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Jon's POV
"Go!! Run!!" The Foxes screams to the survivors.
Not a moment is hesitated when every survivor and rider takes off running through the snowy forest. Every rider staying with the remaining troopers books it as fast as they can. The growling of the white walkers is closing in fast while I tighten my arms around the Winter Fox. I turn back to see Gendry riding with Arya and the Monsoon Fox next to them. The other fox riders stay close, ready to follow the Winter Fox.
I see at least two dozen riders in total able to fight for the survivors as long as they can while they make their way to the hidden tunnels. Podrick, Beric, some numbers of Freefolk and others of the Night's Watch stay go with the survivors to fight off any white walkers they can. The survivors do need someone to fight from them as long as they can while we lead them away. The other half that remain aside from the Foxes are the Night's Watch, Freefolk men, Tormund, Brienne, and the Hound ready and willing to give their last in leading the Dead away and fighting them off.
The Children of the Forest and Meera stay as well. The children of the forest do a back flip up to be on the top back end of the horses. It appears like they are barely any weight to the horse that the horses pay no heed to them. The Monsoon Fox extends his hand to Meera, pulling her up onto his horse.
The Fox Riders start banging their swords and spears against their shields three times in a row of a perfect motion like it is their drums of war. I must admit to have chills as does Arya, Gendry and Uncle Benjen when Tormund and the Foxes all chant the same words, "Onward and upward!"
The Winter Fox turns her horse around ready as everyone else not a Fox solider draws their weapon ready to use against the Dead that will close in on us. The wolves do the same in staying close. Ghost, Nymeria and the wild dog pack are behind us refusing to stay out of the fight even though Arya and I beg for them to leave. They growl in refusing to go. I hope they do not make their wounds worse in what is about to come.
I'm wondering why we have not rode off yet when she circles her horse around a few times as if waiting for the right moment to take off. I notice every Fox rider does not move either. I feel like a massive dam breaks, letting terror fill me up in the white walkers get closer like a massive wave about to crash into us.
Before I knew it, her horse takes off in a full blown gallop in just one stride forward. I feel an almost exact powerful thrust the way Rhaegal thrusts himself into the sky. I am nearly knocked off the horse but thankfully lean forward, wrapping my arms around the Winter Fox. Each rider bolts before the white walkers are within arm's reach of us. All of the Foxes horses running side by side, matching the exact galloping speed through the snow. I look back to see the white walkers are following us instead of the survivors.
Now I understand why the Winter Fox was waiting to take off to ensure they would follow us instead of the survivors. The only horses not able to keep up with the others are the riders of the Night's Watch. But they try to stay in formation that the Foxes are running in. I see the Children of the Forest on the horses but not seating on the saddle like a rider should on a horse. They have their feet placed firmly on the top back end of the horse while their hands are placed on the back side or shoulders of the rider.
A few Children of the Forest have what looks like weapons of their own devices in their hands, ready to use them when the time is right. We are taking the white walkers around and away from the survivors. I just hope that any white walker numbers keep following us. The Foxes begin to fire their arrows to any white walker within firing range.
Arya and I are impressed to see how each of the Foxes moves like a work of art in firing their arrows or throwing their spears. It is almost like they are one mind and body. They keep on firing their arrows without a single miss. The white walker bodies collapse in the snow, leaving a trail of bodies behind.
The Children of the Forest start throwing dark colored balls with a blue light on the surface of them. They toss them right at the White Walkers. I notice that nothing has happened yet until flames erupt from their devices, destroying all of the whites nearest to the explosion. The whites' body parts, snow and chucks of the ground fly above our heads. The Children of the Forest keep on throwing their devices, the dark colored devices glow blue when flying through the air, exploding when hitting the ground. It is engulfing quite a few white walkers causing more to destruction and final death to the dead.
Meera fires her set of arrows. She may not be hitting each white walker but she does get a few good kills in. Some of the horses jerk their heads up neighing in fear of what is happening all around but the riders urge them onward. We all ride uphill when the Winter Fox draws her axes and her eyes are set on the trees all around.
"Start snaking!"
With a flick of her wrists, her axes make a clean cut to any tree she passes. The trees tumble down the hill. Any riders in the tree path moves out of the way just in time. The cut trees roll down the hill, plowing through the white walkers caught in its way. Other trees that just fall to the ground crush any white walkers in its landing impact. There are a few close calls with some of the riders but get out of the way in time.
