[Chapter Size: 3400 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Twins, 300 AC.
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The war machines soon began to be prepared between the convoy and the wagons. The mobile scorpions started to be positioned, along with other machines operated by the dwarves.
It was clear that the previous attack had left the Freys quite agitated. They ran from one side to the other within sight of the windows and openings, preparing their bows to attack the Arcticans' advance.
The Frey bastard had died in a lamentable way. Even from a distance, it was frightening. Those giants were able to shoot arrows in a straight line at three hundred meters. That left them terrified. For the first time, witnessing the true power of the enemy.
With those reinforced bows and giant Weirwood wood constructions, it was quite possible to shoot arrows at that angle without losing speed, even at 300 meters. If they aimed upward, they could reach up to six hundred or eight hundred meters in distance.
Jon merely observed everything with a cold gaze.
"We are in position, my king", a dwarf came to inform him, while the smaller trebuchets also began to be positioned, loaded with barrels of wildfire.
"Start with the barrels. Hit where the archers are, on the upper floors of the fortress, but only make the first attack as a warning, we will leave the destruction for the second attack. Now, spread the liquid throughout the place", Jon ordered.
The dwarf left, shouting: "Did you hear that, lads? Let's load the launching weapons! Quickly! Hold position and aim for the highest parts, where those damned bastards are!"
With the shouts, the men began to work quickly, positioning the trebuchets and the smaller multi-shot arrow machines, although that was not necessary now, but they would keep them ready in case they needed them during a Frey attack. Meanwhile, the giants prepared the scorpions, which they themselves operated.
The sound of ropes being pulled tight began to echo. The trebuchets reached their limit as they were loaded with the barrels.
Jon already expected his men to come to him, but he only nodded, signaling for them to continue. He remained watching as everything was prepared.
"Fire!", the dwarf shouted.
One of the machines was activated, spinning at high speed and launching the barrels forcefully through the air.
"Watch out!", someone inside the castle shouted upon seeing the barrels coming toward them.
They did not fall directly through the openings. Instead, they struck the stone — both at the upper and lower parts — and exploded. A blue liquid spread out, clinging to the stone like an extremely sticky gel. Part of it dripped down and fell directly in front of the gate.
Each barrel spread even more of the liquid. Some even fell inside the fortress, where the men watched the substance run across the ground before approaching, touching it, and even smelling it.
"What is this?", someone asked, confused.
Meanwhile, on the Arcticans' side, watching the spectacle from a distance...
"Should we fire the arrows, Your Majesty?", one of the giants asked.
Jon shook his head.
"No. Leave this to me." He stepped forward, raising his hand. A ball of flames began to form.
Generally, he used magic when he was at a disadvantage or needed something immediate, especially when surrounded. He preferred to fight with a sword. But this time, there was no reason for him not to deliver the final blow to the Freys himself.
He wanted, personally, to begin the destruction.
The flame in his hand began to grow to the point of becoming larger than his hand, becoming increasingly intense.
He raised his arm and pointed. In the next moment, the flame shot forward with force, advancing at high speed.
Everyone saw that ball of fire flying at high speed, much faster than any arrow or even the scorpions' bolts.
For the Arcticans, it was almost a spectacle. The king was the only one capable of using elemental magic in all of Arctic, with the exception of the Children of the Forest, who possessed their own spells by nature. Even so, Jon was unique among the other three races. He could produce fire and ice — something that had intensified greatly after his training with the gods.
If he were with his white dragon, it would be even more devastating. After all, he and Eragon could greatly enhance their magical abilities when they were together. It was no wonder that together, they managed to bring down the storm that protected the Night King and the army of the dead.
In any case, while the Arcticans still watched it as the beginning of a great spectacle, the Freys could not understand. Some thought it was an arrow, others even saw the flame appear in the king's hand, but they would never imagine that someone could simply create fire with their own hands.
The same man who had smelled the blue gel saw the flame advancing rapidly in his direction.
