and children then she must return to them." The High Sparrow said as he walked out of the Great Sept having heard everything. He did not want to do this and lose a loyal follower but he had to try and calm the situation. After all the recent scandals he and his entire Faith were in bad odour with the common folk who he had always thought would support them once the light of the seven shined on them. He had to set an example that he was a morally upright man or things would continue to unravel unchecked. The surprised look on Septa Unella or Delena's face saddened him but there was nothing he could do. "Leave your robes of the Seven, you are not fit to wear them."

Her face saddened the High Sparrow greatly, it was full of depression as she disrobed into her small things revealing her for all to see. Her husband came forward and wrapped his cloak around her before he led her and their children away from the Sept as the crowd jeered, not many would be coming to services today.

Unknown location, Beyond the Wall…

The Night King rode his undead horse through the tundra alone as he thought deeply on what he had seen. Two humans empowered by magic had inflicted damage on his army and destroyed three of his warriors. It was something he would not have believed possible but nonetheless it had happened so he would have to increase his own power to defeat them and the rest of the living.

He rarely ventured near the sea, water and their kind did not mix well but this sea had frozen over and was littered with the damaged wrecks of many ships, some formerly inhabited by cannibal savages until they had been added to his army. The reason for this wasteland of ruined vessels was the reason he had come here.

Summoning his powers that many humans would have called demonic he reached down into the ice to stir his newest weapons. They could feel their slumber and did his utmost to revive them from it and as with all things of ice they obeyed his commands instantly.

The ground rumbled and the ice seemed to crack as enormous creatures of an unnatural shade of light blue emerged from the ice. From a distance one would mistake them for the dragons used by the Valyrians, breathers of fire and the bringers of destruction. Only if you got close enough however you would realise that these dragons were something else entirely, that their bodies not radiate heat and in fact cooled anything with their presence alone without the intense blasts of cold they could give from their mouths.

Yes thought the Night King as the Ice dragons flew for the first time in a long time, they would do nicely.