I draw Long Claw doing the same to any tree we ride past. Anyone else not firing arrows, starts doing the same with their swords and axes to whatever trees they can. The valyrian steel makes a clean cut as valyrian steel should. It cuts like they are nothing but cake being cut. Everyone does not stop cutting through trees. Each cut tree rolls or lands crushing any white walkers receiving their end. We do not stop cutting down the trees until they become too large to cut down.
I realize we would be further away from them but we have to allow them to chase us for a bit longer. I hope that the survivors have made it to the hidden tunnels safely especially the riders protecting the children.
Eventually we are starting to have some distance and time between the white walkers for one maybe two miles. They keep on coming for us especially another legion of white walkers charge at us from the right among the same kind of snow storm when they attacked Hardhome, snarling in the readiness to kill anything breathing.
I see half of the Fox riders that have bows and arrows start firing another volley. The men of the Night's Watch do the same while their black cloaks going in all different directions due to the running speed of the horse and the winds of the snow storm. The arrows do hit some white walkers. Arya points behind us and the white walkers we got a head start on are getting closer.
I don't want to witness the death of the Night's Watch when one white comes at them. Uncle Benjen pulls out his weapon fired up. The chain spins around hitting white walkers, causing their bodies to fall apart like skeletons are suppose to when dead. The chain swings long enough to get one from the far right of him. The white walkers attack from all over that Uncle Benjen's weapon is not swift enough to strike them all out.
Thankfully Nymeria, Ghost and her pack rip to shreds the ones that Uncle Benjen's weapon can't get to. I smile to see the wolves working together. We continue on as far as we can until our eyes catch the sight of Winterfell; however I am not sure if riding back to Winterfell is a good idea. But I will trust all that the Winter Fox has to offer to make us out alive.
Arya is out of arrows and hangs onto Gendry. Bran has a blank expression on his face and all of his eyes are white. He is using his powers for something right now. I wonder what he is doing but I will not question it. The horses are breathing heavy with chucks of snow on their mane, tails and their muzzle hair running through all of the chaos. I don't know how they are able to endure this. Any other horse would have collapsed in exhaustion by now or die from the harsh cold.
I stealth Long Claw and wrap both of my arms onto the Winter Fox when we somehow make it back to the forest edge tree line and the charred battlefield is no longer on fire like it was before the battle in the sky. The Foxes stop their horses to look back and thankfully the white walkers are still catching up to us from a mile away. It does give us a tiny bit of time to figure out a backup plan.
"Winterfell still burns away. There are weapons that can be gathered and use it to some advantage." The Monsoon Fox says while gripping his other arm onto his wound.
The Winter Fox leads everyone onward to the remains of Winterfell. I'm dreading that we have to turn back after the plan to flee to Bear Island crumbled apart. My eyes go to the skies wondering where Rhaegal is. I worry for him in his injuries. I just hope that Rhaegal is safe.
Fox Marcel's POV
I use my right arm to swing the whip to the left and right to smack my horse to go as fast as possible. The white walkers may not be after us but the snow storm is moving from the wolf woods back to Winterfell, almost like it is chasing us. I notice that several of the horses are slowing down in exhaustion but we cannot slow down at the risk of white walkers traveling within the snow storm.
The young boy, Marcellus is hanging on for dear life as much as the other children are to the riders they are with. The children are crying uncontrollable in the freezing cold wind blowing in their faces and having no choice but to leave their parents behind. I give my horse his head so he can have better movement forward through the thick snow.
"Keep moving! Keep moving forward!" I shout to my fellow Riders.
I know we are all exhausted in all of this but we know the risk of the children being killed if we stop or slow down in the slightest bit. The Night King could possibly use the children to become the next set of the Others aside from the good Starks. The horses are panting in running so hard to the point that a mix of snow and sweat is covering their coats, manes, tails and underbellies. We only have to make to the hidden tunnels.
"Look!" Young Marcel screams in pointing to the left of us.
My eyes go to where he is pointing and my stomach turns to the horrible sight of white walkers running right for us within the storm. We have another seven miles to go but we will never make it with these white walkers on our tails. I look back at the fellow forty riders not carrying children. They fire their arrows and spears to keep them off us but it will not be enough in the remaining miles we have.
I can feel my horse getting deeper into the snow, trying to do anything he can to slow down but I have no choice to force him to keep going. Young Marcel is hanging onto a chuck of Ranger's mane when the saddle horn is not good enough for him to grip on. I can feel Ranger trying to hang on, keep going. But I know he cannot keep this up or possibly survive after this.
Suddenly I see my fellow Fox riders draw their weapons ready for what comes next. My fellow Fox and brother, Jacob pounds his fist over his heart three times to me. I know exactly what he and the others were going to do. They are going to fight off the white walkers in the hopes it will get us to safety.
