"I agree with Robb's proposal," said Denys Arryn, the first to speak, with the valley nobles behind him nodding in approval.
The valley people had fought two wars: one where they rode the whole time but didn't manage to kill a single enemy, and now, they were dismounted and tasked with guarding the city walls, feeling incredibly frustrated.
"Tch~~ The valley people don't care, it's not like you're abandoning your lands," Edmure muttered under his breath.
"I agree as well."
Everyone turned their gaze toward the Westerlands. From the start of the war, Jaime had been sitting there, and it was Willem Lannister who spoke next.
Willem stood up. "We can no longer be on the defensive. Every time we wait for the wights to attack us, why can't we take the initiative and strike them first? Once they enter the Riverlands, the massive army of wights will spread out, and we can cut off their retreat and attack in waves."
"Can we retreat to The Twins for defense?" Black Walder interrupted directly. Edmure raised his hand as if to speak but reconsidered and let it drop.
Once they passed Moat Cailin, House Reed Greywater Watch would undoubtedly follow Robb's orders and retreat, meaning the first wight attack would be on Riverrun. Since Edmure was useless, Black Walder had to speak up himself.
Robb had only once chased Ramsay disguised into The Twins when he was young and still remembered the structure of the castle. "The Twins relies on the fast-flowing Green Fork for its defense. But now, with the river frozen, the castle's moats are completely useless."
Willem added, "If we're struggling to defend the ten-meter-high walls of Moat Cailin, Lord Walder, I don't think the walls of The Twins are that high either."
"What about Riverrun? The walls there are one with the castle itself, reaching a full thirty meters high! We could defend there!" Edmure also stood up.
His suggestion to defend Riverrun meant that all the castles in the northern Riverlands would be abandoned. The northern Riverlands nobles were still hoping he would negotiate, but Edmure only thought of his own family's castle, causing discontent among the other nobles, all of whom glared at Edmure's back.
Renly, seated at the head, couldn't take it anymore and questioned Edmure, "Will Riverrun even be able to house all our troops?"
"This..." Edmure was left speechless.
Though Riverrun was large, it could host a tournament for nobles, but fitting the Four Dukes' army in tents stretched across miles of land was impossible. Even if they freed the dungeons, there wouldn't be enough space.
"I suggest using Riverrun, Harrenhal, and Maidenpool as a boundary," said a voice.
"Yes!" Edmure turned to see it was Wright supporting his idea.
If this had come from Robb, people would doubt he was supporting his uncle. If it had come from Willem, they might think he didn't want the war to spread to the Westerlands. But when Wright said it, everyone was eager to hear his reasoning.
Wright pointed to the map, and ice quickly covered one side of it. The white ice spread from the Wall, through the North, and the Riverlands, stopping once it reached Harrenhal.
"This is the current line of snow and ice on the continent! South of it, it snows from time to time, but the land and rivers haven't been frozen over."
"Is this for real?"
"Fly in the sky and you'll see for yourself!"
Everyone gathered around the map table, pointing and discussing.
Harry Bracken added, "The line of snow and ice is just a few miles from our family's Stone Hedge. It often snows there, and the rivers aren't frozen."
After a moment of silence, Wright asked, "Robb, if we set the three castles as the boundary, what's your battle plan?"
Robb first inquired about the army's casualties from Willem, Denys, and Edmure, then explained his deployment. After hearing him out, everyone except the Riverlands nobles who looked constipated thought it was a feasible plan.
Eddard had enough prestige among the older Northern nobles, and Robb was the leader of the younger generation. Together, they could convince the whole North to relocate south, but Edmure didn't have that ability.
After the discussion, the King, Wright, the Northern, Valley, and Westerlands representatives all agreed to Robb's plan.
Now that the alliance had abandoned the Riverlands, some nobles held Robb and Edmure responsible, cursing Edmure for being a useless duke who couldn't hold onto the Riverlands and blaming Robb for such a cruel strategy that made them abandon their homes.
While the tactics for dealing with the wights were being heatedly discussed, the glares of the Riverlands nobles were burning with resentment. Wright took it all in. He could understand the frustration, and a few curses were fine, but if anyone dared to drag their feet during the battle, Wright would slaughter their entire family and hang their bodies on stakes to honor the warriors who died for humanity.
Renly stepped back a few paces and created an opening in the crowded room. "Robb, come forward."
Robb walked to Renly's side.
"Kneel!" Renly drew his pale blue sword, Storm.
The room fell silent in an instant, and everyone quickly stepped aside.
Robb knelt on one knee as Renly placed the sword's tip on Robb's shoulder. "I, as the King of the Andals, King of the Seven Kingdoms, hereby formally appoint you as the Commander in this war! Command the allied forces of the Seven Kingdoms!"
