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Winter Fox's POV
I observe the lords and ladies arguing in the fact that Daenerys left them cold in the ice. They deserved to be left behind. These people of the North are not worth fighting for. I wonder what the fuck I am even doing here as I continue to watch them like I am at a dinner and a show. I smoke a little bit more when something catches my attention.
My eyes glare at Arya Stark who is speaking with a blacksmith forging Dragonglass into weapons. I heard of this man to be quite the looker due to his father, Robert Baratheon. Except he is leaner, fitter and a good spitting image of him before Robert became the Fat King. I wonder if he is as good with a hammer just like his father was. I would pay good gold to see it happen against the White Walkers.
I focus back to the item that caught my attention on Arya Stark. I see her sword known as Needle and the dagger on her hip. I immediately walk over as Arya and Gendry look up at me. I extend my gloved hand out to them.
"Pleasure to meet you." Gendry shakes my hand but Arya Stark does not. She glares at me, already wondering if I am friend or foe. And because of that, I like her compared to the other cunts and bitches that claim to be a true northerner.
"You are doing well unlike the other blacksmiths. However there is something I would like to show you. May I?" I tell Gendry in observing his forged Dragon Glass weapons.
He shakes his head yes. I step over into his work station, gathering everything I need, including common steel. Gendry and Arya do not question what I am doing. Instead they watch. I ensure that fire is at its best to do what I need to do next.
The flames rise high that it catches the attention of others in their work stations. They all begin to watch me in placing both the steel and dragon glass in the flames. As soon as the metal and glass were ready, I take them out of the flames. I start grinding the strips into a long sword shaped steel piece. Then I take my own sort of hand sanded bar on my belt, using it to remove roughness. I return the new long forged strip into the coal prepared in tempering the blade the best way to increase the strength, hardness and toughness of the sword.
Next, I grab different handle grips for the soon to be new sword. I play around a few moments with each handle grip, finding the perfect one. One of the northerners watching asks about the pommel for the sword. I was unsure if I should however I should for this sword. I ask Gendry if he could work on a pommel. He begins working on one. I hammer the sword into its final shape.
When he is done, Gendry questions me. "What should the pommel be?"
I think for a moment on his question before knowing what it should be. I whisper it to him then take a spare parchment, drawing it. He takes the parchment studying the drawing. He begins working on it. I cannot resist in smiling when he is doing good detail into the pommel.
Gendry and I continue working as many eyes are on us. I have the glass molten over the steel, coming as one such as I plan to do with Jon and Daenerys. I dip the sword into a water bath to cool. It is quite something to look at when it is done cooling. Gendry and I remain working as if we have known each other for years. This sword is taking longer than others due to ensuring the proper forge between the steel and dragon glass.
After what feels like time flying by, I give the finished sword one last look after Gendry secures the handle of this new long sword. It is a work of beauty. I hand it to Gendry so he can examine the craftsmanship with a sort of keen eye. He smiles in how the blade looks of the color of a dragon scale.
"It has a strong grip, sharp blade and I know this sword will have its share of killing soon. How did you manage to make the steel and dragon glass settle together? The dragon glass is brittle and hard to take stresses compared to steel."
"That is why I added the steel with the dragon glass. The steel takes on the stresses that the dragon glass cannot. It is capable of translating the stress across its entire self while more durable than glass especially when treated correctly. And I didn't use as much dragon glass into this weapon. Every blacksmith here will be able to make more weapons this way while increasing the unlikely chance of running low of the glass sooner than planned."
"But wouldn't the steel take away the unique qualities of the glass?"
"Of course, the glass and metal cannot be combined. However the glass can float over the molten metal which is what I did. It is more of a bond, a strong bond with the glass."
"And because of this bond, the glass can take on more in battle compared to the glass alone. Take it as a gift of gratitude in what you showed me. I will ensure more weapons like this to work on." Gendry smiles in what new way I showed him to make more weapons this way. Gendry hands me the new designed long sword.
I take the dark blade and stare at the pommel shaped into that of a heart. I smile and knew this would help in some way for those that are true people of the North fighting against the White Walkers. "Thank you, Gendry."
"Any names in mind for this new sword and who are you?" Arya Stark questions me when Gendry speaks to all of the blacksmith in how to go about forging the remaining dragon glass. I lower the sword.
