"A beautiful town!" Ser Barristan exclaimed. Inside Farwinter, Rhaegar and Ser Barristan examined this beautiful new town. In the cold winds of the North, they hoped this black town could hold out until the end. The only place Beyond the Wall that could be called a settlement or town might have been Hardhome centuries ago, but after a strange accident, all its residents died, and now it is a cursed land.
"A strategically important place, backed by mountains and facing water!" Rhaegar was quite interested in this location, which offered a good deep-water port. Hardhome's resources were abundant, and this deep-water port was much more appealing than Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. Rhaegar wanted to take it from the hands of the wildlings—or rather, not the wildlings, but the tide of wights, the hands of the wights.
"It's so cold!" complained the knight bearing the House Whent bat sigil. The knights now stood in a relaxed posture, watching with interest as the giants and wildlings worked in the town, like a magical tale of knights appearing in another dreamlike world. This was a novel and adventurous job, like the legendary knights coming to save humanity. The knights discussed the terrifying wights and White Walkers, the curse of the god of cold. They were afraid, but with the dragons present and a Commander leading them, the safety level was much higher. The knights from the South wore very heavy coats, but still couldn't endure the chill; only bonfires offered warmth. The climate was the biggest enemy; Northerners guarded the North, and Southerners ultimately couldn't stay long. The climates of Dorne and the North were extremely harsh, which explained the sparse populations in both regions. If someone from the Reach or Dorne came here, they definitely wouldn't be able to handle it.
"No steel weapons, no steel armor, and no steel cavalry." Rhaegar examined the large force of wildlings Beyond the Wall; this might be the most eccentric army in the world. Both men and women among the wildlings could fight; the women were called spearwives and were fierce warriors. However, their weaknesses were also very prominent: they lacked any large-scale industrial system, so their armor and equipment were very primitive. In short, this was a force that relied on brute strength, lagging behind the times. Arming them would naturally improve things greatly, but handing weapons over to these wildlings would certainly displease the lords of the North, as wildlings were still freemen after all. Rhaegar felt they somewhat resembled the Dothraki, or perhaps, a beggar version of the Dothraki people.
"The Silver Prince, the Dragonrider who made the giants submit." Rhaegar saw Mag the Mighty and his giant kin, the last giants of the world, who tamed mammoths.
"These are my troops!" the King-Beyond-the-Wall introduced, followed by Mance Rayder's forces. Only one-tenth of Mance Rayder's men had warhorses, and their weapons were mediocre. They carried wicker shields wrapped in animal hides and boiled leather, adorned with various painted patterns, such as vipers, spiders, severed heads, bloodstained warhammers, shattered skulls, and demons. Some wore stolen, dented iron armor, pieces scavenged from ranger corpses. The rest wore bones. Everyone was dressed in fur and leather. Following the riders were the Ice-River clansmen. They had sixteen large bone chariots, their wheels clattering on the ground—some had wheels, others had runners. The dogs pulling the carts were as large as direwolves and looked like wild breeds from Beyond the Wall. The Ice-River clansmen wore sealskin, some with antler helmets, others with walrus ivory caps, and they were followed by several reindeer!
Compared to the distinctively armored dragon iron cavalry, and the House Whent soldiers who were equally well-dressed and mounted on strong, healthy horses, Mance Rayder felt a little embarrassed, but this was all the King-Beyond-the-Wall had.
"Where are the skinchangers?" Rhaegar asked curiously. Skinchanging was a special kind of magic, exclusive to the bloodline of the First Men. Skinchanging into animals was common, but into plants, like weirwood, was extremely rare.
"Over there." Mance Rayder, the King-Beyond-the-Wall, pointed into the distance, where a solitary group of people stood, mostly men. Some were friends with wild boars, some with falcons, and some with snow bears. Skinchangers easily instilled fear, and ordinary wildlings held them in awe. Rhaegar really wanted to talk to the skinchangers. The known limit for skinchangers was controlling wolves, eagles, and bears. Could the most powerful skinchangers control dragons and sea monsters? But he was about to set sail now and would have to wait until the affairs at Hardhome were concluded.
