[Chapter Size: 3200 Words.]

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Third Person POV

Beyond the Wall, 298 AC.

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The camp was soon in utter chaos across that land. People were screaming and running while children cried in the arms of their mothers at the sound of the monster.

People were trying to get away from the enormous creature in the center of the camp, and no one cared anymore about tents flying or structures collapsing due to the force of its roar.

Eragon had landed there, and every head was directly staring at the creature that had caused the fires still burning in the forest around the camp.

The fear was valid as everyone tried to find a safe place, and no one launched an attack on the dragon, wondering if they were going to be attacked by it and whether anyone could deal with the dragon that simply came from the sky without warning.

The dragon remained there, watching with the threat of attacking those who dared to threaten Jon. Its jaw was positioned above the head of the Arctic king, slightly open, revealing its sharp teeth, while its hot breath showed it was ready to launch flames at any moment.

“It’s not very wise to act with such words against me…” Jon said calmly, looking at various leaders distanced far from where he stood.

“I’m not the one who should fear you… it is you who should fear us. Do you really think you would survive for long if you tried to attack me?” he added as his eyes fell on Mance.

Mance was still there. He was one of the few who hadn’t fled. He watched Jon in a daze, his eyes stunned and fear visible in his irises. Slowly, he straightened his posture, as did the other leaders, though some still refused to approach the table.

The table they had been standing around talking before was still there in the center of the tent, untouched. Jon kept his gaze fixed on Mance across it, as he waited for the man to recover from what had happened, while ignoring the eyes of the entire camp on Jon and Eragon from all directions.

“You said not everyone will enter your kingdom…” Mance broke the silence, still with caution in his gaze — both toward Jon and his dragon.

“Exactly, not everyone will enter,” Jon replied, bluntly. “I investigated your camp. I found quite deplorable actions, along with the skinchangers of Artica. We certainly will not allow people who kill, steal or rape to enter our kingdom. That will be one of my rules.”

He paused briefly, looking at the faces around him, many of them approaching again, but with great caution. Eragon still remained there, alert, ready to act if anyone tried to attack his father.

“We already have a rather extensive list with names coming from this camp,” Jon continued. “Don’t worry, I’ll send a letter detailing each case and why I won’t allow certain individuals to cross the gates of Artica.”

The environment grew silent again, still tense, and Jon decided to leave.

“I believe this meeting will not bear any more good fruit after what happened,” Jon stated, stepping back slightly. “Either way, I’ll be heading back to Artica. And tell that man who thought he could imprison me… that he will not be welcome.”

Jon stopped near Eragon for a moment, casting a serious and heavy look at Mance before concluding:

“Now the choice is yours. Will you really try to cross the wall on your own… or will you live in safety behind our walls? Obviously, you’ll have to give up the title of king and follow the rules of Artica. But don’t worry — we’re reasonable. I’m sure you, your wife and your future child will live much better than you ever could anywhere south of the wall.”

“Either way, I’ll be returning. If you show up at my gates as someone seeking shelter, we will receive you. But, if you want war… well, Arctic steel will be raised against you. And my entire army will show that the White Walkers are the least of your problems.”

Jon spoke in a harsh tone in the last part, while Mance remained silent, just watching him turn away again.

Jon stored the Valyrian steel spear and the ice spear he had taken as spoils, placing both beside the dragon’s saddle. He began to climb Eragon, under the watchful eyes of the entire camp. Many still didn’t understand what had happened there, believing the dragon might kill the leaders at any moment.

But Jon simply turned to them as Eragon shook the ground with his steps.

“Before I go, I’ll leave a gift. At the very least, you’ll have plenty of food for your journey, whatever it may be.”

Jon said this to Mance one last time, who looked at him confused. But then he was surprised to see Jon’s eyes begin to glow a deep green over his gray ones.

In the next moment, the entire camp began to roar suddenly, as everyone looked around, confused. Until, from the snow itself, roots began to emerge. They grew everywhere they had planted the seeds Jon had requested.

The people tasked with planting were even more stunned to see trees being born before them — growing rapidly until they became fully mature, bearing small fruits that swelled in size until reaching their ideal ripeness.