Robb said, "I will do my utmost to kill all the wights for the sake of humanity!"
No one opposed, nor did anyone applaud. The war outside the meeting room continued, and the first problem facing Robb was how to safely withdraw the coalition forces from the city walls.
---
Maidenpool was the easternmost settlement in the Riverlands, beyond which was Crow's Nest, the King's territory.
Countless famous people had left their stories here, with the most notable being the assassination attempt of Queen Alyssane two hundred years ago.
This town was known for its hot springs, and the bathhouse only allowed women to enter. This longstanding tradition, however, had now been broken by the coalition forces. The soldiers, who had been fighting courageously for humanity, were now in the rear, exhausted, and couldn't even have a bath!
At Wright's command, half of the hot springs were designated as male baths, based on the soldier-to-soldier ratio. The weak-willed Lord of Maidenpool, William Mooton, didn't even have the courage to speak in front of the angry Wright and stuttered his way through agreeing to all of Wright's requests.
On a mountaintop outside the city, Odahviing used dragonfire to melt snow and create a small pond, before lying down to rest nearby.
Bubbles rose from the pond, and one quickly reached the edge, popping as a head emerged.
"Stop swimming and come over here!" Nymeria waved from the other side of the pond. She had a vantage point where she could overlook all of Maidenpool from the stones where she lay.
Wright slowly swam over to Nymeria. As an old couple, they simply relaxed and soaked in the bath together to wash off the weariness of war. Wright felt that after Kana had enjoyed the dragonfire hot spring in the North, Nymeria deserved the same treatment.
Once Wright had leaned on the stone, Nymeria asked, "How did you retreat afterward?"
The Dornishmen who reached the Moat Cailin were just a few hundred vanguard soldiers. She was among the first to retreat, and the events that followed were unclear to her. Wright was the last to leave.
Wright wiped his face dry, "What else could we do? Fake it!"
"It worked?"
Nymeria had originally thought that they would leave some people behind to sacrifice themselves and delay the wights, buying time for the other forces to retreat.
Wright dipped his hand in the water and found a flat stone near Nymeria to sit on, "This time, we retreated in three phases. The last group threw all the wildfire jars outside the city walls, then ignited all the torches—wood, tents, everything that could burn."
"And then the Others didn't attack?" Nymeria was skeptical.
Wright: "After Robb set the plan, we observed the battlefield for six more hours. We discovered that while the wights' attacks were continuous, they did have intervals. Each new wave of wights would take about half an hour to arrive. If the previous wave wasn't wiped out, it felt like they were constantly attacking."
Nymeria raised her hand to scrub Wright's back, "Half an hour? That's not enough time for your retreat, is it?"
"We sent two groups ahead, and the remaining supplies were enough for everyone. We had sleds and horses prepared ahead of time. After we wiped out one wave of wights, the soldiers immediately lit the torches and retreated on the sleds. Meanwhile, Renly and I rode the dragons, one east, one west, along the city walls, igniting the wildfire jars we'd left behind."
Wright counted the time, "The wights' attack interval of half an hour, plus the burning time of the wildfire and wood, meant the sleds could escape the wights' pursuit in about an hour and a half. What's more, Renly and I kept flying in the sky, so the Others didn't dare to show themselves immediately."
"And what about Moat Cailin? Did it become a castle for the dead?"
"Impossible! After a group of wights stormed in, I had Odahviing use dragon magic to destroy the fortress," Wright said, then couldn't help but admire how clever the Others were—none of them rushed into the fortress all at once. Otherwise, one attack could have wiped out quite a few of them.
Nymeria: "So much money was spent building that fortress, and it was destroyed in less than a month. What a shame."
Wright: "Does it remind you of Harrenhal?"
"Ten Moat Cailins wouldn't be worth one Harrenhal!" Nymeria had heard the stories of Harrenhal and continued, "We have the Vale and Dorne here, but the Westerlands and the Riverlands are all in Riverrun. Renly and the Northmen are stationed at Harrenhal. Do you think that drafty old castle can hold?"
Wright shook his head. "Not just that—Stormlands and Reach troops arrived at Harrenhal last night. The two wealthiest regions of the Seven Kingdoms are our strongest allies, with fifty thousand Stormlands soldiers and a hundred thousand armored Riverlands troops!"
"Even with all these people, against the magic of the Others and the vampires, we can only fight for our lives." There were two vampires in Tyrosh, and Nymeria knew the Others were just as powerful, if not more, especially in the frozen north.
Wright combed his damp hair back, "In my capacity as Archmage, and in my name, I am officially issuing the first call to summon mages."
Wright had created magic and established a magic academy. Apprentices learned magic here and went their separate ways after graduation.
