War of the Dawn III

Moat Cailin 

Bran's ravens returned, turned around shortly after leaving to scout, and saw the undead forces marching from Winterfell and the Wolfswood. Near 130,000 undead soldiers and 50 giants- According to what Bran had seen, and the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard would heed the words.

Barristan gathered all the commanders that didn't leave with the King and Lord Snow and sent them to their stations to prepare for a fight.

"I do so regret we couldn't use those elephants again," Daario said and sharpened his knife as useless it will be when the fighting begins.

"I'm surprised you're so amused about fighting undead creatures." Daario smiled and put away his dagger, he should've known that the young man would seem so lighthearted at their possible deaths in this battle.

"After seeing dragons in action, fighting dead men doesn't seem so scary," Daario told him and he can almost agree, and he had seen quite a few odd things throughout his search for the remaining Targaryens after his unceremonious banishment. "The King and his force are still out there, what's taking him so long to ride back?"

After that last word left Daario's mouth, the winds became strong and Daeron flew in with Daegon, Jon Stark and a great number of soldiers began hurrying back to the Moat with haste.

He walked past, pushing aside many men when Daeron landed South of the Moat. "Daeron!" He shouted and the King had a grief-stricken expression on his face.

"We saw a dark mist Northwards, it'll be here in moments!" He heard his grace say, "Men of Westeros, hear me!" The King unsheathed Blackfyre from its scabbard. "I won't promise survival but ask of you all to give your hearts and souls in this battle! Fight for the warmth of your families! Your friends! Your people!" The army cried out, "We end the Night King! We end the Long Night forever!"

All of the living got to their formations and on the siege weapons, Barristan personally took command of the vanguard made up of Westermen and Rivermen and half of the Free Folk with others like Brienne of Tarth, Podrick Payne, and Tormund.

He held an immortal smile on his face, for a long time he's searched for a cause to die for, and to save all of man?...

No cause can be greater than this, he threw on his helm and gripped his shield as that mist cloud got closer and within that darkness, the silence of thousands of soldiers was watching even when the lizard-lions would drag off one of them into the swampy waters.

The Night King knew the living were clever, how the Three-Eyed-Raven has been aiding them against his advances.

Smiling, countless started running up the road and their feet causing such loud noises apart from the growls and gnarls that the dead echoed and bits of iron and steel rang and then a thousand fire arrows shot at them and many lit aflame.

The battle had begun, the Night King then lined up his giants, commanding them forward, and as they carried large debris and chucked them far which hit the lines of living men. Jaime and Randyll Tarly signaled retaliation, the trebuchets shot forth debris of their own and smashed casks of oil and rocks to burn and smash the enemy.

Jon found Daeron atop the battlements, "Are you alright, Daeron?" He asked his kin.

"I had to torch a city, thousands of corpses including the man who's been at my side since the beginning. I'm furious, I want the monster dead and with it, his powers." Jon nodded and heard a crash, "I'm going out... The swamp is crawling with them, now." Daeron said and marched to the dragons that waited for him.

Daeron was right, as a great number charged up the road, thousands of others made their way through the swamp and were close to meeting the living forces that continuously sent volleys of arrows at them.

The Night King closed his eyes, so many thousands have died here over the centuries and when the Andals came from their hills and before then when the First Men fought against the Children of the Forest.

Placing his hand on the surface of the ground, his magic brought those souls to life once more.

Brienne stepped on a dead man's hand, using the sword given to her by Sansa to take the monster's head but heard a cry and turned around to see Pod being pulled by a pair of hands from under them. She ran and aided him, taking the wight's hand.

"Barristan! We have a problem!"

Hundreds of soldiers were being ambushed from below them, skeleton hands breaking through and grabbing their feet and taking them screaming. Obara saved Rhakaro from such a fate and got him back in line, commanding for all around to be aware.

A boulder flew and destroyed one of the towers, it collapsed and took dozens of lives and crushed the stables killing twenty horses.

Daegon and Raeleris screeched, winds taking to flight and breathing fire on the swamp and activating their trap igniting the entire area in flames apart from the road which Daeron dove down and blasted fire on. An ice spear flew past his ear, he looked down and saw the Night King for the first time, he doesn't know what these things do but he's throwing them for a reason.

Calling for Raeleris, they fell back from the front and would allow the fire to engulf the thousands of corpses.

Jon saw fires all over, killing a dead man who, like several hundred others were old corpses from the centuries of war that was fought here. It appears the Night King likes using that trick to take on its enemies.

"Jon!" He looked and saw Arya struggling, the Lord of Winterfell was quick to slay the Wight and saved her.

"Are you alright?" She looked hurt, her arm was bleeding. "I want you to leave here, go to Bran in the Southeast tower." He told her and Arya shook her head.

"We are winning, Jon. Why should I run?" She questioned and he smiled, she doesn't know.

"That isn't why, sister... I don't want anything to happen to you. Now, go to Bran." He ordered and Arya reluctantly left and Jon started making his way down from the battlements and commanded the gate to open. "We kill them all!" He cried out and joined the rest.

The living prepared well, Daeron thought that the dead were nearly spent and the fires took 40,000 or more. "Dracarys!" He shouted and Daegon shot a blast of flame, killing a Giant and 400 protecting it. He flew to the back, landing on an open space, and looked down at Daario. "How many have we lost?" He asked the Lord of Darry.

"800 men died from debris and those coming from below, Daeron. I think we'll win this." He believes that as well, he smirked and thought that Jorah was looking after them from the heavens, and the Gods gave them their favor.