“What is this?” many murmured, unable to believe what they were seeing.

Mance couldn’t believe it either, as trees were now everywhere in an instant.

“This is one of the gifts the Old Gods gave me,” Jon answered Mance’s confused look. “Either way, I believe this will supply your camp quite well.”

Unfortunately, Jon had been threatened and Eragon had to act before the people could get all the seeds in the ground, which made them stop planting at the thunder of the dragon landing. Still, that already represented half the seeds he had asked them to spread.

“I believe it’s a good help.”

With that, Jon turned as Eragon began to spread his wings. Then, he leapt, the momentum creating a powerful gust of wind. He beat his wings, gaining altitude and leaving the camp behind, rising toward the sky.

The camp was now filled with trees of all kinds of fruits — most of them didn’t even exist beyond the Wall. That could easily be considered a miracle for everyone who was there. But Jon left that behind as he headed to Artica, mainly to see Brandon, his son, still kept in the sacred grove.

“Mance!”

Someone pulled the King Beyond the Wall from his thoughts, calling his attention. He turned his head and saw a woman running.

“Della! You shouldn’t run like that!” Val exclaimed from the side, trying to steady her sister as she approached Mance, still determined.

“What was that, Mance? Are you okay?” she asked, worried, breathless, her eyes fixed on him.

Mance simply nodded, trying to process everything.

“Yes… just… a lot happened tonight,” he murmured, turning his gaze to the sky, where there was no longer any sign of the dragon. All he could see now were the stars, surrounded by infinite darkness.

Soon after, he turned to his leaders, who were approaching in silence.

“Mance… what’s going to happen?”

The questions quickly came, asking for some explanation.

“Finish things like cleaning the corpses and burning their bodies… About these trees and what happened tonight — the dragonrider’s proposal… we’ll discuss it tomorrow. For now, let’s just rest,” Mance said, wanting to keep a sane mind to discuss the events with the camp’s representatives.

After all, it was a lot to handle after what had happened.

Meanwhile, Eragon’s wings beat powerfully as he flew at full speed for nearly two hours, until Artica appeared glowing on the horizon. Quickly, he flew toward the place.

There was no way to land directly in the sacred grove, so Jon had to descend at the castle. His presence quickly drew attention. Many saw the king returning, but Jon had already sent orders to his wolf.

Ghost was running through the city, crossing the castle gates and surprising the guards, while Jon landed in the courtyard.

“Here is fine, Eragon. Go rest, my friend. I’ll check on my son now,” Jon said, as Eragon nodded, still a bit uncomfortable with the saddle. Even so, he moved to the corner of the courtyard where he usually slept.

“My king!” — one of the royal guards quickly approached.

Jon could see, through the castle windows, his wives awake, worried — and soon after, little heads wanting to see their father. But Jon would return later to see them.

“I’m going to see Brandon. I still don’t know exactly what happened to him. Tell my queens I’ll return with my son, Ygritte and Seryna, as soon as I bring them from the sacred grove,” Jon said, as Ghost approached. With a leap, Jon rose onto him, pulling on his fur and adjusting himself to mount on his back.

Jon quickly settled atop the giant wolf, and Ghost sped out.

He moved through the streets of Artica, skirting the central area — the castle stood on one side of the great tree, while the sacred grove was on the other. As soon as he arrived, the children of the forest welcomed him and led him directly to where his wives and Brandon were.

“Jon!”

Jon entered the place and his wives immediately showed relief upon seeing him. The daughters of the forest were there, playing with Brandon, who seemed distracted with them, sitting around while Seryna and Ygritte watched, staying awake.

“You had quite a night, huh… I can smell the white walkers on you…” one of the forest daughters commented nearby.

Jon nodded and paused for a moment, looking at his son. Brandon seemed fine, though a little tired.

Brandon looked at his father, and for a moment, Jon almost wanted to scold him… but how could he blame the boy for what happened?

“You saw him?” Leaf murmured, gazing at Jon with eyes trying to study him.

“Of course I did. Didn’t he tell you about the birds that stopped him from moving into the middle of the battle?” Jon said, looking at his son and gently touching his face to make sure everything was fine.

“Dad… I was scared…” Brandon murmured.

