WILOW-Ch.346: Are We Doomed?
Northern Army Camp, Near the Twins
POV of Domeric Bolton
"You said this White Walker was traveling alone, Lord Bolton. Have you been able to find out why?" Robb asked him from the chair beside Lord Stark.
"I have obtained some new information. Some of it is encouraging, while some is unfortunately worrying." Domeric said.
"How so?" Lord Karstark asked.
"First of all, this White Walker was much weaker than the others we've encountered. That was one of the reasons we were able to capture it so easily. Perhaps what made them strong was the wights they commanded, and that's why it was so weak. We can't know for sure, but at least this means that not all White Walkers are very strong, which is good news." He said.
And the lords in the tent seemed pleased by this news, but Lord Stark's next question cut short their joy. "And what is the bad news?"
"Haaahh... When we found the White Walker, it looked like it was carrying something. After catching it and examining what it was carrying, we realized it was a... baby boy... a live human baby." He said.
Then the tent fell silent, but Domeric saw more confusion on their faces. They were probably wondering why this was bad news.
So, he continued without allowing anyone to ask questions.
"This seemed quite suspicious to me. So, I ordered one of my wargs to follow the baby's scent, and the tracks led us to Craster's Keep."
"Craster... isn't he the man who created a harem for himself from his own daughters?" Lord Umber asked.
"Yes, that's him. The strange thing was that there was no other man in Craster's house besides himself. Many of the Free Folk thought he killed his baby boys when they were born. But apparently, instead of killing them, he put them in the woods to be picked up by the White Walkers." He said.
This fact shocked many people in the tent, prompting them to curse and insult Craster.
"Do we know why Craster did this?" Lord Rodrik Rysell, his maternal grandfather, asked.
"I gave Craster the right to explain and defend himself, but he intended to keep his mouth shut. However, from his shouting, I understood that he had chosen the White Walkers as his gods, begun to worship them, and preferred to sacrifice his children to them. His male children, to be precise." He said.
"That is idiocy."
"This means he has betrayed the Seven Kingdoms."
"He's insane. He deserves to be executed for what he did."
Many lords added their own opinions, and they showed no sign of stopping.
So Domeric interrupted and said, "Craster has already been tried and executed by me for infanticide and collaborating with the White Walkers." He said.
"I see... But we don't yet fully understand why this is bad news, Lord Bolton," said Lord Stark.
"Because when I discussed this with Greenseer, he said that something someone willingly gives possesses a powerful element of magic." He paused for a moment and then continued, "According to Greenseer, it's possible the White Walkers used these children in a ritual to empower themselves..."
Now the Lords were beginning to understand the seriousness of the situation.
If Greenseer were right, the White Walkers they would face during the Long Night ahead would be more powerful than the White Walkers their ancestors had fought centuries ago.
"According to Greenseer, could these babies have been used for another purpose by the White Walkers by any chance?" Lord Stark asked hopefully.
"Greenseer has another possibility in mind, but I can't say it's any better than the first. The White Walkers may have transformed the babies into White Walkers. So, the number of White Walkers we'll encounter in the Long Night could be much greater this time."
And the news was the last straw that broke the Lords' hopes. As everyone murmured despairingly amongst themselves, one Lord said louder than the others, "Are we doomed?"
"Not yet. But we need to strengthen our preparations for the Long Night. And to do that, we need to put someone on the damned Iron Throne who will be willing to support us in Long Night, and more importantly, who has the ability to do so." He said before he walked up to Lord Stark and took a chair beside him.
"What Iron Throne? What King's Landing? We can't even cross the river because of these fucking greedy Freys." Lord Greatjon Umber said.
"So, let us discuss our current situation then." He said calmly.
"I say let's not wait any longer, let's go on the offensive now. I want to see if Walder Frey can still act so arrogantly after losing the Twins." Lord Umber said, banging his hand on the table.
"This would cause us to lose men before we even face our real enemies. It's not a sensible choice for either the upcoming war or the Long Night to come." Lord Stark said.
"So, what are we going to do? Sit here and wait? Or accept Walder Frey's offer? Or wait for a miracle to open the Twins' doors for us?" Lord Rodrik Ryswell asked. He was clearly tired of Lord Stark's fruitless waiting.
Domeric saw Lord Stark glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.
'So, you want me to find a solution and solve your problems with a miracle, Lord Stark,' Domeric thought.
Perhaps Lord Stark's delay was because he wanted him to reach the Northern host and find a solution to this problem.
Lord Stark was probably expecting him to use giants and wyverns to achieve this without causing casualties in the army, but Domeric had another idea.
Not just a solution that would allow them to cross the river, but one that would also catch the Lannisters off guard.
"I have an idea," said Domeric, and after everyone focused on him, he continued, "I think we're focusing too much on the Twins. If they're not giving us a way out, why don't we use another route?"
"There's no other route, Lord Bolton. Or do you think we're waiting here for fun?" Lord Karstark said.
"There's no need to worry about that. I'll arrange for us to cross the river by another route." He said.
"How?" Lord Stark asked.
Domeric grinned mischievously and said, "In a way no one has ever tried before. That's exactly what I excel at. Doing things no one has ever tried or even imagined before, right?"
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.347: Heirs to the Iron Throne
Ch.348: New Order
Ch.349: We Both Knew This Day Would Come