Chapter 21: Chapter 21 : The End of the World.
Winterfell (POV) :
The recent news brought a storm the Lord Eddard Stark could never see coming. The news from the Capital had left him far more terrified than he ever had been. It should not have mattered, it was a doing of foreign witches and zealots. It on its own should have been far less effective.
But the montrosity Benjen had brought completely shattered whatever calm that had remained. It was not meant to happen, it was just stories. But he had the misfortune of staring at the thing, the dead.
It was dead, rotting and cut in half. But it had moved with the certainty of a natural diaster. It’s gaze held no hate. That was more terrifying than it had the right to be. He had seen true barbarity.
He still remembered the dead babes of Elia Martell, buthered and crushed. He had hated the monters who had done it with all his soul. And he had hated their master. But the worst betrayel was from a man he considered a father and a man he called a brother.
He had to remind himself for his reason to fight. He had to save his sister, he had to avenge his brother and father and he had to save his head.
But his brother had smiled at the dead babes and his foster father had shrugged it off easily. Tywin looked prouf of it, Jaime Lannister had looked smug about his deed too.
He had since never wanted to involve with the south. But seeing the vents unfolding as they did had scared him. He was willing to die for the good of the realm. He still would. But now he had a family he loved. He had to save them from what was coming.
None of his sons had ever slept properly since that terrible night. The entire great Castle of Winterfell had dared not close its eyes for too long. That was the truth of it.
But all hearts were shook further when the word from the Capital had arrived. Jon Arryn was dead and soon after his untimely demise a portion of the Capital had gone up in flames. A thousand dead, even more injured.
A letter had arrived wearing Roberts seal. It demanded my presence as in the Capital as Hand of the King.
Eddard had noticed something in the letter, it was the King’s writing, but it carried a sense of certainty that did not belong. It was warm, yes. But it was precise. The world was truly changing had Robert grown to respect his station.
But the dilemma had still stood. The wight and the peril beyond the wall was of far greater concern. Wolfs did not do well in the South. And we had a duty to the wall that was more dire.
The Long Night was approaching and all the events happening had pointed to what Maestar Luwin had called the end of the world.
Luwin had been reading since the dead’s appearence. Reading upon every book associated with The Long Night.
Robb had completely stopped being a boy he was supposed to be as had Jon and even Theon showed maturity unlike him. All their time now was spent with either Luwin or with Cassel training.
He would have been proud had he not seen the burden their eyes carried now, Arya had stopped stitching and dressing like a Lady entirely. Practising sword and archery and horse riding. No-one had dared fault her for it. Not even Catelyn who alonside Sansa and Septa Mordane had spent all their time in the sept, praying. Sansa had also begun visiting the godswood.
"Gods" the great lord thought "why does this happen now." He wanted his children to be children. But after what they had seen that was impossible.
Lord Stark had decided he would ride South, with the walker. Accompanied by two hundred and fifty men. Benjen and Lord Manderly and Greatjon would be his main companions.
First he would need to gather all the lords of the North and show them what they had seen. He had commanded Ravens to fly to every keep south of the neck, the day the monster had entered his own keep.
He would pass through the Riverlands and the Vale too. They had to see it.
Some maids has whispered not subtly that this was the doom of mankind. The Gods had now wanted retribution for man’s many sins.
He was tempted to believe it.
Just then a guard had come rushing in, it ws urgent. He looked as though he had seen the living corpse inside the cells of Winterfell.
"M’Lord urgent news! From the Citadel." He spoke handing Ned the letter. It was perhaps best to read any more bad news alone.
The guard returned to his place. Just then Luwin had come rushing in. He was the one who was supposed to bring in the letter. But he had buried himself in the library. Lord Stark had not blamed him.
It was Lord Stark’s own request to find out how to end the wretched thing in his keep. Swords were of no use. Fire could but what else.
Worse still was that the dead marched with the white walkers. The wildings were fleeing South for his very reason. He had to deal with that too.
"Forgive me for failing at my duties my lord," Luwin spoke, in his regular old gentle tone. Eddard just nodded.
He opened the letter to see what news was brought from the South now.
He opened the letter. Reading through it’s contents. His cold distant eyes widened in sheer fear. Hid face tightened. He read it again and again and again. As if reading it again would change it’s content.
He felt his hands tremble.
Luwin had noticed, going pale himseld. Something that could scare Lord Eddard, that was unheard of until a few days ago. It had to be something worse to scare him now. What could be worse than the walking dead.
Had the Hightower fallen!
"The Hightower has fallen! And the Starrey Sept is ash" Lord Eddard spoke composing himself after several long moments.
This news spoke of the decimation of the entire Hightower bloodline. The death of all the Grand maestars and septons in oldtown with them.
A house thousands of years old in a structure that had stood tall and proud for as long as the wall itself. Gone. Reduced to nothing. Thousands were dead. Oldtown had burned. Its fleet gone alonside a significant portion of the ancient city.
"M...My Lord?" Luwin too composed himself after a few moments. He did not believe he heard correctly.
Being woken from his thoughts Lord Eddard Stark released a long breath he did not know he was holding. He was panicked.
He put down the letter, dragging it to the other end of the table for Luwin to see. This was not the news Weteros needed after the explosion in King’s Landing.
Worse still was the thought that he was going to deliver a third news to the realm soon enough.That would seal any doubt anyone could ever had. Worst part was thet he personally would be the bearer of bad news.
The main concern however was the way oldtown had fallen. It was not in an explosion. Not in an invasion. The blame would fall ont he red witches Lord Stark was certain.
But if it was them, which he doubted. How come they had the means to turn the night sky go white with a twin flow of fire that tore through the sky. As the letter described. He did not understand it. He did not want to understand it.
But it had appeared as though the god’s themselves had grown tired of mankind.
This was also a series of events that could unite the realm. Truly unite all Westeros against a common enemy.
Luwin had, in a terrifyed fury which did not belong to this gentle old man had toen the parchment in half. He looked on the verge of tears. More Scared than angry.
"It was true! The legends were true after all. I had thought these events were unfortunate tragidies!" He spoke in a clear way, that worried Eddard Stark.
Before he could ask about it however, he heard screams outside the window.
Rising from his chair he went to look what was happening. A guard had come rushing in again.
"My Lord...The....Crypts!"