Jon just hugged him tightly.

“It’s okay. I didn’t know you would awaken this so soon. I should’ve been more careful…” Jon replied, already resolved to begin training his children as skinchangers — they needed to learn to control their abilities before something bad happened.

“Let’s go home now,” Jon said, picking Brandon up in his arms.

As they left the sacred grove, Brandon didn’t want to let go of his father. Jon placed him atop Ghost, who walked slowly to keep pace. Ahead, royal guards provided security, while the queens followed behind in a carriage.

“Dad… did you fight those things?” Brandon murmured, looking at his father still dressed in armor — except for the helmet, which he had left with Eragon.

“You could say that… They are our enemies, Brandon.”

“So we’ll have to fight them too?” he asked, his voice choked with fear.

He was just a boy… and what he had seen that night had certainly left a deep mark.

“Don’t worry. I’ll deal with all of them to keep you safe,” Jon murmured, as he moved toward the castle, reuniting with his family soon after.

He ended up spending the night with Brandon and Lyanna in the same room with Ygritte — but without any intimate relation with his wife, only to avoid leaving the boy alone.

Brandon slept with them, lying between Jon and Ygritte, along with his sister, who wanted to protect her younger brother while she slept between their parents, hugging him.

The sun soon began to pierce through Artica as it lost the light of the crystals that illuminated the city at night, charged by its solar energy system.

“Your majesty… you shouldn’t have gone alone,” said one of the ministers, his face somber.

It was early morning, and everyone was gathered in an emergency senate meeting after the previous day’s events. Many were still shaken, and the news that the king had gone north alone had left the kingdom of Artica uneasy.

“There was no way to act faster, Lord Gavron. It was a matter of urgency, so I chose to go alone. After all, Eragon, my dragon, is the fastest creature to act in such situations,” Jon replied.

“But, Your Majesty… if something happened to you, Artica would be lost.”

“I’m well aware of that, and I appreciate your concern. But everything was calculated. Dealing with a small group of the dead and their masters, alongside Eragon, was easy to manage,” Jon said calmly.

“But, my king… even so, I must insist: you must prioritize your safety above all. More than anyone in this kingdom, you must lead us in the battle that is approaching,” the minister said, ending his words with a slight tone of plea.

“Alright. Either way, let’s proceed with the meeting.”

Jon adjusted himself in his seat, eyes serious.

“We’ll be waiting for Mance and the others to decide. But even so, we must closely observe how they react to our decisions — especially now, since we’re going to eliminate a few hundred men among them.”

All present nodded at that. Artica would be a great place for those who could live there, but not everyone would be welcome. Order and laws functioned differently from the ways of the free folk, and there were things that the laws Jon had created — together with the kingdom’s members — would not tolerate.

“Brynden should arrive in a few weeks. With him, we’ll have the full council assembled. Even so, we must already begin with our actions,” the king added.

“So… shall we begin operations outside Artica, my king?” asked Ducken, the military minister, with a serious look.

Jon nodded.

“Yes. We’ll have some time before what’s coming from the north reaches our gates. Let’s use that time to deal with the last remaining groups of free folk — after all, I’m sure Mance’s group will begin to fall apart.”

He paused briefly and added:

“Besides, there’s a group of White Walkers coming through the west, with two of them and hundreds of dead. They’re descending slowly. Any idea what their objectives are?”

Jon cast a glance toward the corner of the room, where Amon — who was managing the wargs in Brynden’s absence — was seated.

“No, my king. No skinchanger has managed to get close enough to learn more about the group. We still don’t know their exact motive, but… they’re moving south, and we’d say they’re heading toward the Wall. We’re keeping an eye on them without losing them this time,” Amon said regretfully.

“Keep investigating. I want to know exactly what they’re planning to do here in the south,” Jon ordered, his voice cold.

It was highly suspicious. Such a small group advancing alone? That had happened before — but back then, there weren’t as many scouts in the sky as Artica had now.

This time, they wouldn’t lose sight of them. They would follow — whatever it was they planned to do.

The meeting continued, and soon they began to draw up logistical plans for the war.

