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Arya's POV
I scream as I release my arrow, "Fire!!!"
The front lines of white walkers are hit by a volley of arrows. The arrows shot down many however the others not shot down keep on moving to Winterfell. I see out of the corner of my eye, the Winter Fox looks behind her in the courtyard with more archers ready to fire. The Winter Fox lowers her weapon to signal the courtyard archers to release their arrows.
The courtyard archers release their arrows and the arrows go right over our heads into the lines of the white walkers. Every archer does not stop using one arrow after another. I see a few light their arrowheads when they run out of dragon glass arrow heads. The flamed arrows strike down more but it appears to not be enough when the white walkers approach the walls of Winterfell.
We begin to grab stones that were collected and throw them over the wall. The stones hit several to fall off the pile and some spears pierce through a few at a time. The stones won't kill them but it will delay them while other archers shoot them down. I see white walkers fall on top of each, trying to make a massive pile tall enough for them to climb over the wall. I shout for others to get their other weapons.
Nymeria curls her lips back snarling with her sharp teeth and when a white walker comes over the wall, she swallows an entire head in her mouth then rips it clean off. Nymeria goes for another, pulling it down from the wall and violently shakes the corpse until it is in pieces. I smile a little in fighting alongside Nymeria.
I watch as more White Walkers reach the walls and begin to climb on top of each other. They move up the wall, making progress. I scream for others to keep shooting and if they can't keep shooting, use other weapons within reach.
I use my last arrow while others use flamed arrows into the crowd of white walkers. I draw my sword, Snow swiftly; piercing right into the eye of the first white attempting to reach me. The white gives an unsettling screeching then falls to my feet finally dead.
I keep on fighting as does Nymeria; whites climb onto the wall while I take off the head of the nearest one. Then I witness one of the walkers stabbing one of the archers right in the throat with blood gushing out like a waterfall.
I stab my sword right into the gut of the white walker that just killed the archer. The body falls while the archer gives a last smile before his death knowing I got the dead bastard who killed him. I dodge a walker that tries to get me from behind but I twirl my sword through that one like it was cake. I cut down corpse after corpse. Nymeria fights off a series of walkers in a quick succession. We fight off multiple.
Sadly I see more white walkers over the wall into the courtyard. Gendry, The Hound, Beric, Breanne, Podrick, Freefolk and the remaining men of the Night's Watch release their arrows upon the white walkers who land in the yard.
The Winter Fox and Monsoon Fox see as much as I do that we need to fall back to the yard. I begin to shout, "Fall back to the yard!"
To anyone who can hear my shouting on the wall does not hesitate to do so while the others fight off white walkers. The Foxes help anyone they can to get into the yard then a white walker runs at me. I do not wait and jump from the walls.
I land on the snowy roof behind me. My muscles feel the impact from the landing as some of the walkers try to follow me but fall off the snowy roof. I see a hanging rope that the Foxes set up before the battle. I reach for the rope then slide down.
I stick the landing when the walkers start to climb down the rope. I smile as the Foxes scream to me, "Light them up!!"
I see a flamed torch not far from me. I immediately grab it then light the rope. The rope lights up instantly from the bottom, all the way to the top. The flames catch them, causing their bodies to become motionless when they hit the ground. My eyes look around to see other walkers trying to use the ropes to climb down if they were not falling into the courtyard.
Others in the yard begin to light every rope when white walkers cover the ropes to use them. All of the whites on the ropes give ear ringing screeches of death of the fire killing them off. Their scorched bodies drop onto the snow muddy ground as the flamed ropes light up the courtyard more. All of the fire around help to attack the white walkers easier as the Foxes said. The walkers go for almost any kind of heat that may be someone alive.
I give a small smile in how it worked as well as the trip wires on the stairs the Foxes set up. The white walkers are cut by the legs, dropping to the ground with The Hound, Gendry, Beric and Podrick killing any whites that fall close to them.
Any remaining archers continue shooting white walkers off the wall. Nymeria leaps off the wall onto a white walker that was coming up behind me. Nymeria snarls after biting off the head and the rotten head falls to the ground with its once ice blue eye now into dead brown eyes.
Her wild pack rips any walkers apart however it appears one of the wild dogs was killed with its body in the distance. I use the torch in my hand to light the body of the wild dog on fire so it cannot be used in the army of the dead if the Night King decides to use whatever power he has to bring anyone back at White Walkers.
Suddenly a mighty roar fills the skies above Winterfell and I know it is Jon on the back of the dragon. I smile again with the fact that the power of the dragon will give us an edge against the army of the dead outside the wall.
Jon's POV
Rhaegal flies over Winterfell. I look down to see Benjen and a few men guarding Bran and Sansa by the Godswood tree. I see the walls crawling with white walkers and circling around that there would be no escape for the living. Rhaegal follows my guide in flying overhead when I see just enough through the snow storm that the white walkers are at the forest line by the edge of the trees on skelton horse back. They appear to be waiting for something however I will not give them the chance to do so.
