Mormont turned to the old maester again. "Maester Aemon, please join us as well."
Finally, he looked at the Night's Watch gathered in the courtyard. "Dismissed. Return to your patrols and posts. Donal, take a few men and check the outer fences for damage. Remember, be extremely careful. Do not anger the Dragon."
"Don't worry. King Ghidorah is highly intelligent, and she's very gentle," Viserys explained. "As long as you don't attack her, she won't hurt anyone."
The men dispersed amid a buzz of conversation, but none could resist looking back at the three-headed Dragon lying outside the castle. King Ghidorah's three heads rested across one another, her eyes closed as though she truly was resting, yet no one dared approach. Everyone knew that at a single command from His Majesty the Dragonlord, the enormous beast would wake at once.
A fire roared in the hall of Castle Black, keeping the room warm.
Mormont, Maester Aemon, and Viserys sat around the long table. The maester's assistant, Clydas, poured each of them a cup of warm wine, then withdrew to stand behind the maester.
"Your Majesty Viserys," Mormont began. "First, I must say that your arrival has put the Night's Watch in an awkward position. We swore not to meddle in the affairs of the Seven Kingdoms, but your appearance at the Wall on a Dragon cannot be kept entirely secret. Soon, all of Westeros will know that a Targaryen has come north."
"I know, but I had to come," Viserys replied. "Lord Commander Mormont, be honest. Even after everything I told you earlier, do you truly believe the Others exist?"
As expected, Mormont fell silent for a moment before answering. "I've been a man of the Night's Watch for nearly twenty years. I've seen many strange things beyond the Wall