The production of dragonglass was being intensified, as was the forging of reinforced arrows. That was the highest volume produced since the founding of Artica. Tens of thousands of projectiles were being prepared and stored in a stockpile that already held millions of arrows ready to be used.

And Jon had the goal of doubling that number as soon as possible, to ensure victory against their enemies.

“Well… either way, I’ll be the father of four children next month. I intend to stay in Artica during this time, and we’ll begin to act as soon as Brynden returns from his journey and my children are born,” Jon said, pausing.

“In any case, let’s begin with some actions. It’s time to interact with the Southern Kingdoms, to inform the Night’s Watch and the North that everything beyond the Wall will be closed off. A war will begin — and they’d better be prepared, in case we fall here.”

Jon said these words firmly. He had no doubt they would defeat the White Walkers, but still felt the duty to warn the South about what could come for them.

Everyone nodded silently.

After that, Jon returned to the castle. There, he summoned his children to one of the inner gardens, where he would personally begin their training. He also called all the wolves already bonded to the children, so they could be part of the teachings.

He knew he wasn’t the ideal teacher — he was the king and should care for the entire kingdom. But that day, he had taken the liberty of staying with his children, teaching them personally, even though they were only three, two, and one year old.

Meanwhile, to the south, beyond the Wall, down to one of the lowest points of the Kingdom, Ned was looking at the swamp as the sun began to set in the west, through the window of Lord Reed’s solar, while Roland sat behind his desk.

“So… he discovered everything that happened?” Lord Stark murmured, after hearing the reports about Jon’s visit to that region.

Surely all the northern lords who were accompanying Ned’s journey — along with his heir and the other two sons — were surprised to hear that the Arctic King had been there. After all, everyone in the castle — and even in the nearby village — had seen him. It wasn’t something easy to hide. But no one knew how he had arrived there without alerting the North.

When openly asked, the Reed family simply said that Jon had come to seek some information and that he needed to see something in the castle’s sacred tree, concealing all details about the dragon. Only he and his son knew the truth.

“Yes… my son said they spent a year watching all the events unfold: from you arriving at the Tully stronghold, going to Harrenhal, witnessing the tournament… then the war, how it played out… and even many of your secrets…”

He took a deep breath before finishing:

“Perhaps… perhaps he knows Lyanna better than we knew her, back then.”

Ned pressed his lips together, reflecting.

“I see…” he murmured.

“Yes… you sound disappointed…” Rowland commented.

“I wanted to have had contact about Lyanna, but once again I failed him…” Ned said with regret.

“I heard he didn’t reply to any of your letters. But you shouldn’t blame him… after everything that happened, right?” Roland commented, with a slight nod.

“Yes. I really don’t blame him. But… I wanted to have the chance to speak with him again,” Lord Stark murmured, his voice low.

“The Night’s Watch is restless from what I’ve heard. They say they’re worried about a light show that’s been happening for more than five moons… every night, the sky glows in the distance.”

“Yes, they believe it’s Jon’s kingdom… but the Lord Commander doesn’t want to send an expedition to the place. It’s too far. Besides, after what happened… it’s kind of risky.”

“I know you seem overwhelmed. Leave it for tomorrow, when we can talk better, and let’s go downstairs, Ned. This depression isn’t good for you. The feast is already starting, and I’m sure our sons are already enjoying it before us.

I’m sure Jon will speak with you in the future — he’s become a strong man, and he’s Lyanna’s son. He has everything from his mother, even her sense of justice,” Roland said, rising with his crutch.

Lord Stark nodded, moving forward in silence, letting out only a sigh before following him toward the hall of the castle of Greywater Watch.

At the same time, in Artica, Jon sighed in his room after putting the children to sleep. He walked over to his desk, picking up a set of letters.

Among them, he found one from his uncle.

Jon remained silent for a moment. He was decided: he could no longer let anger guide his choices.

He took a deep breath and opened the letter, prepared to face whatever his uncle had to say.

————-Nexts Chapters —————-

Chapter 260 – Divergences in the South.

Chapter 265 – The Game of Thrones is About to Begin.

Chapter 275 – The Beginning of the Game of Thrones

Chapter 284 – Thinks Herself Smarter Than She Truly Is.

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