I guide Rhaegal toward them in feeling a strong urge inside me. I have never felt this kind of urge in my life as my hands tighten my grip of Rhaegal's spikes. Rhaegal roars in feeling the strong urge through me and he is ready to burn these fuckers alive. I exhale in flying him back to Winterfell ready to say the word Daenerys wrote in the letter.
Rhaegal moves his head back as I scream with all of my might, "Dracarys!!!!!!"
Rhaegal moves his head forward, unleashing a jet of flames. Rhaegal spreads his mighty fire all over the white walkers surrounding Winterfell. Rhaegal rides full circle around the castle, burn the fuckers to a crisp. The bodies of the white walkers send black smoke through the snow storm skies. Rhaegal unleashes more and more of his powerful flames. The flames spread all across the grounds outside of Winterfell that it appears like the flames are roaring itself.
The Long Night is no longer the night with the flames holding back the darkness and the cold with its brightness and warmth. I cannot help but give a small smile in the jet of fire from Rhaegal incinerating any white walkers who dare come across the flames. I take in the destruction happeing all around of the charred black ground next to the remains of snow not melted away. I begin to see the white walkers almost running from Winterfell. There has to be a reason they are but I won't let them.
Suddenly I hear several shouting from Winterfell, "Burn the fucking white walkers away!!! Burn them away!!! Burn!!!"
The grounds are burning that the white walkers are burning away or running while on fire. I want to get as many as I can so I guide Rhaegal to the ground. His enormous wings flap, bringing him closer to the ground that Rhaegal landed on several white walkers, crushing them under his massive feet. Rhaegal goes forward, stomping along the ground burning anything in his path. Rhaegal's tail swerving to the left and right, clashing the white walkers bodies to pieces all across the fields.
My eyes take it all in as Rhaegal continuous burns many away within one breathe. I sit up as smoke blows past my face with my cloak moving around from the wind. I peer down from atop Rhaegal, searching for him on the ground then to the skies but I do not see that horned ice bastard anywhere. I want all of this to end now so if he will not show himself, I will call him out.
"Where are you?! Come out and face me!!!! Let's finish this!! Come out, Night King!!!! Where are you?! Come out!!! Show yourself!!!" I scream in anger wanting to burn away the Night King.
Rhaegal sprays more of his flames walking closer to the forest line where the mounted walkers on skeleton horses are still waiting. The mighty flames blaze all around causing the forest line to catch fire. I bare witness to the fire growing brighter and stronger through the trees. My eyes do not look away from the flames moving around as if it is alive, hungry to burn anything within reach.
I smile for some odd reason. After all this time, I cannot help but remember something Mance Rayder the King Beyond the Wall once said to the Freefolk.
"Send your eagle above the wall every night; when it's time I'm going to light the biggest fire the North has ever seen."
I pat Rhaegal on the right a few times and he turns his whole body to the right where the forest remains untouched. I know Mance would be bold in this fight against the white walkers. If he was on Dragon back, he would unleash everything he had. I will do the exact same as I open my mouth shouting, "Dracarys!!!!"
Rhaegal opens his mouth with shimmering orange light glowing just before the great jets of flames consume the woods. Any white walkers in the forest before us try to run or they burn away as if they never were. I hear endless cheers from Winterfell the more white walkers burn away. I cannot help but notice I am still smiling in the sight before me. All of this burning away before me, and all I endured, I can still smile like a young boy who hit the target for the first time.
Suddenly my smile disappears when I hear the sound of wings flapping high above. I lift my head when Dead Viserion descends through the blooming snow storm. The Night King's blue eyes gleam in the darkness and locks eyes with me. Then the Night King glides Viserion higher. I draw Long Claw, ready to take this war to the skies. I lean forward to maintain my seat as Rhaegal brings us back into the skies and follows after the Night King.
Arya's POV
I watch Jon fly on the back of the dragon into the snow storm, leaving Winterfell without its main powerful defense. Lyanna Mormont comes to the top of the wall as the fields and woods engulfed in flames reflect on her armor.
"What is he doing?" Lyanna Mormont questions.
"He is going to get himself killed is what he is doing." The Winter Fox says approaching us with the Monsoon Fox right behind her.
"He can take him on. Rhaegal is larger compared to the Dead Dragon." I tell the Fox.
"You are not wrong, Arya. However you know it takes more than size to finish an adversary off. And for the Night King, this fight will be child's play. Jon has only ridden the dragon four times, just learned how to guide Rhaegal. But if you think Jon has control of that dragon, you are wrong. A controlled dragon is a fool's paradise. The big question is this: can Jon stay on Rhaegal's back the whole time or stop Rhaegal if he has to or will he get thrown off if the dragon, Rhaegal decides he no longer wants a rider?"
For some odd reason, the words of the Winter Fox take me to a particularly part of the Dance of the Dragons telling in the Targaryen War for the Iron Throne between Rhaenyra Targaryen and her half brother, Aegon. It was said that Queen Rhaenyra watched as peasants attacked the dragon pit. She was too afraid to defend the dragons. Her older son, Jeffrey attempted to ride his mother's dragon. But the dragon didn't understand as he tried to fly to the dragon pit. The dragon twisted beneath, fighting to be free of the little boy until the dragon was. The little boy fell to his death believing he could control the dragon even though it was his mother's dragon.
