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123 AC, Fist of the First Men
He should not delay his expedition for something like this. And so, he turned away, going back to the top of the hill, leaving the echo of the Corpse Queen's weeping still ringing somewhere deep in the frozen dark behind them.
The walk back down from the Fist of the First Men was completely silent and but it was a silence that Cregan appreciated. He had never thought he would even have the chance to ever speak to a White Walker, even if he doubted whether the Corpse Queen counted as one.
The White Walkers, or the Others, were beings of Ice and Darkness who wished to turn every living creature into their frozen thralls until nothing remained but an endless night. They were creatures that the Children of the Forest and the First Men banded together to defeat, and together, alongside his ancestor, Bran the Builder, the first Stark, had built the Wall to seal them away. That had been what he was taught, and yet, the Corpse Queen's tale showed a very different portrayal of the creatures that were demonised by his people.
After hours of further walking, they finally stopped in the middle of the night and sat down near a fire that the Potters had created out of thin air. They had instead taken them deeper into the Haunted Forest after leaving the Fist of the First Men, rather than towards the Frostfangs, where he had thought they were heading. After all, it seemed like the quickest way to the Lands of Always Winter, a place of Cold and Death, and also rumoured to have been where the White Walkers had been pushed back during the Long Night.
However, Cregan did not voice his protests; he knew that the Potters likely had a purpose with their path, and he was too busy deliberating on what he had learned in that cave beneath the Fist of the First Men.
It was when they sat down near the fire that Daphne finally broke the silence that plagued them, "You've been strangely quiet, Cregan. We expected that you would have more questions given what you have learned in that cave."
The Lord of the North opened his mouth to answer, but found that words escaped him. He had so much more to ask, but he settled on a very simple question: "Was her tale true?"
Harry was the one to answer this time, "It probably was, though I feel like her perspective wasn't exactly an unbiased one. It does align with the Wall's magic, since it seemed particularly targeting Necromancy, as opposed to Ice Magic. She would have theoretically been able to go through the Wall, unlike her kin. And love would explain why she kept a man's corpse frozen for thousands of years, trying desperately to revive him, and be so devastated when she realised that she couldn't. Also, given the fact that the Night's King was rumoured to be the Thirteenth Commander of the Night's Watch, memories of the Long Night would still be relatively fresh, perhaps even enough for men both North and South of the Wall to join hands against one who had seemingly betrayed both his vows by declaring himself king, and his humanity, by bedding mankind's greatest enemy."
Cregan couldn't help but agree with that response. The story did fit, and there was a chance that White Walkers were truly peaceful creatures who had been forced to become weapons for the sake of their own survival. It was simpler when they were simply the enemies of humanity, that he would slay and return to the North.
Seeing his hesitation, Harry continued, "As I said, this was a massively biased perspective of the situation. I told you that the Wall was built as a great separator between two realms, as opposed to just some wards or a physical construct. The White Walker's magic is a lot more insidious than she pretended it was. Trying to alter the very material realm into something else isn't some simple spell like she brushed off, even if she probably didn't know of the specifics. It would have altered the world in a fundamental way that would have killed every single creature on the planet, even outside the Known World. This is not the action of a peaceful people, that I can assure you. There were far easier ways of creating an environment to thrive in than this."
Cregan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, and Daphne rolled her eyes, seeming to chide her husband for something, "He's making it purposefully confusing. Imagine if the Targaryens' Dragons needed to live in an environment akin to Valyria's to survive, and after the Doom, they were slowly withering away. Imagine that to combat this weakness, House Targaryen decided to turn the entirety of Westeros into a mimicry of Valyria by burning it to the ground, uncaring of its actual inhabitants. That is what the White Walkers have tried to accomplish. Their spell is meant to spread outward until it subsumes everything. Survival might have been their goal, but there is more to the situation than what the Corpse Queen claimed, likely even more than she even knew."
The Lord of the North nodded in acceptance, finally understanding more of what the Corpse Queen meant during their encounter, "That only leaves us with more questions."
"It does," Harry replied, "But we learned a very critical point, even if she obviously had not meant for us to know of it. This so-called Heart of Winter. I think that's what we need to find, and unfortunately, I think it's in the Lands of Always Winter. Given that using any form of divination is almost impossible on the other side of the Frostfangs, and the sheer size of the land, it does pose a problem. Lucky for us, I have an idea to speed things up a bit."
Cregan raised his head in curiosity, waiting for the man to elaborate on whatever it was that he planned, only for the sorcerer to chuckle, "Let's get some sleep first, Cregan. You seem tired, and we will have time to revisit the subject later."
The Lord of the North couldn't help but wonder how the Potters planned to set up a camp so that they would fall asleep in it. After all, going to sleep in the snow was an act of sheer stupidity, something that every single man, woman, or child of the North knew for a fact. However, there had been stories of men who built shelters of ice that somehow were warm inside, although Cregan had not thought much of the stories.
