If you want to help me financially, you can do it on https://www.patreon.com/NeverluckySMILE
The red jewel above her pulsed, and Dany felt a wave of…pain. Pure unadulterated pain raced through her. She wanted to scream. To fight. She fought against that which held her, and she felt it give slightly. Then the pain returned tenfold and all she could feel was the fire racing through her veins. Time lost meaning to her. Yet when the pain finally passed, she felt…exhausted. Like she'd run for days through the Red Wastes without pause or water.
"Droga…Rhaego…" she said weakly, staring at her two children.
Smiling again, Pyat laid a hand on Droga's cage. "Your daughter will sustain us. Your son, however, will become one with us. He shall be the greatest of us. When the time comes, he too shall feast upon you both. Do not fight, Mother of Dragons. The more you struggle against our hunger, the more pain you experience. And it is a shame to see such a beauty as yourself suffer so. Yet… In the end, this is your fault. Had you simply come when called, and had you willingly accepted the Undying's offer to sit at their table…then such suffering would not be necessary."
Droga gave off a cry of agony, and Dany turned towards her daughter to see her fighting against the chains that were keeping her wings pinned. Hearing the cries of the small dragon, Rhaego stirred. Seeing the unfamiliar face of Pyat Pree, her son started to squirm as much as he could while giving off a cry. Seeing her two children cry and writhe in pain caused something to snap within Dany. She'd been angry before; at her brother and at the witch who killed her husband most notably. But this, this was something different. She was angry, angrier than she had ever been in her life. But she was also…calm. Calmer than she had any right to be. This man… These things… They dared to try and hurt her children! She…would make…them…suffer!
A wave of air rushed through the hall, disturbing dust that had not moved for years. Pyat looked about wildly, his eyes wide in confusion. But Dany didn't care. She could feel the Force filling her. Chaos and serenity. A raging river flowing alongside a calm breeze. Power. Pure power, unlike any she had ever felt rushed through her as she rose to her feet. The bindings that held her in place flared, as did the pain. But both were but nuisances before her. With barely a thought, she banished both from her as she stood to her full height.
For the briefest of moments, Pyat Pree stood before her with wide eyes, seemingly unable to comprehend that she had managed to rise from her bindings. He made to move, to do what she didn't know, nor did she care. Before he could do anything, she sent him flying with naught but a flick of her wrist. The man's screams of pain echoed through the hall as his back slammed hard against the wall, several of his bones breaking from the impact. But while Pyat was sent flying, Rhaego remained where he was, floating in the air as Dany held her son in place with the Force. With a twitch of her fingers, Rhaego floated back towards her waiting arms, her young son smiling and laughing the moment he was back in her arms.
With her son in her arms, Dany turned to her daughter. Placing Rhaego in her left arm, she held her right hand above the iron cage. The cage shook for just a moment before the top gave way, each bar bending backwards like a blooming flower. And as the cage was opened, so too did the chains holding Droga fall away, letting her daughter scamper out of the cage, her little wings extending as she did so that she could glide down from the table to where Pyat Pree was laying, moaning in agony on the ground.
The would-be magician tilted his head up just high enough to see Droga standing before him, her daughter hissing in anger at the one who'd dared imprison her, the one who dared to try and harm her mother, her brother. He would pay. And Dany would not deny her daughter her vengeance. "You tried to take my son, my daughter from me, Pyat Pree," Dany said calmly, looking down in hatred at the broken man before her. "Now…You shall pay for trying to take my children from me. Droga…Dracarys."
Droga's snake-like head tilted back as she hissed and coughed. She felt smug satisfaction from Pyat as her daughter blew smoke from her mouth. No doubt thinking that Droga could not yet produce any flames. But that sense of satisfaction quickly died as Droga roared as loud as she could, and produced a small stream of flames directly into the face of Pyat Pree. Droga was young, and her flames were not yet ready to melt stone. But they were still more than hot enough to burn the would-be sorcerer. Pyat Pree screamed and tried to move, but his broken bones kept him from moving far as Droga let out one stream of fire after another, making sure that she scorched every part of the man who tried to harm her.
All too soon, Pyat's screams of agony ended as the fire consumed him. "Come, Droga," she said, calling out to her daughter who obediently ran to her ankles.