And that was just a little boy trying to control a dragon. What if Jon cannot control the dragon against the fight of the Night King? Jon is going into a fight he cannot win right now. My eyes look up to the skies to possibly see them but I do not see them. All I see is the snow storm, I groan in frustration of feeling helpless that I cannot help Jon from there.
But I can do what I can here on the ground. I can see the white walkers that weren't burnt away begin to climb over the walls again. As for the rest, a large portion charge out of the forest line to Winterfell. This time it looks to be another ten thousand. The Night King is not sending his entire army. I wonder why he isn't. He could easily take Winterfell. What is the Night King's endgame?
Whatever the plans the Night King has, it doesn't matter. Without Jon and the dragon to burn them away here, we cannot win this. Lyanna Mormont and I look back at the only few hundreds of the north people left to fight. All we really can do is give these fuckers a fight like Jon said to me. Lyanna grabs her Dragonglass daggers ready to fight right beside me. I tighten my hand around my sword, Snow ready to give everything I have to my final breath.
Lyanna and I bring down the first set of whites on the wall. The whites that climb over go into the courtyard, falling to the ground. I look back wondering what just happened as they remain motionless. Then they rise up and charge like the fall never happened. The Freefolk and Night's Watch push the white walkers back easily compared to other men of the North. I see the difference in them fighting.
The Night's Watch and Freefolk men fight like they have fought them before as they should be. The men of the north fight still fight in terror as some of them are being butchered like pigs. The Hound, Gendry and Beric fight like the white walkers are nothing but animals which explains their cruel fighting styles. Brienne and Podrick fight like the white walkers are men in any other kind of army men from another House in Westeros. They will get them hurt or killed if they don't fight them like the beasts the walkers are.
I cut a white in half when I hear Lyanna scream. My eyes go to Lyanna being forced to the ground while the white screams in her face. Lyanna struggles to hold it back but manages to stab the white in the head. The body of the white walker falls on top of her motionless. I push the dead white off of her and help Lyanna to her feet. Lyanna has white walker guts covering a part of her face.
Lyanna and I take a look around to see the massacre before us. The bodies are piling up as if they were a pile of wood for a bonfire. The dying screams fill the courtyard while the flames begin to consume whatever it can that is not stone. I take in people of the north dying, horses running loose to flee for their lives and Winterfell burning. My stomach is turning in the absolute brutality of this ancient castle.
My attention is brought back to focus from the chaos happening all around as a white walker charges at us. I push Lyanna behind me ready when suddenly an ax is imbedded into the skull of the walker, killing it. The body drops as the Winter Fox comes running up, grabbing the ax out of the walker's skull. She twirls the ax in her gloved hand and comes over to us. "Are you both ok?"
I shake my head yes however Lyanna has a blank experience on her face as she takes in the butchering sight all around her. Many men including men from her house die screaming and there is nothing that can save them from this. Her eyes look around as more white walkers keep coming and they are going to keep coming. However we have to keep fighting against them.
The Winter Fox grabs me by my shoulders shouting, "Arya and Lyanna, both of you must lead the men, women and children who cannot fight out of here and to the Wolf-woods! Make haste! There is a hidden-"
"I can fight!" I shout to the Fox, pulling out of their grip; however the Winter Fox grabs me again that we are face to face.
"No!!! You and Lyanna are the last future for the North if King Stark does not live. And no, Sansa does not count as the future of the north. The both of you need to take as many as you can and get away from Winterfell."
Lyanna scoffs in the words of the Fox. "They will catch us no matter what!"
"We'll buy you some time to get away!" The Monsoon Fox says in confidence that they can easily hold them off. There is no way these two can hold off that many white walkers alone. However I have a feeling they have something more in mind than to fight them off alone. My eyes go to the three dozen barrels filled with possibly oil, unknown liquid or powder of a sort at the barricaded gate.
"Is your trick for the gate a way to stall them?" I ask them.
They both shake their heads yes. "It is one of the ways to stall them. Now go. Take enough people without them noticing! There is a way through the crypt! I marked the way out!. The marks are not hard to miss! When you reach the end of the marks, you will be out by the Wolfswood. Once you reach the woods, go to Bear Island! The dead cannot swim! Go! Save who you can save!"
Lyanna Mormont takes those words in instead of speaking her mind like she usually does. Lyanna looks down to the courtyard screaming with all of her might. "Fall back!! Fall back to the crypt!! Any men left of House Mormont; go get the men, women and children from the great hall now!"
She grabs a torch and begins to lead whoever that remains in the courtyard. They follow her down to the crypt as the men of the Night's Watch and Freefolk fight off any white walkers that attempt to go inside the crypt. I see the unable people of the north that were inside the great hall come running and go inside the crypt. Lyanna stares at me however I tell her to go without me.
The Winter Fox steps onto the edge of the wall as if she is about to jump to her death. I attempt to pull her down however the Winter Fox does not get down. The Monsoon Fox rips me away from the Winter Fox. I try to fight out of the grip of the Monsoon Fox however nothing works right when the Winter Fox takes one step off the wall, falling.
"Release the oil!" The Monsoon Fox orders.
