38

Chapter 38 – War for the Dawn Part 2

Above the Last Hearth, the North…

Shaena was circling with Sheepstealer as she looked down at the situation beneath her, the army of wights that surrounded the northernmost castle was both impressive and troubling. For a moment Shaena considered the very real possibility that the Night King himself might be here but careful flyovers of the area had rebuked that idea, much to her relief. She really did not want to have to fight the Night King by herself.

But the wights were definitely down there and in large numbers, Shaena thought wishing she had brought Terrax but he had been naughty and broken a few of the clasps that held his dragonglass armour together and they would have to be repaired before he could fly again. True they could have just fixed them with magic but she wanted to Terrax to stew for a while before she let him fly again to show him how cross she was. Dragons could be so like children she mused, you had to be firm with them or they would walk all over you.

Putting thoughts of her disobedient dragon, Shaena looked down at the wights below and with a urging of the bond she shared with her dragon, they dived in for the attack.

Sheepstealer, far better behaved than her other dragon did exactly as she was told and when close enough to the ground, unleashed a massive blast of flame down on the wights below.

-x-

On the castle walls, the Mormonts and the Umbers watched in awe as the dragon that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere began to destroy the wights that held them inside this castle. It was a glorious sight to see and although Jorah had seen dragons before he could not help but wonder why this dragon had such dull brown scales all the same though he was glad to see it here.

-x-

Shaena was enjoying herself as she made another pass, taking down wights left, right and centre. It was so easy from this position that it was also like a game.

Then in an instant that changed as the air around them seemed to grow far colder, enough to make even Shaena shiver. She looked around but there was no sign of a mass of walkers below her and no other apparent reason for the sudden drop in temperature. She looked around, trepidation striking deep into her as she searched but then her eyes caught sight of a disturbance in the thick, dark clouds above.

Her eyes followed the movement, widening slightly as she realised the scale of whatever was creating such a wave in the clouds. It must be colossal she realised with worry.

Then it descended straight down at her and Sheepstealer. Emerging from the clouds like some leviathan from a monster story only for Shaena this monster was all too real. A large dragon that had much of the same look as hers except for two differences.

First its scales glittered a very pale blue, seeming more like chips of ice than scales.

The second was the sheer size of the beast, it dwarfed the already large Sheepstealer to a near ridiculous degree, from the snout to the tip of the tale it measured almost a hundred and fifty feet long.

Shaena and Sheepstealer were momentarily paralyzed in complete shock at the enormous scale of the creature, never having seen a dragon that big before and only her quick reflexes and Sheepstealer's instincts made them dive to avoid the vast open jaws of the dragon just as it unleashed an immense blast of what felt like concentrated cold.

Shaena was left shivering even worse, holding on to Sheepstealer with all the strength she had as the cold bit hard into her body. She urged her dragon to turn as the ice dragon (for what else could it be with breath that cold she thought angrily) flew past them and with an almighty blast Sheepstealer unleashed her fire on the ice dragon. The ice dragon was hit on the tail by the fire blast but to her horror the effect was no more damaging than a slight scalding, turning some of its beautiful blue scales purple. But it did manage to anger the dragon enough that it swung around and charged back at Shaena and Sheepstealer who were forced to dodge another icy blast from the dragon by the skin on their teeth.

-x-

As the battle between the two dragons evolved into a swirling combat where each beast tried to get an angle of attack on the other, streams of blue and gold streaked across the sky before finally meeting in the space between the two beasts. Ice met fire as the two creatures unleashed all of their strength against each other. For a moment they were evenly matched but then the icy breath of the ice dragon started overcoming the fire of Sheepstealer. The Mormonts and Umbers below watched in horror, thinking they might be the first people in centuries to see a dragon killed, shortly before the giant blue monster killed them as next.

-x-

Shaena was beginning to get desperate as she felt Sheepstealer losing ground against the ice dragon and sharply pulled her dragon away, knowing they had to think of something else other than brute force. They were stunned slightly by the edge of the icy breath of the other dragon but what really hurt was the ice dragon's tail which swung around and smacked Sheepstealer…hard.

Shaena was nearly knocked out from the force of the impact herself and Sheepstealer was only really saved by the runic armour she was wearing but all the same the poor dragon was rendered unconscious by the hit and fell from the sky towards Last Hearth. With her ears still ringing Shaena concentrated on casting as big a cushioning charm as she could towards where she guessed they would land and hoped she got both the spell and the location right.

Sheepstealer thankfully did crash where Shaena had anticipated she would and the cushioning charm saved the poor dragon from further injury although it was still a very jarring landing Shaena thought getting rather unsteadily to her feet after sliding off of the saddle. Her head sore and vision dazed she looked up and saw the ice dragon diving towards them, clearly intent on finishing off not only them but all of the people in the castle. Shaena herself was too dazed to teleport herself out of the way and even if she weren't she could not leave Sheepstealer behind. So with whatever concentration she could muster, she called on her magic and unleased her strongest spell.

"Fiendfyre!" She called out and a burst of flame erupted from her hands, which she had previously used to hold the reins of Sheepstealer. The all-consuming flames shot upwards towards the oncoming ice dragon, hitting the enormous beast straight in the head. Shaena only managed to hold it for a few seconds before she had to stop but it was enough. The ice dragon fell more sharply to earth before crashing just short of the castle walls with a burnt head, damaged to mus for the creature to survive. Finally Shaena realised…dead, it was strange to see as the creature began to dissolve into water despite the cold.

