Of everyone present, only Ygritte still managed to act somewhat normally. After all, she had already witnessed quite a few of Viserys's astonishing feats.
Still, the sight of Viserys bathed directly in flames left even her briefly dazed, though it only made Ygritte like him all the more.
As her name suggested, Ygritte had been "kissed by fire" and was naturally drawn to anything connected to flames. The sight of Viserys bathing in fire was irresistibly appealing to her.
Viserys stepped over the fallen ironwood door and entered the space beyond.
Robb, Benjen, and Ygritte followed him. Several soldiers came along as well, holding torches and longswords as they watched their surroundings warily. The torchlight revealed the outlines of the burial chamber.
It was larger than any level of the crypt above. Its walls were rough natural rock, seemingly untouched by tools, as though an underground cavern had simply been converted into a burial chamber.
The stone coffins along either side were also spaced farther apart than those on the upper levels. Some had already shattered, while others had been knocked askew by the repeated tremors and leaned against the walls.
But Viserys noticed something.
The lid of every stone coffin here was either open or half-open. Their interiors were completely empty, with no trace of any Stark remains.
A thick layer of dust had accumulated inside, as though their contents had left of their own accord long ago.
Robb noticed it too. He approached the nearest half-open stone coffin and bent down to look inside, then held up his torch to inspect several others. His expression grew increasingly grim.
He spoke with some unease, his voice sounding muffled in the empty chamber. "These are all empty. Our ancestors' bodies are gone."
"No, not all of them are empty." Benjen's