The men dip over the large barrels of oil on the outside of the walls of Winterfell. As that happens, the Winter Fox somehow lands safely on their feet like landing on a feathered pillow. The Winter Fox stands up then starts to walk forward, away from the castle. She walks toward the massive army approaching with none of her weapons in hand yet.
The Monsoon Fox releases me and grabs an arrow and bow. He dips the head of the arrow into a bucket of oil then uses the nearest torch to light the arrow. He draws the arrow back on the bow. He releases the arrow. The flamed arrow goes right into the river of oil. The flamed arrow sets the oil to catch fire. The flames set the walls ablaze so when the White Walkers get past the Winter Fox and attempt to climb the walls, they will burn.
My eyes go to the Winter Fox walking calmly through the charred battlefield. The White Walkers pick up speed, prepared to rip her to shreds. The Winter Fox draws out the dragon glass steel sword just before they collide. I feel like I cannot take my eyes away as the Winter Fox sprints through the dead. The sword kills white walker after white walker.
She uses her right hand to grab her axe. The blade of the axe chopping of their heads as the swarm of White Walkers tries to overtake the Winter Fox. But by some miracle, they cannot. She swiftly dodges swords and spears before tossing a white walker behind her. The Winter Fox flies through this division of the army of the dead like they were nothing but apples to be cut through.
She grabs the body of a white walker, using it as a shield. She mows down more with the corpse shield before letting the corpse body drop. She uses her sword to take down several more with one fluid movement like her battle movements is a dance. The Winter Fox takes down dozen more white walkers with her sword and axe.
Some white walkers manage to disarm her however she grabs something from her belt. Whatever the item was, it turns into a long spear. She uses the long spear to fend off a horde of dead men and women around her. I hear her battle cry as she impales a white walker child through the stomach then spins the spear around to slash through many more.
I am in awe of how one woman, this masked warrior is holding them off like she has done it a thousand times. She does not stop nor slow down or holds back against them. She is doing exactly as Jon said to me; give those fuckers a fight. She strides further into the army and gains back her sword and axe in hand. The longer she fights the more bodies litter the charred battlefield however quite a few white walkers get past her, reaching for the flamed walls of Winterfell.
The Monsoon Fox tells me, "Arya Stark, go help Lyanna Mormont get the helpless men and women out of here." I grab another set of arrows and a bow, ready to release these arrows through their skulls. "Arya Stark, did you not hear my order?"
"I did indeed." I tell him as I prepare my first arrow.
"Good then you will go. Now!" He shouts as an order to me but I will not leave.
"Lyanna Mormont can take care of them and no disrespect intended but shove it up your ass!"
I aim the arrow over the wall, releasing the arrow. The arrow goes directly between the eyes of the first white walker attempting to climb the flamed walls. The brightness of the flames helps with my eyesight as I continue to fire more arrows at them until I have no more.
The Monsoon Fox uses all of their arrows then jumps down from the wall into the courtyard. I back away when the White walkers uses the same method to get over the flames by piling on top of each other. Several white walkers begin to make their way into Winterfell that I have no choice but to leave the wall. I do as I did earlier and jump onto one of the rooftops, sliding down until I go over. I land hard on my feet that I feel my right ankle release an awful cracking noise from the landing impact.
"Ahhhhhh!!!" I release in the agonizing pain in my ankle that the pain goes all the way up my leg. I try to stand but cannot.
The Monsoon Fox is fighting off five white walkers and several white walkers runs toward me. The Monsoon Fox screams, "Arya!!!"
I grab my dagger as they reach out to grab me. I manage to stab one of them in the chest but another grabs me by my bad ankle. I scream in the terrible pain but I use my left leg to kick the white walker in neck until its throat was gone. The head dropped to the muddy ground. The others start to climb all over me when suddenly Gendry bashes a white in the face. Nymeria jumps onto two white walkers, using her sharp teeth to rip them to shreds.
I watch Gendry and Nymeria kill to save me. Gendry knocked a big white walker down. I could not help but notice how strong he was. He lifted the hammer up, standing over the white walker. The white walker gives a chilling screech before Gendry brought down the hammer. The hammer caved into its head. Nymeria goes for the other white walkers that try to reach me but stops them before they could.
I feel the mud covering the front side of my body. I grab a hold of my ankle feeling it give away. I know I cannot stand properly however I will not be killed all because of my ankle. I yell out in agony in getting to my feet and stand on my left leg. Gendry runs over to me in worry.
"Are you alright? Can you walk or run?"
I shake my head no because lying is pointless right now. I normally would tell anyone to fuck off however I cannot afford to waste time as more white walkers crawl over the flamed walls. The Monsoon Fox drops their bow and arrows and grabs one of the axes holstered on his back side as Gendry grabs my arm, putting it over his shoulders.
"Alright. Keep a hold of me and do not let go unless I say so." Gendry tells me and I shake my head yes.
"I'll follow behind you and when we get inside, I'll tend to your ankle. Now let's go." The Monsoon Fox speaks to us concerned rather than an order. Gendry keeps his right arm around me as his large hammer remains in his left hand. He helps me walk as we make our way through the courtyard. The White walkers growling as they begin to chase us; we make our way inside Winterfell.