She was ready to leave this place behind, but as she turned, she caught sight of the glowing red jewel that adorned the top of the chair she'd been bound too. She could feel…something with it. A…A resonance? Like an echo. But she could also hear…voices. Muddled. Whispers jumbled together. Dozens of voices speaking at once and being lost within each other. But most of all, when she stared at the jewel, she felt…hunger. Not for food…but…hunger was the only word she could use to describe what she was sensing from the jewel. Glancing around the room; the dead, the rotting…the piles of trinkets covered in dust…even the still decaying corpse of what was once a small child. She realized something. These Undying Pyat Pree spoke of the apparitions that she saw. They feasted on those like her. Like Jon. Like Master Nox. Like the Dragon Lords of Old. And she could not let this continue.
Taking a few steps back, Dany slowly placed Rhaego on the ground. Droga looked from her brother to Dany, curiosity clear in its eyes. "I can't leave it like this, my daughter," she said, petting Droga on the head before stepping towards the glowing red stone. "Stay back with your brother."
Stepping up, she raised her hand, palm pointed towards the red jewel. The moment she reached out through the Force, she was nearly physically forced back as the jewel responded. Dozens of voices screaming, growling in hunger. They – They weren't a part of the jewel. But rather they were almost…tied to it. Using it like an anchor to try and hold onto something. But even though they weren't present in the jewel…. she felt their hunger. Starvation. Thirst. But not for food nor drink. It was…unbearable.
Trying not to focus on the sensation, she pushed harder, trying to find what was holding them to the jewel. But the deeper she pressed, the worse the sensations became. It was almost to the point where she was physically doubled over from the pain they were feeling. And she could hear their voices. Dozens of screaming, agonizing voices that called out to her… No, at the feast she represented them. The further she pressed, the clearer the voices became. They were offering her everything she wanted; health, age unending, her dreams fulfilled, even her husband brought back to her. No matter the promises offered, Dany rejected them by keeping her silence. Then the anger came. Rage like an inferno that she countered with a calm stream of water. As the inferno died, she felt the second, calmer, more insidious presence trying to take small bites from her. To this, she countered with rage unadulterated. A burning inferno that dried the steam of calm and sent it fleeing and screaming.
The battle raged; rage, peace, hatred, love…everything the spirits through the jewel threw at her she countered with he opposite. She could feel the sweat pouring down her face and down her body as she fought a war of wills against the Undying of Qarth, searching for that which held them tethered. Finally, she found it. The chain that held them. The moment she reached it, the voices ceased before erupting. There was no attempt to stop her. Only pleas for her to stop. Promises to fulfill her greatest desires…but they were all lies. Grasping the anchor within the jewel, she poured in everything she had. The chain held for just a moment before it shattered beneath her power. The voices screamed in a new agony as she felt them being…torn apart by a torrent beyond anything she had ever thought possible. Their screams lasted for a seeming eternity before ceasing. Leaving her in only the quiet of the chamber. Opening her eyes, she looked at the jewel. It was no longer red. It was now white…an almost pure white that was glowing with warmth.
"Dany!"
Had she the energy, Dany would have jumped and perhaps yelled. But as it was, she could only turn tiredly towards where the voice came from. "Jon," she breathed, seeing her nephew standing but a few paces from her.
Even though she could see him, she didn't fully trust his presence, not after everything she'd just been through. So, to reassure herself, she reached through the bond she shared with him. Thankfully, she very quickly could tell that that Jon that was standing before her was indeed her family and not some illusion. Letting out a breath of relief, she sank down till she was squatting next to her son and daughter on the ground.
"Dany," she heard Jon say again as he approached her. "What in the Seven Hells is going on? Our bond went…muddy. Then…Then nothing. I've been trying to reach out to you but…but it was like the Wall itself was standing between us."
Finally getting herself under control, Dany gathered her son and daughter up into her arms and stood up. Rhaego burped and giggled, while Droga scrambled up to her shoulders, her eyes looking around frantically trying to find just who her mother was talking to. Not that she would be able to. "I think it's…this place," Dany responded, waving her hand around her.
Jon looked around, but she knew that he couldn't see what she could. "And here is…?"
"The House of the Undying in Qarth." That drew a sharp look from Jon. "I take it that…that Master Nox told you about them?"
