I was surprised—truly surprised—when Ned Stark stood and chose the North over his honor. After all I had seen of the man, I had expected Ned to speak of oaths, kings, and duty until the last breath. But instead, Lord Stark made the choice that most men of reason would fear to make: to protect his people first.
Suddenly, I felt that saving him wasn't so bad. This was exactly why I had to bring him back. The North needed strong leadership that could unite all its lords. Yes, I felt like Gandalf bringing the old alliance of Elves, Men, and Dwarves to fight the evil forces of Sauron while doing it too, but it worked, and I was content.
It felt like a fresh wind after a long storm. So, unlike usual, I decided to break the stern and no-nonsense character I had built myself around for a little while and allowed myself a genuine smile, nodding at the man who had already earned everyone's respect.
Mine not yet. I'm still not over his blatant oversight at King's Landing, but it was a step in a better direction. Now, finally, Ned Stark was thinking like a king, even if he didn't wear a crown.
But this was only the beginning. All this trouble and playing Gandalf, and we had only reached the point where we were just aware of the real enemy. There was much to be done.
Ned turned his gaze to Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, who stood near the crate that had held the White. "Lord Commander. We must know everything you can share about the Wall, about your numbers, and what we are to face."
The old man gave a slow nod. His face was hard, grim, and tired. "The Night's Watch is not what it once was. We have less than a thousand men, my lords. And even fewer are true fighters. Most are boys, criminals, or old veterans unfit for war."
A few lords cursed under their breath. It was their fault for not putting enough importance on the Watch, but it wasn't just them. Their ancestors, their fathers and forefathers, were also responsible.
"Our defenses are failing," Mormont continued. "Many castles along the Wall are abandoned. We hold only Castle Black, Eastwatch, and the Shadow Tower. And even those are spread thin. If the dead come in force, we cannot hold them back. Only the Wall stops them from entering the realm of men."
Silence... it rang louder than any noise. Finally, the reality was coming out. I made a mental note to find funds and manpower for the Watch. That was the most important thing currently. I knew this would happen and already had some solutions in mind.
"And the enemy?" Ned asked. "What numbers can we expect from them?"
"We don't know," Mormont said, voice low. "I have sent a small search party after the Undead was brought to Castle Black. However, that was a few moons back. We have yet to hear anything back from them." He looked around the room.
I, hearing this, nodded, my mind flashing with what happened in the show. 'Must be Benjen...' I pondered. Not only is he the First Ranger, but even in the HBO series he was sent first.
"However, that is not what worries me, my lords. Thor here and the member of the Night's Watch who first encountered the Undead found out something truly concerning. Apparently, the Undead and real White Walkers are different. Thor fought and defeated the one you saw, which is just an Undead, while real White Walkers hold the power to turn the dead into Undead." He said, making everyone quiet.
"So how strong is an Undead?" one of the men asked.
"We do not know. However, that is not what concerns me. It's the fact that they can turn the dead into Undead. Currently, there are more than 100,000 wildlings beyond the Wall if our estimations are right..."
Gasps echoed across the hall. They finally caught up with what the old man was trying to express, and it was truly horrifying.
"Hundred thousand. Surely you jest..." Lord Umber asked in disbelief. "Are we to believe the dead will have an army of hundreds of thousands?"
"They are," Mormont replied with a grim nod. "Every man they kill rises again. In the scriptures left behind by the First Men—and we too have seen it, since the Undead you saw was once part of the Night's Watch. That is why we cannot afford to let them gain ground. Every fallen soldier, wildling, man, woman, child—even animals—would become their weapon."
Ned rubbed his brow with a clear scowl forming on his face. "And do we know where they are now?"
"Far north still, if they haven't moved in the last few moons," Mormont answered. "However, the fact that the ranger unit I sent didn't return does make me worry, my lord."
The hall fell into another heavy silence.
Then all eyes turned to me.
Ned gave a small nod. "Thor. You are the only one among us who has fought one of these creatures. Speak freely. Tell us what we're facing."
I nodded and stood slowly. Honestly, I intended to bring up the fact about Undead and Whites being different myself, but whatever. This means that old man Mormont was taking the issue seriously.
I looked around the room, the faces of hardened warriors, noble lords, and wary minds watching me closely.
"I faced one alone, and let me tell you, steel wouldn't work on them. Whether it is a lethal strike from a sword or a hammer like mine here, they receive the damage but ignore it like it wasn't there. Cut off their limb and they still move—even the limb would. Smash their head like I did and they would still bare their teeth at us, just looked more deadly doing it."
I paused, letting the weight of my words settle.
"I struck it down with great force," I continued. "Even shattered its body. But still, it tried to rise again. I could only tie it up and bring it back to Castle Black in that case."
Whispers broke out across the room again.
"That confirms what the old tales say," said Maester Luwin, who had been standing quietly in the back. "The old magic—fire and perhaps dragonglass—those may be our only hope."
I nodded, the little knowledge about Valyrian steel being their kryptonite in my mind remained intact. Had to find a way to test that out in front of them. There aren't many Valyrian steel weapons in the first place, so pointing that out might be more of a distraction at this point.
"So we'll need weapons made of dragonglass? Have you tested it?" Lord Cerwyn asked, confused.
"We shall do it now," Ned said softly. Turns out Lord Stark and the Lord Commander already had everything planned out, huh?
The Undead was released once more and another of its limbs was severed. Normal steel indeed didn't do much. Fire or dragonglass weapons, which they had on hand, though, made the now limbless Undead scream in agony.
The limbs stopped moving after both fire and dragonglass were used on them, and just as quickly the Undead was put back into its crate.
Mormont added, "We found a small cache of dragonglass beneath the Wall. It's not enough by any means, though. We would require much more than this."
"Then we mine it," Robb Stark said, who had been silent up until now. He was made aware of the Undead before, but even then, after watching them for himself, he had a hard time accepting it. Stepping forward, he said, "And we arm every man who can hold a blade."
"Aye!" several lords shouted in agreement.
"Dragonstone... there is a deposit of dragonglass there. However, to get it we need..." I said, my voice lingering.
"Stannis... we need him to cooperate." Ned sighed.
"There is more... the war could run for years. The North, as of right now, is not ready for a war which could stretch that much.
We'll need more men and food," I said again, and this made everyone in the hall quiet once more. They knew this was coming. The North wasn't like the Reach. It imported food from Highgarden. It's already hard to get by in times of peace and winter time.
The Northern lords immediately understood when Ned said why he had gone south to ask for help. This was the reason.
"Aye... we need them." Ned nodded, looking even more tired.
xxx
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