I press my lips together knowing that I will lose my brother if he does this. I cannot lose him. I promised our mother and his wife that I would bring him back safely. Except he shakes his head no to me; he and I knew the dangers of fighting in the Long Night and agreed to die well if it came down to it.
"Die well, my brother!" I scream to him while he raises his sword to the sky to me.
"Let's die well, Foxes!" My brother, Jacob shouts to his men when they begin to turn their horses in the direction where the white walkers are coming from within the snow storm.
My brother leads the Calvary charge without a single sign of fear that he is riding to his death. I take in the image of my brother leading his good men and women to their deaths in order to save the children. I turn away before they ride directly into the snow storm. I want the last image of my brother charging into battle, not being butchered to pieces.
However my ears hear nothing but the sound of horses being butchered, flesh being ripped apart between the dead snarling of their killings for their Night King. I let out a few sobs for my brother giving his life for us to keep going onward and upward. The children cry out in the horror that they can hear their deaths. They let out panicking screams while some of them cover their ears so they cannot hear the killing happening in the dark killing storm.
I kick my horse over and over as it breaks my heart to do this to Ranger. "Come on, Ranger! Keep going!"
I feel like my horse's legs are about to give under losing all of their energy and strength to carry on from Sea Dragon point to now. I know my horse can do a lot in battle but there is only so much running a horse can take especially through a snow storm he has endured for the past few days with no rest.
"Come on, my boy." I tell my horse while rubbing my left hand up and down his neck while he is struggling to run. The young boy, Marcel starts petting my horse in the hopes it will help Ranger to continue.
The boy and I keep doing this until one of my fellow Foxes blows their horn which means we finally made it back to the hidden tunnel entrance. I see one of our fellow riders rode ahead to open the hidden tunnel entrance and ready to close it once we are all inside. When we reach barely a foot away from the entrance, my horse's legs give out, falling into the snow on his side. Several other horses fall down in the snow too.
I groan in pain of my horse landing on my right leg when he does this. Young Marcellus is sent falling into the snow but thankfully unharmed from the fall. Ranger is in terrible pain when I try to get my right leg free from under his weight. Ranger starts whimpering in agony when he is not huffing in exhaustion. I free my leg out from under him while my horse cannot breathe properly while he has white foam coming out of his mouth. I have broken him in the journey here. That was his last ride and I will not let him get butchered by the white walkers. He will be honored like so many other horses in our army.
I see young Marcel walk over but I shout to him, "Get inside now! I'll take care of him! Go now!"
Young Marcel does so and follows the others into the tunnels. I cannot let my horse suffer in this long night. I feel severe heaviness in my heart in slowly pulling out my ax while petting him on his forehead down to his neck. I help to calm him down and rest my head on him for a few moments. I remember the first time I saw him as a young colt.
He caught my attention from the second I spotted him a few days he was in the world. I watched him grow into a fine horse and witness how he could run compared to others. I knew Ranger would carry me through battle and he became my friend for life. Ranger showed me that horses are sacred just like a dragon and direwolf is sacred in the world.
"Your death is not the end but the beginning. Your entrance into the eternal peace where you will never tire, satisfy your thirst and fill your hungry with good things. You can rest now, Ranger." I whisper to him in remembering all of the dangers and adventures we endured together. My brother and my horse will be honored long after all of this is written and stories told around many fires.
I take off his bridle so he does not have a bit in his mouth for his final moments. He licks his lips in no longer feeling the cold hard steel between his teeth and over his tongue. I place the bridle on my right shoulder as I whisper to him that he is going to be alright one more time when I struggle to get the courage to do what I have to do next.
I cry out when I lift the ax then chop right into his neck swiftly, cutting off his head entirely. He doesn't make a noise when it happens. He died calmly and hardly no pain when it happened. I wait a few more moments in seeing his blood flowing into the snow, staining it of his death. I pull the ax away from what remains of his body. I see blood covering the blade of the ax along with a touch of his coat. I grab a large leather bag off my belt and put his whole head into the bag, tying it closed then to my belt.
Then I pull out dagger, putting it to his shoulder where he has a battle scar from a spear going through him years ago. I want to keep this small part of Ranger, carry him with me always. I take the dagger and start to carve into him like when a hunter skins a deer. I get the scarred part of his coat then make a clean cut. I tuck the carved part of his coat into the inside of my shirt. I don't want to lose it.