The Monsoon Fox and Nymeria remain at our backs. We get to a corner before we go into a bed chamber. The four of us go silent once we lock the door. We remain silent as the white walkers charge past the bedroom chamber door. I exhale in some relief as they quietly put me on the bed. The Monsoon Fox goes around the room looking for whatever items he can use to tend to my ankle.
Gendry gently takes off my boot and lifts up the pants leg to show my injured ankle. I place my hand over my mouth so my pain is not heard by the white walkers. The Monsoon Fox sits down on the bed edge. Gendry keeps my hand in his when the Monsoon Fox appears to know how to care for my ankle.
"Your ankle is dislocated. I'll have to put it back in place and make a splint. This will hurt so put this in your mouth." The Monsoon Fox whispers to me and places a cloth on my stomach.
The Monsoon Fox is ready to put my ankle back in place. I stuff the cloth in my mouth, ready for what comes next. Gendry does not let go of my hand when the Monsoon Fox applies whatever pressure needed to put my ankle back in its normal position.
I let out a muffled scream when this happen. The sharp pain in my leg still remains however it goes down some once the Monsoon Fox puts two pieces of wood alongside of my ankle, and then uses a good portion of ripped cloth from a sheet. The Monsoon Fox ties it down just enough that it will stay in place for awhile.
I take out the cloth out of my mouth already feeling a difference in pain. However the Monsoon Fox whispers to me, "You won't be able to run or walk very well for a while. I would suggest you to stay here but I know you are too much of a stubborn ass to do that. So do not let go of Gendry."
I nod to the Monsoon Fox and whisper back, "Thank you."
The Monsoon Fox nods their head to me then grabs their ax, leaning their head against the door to listen for any white walkers close by. My eyes go to Gendry and Nymeria. I never would have imagined this would happen but it is. I smile a little knowing I have the only few in my life I trust with my life here in this room. Gendry helps me up as I press my lips together to keep my painfully groans to myself.
The Monsoon Fox softly tells us, "The white walkers work like a hive mind, being able to see through each other, sensing body heat or when one of their own dies. If we remain silent and move to the crypts, we might have a chance to make it through."
"The crypt?" Gendry questions in wonder why the Monsoon Fox would go there.
"The Crypt is silent and there is a way out from there."
"That's not possible." I tell the Monsoon Fox. I spent plenty of time playing in the crypts as a child and there is no way out through the crypt.
"It is possible. The only thing we have to worry about is the Night King using his power to call forth those resting in the crypt into the army of the dead." The Monsoon Fox whispers back to me.
Gendry is about to grab his war hammer but the Monsoon Fox grabs the hammer. He tells Gendry to worry about me. He will take care of the white walkers from the front. Gendry does not question him and is ready to carry me. I put my arm around him right before he picks me up in his left arm under my knees, the right around my middle back. We nod to the Monsoon Fox that we are ready for whatever mad plan this Fox ha. Nymeria stays behind us when we quietly leave the bedchamber.
The wind is whistling outside the castle. We reach a corner then glance past the corner, there is no movement or no sight of anything. However we look back the way we came when hearing a thudding sound. We all lean back against the wall. I can feel some blood on my forehead from a wound I must have gotten during the fight on the wall. I wipe the blood away so it does not get into my eye or on the ground for the white walkers to possibly hear.
We freeze when we see a shadowy figure at a nearby book shelf. The white nudges a book off the shelf to the floor. I close my eyes trying to remain as silent as I can with my breathing. We stay here until my eyes open to the white moving to the far side of the room. The Monsoon Fox makes a hand gesture for us to move forward.
We move along the end of the other book aisles, remain hidden until we stop when we hear a white walker steps close to the book shelf right behind us. The white walker begins to get closer. I watch the Monsoon Fox scanning the books on the shelf. The Monsoon Fox shakes their head in disappointment of the choice of books on the shelf. I knew exactly what the Fox was about to do and before I could react, the Monsoon Fox throws two books all the way to the other end of the room.
The white walker croaks and runs to where the noise of the books land. We hurry across the open space of the room and creep around the back wall. When we turn the corner, the Monsoon Fox stabs a white walker right in the throat with a Dragonglass blade so it cannot make a sound. The dark blood pours onto the shoulder armor of the Monsoon Fox as the walker slumps forward. The Monsoon Fox lowers the corpse to the floor without making a sound.
I can tell that the Monsoon Fox has done this more than a dozen times. We move out into the corridor, and then gently go through the open door. Gendry goes sideways so none of us can touch the door to make a noise. We manage to get through however Nymeria cannot fit through unless we open the door more. The Monsoon Fox looks down the hallway we are in and uses another hand movement telling us to go now.
Gendry and I know exactly what the Monsoon Fox is going to do. Gendry begins running right when the Monsoon Fox opens the door the rest of the way. Nymeria goes through and any white walkers close by begin running in our direction. Gendry starts running down the hallways that are dimly lite as I look past his shoulders to see white walkers bursting through a door.
