Mormont said to the old maester again, "Maester Aemon, please join us as well."
He finally looked at the Night's Watchmen gathered in the courtyard. "Everyone is dismissed. Those on patrol, go to your patrols; those on guard duty, to your posts. Donal, take a few men to check the perimeter fences for damage. Remember to be extremely careful—do not provoke the dragon."
"Don't worry, Ghidorah's intelligence is very high, and she is very gentle," Viserys explained to them. "As long as you don't attack her, she won't harm anyone."
The Night's Watchmen dispersed amidst a flurry of whispers, but everyone couldn't help but look back at the three-headed dragon lying outside the castle. Ghidorah's three heads were overlapped, eyes closed, appearing as if she were truly resting, but no one dared to approach. Everyone knew that as long as His Majesty the Dragon King gave the word, this giant beast would awaken instantly.
Inside the hall of Castle Black, the hearth fire burned brightly, keeping the interior warm.
Mormont, Maester Aemon, and Viserys sat around a long table. The maester's assistant, Clydas, poured a cup of warm wine for each of them before retreating behind the maester.
"His Majesty Viserys," Mormont spoke first. "First, I must say that your arrival has put the Night's Watch in an awkward position. We swear to take no part in the affairs of the Seven Kingdoms, but with you appearing at the Wall riding a dragon, it's impossible to keep this a complete secret. Soon, all of Westeros will know that a Targaryen has come to the North."
"I know, but I had to come," Viserys replied. "Lord Commander Mormont, to be honest, even after what I've said, do you truly believe in the existence of the Others?"
Mormont fell silent for a moment before replying, "I've been in the Night's Watch for nearly twenty years. I've seen many unexplainable phenomena Beyond the Wall and heard eerie reports brought back by the Rangers. But I'm not certain if those were related to the Others."
"The Army of the Dead is gathering. The Long Night is coming, and the Wall is the only thing that can stop them. But if the Wall falls, all of Westeros will fall."
"So, I still hope you can truly believe my words and be prepared. Believe in the significance of the millennia-long watch; it's not just to guard against Wildlings heading south." Viserys stood up. "I will go Beyond the Wall to see for myself; perhaps I can bring back some definitive evidence." Of course, he was just going to find Bloodraven to get the sword—it was just an excuse.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Benjen walked in, saying, "I'll go with you."
Everyone looked at him with doubt. Benjen's expression became complex. "If what you say is true and there really is a threat from the Others in the North, the Night's Watch needs to know the truth."
He looked at Viserys. "Besides, you won the duel. As promised, I should believe what you say, so I will accompany you to find evidence."
Viserys looked at Benjen and finally nodded. "Fine, when I depart, you can come along."
Maester Aemon spoke softly from the side, bringing the topic back. "Ancient records state that the last Long Night lasted for an entire generation. And that was eight thousand years ago, before the Targaryen family was even established. If it comes again, it might be even harder to deal with than the last time."
Viserys asked, "Lord Commander, how many men does the Night's Watch have now?"
"Less than a thousand," Mormont said with a bitter smile. "And most of them are the old, weak, sick, or disabled. There are fewer than four hundred Rangers who can actually fight. Furthermore, our current food supplies are only enough to last through this winter, but wildling attacks are becoming more and more frequent."
This was not much different from the original story. In the original, because they were short three hundred Night's Watchmen, they struggled to defend against the wildling attacks.
"The Wildlings are migrating south; they must have felt the threat from the north," Viserys said. "I think you should consider negotiating with the Wildlings."
"Negotiate with the Wildlings?" Mormont frowned. "They have been enemies of the Night's Watch for thousands of years. Many of our brothers have died at their hands. I don't think the Others would be willing."
"When a common enemy appears, former enemies can become allies," Viserys said. "Otherwise, when the Others truly march south, the Wildlings will become a new batch of dead soldiers, used to attack the Wall."
Mormont fell into deep thought.
Viserys continued, "Additionally, regarding 'dark sister'..."
"That sword is Beyond the Wall," Maester Aemon said. "It originally belonged to Lord Brynden. He came to the Wall with me. Unfortunately, during a mission, he took the sword Beyond the Wall and never returned."
Mormont also looked at him. "You want that sword? But that would be like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"Yes," Viserys nodded. "valyrian steel can kill the Others, so every extra blade helps. Moreover, this sword is a symbol of our family. I must retrieve it. I hope you can tell me the location where Brynden was last seen."
Maester Aemon turned his head toward Mormont and nodded slowly, indicating his agreement. After all, the details of this matter were a secret within the Night's Watch.
"Very well." Mormont stood up. "I will tell you, Your Majesty. But I must make it clear: the Night's Watch report on that incident stated they searched for a long time and found nothing."
"I understand," Viserys said. "But I have my own ways."
After this, Viserys decided to take a look atop the Wall. Since he had come all this way, he definitely had to see it for himself and leave a mark.
He didn't choose to fly up on Ghidorah but instead boarded the Wall's lift cage with Benjen. As the winch turned, the wooden cage rose slowly; it took quite some time to reach a height of seven hundred feet. Looking out from the cage, Castle Black gradually shrank, and almost the entire Gift came into view.
Upon reaching the top, the view suddenly opened up.
North of the Wall was a boundless snowy forest, the Haunted Forest. Stretching further north, one could see the silhouette of the Frostfangs, the end of the known world. The cold wind howled above, carrying the frigid air from Beyond the Wall. Even though it was midsummer, the temperature here was bone-chillingly low.
He stood up there and took a piss, then went back down. Fortunately, he had magic to protect him. He really wondered how The Imp in the original story didn't end up frozen.
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