My fellow fox screams for me to get in the hidden tunnel when we can hear the growling of white walkers heading this way. I manage to get to my feet but there is a terrible pain in my right leg when falling. I limp over to the entrance until my fellow Fox points to something behind us. My mouth drops to see at least seven remaining riders survive when going into the snow storm to stall the white walkers.
My brother, Jacob is one of them. I get to the door knowing we have to let them in but the white walkers are right on them. If we let them all in, the white walkers will get into the tunnels. The dead cannot get into the tunnels.
"Fox Marcel, we have to close the door now!" Fox Aaron screams.
"Wait!" I order to Fox Aaron.
We ready the door to close right when all seven riders quite literally force their horses into the tunnel. A few white walkers make it halfway into the tunnels when we let the door go to seal shut. The upper half of their bodies is still moving around, growling. I use my ax to chop the heads off any white walkers while Fox Aaron and my brother swiftly close the door.
My brother pulls the moon marker in the motion needed to seal the door shut. I hear the gears turning and completely shut it. We can hear the white walkers running above the ground and no one moves to let the white walkers know we are still alive.
All of us remain in complete silence until we hear nothing but the howling winds of the snow storm above ground. When we knew we were in the clear, we move deeper into the tunnels and seal off the second door. I see there is a mix of children, fellow foxes and horses down here in exhaustion and fear of being hunted by the dead. My brother quietly hugs me as relief fills my body that my brother made it out alive. But many of the others did not. My brother's eyes go down to see the bag carrying Ranger's head. He looks down in sadness knowing Ranger meant a great deal to me.
My brother and I sit down with the children knowing while we remain here and quiet, the Winter Fox will come for us when all of this is over or if her entire plan works exactly like it is suppose to, we will be pulled out soon.
Lyanna's POV
Everyone is running back in the direction we came from. I see most of the riders have taken the White walkers away and disappearing into the snow storm. I hope that the white walkers will continue to chase them long enough so we can get back to those tunnels. We are traveling back the direction we came from and it's going quicker in the other direction due to the flatten pathway we made.
I allow the helpless and wounded go first while those who can fight are on the side lines of those traveling if any white walkers are to attack us. I encourage many to keep going and not to stop. If we stop, we'll possibly be killed. I do see many want to give up and die out in the storm rather than letting the White Walkers get to them.
But I and several others get men and women off the snowy ground to keep them going. I have half a mind to let some of them freeze to death given how they are giving up after all they have already survived however I grab any wounded I can to keep running. Some of my own men are doing the same to get them to the hidden tunnels even though some of them are dragging them by force. Davos and I help a wounded man and woman while Sam and Gilly are trying to do the same with some others.
Suddenly the sound of growling gets louder over all of the panicked screaming when I turn to see white walkers charging at us. I pull out my sword ready to go fighting them while the wounded woman hangs onto me for dear life. The white walkers circle around and they start to slaughter anyone they can.
I cut several down with just the swing of my sword but several hundred are still coming. I begin to shake in terror knowing I can try to fight as many as I can but it will not make a difference. No one in all of Westeros, no one across the seas, no one will live through this. Nothing will be left. All of this will end with the Long Night.
"Ahhhhhh!!"
The woman holding onto me unleashes an ear piercing scream when I turn to see the white walkers have her by the ankles. Before I could do anything to help her, she is torn away from me trying to kick them off or hit them. She is unable to fight back when they grab her hands and feet. Her eyes look at me one last time when her head is chopped off by a white Walker different from the others. His cold blue eyes stare right down to my core while he holds the head of the woman by her hair. I scream in seeing her headless body being ripped apart like she is nothing but an apple being peeled of its skin.
I sob in the horrendous death of the poor woman when Davos grabs me as the white walkers run toward me. Davos shields me with his body, ready to accept his death while trying saving me in the process. I close my eyes filled with tears, waiting for death to come but nothing happens. I slowly open my eyes wondering if I am already dead but I am not.
The white walkers stop attacking because of something in the sky above. A blazing strike of light as it incarnates all of the white walkers not even a few steps away from me and Davos. The blazing light is dragon fire killing them all; my mouth gaps open in amazement and in the extremely heat of the flames. The white walkers cannot do anything against an attack from the air.
"What the seven hells is this?!" One of my men shouts in confusion.
There is only one thing it could be. It has to be Jon's dragon, Rhaegal. Davos helps me stand up when we see just enough that the dragon circles back around above the forest, passing over with his mighty flames killing more white walkers. I take in the sight of burning white walkers. I have amazing chills over my body seeing the dragon defending us; a single dragon with no rider saving us.