"No name for the sword yet and I am called the Winter Fox. The two of you are quite a rare sight to see back at Winterfell. Winterfell has gone to the Seven Hells before the Night King officially arrives."
"The Night King? You have seen him?"
"I certainly have. What a sight to behold such as the sight of a dragon. The only difference is I want to rim this blade into his horned skull."
"What is his fighting style?" Arya walks around the forging table to get a bit closer to me.
"I have never truly seen him fight one on one. However the rare times I have seen him use a weapon, he favors a long ice spear or sword. That is when it gets real interesting when he reaches for his own weapon." I slowly circle around Arya Stark sinking my mind into the image of the Night King.
"How do you know about him?"
"I would say ask your brother, Bran Stark but the Three Eyed Raven has no strength against the Night King. Bran needs to go back to the God's Wood Tree far beyond the Wall where he belongs once all of this is over. He is nothing more than a disposable Stark. But enough about him, you're one of the two Starks worth fighting side by side in the war to come."
Arya looks at Gendry then back to me in how I speak of her brother, Bran Stark. I then point at the dagger. "May I?"
She pulls out the dagger. I hold the dagger in my right hand. I study every inch of it, observing it like I was reading a good book. "Valyrian steel is extraordinary. If I'm right, Little Finger had it before Bran Stark gave you the dagger. Keep it close. It will come in handy against the White Walkers or to the rightful house owner of the dagger to use."
I flip the dagger back to her and her hand grips the handle of the dagger. "This dagger has no rightful house owner."
"Of course it does. Most if not all valyrian steel weapons belong to a certain houses. Just like the sword, Long Claw belonged to House Mormont before it was given to Jon Snow. The sword Ice belonged to House Stark before Tywin Lannister forged it down to two swords. Or like Dark Sister, Blackfyre to House Targaryen. This valyrian dagger must belong to one of the houses of Westeros."
She pulls the dagger back. My eyes remain on the dagger when Arya questions me, "Where are the two swords that were forged from Ice?"
"One of the swords is currently here at Winterfell known as Oathkeeper." I knew her eyes would go straight to Brienne of Tarth.
"And the other sword?"
"Tywin Lannister gave it to Joffrey. It was named Widow's Wail before that cunt of a king was poisoned by Lady Olenna Tyrell at his own wedding. Jaime Lannister has the sword now." I inform her, knowing this would be enough to possibly garn a brief trust to her.
I turn my eyes back to the arguments taking place in the courtyard. I exhale in boredom when the ignorant lords and ladies are literally questioning why Daenerys would leave after she gave her word to help. I want to kill them myself since I know they are more useful dead than alive.
"The North is cursed because of her!!!"
"You're not cursed but you should be cursed at, you stupid fuckers!!" I yell out in anger. They all look at me in shock that I am even saying anything.
The bitch, Sansa Stark stares at me like I overstepped in speaking. "Why should we be cursed at?"
"You should be cursed at because I warned you that if you and all of these cunts, bitches did give Daenerys Targaryen better treatment, she never would have left. I'm considering of taking my forces back since we came here to fight because of Jon Snow, your King did the impossible by bringing Queen Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains all the way here!!!"
Arya Stark tries to step in when speaking, "Ok, I do not think we need to go any further into-"
"Arya, do not speak." The bitch Sansa says to Arya like sisters in these situations.
"Alright." Arya puts her hands up, knowing there is nothing she can say to stop what is about to be spoken out loud. Almost like a smart child trying to stop a mother and father fighting over something that never should have taken place at all.
"I did go to her personally and told her not to leave."
"That is why she left. You told her not to leave. Daenerys Targaryen is not some cup bearer you can have at your beck and call whenever you desire. Second of all, you clearly have no fucking clue how to plan the Game. You will never be a true player. Your sister is not even playing the Game; she is far more valuable than you ever will be. And that is why you should be cursed at!"
"We do not need Daenerys Targaryen! We will survive on our own." Sansa begins to yell at me. If she continues to yell at me, I will choke her with my own hand.
"No, you will not survive. You are delusional, Sansa Stark. You always have been."
"What does that even mean?!" Sansa screams in anger in the fact I called her delusional which is the full truth.