But Shaena could only watch for a few moments before she collapsed back against her dragon to take a quick breath before checking Sheepstealer over for any injuries. Seeing the Mormonts and the Umbers approach she managed a smile as they looked at the woman awestruck.

"I do not suppose you have some water and meat for my dragon do you? He needs to rest after the battle to heal properly."

The Rills, the North…

The Army of the Dead was a terrifying sight to the Lannister men that had assembled in the area to fight them. The living were awestruck at the mere sight of them, never had they imagined such creatures as were standing before them.

On mass the wights were an intimidating sight but from their position on the hill, the Lannister men held strong harden by years of fighting in war. Many had served Lord Lannister in his campaigns in the east and the Iron Islands and after that the Northern/Riverlands Civil War. That experience held them firm but there was another reason for their confidence, located at the front of the army were mounted rocket launchers and ballista which all stood ready to unleash their firepower on the dead while heavy infantry were present at the sides and behind to move forward in case the army of the dead got to close.

Hadrian stood with them, ready to test to his weapons against the wights, sure of their success but if needed he would use his magic to force the wights back himself. It would be difficult, perhaps even fatal for him but with the weight of all life everywhere on his shoulders what else could he do? He had dismounted from his horse and quelled any worries he might have as Raga stood at his side, clad in runic dragonglass armour much like that of the dragons. The lion was growling at the sight of the wights and Hadrian gently stroked his large golden ears and smiled before turning back to the army of the dead and ordering his men.

"ARTILLERY!" Using the name he had given to the units that operated the launchers and catapults. "TAKE AIM!"

The men some with experience took aim at the wights who had yet to begin charging and calculated the right angle to achieve maximum effect, just as the wights began charging. With the danger closing fast, Hadrian with a small sense of trepidation gave the order.

"FIRE!"

The 'whoosh' of the rockets as they surged towards the enemy filled the air as ballista fired the bombs with a primitive chemical trigger. The effect the moment they made contact with the enemy was immediate as the explosions tore through the first ranks of wights with ease, scaring many of the Lannister soldiers too as the sounds of explosions shook them. Bursts of green fire lit the field and wights were instantly rendered to dust as green fire ate through their bodies and the men watched in awe at the sheer power of the rockets and bombs when combined with wildfire. Nevertheless the wights kept charging without hesitation, causing the men to quickly reload and fire again.

The green fire formed into a barrier that held the wights back, being quickly renewed with each blast to keep the enemy from getting any closer and as more and more of the wights were released from their sad state the moral of the men soared. That was until something charged through the green inferno, apparently unharmed.

The Walker had been riding a wight horse until it had tried to force its way through the green flame where its horse was consumed by the fire however the Walker, moved unharmed through the inferno before it continued charging towards the Lannister lines. The men could not believe it when they saw the creature move untouched by the flames as it were nothing but an irritation and fear began to descend into their ranks as a well-aimed rocket blast caught the creature mid chest and only put it back a step briefly before it continued on, completely unharmed.

Hadrian was both unwillingly impressed at the fortitude of the Walker and worried that wildfire had no apparent effect on them. He had hoped that they would at least be damaged by the explosion but it seemed there was only one way to deal with them. He saw the wall of fire was still holding back the wights and called out as he unsheathed his sword.

"CEASE FIRE!" The men looked unwilling but did as they were told and Hadrian stepped forward alone to confront the Walker, while his men watched in surprise.

Firing a trip jinx had little effect as the Walker dodged the shot, Hadrian readied his sword which met the ice spear of the Walker with a loud clang but otherwise held firm. The men behind were amazed to see their leader stop the Walker's charge single handed and more impressively hold the sword lock with the Walker's spear. Hadrian did not smile, focused completely on the fight.

The creature appeared shocked at how easily Hadrian seemed able to match its strength, Hadrian began to press back against the Walker and broke the lock to jab at the Walker that managed to dodge the attack before swinging its spear trying to catch Hadrian in the side only for him to side step and continue the duel.

Hadrian swung his sword hard into the ice spear before quickly changing the angle of attack in his next swing to keep the Walker on the back foot until finally the Walker stumbled allowing Hadrian to slash Crimson Night into its grey skin, turning it into a pile of ice crystals in a split second.

The men behind him cheered in joy and awe as they saw the ice demon explode before their eyes and with him the wights that remained collapsed to the ground now that the force that held them up was gone. Hadrian allowed himself a small smile as the weapons he had engineered on this world had proven as effective as he had hoped, on the wights at least. The walkers had surprised him with their immunity to wildfire but the gauntlets' warmth and strength enhancement runes made him able to withstand its strength on even terms.

That at least he could say had been a successful test. But there was still more to do, first the march to Moat Cailin where he would meet the king and discuss a strategy for the battles to come.

Overton Ford, the North…

On the banks of the White Knife River where it split in two a battle was fought between the Knights of the Vale, the small house of House Overton who held the ford and the wights of the Night King. Ser Robar Royce with his family's sword Lamentation in hand was engaged in a prolonged struggle with a rather decrepit looking pack of women that looked as though they had been mauled to death from the jagged tears in their flesh. The sight was enough to make him sick but he was not going to hesitate to cut off their heads as many of his men had done at the start of this fight when they had engaged them head to head, a mistake that had cost him nearly half of his force.

Those that remained would certainly not forget the lesson and now fought harder than they had in their entire lives he thought grimly. He could well understand his king's instructions now, this battle was too important to be exclusively a Northern affair. Not when it concerned the fate of everything living Robar thought.