"Aye," Jon nodded as he looked around, she had no idea where he was, but she could swear she saw snow on his heavy furs.
"And…what has he told you?" Dany asked.
"Nothing good."
Both Dany and Jon jumped at the sudden third voice that joined them. Standing just beside them was none other than their shared Master, Master Nox. "Master…Master Nox?" Jon stated, looking around, clearly confused. "How – How can you…?"
"You – You can see him as well?" Dany asked, just as confused as Jon. She knew how this…bond of theirs worked. It was just between her and Jon. No one else.
"Before you start to speculate, I am here, yet I am not." Nox replied cryptically. "I cannot see the two of you standing side by side. But I am with each of you."
"How?" Jon pressed, staring towards their shared Master in magic.
Instead of answering, Lord Nox merely waved his hand towards the table and its rotten contents. Frowning, Dany walked closer to the table, inspecting each item that was sitting on it. It was towards the far end of the table that she found it. A trinket shaped as a candle, made of black glass. Valyrian glass. "A Valyrian Glass Candle?" Dany exclaimed, looking over to Jon and Lord Nox just in time to watch as Lord Nox reached down to his belt and pulled out a similar glass candle that could've easily been mistaken for a dagger at his waist.
"As I told you before," Lord Nox explained, putting his own glass candle back into the small sheath on his hip. "Your ancestors' ability to manipulate the Force was incredible, even by my own people's standards. But despite their abilities, they failed to truly realize the full potential of their creations."
Blinking, Dany picked up the glass candle from the table with her free hand. It was lighter than she expected. "But what is a Valyrian Glass Candle doing here?"
"Why do you think it is here?" Lord Nox questioned in a tone that Dany recognized, and by the look on Jon's face one that he recognized as well. It was the tone of one about to give a lecture.
Frowning, Dany thought back on everything she knew about the House of the Undying and her ancestors. "The…The warlock that led me here by taking my children…He said that the Undying would…feast on me. That they'd captured Dragon Lords before to feast upon. And that these…Undying were starving. But the Undying were…spirits. I thought he meant that they would…feast on my body. But…But maybe that wasn't what they ate. Maybe it was…the Force?"
"Very good, Daenerys," Lord Nox congratulated her. "Ever since I found a reference to the House of the Undying in a tome we took from the ruins of Valyria, I have been curious about these Warlocks and the Masters they serve. I had my suspicions as to what they were, but without seeing them myself I could not confirm my suspicions. Until now that is. Now that I am here, even if it is just a projection of myself and even with my attention split between here and where Jon and I are, I can easily tell what these 'Undying' were."
"Were they spirits like…like the one you destroyed in Valyria?" Jon pressed, the mere thought of which made Dany tense in fear and clutch her son tighter to her chest.
"In a way, yes. But also no." Lord Nox explained. "Like the one who caused the destruction of Valyria, these Undying were once mortal beings who sought power. However, unlike the case in Valyria, these Undying cannibalized the Force energy from anything and everything around them. Sentient or not, living or not. Eventually they became a Wound in the Force, unable to sate their hunger for Force Energy and so they began feasting, and feasting, devouring the Force endlessly to sate that which could no longer be sated. I've only ever read about one case similar to this…a Sith Lord by the name of Darth Nihilus. Thankfully, even combined these Undying do not hold a candle against the likes of Darth Nihilus. If they were even close to being equal to him…then this entire world would've been swallowed centuries ago as these creatures attempted to sate their hunger for the Force."
The mere thought of facing a being not only similar, but far more powerful, than the Undying of Qarth was…unsettling to say the least. "But Nihilus is gone. As are the Undying… Impressive, Daenerys Targaryen. For one of your age, and with such limited instruction, to be able to take these beings down. I am impressed. Not to mention that you managed to purify a corrupted kyber crystal at the same time. Your strength, your skill, and your mind are not one of an Acolyte. You are indeed at the level of an Apprentice."
Pride swelled within her. During her first few lessons with Master Nox, he had taken his time in explaining the hierarchy of those he called Sith. The lowest were Acolytes. Then Apprentices. Then Lords or Ladies. Then lastly Darth. And the rise in ranks was not given, but rather earned. Something Dany respected and admired. For Lord Nox to acknowledge that she was powerful and skillful enough to rise in rank in his eyes with so little formal training…Dany felt…proud.
