Loki: Winds of Winter

Chapter 18 - A (Small) Council of War

Loki commanded his family to return to Kings Landing. He would be taking a shortcut through Winterfell and Bear Island to retrieve Robb Start and Lyanna Mormont. This was going to require the unity of the great houses in order to be dealt with. Rhaenar, Dhaerin, and Dagmar arrived first. They appeared in the courtyard of the Red Keep and the Unsullied guards bowed before them. "Is our cousin, Prince Halden of Jotunheim, with our aunt, the queen?" Rhaenar asked Grey Worm, as the Unsullied general walked before them.

"He is, along with his bodyguard. Should we be expecting the Hand here presently?" Grey Worm queried.

"Yes, and please summon all the members of the small council to the private chamber. We have pressing business to discuss," Rhaenar answered as he simply teleported himself and his siblings to said room. They pulled up extra chairs to the table that had been added to the room when they were starting to come of age, and Loki wanted them to see how the country was run. Some chairs were used more than others. The doors flew open and all three Frostborns looked up and saw Ragna entering the chamber. She was peeling her riding gloves off furiously, and was followed by Sandor Clegane. 

"Be easy, sister. I'm sure Father will explain himself once he gets back," Dhaerin tried to assuage.

"Besides, shouldn't his military logic be trusted? Since he's been alive for so long and fought many wars," Dagmar pointed out.

"Compared to yours, sweet little sister, yes, it is to be trusted. However, I do not necessarily call that a strategic retreat. It was simply a retreat," Ragna retorted as she took up a chair that was next to the one where Loki would sit. Sandor Clegane took up a position behind her and gave the other children of Loki a hint of a smile. Even though he was closer to Ragna (for many reasons), he still felt a certain affectionate sentiment for the other three as well. 

The door opened again, and Daenerys entered, Tyrion, Draegon, Ser Jorah, Daahrio Naharis, and the rest of the small council, minus Loki. Sansa also came in behind them, Alfie sitting on her shoulder. The black cat stretched languidly as the Lady of House Frostborn took up her seat. "I'm assuming my brother will be along shortly?" Daenerys questioned.

"Yes, he said he was recovering Robb from Winterfell and Lyanna Mormont from Bear Island. He wanted them here for the-" Sansa started to explain.

"For the council of war," Loki interrupted as he entered the chamber, flanked by Robb Stark and Lyanna Mormont. Ragna gave Lyanna Mormont a smile and the head of House Mormont returned it with one of her own. She had matured nicely since the War of Fire and Ice, and was now an attractive young woman, with many suitors. She also understood Ragna's desire to be the first female general in Westerosi history to have accomplished something great; and that meant they shared a bond. She was the head of her own house, after all. Everyone took their seats and Daenerys turned to Loki.

"Please inform us of what happened at the Wall," she said.

"I think it would be better if I showed you," Loki responded as he closed his eyes and suddenly all the water in the room came together and formed a mirror-like surface. Everyone watched as it rippled and showed rank upon rank of undead soldiers.

"By the Seven!" Jon cursed as he stared at it. Robb paled immediately and turned to Sansa.

"Winterfell is not their target. They opened a portal in the Wall," Sansa explained.

"A portal? What portal and to where?" Tyrion queried.

"The Wall was created out of ice and magic, and the legends say it was made by your First Men," Loki started to answer. "However, it was really formed by Bor, former All-Father of Asgard, father of Odin, and grandfather of Thor. He was the ruler responsible for Westeros' banishment for incest between the previous Targaryen rulers. The Wall acted not just as a barricade from the wastelands of the North, but also a barrier, separating Westeros from the rest of the realms. However, when the Seven Vanir crossed over and became your Seven Gods, they saw the devastation the Wight Walkers could cause and decided the Wall was a good thing. It protected the South from them, and the Nine Realms from their blight. The Three-Eyed Raven was their chosen emissary and protector. Now, the Three-Eyed Raven is no more, and his tree is destroyed, making the Wall vulnerable to attack. They have broken through, and the connection lies between us and our adjoining realm of humans: Midgard. It was the cruel sense of humor of the gods to make the mortals neighbors," Loki explained.  

"They have now broken through the Wall and entered Midgard. What exact location do we have?" Sansa queried. Rhaenar stood up and created a construct of Midgard and pinged where the Wight Walkers would be.

"It is called 'the Swiss Alps', a mountain range that separates Switzerland from Italy. What makes it an opportune position for them, is that it is basically the center of the continent the Midgardians call 'Europe'. They can spread like the plague they are and conquer those countries in what... weeks?" Rhaenar said. The Westerosi gasped and whispered amongst themselves. Loki caused the water to evaporate and looked to his wife, sister, and brother-in-law. He knew what he had to do, and so did Sansa. Daenerys turned to Tyrion and her husband kissed the back of her hand. That was when she stood up.

"We will not leave them alone in this battle. If they need our aid, we will provide it," Daenerys told her council.

"Oh, they'll need it," Loki responded. "We have the dragon glass and the dragons that can defeat them."

"Don't they also have it; merely as 'obsidian' and don't they also have nuclear weapons?" Sansa posed.

"Oh, I wonder how long it'll take the Night King to neutralize their weapons of mass destruction. And as for their obsidian, it won't be the same. Obsidian formed from lava and natural elements is not the same as obsidian formed from dragon fire. No magic," Loki answered.

"So, their obsidian will be useless," Jon said.

"The Wight Walkers came from magic, and only magic can send them back. Their warriors will stand, but not for long against our might. However, we're not going to charge into Midgard without the proper information. We need to send scouts in advance to ascertain the situation and the threat level. And I already know who it's going to be," Loki said and he stood up, glancing at his children. Rhaenar stood up instantly, but Ragna remained seated and gave her father a bored look. "Rhaenar and Ragna will be sent into Midgard through a portal of my own creating. From there, they'll gather intel and send messages back. In the meanwhile, we shall prepare the houses to advance into Midgard once the situation falls out of their control. There is not a moment to waste. We must make ready."