Hector was the first one to know about the incoming riders. He sat in his study, a section of the castle granted to him, since his… enlistment would probably be the most accurate description of his service. Dracula had been kind, kind enough to give him what was basically his own wing of the gigantic castle. A subsection hanging off the main castle.
He sat in his chair and stretched out his weary limbs, while a piece of cloth lay over his face, specifically his eyes. His body was weary, and so was his mind. What had started as a pet project, something of a joke between him and Isaac, had ballooned into a role as builder, architect, and part leader of the community that had sprung around Castlevania.
"Curse you, Isaac," he whispered to himself. However, the dark-skinned forgemaster was nowhere to be seen, which meant he was more likely to be toying with his new Night creature. Hector would've grunted out of envy, but Isaac had been nice enough to let him in on the project, and they had worked together analyzing the completely natural magical creature before Isaac had gone ahead and turned it into a Night creature. They had still not found the answer to their question. Where had the soul come from? Was it from the hells they knew, or from this world's version of hell? The Night creature was, unfortunately, one of the rare few capable of speech.
Where Isaac was not present to hear his curses, someone else was, or more accurately, something else was. The castle groaned under his feet in what Hector assumed was amusement. Even over a year later, he found Castlevania to be as fascinating as ever. It took months to notice it, but the castle was more than aware, it was alive. It had its quirks. Insult it, and you could never get to your wanted location on time.
Compliment its architecture or its interior decoration, and watch previously known pathways suddenly appear before you, cutting the journey here and there short. It didn't seem obvious at first glance, and Isaac was the one to face the brunt of it to Hector's eternal amusement. After one too many stubbed toes, Master Dracula had looked at Isaac with a twinkle in his eyes. A twinkle reminiscent of the ones he usually had prior to Lisa's death. Then he told Isaac what the problem was.
Unfortunately for Hector, before he could continue his fond reminiscing, he heard the flap of wings in the air, and he groaned in response before forcing himself up partially from his previous slump and into a more upright and professional sit. He looked out of his window just as the Night creature collided with the window frame. The giant window frame was wide and strong enough to handle the weight of the Night creature, yet Hector noted the tiny gouges in the wood from the claws of the avian Night creature. With a whispered apology to Castlevania, he got on his feet with another tired groan and walked up to the Night creature.
"What do you have for me, my friend?" he murmured as he got close enough to rub under the jaw of the beast. It let out a satisfied trill in response before turning to face him. Sulfuric yellow eyes bored into his pale blue, and Hector felt the message package the Night creature was trying to feed him. So far both he and Isaac had been unsuccessful with skin changing.
Hector could sense he was close. His innate prodigious ability with magic was something that surpassed even Isaac's, even if it was nowhere near the insurmountable hill that was Master Dracula's talent for the arts. Still, it was only a matter of time, so for now, they had to make do with the regular way they had done for years. The information the Night creature sent him through the bond caused his brows to squeeze in response. Close to a hundred riders, barreling through the snow with a straight and clear target.
He could be wrong, the Night creature could be wrong… Hector didn't think so. A hundred riders dressed in black cloaks without a doubt meant the Night's Watch. He would have to bring the news to the rest of the council that made up the leadership of the settlement… and Isaac too, most likely. The other forgemaster didn't seem to care much for either group of humans. However, the group of riders was not the only issue, for trailing behind them was a horde of blue-eyed wights, hundreds strong, and that would be important enough to draw his attention, especially considering Master Dracula was absent. Which made him even more curious—what had drawn his attention enough to force him to hurry with such speed?
"Woof, woof, woof."
The soft barking of a dog eased the frown on his brows and caused a smile to blossom on his face. He left the Night creature and smoothly shifted to a knee of experience. The next second, his door burst open, and another bark heralded Cezar. Hector's eyes widened as he realized the little dog was trailed by another heavier set of paws.
His eyes widened in realization as the little pug dog of his leaped into his chest, and before he could hold it, it scrambled up his form and over his back before hiding behind him. Ursa followed shortly after. The white baby dire bear burst into his room hard enough that Hector knew he would have to probably do something nice to make Castlevania forgive the multiple transgressions. Before he could do more than continue the thought, the baby bear slammed into him, and there was no preparing or bracing for its weight. The duo fell into a heap of fur, skin, and loud laughter.