I smile and yell out in glory to the dragon, "Burn them all, Rhaegal!!!"
The survivors of the north that can see the dragon join in cheering for Rhaegal. I stop cheering and order my men to have everyone move while the dragon blows them away. Beric and Podrick assists in moving the living forward while the vast leathery wings of Rhaegal flap so hard from above that it sends white walkers flying back from pursing us.
Afterwards, Rhaegal hovers above the tree line roaring his mighty song for the living and the dead to hear before he engulfs more white walkers, trees and snow by the force of fire blasts. Rhaegal does not stop until he destroys the white walkers until and we do not have to worry for our lives for the time being. I laugh in joy that this dragon of all things saved us. Rhaegal flies circles above us then uses his mighty power to makes a flamed path way on our left and right sides, leading all the way where the hidden tunnel entrance is.
I realize the flames are a safe guard around us when traveling the rest of the way. I do recall that some of the Maesters believed dragons to be smarter than people. The Mighty Rhaegal has more than proven that to be true by the Maesters who believed it. And now I believe it while smiling in gratitude that this gorgeous beast saved what is left of the people of the north. The powerful Rhaegal roars to us before disappearing into the long night storm.
Davos helps me the rest of the way when a man yells the dragon is going to come back to kill us which has others still afraid of the dragon burning us alive. However I shout for all to hear, "That dragon saved our lives! We have no reason to fear the Mighty Rhaegal!"
Those who are still alive agree with my words. When that is all done, we move ahead to the tunnels. Thankfully we make it the rest of the way there without anymore white walkers coming. We all make it back to the hidden tunnels. I stop at the sight of several headless horse bodies barely two feet away from the entrance. I wonder where the others are if this headless horse bodies are here.
Some of the mothers and fathers of the children panic that their children have been taken by the dead but by the look of the bridles taken off the horses and how the bodies of the horses are lying; their heads must have been taken by their riders. They must take their heads in order to honor them in a strange way.
I walk around the corpse of the horse barely a foot away from the entrance. I see that the snow around the entrance is not as deep as the snow surrounding the woods. They must have made it inside the tunnels safely. I begin to I push away the snow around the doorway of the tunnel. I wonder how I am supposed to open it from out here. Davos and several others come to help uncover the snow around the entrance. But there is no strange marker like we saw underground; how are we suppose to get back in the tunnel without a way back down there?
I keep on searching but stop when I see the vast fields before Winterfell filled with nothing but white walkers. I have never seen anything like this in the previous attacks. There is over eighty thousand or more ready to kill King Jon and everyone else with him. I shake in terror in the hundreds upon thousands of white walkers finally ready to end all life in the heart of the North. And they will take the King in the North and all the houses of the North.
Suddenly the gears of the door start turning and the entrance opens up to reveal some of the masked fox riders that took the children to safety. I sigh in relief to see all of the children made it. The survivors go inside the tunnels. I make sure there are no other stranglers trying to catch up while Davos helps some of the wounded inside.
My eyes do not spot any other survivors in the forest when Davos shouts to me, "Get inside! Quick, Lady Mormont."
I am the last one to enter into the tunnel. Davos and I watch when one of the Foxes brings forth and turns the moon shape seal in the opposite phases of the moon. The gears of the entrance shift in movement and seal it. None of the dead can get in here but that means no one else living can. My eyes go down to the stone floor before Davos tells me to join the others and get warm.
I know that the King in the North and the others with him can fight but they cannot fight all of the dead. The Dead will take the King in the North, turn him into one of them and anyone living from the North with him. All of the North is doomed.
Arya's POV
We head on to realize there are no white walkers inside Winterfell. I'm not sure what to make of it in none of them being around. We ride through the remaining gate and come to an immediate halt. All eyes freeze in the aftermath of Winterfell. I glare at the massive crumbled stone all around, flames consuming everything including the House Stark banner reducing to ash.
This was the home of thousands of Starks dating back well before the beginning of white walkers or the existence of Old Valyria and the Doom. Now it is nothing more than a blasted ruin just like Harrenhall was against Aegon the Conqueror and Balerion.
My memory imprints all of burnt corpses of the long dead and recent living but not a single corpse body of the people of the North when going into the crypt. The Monsoon Fox touches my shoulder like he knows what is running through my head.
Suddenly I see the Winter Fox pointing at something. She points to the ground with boot prints in the muddy ground. I see it is two boots imprinted in the mud in a certain position before all of the death and wreckage. And by the look on Jon's face, he knows it can only mean one thing.