"You know what it means; it means you are feeble, blind, degenerate bitch with an icy, heartless attitude of the North as a whole!!!! That is why she left!!! She has far more heart than anyone else in all of Westeros aside from your ruler, King Jon Snow! Now because of you lot, all of his hard work has gone to shit!!! You are all fucked!"
"What do you know of the North? You are nothing more than a stranger in our land. Our King made the mistake of ever bringing her here. Good riddance!" Lyanna Mormont shouts to me.
I stare at this girl who I thought to be smart however I know that she clearly is not when uttering those words. Sansa is about to speak but without a second thought, I grab Sansa's throat and begin to squeeze as hard as I can.
Brienne of Tarth, Podrick, and many others pull out their weapons on me. I use my left hand to point my new long sword at Brienne of Tarth's armor, right where her heart is.
"Even now, I can cut through all of you like cutting an apple!" I roar out unlike anything they ever heard before that most of them lowered their weapons except Brienne and Podrick. I keep my weapon up, ready to use it if any came at me while I remain choking this useless bitch. This plain woman struggles to breathe while she tries to pull at my hand.
"I have been here since before the First Men, the Children of the Forest, the Age of Heroes and the Faith of the nonexistent Seven. I know about the North far more than you ever will. I've seen things you couldn't even imagine. But the one thing I never expected is someone like you willing to let innocent men, women and children die all because you are too proud, stubborn to be respectful, pleasant to a woman who is more beautiful, more powerful than you ever will be. You're no better than Cersei Lannister. Then again, you were raised by her more than by your own serpent mother, Catelyn Stark. It explains why you are willing to let the North fade away. You truly are no better than the Night Queen. In fact, I hope you become the Night Queen so I can kill you myself."
Sansa winces endlessly in choking her as she pushes against my chest. Until I feel something out past Winterfell. It is something that needs to be dealt with far more than this ice bitch. I release her. She gasps for air, looking at me with wide eyes. I draw my long ax out then walk towards the courtyard entrance when a far out, faded voice cries out.
"Help me... Help me..."
Arya Stark and Gendry grab their weapons as do several others. I take a few steps forward to see something hanging on a wooden post planted out there. Someone is chained to the post. I cannot see the face of the person chained. I stop at the gates of the courtyard with narrow eyes at the strung up creature. I cannot see its face in the long black hair covering it.
"Help. Help me please..."
Arya Stark moves forward but I place my ax in front of her to stop. "Wait."
"What?"
"It's a trap." I whisper knowing exactly what kind of trap this is.
I look past Arya Stark to see a flamed torch hanging on the stone wall. I place my right long ax on my holster with my new sword still in my left hand. I grab the torch, turning to the others observing. I throw the torch where I aimed. It lands on the snowy ground right in front of the wooden post. The flame of the torch is obliterated by the sight of White Walkers.
"Fuck me..." Podrick says with wide eyes.
"No one alive can go out there. Only the Dead can." I speak knowing that anything alive cannot set foot out there.
"Any volunteers?" Davos draws out a knife, attempting to make a joke which is worth a chuckle in my book. However he made a point. Only the dead can walk out there; no one alive will survive. This means only one thing for Winterfell.
"The Dead are here." I say in such a tone that I can feel the fear in the air throughout Winterfell. However they were not supposed to be here yet. We, the Foxes need to delay the Night King, not everything is set like it should be.
Sansa Stark tells no one to go however whoever it is begins to say someone by name. I immediately look to Arya and Sansa as the voice cries their names. "Sansa... Arya... Help me..."
Sansa and Arya look like they heard a ghost when hearing their names. I see on their faces that they recognize the person calling out to them. I grab Sansa by the neck of her dress, ready to choke her again if she does not answer my question.
"Who is calling out?"
"It is no one." Sansa answers
"Sansa, we both know who it is." Arya says in a panic to who it is.
"If you do not tell me who it is, I will open you from your belly to your head and feed your heart to my fox! Tell me!!!"
"It is our uncle, Benjen Stark!!!!"
"Benjen Stark, the First Ranger? He is died beyond the Wall!"
"Jon spoke of him saving his life beyond the Wall; maybe he is still alive for this." Sansa tells me.
I let of Sansa then glare directly to where he is strung up. There is only one way to find out if it truly is him. Only the Dead can go in and out of the trap unharmed. My fellow fox walks up from behind me wondering what it is.