Cezar wasn't one to stay idle, and the little gremlin immediately joined the cuddle pile with a sharp and happy "yip" before diving into them. They rolled about and played for a long minute before a sharp click by the Night creature still perched on his window frame reminded Hector that there was still a small army approaching them.
"Curses!" he grumbled as he immediately started pushing the duo off him before straightening up. The two animals looked at him in confusion, but Hector had more important things on his hands than to play with them. "Cezar, Ursa, I've a job for you two." At the sound of their names, the two Night creatures perked up, their ears alert and their eyes, or eye in Cezar's case, bright.
"I need you to find Isaac, and bring him to the settlement. You need to be fast. Can you do that for me?"
The two Night creatures gave him short simultaneous barks before taking to their heels, but this time it was not the uncoordinated pursuit of two playful creatures, but the focused scramble of creatures that had an actual goal and job in mind.
With a dismissive wave at the Night creature, Hector took a fur-lined coat from its rag, shrugged it on, and began the walk to the settlement. His body ached even more due to his brief tumble with Cezar and Ursa.
The settlement had grown rapidly over the past few months since Master Dracula had given his uncaring approval. It was a surprise that he even gave them a choice, but Isaac and Hector were slowly getting used to it. Dracula's intense hate seemed to have slowly shifted into something similar to what he held for them before, a tired distaste. Which was a massive step up, considering he had been ready to drown the world with their blood a few short years ago.
The settlement was a massive step up to every settlement the Free Folk had ever known or built. Not even their famed Hardhome came close. The walls were rising every day, high and fat enough that if the settlement remained after Master Dracula deemed it fit for them to leave this world, it would be the most well-protected settlement in these lands.
However, it was not just the security. The architecture showed Hector's influence. The world they came from was a massive improvement over these lands. Master Dracula had assured them that there were better and more civilized lands past here. Lands they were likely to explore soon. And while Hector enjoyed his time here, uplifting the barbarians that resided in the frozen wastelands, he very much planned to explore and see what the worlds offered.
The people greeted him with hurried waves, and Hector gave polite smiles in response, and shy waves to the prettier and blushing Free Folk girls carrying cloth clothes and baskets of vegetables like radishes, lettuce, and cucumbers that had grown in the harsh northern soil. They had gotten the seeds in Master Dracula's storage, and he had promised to replace them, including the ones wasted while trying to experiment and find which could grow here.
If nothing else, the exotic vegetables should help the settlement further find its feet after their eventual departure.
"Didn't expect you back so soon, Master Hector," Ygritte said, and Hector blinked in surprise before realizing, lost in his thoughts, the Nightmare had led him to the council hall, a slightly bigger house than the rest.
Ygritte stood outside. The red-haired woman was clad in furs, but beneath that was the clear leather-padded armor, courtesy of Hector. The two steel axes that hung on her hips, meanwhile, were the job of one of Isaac's creatures that had retained enough of its personality to be handy with working metal. Alongside Hector, they had begun forging the first of many steel equipment.
They had managed to work out how to replicate chainmail, and sooner rather than later, people would be outfitted with it.
"Are you alright? You look a bit... tired."
Hector blinked again, and with a physical effort, he shook his head to clear it. It looked like he was even more tired than he thought. However, he refused to admit it or even seem weak, so he gave the red-haired girl a smile and shook his head.
"I'm fine, Ygritte. Don't worry about me. There are more serious issues at hand."
He stepped off the Nightmare, and immediately his knees buckled. Ygritte moved fast, crossing the distance and catching him before he could faceplant into the ground. "You don't look fine. You've been working harder than anybody else for the past few days. How about I lead you back to the castle and help you to your bed?"
Hector smiled at the red-haired woman. He had heard the hesitation in her voice as she spoke. She, like most of the Free Folk, dreaded the castle, and it spoke a lot about how much she cared that she was even offering to take him up it.
"It's my duty. I would rather not shame Lord Dracula by leaving your people unattended to. Now, where are the rest? Something important has come up."
"What is it?"
"The Night's Watch is on the way here."
"Shit," Ygritte replied with a scowl as she turned her head to the wall they were building. No doubt calculating just how many it would take to man it and fight back.
Hector gave her a smile before continuing. "It gets worse." Ygritte turned back to him, and Hector could see the unasked question in her eyes. What could be worse than that? Then he could see as those beautiful green eyes of hers widened as she internally answered her own questions. Hector was the one to put it to words.