Looking around the situation was bleak, most of his men had been driven further back towards the frozen river by the wights while the Overton's remaining men had retreated into their castle and closed its gates, leaving he and his men with no safe haven to retreat to. He had never felt as cornered in his life and genuinely thought it might be the end.

That was until he saw the two dragons flying above the frozen river. He had seen the beast of the king at Kings Landing where he had served on the Small Council but the sight of two great dragons at once was enough to make him understand how his own ancestors had been made to bend the knee to Aegon the Conqueror who had three…and if rumours were to be believed there were now five dragons! All here in the North.

However he was glad of their presence as they used their fire to burn away any wights that remained, his men cheering as they did. It was both awe inspiring and terrifying in equal measure and the beautiful women on the backs of the dragons were enough to turn many men's heads. But for the moment they were safe and the wights had gone. It was a victory, if a costly Robar thought as he looked around the field of battle at all of the corpses.

-x-

Daenerys and Rhaenys after their work was over landed their dragons to talk with Ser Robar Royce and get him to rally his forces at White Harbour where additional reinforcements from the south would soon be arriving. The loss of so many Knights of the Vale was going to be hard on moral they both realised but the battle at least had been won. There were going to be a lot more death before this war was over, they might hate it but it was just the way it was.

After this they would fly to Deepwood Motte where they had been told that the enemy was pressing hard. The sight of a silver badger coming through the air stopped them cold however as they turned to look they were shocked to hear it speak.

"Girls! This is your Aunt Shaena speaking. The White Walkers are using Ice Dragons against us. I just fought one at Last Hearth and it nearly killed me. These creatures are several times bigger than our dragons and you only stand a chance of defeating one if you work together in twos or threes. I will pass the news to Jon shortly. Stay safe girls."

The badger swiftly disappeared having delivered its message. While the girls had never imagined such magic before the warning about Ice dragons struck home. While they could hardly believe that such creatures existed, if Shaena and her dragon had nearly been killed by one they had be on their guard.

Moat Cailin, the North…

For the second time in a year, the Lannister army marched on Moat Cailin, intent on meeting the army of the Crownlands and the King to determine a strategy for dealing with the White Walkers. Hadrian Lannister rode at the head of his army, Terrax flew overhead but followed them as he was supposed to now his armour had been repaired. It was far safer and easier to transport a dragon by letting it fly than forcing it to walk. Of course getting the arrogant dragon to wear his armour was a pain in the arse Hadrian thought but it was essential to protect their dragons from the Night King. The image of a dragon brought back as wight was enough to make even Hadrian shiver in fear.

Looking up at the troublesome dragon Hadrian frowned as it flew forward towards Moat Cailin which finally came into view. A large number of tents indicated that the Riverlands and Crownland contingents of their army had arrived already and above the castle there was another dragon flying high above, surely the king's dragon Sunfyre. Terrax seemed rather intrigued at the other dragon and they seemed to dance around each other in the air for a while before setting down in the field by the tents scaring some of the men but neither dragon bothered them and the men were keen enough to stay away.

Hadrian rode into the castle with his personal guard, coming face to face with his grace Jon Targaryen, Ser Arthur Dayne and Obara Sand two members of his Kingsguard. After dismounting from his horse Hadrian bowed to his king despite the man being nearly twenty years younger than him. Jon accepted it with a solemn expression and catching a look at Arthur and Obara they shared their king's melancholy mood.

"Your grace, is there news from further north?" Hadrian asked worried that more Northern strongholds had fallen, adding to the number of wights against them.

"No Lord Lannister but there is word that an army of wights is on its way here with a dragon that can quote 'freeze entire villages'." Jon told him and Hadrian gritted his teeth, clearly the Ice Dragon that Shaena had encountered at Last Hearth had not been the only one under the Night King's control. He knew from her messages that Fiendfyre could take one down if it was hit head on but other than that they had no idea how to take one down. They were too fast for rockets and a single Targaryen dragon could only wound an ice dragon. Hadrian wondered if a wildfire explosive might work but how would they get close enough to hit it? It was a problem that needed some thought.

Moving from the yard to the great hall Hadrian looked at the map of the North with Jon, Arthur and Obara. Information was extremely limited as to where the Walkers now had their army and its size but with the number of deaths caused already it could well stand in the hundreds of thousands. Their weapons, magic and intelligence gave them a slight edge but the wights would wear them down with sheer numbers if they could not find a way to destroy them quickly.

"We cannot allow the Walkers to spread further than the North. If they get into the Riverlands then the number of wights is going to rise faster than we can kill them, we have to contain them here as well as keep the Northern strongholds alive." Jon said as he looked at the map his eyes focusing on Winterfell ever so briefly. Hadrian and Arthur however had noted a rather large flaw in his plan.

"To keep the Northern strongholds fighting and defended they will need fresh supplies of food, oil and dragonglass and the only way to get that to them is to send convoys overland." Hadrian said knowing full well that the convoys would be a sitting target for the walkers and wights which would only add to their numbers.

Arthur however had a suggestion even though he frowned when he made it. "Dragon escort would provide an effective screen against them but we only have five dragons and many places to travel too."

Portkeys might be a better way, Hadrian thought to himself of delivering supplies if they were attached firmly to carts and the carts themselves then turned into portkeys but he knew there was a problem. He could not create a portkey to somewhere he had never been too or seen before in visions. He might use the Weirwood to see the castles and from that know where to send the portkeys though. He had not wanted to tell the king or indeed anyone outside of his own family but with the stakes so high could he trust the king with his secret? Deciding to think more on that before he said anything he changed the subject and placed a bundle from his saddle bag on the table.