"It is a trap."
"Next move?"
"Spring the trap." I say to my fellow Fox. I know he is smiling underneath his mask without even seeing his face. I immediately walk ahead.
"No, Winter Fox!" Arya Stark shouts. She grabs my arm, attempting to stop me. I'm surprised in the fact that she barely knows me but yet she doesn't want me to risk my life.
"There is no need to worry, No One." I gently move her hand away from my arm; she shakes her head yes in trusting my word.
I slowly walk through the snowy fog, hearing the snarls, growls of the undead creatures. It is interesting to see the walkers after so long. Some of them get close but stop when they are in reaching distance, like they are compelled to bring me no harm as I predicted they would do. I get a few feet closer and stand before the man strung up.
I see his dead black hair covering his face. I move it out of the way to see the face of the man. It is really is him, Benjen Stark, The First Ranger. I wonder how he can still speak since he appears to be undead like the others surrounding the post.
This corpse of Benjen Stark moves his head just enough to look at me. I am taken back in the fact that his eyes are dark brown, not blue like the others. He appears to still be a man while undead. I grip my hand around the roots of his hair, lifting his head up to be face to face with me.
"The Children of the Forest did this to you?"
He shakes his head yes to my question. I study him, even smell him. He does not smell like the others. He is not fully like them. His body is gone but the mind of the man remains. It truly is still Benjen Stark. I see the tight rope around his wrists connected to the post. Before the walkers could react, I swiftly cut the ropes, catching Benjen Stark in my arms. He sighs in relief that he is free from his bonds.
I notice there is a bag at the root of the wood post. I pick it up to feel something slightly heavy. I open the bag to see a sort of weapon. It must be Benjen's sort of weapon. The Night King knows that Benjen Stark cannot make a difference in the fight to come. He'll be nothing more than a messenger to spread fear as the Night King wants.
I put his right arm around my shoulders, making the way back to Winterfell. The Walkers growl in anger that there is no body warmth to spring their trap although I know this is only the start of their attacks. Arya and Sansa filled with joy when I give their uncle to them. Benjen Stark falls into their arms. I watch them hugging him. Benjen looks at them in shock that he is in their arms.
"The Children of the Forest must have saved him when he went missing beyond the Wall. His body is dead but his mind remains. You need to get inside. This is only the beginning of their arrival. I suggest closing and barring the gates now. Do not let another person inside once the gates are shut."
Any warm body leaves the gate entrance while I slowly look back to see a set of blue eyes. And not any pair of blue eyes. It is no other than the eyes of The Night King himself. I shudder at the sight of him after so long. I can recall the last time I ever laid eyes on him like no time has passed. But this time, I am not the one he met long ago. I am different and will be when all of this is over.
I slowly back away until I could no longer see him in the snowy fog. I know I cannot take him on alone, not now. Everything is happening far sooner than it needs to. I turn to walk past the gates as the others walk inside, closing the gates behind. Sansa tells them to bar the gates now while taking Benjen up the stairs toward a bedchamber with Arya's help.
My eyes are locked on the dagger Arya has. I feel the presence of my other Winter Fox behind me with our horses. I turn to face him and he can tell that we need to get a move on.
"I need all of the books of the Targaryen Rulers, ensure if I am right about that dagger."
He does not question me when mounting up. We ride out of the other entrance gates right before the last gates close up. We ride out to the forest of our encampment to seek the knowledge needed.
Arya's POV
Sansa and I watch as the Maester takes a look at our uncle. Sansa and I are holding hands while the Maester takes a thorough look at him. However the Maester looks like he does not know what he is looking at.
"I am sorry, my ladies. I hear no breath, no heart beat. But yet his body still moves like he is any other man such as his mind is still of a man. He does not need warmth or a heartbeat to be alive such as we are." The Maester tells us before leaving the chamber.
Whatever it is that is keeping him this way is a gift. A strange gift that brought our uncle back to us and I will take it no matter what. I go to his bedside grabbing his cold hand. It is almost as if he truly was dead but his dark brown eyes tell a different tale. He smiles at the sight of Sansa and I.
"Arya? Sansa? Is it really you?"
