A Tender Moment

The North, on the Wall.

The wildling army entered the Wall, migrating in a vast, endless host.

Black Castle.

In the spacious courtyard, the newly sworn Night's Watch recruits trained hard.

"Siga!"

A topaz-colored dragon crouched outside the castle, tossing its head and roaring in protest.

"Quiet, Syrax."

The Dragon Trainer, bundled in thick clothes, called out to the dragon while holding a bamboo pole.

Several goats, burned to cinders, lay in the snow, sending up foul black smoke.

"Siga!"

Syrax's slit pupils showed her displeasure. Like a little girl, she turned her head away and curled up on the scorched earth Dragonflame had burned.

It was November, and the North's climate was growing harsher by the day.

Snow fell day and night, nearly burying the courtyard walls.

The daytime temperatures were bearable, but each night the well water froze solid, and the cured meat hanging from the rafters cracked with the cold.

Anyone who dared pee outside their door would need a stick to break off the icicle.

"Eat, Syrax."

The Dragon Trainer called repeatedly, his face grave, but the dragon gave no answer.

No matter what he said, she didn't react in the slightest.

Syrax covered her head with her wings, wrapping her body in their broad span until she looked like a topaz-colored stone ball.

Inside Black Castle, the Night's Watch was bustling about.

Holes in the buildings needed patching, and the frozen wells had to be thawed with fire.

Meat was growing scarcer by the day, leaving only vegetables like turnips and cabbages.

Even those were running short.

The Night's Watch, the Winter Wolves, the Unsullied, and the allied forces of the Seven Kingdoms...

Tens of thousands of soldiers had gathered, and their numbers kept growing. Even stripping the entire North bare couldn't provide enough