"Before we go any further I have something that might help." He opened the bag and showed Jon and Arthur the two pairs of gauntlets he and Shaena had made. They looked curious but that was all so Hadrian explained further. "These gauntlets are made of Vaylrian steel with a fire stone in each one." Jon and Arthur's eyes widened at the mention of the rare metal.

"You discovered the secret?" Arthur asked knowing how important this discovery was to their war. The ability to make Valyrian steel, one of the only two weapons they had against the walkers it might well turn the tide but Hadrian brought his hopes down to earth with a harsh thud.

"Shaena and I working together managed to discover the method to make the steel but it is very time consuming and we can hardly afford to lose the dragons off the front lines. We did however manage to make these which we paired with a Valyrian fire stone. The magic of the stone will keep the wearer protected from the harshest cold and more importantly they will add to your strength and speed. They work best in combination with a Valyrian steel weapon so I thought it wise to give you both a pair." He showed his own before the two men took a pair of gauntlets each and fixed them to their arms instantly feeling any sense of cold disappear, marvelling at the newest weapon in their arsenal. It might not sound like much but it would make fighting the walkers easier on a one to one basis. Jon himself was intrigued by the intricate rune design engraved into the rippled steel, wondering how hard Lord Lannister and his aunt must have worked to make these. He decided to ask a question of his own.

"How many of these gauntlets do you have Lord Lannister? They would be a welcome asset."

Hadrian smiled slightly, glad that his gifts had been well received and their application appreciated. "At the moment there are twelve pairs, yourself, Ser Dayne, me and my lady wife are the only people currently using them so we have eight more pairs left. And there a number of other weapons that we have brought that might be of use your grace, if you would like to see them?"

Jon was intrigued by whatever weapons the Lannister had brought to defend the realm with. Rockets he was sure were a given but what else had they created to fill out their arsenal. He therefore nodded and said.

"Lead the way Lord Lannister, any weapon against our enemies is worth my interest."

-x-

On the walls of Moat Cailin, Hadrian's men were setting up the weapons he had brought with him for the demonstration. Hadrian was too level headed to allow pride to get in the way of things but it was with a certain sense of accomplishment that he showed the weapons he had pioneered. The men at Castamere had built them and contributed extensively to the design but he had originated the concept and an actual working plans.

"The flamethrower is exactly what its name suggests. With a pump driven by hand and reserve of oil it is able to throw an arch of fire over a considerable distance. Like so." Hadrian said and nodded to the two men manning one of the flamethrowers who nodded and started working the pump, they were slow to start but once it gained speed and the brazier was lit a massive stream of fire erupted from the end of the nozzle shocking Jon and Arthur who took a step back in surprise. Their eyes were wide with surprise but looked impressed Hadrian smirked before adding. "Not quite dragon fire but I suspect a decent substitute. Next we have the rockets which you already know about." He lifted his arm towards the racks set up on the battlements. "And next is the newest addition to our bag of tricks, we call them bombs."

Hadrian led Jon and Arthur over to a table where a number of orbs had been placed. They looked at the small devices not quite believing they could be that dangerous when Hadrian held one in his hand and explained their lethal potential.

"They use the same mixture of gunpowder and wildfire to make powerful explosions as the rockets, exploding on impact with a glass vial chemical trigger." Their eyes showed their concern when he mentioned wildfire but he paid it no mind and kept talking. "They can easily be thrown by a man's hands, a sling or a catapult but some we have modified to throw out shards of dragonglass. Imagine what that could do to a group of white walkers?" Hadrian posed making them realise just how effective these weapons might be against their enemy.

Jon and Arthur were very impressed and Jon knowing how critical these weapons could be turned to Lord Lannister.

"Excellent work Lord Lannister, I would have these weapons deployed at Northern strongholds as quickly as possible. They could be a vital took in their defence." Arthur nodded in agreement.

However it made Hadrian frown; he acknowledged they could be essential in the defence of the Northern strongholds where this war was being fought from but the last thing he needed was someone manhandling the bombs and rockets which could easily be disastrous creating infernos and large explosions everywhere. He was also worried that someone would try and reverse engineer the powder and wildfire, if that happened then chaos would ensue with everyone trying to gain power with the new weapons. Losing a critical advantage to his own house and more critically shattering any peace once the war with the walkers was over. But without these weapons he worried they might not win.

Making a quick decision that should please the king and keep the secret of wildfire and gunpowder out of less responsible hands Hadrian replied to their order.

"I regret that I cannot allow the bombs and rockets out of my holding as they require special handling less they be as dangerous to the wielder as the enemy, the flamethrowers however if manned by be own men could be installed around Northern strongholds."

Jon looked annoyed briefly and so did Arthur but they accepted his explanation which was at least partly true. Any further discussion on the subject was halted by the sight on the horizon of a large shape coming towards them. Hadrian pulled a telescope from one of the guards and looked at the magnified object and visibly paled before handing the telescope to Jon while Arthur looked at him and asked.

"What is it?"

"Trouble." Hadrian said running through any possible defence they might be able to mount against the approaching Ice Dragon. Jon himself was now able to see the approaching creature clearly, he visibly paled at the size of the beast that was going to attack them. They all instinctively ducked as it flew overhead and their heads whipped around to see the creature circle not far from the castle.

The three men looked on in horror as the creature dived towards a column of ten thousand men approaching from the south and blasted them with its icy breath before pulling back into the clouds. It was a demented portrait, men frozen in the last moment of life stuck in ice like a fly in amber.