"Yes, uncle Benjen. You've returned home to Winterfell." I contain myself from showing a tremendous amount of joy that we have him back. Sansa is standing above me also smiling. I can only imagine how happy Jon will be to see Benjen when he returns.
"Is it really you? Let me look at you both. I have not seen you both for so long. It has been an eternity and here you both are. Oh my sweet, strong nieces of mine. " His cold hand embraces mine just as Sansa sits down beside me smiling to him. He smiles at the sight of both of us.
"You both have grown so much into beautiful women. I know your father and mother must be so proud of you." He says in joy.
However Sansa and I cannot hide our reactions when he speaks of our father and mother. I bite the bottom of my lip in fear of what he does not know since he was declared dead beyond the Wall. Benjen sees how we are in the mention of our mother and father. The joy in his face disappears.
"Where is my brother? Where is Ned?" He asks us.
Sansa and I both freeze in terror of what he just said. I instantly realize that he does not know what happened. Sansa and I both look at each other in dread that we have to tell him what has happened. Benjen sees that there is something we are not telling him and before we can speak a word he realizes his worst fear of our father, his brother.
"No!" He yells in sorrow. He gets up from the bed.
We try to stop him but instead he literally runs with whenever strength he has left to the Crypts of Winterfell. We chase after him and find him in front of our father's statue. His strong voice is overpowered in sadness to see his brother's statue.
"No... No!" He lets out when falling to his knees in front of the statue of his brother and begins weeping. "No... No, not my brother."
I place my hands together in the terrible way Benjen had to find out about Ned's death. He never knew beyond the wall, all these years not knowing is something terrible than not knowing. I look to see some tears overflow Sansa's eyes, crying in his reaction of his brother, our father's death. He places his hand over the stone craved words, Lord Eddard Stark Warden of the North, Honorable Husband and Father.
I slowly walk over to him as he mourns for his brother. I don't think that Sansa and I ever truly had the proper time to mourn for those we lost until this moment with our dear uncle. Sansa and I both kneel down beside him. He places his arms around us into an embrace. I shudder in trying not to cry but being in his embrace compels me to cry a little.
All three of us mourn together for the first time at this point of our lives for those we lost. Benjen gazes at both of us and asks, "Your mother, Catelyn?"
Sansa shakes her head no, letting him know that she is gone as well. He brings us closer to him that we both bury our faces into his chest, even though it is cold. Sansa lets out cries in the loss of our father and mother. A few tears go down my face in losing them.
"My sweet nieces... My poor sweet nieces. Whatever has happened, I am sorry for all of it. I wish I was there to stop it all." He softly whispers to us before kissing us on the top of our heads.
Sansa and I exhale in feeling such a weight lifted off us in the light crying we did. Benjen literally looks as pale as death and if he is what death truly looks like, I am conflicted if I would welcome Death with open arms.
"Where is Jon? Did he make it beyond the Wall?"
We both look at him in the knowledge that there is quite a lot of news he needs to know about. I exhale as Sansa answers, "He made it beyond the Wall. You saved him."
"Good. I was more than willing to die to make sure he made it out alive. Tell me everything I need to know." He tells us.
Sansa and I know that it will take a while to catch him up so we begin to tell him everything.
Winter Fox's POV
I search through all books on Targaryen Rulers and once I find the page I am looking for, I leave the book open on that page. My other Fox is wondering what I am doing as I reach the book for King Viserys the Peaceful. I smile at the page to confirm what I suspected the moment I saw that dagger on Arya Stark.
"I fucking knew it. The dagger is what I hoped it would be. This dagger belonged to Aegon the Conqueror and from every Targaryen ruler, the dagger was passed on, on and on until King Viserys's son, Aegon second of his name was found dead with blood on his lips. The dagger was also missing from that day on. It must have survived due to it being made of Valyrian steel. Suddenly that dagger ends up here at Winterfell exactly where Daenerys Targaryen comes to. That is no coincidence. There is a reason each Targaryen Ruler carried that dagger with them at all times. There is only one way to be sure this is the very same dagger. I need to get that dagger."
Each page in all the books shows the exact dagger made of black and gold designs with a red jewel in the handle. No detail of the dagger changed in each book of a ruler. He brushes his hand over the page of the dagger in the book of Aegon the Conqueror.
