"The Wall of Despair has been breached by the White Walkers. Castle Black, Eastwatch, and the Shadow Tower—the three Night's Watch strongholds—have all fallen. The White Walker army has already reached Hearth Home!"
The people of Winterfell were panicking because Hearth Home was practically the last line of defense against the White Walkers' invasion of the North.
Once they broke through Hearth Home, crossed the Last River, passed Long Lake, and continued south, they would reach Winterfell. As for Dreadfort to the southeast, it simply could not stop the White Walkers from advancing south.
In the short term, only islands far from the mainland, such as Skagos Island and the Iron Islands, would likely remain safe.
But in the long run, once they occupied the mainland, the White Walker army would inevitably conquer the surrounding islands sooner or later.
By the time Gu Ding learned the news, it was already getting dark. The Library Tower was closing, and the young men and women filed out. The Female Scholar specifically called Gu Ding aside, told him the news, and urged him to leave Winterfell early.
Gu Ding was stunned for a moment when he heard the news, then nodded without saying much.
When he returned to the smithy, the blacksmith was already anxiously packing his things. Seeing Gu Ding return, he said, "Kid, hurry up and pack your things tonight. We can't stay in Winterfell anymore. Tomorrow at noon, we'll follow the main group to King's Landing. I refuse to believe those White Walkers can fight all the way to King's Landing!"
"What if King's Landing falls too?" Gu Ding asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Then we can only take a ship across the Narrow Sea to Pentos." The blacksmith looked utterly helpless.
"Do you have that much money to sail to