A premonition was all he needed.
"Get out of here!", he shouted.
But it was too late.
The flame collided with the wall, striking directly the gel spread across it. Even so, first the fireball exploded with a blast capable of killing half a dozen men gathered together.
The explosion came at the same instant that the gel was ignited, covering the entire area where it was. The fire spread across the surfaces where the gel had adhered, advancing even through the openings and reaching the interior of the tower. The men tried to flee, but there was no time.
In the next moment, everything was consumed.
An intense flash lit up the place, followed by the roar of the explosion. Green flames spread everywhere, while the ground trembled slightly even at 300 meters away. And the tower seemed to shake entirely under the impact, swaying.
The Arcticans watched in silence.
The men of House Mallister merely swallowed hard.
No one there was used to wars with that kind of weapon. For them, it was something never seen before. No castle could remain standing against such power.
And Jon possessed it in abundance.
He had enough to have used it against the army of the dead more than once. For moons and moons, he had produced wildfire daily, preparing for a second wave of explosions in the war. He only did not use it on that occasion because of the alternative the gods granted him — the training and the ability to face the ice storm.
After learning of his uncle's death, he shifted the use of wildfire, intending to employ it in Westeros — as he was doing now. He had already done so in Pyke.
And now, the next target was the Twins.
That first explosion was only the beginning.
The Mallister soldiers could only admire it, in a way, and be grateful they were not enemies of the Arcticans. They did not want to imagine such a weapon simply exploding their gates. It made it clear that fighting the Arcticans was not something simple. It was no wonder that Lord Mallister felt fear when imagining his fortress suffering the same destructive force that Pyke had suffered before falling into the sea, according to the reports.
And to think that the Arcticans had already been using these weapons at sea more than five years ago.
The fortress suffered immediate damage. The stones that had been connected for thousands of years began to break apart with the explosion, striking most of the men who were nearby. Everything began to collapse. Stones fell in cascades, hitting the ground and reaching the very liquid that had accumulated at the gate.
With the structure compromised, the debris accumulated at the base of the wall. When the fire reached that area, another flash appeared — this time, directly at the gate with the wildfire liquid accumulated down there.
The next explosion was even more violent.
The gate deformed, cracked, and began to give way. In the next moment, both that upper section and the gate itself were destroyed.
Inside the fortress, the men screamed in panic.
Walder Frey, still dealing with the death of his bastard son and thinking about who would take his place, was caught by surprise when the entire castle shook. His daughters screamed, and his men began to panic.
"What is this? What is happening?" Walder demanded answers as soldiers came running in.
"They blew up part of the castle, Lord Frey!"
That frightened everyone. Even the dogs present began to bark and howl.
One of them watched everything in silence.
Jon watched the Freys' reaction with a certain amusement.
'This is only the beginning. The real attack is yet to come.' He mocked internally, but knew he needed to wait for the right moment. Now was the chance for his men to move.
Meanwhile, Jin Sakai and his companions acted.
Taking advantage of the chaos, and following the information that Judas had obtained, they quickly traced a route to the dungeons. Sakai left the flour storage and advanced through the corridors, while the screams of servants and soldiers echoed throughout the fortress.
Everyone was desperate, and at the same time shouting that the gate had been destroyed, there was nothing left preventing the Arcticans from entering!
Jon and the others could see the destroyed area. Part of the wall had collapsed, and some men were still burning at the site.
"Let's widen the breach of destruction. I want you to destroy this entire part of the tower. It's time to show the Freys that their castles are not as safe as they think."
With those words, the trebuchets began to be loaded again. Not only that, but the scorpions were also being prepared, now with harpoons equipped with cylinders containing more of that flammable liquid.
Another sound of explosion began to rise.
The gate was already compromised. They could advance at any moment, but they would not do so yet.
First, they would leave the enemy in panic. Now, the Freys were vulnerable without a gate to protect them.
