Magic, Power and Glory (Game of Thrones)

Lord Commander

Tonight everyone was to decide who the Lord Commander was. It was a personal matter between the men of the Night's Watch, so the rest of us had gotten our food and found somewhere else to eat. That's why Hunter, Allister, Brandon and I were all gathered in Hunter's chambers and were sitting by the fire.

We were in a small circle, wearing warm cloaks and the Southern lords were trying not to let the cold effect them. Brandon and I were fine, but there was an unspoken agreement that it is not normally this cold. We just did not say anything because we did not want to scare the others into thinking it had to do with the White Walkers or something stupid like that.

One thing about Brandon and I, is that we were raised to believe the White Walkers were all gone. Both Hunter and Allister were afraid of them because they had believed them to be a child's story, but neither of them would admit it. If only the Southern lords and ladies had known the truth, like we did.

I suppose the only reason the Northerners even believed that they were gone and were not simply a story was the fact that we had daily reminders that the Age of Heroes was not fake at all. In the South, it is a common belief that the Age of Heroes is a bunch of over-glorified stories, but Winterfell and the Wall remind the Northerners that it is true.

"How are you two not cold?" Hunter asked Brandon and I.

"This is what our first winter was like, although we were only very young," I explained. "Winterfell was never this bad, but that is because we did not always have snow or cold winds, like they do here."

"You two are hiding something," Allister observed. "If you think we cannot take it, just tell us anyway. We deserve to know."

Brandon and I looked each other in the eyes, trying to sort out who would tell them. If I had not followed Robb to war, I would never have met my best friend and we would be enemies. If that happened, we would not be silently arguing.

Thankfully, I won the silent debate. If it had come down to it, I would have played the sworn sword card, and then the Lady Paramount of the North. However, Brandon had been the one to lose and had no leverage.

"The North is never this cold," he admitted. "Not even the Wall should be. Maybe it is just the coming winter. After a summer so long, we are surely going to struggle with a long winter too."

"The White Walkers could have a hand in it," Hunter stated, darkly.

"That is why we did not want to tell you," I said, running my hands through my hair. "We do not think it is the White Walkers because unlike you, we grew up knowing that they once existed. I have no doubt that they are back, but they would not choose now to strike. If they are to come, it is more likely that they will come in the middle of winter, when it is coldest and people are dying."

Everyone stared at me as I looked into the fire, thinking of the times to come. From the stories I was told as a child, and the ones I read in the library, not much can kill White Walkers. Fire might hold them back and it will kill their wights, but it does not kill the White Walkers themselves. Only Dragonglass, which is also known as obsidian, and Valyrian Steel can kill them.

When they come, and they will, we are going to need all the help we can get. That's why I need Stannis to take the Iron Throne before then. He can bring the armies of all Seven Kingdoms to defeat the White Walkers once again. If the lords with Valyrian Steel swords or even the Dayne's ancestral sword can rise up together, we could potentially crush them once and for all.

Of course, if I have my way, I will be the one returning with the army. Stannis cannot be king. I will follow him into battle and cut him down if I have to. The plan will slowly become more clear, but for now I know how I am going to win the Iron Throne.