The war-wagon exercise concluded, leaving the air thick with the scent of charred wood and wet earth. Aldric directed his staff to settle the Brotherhood Without Banners into the newly built brick barracks. Soon after, he, Lady Stoneheart, Harwin, and Rand entered a small command tent that served as a temporary solar.
Before stepping inside, Kevin pulled Aldric aside, speaking in hushed, urgent tones. He explained the hollow creature that now led the Brotherhood—a mother brought back from the grave by the Lightning Lord's final spark.
Aldric watched the hunched, hooded figure take a seat. It was hard to reconcile this silent specter with the elegant Duchess of the North he had met in Robb Stark's camp. After the tea was poured, Aldric looked at the shadow beneath her hood.
"Lady Catelyn," he began softly. "Sandor Clegane spoke of the Red Wedding. A black day for the Trident. An atrocity that will not be forgotten."
Lady Stoneheart slowly lowered her hood. The skin of her face was a mottled, grey-green ruin. Her voice was a dry rasp, a sound that seemed to come from a throat filled with gravel. "Catelyn Stark died at the Twins. I am but a ghost seeking a hearth, Commander Cerese."
Riverrun was under siege, and Winterfell was a blackened shell claimed by the Ironborn. For this woman who had crawled out of hell, the world held no other home.
"You are welcome here," Aldric said, his expression solemn. "St. Maur's Monastery will serve as your sanctuary. It will remain safe for as long as I draw breath."
Stoneheart offered a slow, stiff nod.
Rand took the opportunity to steer the conversation toward their purpose. "Lightbringer, Lord Beric Dondarrion left a final command. He wished for us to join the Golden Dawn. We come to offer our swords."
"If it was Beric's wish, I have no reason to refuse," Aldric replied. He knew the Brotherhood was a hardened force, fueled by a rare conviction. Their presence would provide the Golden Dawn with the veteran experience it desperately lacked.
"Master," Kevin interjected, "will you dismantle their ranks?"
Aldric looked at the Brotherhood leaders. "Their strength lies in their unity. To break them apart now would be a fool's errand. Chief Harwin, Captain Rand—you will maintain your command. But understand this: as part of the Dawn, your discipline and your goals must align with our Sun. You will rest, you will re-arm, and you will train with my Praetorians. We integrate as brothers, not as captives."
Harwin exhaled, a visible weight lifting from his shoulders. "That is more than fair, My Lord."
Stoneheart's red eyes fixed on Aldric. "And House Frey? Kevin says you seek to topple the Lords. Will you destroy the Crossing?"
Aldric met her gaze without flinching. "The Freys are oath-breakers and butchers. They will face the Light's justice. But the Dawn is still a rising sun, not a noon-day fire. We lack the strength to storm the Twins today. When we march West, I promise you, their towers will not be spared."
After the leaders were shown to their quarters, Kevin remained behind. He saw the flicker of doubt in his teacher's eyes.
"She accepted the merger too easily," Aldric muttered. "She didn't scream for Bolton blood or demand I march for the Twins tomorrow. That is not the Catelyn Stark I remember."
"Death changes a person, Master," Kevin said. "Perhaps she simply has nowhere else to turn."
"Perhaps." Aldric pushed the thought aside. "What else happened on the road?"
Kevin told him of the Goodbrook soldiers and the murder of Brother Morgan. He described the "trial" at the roadside.
Aldric's face darkened. "Morgan was a good man. I shouldn't have let the Friars go out alone before we were ready to shield them. We will meet tonight. Every Sunwalker in the camp. We discuss the safety of the Word."
Kevin nodded, then remembered another detail. "I heard you've taken a new student? A boy from the Street of Steel?"
"Gendry," Aldric said. "He was Tobho Mott's best hand. He has the soul of a smith. You and Jon have no interest in the forge, and it would be a crime to let my craft die with me. Gendry will manage our production. He will be your spine while you and Jon serve as the sword."
Kevin's eyes lit up. "If he's that good, can I ask him for a new blade? I gave Ellie to Jon for his journey to Braavos. I'm carrying a scavenger's scrap-iron now."
"Jon went to Braavos?" Aldric sighed. "I hope the boy finds his way home. Saltpans is a dangerous port these days; the Mummers ransacked it recently."
Aldric's gaze drifted to a map of the North. "Saltpans is more than just a port. It is our gate. Kevin, do you remember what I saw at the Wall? The walking dead?"
Kevin shivered. "I remember. The chill that doesn't leave the bone."
"The oracle I received before I came here spoke of a threat from the North," Aldric said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "That threat isn't a Lord or a King. It is a battle between the living and the dead. If the Wall falls, sailing North from Saltpans is the only way to meet them. But we aren't ready."
"You speak as if you'll go alone," Kevin said, his voice rising in alarm.
"If the dead march, I will lead a squadron of Sunwalkers to buy you time," Aldric said, placing a heavy hand on Kevin's shoulder. "The Lannisters and Starks will keep cutting each other's throats while the Night King approaches. They won't help us. You are my eldest student, Kevin. If I am lost in the frost, it will fall to you to make the Riverlands an impregnable fortress of Light. Can I trust you to hold the sun aloft?"
Kevin stood tall, his eyes mirroring the golden resolve of his Master. "As long as I draw breath, the Gods Eye will not fall. You will always have a hearth to return to."