"Master," Jon said slowly. "If you're making Dany an Apprentice…then does that mean—?"
"Yes."
Jon's brow furrowed, leaving Dany to stare confusedly at the two men before her. "But… How are you going to g—?"
"Daenerys. Do you still have the scepter that I gifted to you for your wedding to your late husband?"
"I – I do," Dany nodded, having to think back quickly to remember if it was one of the few items of value she'd taken with her after Drogo died.
"Good," Nox nodded. "The ornate head you can do whatever you want with. The jewels, silver, and gold that went into its construction should fetch a decent price. What you want, and need, is the shaft of the scepter. You will know it when you see it. Take this crystal with you as well. My guess is that the Undying used it as an anchor of sorts, not fully understanding just what they had. But now that it has been purified and the lingering presences of the Undying purged from within, it will serve you well once you combine it with what I gifted you."
Not fully understanding what was going on, but willing to trust her Master and Jon, Dany reached out and called for the crystal that was imbedded into the back of the chair. She could feel a…resonance with it. Calming. Soothing. Whatever was holding the crystal to the chair held out for only a moment before breaking, letting the thumb sized jewel fly into her waiting hand. "Is there anything else I should take, Master Nox?"
Master Nox turned in a slow circle, his sightless eyes seeing far more than she could ever hope too. "The candle will serve you well, if nothing more than as a means to contact myself until you figure out how to set up your own network of them. And over there, just beyond that door." Nox said, pointing to a mildew covered door near the back of the room. "Take what you can. These idiots have no need for it. Jon, we have to get moving. The cold here does no favors to those who stand still."
Their shared Master disappeared as soon as he was done talking, leaving her and Jon standing together in the room with naught but the dead to keep them company. At least from her side of their bond. "Take care of yourself Dany," Jon said to her as the bond between them began to dim once more as his image began to fade from her sight. "And if you need any help with what to do with the crystal when you find what Master Nox sent you, I'll help guide you in what needs to be done."
"Thank you, Jon," she said, meaning every word. "And take care of yourself…You might not carry our name…but you are our future in Westeros."
And then he was gone, leaving her alone with her children.
Shifting Rhaego again, Dany made her way to the far side of the room, towards the door Lord Nox had indicated. As she drew closer, she could see that the door was slightly out of place when compared to the rest of the room. Mainly since it was not completely covered in a thick layer of dust or mold. And the rot that'd taken hold on most of the wooden surfaces of the room seemed absent. There were what looked like fresh grooves on the floor from where the door had been opened. Not even bothering to check if she could open the door with her hand, she reached out with the Force and tore the door, and its frame, out of the stone wall and threw it across the room.
What laid beyond the door nearly made her jaw drop. There were over a dozen chests within the room, each easily larger than any traveling chest she had or ever had, were scattered within the room. Gold, silver, and precious stones overflowing from each. Everything here was… It was far more than she had ever seen in her entire life! And it was just sitting here, gathering dust. 'I suppose the dead have no need for coin or jewels,' she pondered, glancing over her shoulder towards the still smoldering remains of Pyat Pree and the dead sitting around the table. 'Even more so now. And they did try and take my children from me. I guess this will be…adequate reparation for their actions in taking my children and…and murdering my friend.'
Looking over the chests, she reached out with the Force and lifted what she thought was the fullest of those in the room. She frowned as the weight of the chest fought against her lifting, but through the Force she was far stronger than ever. Once the chest was a foot's length clear of the floor, she raised a second. Then a third. As she started to raise the fourth, the strain through the Force almost became too much for her to handle as the first three chests lowered slightly to the ground. 'So, four it is then,' she frowned, doing all she could to keep the chests from scraping along the ground while staring at the remaining chests. 'These will have to do. For now.'