Jon could not help but notice some flaws in the Twins... If they had been smarter in the construction of the Twins, they should have placed a drawbridge and kept the structure more centralized in the middle of the river.
But that no longer mattered.
Now, they needed to destroy an entire section of the tower — and quickly. Barrels and harpoons were launched again, spreading wildfire throughout that entire area.
Jon created another flame in his hand and fired it.
"Prepare all shields!" he called out in advance.
When it hit, the brightness was far greater. There was at least 20 times more wildfire in that explosion. The flames spread, covering the tower, while stones began to be hurled through the air.
-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM-
"Shields!", someone shouted.
The giants immediately raised their shields to protect themselves from smaller stones, debris, and dust that fell across the field as everything in that castle was destroyed.
Even at three hundred meters away, there was still risk. Most of the soldiers also raised their shields, protecting themselves from the debris.
The sound of stones falling into the river continued for some time, until everything began to calm down. The ground was covered with debris from the Twins.
When they looked again, they saw the tower.
A third of the tower had been destroyed.
Only green flames remained spreading.
The fire also consumed the entrance, further breaking its structure and widening what was left of the gate — which practically no longer existed.
"Prepare formation!", Jon ordered.
Quickly, the army began to organize. The giants would advance at the front, with shields and spears. Behind them, the human infantry and the dwarves.
There was no longer any need to worry about arrows. Most of the area from which the Freys fired had been destroyed.
Jon could feel the fear spreading inside the tower. Walder Frey's daughters were being taken to another tower on the other side of the river along with the younger children. The old man himself was retreating, while men ran to the dungeons to get the hostages.
What they did not know was that three men were already there.
Still wearing helmets and uniforms of the Freys they had eliminated along the way, Jin Sakai advanced through the corridors, while the two guards at the dungeon entrance were clearly nervous.
"Hey, did you see that? The entire castle is collapsing! What's happening out there?", one of them said, desperate, wanting to know what was going on with those three men who had come there.
"Idiot... our lord decided to become their enemy. Now this place is about to disappear!" another said.
At the same time, Sakai advanced, removing a smaller blade than the Katana, used for assassinations.
The men were confused for a moment — but it was enough time for Jin to strike them down.
In a single movement at each neck, he cut through their leather armor. They fell to the ground while using their hands to try to cover their slashed throats, dying in agony after a few seconds.
Their deaths carried a reflection of hatred toward their attacker, along with a mixture of confusion and fear.
"Let's go." Lord Sakai said.
It was already expected that they would try to retrieve the hostages, so there was no reason to hide the bodies, as there was no way to hide the others. They entered the area and pulled a heavy log, positioning it against the door to block it.
"Hey! What's happening?", someone inside the cells shouted, with a weak and nervous voice.
That voice belonged to none other than Maege Mormont. She, along with the others, was quite frightened by what was happening. After all, the entire castle had begun to shake.
They had no idea what was happening outside, since no Frey had come in to explain — nor was there any reason for that.
"The door is closed...", they observed as the men placed several logs to block it, already knowing beforehand, from Jon's information, how they could prevent it from being opened.
"Good. Now we just have to hold on", said Sakai, removing his helmet.
He approached the cells, finding a woman staring at him with strangeness. She had never seen someone with Asian features before.
"You must be Lady Mormont."
She nodded, but soon her gaze dropped to the Frey uniform he was wearing.
"Don't worry. We are working with Arctic. We are here to keep you safe until the king eliminates the Freys upstairs."
Edmure stepped toward the bars. "You are here to help us?", he asked, with a renewed tone of hope.
"The king's order is to keep the dungeon closed until he arrives", Lord Sakai replied, while the other two remained alert.
"Please, tell me that you will preserve my wife. She is a Frey, Roslin Frey! And she is pregnant with my child. I am Edmure Tully, heir of Riverrun and Lord of the Riverlands", he said quickly.
"That is not for me to decide, Lord Edmure. I am only following my king's orders. He will decide that, not me."