"Where are all of the men, women and children that were killed?" I ask while the others take in the shocking and haunting view before us.
"He turned them into white walkers to make up for the others he lost in this battle. He took them all, every man, woman and child in his army that were left behind. The Night King has them now..." Uncle Benjen says in sadness.
"He did the same at Hardhome and to what happened to that boy's mother. They are white walkers now; recovering losses of his army numbers." The Monsoon Fox softly says while observing the perimeter.
The Winter Fox and Jon dismount. Jon groans in the pain he still feels from his wound. I feel the same when slowly getting off the horse. I need to endure it for now but the feeling in my legs for riding as long as we have make it more troubling to do so. My eyes go to Sansa and Brienne walking around the ruined courtyard, taking in the sight of the ancestral Stark castle. I imagine what Sansa must be thinking now.
She must be thinking none of this would have happened if Daenerys remained in the North. Sansa has no one to blame but herself and some of the other lords in this destruction. The Winter Fox was right. It could've been avoided if the lord, ladies and Sansa did not push Daenerys away from Winterfell.
Then most if not all people of the North would be alive, living their lives or surviving with the others but now they are with the army of the Dead.
I feel a hand gently wrap around mine. My eyes turn to see Gendry right next to me. I would rather look at his face in the strange but good feeling that everything is going to be alright every time I look at him. Gendry always had a way of doing that whenever he looks at me. I rest my head on his shoulder in sadness. I close my eyes wishing none of this had happened.
Gendry and I stay in silence for a few moments more while I remember how lively Winterfell once was. It feels like a lifetime ago when Bran was practicing with a bow, to get better at his aim but I hit the target with such ease. Robb and Jon laughed when I bowed for my amazing shot before Bran began to chase after me while Rickon was giggling in the funniness occurring. I wish I could go back there again instead of being here where northern people were butchered like pigs for slaughter. The only problems I had then was the constant complaining from Sansa and from mother in her hatred for Jon. That is far easier to bear at just the thought of it.
Jon's POV
I see Ed and the remaining men of the Night's Watch horrified in the sight before them. They dismount and kneel in respect for those that died here. I notice a few saying their prayers to the Seven or anything else they believe in. The Winter Fox observes them then dismounts her horse walking over to them.
"Jon, get these men off their knees! Stand up! Stand up now!! Your sorrows and prayers will not do any good right now!" The Winter Fox shouts in anger, pulling some up to their feet.
As much as I want the men to give their sorrows and prayers, we need to focus on the task at hand. I limp over to Ed and his men. "She is right. Collect any weapons that remain. They can be used in the next battle to come. And make it quick. Those walkers chasing us are not far behind."
Ed shakes his head yes to me and the men start going around, gathering any weapons they can. The men of the Night's Watch do it in a timely manner because the white walkers will arrive any moment to get us next. However the Winter Fox and Monsoon Fox check the area but those white walkers chasing us no longer are.
"That can only mean one thing. The Night King called them back for his next move. After collecting the weapons, we need to go down in the crypt and see if the survivors have made it back into the tunnels yet. The Night King will know we are here soon if he doesn't already know by his chosen ones." The Winter Fox points to Arya and Bran when calling them the chosen ones for the Night King.
Benjen pulls the Winter Fox to him, having her by the neck of her armor. "What the fuck is your plan now? We're going in endless circles. It seems like you have no idea what you are doing. You are nothing more than a heartless woman. How do you even lead anyone?"
"Uncle Benjen-" I step forward but stop when I see the reaction of the other Foxes.
Before anymore words are spoken, the Fox Riders have their weapons at the ready of the Winter Fox's command set to Uncle Benjen. The Winter Fox holds her hand up saying, "It is alright. He is harmless to me. Please lower your weapons."
Each one lowers their weapons at just the commanding word of their leader and queen. Uncle Benjen releases her knowing they all have valyrian steel and he will be killed if he did anything further to her. The Winter Fox walks away, standing before a burning pile of bodies. She kneels before a body of a burning woman, looking at her probably imagining what kind of life the young woman could have had.
After a few more moments, she stands to her feet observing all the rest that are dead before picking up any weapons that can be used. The fox riders follow her lead in picking up weapons including weapons on charred bodies.
The Monsoon Fox goes to Uncle Benjen saying, "I want you to take a real look at every fox rider here with her. Go ahead and take a look, Benjen Stark." Uncle Benjen does so while the Monsoon Fox points to all of the black armored riders in what still stands of the courtyard.
