Lancelot felt the earth and the mountains trembling. He looked into the distance and saw the army of wights rushing down like an overwhelming tide.
"Run!" Lancelot immediately roared.
They were still some distance from the sea, but they could make it if they ran fast enough.
Speed was survival now. Not everyone in their group was equipped with bows and Valyrian steel arrows.
Facing such a massive army of wights, Lancelot had no choice but to avoid their direct onslaught.
The sailors remaining on the ships also sensed something was wrong. They quickly brought out all the Valyrian steel arrows, and all the archers lined up on the shore, ready to loose.
"Loose! Don't let a single wight break through," commanded Cotter Pyke from Eastwatch-by-the-Sea.
"But Lancelot and the others haven't returned yet!" Ser Wylis Manderly protested.
"With such a massive army of wights, he won't make it back. We can't expect one man to fight his way out of that! He's just one person, after all!" Cotter Pyke retorted.
Lancelot's path forward was cut off by the wight army, so he had to lead his men in the opposite direction to escape.
They fought as they retreated, their numbers dwindling.
In the end, only Lancelot remained.
Just as Lancelot reached a dead end, a group of wildlings appeared in the distance. They threw objects that looked like stone balls at the army of wights.
Upon contact with the wights, the balls exploded violently, killing many of them.
Lancelot was saved by the wildlings. These wildlings came from several different tribes; some had red hair, some went barefoot, and some bore terrifying brands on their faces.
As Lancelot was led into a valley by them, the ships waiting at Hardhome finally couldn't withstand the assault of the corpse army any longer and sailed away.
On board, the sailors and soldiers were silent. They had only come to scout, yet they suffered their heaviest casualties—over a hundred men died there.
Not including Lancelot himself.
"Lancelot is probably dead. I mean, he's likely dead. He's just a man, after all! Not a god. It's impossible to survive when surrounded by an army of wights," Cotter Pyke said. He was terrified now. How would he break this news when he returned to Eastwatch? How would he inform Castle Black?
When the commander-in-chief of the Seven Kingdoms' allied forces on the front lines dies, the resulting power vacuum will be coveted by many.
Whether it be the ministers in King's Landing or the lords of the North.
The wildlings took Lancelot to see Mance Rayder. Mance had once been spared by Lancelot, so he didn't treat Lancelot as a prisoner upon his arrival.
"Lancelot, now we are grasshoppers on the same rope!" Mance Rayder said.
Lancelot scanned his surroundings, noting several famous wildling leaders: Tormund Giantsbane, Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg (Mag the Mighty), Leathers (implied, or a generic 'Long-haired Rick'), along with Mance Rayder's pregnant wife and sister-in-law.
"Indeed, Mance. I can't return to the Wall now, so you could say we are ants on the same rope. Tell me, why weren't you at Hardhome?"
Lancelot sat down, snatched half a roast chicken from a wildling's hand, and began to eat.
Seeing Lancelot's attitude, the wildling burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Mance said there was an interesting little lion. Seeing you today, you really are interesting."
The wildling whose chicken was stolen laughed. He had two vicious scars on his face, one diagonal and one horizontal.
"Because the skinchangers among us contacted the Greenseer and the Children of the Forest. Thanks to their help, we didn't go to Hardhome," Mance Rayder explained.
"You've met the Greenseer?" Lancelot asked.
"Once. But usually, he comes to my dreams to speak with me and tell me how to proceed," Mance Rayder said.
"So, what is our next move?" Lancelot asked.
"Our! Lancelot, do you want to join us Free Folk? That calls for a warm welcome! Hahaha," Mance laughed.
The other wildlings laughed as well.
Lancelot didn't get angry. When under someone else's roof, one must bow their head!
"So where are we going next?" Lancelot repeated his question.
"First, we'll take you to meet the Greenseer! He will like you."
When the Night's Watch and the vanguard of the Seven Kingdoms' allied forces learned that Lancelot was missing, possibly dead, chaos ensued immediately.
Littlefinger once said, "Chaos is a ladder." He was absolutely right.
Some within the Night's Watch began to harbor ambitious thoughts.
Several high-ranking Night's Watch officers held a secret meeting.
"Now that Lancelot won't be coming back, the command should be handed over to us, the Night's Watch. Tomorrow, we will propose that Lord Commander Mormont take over as the commander-in-chief of the Seven Kingdoms' allied forces," said a high-ranking officer. He was the second-ranking ranger after Benjen Stark.
"But isn't there still Ser Kevan? He's related to Lancelot by blood! And he's an experienced commander. There's no reason to hand command over to the Old Bear," the Master-at-Arms argued.
"If we were in the South, naturally Ser Kevan would be the choice. But this is the Wall; beyond is the wild. We know this place best. Their command would be nonsense. Relying on southerners to save us? Keep dreaming!"
Not everyone attended this secret meeting of high-ranking officers; neither Benjen Stark nor Lord Commander Mormont was present.
Lord Commander Mormont was currently with Maester Aemon.
"Is the letter to King's Landing written?" the Old Bear asked.
"It is written. Would you like to review it, Lord Commander?" Maester Aemon asked.
"Regarding Lancelot, did you write that he is missing or dead?"
"Disappearing beyond the Wall usually means death, but I still used the term 'missing'," Maester Aemon said.
"That is good. But I worry now whether the news of Lancelot's disappearance will negatively impact the allied forces. If our strategic deployment is affected because of one man, it would be disastrous," the Old Bear said.
"Lord Commander, perhaps you should speak with Ser Kevan? See what he thinks?" Maester Aemon suggested.
After the Old Bear closed the door to the maester's tower and left, Samwell Tarly, standing behind Maester Aemon, spoke up.
"Maester, is Lancelot really dead? Has anyone ever disappeared beyond the Wall and come back alive later?" Sam asked.
"Some go on missions and return months later. But in Lancelot's case, where we know he disappeared while surrounded by the enemy... there has never been such a case," Maester Aemon replied.