A laugh echoed beside the cell.
"Well, it seems Loki is unlucky. If they are from Arctic, then their king is none other than Jon Arctic... or rather, Jon Snow — the one your sister used to mistreat in Winterfell", said a large man, laughing.
Edmure's face, which had previously shown hope, darkened immediately.
"Please, tell me you do not intend to harm him...", he insisted.
Sakai stared at him for a moment, assessing him. "I read some reports about you when I was in Arctic. You yourself declared vengeance against the king several times because of your sister." Sakai's voice was cold.
Edmure could not help but tremble slightly. How could he forget?
The events at Winterfell, when Jon returned after three years beyond the Wall. When Lord Stark forced them to greet each other, only for them to end up fighting. Or when Edmure, overcome by anger, shouted to everyone that he would take revenge for his sister. And also when he accused Jon of having taken Arya beyond the Wall, calling him a wildling and saying that he had humiliated his family and needed to pay.
"So do not expect kindness from most Arcticans when they find out who you are. Our people are quite sensitive when it comes to threats made against the king."
"Please... I was nothing more than a fool back then. I just want to protect my family now", he murmured.
"Well, Tully, you are only a little worse than us. But we would not be far from traitors to that king. After all, we chose his cousin instead of Lord Stark's words. I guess we will just be changing jailers, right?", the large man said, letting out a laugh.
"That is not for me to say", Lord Sakai replied diplomatically.
"But you... where are you from? Your eyes are funny", Maege commented, unable to help herself. Despite not being able to talk about many things due to the lack of water and food there, that was the first thing that came to her mind.
"I am from a distant land. The Arcticans arrived in Yi-Ti and fought against an enemy of my people. When they left, I joined them. The king gave me a place in the Kingdom of the North", he explained.
"So the war that happened in Yi-Ti is true? You are from the other side of the world?", Maege asked, curious. Even as a warrior, she knew a bit about the nations of the world, and finding someone from that region was impressive — even more so someone serving a kingdom beyond the Wall.
Lord Sakai merely shrugged.
"So you finally decided to show up after all that silence and the strangeness of days lasting only a few hours... the king is personally fighting? I imagine he brought a great army from the North", Edmure asked.
"The army was divided. It is not for me to give details, but we are attacking with five thousand men."
"Five thousand? You are attacking the Twins? There must be at least two thousand damned Freys here!" Edmure spoke again.
When he finished speaking, the ceiling began to shed dust, as if it were about to collapse. Everything fell silent, the three hostages looked up worriedly as they were illuminated by the Arcticans' torches there.
"Well, before you say it is impossible... at least part of the castle no longer exists after the last explosion", Sakai replied, naturally.
Maege and Greatjon, who were about to speak, fell silent immediately.
That... could be true. Look at the state of this place!
"Damn... you people are crazy", muttered Greatjon, while Edmure seemed to shrink even more, imagining that he could easily have been killed by the Arcticans with an explosion capable of making the entire castle tremble.
In any case, before Maege could say anything else, sounds came from the other side of the door.
"Hey! There are two corpses here! There are assassins in the castle!"
The prisoners and the Arcticans heard the shouts, while men on the outside advanced and began to pound on the door.
"It won't open! It's locked!" They shouted to each other, trying to force their way in.
"Everyone, get ready", said Lord Sakai, drawing his katana.
His men also drew their weapons, ready to strike down anyone who managed to break through the door. They needed to protect the hostages.
Outside, the Freys' desperation only grew.
At the entrance, the first group of giants had finally advanced. Arrows were fired, but the giant shields absorbed everything. Where there were still green flames, the giants themselves advanced and extinguished them as they continued forward.
Right behind them, the army marched.
Without any difficulty, they entered the Twins. A little over eighteen hundred men were still alive, trying to protect the castle, but they were faced with that force advancing without even being able to slow its progress — much less stop them.
The defenses could no longer hold them back.
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