Turning with Rhaego in her arms and Droga on her shoulders, Dany began the slow walk back down the path she'd taken with the four chests following diligently behind her like pack horses, pausing only for a moment to grab the glass candle off the table and throwing it into one of the less full chests before using the Force to pull the…kyber crystal she believed Master Nox called it, free from its place in the back of the chair and pocketing it on her person. Entering the long hallway, she prepared herself for the inevitable long walk before her, but to her utmost surprise, she found that the hallway was not long at all. All the doors that'd been lining either side of the hall were gone. And now less than a dozen paces at best separated Dany from the end of the hall. Not one to curse her sudden change in fortune, Dany quickly crossed the distance and entered the oval room that laid just beyond the entrance. As she made her way towards the path she knew would lead her out, she began to feel the weight of the chests truly starting to take hold as she had to stop more than once to focus on lifting the chests higher to keep them from scraping on the ground.
'Perhaps I need to train like this more often,' she mused, ignoring the sweat running down her face as she pressed on. 'I remember Master Nox and Jon mentioning training like this before, meditating while holding rocks heavier than a man aloft. I never had the chance to do such exercises amongst the Dothraki. But now, if I'm to truly bring back the Valyrian Empire, I need as much power as I can get.'
In seemingly no time at all, the darkened passages widened and brightened, as she stepped out through the maw that led into the House of the Undying. Though it wasn't the brightness of the sun that greeted her, as she'd expected. But rather the light of a dozen torches, each carried by her bloodriders, handmaidens, and khalasar that'd followed her to the House of the Undying. Ser Jorah was the first to spot her, the old bear nearly dropping his torch as he rushed forward as she emerged from the maw.
"Khaleesi!" His cry drew the attention of the rest of her people, each of whom stopped what they were doing as they rushed her. "Khaleesi, are you—?"
"I am as well as can be expected, Ser Jorah," Dany said, using the Force to bring forth the four chests and laid them out before her. "I apologize for making you all worry. I was not expecting my…time with the House of the Undying to take until sundown."
The members of her khalasar all looked at each other before turning back to her. "Forgive us, Khaleesi," Irri said slowly. "But it has not been just till the sun rested since you entered the House of Undying. This is the third night since you entered the maw, Khaleesi."
'Three? Three nights since I entered the House of the Undying?' The thought was unnerving to say the least. And the mere mention of just how long she'd spent amongst the Undying seemed to catch her body up to this fact. Almost immediately, her legs felt weak, her eyes heavy, the chests that she'd been carrying dropped heavily to the ground, and her belly rumbled with hunger and thirst.
Just barely able to keep herself upright, she was immediately grateful as Ser Jorah stepped forward and held out his hand, not necessarily to catch her, but rather to offer support. "Thank you," she mumbled, laying a hand on the older man's shoulder, and doing all she could to hide just how much support she was taking from the Old Bear. Despite being her people, she did not like showing weakness before them. "Rakharo. Jhogo. Aggo. See to the chests and bring them back to the manse of Xaro. Guard them with all you have. They have what we need to see us start fully on the path towards the future Khal Drogo and I saw for our people."
Her blood riders didn't question her orders, they merely nodded and commanded a few others to aid them in carrying the chests. In the end, it took four men per chest in order to carry them. Something that greatly surprised Dany, considering she carried them herself through the House of the Undying. Perhaps she wasn't nearly as weak as she thought herself to be.
"Khaleesi," Ser Jorah said lowly, still close beside her, ready to give aid at moment's notice. "Where did…?"
"The warlocks of Qarth…saw the errors of their ways in taking my children from me," she said plainly, fighting to keep her exhaustion from showing as she once again walked with her head held high through the darkened streets of Qarth. "These chests are…reparations from the warlocks for their actions. And that is all I will say on the matter. Now come. I, and my children, need rest after what we just went through."
Staring out through the Force over the last remnants of the Frostfangs, Nox stared out at what lay beyond. The Lands of Always Winter. A place that even few of the Free Folk dared to tread and a place the Night's Watch avoided like a plague. A land that was far enough north towards this world's northern pole that it was always cold enough to have standing snow. And, if rumor was to be believed, the land were the Others and their army of the dead had retreated to after being pushed back by Bran the Builder and his alliance of First Men, Children of the Forest, and giants. Yet even though he could 'see' the land, it would take them days, if not a week or more by foot, to actually reach the end of the Frostfangs and go past where all the maps ended.