Over the years, those with some power had been hired by various lords as magical advisors, while those with weaker abilities or more theoretical knowledge remained at the school, teaching or continuing their research. The majority of those with average talent had to make a living with their magic, opening alchemy shops, curing ailments, or even working as mercenaries. Some even went to Essos.
The Magic Administration Committee was not a military organization, so it had no authority to command mages to abandon their careers and fight. Some mages who had joined lords fought in the battles, but more mages were scattered across various places.
Wright taught them magic, and had always hesitated to ask his apprentices for help. It was only after Renly's persuasion that he made this decision.
Having lived together for many years, Nymeria understood Wright's mindset. He was always aloof, everywhere referred to as "Master", bold in many ways but unable to swallow his pride in this matter.
She gently touched Wright's cheek. "The mages will feel proud and honored by your summons."
---
At the Highgarden, in the unrelenting Alchemy Apothecary shop.
The owner, Mage Rogg, was a well-known figure in Highgarden. His mentor, the Tyrell's magic adviser, was a senior to him. Wright himself had given his shop a name, and Rogg was an important guest often invited to noble feasts.
The chubby steward of Highgarden, Samwell Tarly, had stayed behind to defend the castle. He brought a dozen guards and a cart to the apothecary shop, instructing the guards to wait outside while he entered alone.
"Mage Rogg, are the potions ready?" he asked.
Rogg, crouched behind the counter, stuck his head out. "They're in the warehouse. The boxes with the roses drawn on them."
The potions made here were well-known for their efficacy, and Rogg had always kept his word, delivering on time and in full. As usual, Samwell didn't immediately go into the warehouse to check but instead stood by the counter chatting casually.
"Have you heard? The Moat Cailin fort was breached by the Others, and a large number of the dead have taken over the Riverlands. Now, only a few southern castles are left to defend."
"Even the flower girls next door are stocking up on extra food," Rogg said, standing up with a package in hand. This news was being passed around everywhere, and the distance of Highgarden from the Riverlands had made people anxious.
"This batch of potions is going to the front line, to Willas," Samwell said, placing a small pouch on the counter, then gesturing outside.
The guards, used to the routine, went straight to the warehouse, and two of them began loading boxes onto the cart.
Rogg, carrying the cloth bag, felt the weight was off. He opened the rope and poured out the golden dragons, placing them on the counter. "Steward Samwell, you've given too much."
Looking at the gold dragons being pushed towards him, Samwell raised his hand and pushed them back. "The extra gold dragons are for the next batch of goods. The war is tightening, and Willas is worried the potions won't be enough."
These potions were only distributed to nobles. Knights had to buy them themselves or wait for mages to come to their aid. Otherwise, they would have to treat wounds with strong alcohol, which not only cost money but also left painful scars.
Rogg pushed the gold dragons back again. "I'm heading to the battlefield. I won't be making potions anymore. My father will manage the shop, and once the potions are sold out, they'll close it until I return."
"Old friend, you're going to the battlefield? But aren't you not skilled in offensive magic?" Samwell asked in surprise.
Rogg smiled. "Of course, I'll go if Master Wright calls for help. All my skills come from him. He's fighting for humanity now, and I can't stay here enjoying a peaceful life."
At this point, Samwell noticed several packages already packed behind Rogg. "But what can you do on the battlefield? Make healing potions?"
"That's just what I usually sell to make a living. I also make wildfire and poisons," Rogg said, touching the mage's insignia pinned to his chest. "Not just me, but the mages from the Mage School are all going. I'm just joining their ranks along the way."
"How come I didn't receive any summons from Wright?" Samwell was the head steward of Highgarden, and all important letters from the Rookery were reported to him by the scholars.
Rogg pointed to the tall tower at the top of Highgarden's castle, where a red magical rose was floating.
"The Mage Detection Tower! A few years ago, Master Wright issued new blueprints, and after modifications, it can transmit messages to the nearest tower. This is how we mages communicate."
Samwell thought about the tensions between Wright and the citadel, realizing that this new communication method was meant to cut off the maesters' foundation. But, fortunately, the distance was still short. Otherwise, the maesters would surely argue with Wright.
"This is a gift for your son," Rogg said, taking out a strange metal device from the cabinet.
The device was about the size of a small chest. Samwell, who often visited the shop, recognized it as an alchemical device for refining herbs. "For me?"
"Your son must have received the Magic School's admission notice by now," Rogg said, smiling at him.
"Yes, I received it yesterday. How did you know?" Samwell was shocked again.
"Hehe, us mages just know these things," Rogg chuckled, then grabbed his package and headed for the door.
His family had already hired a cart for him, and it was waiting at the door to take him on his journey.
Without magic and with magic, the way people saw things was from entirely different worlds. Samwell sighed to himself and then caught up with his friend, patting him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about your shop. I'll have the guards watch over it for you. Good luck!"