Chapter 6 : At Castle Black

"By the Old Gods, what is that monstrosity?"

"Seven protect us! Why has this stranger brought this cursed creature here?"

"Seven Hells! Why did the Lord Commander even let that thing inside?"

"Burn it! Burn it! The stories say they fear fire!"

The men of the Night's Watch gathered, horror and trepidation in their eyes as they stared at the creature caged inside the cellar. When fear began to creep into their hearts, humans often decides to strike first. Even though the White Walker was behind bars, completely restrained, people demanded its execution, demanded it be burned. It wasn't them speaking; it was their fear.

"Yes… burn it.

Burn it and burn the last hope for humanity along with it, you halfwits."

I shouted, growing annoyed by their cries. My voice immediately brought pin-drop silence to the cellar.

No one had expected such an outburst from the new guy, but I wasn't about to let them have any bad ideas about the zombie. It was imperative to safeguard the White Walker until its existence became known to others.

"Burn it, and no one in the South will believe that the dead are lurking beyond this Wall. Burn it, and no men will come to our aid when hundreds of thousands of these things start marching on the wall. Burn it, and every sacrifice made by the brothers of the Night's Watch, those who have long ended their watch, will be for nothing."

I shouted, and finally, the men protesting the most quieted down.

But there are always those who make things difficult.

"My Lord Commander, this man bringing this thing here is a bad omen! Don't fall for his words! We can't have this demon—"

"Lord Thor speaks the truth. For how long has the Night's Watch bled and frozen its blood? It was for this day. We are here to guard the realm of men—the realm of living. This here is proof that our ancestors didn't build the Wall for nothing."

Before the man could finish spouting his nonsense, another voice resounded.

It was none other than the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Jeor Mormont. He was an old, burly man with completely white hair, yet he looked as imposing as hell.

"But Lord Commander, this thing is a sin against the Seven, and—"

"Enough. We are done here. The White Walker will stay in the cellar until all the Lords of the North are made aware of it. That is final."

The Lord Commander's authoritative voice finally silenced the man who had been protesting.

"Disperse, all of you. Alliser, Benjen, Will, Maester Aemon, and Lord Thor, please follow me to my cabin—we need to talk," Jeor Mormont ordered before turning to leave.

I was reluctant to follow him, though. Seeing the reaction from these Night's Watch members, I was afraid that someone was going to try something really stupid.

"And Qhorin, Yoren… make sure none of these bastards do anything foolish," the Lord Commander added as he walked out of the cellar.

"So, you're a traveller who lost his way and ended up beyond the Wall, where you met Will, who was attacked by the Walkers? And you saved him while also capturing one? You expect me to believe that?"

Alliser spoke after hearing my generic background story, which contained little to no information about my past.

"Aye, you believe the dead can walk, yet you don't believe a living person can get lost?"

I shrugged as I fought a hard battle not to drink the wine they served me. I never drank in my old world—partly because I was still underage, but also because I never planned to.

I intended to refuse the wine and ask for water, but then I realized water could contain algae and bacteria—one of the reasons people drank alcohol so much here.

As for why I was resisting, well, it was because of Thor's instincts. He used to drink a lot.

Even without his powers, I was sure I could handle liquor better than most with this body, but I'd rather not get addicted to it.

"I never believed they existed—until today. Until there was proof."

Benjen Stark, the brother of the Warden of the North, spoke.

"And the proof came from the same man you don't believe," I replied.

Silence filled the room. Only the sound of the fire crackling could be heard. Every so often, I caught people drifting their eyes from me to the shiny hammer I had placed on the table.

"I believe you, Lord Thor. For the time being, the hospitality of the Night's Watch is yours, my lord," Jeor Mormont finally spoke.

"Just Thor is fine. 'Lord' doesn't go well with my name," I smiled, hoping to ease the tension.

