The great bonfires atop the walls were burning, and the soldiers needed to keep them safe. Amid the swirling snow, the reserves waited tensely behind the lines. Once the wights reached the battlements, they would have to fight them hand to hand.
Wights were everywhere, in front and behind.
Most terrifying of all was the bridge between the two castles, where the wights piled into heaps and climbed up.
Vast numbers of the dead were on the march, including hordes of dead Wildlings, ancient corpses dragged out of the Barrowlands, some giants, and many animals, enormous snowbears and boars.
The bad news was that the clash of steel against wood could already be heard. Some wights had climbed onto the Arch Bridge through the cold mist and begun fighting the defending soldiers hand to hand.
Crack! A towering wight swung its black hand. These Barrow Kings, who had already become White Walkers while alive, were extremely troublesome.
The entire city was locked in a bitter struggle.
Where the Shivering Sea met the Narrow Sea stood Braavos.
With winter's arrival, Braavos too felt the threat.
Trade between Westeros and Braavos was dwindling. From Westerosi sailors, the Braavosi had learned of the widespread freezing in the North and Westeros's fight against the Long Night.
As a northern city-state, Braavos also felt a profound sense of danger.
The Braavosi stepped up their purchases of whale oil as a source of fire and light for winter. Braavos's fishing boats were also working harder, trying to bring in enough fish for food before the city-state was sealed off.
Braavos's purple-clad harbor, Purple Harbor, was reserved for locals alone.
Huge fishing ships entered the harbor. Before the northern ice advanced, the Braavosi had no choice but to hunt in the northern Shivering Sea. Once everything