Nymeria and Monsoon Fox follow behind us. Gendry continues running then goes right into a pit black hallway. The Monsoon Fox and Nymeria come into the pit black hallway. We all go silent before the white walkers reach the hallway. They look around but go down a different corridor. We stay here long enough until the only sound we can hear is the wind howling and distant screams outside the castle.
We are not far from where we need to be to get to the Crypt once we get outside. The Monsoon Fox steps forward to make sure it is clear to move. All four of us silently move onward. I cannot help but notice how it looks outside compared to earlier. Gendry whispers something but I did not catch what he said.
"What did you say?" I softly ask him.
"That red witch was right. The night is dark and full of terrors." Gendry softly responds back to me.
I push my lips together in his words about the red witch. Gendry gazes at me like it will be the last time we ever see each other. I cannot help in feeling the same way he is feeling. He leans forward, pressing his forehead against mine. I can feel the blood on my forehead press against his. I feel my breathing become calmer in feeling him this close to me. Gendry and I remain like this for a minute; in the unknown if we would make it out alive.
A simple minute of quiet in hearing our breathing is the calmest and quiet I have had for the first time in a long time. Gendry slowly pulls his forehead away from me after the minute is up. The Monsoon Fox uses hand movement again for us to move forward. We follow as does Nymeria.
We make it outside among all of the chaos happening. The Monsoon Fox slays down any walker in front of us while Nymeria handles the ones from behind. We are close to the crypt entrance however there is a thunderous noise above Winterfell. Gendry and I look up to see the corridor above cracking away as blue flames breaks through.
"Move!!!" The Monsoon Fox screams when he pushes Gendry back as the corridor comes crushing down.
Gendry falls backward and I fall out of his arms. Thankfully, I fall on my left side which does not hurt my right ankle anymore than it already is. Gendry forces himself to his hands and knees when I hear the Monsoon Fox calling our names behind the rumble.
"We're alive! We'll get to the crypt!" I shout back as I strain myself to stand up on my one good leg.
I freeze when I see the war hammer was right behind Gendry. The Monsoon Fox must have used it in some way to push us out of the way. Gendry stands up, gripping his right hand around the long handle of the war hammer. We have to figure out a way to get to the crypt.
"The Three Eyed Raven, Dead man and Lady of Winterfell have not come to the crypt!" The Monsoon Fox responds to me.
I look back to see Gendry, Nymeria and I are not far from the Godswood tree. Gendry knows what I am thinking and knows he cannot talk me out of it. I feel Nymeria nudge me on my hand. My eyes look back to see that she lowers her body to the ground. I smile knowing that she wants me to get on her back due to my injury. I do not hesitate to do so. Nymeria stands back on all fours when I grip my hands on her thick wild fur. Her wild dog pack come running over to us ready to follow Nymeria wherever she goes.
"Go, Monsoon Fox! We will be there as fast as we can!" I shout to the Fox.
We all set off to the Godswood tree. I will not leave without Sansa, Bran, Benjen and Jon. I know that they are in the Godswood tree area if the white walkers did not get to them first. We are all lucky that there are no white walkers attacking us in the direction of the Godswood tree. Nymeria goes easy walking fast with me on her back. I only hug my upper legs on her side as if I am riding a horse. Nymeria's pack is a few paces behind.
We are about to reach the Godswood tree when a horde of white walkers charge at us. I draw out my sword, Snow when the pack tears thrown whatever white walker that tries to get to Nymeria and Gendry. I admire how loyal her pack is to her.
I cannot help but wish that Sansa was like that with Jon's decision of Daenerys. If she had stood together like a pack should then all of this happening around us never would have taken place with Daenerys and her forces here to defend Winterfell.
Once the pack strikes down the last one of the horde, we move on. I am breathing heavy and notice something odd. I am not sure how I am sweating in this terrible cold winter but I am as my forehead feels wet with some blood staining my skin.
We keep on going until freezing at the doorway of the Godswood tree. I panic at the sight of the doors being batted down. My stomach turns in the thought that my brother, sister and uncle are dead. Nymeria carries me over the shattered doors and approaches to the Godswood tree. Gendry and the pack manage to climb over the busted gates with a look of fear on their faces when they see what I see at the trunk of the tree.
I freeze in terror to see Bran's chair knocked over on its side with blood stains covering bits of the snow. The men helping to guard them are dead with a pool of their own blood around them. I get off of Nymeria's back approaching the wheelchair and see it is missing one of the two wheels. My eyes scan the entire area for their tracks but I do not see any with all of the snow covering the ground. There is no sign of them.
"BRAN!!! SANSA!!! BENJEN!!!" I unleash in horror that they are dead. Maybe even a part of the army of the dead.
Gendry and I circle around, scanning the entire area for them but there is no sight of them. All I see are some headless whites close by the tree. I feel myself spinning out of control that my breathing becomes terrible to even take in at all with all of the smoke around Winterfell. We stop when one of those solider white walkers with an ice spear is walking toward us with another horde of white walkers at its back. Nymeria and the wild pack start growling at the ready to kill more.
Nymeria gives a loud bark and the pack goes in to attack, just as they did with Dead Summer. The wild pack goes for the horde of white walkers. Nymeria, Gendry and I ready to face against this other kind of white walker. Nymeria snarls her sharp teeth at the dead creature with her hair standing up as the ice cold blue eyes glare at us like we are nothing.
