At this moment, Viserys, atop the dragon's back, felt an invisible magic shrouding the area ahead, and he knew they were almost there.
Looking down at the little girl who was already somewhat out of breath, Viserys descended from Ghidorah's back, intending to accompany her through this final stretch of the journey.
Seeing Viserys come down to join her, Ygritte felt a sense of joy; after all, she was already quite frightened, but having Viserys by her side made her feel much better.
Ghidorah followed alone in the sky, her massive shadow occasionally sweeping back and forth over their heads. Ygritte was clearly very curious about the dragon, frequently looking up to stare.
"Does she really listen to you?" Ygritte couldn't help but ask.
"Ghidorah is very intelligent; she has her own thoughts," Viserys explained. "However, there is a connection between us; she is my companion."
"The Free Folk have animal companions too," Ygritte said. "Wolves, eagles, even snow bears and mammoths. But none of them can compare to a dragon."
"Where exactly are we going?" Ygritte looked at Viserys beside her and couldn't help but ask again, her voice kept very low. "There are bad things here. The elders say this is the domain of the Singers of the Forest; we shouldn't have come in."
"Have you forgotten the dragon above? Besides, we are here specifically to meet the Children of the Forest," Viserys replied briefly.
He could already feel eyes watching them from the depths of the woods. It was likely the Greenseer using the eyes on the weirwood tree to observe them.
Finally, the Three-Eyed Crow landed on an exceptionally thick weirwood tree. There was a cave there, partially obscured by vines and roots; it was extremely narrow at first, barely wide enough for a person to pass, but after walking dozens of steps, it suddenly opened up into a spacious area.
The cave was no longer made of soil and roots, but of some kind of smooth, shimmering white stone, like polished limestone. The light came from a type of glowing moss growing in the cracks of the stone.
The air inside was very warm, as if completely isolated from the cold air outside. After passing through the passage, they finally entered a cavern.
In the center of the cavern, several massive weirwood tree roots burst from the ground, twisted and intertwined, occupying nearly half of the cavern's area.
In the center of those coiled roots, a human face was vaguely formed, more vivid than the ones carved into the trunks outside. Where the eyes should be on that face were two deep red burls.
Beside that face stood several short figures.
Seeing the scene before her, Ygritte gasped in fright and hid directly behind Viserys.
Those were indeed the Children of the Forest. Their height only reached the chest of a normal human, and their skin was like cracked bark, making them look like wooden puppets. Large black eyes occupied half of their faces.
They wore simple clothing woven from leaves and bark, and held obsidian daggers or short spears made of bone. There were four of them in total, standing there silently, watching the visitors warily with their black eyes.
"Welcome, Viserys, we meet again." The root-face "spoke," the voice echoing in the minds of Viserys and Ygritte simultaneously. Ygritte trembled all over in fear, her face turning pale as she tightly hugged Viserys's arm from behind.
"You arrived faster than I expected," the Greenseer continued. "It seems that over these years, you have gained significant opportunities, and you are sharper than before, as well as harder to peer into."
"I don't like being pulled into illusions at will," Viserys said bluntly. "Especially by those with ill intentions."
"Rest assured, I have found a new heir now, so you need not worry about that. I believe we can still engage in other forms of cooperation."
Viserys went straight to the point. "Let's skip the small talk—where is the sword?"
A Child of the Forest stepped forward, holding a longsword in both hands. The blade was slender, and even in the dim light, its extraordinary material was evident—it was dark valyrian steel, with ripples like smoke flowing across it.
The hilt was made of black dragonbone, wrapped in a layer of leather, and the crossguard was simple and elegant, inlaid with a ruby. It was indeed the ancestral valyrian steel sword of the Targaryen family, dark sister.
Viserys took the sword; it felt warm in his hand, and he could feel a faint magical resonance within the blade.
"The sword has been given to you," the Greenseer's voice came again. "However, I must still tell you some things. First, the Others have appeared; they are gathering an army of wights in the Far North. And based on their current actions, they seem to be searching for the 'Horn of Winter,' that ancient artifact capable of blowing down the Wall."
But seeing Viserys show no reaction upon hearing these words, it could only awkwardly continue speaking.
"However, the Children of the Forest are currently monitoring them, but our numbers are too few to watch everyone. Secondly, the Long Night is coming; the timing is not yet fully ripe, but magic is returning. When the red comet streaks across the sky, that will be the true turning point."
"The red comet?" Viserys spoke up, finally appearing interested. He wanted to see if the Greenseer could say more about the red comet; after all, he only knew it was a signal for the return of magic, but was unclear about other details, as the original series hadn't elaborated.
Unfortunately, it didn't seem to notice Viserys's intent or didn't want to say more, directly changing the subject, which left Viserys speechless.
"Finally, I hope that when the army of the dead truly marches south, you and your dragon can come to the Wall to fight for the survival of the world of the living." The Greenseer stopped speaking after that, those two burls appearing as if they were staring at Viserys, waiting to see what answer he would give.
However, Viserys did not answer this question, instead saying, "Is that all you wanted to say? Then we shall see each other again when the opportunity arises."
After saying that, he directly took Ygritte's hand and left the cave. He had no desire to communicate with these riddle-mongers anymore; speaking in half-truths was truly irritating.
If its original body were here now, Viserys would definitely have Ghidorah breathe a blast of gravity beams down to finish it off.
The face on the weirwood tree seemed to dim. It looked at Viserys's departing back with some helplessness. After all, it had no way to deal with the Night King on its own, and unfortunately, it now had no idea what Viserys's true intentions were.
This meeting thus came to a hasty conclusion.
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