Blackfyre Slays a White Walker

Beyond the Wall, in the Haunted Forest.

Heavy snow drifted down, blanketing the forest-cloaked land.

Rumble—

A giant beast lumbered forward. Each step shook the ground and dislodged snow from the treetops.

Rhaegar wrapped himself tightly in a black cloak, riding a shaggy mammoth along a frozen riverbank.

Whenever the wind picked up, the snow stung his face like needles.

"We should've flown here on dragonback."

A small voice came from nearby, uncertain and uneasy.

A brown-green head with two large ears poked out from a basket hanging at the mammoth's side.

Rhaegar kept his eyes on the path ahead and said cautiously, "The dragons would attract the White Walkers. We should avoid causing a disturbance."

As he spoke, he discreetly raised his head.

A black ribbon covered his eyes, adding a touch of intrigue to his stern features.

Through the darkness of the ribbon, even the heavy clouds above looked dim.

The Children of the Forest quietly reminded him, "There are many Heart Trees beyond the Wall, but the true Heart Tree lies much farther away."

She cared only about finding the Heart Tree and her people, so she could bring them before the greenseer.

Come to think of it, the White Walkers' return was a strange affair.

According to the calculations of generations of greenseers, the White Walkers were still centuries away from waking.

Then, twenty years ago, a Red Comet stirred the Magic Tide.

The White Walkers gradually crawled out from beneath the frozen earth, bringing cold and darkness into the world.

Yet the prophesied prince, the prince born of ice and fire, had never appeared on the continent.

For now, the only human she could trust was the king before her, the one who commanded dragons.

Dragons were creatures of blood and fire. She wondered whether