"A horde of wights are following closely behind them."
x
Hector was half-dozing, seated in a comfortable rocking chair Mother Mole had offered up to him, and covered with a heavy fur that somehow felt more comfortable than his bed at Castlevania. The warmth of the fireplace made the entire room more comforting, which made all the noise outside his domicile all the more annoying. Still, he would've been content to remain there if the door had not slammed open.
"Master Hector!" One of the Free Folk leaders, a grizzled man named Styr, burst through the doorway. His weathered face was flushed from the cold and exertion, ice crystals clinging to his beard. "The Night's Watch, they're close now. Maybe an hour out, perhaps less."
Hector groaned as he forced himself upright in the chair, the comfortable warmth already seeming like a distant memory. "And the wights?"
"Following behind them like shadows. Our scouts say they're keeping pace, but hanging back. Almost like they're herding the crows toward us."
The implications of that sent a chill down Hector's spine that had nothing to do with the northern cold. "Fuck." He pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the protest from his aching body.
The journey through the settlement revealed just how much preparation had been undertaken in the short time since his warning. Free Folk moved with purpose through the streets, no longer the chaotic scramble he might have expected from the wildlings he'd first encountered. These people had learned discipline under his and Isaac's guidance.
Women and children were being ushered into the deeper buildings, those closest to the castle, where the walls were thickest. Men and women of fighting age carried weapons, a lot of them iron, yet there were enough of them with obsidian spearheads. An old Free Folk story claimed it killed wights. They were going to test that knowledge today.
"Master Hector," called out Garvin, the red-haired boy jogging alongside them as they made their way toward the wall. "Ygritte's already at the wall with the others. She wanted me to tell you that the oil pots are ready, and the archers are in position."
"Thank you, Garvin," Hector replied, though his mind was already racing ahead to the tactical situation they'd soon face. The wall they'd constructed wasn't complete, but it was substantial enough to provide a real defensive advantage. More importantly, they'd had time to prepare for siege warfare, something the Free Folk had never truly mastered.
As they approached the wall, Hector could see the organized chaos of final preparations. Bundles of arrows were being distributed to the archers. Large pots of oil sat ready to be heated and poured.
"There!" Styr pointed toward the horizon. The sudden lack of wind gave clarity as well as the slope. The settlement's placement meant that, while on their walls, they could see the foot of the mountain, a place where a dark line had appeared against the white expanse of snow. "The Night's Watch."
Hector squinted, picking out the details that the Free Folk couldn't yet see. Black cloaks, horses laboring through the snow, and the desperate pace of men fleeing for their lives rather than advancing to attack.
"Master Hector, It's a fine thing to find you here." Hector looked to the side and saw the excited figure of Maester Marwyn. The older man smiled up at him. They had spent the past day working together and discussing magic, although it was not a topic they had gone far on before Hector had been forced to rest.
"I did not expect you on the walls"
"Forgive me, but the wights are a curiosity to me. I knew they stalked me while I traveled but I never saw them. This would be my first time."
Before Hector could reply, the familiar sound of powerful wings filled the air. A Night creature descended from above, and it wasn't alone.
Isaac.
The free folk around tensed up at the sight of the gargole, but the fire-breathing bat-like demon did not care for them. Even after so long, they were still not used to the sights of Night creatures, although they had been all too happy to enjoy the creatures' aid in building the walls. Humans.
The dark-skinned forgemaster was dropped, and he landed with fluid grace, his long coat billowing around him as he surveyed the scene. His dull eyes immediately found Hector, and the expression on his face made Hector's stomach clench.
"Isaac," Hector called out as his colleague approached. "Please tell me you have good news."
"I'm afraid not." Isaac's voice carried that particular tone that said everything and nothing. "My scouts have just returned with another report."
"Another report?" Ygritte interjected, her hand instinctively moving to one of her steel axes.
Isaac nodded, his gaze shifting between Hector and the approaching Night's Watch riders. "There's another group being pursued. Free Folk, moving from the northeast. My Night creature estimates perhaps two dozen people, or maybe three. They'll be here in minutes and likely before the Night watch."
"Pursued by what?" Hector asked, though he already suspected the answer.
"Wights," Isaac confirmed.
"Right then," Hector said, straightening despite his exhaustion. "It seems we're about to become very popular."