Chương 16: Chapter 16
* General POV*
Back at Winterfell after Ned had his meeting with Thoros and Rodrik it was decided that an expedition beyond the wall was needed. Ned hoped that it was just stories, but after everything he has seen he couldn't help but be reminded those stories spoke of defeating the Others not their destruction.
The original plan was for Ned, Cyrus and Thoros to meet with some trusted men to trek north to see the cause of so many wildling raids. He didn't want to invole the other lords just yet. Once he had proof it would be different.
But after Robb and Jon found out their father and brother were going, they insisted on joining. Thus beginning an argument of great renown, heard by many and talked about by the commoners for years over ale and laughs.
Cyrus had tried to stay out of the argument between his parents and brothers but was also dragged into it viciously by his brothers.
His mother gave him a look he was very familiar with, for he seen in a lot when he was younger.
All he could do was shrug his shoulders and insist on going alone, then began the 1 vs 4.
After a very heated argument it was decided that Robb and Jon would be able to go but only after they received some weapons from Cyrus.
The next morning after they broke their fast the four journeyed north to Last Hearth where they would rest.
The trip went smoothly and they were able to continue on all the way to Castle Black.
Upon seeing the Wall for the first time Robb and Jon were filled with excitement, completely forgetting of the possible dangers beyond it. After arriving at Castle Black they met Jeor Mormont, Jorah Mormonts father and current Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.
He wasn't happy about their party heading beyond the wall. He told of a new King Beyond the Wall Mance Rayder, a deserter of the Night's Watch. He was part wilding or Free Folk as they call themselves, and a fine Ranger. He was dropped off at the gate of the wall to be raised by the watch.
When he grew older and wished for freedom, he deserted his watch and broke his oath. Instead of running south to be beheaded he ran North staying beyond the wall where none dared to go bring him back to execute him.
Over time he had united all the clans beyond the wall and word was they were heading south, he had told them this news to try to keep them from continuing forward.
Without giving too much information Ned insisted they would be moving ahead at first light.
With no other choice the Lord Commander provided lodging for the night and arranged an additional few Rangers to assist them. When Ned tried to decline, Jeor made sure to let him know that he wouldn't take no for an answer otherwise, he wouldn't open the gate.
Even though Ned was the Warden of the North, the Wall and the Night's Watch were actually neutral. Jeor Mormont didn't take orders from the north or the crown, but Jeor respected the Stark family greatly.
Not because Jeor was a northerner but because out of all the realms other houses Stark supported the Wall with more supplies than any of the other combined.
The only thing they didn't send more of than others was men to man the wall.
The north was the largest of the realms, you could fit all the other realms into the north and still have a little left over. But they were also the least populated.
The Night's Watch was once an honorable place, filled with men to protect the realm of man from what was beyond the wall. In todays times, they were mostly criminals that were offered death or taking the black. A shadow of its past.
What drove Cyrus beyond the wall when he was younger was wanting to see the Wall and find the Others, he too understood the stories suggested they were still around.
He wanted to see one himself, which he did run into other things from Old Nans tales like Giant's that rode large wooly mammoths, he saw skinchangers, Wargs and even met a couple Children of the Forest but never a White Walker. It was the reason he didn't believe Wills story, he used to but since his journeys multiple times and even asking the ones he found beyond the wall getting the same reply from each, a laugh at him.
He learned all he could beyond the wall enad even learned most languages of the clans and befriended the first giant he met even tho they didn't start that way.
Cyrus originally just saw the giant as a big walking sack of experience points, he used [Haymaker] while leaping from a tree, after all there was no way he could jump from the ground to reach a giant riding a mammoth.
After knocking the giant off the mammoth and fought a tough fight, and just when he thought he was going to win another smaller giant attacked and in his haste used his [Polymorph] on the big guy turning him into a penguin. When the smaller giant seen it, and then the antics of the penguin, it started cracking up. Even Cyrus couldn't help it, after all how would you act if suddenly finding yourself as a tiny penguin. He ran around chirping like a penguin, flapping its featherless wings while running around.
That was the beginning of a reign of terror beyond the wall. A giant father and son were ridden atop by a toddler human who went around turning people into penguins, sheep and turtles temporarily while all 3 cackled across the north, fun times, fun times.
After the group exited the tunnel they were met with a large clearing of snow that spread about 500 yards till you were met by the Haunted Forest. The Night's Watch would regularly send men to chop down trees so they could see any approaching attack.
For a day they wondered the Haunted Forest not coming across any signs of life. They found abandoned settlements but no corpses of any kind human or animal.
Calling out Ursoc his pet Bear, a literal walking meat grinder, and Panterra, his shadowcat. He had them stay around to watch out for his father and brothers. Ursoc in the open and Panterra from the shadows.
Shadowcats were ambush predators which is what made them so feared. If you even saw a shadowcat and if you lost sight of it, the next time you see it would be the last thing you see.
Cyrus did this because he felt something off, last time he was here it was different. There was life, the sounds of insects and animals. Now there was silence all around, thru his druidic powers he felt it was colder.
After making sure his family would be safe he notified his father very discreetly so as not to have to deal with Robb and Jon trying to tag along, he used [Stealth] to get a distance away from camp then used his druidic ability to turn into his flight form to cover the most distance.
Plus the added [Eagle Eye] he would get the best overall picture.
Making his way to settlements he knew of and finding them abandoned, some destroyed but that wasn't that uncommon. Even the area his Giant friends lived was abandoned.
Deciding to just head north, he looked into the distance until he saw smoke. It was the easiest way to look for people in the snow, where there's smoke there's fire and where there's fire, well you get the idea.
When he reached the settlement he found what Will mentioned in his tale. Dismembered bodies placed around in a ritualistic circle.
Decapitated heads spiked to the ground, their faces frozen in a moment in time, showing the terror in their final moments.
It was terrifying even for himself, but it wasn't from what he was seeing. It was from what he felt, it felt vaguely familiar and the attachment that familiar was too. Cyrus could help but speak the first thing to come to mind.
"[Helm of Domination]"
Created by Kil'jaeden the deceiver from the spirit of the orc shaman Ner'zhul. He who wears the helm becomes the Lich King, master and lord over the Scourge. The Lich King is telepathically connected to all his minions, allowing him to command his army from anywhere and make any strategic changes on a whim.
He can even control them to the point of speaking through them.
Now it all clicked for him, White Walker was just another name for the Scourge. It just never clicked due to the Scourge weren't just made up of undead humans.
They had dragons, gargoyles and banshees but Old Nan only spoke of the Night King and his legion of undead. And he never even put much thought, after all his mother always called them fairy tales to make children behave.
It wasn't until now that he finally knew this was serious, he had to warn his father and they needed to prepare.
Just as he was about to turn back into his bird form, he froze and a chill like no other cause a chilling shiver to run down his spine.
'There you are little one. I have been searching for you'
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