The thousands defending the Neck cried in victory and across the Moat, the Night King was growing frustrated and raised a hand from the back and called forth his trump card.

Leaf, still alive and close to death had survived the blast that saved Bran and Meera, and Hodor. The Night King eyed her and got to one knee, leveling to her height and forcefully running his hand into her chest and ripping out her heart.

"You have paid for what was done... " He whispered in the old tongue, turning back and walking toward the swamp that was still on fire and killing his soldiers.

Calling on the old and dark magics, he crushed the heart and blood seeping into the waters, and then it happened.

A chilling gust of wind-like torrent ran across the waters of the swamp, hardening and wiping out the fire making it a vast wasteland of ice. Jon and Daeron were watching after the wind stopped, then the Night King commanded all of his remaining wight, ice spiders, and White Walker commanders to charge full force.

The shock didn't wear off immediately, it gave the dead the chance and broke through the first three rows of soldiers and killed men by the dozens and hundreds.

Barristan tried with all his might, hacking down enemy after enemy and having any survivors from his lines fall back behind the second set of rows but he was overwhelmed and a blade sunk into his throat and Daeron watched with horror as his Lord Commander fell dead with his eyes looking to the sky above until they rolled to the back and went still.

Grey Worm mourned the Knight and then took command of the army after Barristan's fall and had the Unsullied, Dornish, Vale, and Reacher forces form into a great shield wall. Trebuchet continued throwing pitch and barrels of oil on to enemy though it meant little now.

Jon pushed aside a now frightened Daario who went back his post where his mercenaries continued shooting arrows at the enemy coming for their souls. "The Night King created them all! He needs to die!" Jon shouted to Daeron who nodded.

"Get on, Jon. Now!" Jon nervously got on top of Daegon, "Hold them back with all you've got!" He told everyone below, then took flight as he and Jon went to cut the head off of the snake.

Blood and guts stained the ice as corpses and humans fell. All the while, Daegon raged towards the Night King who stood alone with his undead horse.

Blue eyes narrowed and grabbed an ice spear and threw it, Daeron tried to swerve out but they were too close to do anything. It connected to Daegon's right side wing, breaking it and blue flame ripping it to shreds.

He and Jon had to jump and were sore, Daerom was on one knee when he was grabbed by the hair and pulled back and the Night King attempted to stab him with an ice-dagger. He might have died, when Daegon whipped his tail and smacked the monster several feet away.

Jon helped him up a moment later, "You alright?" He nodded and both looked at the Night King walking towards them.

"Dracarys!" Daegon blasted the monster with flame, even if it might not work and once the smoke settled, he unsheathed Blackfyre and Jon did the same with Longclaw. "Are you ready?" He asked and Jon nodded.

Both descendants of House Targaryen readied to fight the Night King as the battle raged at Moat Cailin, Jon swung left and Daeron swung right, the Night King took out a second ice sword and deflected both attacks and so began the duel.

Daeron and Jon were surprised by how well the Walker fought, they couldn't land a hit no matter how much they tried.

Daegon circled and at one point tried to clench the Night King in its jaws, it instead got its right eye slashed and Daeron called for the dragon to stay back but the Night King took advantage and pushed Jon back and sliced at the exposed shoulder causing the King of the Iron Throne to cry out in pain.

"Daeron!" Jon was enraged now, going at the Night King wildly and disarming one of the ice swords then cutting his armor.

"Enough playing, the days of man are over." Daeron and Jon heard him speak, Daeron grunted and gripped his sword and got back to his feet, and saw Jon smile, glad he was fine and not dying.

Back at the Moat, thousands have now died. Among them were Rhakaro, Dickon Tarly who saved his father, Jaime cut down another wight and then heard a cry, turning and seeing Brienne haul a dead Podrick on her shoulders and tears in her eyes.

"Come on, kill that creature already." He said softly and felt himself bleeding, Grey Worm was seen being carried back and had a sword sticking out of his side. Jaime Lannister spit out some blood, no one left to command so he picked up Grey Worm's shield and took control. "Push!" They aren't dying here... He isn't dying here.

Jon ducked a swing of an ice sword, the Night King kicked him in the gut and sent him back but then Daeron charged and thrust Blackfyre forth then raised it to swing downward only for the Night King to parry it away.

They needed to end this, "We have to attack together but apart." Jon whispered to himself, and got to his feet and looked Daeron in the eye to convey a plan, and when the King got away from the White Walker, both men raised their swords in a piercing stance and came at the Night King from the front and the back.

The Night King tried to parry Daeron, but he felt at blade begin piercing his side and grabbed onto Longclaw tightly, resonating his magic in an attempt to break it, "Now, Daeron!" Moments slowed down to seconds as Blackfyre stabbed into the Night King and Jon used force to make Longclaw do the same.

The creator of the Wights, White Walkers, and the first of the Others burst into crystals of ice.

With it, thousands that were made by the monster fell dead and the ice melted back into the swamp sinking all those who died deep into the earth. Jon and Daeron huffed and the King gripped his arm and shouted in pain, causing Jon to run and check his wound.

It was blackening, his red blood began to darken and smell. "Daeron! Stay with me! Think of Sansa and survive!"

Daeron felt his consciousness leave him, his breath hitching and the winter making it colder to lie on the ground. He heard Jon tell him to stay alive for the Realm, for their House... For Sansa who waits for him back at King's Landing.

His life flashed, the memories of his sister, of Missandei, and of his many companions that died for him. He thought of Jorah Mormont and Barristan Selmy who lie in ash and in a pile of corpses. Daeron wishes they all could've lived.

He wants to do that, he... Wants to... Live.