"You have done us—and the realm of men—a great favor. Your actions could determine the outcome of the war that will surely come," the old man said. He looked like he was a thousand years old or something. Though I didn't have much right to talk about age, considering I now aged over a thousand myself.

"Thank you, Maester Aemon."

I nodded at the old man, not even realizing that the Maester was blind.

"Will, what can you tell us about the Walkers?"

Benjen Stark asked. Out of everyone, he looked the most concerned. Well, aside from Alliser, who just looked scared.

That led Will to explain what had happened to him and the two rangers who were with him. Needless to say, there wasn't much to gain from his story—no major information that could give me an edge. However for the others, it was informative.

"Swords didn't work? Then how are we supposed to fight them?" Alliser Asked.

"Test it out, once we run out of the use of that Walker. Fire, heights, poison, drowning—there have to be things they fear. Otherwise, they would have long since marched on the Wall."

I spoke, even though I already knew that fire, dragon glass, and Valyrian steel worked against them. I couldn't just tell them outright.

And the fact that I knew all three meant that my mind had started sorting through all those extra memories. I didn't feel like I could remember everything about the story, but this was a good start. Hell, even if I did recall things, they might be wrong. I shouldn't have read so many fanfics—I no longer knew what was real and what was made up.

"Yes, we have time for that. For now…"

The Lord Commander trailed off and looked at the black-haired man sitting to the side.

"For now, we need to tell this to my brother. The North has to know—winter is coming," Benjen Stark finally spoke.

"Aye, you do that, Stark. And Maester Aemon, I want all the Lords of the North informed. Send all your ravens," the Lord Commander ordered.

"They'll never believe it. Not until they see it with their own eyes," I interjected before Maester Aemon could speak. Maybe the old man had intended to say the same.

"Then ask them to come here. This is important," the Lord Commander decided after a moment of hesitation. He, too, knew no one would believe him.

"Does the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch have that much power—to summon all the Lords of the North?"

I genuinely asked. I had never thought they could do that.

"No… but we expect at least a few of them to show up. Even a few, once they see it, will be enough," Mormont replied.

I hummed to myself. "Telling them one by one won't be effective. It's not just about informing them—we also need to decide how the North, and by extension, the entire Seven Kingdoms, will act against this looming threat."

"Oh it's 'We' already? What does this have to do with you? Your balls itching for glory?" Alliser scoffed from the side.

This 'Lord' act wasn't going well with people who actually held power before. And somehow, I didn't even remember this irritating asshole. A character like this should stand out, right?

"It's 'We' because when the dead come, it don't differentiate. They won't come after you any sooner than me just because you lack balls… you A HOLE."

I saw the Lord Commander and Benjen Stark about to shut Alliser up, but I beat them to it. The man glared at me—I returned the favor with zeal.

"And besides, it's not like I know where home is at this point, even Maester Aemon don't know where Asguard is. I never heard of Westeros before coming here. So chances are I'll be getting involved one way or other." I added finally, to reduce down the tension once again. 

For few seconds no one spoke until finally Benjen Stark open his mouth. 

"Let's not be hasty here, before we send out any raven, let's inform of this to my brother. Once this known to him he gonna call all the lords of the north anyway." 

"Agree. You should leave by dawn break." Jeor Mormont agrees.

"Will he believe you just by your words, to the point of calling his bannermen?" Maester Aemon asked with doubt. 

"Yes and no, he mostly likely will believe me but without seeing the thing for himself, he won't be calling his bannermen." 

"Don't tell me you intent to take the walker to Winterfell ?" Lord Commander asked with narrow eyes.

"Huh no no… gods no." Benjen immediately shook his head. 

"Then how? You intent to bring him back here, that gonna take took much time." 

"Actually, I might have an idea about that…" seeing them overcomplicating things I spoke up.

As just as I was explaining my plan I got this notification. 

[New Main Mission - Winter Is Coming]

[Warn North and the rest of the kingdoms about the existence of White Walkers]