"You have already presented many gifts before, shouldn't you take these back?" While Rhaegar was inspecting the town, he received many more voluntary gifts from the wildling tribes Beyond the Wall. First, there were items of precious metals and gems: gem-encrusted swords, silver scale mail, amber ornaments, gold collars, jeweled daggers, silver brooches, bracelets, rings set with gems, green emerald headwear, golden goblets, horns and horn cups, freshwater pearl necklaces, and so on. Next were authentic crafts from Beyond the Wall: mammoth ivory toys and unicorn skull helmets. These crafts alone could fetch Rhaegar a significant amount of food and wealth. But he decided to keep them for now; this wasn't free gain, as he needed to protect the people Beyond the Wall and provide them with food.
"Does this thing really exist?" Rhaegar held up the unicorn skull helmet; it was almost a dark joke. But unicorns should indeed exist, described as being the size of large goats, with shaggy coats and horns on their heads, though likely nothing supernatural.
"They definitely exist! We don't have them here anymore, but they are still found on Skane!" the King-Beyond-the-Wall exaggerated. In ancient times, the Skagosi sailed to nearby Skane, captured the women, slaughtered the men, and then feasted on their hearts and livers for half a month on the pebble beach. This event is historically known as the Skane Feast. Since then, Skane has been uninhabited.
"Skagos is where the Stoneborn live, and it's said they really enjoy eating people!" Ser Barristan also gossiped. Even far in the South, the reputation of Cannibal Island was widely spread. The Skagosi rarely left their island. When outsiders visited, they sometimes murdered and robbed, but other times they chose to trade.
"When I clean up the world, I will exterminate these scoundrels!" Rhaegar declared. The North sometimes truly felt like a shining moment for apes—full of all sorts of nonsense. The King-Beyond-the-Wall stopped talking about the islands and began introducing his gifts.
"The people Beyond the Wall worship you not because you are a king, but because you are a Dragon Warrior who possesses magical dragons, a champion who defeated the giants. Now you are our protector, and these people are willing to leave these things with you!" said Mance Rayder.
"This responsibility truly weighs heavily!" Rhaegar instructed his men to collect the goods, which were all quite valuable. This was the wildlings' deep affection, and he needed to protect them in return. Given the situation Beyond the Wall, there should also be mineral deposits or precious metal mines; protecting these wildlings was necessary for future large-scale development.
"Control your people!" Rhaegar told Mance, the King-Beyond-the-Wall, warning him. He had already said the same thing once to Rickard and the Night's Watch Lord Commander. He emphasized it several times to Mance specifically, because the King-Beyond-the-Wall wasn't a true king, and one of his subordinates might easily cross a line. Even with the wildlings settled in Farwinter, the rift between the wildlings and the Night's Watch and Northerners still existed. The wildlings considered themselves freemen, while the Northerners viewed them as rapists, petty thieves, and robbers.
"They will, because they don't want to fight the Dragon King!" Mance promised. The mighty Mag the Mighty had already lost and submitted to the Dragon King; any other wildling who wasn't blind would be much more honest and compliant. Force is also a form of universal truth. This was especially true in Westeros, and the wildlings believed in it strongly. They feared giants, skinchangers, and warriors. Not to mention the Dragon King who brought fire-breathing beasts.
"I need to go to Hardhome once!" Rhaegar said.
"Hardhome? That's a haunted place!" Mance Rayder's face turned grim, and he said with a frown. Hardhome is located at the very tip of the Storrud's Point peninsula, jutting into the Shivering Sea. One night, more than three hundred years before Aegon the Conqueror landed, Hardhome was struck by a mysterious catastrophe; the entire settlement burned down, and all residents died. "Some wildlings who haven't submitted to me might still be there!"
"It was once a good place, but only once!"
"Be careful of the white mist and the White Walkers, Prince!" Mance Rayder said earnestly. "We have defeated wights before; my men have killed over a hundred of the dead. But when the white mist rises, and the masters of the dead appear within it—those White Walkers, they are shadows with sharp teeth! The air is icy cold, penetrating the lungs like a knife; cold and death are inseparable!"
"I will be careful, King-Beyond-the-Wall!" Rhaegar looked at Mance Rayder, who seemed to be trapped in fear. Rhaegar knew what he feared: the Others. The Others were far more terrifying than the wights.