"You may see her as a heartless woman. And to a certain point; she is on the battlefield but not to any of us. The Winter Fox is scary, brutal, and cold but she is also smart, just, and caring. You saw the little boy after killing his mother as a white walker. She held him in her arms the same way she did most of us. When we first met her, many of us covered in blood, snow, mud, sand, or soaked from the sea after having to kill someone ourselves or her killing a man or woman intending to harm or kill us as little boys and girls. She fought for us unlike anyone else in our life, no matter our blood or station. We're all a mix of bastards, low born and high born. Hardly any of us are equal in the eyes of the world and still she took us in, teaching us about the world. You name it, she taught it to us. She is not just our leader, she is the closest thing to a mother, a mighty Queen we have. The Winter Fox has and will always be there for anyone on their darkest days. And yet here she stands on the darkest of them all in Westeros."
My mind flashes to every moment the Winter Fox pushed me against the tree, wall, speaking the full truth no matter how much it hurt to hear. Even when she is placed her hand on my shoulder or face, and her hand in mine, comforting me after the battle in the sky with the Night King, allowing me to get some much needed sleep. I realize that every word the Monsoon Fox speaks of is the truth. The Winter Fox is here on the darkest night of Westeros and she has been there for me when I needed someone most.
The Monsoon Fox walks away from Uncle Benjen. He starts collecting weapons. I gaze at the Winter Fox when she goes to her horse, resting her forehead on the forehead of her horse. I walk over to her wanting to know what she is thinking but instead I grab her hand just like she has done for me. She looks down at my hand in hers almost surprised I did this however grips her hand around mine.
"You really are all of the things he said you are." I tell her in amazement, the same kind in knowing that Daenerys freed thousands of slaves across the Narrow sea because she was able to and she did.
"I endured so much unkindness. I did have someone there for me but when I needed it most, he was not able..." She stops speaking like she is remembering her darkest days. "I did not want any of my Foxes to become close to a fraction of what I am. So I went onward and upward to make sure it never happened to any of them. And I helped them to become something that hardly anyone could destroy within the world of Men."
I shake my head yes in understanding her reasoning for what she has done and built. She and I glance at each other for a few more moments then she slowly pulls her hand away from mine. Then she says, "Jon, Arya, Ghost, Nymeria, Monsoon Fox and anyone else wounded, come over to me so I can tend to your wounds."
One of her Foxes toss a large bag and she catches it. She walks over to what remains of the blacksmith station and brings out of the items in the bag. There is a quite bit more in the bag that I expected there to be. She sets everything up like it is her daily work shop.
She sets up some needles, wraps, small to medium well cut wood, vials with small markings on them to know which is which for her. Then she separates small bags of mixed herbs to place on certain wounds. When she is done with those items, she pulls out a carving knife and dagger along with a piece of wood that would be used for the injured to bite down in case of any horrible pain. She gets a water bucket and fills it with whatever clean water she can find to use.
The Winter Fox sits down, telling Arya to come over. Arya does so. The Winter Fox looks at the work of the Monsoon Fox in the temporary cast on Arya's ankle. "Excellent work, Monsoon Fox. When all of this is done, you can teach any new Foxes on how you did this back home."
The Monsoon Fox bows his head to her in gratitude of her praised words. The Winter Fox only does small adjustments then uses new wraps. When she is done with the adjustments, she hands Arya a small vial for her to take. "It is for any pain you may feel."Arya smells the liquid in the vial then drinks it down.
The Winter Fox moves on to care for Ghost and Nymeria. She cleans, puts mixed herbs on the wound, fresh wraps on their wounds. She has some trouble giving Nymeria the same kind of vial like the one she gave to Arya.
Nymeria nearly bite the Winter Fox but the Winter Fox did not phase in any manner when she tired. It's almost like she has cared for much large and dangerous animals than a direwolf. She asks Arya to come over to help Nymeria take the vial. The Winter Fox knows that Nymeria trusts Arya more than her to take whatever is in the vial. Nymeria opens up just enough for Arya to pour the liquid down her mouth.
After that, Arya gently pets Nymeria all over while the Winter Fox moves onto the Monsoon Fox. There is a large, terrible gashed open wound on his arm when she uncovers his temporary wraps. She slowly moves his arm to see what movement he does have left in his arm and the level of pain he has.
"If you had gone on any longer, you would have no further use of your arm. No more use of a bow and arrow. Just a one ax, or sword or spear with your good arm for now." She wraps his arm into a wrap then ties it around the back of his neck to help position his arm to heal properly. She gives him a vial and he downs all of the liquid like he has done so many times before.
