[Daenerys' POV]
They descended near Castle Black, where Viserion and Edric were left unfound. His next move seemed all too clear... he had taken the fight to the Others by himself. Meanwhile, he left behind orders to simply stay put.
As they made their way to Castle Black, a party of the Night's Watch rode out to meet them. It was led by someone familiar yet just as unfamiliar. She had blossomed during these past six years. Her grey eyes were cold, frozen even, stunning yet sharp enough to cut. Her brown hair had grown long, and her body wasn't quite so skinny, yet remained lean. She seemed a little taller than her now, and carried herself with a certain grace.
Despite her skin looking worn from hard work, she was very clearly beautiful.
"His Grace flew over Castle Black a couple of hours ago," Arya Stark informed them. "Are the Others planning an attack?"
"Indeed," Daenerys nodded.
"Did he have any orders for the Night's Watch?"
"None that I know of. They are not in the immediate vicinity, but their presence looms large. The Night's Watch should be prepared for battle."
"It has been."
She didn't waste any words, Daenerys thought to herself.
"That is good to know... may I take a closer look?"
"You are the queen," Arya noted with a steely gaze. "Your presence is welcome anywhere in the Realm. And you... Ser, I didn't think you were a dragon rider."
"I haven't been one for all that long," Arthur replied with a slight smile. "I didn't expect to see you here, to be honest."
"Simply doing my part to help in this conflict. Being a lady is no excuse to do nothing," Arya replied.
"I am proud to have such a sister by law," Arthur nodded.
"Speaking of, how are Edwyn and Lynara doing?"
"They're well... strong, bright and all too active. The cold does not affect them quite as much as southrons. You'd think it's summer for them sometimes."
"That is good to hear," Arya smiled very briefly. "I'd like to see them someday... after all of this is over."
"I'd like to take them North myself," Arthur replied. "Even though they have my name, they are just as much Stark as Tudbury. It would be good for them to visit their mother's homeland."
"They'll always be welcome in the North," Arya nodded. "Let's go inside. I'd rather Her Grace didn't freeze over."
It was all too clear that Arya was more fond of speaking to Arthur than Daenerys... and she couldn't truly blame her.
"I can handle the cold well enough," Daenerys replied.
"Regardless, you did say you wanted a closer look. Everything has been organised to suit His Grace's wishes... as you'll see."
...
Jon Snow had done well as the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, inspiring loyalty within his ranks as the years passed. He seemed very capable as Daenerys met him in person. Edric chose well when it came to putting the right people in the right positions... as he so often did.
Jaime Lannister had returned to the Night's Watch after partaking in the great eastern voyage led by Arthur as the First Ranger. He was very clearly the best fighter the Night's Watch had... and worthy of the White Cloak he stained twice before. Still, Edric hadn't granted it to him quite yet. This didn't affect the Lannister much. He went about his duties just the same.
Castle Black had used an entire storage room for all the barrels and pots of wildfire that had been sent from King's Landing throughout the years. There were thousands of dragonglass weapons, two hundred Valyrian steel weapons, along with hundreds of inferior and imperfect Edricarian steel weapons of various types. Only Ser Jaime had a perfect set... and it was on the grade of what the Kingsguard used to boot.
Mayhaps that was proof enough of Edric's favour, despite not returning him to the Kingsguard. Or he acknowledged his skill and didn't want to waste it with lesser equipment... either way, Castle Black had at least one very capable defender to match the Night King's lieutenants should it come to that.
"Well, any news?" Daenerys asked Arthur as they stood atop the Wall.
He had been 'dreaming' for some time now, finally waking.
"The Night King's true whereabouts are uncertain, but a smaller force of Others is sailing a fleet east of the Wall, while a vast horde heads straight for the centre of the Wall. He suspects the Night King is heading west on his own..."
"Doesn't the Wall have a protective barrier of some sort..." Daenerys looked worried.
"If I had to guess, the Others can move around it... but only in smaller numbers. Mayhaps only specific Others are capable of that. Their wights cannot, however."