"Those White Walkers in the white mist follow us instead of showing themselves directly; they consume my men. I have lost too many scouts; those who lagged behind or wandered off never returned. Those White Walkers are like shadows, always present. They dislike the glorious sun. I think they might not be far away, perhaps like the shadows beneath our feet. I don't know where they come from—are they shadows, or the ground beneath us?" The black wall gave the King-Beyond-the-Wall courage, and he found the strength to speak of the terrifying Others. "The world ends in ice. The weather Beyond the Wall is often snowy and rainy, especially now during the Long Winter, which is even more suitable for the Others and wights. They dislike fire. When camping in the wilderness, bonfires are essential. The worst part is that we lack towns, those great structures like the Wall. So, when heavy snow, sleet, or freezing rain hits, the cold air rushes in, and the bonfires are hard to light—that is when we are most afraid. We face death; someone always leaves us!"
Ser Barristan remained silent. He had been ordered to protect the Crown Prince, but he never expected to encounter such terrifying creatures. This time, perhaps, would be the longest watch of his life.
"Warriors, are you ready? We are preparing to leave for Hardhome soon!" Rhaegar shouted from the high platform of the camp.
"Depart!" "Depart!" The camp erupted in activity: Southern knights, black-clad Night's Watchmen, the armies of the Northern lords, the King-Beyond-the-Wall and his elite warriors, and the mighty giant Mag the Mighty—the most conspicuous coalition army in this world. While the wind and waves had not yet picked up, the ships could still sail to Hardhome. Rhaegar had considered taking the land route, but that was too slow, inviting trouble if delayed. If there were no roaring winds and waves, the sea route was a good choice.
A flock of dragons flew in the sky, and ten ships sailed on the sea. The ships carried pitch, obsidian, and longbowmen. The journey was smooth sailing all the way.
"Hardhome has arrived! Raise the banners, all our banners!" The sailors on the ten ships shouted excitedly, as flags of various colors flew in the air: the black dragon on a silver field banner, the direwolf banner, and the House Whent bat banner. The destination was located at the very tip of the Storrud's Point peninsula, jutting into the Shivering Sea. This was once the only place Beyond the Wall that resembled a town. Hardhome was rich in resources. The bay near Hardhome formed a deep-water harbor large enough for the biggest ships to dock. Timber and stone were abundant. Edible fish were easily caught in the sea, and there were even gathering areas for seals and walruses. On the other side of the gathering area was a massive cliff face riddled with caves.
Rhaegar looked at Hardhome. Craster's Wives' wildling group had concealed their position; their forces were hunkered down beneath the cliffs, preparing to hold out to the end using makeshift defenses. If no one had come to rescue them, they likely would have all turned into wights. She had not gone south with Mance Rayder, but had stayed here awaiting the rescue ships.
As Rhaegar and his company arrived, the knights who had been chatting happily along the way now began to feel fear. This was not a battlefield, but an ocean of wights. Pale faces, blue eyes, snow bears, dead horses, and wildlings of death surging like waves. Hardhome had become an ocean of the dead. There were wights in the forest, and wights in the water. The ocean of wights was not only on the ground but also on the surface of the sea. However, these creatures were temporarily confined to the shallow surface waters and could not enter the deep sea. Their expressions were withered, possessing only the desire to bring death. They were packed densely—Rhaegar was reminded of World War Z!
"The ships must not get too close to the ocean. Wait until I wipe out the wights in the shallow sea!" Rhaegar commanded. There were quite a few wights in the shallow sea, but they hadn't spread to the deep sea yet. He would first clear the desolation, then call the wildlings aboard the ships.
"The Dragon has Three Heads! Wights!" The three-headed dragon formed a triangular structure, with the silver dragon facing the land, and the purple dragon and the black dragon facing the sea. Rhaegar let out a long cry, and the magical dragons spat out raging flames. The fireballs shone brightly like a new sun, and then began to explode. Showering fire fell upon the world, raining down upon the wights.
The wrath of the magical dragons was unmatched. "The Savior has arrived! The Savior has arrived!" Craster's Wives' face revealed a look of frenzy.
"Children, arrows! Arrows!" Ser Barristan roared, and flaming arrows began to stream upwards, providing fire coverage at about three hundred feet. Giants drew their crossbows, and flaming bolts began to shoot crudely at the tide of wights, or they simply threw down burning logs!
Flames of various colors blossomed, and the sky over Hardhome became vibrant!
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