All those watching were paralyzed not quite able to believe what they had just seen but that did not last long as Hadrian and Jon took charge.

"I have to get Sunfyre and Terrax into the air. Lord Lannister take command down here." Jon said knowing that two dragons might make all the difference in this fight. One might not have been strong enough to take an ice dragon down but two possibly. Or so Jon hoped.

"Ready all ballista and rockets." Hadrian yelled out to his men, who despite being terrified of the ice dragon were well drilled enough that they followed his orders quickly. "Prepare the flamethrowers. When that monster comes around again shot it down." Hadrian then quickly grabbed a pouch of primed bombs and shouted to Jon.

"Take these, if you can hit the creature in a vulnerable spot these might just bring it down."

Jon nodded while looking at the bombs nervously and took the bag before running down the stairs to his dragon, hoping it might well carry the day for them again.

-x-

Hadrian and Arthur meanwhile where looking at the ice dragon as it turned its attention back towards them. Turning to his rocket men Hadrian ordered. "Take aim and fire."

The rocketeers did their best and fired but the ice dragon with speed that belied its great size eluded every shot, getting closer and closer to Moat Cailin. Arthur just as desperate as his old friend asked.

"What about the flamethrowers? The Bombs?"

Hadrian just shook his head. "Haven't got the range, by the time that creature is close enough to use them we will already be a ball of ice. I designed them to fight walkers and wights not those monstrosities." He said wondering if he might be able to do what Shaena had done but was saved from having to expose himself as a wizard by the appearance of two smaller dragons racing across the sky and strafing the ice dragon with streams of fire, the men behind them cheering although Hadrian and Arthur knew better to celebrate just yet.

-x-

Jon on Sunfyre's back watched as her fire and that of Terrax strafed the ice dragon leaving angry purple burns along its blue body but the damned creature from hell just would not go down Jon thought angrily. He dreaded to think how old these creatures must be to have grown to this gargantuan size, the skeleton of Balerion in Kings Landing certainly was nowhere near this creature's girth. So how he wondered to himself could they defeat one when their own fire breathing dragons could do little more than scald it?

Seeing the creature open its mouth he urged his dragon to get out of the ice dragon's field of fire and thankfully Terrax followed suit barely dodging the blast of intense cold that could freeze a man in mere seconds. He felt the edge of the blast as it erupted from the creature's mouth and wondered how it the name of the old gods they were supposed to defeat an ice dragon.

Then the jangle of metal in the pouch on his belt reminded him of the bombs Lord Lannister had given him. Remembering their explosive power he suddenly had an idea. A bad one he thought but perhaps the only chance they had.

Urging Sunfyre down onto another strafing run, the female dragon's flame only irritated the enormous ice dragon but it was enough to get the creature to turn its attention back towards him rather than Moat Cailin and the unprotected men inside it. The great jaws of creature turned towards him and he could see the light blue light inside that signalled it was getting ready to blast again, Jon reached carefully for the bag and held it in his hand, ready for just the right moment. As the ice dragon opened its mouth, for Jon it was as if time had slowed down and it was painfully slow as he threw the entire bag of bombs straight into the creature's open mouth before pulling away with Sunfyre straining to get herself and her rider out of the way.

There was a brief moment where it seemed that Jon's gamble had failed and his heart sank but then a green burst of light emerged briefly from the ice dragon's mouth and the entire creature seemed to shake for a split second before black smog started drifting from its mouth. The ice dragon seemed okay despite this for short while before suddenly it started falling to earth and crashing into the marsh, moving no more. Slowly it began to dissolve, the force that kept it together extinguished.

Even with the fierce winds Jon could hear the cheers from the castle below, bringing a smile to his face until he noticed a White Walker who had been observing the battle was now on a wight horse retreating from the battle. Fury gripped Jon as he thought about the thousands of men that the ice dragon had killed at the behest of its masters and urged his dragon onwards towards the retreating walker. Closing he urged his dragon to blast at the walker with fire and while it might have been immune to dragon fire, its horse was not.

The Walker was sent flying as its ride turned instantly into ashes, crashing hard into the snow and Jon once Sunfyre was low enough leapt off her back to the ground rolling slightly as he did so. Recovering quickly he drew Blackfyre and with his new gauntlets charged at the creature with slightly more speed than he had intended. The Walker recovered quickly but Jon was already on him, surprising both of them as Jon was able to match it blow for blow and evade just as fast.

The Walker had never seen a human move as fast as this before and could feel the heat radiating off him and the blade seemed to have a slight glow about it although if you blinked it might be easily missed. This surprise and distraction was his undoing as Jon was able to batter his way through the Walker's defences with better swordsmanship and cleave his sword straight through the Walker's chest rendering it nothing more than ice crystals in the snow. The wights that had been waiting to attack on their master's command immediately falling like puppets with their strings cut. Terrax descended on them and started to burn away their bodies along with Sunfyre, the dragons obeying his feeling on what should be done.

-x-

Jon stared down at the crystals in the snow, his breathing rapid but growing steadier as each moment passed. He was like that when horses carrying Ser Arthur and Lord Hadrian came up behind him.

"Are you injured your grace?" Ser Arthur asked, concerned for his king and relieved to see Jon was fine.

"I am fine Ser Arthur, but I have to thank Lord Lannister, his bombs and gauntlets are what saved the day." Jon turned and Hadrian nodded in good grace meaning to reply but Jon then asked something that Hadrian had not expected.