Glancing behind him, Nox watched critically as those with him broke camp and prepared to keep moving. They'd been searching for weeks for any sign of the Others or their Wights, and so far they have come up empty. They'd found a number of settlements where there were obvious signs of a struggle. However, at each location, they failed to find even a single corpse. They found tents, furs, everything that was worth its weight in gold to the Free Folk was just left lying about. Yet not a single body, warm or cold, had been found. To Nox and the Free Folk, that was all the evidence that was needed to prove that the Others were out there, adding to their army and preparing their invasion of the south. But Nox knew, as annoying as it was to admit, that he could not get the south to muster unless he had proof of his claims. Without it, then those narrow-minded fools would sit idly in their keeps until the Others and their Wights were literally climbing their walls.
There was only one last place to look before they turned from heading west to heading north, and that was a lone valley that lay nestled in the Frostback Mountains just shy of the lands of always winter. The valley was covered in a seemingly perpetual fog. Normally such a fog would not last for long as the sun rose, but due to their location the sun never truly reached high in the sky, leaving the land in an almost perpetual state of early morning sunrise into a quick sunset and night. The Free Folk, at least the few who knew of this place, had come to call it the Valley of Fog, truly a clever name. But if Nox was trying to hide something, or someone, this would be the place he would do it from. And given that his ability to sense through the Force was becoming distorted, despite the shroud he sensed not gaining in strength, he had a feeling that they would find something ahead.
"Master, everything is packed and the men are ready to move."
Nodding, Nox didn't turn towards his Apprentice, preferring instead to keep facing the Valley of Fog below. "Tell me, Jon, what do you sense?"
He could feel his Apprentice try and reach out through the Force before quickly pulling back in on himself. "It's…strange, Master. Whenever I reach out to the valley, it…it just feels wrong. Not bad…and not like hitting a wall. It's as if my senses become…uncertain? Like looking at my reflection in the hot springs water just after someone jumped in. And…And I can't help but feel like we're being watched."
"That's because we are my Apprentice," Nox answered, causing Jon's lightsaber to immediately drop into his hand as Jon readied himself for a fight. "Put that away. Someone…or several someones at least has been following us for the past few days. They're very, very good at hiding themselves and they're staying far enough away to prevent us from seeing or even sensing them… But they cannot hide themselves completely."
"The White Walkers?"
Nox shook his head. "No. If it was them, they would have attacked us in our sleep. This is something, or someone else. And I bet that we'll get our answer as to just who or what they are down in that valley."
"Then who, Master?"
Nox had his suspicions, but he would not give them a voice until he was sure of them. "We will find out soon enough," he said, motioning towards those that were following them. "Let's get moving. And watch your footing. It's a long way down if you misstep."
Nox hadn't been exaggerating when he'd said that either. It took their group from sunup until nearly sundown to make their way down the mountain side, navigating the mountain sides as best they could without any discernible pathway leading down. And as they descended into the mist, Nox felt a spike of uncertainty from the Force. This fog was not completely natural. Someone, or something, was sustaining it. No. They were doing more than that.
Holding up his hand to signal the others to stop, Nox motioned one of the Free Folk forward and took the length of rope they carried off of them and began to unwind it. "Everyone keep hold of this," he said, taking the front end as the rest of their group fell in line with the rope. "Trust nothing that you see or hear in the mist. Always keep your eyes forward and do not let go of this rope. If you do…then death will be a mercy."
"Master?" Jon asked, taking his place just behind him with Ygritte and Benjen falling in line just behind him. Archon let out a small cry of uncertainty from its place on Jon's shoulders. The little dragon's head darting to and fro trying to peer into the depths of the mist. And even Ghost seemed on edge as the normally quiet direwolf was growling lowly and staying close to Jon.
"This mist is not completely natural," Nox explained. "A powerful Force user, or perhaps several weaker ones, are not only sustaining this mist, but they are making a hallucinogen to those of a weak mind."
As if to prove his point, one of the Night's Watch near the rear of the line shouted a woman's name into the mist before dropping the rope and running as fast as he could after whatever he saw. "Stop, you fool!" Benjen shouted, about to take after the man, only to stop as Nox held him in place with the Force.
"Let him go," Nox said coldly, only letting go of the First Ranger once he was sure the man wasn't about to take off. "Either by cold, a fall, or by the wilds of the north that man is now a dead man. The only thing you will succeed in doing by going after him is adding your corpse to his. Now let's move."