Gendry takes the first swing but the ice sword of the white walker blocks the attack. Gendry swiftly turns and delivers a stunning blow to the chest of the white walker. The white walker is sent a few steps back with a large crack in their armor. Gendry smiles a little knowing he got a good hit in. The other walker looks down at the armor almost surprised that it could even happen.
The other white throws his ice spear right at Gendry. Gendry ducks down and the ice spear pierces into the Godswood tree. Gendry goes in for another attack with the white walker as I go over to the ice spear to grab it. However when my hand barely touches it, the ice spear shatters as if it never was. I stare down at the remaining pieces at my feet wondering how the Winter Fox could use the ice spear without it shattering from the battle against the ice spiders. If a living person cannot use their weapons, maybe only the dead can.
My attention is brought back when Gendry is elbowed in the face after being disarmed of his war hammer. Gendry falls to the ground unconscious and I use all of my rage to scream at the white walker before it delivers the killing blow to Gendry with its ice knife. The solider white walker looks at me right when Nymeria strikes it from behind.
My eyes go to the wild dogs still fighting off the horde of white walkers. I see the white walkers manage to kill one of the wild dogs. Although the wild dogs are out matched, they still continue to give these fuckers a fight. I go over to Gendry try to wake him up. I wrap my hands around his face and slap my hands against his cheeks, shake him to wake up.
Nymeria knocks the other onto its backside, trying to bite anywhere she can but the armor of the white appears to have no damage of any kind from Nymeria's teeth or claws like the war hammer did. The other takes the ice spear slashing Nymeria on her stomach side. Nymeria lets out a screaming howl just before the white kicks her off. Nymeria is sent flying and slams into the trunk of the Godswood tree. The rest of the wild dogs flee from the Godswood tree in terror. I yell in anger and somehow jump onto the back side of the other. The other tries to throw me off but I hang on as tight as I can.
He spins around until its ice cold hands grab me by my hair, throwing me over its shoulder. I fall onto my backside feeling the back of my head hit the mud and snow. Before I could stand, the other grabs its cold hands around my throat. I begin to punch, slap and grab at the long white hair of the other. I stare at the white with wild eyes until I see something fall behind me.
I notice it is a long whip with metal embedded into the end portion of it. It's the same whip the Winter Fox used against Dead Summer. I extend my hands back to reach for the whip. I feel the ice cold hands getting tighter around my neck. I struggle to breathe while reaching the whip. I gasp for air feeling everything become strange and blurry. My fingers wrap around the whip. I wrap the steel of the whip around the neck of the other white. I pull as tight as I can to choke it out.
I have no idea how I yanked the other onto the ground. I tighten the whip as tight as I can. I plant my left leg onto the backside of the white walker to keep it on the ground. The bad ankle is sending an aggressive attack of pain through me but the death of this white walker needs to happen.
I continue pulling the whip tighter and tighter around his neck. The white's ice cold skin appears to be shattering slowly the same way ice does when stepped on. I do not stop until the white walker dies by shattering into pieces of ice all around me the same way the ice spear did when I touched it.
I fall to my knees coughing from the lack of air I am having trouble getting. I place my hand on my neck when I realize I have a sort of frost bite hand prints around my neck from where the other white walker was choking me. I feel a terrible feeling of fear overcome me that these frost marks will remain with me until I die. I have not felt this kind of fear since seeing my brother's direwolf was purposefully sowed onto his body that dreadful night of the Red Wedding.
My eyes go to the whip wondering how it managed to land right when I needed a weapon the most. I grab the whip then take a moment to get to my feet then see Nymeria wounded badly. Gendry is still unconscious but alive so I go over to her as she is bleeding terribly. I take off my cloak, placing it over her wound to try to stop the bleeding. Nymeria wakes up from the pain of me putting pressure on her wound.
Suddenly Nymeria goes from whimpering to growling in an instant. I turn around to see another one of those solider white walkers. It wraps it hand around my throat and throws me away from Nymeria and the tree. I fall into the creek of the water on the other side of the Godswood tree, my entire body is soaked. I try to stand but the white walker grabs me by my hair, forcing me to my feet. I scream in the pain of standing on my bad ankle and being pulled up by my hair alone.
The ice cold hand of this solider white swings me around hard by my hair but stops when I hear an ice pierce sound from behind. I stare in shock to see it is Sansa attempting to stab the white walker but it was not enough to kill it. Sansa looks terrified in the cold blue eyes of the other walker glaring right at her. But she stabs him right in the chest, killing it. It gives the ice screeching death call while shattering into pieces of ice.
I fall onto my stomach side, covering my eyes from the pieces of ice flying everywhere. I hear Sansa say my name along with a few other voices repeating my name. I finally look up to see it is Sansa, Bran and Benjen. I cannot help myself to sob in joy that they are alive and safe. Sansa pulls me into her arms also giving a few sobs in relief that we are both alright.
"You killed one of them, Sansa." I say surprised. I never thought she could even when trying but she did.