"I owe you much Lord Lannister if there is any position or holding you seek then you need only say, but there is something I must ask. Why do you do all of these things for me and my family Lord Lannister? With your weapons you could well have sat on the throne yourself, why help House Targaryen?" Both Jon and Arthur looked intently at him wondering what his answer would be, the question made Hadrian more uncomfortable than he cared to admit but he took a deep breath and answered as best as he could.

"If there was a single reason answering that question would be simple but in truth your grace it is a number of things." Hadrian said before elaborating. "I was friends with your father and envisioned us building a brighter future for the Seven Kingdoms together only to be cut down in his prime by a man that would bring drunken ruin to the country. Partly for his sake I help you. Another is that I honestly believe you could be a good king, naïve perhaps but a good king that will bring stability and prosperity that we have been lacking for decades. Someone that the people can rally behind." Hadrian said stunning both men briefly.

It was true he thought, a quiet life which he could spend raising his children in safety and comfort was what he strode for. Thankfully he had been reborn into a wealthy family that could provide all he needed and more albeit with great responsibility but that was a burden he would gladly take. To care for his people and give him the means to make things better here, at least he hoped so.

Jon did not speak, just nodded but his eyes spoke volumes. He truly was grateful for everything that had been done on his behalf and would not ignore it. Hadrian allowed himself a slight smile, it was certainly better than the last few kings he had seen rule.

They might make a great king out of him yet. But for the meantime he had portkey supplies to send in secret and hope the northerners did not look a gift horse in the mouth.

Winterfell, the North…

The men were carrying stones and mortar towards the entrance of the crypts, intent on sealing them off on the order of Lord Stark. Eddard watched them while they got the materials together. It saddened him that it had come to this but he was not going to risk anymore of his ancestors being raised as wights within his own walls. The corpses of Benjen and Lyanna trying to kill his family and the rest of his people had been almost too much to bare and after having one nightmare to many he had decided to seal off the access points to the crypts and keep them that way until the danger had passed. He had already advised other lords to do the same for fear they might be killed by their own dead relatives but his first concern was Wintefell. After all given the size of the crypts how many more wights might the Walkers raise?

He was about to order the men to start work when an annoyed looking Robb came out of the crypts with a defiant Bran and Lyanna Mormont at his side making Eddard frown in anger that even after what had happened someone had defied his orders and ventured down into the crypts and that it was his own son and future daughter in law did not ease his mood.

"WHAT WERE YOU TWO THINKING? DID I NOT MAKE MYSELF CLEAR WHEN I SAID NO ONE WAS TO ENTER THE CRYPTS?" Eddard yelled more scared than angry, worried his son might have been killed by a wight even with his magic to protect him. Bran at least had the sense to look sheepish before he dared to speak.

"I am sorry father but we just wanted one last look around the crypts before they were sealed off!" Bran said not meeting his gaze, eager to show his father what he and Lyanna had discovered while looking around. Lyanna however could not wait and met Eddard's gaze without flinching, something Eddard was unwillingly impressed at.

"I apologize if we alarmed you Lord Stark but the unexpected discovery Bran made at the tomb of your ancestor Lord Cregan Stark, look." She said pulling two good sized rocks out of the bag she was carrying while Bran sheepishly pulled out to two similar looking stones from the one he was carrying. They were each a different colour; one for example was black with specks of yellow while another was violet coloured. The other two were more similar in colour being both a shade of royal blue with silver in places.

At first Eddard was about to scoff and reprimand them for risking their lives for mere coloured stones but then he noticed the regular pattern that each of the different coloured stones had. They resembled scales like those found on fish but also Eddard remembered on dragons, the image of Sunfyre Jon's dragon in his mind's eye. He recalled the old family legend that during the Dance of Dragons Vermax, the dragon of Prince Jacaerys Targaryen had laid a clutch of eggs here while treating with the Lord of Winterfell at the time Cregan Stark but he like many others had dismissed it as a tale conjured up by someone too deep into the cups one night. Now it seems there was some truth to the story after all he thought marvelling at the eggs that had been under not only his nose but generations of Starks for at least a century and a half.

But Eddard thought forcing himself out of thoughts of the past and back to the present there was still discipline to be handed out and a crypt to seal off so he turned to the stone mason and said.

"Seal off the Crypts, I will not have this castle threatened again even by my own ancestors." The stone mason bowed to his lord and went to work while Eddard turned to Bran and Lyanna who both felt rather worried all of a sudden. Eddard was fighting the urge to smile as he told them what he had in mind for both of them.

"Bran you will help the stable master muck out stalls for the next month while Lady Mormont was sew new furs for the men to keep them warm. Fail to do so and it will be another month added." Both of them groaning at the sound of what they would be expected to do. Lyanna Eddard knew was much like her namesake and his own daughter Arya and despised sewing with an unbridled passion.

Still the dragon eggs could be a good sight, perhaps there was hope for the future after all.

Deepwood Motte, the North…

The wind was far worse here than in other parts of the North right now Melisandre thought as she pulled her thin furs around her tighter, huddling around the fire with others. Once she would not have needed them to stay warm, but that had been what felt like a lifetime ago.

She had been a priestess of R'hllor, the Lord of Light and his instrument in this world. She had advised the Azor Ahai himself and even been his consort. She had dreamed of victory over the ancient foe and a glorious age were all would worship her great master.

But she had been so wrong.