"If this is true, they can attack Winterfell and cut off the Wall from the rest of the Realm..." Daenerys said, shaking her head.
"That is why Edric has ordered me to fly south, along with you. To Winterfell."
"Is he... abandoning the Wall?"
"It's doomed to fall," Arthur said. "Edric faced the Colossus... and, even with his great power, was only able to make him fall. The Wall's collapse is inevitable."
"... And what are his plans in Winterfell?"
"To retreat further south, hopefully meeting the North's men with hosts from the Riverlands, Vale, Westerlands and the royal forces. In the best case, this would be at the Trident or the God's Eye."
"The entire North would be lost," Daenerys said. "If the Others have gone around the Wall, there is no way ordinary folk would be able to outpace them..."
"Tens of thousands, mayhaps over a hundred thousand would be lost..." Arthur nodded. "But this is the way we can put up the best fight against them, given the circumstances. The Night King could be dangerously close to Winterfell, even now... I'd stand no chance against him by myself."
"And where is Edric..." Daenerys took a deep breath.
"Flying to the home of the Others... as they've left it unguarded. He hopes to gain some advantage there."
"He should have tempered that Lightbringer of his..." Daenerys sighed. "All I can think is that all of these people will perish because of his love for me."
"... I feel a similar way, but what can you do?" Arthur shook his head. "The blade is his, in the end. If he refuses to stab you with it... It's not happening."
"And so, the Wall and North become a sacrifice in my stead..." Daenerys said, looking over the sight south of the Wall.
"Even if he had Lightbringer, many thousands would die regardless. This is not a war Edric can win by himself without any losses," Arthur replied. "The Night King's forces are too great for such a result to even be possible."
"... That is true."
[Edric's POV]
Ice shards, almost like blades, started raining from the sky. My wind scattered every last one that went near me. My alter-ego looked unimpressed, stepping forward with his katana.
"Is all of this really for 'us', or you?" I questioned. "You must have grown weary of being no more than a voice in the back of my head."
"It was never about that. The truth is that you've lost your way, and I can't stand seeing you go on like this. You're going to destroy yourself... you already are."
"And, funninly enough, those actions granted you the strength to challenge me. Shouldn't you be grateful?"
"I gain no pleasure from unseating you." For someone who was out to take over my body, he did look quite crestfallen. "You are a part of me, as I am a part of you. We've worked in harmony from the very beginning... I was always there for you. You leaned on me in your darkest days, and I aided you... always."
"... And now you're standing against me."
"It is the other way around. You have betrayed what you were! I am standing for your old and truest wishes. Before you became Edric Stormfyre, even before you wore the crown... I am fighting for that man."
"Let him die," I said.
"You don't truly mean that. It's not too late to change our fate, you only need to see the truth of it all."
"And that is?"
"That we matter more than anything else in this world..."
"How would I live with the fact that I killed my own wife, or brother?"
"You would actually live, for one."
We clashed blades... and he appeared to be stronger than me. I retreated, and he continued his onslaught, leaving me on the backfoot. He attacked relentlessly like an animal seeing red.
"I was there when you lacked confidence in yourself..."
CLANG.
"I was there when you were on the verge of death..."
CLANG.
"I was there when you were lost and alone..."
CLANG.
"I was there when you felt the world crashing on you..."
CLANG.
"But then you grew and learned, leaning on me less and less... it was a good thing. You realised what you were and what you wanted. It was that woman, that family... which changed you. It stopped being about us, and became more about everyone else."
As his feelings wavered, the swings became sloppy... and I saw an opening, parrying his next attack and countering with a slash to his shoulder. He swung back, aiming for my arm and managing a small cut as I barely got away.
"You want to be the hero, right? So why aren't you making the sacrifices you need to make? You could be fighting the Night King right now... instead, you're going to watch the entire North be swarmed by the Others. This is nothing more than your selfish desire to not stain your hands with your loved ones. The selfless, 'heroic' thing would be to discard your love and complete Lightbringer!"