"It surprised me too." She barely lets out in the shock of what she just did.
Sansa and I stand up. I go over to Nymeria. Benjen helps me to tend to her wounds and Sansa tries to wake Gendry. We have nothing to stitch Nymeria up with so Benjen takes off his black coat, tying it around her so she has something to stop the bleeding for now. I see out of the corner of my eye that her remaining wild dog pack returns to her. Benjen and I do the best we can to patch up Nymeria until I can get her to the Winter or Monsoon Fox. The Foxes will know how to tend to her wounds better than we can like she did with Ghost.
"We have to leave Winterfell now. Everyone is dying; all we can do is save who we can save. Lyanna Mormont is taking the remaining men, women and children that cannot fight to safety. The Foxes say there is a way out through the crypt. We have to go now." I tell him.
"Arya, I explored the crypt many times as a child and never was there a hidden passage of any kind." Benjen tells me as he picks Bran into his arms.
"There is. How do you explain how they rode through the crypt into the courtyard before those ice creatures attacked earlier? They know Winterfell better than we do. All in all, it doesn't matter. We need to go now." I tell all of them.
"Arya is right, Uncle Benjen. There is a hidden passage way through the crypt." Bran tells him
Suddenly Gendry wakes up and says my name in terror. I hop over to him and we embrace. He sighs in relief that I am ok. I rest my right hand on the back of his head, feeling his short brown hair. I bury my face into his shoulder for a few moments. Then we gaze at one another when he rests his left hand on my cheek in relief I am still here with him.
Gendry stands up then does not hesitate to pick me up into his arms again. Benjen grabs Gendry's war hammer as Sansa and Benjen help to carry Bran out of here. Benjen does not question the matter any further of the crypt and starts heading to the busted down gate entrance. Sansa and I follow behind him. Nymeria does the same however I know she would have trouble running so she is fast walking behind us with what is left of her pack.
The entire way to the crypt is people screaming for their lives as they are being slaughtered or running with white walkers chasing them. Winterfell looks like it was raped, defiled by the Army of the Dead. It is in ruin of the dead bodies all around like the bodies are rugs covering the ground and the blood of the dead sinks into the ground like rain does when feeding grass, flowers and trees.
Sansa is in shock to see the people of the north rotting away and she wants to help but there is nothing she can do. Benjen has no chance but to pull her away, encouraging her that we have no choice and we don't have a choice anymore. We have to keep going to the crypt.
Benjen continues to carry Bran in his arms when we finally get to the entrance of the crypt. The Hound, the giant Freefolk man, Beric, Breinne, Podrick and Lyanna are the last at the entrance. They were waiting for us. Benjen is about to carry Bran into the crypt until thunderous roars that shock the very foundation of Winterfell stops him. We all look up to the skies to see distant blasts of blue and orange-red flames. The two dragons are caught in each other, digging their sharp claws into one another.
"JON!!!!" I scream in the hopes that he can hear me from dragon back but he doesn't as the dragon battle continues right above Winterfell. My mouth drops in what is occurring in the sky. I never thought this would happen until witnessing it.
The two dragons continue facing off against each other, disappearing into the dark snow skies. I shake my head no because I cannot leave without Jon. I see the amount of lives that have already been lost and taken. I do not want Jon to be one of them. I know he will not leave until the Night King is dead or he dies fighting against the Night King or he takes the Night King with him in death. I have to find a way to get to him. But how can I get to him while he is up in the skies?
Gendry tells to me, "Let's go. We have to go."
"I cannot leave Jon!!" I shout in response.
"There is nothing you can do! Save yourself while you can, Arya!" Lyanna Mormont says before everyone else goes down into the crypt. Benjen carries Bran inside and Sansa follows behind them. I sob knowing I cannot leave Jon however if my father, Ned was here right now, he would drag me into the crypts by force. He would want me to live rather than risk my life for something that is out of my power and control.
"Winterfell has fallen..." Gendry whispers to me softly enough that I take in his words. My eyes go all around to my once home I grew up in along with many Starks before me. My eyes take witness of Winterfell, this ancestral castle fading away in the long night and the terrors tearing it apart as if it never was here.
"The castle is dying and soon it will be in the ground. All we can do is make sure we are not in the ground when it goes. Please, Arya. I cannot lose you." Gendry whispers to me.
I barely let out a sob when shaking my head yes in agreement. Winterfell has fallen and I cannot fall with it. And I cannot lose Gendry either. I continue to shake my head yes to Gendry to go. Gendry does not hesitate to carry me into the crypt behind the others. Even Nymeria and her pack follows. The ones remaining at the door close it and I watch as they close the door at what is the last sight I will ever see of Winterfell standing. Winterfell truly has fallen...
Hey everyone! I hope all is well and the chapter was a good read. I felt like the battle had to be something different compared to the show and since we'll probably never know through the book, I wanted it to be almost heartbreaking in what they have to do in order to survive. After all, sometimes even the will to live is an act of courage and that is what the North needed to do. Next chapter to come soon. The next chapter will also take place as the events in this chapter take place. Please let me know your thoughts in the comment section. Have a good one. - Author's Note Faith Hammett XOXO
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