Her visions had been false, guiding her to the false king only spreading chaos with her actions and doing the work of the White Walkers for them. She had not received a single vision from her god in so long now that his warmth had truly left her so she was shivering in the cold, only the red stone around her neck kept the illusion of her beauty in place. A vanity that now seemed rather pointless she thought as the gate to the castle where she had taken refuge were being forced open by the wights of the Night King. She honestly had never felt more ready to die than she did right now, not in all the years she had lived. Depression gripped hard on her soul and crushed her will beneath its weight.

Then just as the wights breached the gates, causing the Forrester defenders to pray to their Old Gods for help something happened, almost as if the gods themselves had been listening to their prayers two large dragons emerged from the clouds and descended down on the army of wights. Seeing the wights destroyed by the beautiful creatures that many said were fire made flesh brought a glow to her heart that seemed to melt away the coldness that had settled deep inside her.

Melisandre found enough of her fire restored to shrug off the furs she was wearing and grab a discarded dragonglass dagger before wandering out of the castle through the open gates, intent on finding the Walker responsible for this attack and ending him. Eager she supposed to finally do something right.

-x-

Daenerys and Rhaenys flew overhead with their dragons spewing flame down on the wights below. It was scary both girls thought just how many corpses the Night King had to enforce his will. Three passes with the largest jets of fire their dragons could deliver and still it was almost like they weren't making a dent. The cold wind whipped around them and made the two Targaryen girls shiver, not being used to the cold having grown up under the hot Essos sun. They clung to their harnesses and pulled their furs tighter around themselves while continuing the attack, starting to make some significant damage to the wights much to their relief.

-x-

Both young women were so focused on the wights that they failed to notice that if they looked to the nearby hills they would have seen the figure of the Night King and his fellow walkers looking out at the field beyond.

The Night King was annoyed at the presence of the dragons, ones that made fire rather than ice. He and his kind could not be harmed by their heat but the same did was not true for their servants. The more of his army was burned away, the less chance they had of conquering the lands that were truly theirs.

The Night King decided enough was enough and pulled an ice spear from the saddle bag on his horse and dismounted before taking aim and threw the spear as hard as he could at the larger of the two dragons.

-x-

Daenerys was unaware of the ice spear until impacted on the armour that protected Daeron but she sure as hell felt it as her dragon howled in pain and plunged downward towards the ground. She was terrified as felt the pain in her heart that her dragon was feeling as he tried desperately to land inside the castle walls without killing both of them. The men and women below screamed as they tried to get out of the way. Daeron strained his injured body to land without killing his rider and skidded along the ground as they hit.

Daenerys was left dazed by the hard impact and fell from the harness, the dark shadow of Elinor over her as Rhaenys and her dragon came to land nearby and her niece came running over. Her words were muffled and Daenerys with blood coming from an open wound on her head could only stare ahead in complete confusion. Her dragon Daeron was no better, saved from death only by the runic dragonglass armour he had been wearing which had taken the full brunt of the ice spear and saving both their lives.

-x-

On the nearby hill the Night King frowned having expected to kill the dragon with his spear only for the strange armour to deflect his attack. He had never heard of such armour before and it worried him slightly but he knew that his ice dragons would take down a dragon, armour or not.

The steps of the human that he had sensed were closer and closer and he allowed himself a slight smile as the trap that he had set so very long ago finally came to fruition.

Melisandre raised her dagger with her blood pumping through her body and felt a rising sense of anticipation as she charged forward and plunged the dagger towards the Night King, the end of his reign within her grasp and she desperately wanted to believe her forgiveness for her past transgressions.

The Night King however had long sensed her presence and at the last second dodged the blow sending Melisandre forward into the back of another White Walker who perished as she wished the Night King would have done. She had no time to react on her failure however as the Night King grabbed her wrist in his cold but inhumanly strong hand while grasped her throat with another but not so tightly as to suffocate her. The dagger fell from her hand and she struggled as hard as she could against her captor but he lifted her clear off of her feet. She looked into his inhuman human blue eyes and was frozen in terror at the sight of the Night King who focused his attention solely on her and against her will, visions filled her mind.

Vision starts…

The Night King using a dead Weirwood tree to reach out across the world to a magic user in Essos and fill their heads with visions of fire and a single god that controlled everything. Visions the magic user used to start a cult in his name, R'hllor.

The cult expanded and spread, killing any user of magic or trying to convert them to their cause. Magic slowly beginning to evaporate from the world as they spread further through Essos, not knowing they were doing the will of the Night King weakening the world for his return.

One member of the cult inspiring the events that would lead to the downfall of Valyria to remove a great threat to his plans. The dragons slowly over the years being brought to near extinction and magic along with it.

Then Melisandre herself and all of her brothers and sisters in faith coming to Westeros inspired by false visions of Stannis Baratheon as the supposed Azor Ahai, unknowingly spreading chaos and destruction to pave the way for the Walker's return…to make their conquest easier.

Vision ends…

Melisandre had tears in her eyes as the weight of what she had just learned the horrible truth. Her heart was breaking as he was held in the grasp of the being that had pretended to be her god, hiding as the opposite of his true self to use them against the rest of the human race without them even realising.

"LIES! LIES!" She screamed desperately a part of her struggling against the truth that she and her entire order had been nothing more than a sham, used to weaken the world in preparation for the second long night. But she could not deny the truth and shouted at her captor. "GO ON KILL ME! MAKE ME ANOTHER WIGHT!"

But the Night King said nothing, confusing Melisandre, she knew he could snap her neck like a twig easily or suffocate her at any moment of his choosing. Never mind he could just take a blade and shove it through her belly instead but he just held her in his grip. She was confused but then she saw a glimpse of a female figure with long white hair and grey skin with the same inhuman blue eyes as the Night King in her mind's eye and with horror filling her, his intentions became clear.