Though he had to admit that he didn't feel particularly cold this night, and that the snow was strangely more comfortable than he expected. He released a yawn and closed his eyes just to rest them for a single moment.
When Cregan opened his eyes, he couldn't help but wince as the sun's light pierced his eyes. It took a few moments to realise that he had likely slept for the entire night before sitting up in a sudden movement. He had fallen asleep in the snow, North of the Wall. He had seen many southerners die while foolishly doing the same in the North, either freezing to death or simply being attacked by the wildlife, and yet Cregan felt rather well-rested.
The Potters must have done some kind of magic, but he had to admit that it was still foolish of him to rely on them, especially given how little he knew of their magic. He vowed that he would not do this again.
Speaking of the Potters, he looked around and found no signs of them. For a moment, he thought that they had abandoned him, but he shook these thoughts. They had ample opportunities to do so earlier, and there was very little that he could do to stop them should they wish him harm.
Thankfully, he easily found their tracks in the snow, and Cregan deduced that they had walked further East. He followed the tracks with his sword raised in case of danger, or should he find anything to hunt. His companions seemed to have an infinite reserve of strange foods with them, something that he underestimated its usefulness until he woke up.
He suddenly stopped when he felt something move behind him. It was just a small movement, without so much as a hint of sound, and turned, with his ancestral sword, Ice, ready to kill whatever threatened him, only to stop in his tracks as he saw a wolf staring at him, its head tilted slightly.
It was completely white, which hid it in the endless snow, only its strangely intelligent red eyes revealing its presence. Cregan braced himself for an attack, only for nothing to happen, and the beast to continue staring at him expectantly, as if it was waiting for him to do something.
Despite the creature before him being easily capable of ripping him into shreds, Cregan couldn't help but lower his weapon, allowing the wolf to approach. It did so slowly and silently, but as it was but a few feet from him, he couldn't help but kneel to look at it properly.
It was unlike any wolf that he had ever seen; its frame seemed young even though its size was akin to that of a fully-grown member of his species. The creature approached, its breath warming the air around Cregan's face, only to lick him.
He chuckled at the action and instinctively put his hand over the beast's head, fingers brushing through thick fur that felt softer than he expected. It had been an utterly foolish thing to do, but it felt right at that moment. His instincts were proven to be correct when the wolf leaned into the touch.
For some reason, Cregan simply knew that this wolf would not hurt him, though he could not describe why he was so certain of this fact.
He couldn't help but ask, "Where did you come from, boy?"
The wolf said nothing, of course, but when Cregan stood, it followed, padding beside him without command or hesitation, its steps just as silent as they were when it snuck up on him as if it was some kind of Ghost in the snow.
He had planned on returning to their camp, if one could call it that, and he didn't think that the Potters would be understanding of him bringing a wolf with them.
Of course, that was when a voice spoke up behind him, "Now, that wasn't something that I expected to see this morning."
Cregan almost jumped as he heard the voice, the wolf, for some strange reason, going to his defence and growling at the sorcerer. Harry released a chuckle and ordered, "Down, boy!"
The wolf immediately stopped growling and all but remained frozen as the man approached it. Cregan couldn't help but feel slightly protective of the creature, which was strange given that they had already met, and he relaxed when Potter gently started to pet the motionless wolf, "Quite the beautiful specimen. This is my first time seeing a Direwolf, and this companion will serve you well."
Cregan's world spun to a halt, "This is a Direwolf?"
"Yes, a young one, too. Fitting, isn't it, that a Stark would bond so quickly with his house's symbol? I imagine your new friend should help you in case anyone gives you any trouble when you return. I doubt many Lords would try something in front of a fully grown Direwolf."
Despite the comical sight, Cregan couldn't help but mutter in response, "What bond?"
Harry rolled his eyes, "You know, like with your sister. Congratulations. You're a Skinchanger, Cregan, a Warg more specifically. Your house has specifically been known for the skill, though they mostly stuck with dogs and normal wolves, now that I think about it. At least, until around the Doom of Valyria, after which the magic started to become rarer. With the resurgence in magic, I suppose that old bloodlines would start showing up again."
Cregan had known much about his family's skill in Skinchanging, having researched the matter discreetly when Sara had shown the skill. His ancestors had not liked to leave detailed accounts of the skill. Still, He knew enough to understand that it had been common long ago, and that it likely had something to do with the defeat of the 'Warg King' during the Age of Heroes, not that it could be anything more than an old tale or a legend. Though he had to admit that legends have proven themselves to hold far too much truth to his liking, recently.
Still, he had spent years researching the subject, especially the ones pertaining to his family, and he had done so again after visiting the Builder's tomb, after he first met the Potters. However, he couldn't help but feel like his companions knew more of his house's magical history than he did himself, and he carefully asked, "How do you know of this?"
"Oh," Harry answered, "We found a repository of most noble houses and their magical skills in the Citadel when I robbed the place. It was very detailed, too, and well-maintained. We stole the whole thing, of course, which really pushed them into a frenzy."
