-Chapter 221-

-Chapter 221-

-POV Catelyn Stark-

Knock… Knock… Knock.

“Who is it?” I asked, without taking my eyes off the embroidery I was working on to clear my mind and forget that both my son and my husband had gone to face the danger coming from the North.

“It’s me, my lady,” said Maester Luwin from behind the door.

“Come in,” I said, briefly glancing at the door.

“My lady,” said Maester Luwin, bowing as he entered my chambers.

I nodded at him before refocusing on my embroidery.

“My lady, I fear I must bring you bad news.”

I raised my head and asked Maester Luwin:

“We received a message from your brother-in-law, Benjen Stark. It seems that… it seems that the Wall has fallen and the White Walkers are marching South.”

“So it was true,” I said, clutching my embroidery tightly.

“It seems to be the case,” confirmed Maester Luwin.

“How are Ned and my son?” I asked, dreading the answer.

“We do not know yet,” replied Luwin before adding, “All I know is that we must act quickly.”

“What can we do against death?” I asked, my tone filled with despair, as I had never believed the stories about the dead who walk, not until now.

‘None of them, until my eldest son and husband fell in battle against those abominations,’ I thought, holding back the tears that welled in my eyes.

“You must think of your son and your daughters,” said Maester Luwin.

“My daughters are safe in the South,” I said, slightly absent, thinking of Robb.

‘My little boy.’

Maester Luwin approached me and said in a low but firm tone:

“For now, they are safe in the South. But once the North falls, the entire kingdom will fall, piece by piece.”

“We must fight,” I said, shaking off my despair.

I stood up and stared at the flames burning in the fireplace for a moment before saying:

“Send messages to all the Houses of the North and riders throughout the region to rally everyone capable of fighting—young, old, and even women. We cannot surrender without a fight… House Stark cannot surrender without a fight.”

“Yes, Lady Duchess.”

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-POV Daenerys Targaryen-

“Why have I been summoned at such an hour of the night?” I asked as I entered the Imperial Council chamber, furious to have been pulled out of bed when I was already struggling to sleep due to nausea.

‘Lately, I can’t go an hour without vomiting,’ I thought, exhausted by this pregnancy, even though it was only the beginning.

‘Even Great-Uncle Aemon finds my nausea far worse than that of any other woman,’ I mused.

“Please, take a seat, Your Majesty,” said Willas Tyrell, gesturing to the throne of my husband, who was away waging war to secure our borders.

“What is going on?” asked Cersei impatiently, who also seemed to have been dragged out of bed.

“The Wall has fallen,” said Kevan Lannister, glaring at his niece.

“Excuse me?” I said, shocked by the Master of the Treasury’s announcement, before adding,

“Just yesterday, we received a message assuring us that the situation was under control.”

“It seems that it is not,” replied Willas Tyrell before continuing,

“We received a message from a certain Cregan Snow, commander of the fortress at Icemark.”

“The one who managed to kill a White Walker?” I asked.

“Yes,” said Kevan Lannister, still glaring at Cersei.

‘That fool has just made herself an enemy for life,’ I thought, watching the Lannisters on the brink of tearing each other apart.

“We must inform Aegon so that he can return to protect us,” said Cersei as she gently rocked her son, who kept staring at me.

‘He looks so much like Aegon,’ I thought, slightly distracted by Maegor’s gaze.

“He will not return,” I said, my tone dripping with disdain.

Cersei turned to me and, carefully controlling her tone, said,

“He will return for his children, for his heir.”

I rolled my eyes. Even though she was right, I knew Aegon wasn’t most concerned about the White Walkers.

‘He must be somewhere in the Stepstones, or perhaps already en route to Myr or Volantis,’ I thought, as I didn’t know his exact plan.

“Send a message to warn Aegon,” I said, conceding, before adding,

“But we must find a faster solution.”

“It is imperative to find another solution besides calling on the Emperor,” declared Aegon’s Hand, Willas Tyrell.

Adrian Celtigar raised his chin and said,

“We don’t even know his exact location right now, nor whether our message will reach him in time.”

“We should send a message to Pentos to inform Viserys of what has happened,” I said, recalling that in a letter from young Tarly, he had mentioned that my brother was there.

‘He will be able to find Aegon in time,’ I thought, finding this plan more practical than anything else suggested.

“He is the only other dragon rider available to the Crown. We should use him for more than just being a messenger,” Monford Velaryon interjected.

“He could help delay the advance of the army of the dead,” added Wilys Manderly.

“No, I disagree,” another voice countered, continuing,

“We should prioritize evacuating all the inhabitants of the North, as every man, woman, and child could be saved.”

“Prioritizing evacuation won’t change anything,” retorted another advisor.

‘But could he delay the dead long enough to give Aegon and the North time to prepare?’ I wondered, only half-listening to my advisors debate the best course of action.

Still lost in my thoughts, I found myself being escorted by the Imperial Guard: Ser Barristan, Ser Sandor, and Ser Thoros.

Ser Brynden Tully stayed by my side the entire time.

Once we reached my chambers, I paused for a moment before turning to him.

“Ser Brynden, I need your help,” I said softly, glancing at the knights of Aegon’s Guard, who had also stopped a few steps behind.

Brynden glanced at the guards who were watching us, then replied, “Anything you need.”

“I want to go out for some fresh air. Be my escort,” I said, raising my arm.

Slightly confused, he nodded without a word, then placed his arm into mine.

Turning to Aegon’s guards, who never left me alone, I said:

“We’re going to visit Drogon. He calms me.”

“Very well, Your Imperial Majesty,” replied Ser Barristan, preparing to follow.

“I’ll go alone. Ser Brynden will be my escort,” I insisted.

“We have direct orders from the Emperor to ensure your safety at all times,” said Ser Barristan firmly, making it clear he wouldn’t take his eyes off me.

‘As expected,’ I thought, shrugging slightly before turning around.

“Fine, but stay a few steps behind us. We need to talk in peace without being disturbed,” I said, watching the guard whose loyalty lay solely with my husband.

‘Even if you want to protect me at all costs, Aegon, we both have a duty to the Empire. I will not shy away from mine. I am the Empress, and I must fight too,’ I thought.

Slowly, we arrived at the oversized courtyard where Drogon rested freely.

I continued to pretend to converse with Ser Brynden until I softly whispered:

“Hold them back.”

“Pardon?!” he asked, startled.

I dashed toward Drogon with all the speed I could muster.

Before Ser Barristan or the other guards could react to stop me, Drogon stepped forward, creating a barrier between us.

The feeling of security he gave me was something I hadn’t felt since Aegon’s departure.

‘And a sense of power I hadn’t experienced since leaving the Bay of Dragons,’ I thought as I climbed onto my son’s neck.

“Your Majesty!” Ser Barristan shouted, panic evident in his voice at my sudden action.

“I’m sorry, but I must fulfill my duty to my subjects. I must protect the world from the cold and death. This is my destiny,” I said with determination.

“You don’t have to do this. You’re with child. We can recall…” the Lord Commander of the Imperial Guard began, attempting to persuade me. But my decision was already made.

“It will be too late. Every minute matters,” I said before shouting:

“SOVES, DROGON!”