"NO! NO NOT THAT!" She cried out but to not avail as he dragged her over to the frozen river. She struggled as hard as she could and called desperately on whatever magic she could but his cold smothered her inner fire and left her helpless as he trust her body into the ice, breaking clean through before it refroze surrounding her in an ice cocoon that held her fast despite whatever fight she had left in her.

It began to fill with a chilling vapour that surrounded Melisandre and filled her lungs. Her struggles slowly ceased as the cold filled her body, her skin turning grey and the red colour was drained from her hair leaving it as white as the snow around her. Her eyes slowly lost their strange red shade turning to the same unnatural blue as the rest of the White Walkers. A red cloud emerged from her mouth before disappearing into the air.

There was stillness in the air before the ice cocoon shattered open, the creature that had once been Melisandre screaming as she forced her way out of the prison that held her. The scream echoed in the night air and the snow fall turned into a deadly blizzard that would have frozen a human in moments.

Across the North, everyone with magic felt a sudden chill. The Night King himself smiled as he looked down on his queen. He had chosen her vessel carefully, many centuries ago. Now she and her magic were his and he was a step closer to victory as well.

Winterfell, the North…

Kinvara was sitting in the room she had been given along with several other women while the castle was so full but she did not mind. Due to her appearance as a Red Woman most gave her a wide berth and left her in peace. She was able to seek her visions of the future but it was hard to gain even the remotest clue these days with the Night King so close. So she had decided to take a break and was wandering around the castle and by 'chance' found herself outside the rooms of Brandon Stark where she could hear the young Stark and his future bride discussing their recent trip down into the crypts. All of the castle was laughing about the punishment Lord Stark had put on the two young people but at least it had had a positive outcome. Four new dragon eggs had been found and eager to see them she pushed the door fully open surprising Bran and Lyanna who whipped around and Lyanna asked her in a voice that could freeze water into ice.

"How can we help you Lady Kinvara?" The woman in question however paid her no mind, having been threatened by far more dangerous and scary people than her in the past and instead looked over to the four eggs that were being warmed by the fireplace. Good she thought to herself, they were not petrified and could still be hatched so she asked Bran Stark the question that had been on her mind since he had discovered them.

"Will you hatch them for your family young lord? Or give them to your cousin?" Kinvara asked and both Bran and Lyanna looked at her strangely, not understanding her meaning.

"Excuse me Lady Kinvara but I cannot hatch them as only one of Valyrian blood can ride a dragon." Bran said and Kinvara was so amused that she actually laughed so hard that she nearly fell over while the two youngsters looked on in confusion. When she had recovered enough of her senses to talk she told them the truth of the matter.

"A fallacy spoken by the Valyrians to make themselves sound more impressive and stop anyone else from gaining their greatest advantage, the dragons. The truth of it is young lord that anyone with magic can bond with and control a dragon once it is hatched, most people of Valyrian descent have some magic in their blood that allows them to do so but in reality anyone can do it as long as they have magic. With your own powers you could hatch all four eggs with magical fire and you, your siblings even your father would be able to ride them once they are large enough." She told the surprised pair knowing as much from the time that she had lived in the Valyrian Freehold, a time she did not relish much these days.

The surprised Northern pair turned to look at the eggs while Kinvara tried to look again into the future for something that might aid them in the war against the White Walkers and finally she managed to gain a peak into the future or what might be the future, maybe due to the proximity of Bran and eggs.

Vision…

The snow was thick on the ground as wights charged across an open field, explosions from rockets and bombs slowed their progress but did not stop it. Kinvara from the hill where she watched did not recognise the part of the part of the North where these events were taking place but she knew somehow that this was the final battle.

Her eyes were drawn to another part of the battle she witnessed what looked like a dozen men and women with weapons in their hands running to meet a group of White Walkers on the field. The swords they wielded Kinvara noticed were all Valyrian steel as were the gauntlets that they wore. Soe had other weapons designed to kill Walkers.

Just who these daring warriors were she could not tell but she noticed they all wore the same armband, a rising golden sun on a light blue background.

A new Band of Heroes perhaps Kinvara thought.

Vision ends…

Kinvara was deep in thought as she left the two young people she had been talking too, going to gather her things and seek out her vision. She was so lost in thought that she jumped when surprised by a loud crack that announced the arrival of the new Lady Stark Ashara.

"Excuse me." Ashara said, ignoring Kinvara completely as she went to her husband startling many who had not seen her arrival.

-x-

Eddard was again checking their stores and worried about the levels their stocks had fallen too when he saw a sight that both lightened his heart and infuriated him at the same time.

Ashara coming straight at him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her angrily. "You were safe in the south why come back?"

"If the future is against us my husband we will face it together my husband. I will not cower in the south while you face near certain death here in the North." She said with a hard expression on her face that let Eddard know she would not be swayed. For better or worst she was here.

But then the moment was disturbed by the arrival of a breathless maester Luwin. The old man looked surprised and surprisingly happy about something.

"My lord, you must see what has just appeared in the yard." Luwin urged him and with a sense of confused foreboding Ned and Ashara followed, coming to a halt at the balcony overlooking the yard their eyes wide.

A dozen carts carrying food, oil and dragonglass had just appeared out of thin air. Supplies that Ned knew that desperately needed and would he realised go a way to replenishing their stocks and keeping them fighting. Whoever had sent it he did not care, but they would have his eternal gratitude if his ever found out.