Cregan couldn't help but stop and think about this answer. While he was slightly disturbed by the casual admittance of theft, he was far more troubled by the fact that the Maesters had seemingly been spying on his family for centuries. It made sense, as Lords trusted their Maesters implicitly, with both the education of their young and their own health. They would be the first to be told should someone show a skill that was unnatural.
No, it wasn't the time to think of these things. Perhaps if he had been in Winterfell, he could have investigated the matter, but he was Beyond the Wall, where no Maester resided. He would deal with it when he returned. Still, he couldn't help but feel curious about the matter, "Did you find anything else?"
Harry chuckled and threw a small, sheathed knife at him. He grabbed it in mid-air and opened it to see its blade. He gasped as the familiar light shone from it. It was the same glow as the original Ice, as the very blade of Bran the Builder, "You found this in the Citadel?"
"Yes," the sorcerer answered, not elaborating more on the subject, "I have a feeling you would need it. After all, it would fit for Ice and Fire to have one, don't you think?"
Cregan furrowed his eyebrow, not understanding what he meant, only for Daphne's voice to interrupt his coming question, "I found it! It's not too far from here."
A wide smile appeared on Harry's face, "That's great, Daph! I know that it wasn't exactly easy to do out here."
"Did you find the Heart of Winter?" Cregan couldn't help but ask.
The golden-haired woman chuckled, "No. That's probably too far into the Lands of Always Winter. No, we were looking for…"
She didn't get to finish as her husband interrupted her, "Let's not ruin the surprise, shall we? Let's get going already. Oh, and thanks for keeping an eye on him, Hedwig."
The sorcerer was seemingly addressing the surrounding trees when he did so, only for a white owl to fly down from the trees and land on the man's shoulder, giving him a demanding hoot. He chuckled and then gave the bird a small piece of meat that he took out from… somewhere.
Cregan couldn't help but stare at the bird, completely stupefied by its presence. "You had a bird guarding me?"
The owl's head suddenly turned to him, its eyes glaring, and Harry just chuckled in response, "Hedwig is far more capable than any other bird. Though a word of advice: never insult a mage's familiar, Cregan. You'll understand it one day with your wolf. Now, follow along, I have a feeling you're going to be interested in what we found."
Cregan was still confused by the entire event, but followed the sorcerer, doing his best to ignore his bird's seemingly endless glare. His newfound companion, a Direwolf, his Direwolf if the sorcerer was correct, followed behind him faithfully. He would need to give it a name. He could only call him 'the Direwolf' for so long.
Despite this, they kept walking East, though Cregan did not know what exactly they were walking towards. They did this for a couple of hours, most of which Cregan spent trying to find a good name for his new companion, though he would never admit it to anyone.
They finally stopped in front of a giant Heart Tree, and the young Stark had noticed its presence before he could even see it. The oppressive cold had lessened, and the feeling of unease was slowly fading away. Even his direwolf seemed to be more at ease with every passing moment. It was a far more noticeable effect than at the Fist of the First Men, or even the Weirwood grove.
Aside from that, what was particularly peculiar about the Heart Tree was the small entrance that he could see beneath it. Cregan motioned to walk towards it, only for the sorcerer to put a hand on his shoulder and stop him, "Let me try something first, to confirm that we're in the right place."
Harry raised his hand, and everything shifted around him. Suddenly, around them, night turned to day, followed by another night. The few leaves in the wind seemed to fly in a very strange way, including in the distance, the figure of a Shadowcat walking backwards, moving almost next to them.
Cregan's eyes were widened in sheer awe and slight terror at the size of the creature, only for Daphne's familiar voice to reassure him, "Don't worry; it's only an illusion."
"What is he doing?" he couldn't help but ask.
"He's trying to see signs of anyone moving around the tree in the last few days. Harry has his own way of seeing the past, even if most methods of Divination are being blocked.
The Lord of the North did not have the time to ask her to elaborate on the matter further, as suddenly, the shifting stopped. Cregan felt slightly disoriented by the sudden change in his surroundings, but froze as he saw a figure in the distance near the tree. Harry snapped his finger, and the figure's features cleared. The sorcerer then turned to his wife with a small smile, "This is the place."
Cregan did not focus on the woman's response, being more focused on the creature's features. It was small, its frame akin to that of a child, and it looked like it was made of wood, with small twigs and leaves growing out of it, like a living tree. "This is one of the Children of the Forest."
His voice was filled with awe as he made that realisation, his eyes unable to leave the legendary figure before him, one whose existence people had started to dismiss.
Harry raised his hand, and the illusion dissipated. He turned towards Cregan with a smug smile on his face, "Well, we've heard what a White Walker had to say, and we thought it best to do the same with their sworn enemy, the Children of the Forest. That should be an interesting meeting, don't you think?"
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AN: This is a bit of a slow chapter, but I felt like the arc needed one after how dense the previous chapter was. As usual, please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.
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If you want to support me, check out my patréon at https://www.patréon.com/athassprkr
I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions on them, so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.