"How? Do you plan on taking it? No One will notice it is missing right after you take it." He replies. I stare at my fellow Fox when he should know that No One is nothing compared to me.
"I can easily take that dagger before she realizes it's missing. However her admiration for Targaryens will be the trick. I will speak to her and she will be one of the last stepping stones for Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow to take the Iron Throne. We need to get back once the remaining Freefolk and Night's Watch arrive shortly here."
Once they do, we need to get back to Winterfell now before Daenerys finishes what she needs to do South against Cersei Lannister. I grab my weapons when my fellow Fox dares to question me, "Is the North really worth saving? The people of the North are weak. Their honor and dignity forgotten; the blood of Starks is all but spent. The only ones that are not weak are Jon Snow and Arya Stark. I could care less if the rest of the North turns into corpses. Cersei Lannister was right when it would be an improvement on some."
I slowly turn around in the fact that he is speaking those words out loud. He knows exactly why we, the Foxes are here. And there is no going back for anyone of us. I walk directly over to him and stand almost over him as my fellow fox cowers in fear of me.
"My little Fox, I have told you how it will be and this mission will not be questioned any further. I agree that the North should crumble but if the North falls, so will the South, East, West, the Narrow Sea and the Sunset Sea, the entire world will be an endless Winter. However I would love nothing more than to slit my ax up the middle and bite out the heart of Sansa Stark but I cannot due to the arrangement made with Cersei Lannister is made if Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow do not survive."
"You really have a desire to kill Sansa Stark yourself, don't you?" He asks.
"She reminds me of my father years ago. Stupid, naïve, untrusting, not as smart as thought to be and used powers beyond our understanding; I know how her mind clicks. She would rather let the whole north become an Army of the Dead before she receives any help from Daenerys Targaryen."
I back away from my fellow Fox when a horn is blow through our camp. I know exactly what that horn means. We leave the tent to see what we feared would come to pass. Every eye at the camp freezes when we see a snow storm heading directly for Winterfell. That is no ordinary snow storm. It is an attack on Winterfell by the pets of the Night King. The gates of Winterfell are already barred and locked. They won't let us in so the entrance unaware to them will have to do for us.
I whistle for our horses and they both come without a moment to lose. We grab our bows and arrows, sword, dagger and spear. We are going to need it when we arrive. We bring our horses into the war tent. I lift up the fur and rugs to reveal a certain part on the ground. I uncover quite a bit of mud to reveal something of a trapdoor. I grab the metal hook to open the trapdoor. A bust of air explodes out when opened probably for the first time in centuries. My fellow Fox is stunned to see all of this.
"Where does this lead?"
"There are a number of secrets that the North people will never know about their own land. It leads directly to their burial Crypt in Winterfell. No one else knows about this. Swear your word to me that you will not speak of this to anyone until I say otherwise."
My fellow Fox extends his gloved hand to me. I grab his hand when he swears his word to me. We both lead our horses down into the old, forgotten pathway underground. My horse remains ground tied as I adjust the furs so they will fall back into place once the trapdoor is shut on our end. I shut it and we mount up on our horses, galloping down the forgotten underground way.
Arya's POV
Benjen looks at us in shock in what we have told him. "Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Let me just recap all you spoke of. Robb and Rickon died. Jon is the King in the North and he slept with Queen Daenerys Targaryen. She came here to help. But because the harsh, cold treatment of the North, she left?"
I look to Sansa who remains wordless in what I said about Daenerys leaving. I shake my head yes to Benjen. He stands to his feet taking in everything. I walk over and remain face to face with him. He grabs my hand and he may not be alive but he still is our uncle down to his very bones.
"The North is proud, strong and stubborn to outsiders. And the North need Daenerys Targaryen. Without her, the north will fall. You have no chance of survival without her and her dragons. If your father were here, he would have made an arrangement with her just like Jon has. He would risk the honor of his people to save their lives. You both know he would. And the eye of the Night King is fixed on Winterfell. This evil cannot be overpowered by the small force of the North. You don't have the strength to fight them off along with Cersei Lannister. The North will fall without the Dragon Queen."
There is no denying that our father would do the same. The only problem is Sansa. She believes the North can endure. My eyes go to Sansa with the same look of belief we can do it alone. Benjen picks up the tension between me and Sansa. "Am I missing important information? What is it?"
