The Fire That Burns Within US - Aemond Targaryen

The Enemy To The North

137 - Castle Black

Aemond didn't understand how cold the north could be. He did protect him from the cold, but it is not enough.

Visenya and Aemond had already ensured that the twins would be safe in Winterfell. Aemond knows they can trust the Starks to watch over the twins, but part of him still worries that it is too soon to leave them alone. Winterfell had been beautiful, and Aemond had hoped Castle Black would just be as grand as the Northern capital, but he had been wrong. The wall is magical, but Aemond would take the amenities of Riverrun right now.

Ben stands at Aemonds side while Visenya and Rob talk with who Aemond assumes is the Lord Commander. Aemond fiddles with the arm armour that Lord Tully had given him. Visenya and Ben had been given new armour sets, while Aemond had picked out a set of armour that Visenya's men would wear.

The trio had matching armour, and Aemond thinks they look very imitating them. Black armour with Visenya mark in the centre of the chest plate, the shoulders were faces of ravens for Ben, and Aemond thinks the scaling is for the fish of house Tully, but he likes to think that they are dragon scales rather than fish. The armour also had been lined with fur before they had left for the north. Aemond can't help but admire how beautiful Visenya looks. Her hair had been braided, and with the snow following down on her, her beauty takes his breath away.

Visenya nods to the Lord Commander, and she and Rob make their way back to Aemond and Ben. Just like Visenya, Aemond has his hair braided out of his face. But he didn't have Ben braid his hair, but rather his wife.

"Cregan is already beyond the wall. One thousand wildlings have attacked and killed all the men at Queensgate," Visenya tells Aemond and Ben; she can see her breath in the sky. "Cregan is out in the Haunted Forest tracking them down and setting up camp,"

"How many men do we have?" Ben asks. He doesn't think there will be a full-on battle between the two forces, but maybe smaller hunting parties to hunt down the Wildlings.

"Cregan has 200 men, Lord Flint has joined with 100, Lord Glover with 75, Lord Norreys with 100, and the night's watch has 100 men they can spare," Visenya tells them. They didn't have the numbers. The dragons refused to fly close to the wall as she had thought. Visenya can see both Morghon and Vhagar fly around in the sky. "I have 300 men marching North, but it will be a while till they get here,"

"But we have you," A voice makes the four turn away from each other.

Standing tall is a man with white hair. Aemond has to do a double take to ensure he is not seeing another Targaryen. The man before them has shoulder-length white hair, and his eyes are an even darker shade of purple than Visenyas, almost black. He wears a white wolf pelt on his shoulders with the head of a wolf on his shoulder. Aemond can see a long sword at his shield, and the man's armour is black with no sigil or markings.

"Jojen," Visenya greets the man, giving him a northern handshake. "I thought that you would be with Cregan,"

"I have come to bring you four to the camp," Jojen tells her as he looks around the group, eyes landing on Ben. "Ser Blackwood,"

"Jojen," Ben greets back, his cheeks pink, and his friends don't know if it is because of the cold or the man standing before them. "You look good- I mean healthy and strong. You look nice,"

"Thank you, Ser Blackwood. Gather your things, and we will start the trek," Jojen thanks Ben as he takes one of the Visayas bags. Visenya gives the man a smile in gratitude. "Cregan is waiting, and you know how he can get,"

– –

Aemond thought the cold was terrible on the other side of the wall, but as the five treks through the snow, the wind nips at his exposed skin. Aemond wishes he had brought more furs with him, that he should have bundled himself more. Visenya and Rob are behind him. He can hear them talking about their actions when they get to the camp. Ben walks beside him, but Aemond can see that his attention is solely forced on the white-haired man leading them.