Then she motions her hand for me to come over. I sit down before her and take off my layers of shirts to show my wrapped wound. I already begin to feel like I am freezing in wearing no layers of shirts like I normally do. She does not waste time to take off the wraps and see how the wound looks with compared to when I first got it.
The Winter Fox dips a clean rag into the water bucket to taps the rag over and over to clean the wound. She tells me to lift my arms up slowly so she can get a better look at my wound. Before I knew it, she hands me a vial that I need to drink it like everyone else. I see the clear liquid in the vial wondering what it is however I trust the Winter Fox. So I drink all of the liquid and hand the vial back to her. The taste of the liquid almost seems like a fruit of some kind with a hint of bitterness to the end of it, but not terrible tasting like anything I had to take when recovering from past wounds.
Next she grabs a needle and ties a thin white strong at the end of the needle. I already know she is going to stitch up the wound. She sterilizes the tip of the needle in some flames still burning within arm's reach of her. She lets the tip of the needle rest in the flames for a few moments more then pulls it away when it is ready.
"Place your hand on my shoulder and grip as hard as you can if the pain becomes too much, Jon. Tell me when you are ready to stitch your wound." She says to me.
I place my gloved right hand on her shoulder, telling her, "Ready."
I take a deep breath just before she starts to thread the needle to sow the wound closed. I managed to keep my painful noises to myself while gripping her shoulder tighter, gritting my teeth in the pain of her closing my wound shut. She continues to stitch the skin together, inch by inch. I feel myself clutch up as she finishes up.
I feel relief go through my body when she is done. She places some snow over the wound to help clean off any blood that managed to come out when she was stitching me up. I feel the snow melting on my skin to clear the rest of it up before the Winter Fox dries it off with a different clean rag.
She cleans off her gloved hands then hands me my layered shirts. I put my shirts on and watch her pack everything back up in the bag. I know she has done this more times than I can probably count. She double checks everything before tossing the bag back over to one of her fellow Foxes. I exhale in how strange it feels to be stitched up. She has a different way of doing it unlike others in the world. I wish I could have had her tending hands to heal me up from the arrow wounds delivered by Ygritte herself.
"If you are feeling up to it, there are some weapons around the blacksmith stations. Let me know if you find anything worth using." The Winter Fox says to me before she goes over to her fellow foxes to discuss what the next move can be.
I take a few steps forward and immediately notice does not hurt to walk like before. I don't know what that vial of liquid is but I like it. I am able to move, bend, and kneel like I do not have an injury. This feels honestly quite amazing. I give a small smile while picking up any weapons around the stations.
Brienne, Sansa, Uncle Benjen and the Winter Fox go around with a torch to burn any remaining corpses if the Night King were to try to bring more numbers to his army. I realize that Benjen and the Winter Fox burn each body like they have done this so many times that they're almost numb to all of this death surrounding us. I'm beginning to know the exact numb feeling to death all around me.
Out of nowhere, the air echoes with snarling sounds of the white walkers and the air fills with the stench of rotting flesh that makes my stomach turn that they are close. The freezing cold becomes far worse as Ghost, Nymeria and the pack start barking just like the dogs at Hardhome did. The dreadful snow storm is coming this way with a vengeance. The White Walkers have returned to Winterfell. The Winter Fox looks at me knowing why they are here.
"They come for you three and he will not stop until he gets what he wants." She says in dread while pointing to Arya, Bran the Three Eyed Raven and me. I shake my head no because the Night King has taken far too much from the living. He will not have us.
Suddenly the growling stops and changes to marching sounds of a massive army approaching Winterfell. I run over to the crumbled entrance then freeze at the sight of the white walkers rallying behind the Others and the Night King himself. He is at the very front, wanting to come for us himself rather than sending his dead pawns to do the work for him.
I put all of my focus on the Night King holding up an ice spear in the air for every dead corpse and giant to halt a few steps behind him. He is a few miles away from us but he is staring directly at me. I stare right back at him just like we have in the past few encounters we had. He is coming for us. But I will kill him and if I end up dying, I will do everything I can to take him with me.
Everyone here in Winterfell stands at the crumbled entrance to see what we are up against but the look in their eyes are filled with fear and horror that Death has come for us. The thousands upon thousands of dead men, women, children, including the ice spiders that truly are big as hounds, dead horses, bears, stags, birds of all kinds and other animals ready at his command.
This is his final assault on the North; he is here at the front of the line to kill all. When the Night King is finished, he will head to the east, west and south to destroy the world of Men. The Night King is here to show the world that he is real and always has been real.
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