"A new long night is approaching. This one will be much more brutal because we will face the enemies of old; all those who have ever died in these frozen lands will rise from the dead and attack us." When Haldor finished saying this, he looked towards Luker, who simply remained silent.
"He is trying to deceive us."
"We haven't seen the White Walkers in the north, so he must be lying."
Haldor quickly intervened in the conversation and said, "The White Walkers are not in this area because everyone is being protected by the seed of the moon."
"He's lying; he is lying."
"You can put me to the test."
Roarrr!!!!
Luker did not intend to be kind, but he also did not consider Haldor a fool. He knew that somehow this small human would try to gain the favor of the armored bears, so he said, "If you cannot prove your words, I will ensure that all humans in that tower you come from are exterminated. Do you understand the power of your words?"
"My Lord, I have not come this far to speak only with words full of lies. I want my negotiations to be heard and taken into account." Haldor had undoubtedly shown his interest in this conversation, so he would not tell lies.
"So, what do you seek besides telling us your hallucinations?"
"I want the celestial bears to join my banner to claim a more fertile and less dangerous territory for when the night arrives. We will all die if we stay in the extreme cold." Haldor's words were well heard, and everyone who was joking fell silent.
Everyone knew the significance of claiming human lands; they were not here to fight for others.
Luker recognized Haldor's courage, so he said, "You ask my people to die; anyone can do that. The question is, Are you willing to die for your cause?"
"I am asking them to claim a safe territory, fight for the future of our people, and take the throne from those who do not deserve to be kings."
"According to you, who does not deserve to be a king?"
"If I tell them about the long night and they do not consider the war against these creatures that our ancestors annihilated thousands of years ago, then they do not deserve to be kings. They must at least take responsibility for the war that is coming. Our people will do nothing from this side of the wall; they do not know the north and would not be interested in participating in a war where everyone could die, but there is no choice." Haldor said, looking at Luker, who constantly furrowed his brows.
Luker could not find an immediate answer; no one could in his situation.
What Haldor was asking for was their loyalty. They would dominate the sky and the land if they all united in the north, and no one could stop them.
"No one in over a thousand years has called us celestial bears. Now, the only thing we call celestial is our armor made from meteorite metal. We are not the only ones facing the long night, and we will not be the last. The issue is that we must all be united. If you bring a war to the south, it would not help us focus on the real war. Humans are not the only ones who have dreams of the future."
"Our ancestors had a dream similar to your words, but you do not seem to have the appearance of that man who visited us. Even if you have a dragon, many others also have one."
Haldor looked at the paintings around him and said, "But none can cross the wall; they fear whatever is hidden in the north."
"My Lord, if I may speak, the ancestors mentioned that the star of the north cannot die in the extreme north."
"He must take the test."
"If he lives, then he will be the star of the north."
Haldor, who looked at all the armored bears going crazy, asked, "What are you talking about?"
"The test of the north is that you must remove your clothes and spend a night outside, where you will be subjected to the extreme cold. If you are the star of the north and if you want our support in your wars, you must take that risk. But as you have come this far, we will not force you, and instead, you may leave if you abandon your purpose now." Luker supported the idea his adviser recommended.
"I will do it; take me to the test." Haldor was not being arrogant; he could endure this type of test because he was a sorcerer, and the cold would not kill him.
"Aren't you pushing your luck?"
"I will not die; you can rest assured."
Luker nodded, gave the signal for everyone to leave the hall, and they followed a special path leading to a platform with a staircase directly connected to the outside.
"The test is simple: climb the stairs after removing your clothes. We will stay here until twenty-four hours pass." Said Luker, who then retreated after saying this.
Looking around at the hundreds of armored bears, under the gaze of King Luker himself, Haldor slowly removed his armor.
The dream had been clear: the celestial bears would fight alongside humans in the long night, and without them, he did not believe he could leave this place alive.
The artillery that the armored bears had could completely suppress the dragons in the air. Even with Azazel and his father's dragon, Haldor did not believe they could threaten the south and claim the territory that was once theirs.
"My name is Haldor Mondragón; always remember that."
Luker smiled and said, "We will never forget if you survive."
How crazy could Haldor be to do something like this? Subjecting himself to the extreme cold was something even the bears would not want to do; this would clearly be a suffocating hell.
The test Haldor received for the loyalty of the armored bears was clear: if he survived, he would undoubtedly be the protagonist of that vision he shared with the bears, and if he died, it would only be the dreams of a reckless child.
When Haldor completely removed his clothes, he walked towards the top of the platform he had been led to, and, looking at the ice stairs, his pale gaze showed notable fear.
"I hope this works." Haldor consumed all the powder Lucían had given him; the control of his magic would be perfect with the help of this drug, so he trusted he could do it.
As soon as he took that drug, Haldor's eyes turned completely blue, his gaze showed unprecedented emotion, and then his test began.
"Are you not going to stop him?" Luker's right hand asked with some concern.
As a king, Luker should do nothing but watch, so he said, "The bears are not so easily deceived; no human or sorcerer would survive the extreme cold during the night, so if he lives, he is the blue star our ancestors dreamed of in ancient times."
The dream of the stars: after the war against the White Walkers, the celestial bears at that time lost many soldiers and promised not to fight any more wars with humans until the promised star appeared.
At that time, King Mukunman announced that sometime in the future, a human would appear claiming the loyalty of the bears; that would be called the star of the north, who would not die from the cold and would be as blue as ice and as white as snow, a king in every word.
Now, the bears, called armored bears, were prepared to receive the star of the north. Many humans had come, but none had truly claimed their loyalty as Haldor had.
The signs showed Luke many things—similarities that really gave him fear.
If Haldor is that star, he must survive the extreme cold.
"If he wants the power of the armored bears, he must pledge his life in return," Luker said with a cold gaze at Haldor's back, disappearing into the cold winds.
"But he has the relic that would keep the White Walkers away for an indefinite time. Shouldn't that have been enough?"
"Not if he wants us to fight his wars too. This is not a fair exchange."
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