"Sansa believes we can do without Daenerys Targaryen." I tell him.
"We can. We do not need her." Sansa speaks with belief but she is a fool to believe we can.
"Seven hells, Sansa. You are a fool. Do you know what you have done by you and others pushing Daenerys away? You have no idea what Jon had to do in order to have Daenerys here half a world away from her one goal of the Iron Throne?" I tell her in anger that she has placed so much hope in the North. I wish I had the same hope but nothing can change the fact we do not have the numbers to face the Army of the Dead.
"Arya, we cannot trust nor control her."
"You do not have to trust or control her completely. If anything unleash her. The Night King killed one of her dragon children; she will unleash her wrath upon the Night King with Fire & Blood as Targaryens do on their enemies. Her brutality across the Narrow Seas shows that she and the dragons were born to fight in the Great War. Trust that she will defeat the Night King without question. Do you truly believe this will do the North any good in the end without her?"
"Yes, she is a mighty and powerful woman. But she threatens everything the North has fought so hard to get back after the Red Wedding. The Targaryens are the past; now the North will build their own future. The North is loyal to their own and no one else. And yes, it will do the North good in the end."
I scoff in what I am hearing from my own sister. She has been many things growing up but the fact that she is in denial about this no more than her denial of Joffrey and Cersei being downright cunts for what he did to Lady and the butcher's boy, Mycah. Sansa needs to wake the fuck up before she sentences us all to death.
"No, it will not, Sansa!! Wake up!! In driving Daenerys away, you spat on the North and Jon, our brother. Jon, our brother who was chosen to be the King of the North!" I hit her on her chest in what she has done to Jon alone and destroying whatever agreement made between him and Daenerys. I could give a shit less that they are sleeping together. If anything, I am happy Jon can be with someone rather than being alone. And of all people, a Queen; they would be powerful together.
"You spat on him the second you all looked at Daenerys like shit. What about your country?! You would let all of us die before giving an ounce of respect to Daenerys! I won't let you kill the North over your damn selfish pride and honor!"
I begin to walk away from her as does Benjen. He knows exactly what needs to be done against the White Walkers since he has been among them more than we can imagine. Sansa does not follow when she responds back to me in anger.
"We do not need her. We will win against the army of the Dead or we will die fighting!"
"Oh, that sounds honorable to you? To die fighting in a battle that truly is an execution? Tell me, Sansa. Have you ever killed someone by your own bare hands?"
"No. Not with my own bare hands."
"I have butchered and killed men. I listened to them dying, standing over them as they draw their last breathes. And the thought of seeing our own people dying is something I do not wish upon them. Dying is nothing glorious or poetic in a sentenced death such as the way our father died. You and I were both there! You speak about fighting to the death but you know nothing about fighting! You will kill all of us because of your fucking stupidity!"
Benjen remains speechless in what I am speaking to Sansa. I walk back to Sansa to be face to face with her. Sansa begins to show fear in my words but she still stands in what she believes. "You are wrong, Arya. We will endure. The North has driven back the White Walkers once before, we can do it again."
"No, the North will not. I have been around them. I would be dead if not for the Children of the Forest using their magic on me. We will all die without Daenerys Targaryen. Without her, every person in the North, the world will die and all of the houses will crumble. Everyone and everything will be gone." Benjen finally speaks to her.
Sansa is about to speak with the same look on her face that her mind has not changed. I stop her tongue in saying, "Sansa, I will walk away and handle all of this if you do not stop this genocide."
"No, Arya, you will not handle it. It is done." Sansa says before walking away.
I grab her hand to force her to look at me. "Sansa, this stops now. Do you hear me? All you are doing will stop now or I will leave and you will never see me again. I would rather walk away alive then see the North fall and die."
"What are you saying, Arya? What will you do?" Sansa has some fear on her face when I say these words.
"You will go and get Daenerys back to Winterfell! Even if you have to fall on your knees and beg her back! I do not give a shit how you get her back here as long as she returns to fight. Or I will find her myself and get her back. You won't like how."
Before Sansa can respond, we hear the sounds of thundering hooves on one of the few remaining levels of the Crypt. All three of us look at the end of dark, chilly crypt. We hear what sounds like two riders exiting out of the crypts. The three of us make our way out of the crypts to see what is going on.