Dusk had set in well by the time the ground started leveling out underneath their feet. They had lost one more since entering the fog, a Free Folk woman who saw something in the mist that had her running and screaming into the darkness before her voice cut out without warning. And as the ground leveled out and became softer, Nox and the others were treated to a site that none of them were truly expecting. "Weirwoods," Ygritte breathed, staring at the white tree with blood red leaves before them. "There…There be dozens of them…"
"More." Nox replied.
There were more weirwoods here than there were on the Isle of Faces by a long shot. While many in the North and those amongst the Free Folk would consider this place holy ground, to Nox it was an irritant. The weirwoods acted as conduits for the Force, amplifying it. Which was normally a good thing. But there was such a thing as too much of a good thing. With dozens, perhaps hundreds…or even a whole woodland full of weirwoods the Force was singing to such a degree that it was practically screaming in Nox's ears and blinding his Force sight. He had to purposefully pull his senses to the point where he could barely see or sense a few paces around him to keep the noise in his head just short of pain.
"Master," Jon said lowly, his Apprentice clearly fighting against a pain of his own with just how much raw Force was flowing through this specific location.
"Pull your senses in almost completely," Nox ordered, an order which his Apprentice followed immediately, gaining a relieved expression as he did so.
"To think such a grove existed…and so far to the north," Benjen commented, walking up to one of the weirwood and placing his hand against its white bark in a moment of reverence. "There are tales of perhaps one or two such groves in the North, but none have truly been found. Outside of the godswoods, it was well thought that the Isle of the Faces was the last weirwood grove."
"The true gods still hold strength here in the true north Stark," Ygritte said, though even her cocky attitude was diminished slightly as she took in the sight of so many weirwoods so close together. "This…This be a holy place just like those fancy septs the southerners are always prayin at."
"And it is not devoid of occupants." Nox said, coming to an abrupt stop. Even with his senses pulled in to just the immediate area to keep himself from being overwhelmed, he was still able to sense when one, or rather several, eyes were watching him. "Are you lot just going to keep hiding behind your trees and mist? Or are you finally going to come out and greet us like civilized folk?"
There was a faint rustling in the woods, causing all of the Free Folk and Black Brothers to ready themselves for a fight. But Nox merely held out his hand to stop them from doing anything rash. Even with his senses dulled to the point of almost nonexistence, he could not sense malice coming from those that were hiding amongst the trees, only curiosity and…hope?
A few hushed whispers later, and a small figure stepped out from behind one of the trees. It was…an oddity. It was clearly a female humanoid figure with ashen skin and hair that looked more reminiscent of branches and leaves and hair. And she was also little more than half as tall as Nox, putting her barely the size of a child. Yet he could tell that this little creature was powerful and old, despite her size and look. There was only one such creature on this world that Nox knew of that matched this creature.
All around him, the Free Folk and brothers alike took a collective intake of breath as they stared at the creature before them. One they all knew about. Yet one they had never thought to ever see. "The Children of the Forest?" Jon breathed, staring completely in awe at the diminutive female before them.
The little figure turned her yellow eyes towards Jon, her head tilting to the side as she did. "Children of the Forest?" She repeated, surprising many with how easily she spoke their words. "Yes…you humans do call us that, don't you? Though, to us, it is you who are the Children as even the eldest amongst you would be barely old enough to take a mate amongst us."
Keeping his hands purposefully away from his waist in a show of nonaggression, though he was ready to call his lightsaber into his hand at a moment's notice should things go south, Nox took a few steps towards the female drawing her attention away from Jon. "I am Alim Nox of Winterfell. We're here to learn of the threat of the Others and bring proof back to the south so that we can get the rest of those lazy fat ass lords up here to end them."
The female blinked slowly. "We know you. Sorcerer. Sith. User of the same magic as Bran Stark, the one who unified the land to drive back those that would seek our destruction."
"You – You knew Bran the Builder?" Jon questioned excitedly.
The small creature glanced towards Jon and shook her head. "No. We live for centuries. Not millennia. But Bran Stark the Unifier is known to us. The last true friend of our people." A wave of sadness swelled within the female, but it was quickly pushed aside. "You may refer to this one as Leaf. And we have led those here since before the dragons came to this land."