Every word and attack of his only served to anger me.
"Stop wasting my time and FUCKING DIE!"
I lashed out, unleashing a great wave of lightning and fire, exploding it point-blank. He tanked it, but it had stunned him. With my free arm, I took Fury and smashed it against his head.
"You think I want all those people to die? You think I want to die? You think I want to leave my dreams unrealised? To die with regret?"
He was now on the backfoot, defending against a flurry of warhammer and sword attacks.
"FUCK no... I want, more than anyone, for it all to be sunshines and rainbows... I've suffered enough. But what can I do? Every path I take, I lose something... myself, my love, my brother... it's always something. I am cursed with this burden of playing hero."
"I've seen how it ends with you, what becomes of me... and I'd rather fucking die than allow the same fate to follow here!"
His defence suddenly crumbled, allowing my sword to pierce his chest.
It seemed as if... at that last moment, he stopped fighting back.
"The world is better off without us, you mean to say..." My alter-ego coughed up his blood, leaning into my blade.
"Mayhaps it is..."
"All I wanted... was for us to prosper... but it seems that you have no more need for me," His icy blue eyes began to dim. "I can't... I never could... I never meant... to fight against you."
"All I wanted... was for you to see my way..."
Stormfyre shook slightly. He never meant to 'usurp' me? Was it all an act...
My fury began to fade.
"But, you're always so stubborn in your way..." He managed a smile, lowering his head as tears left his eyes. "So am I, just like you... mayhaps this was all..."
"... too... inevitable."
His head fell.
He was... dead.
I had slain my alter-ego.
Drawing out Stormfyre, I watched him fall to the ground. The sword he had created from Raiden's body faded completely. There was a long moment of silence as I stared at my own Other-esque corpse. It slowly began to transform into blue crystals, which soon enough broke down and dispersed into the air.
Rain began falling.
"You damn fool..."
Dropping my weapons, I took a deep breath.
There was only silence in my mind as I looked up at the healing skies.
For the first time in forever, I was truly alone.
...
Over a bay of ice, a great creature of bones forged by ice soared through the air.
It carried the God of the Others.
They landed upon Bear Island.
He came alone and left with an army.
They spread out south, the undead sons and daughters of the North claiming the land.
The Great Other spared no second longer... flying for the heart of the North.
[Lil info thingie ig. I might do this more after chapters to go through things that might not fit into the moment like family trees, character pages, stuff like that...]
The topic for today - the five types of Edricarian Steel.
Tier 1 - Inferior. Worse than Valyrian Steel, superior to castle-forged steel. Capable of slaying Others due to its magical properties, quickest and easiest to smith. These are supplied across the Realm.
Tier 2 - Imperfect/Flawed. Forged with greater amounts of magic, very strong and powerful, but prone to breaking and exploding. Easily able to destroy ordinary Others. Requires a decent amount of magic to produce. Supplied to knights, notable fighters and every man in the royal forces.
Tier 3 - Perfect. A direct successor to Valyrian Steel, superior in every sense. Takes more time and effort to forge compared to the lower tiers. Only the Stormguard and a very select few have been supplied with this kind. Most of these are slightly weaker than the 'Imperfect' tier, albeit far more reliable.
Tier 4 - Greater perfection. Same as the 'Perfect' tier, only forged with greater and more powerful magic. Superior to all lower forms of Edricarian steel in every shape and form. Extremely time and energy-consuming to produce, requiring a month or more of work for Edric, depending on the piece. Only Edric's personal arsenal and the Kingsguard's armour and weapons are made of this kind. The mightiest of these would be Fury and Stormfyre, along with Ser Arthur's reforged Nightfall.
Tier 5 - Divine. There is only one weapon of this kind, Lightbringer, or Mugen Itto, 'the sword that cuts dreams into reality' as named by Edric Stormfyre. Through his repeated failed efforts, this sword contains years of Edric's magic within its blade... its steel very much unlike any other. If properly tempered, its magical power would be without equal under Planetos' sky.