I see that it is the Winter Fox warrior who brought Benjen from the trap and another masked warrior. They dismount off their horses. They go over to the weapons area, grabbing large axes. They go over to the gates, grabbing any barrels to brace the gates as if something is about to attack.
After they brace the gates, they back away and intensely ready their bow and aim their arrows. Many people begin to panic wondering what is going on. One of the masked people shout, "Brace all gates and set archers on it now!! The Dead are coming!"
Benjen is about to grab a weapon until a bag is tossed to him by the Winter Fox. "This bag was on you when I found you. You are going to need it."
He pulls whatever it is out of the bag and it appears to be a sort of war thurible. It almost looks like a liturgical tool used in ceremonies to spread smokes of incense. But this sort of weapon appears to spread fire when I see Benjen light the middle with the nearest flamed torch in the chance to kill White Walkers. He is ready when he takes his battle stance.
Before Sansa can say anything, I shout, "Archers take your positions and all of the women and children who cannot fight, get into the Crypt, bar the doors! Do not let anyone inside! Go now!"
"No! Not the Crypt! It's a death trap!! If the Night King is within a mile of this place, he will bend corpses and bones to his will! Go to the great hall!" The Winter Fox screams.
"Yes, go to the Great Hall! The Crypt is a death trap! Go to the great hall! Now! Get them inside, Sansa!" Benjen shouts in agreement with the Winter Fox.
No one unable to fight does not hesitant in running to the Great Hall as Sansa is speechless in what is happening around her. Several are screaming in terror running. Sansa guides some of the children toward the Great Hall and chooses ten men to guard the doors of the Great Hall if we cannot hold them off at the gates.
Brienne and Podrick draw their swords ready to fight. I am stunned to see the Hound with a Dragonglass hammer in his hands actually fighting what is about to come. He and I stare at each other for a moment until Gendry comes over with his hammer with Dragonglass forged like the Winter Fox showed him.
"You will need this, my lady." He hands me a bow with Dragonglass arrowheads.
I cannot resist in smiling to him when we both get ready for battle. The gates begin to shake with pounding on the door. Some of the brave North men standing with us have their new Dragonglass steel swords, spears and arrows ready to fight. But every single one of them has fear on their faces of what is on the other side of the gate.
The gates keep on getting pounded, wanting to be let in like an avalanche. I hear the snarls of these dead creatures on the other side. Their sounds send chills down my spine but I cannot let my fear get the best of me when fighting them. I need to know what they are like before they come through those gates.
"What are these creatures like, Gendry?"
"They are rotting corpses. They will stop at nothing to take you with them and they can be hard to kill without Dragonglass, fire and Valyrian steel. They are like Death." Gendry tells me.
"I know Death and Death has many faces. I look forward to seeing this one." I aim my first Dragonglass arrow head at the gate, ready to fight like I have always longed to fight as a little girl growing up in Winterfell.
"They are a poor manner of Death! All that matters is to take as many with you as you can. But these are not the white walkers. These are just the pets of the Night King." The Winter Fox says as the pounding on the gates become louder then dead silent.
Every single armed person wonders what is going to happen next. The two masked Foxes aim their arrows on top of the walls of Winterfell. I begin to notice a snowy fog fills up the grounds of Winterfell. It is somewhat like Jon described in the signs of the White Walkers coming.
"Let them come! There is one son of Rickard Stark in Winterfell who still fights!" Benjen is standing a few steps behind the Winter Fox with his weapon in hand. He is ready to fight for Winterfell, his home and family.
Everything goes silent just before the sound of something crawling up the walls of Winterfell and comes over. My mouth drops at the sight of what makes its way onto the grounds of Winterfell as the banging on the gates return with something deadly strong on the other side. My eyes remain on the beastly making their way to the muddy ground.
They appear to be spiders of some kind but not the common small spiders. These spiders are big as hunting hounds or bigger, big enough for someone to ride on even. These are the Ice Spiders spoken of in tales of the White Walkers.
And that is not all when the gate is busteddown. I look up in fear of what appears to be a Giant man with pale blue eyesand a hole in its skull. It appears to be the kind of giants that the Freefolkhad beyond the Wall and fought in the Battle of the Bastards. The Dead are here inside Winterfell.
