(Male protagonist's perspective)
While everyone else was tending to their wounded and resting, I was trying to block out Artio's endless questions. Ever since she realized I wasn't fighting anymore, she hasn't stopped talking. I think she's told me everything that's happened in the last six months.
"Master, why can't Artio's mother speak? She only says one word: eat, stop, hunt... Why does she talk like that? When Artio talks to her, it's like when Artio talks to his older brother Berus; she doesn't understand what Artio means."
- You'll understand when you're fully grown up, because you're unique. Big Brother Berus will tell you everything, so you should ask him every question you have.
Then I heard Berus's pleading voice.
Master, why are you doing this to me?
After the conversation, I looked around. The island was completely bare, with almost no trees left. So, my familiars had all retreated to the mountains about 5 kilometers away. Bo and Erebus had returned after shrinking, but someone had to take care of Artio, and her nanny was, as always, Berus. I summoned Wannian to listen to the king's war council.
"A Stormlands lord said."
"Your Majesty, we should continue our advance. We can capture the second Citadel now, and the war will be over soon."
Lord Stark said.
"They've already built a bridge to the Great Citadel. How do you expect to get close to them? We must end the attack to avoid unnecessary losses."
"Po, Erebus, take your men and go find another entrance to the great Citadel. I don't think they'll imprison themselves there with no way out."
Bo and Erebus took off, and 120 Crow and ravens followed suit, circling the main force. They began to circle over Pyke Castle, with no way out. The only way out was a dock at the base of the Sea Tower; they had destroyed the wooden staircase leading to it.
"Lord Royce said."
"The two parts of the suspension bridge are 5 meters apart. We can try to build a simple suspension bridge."
Tywin scoffed at this and said nothing more. Lord Royce spoke angrily.
"What's so funny, Lord Tywin?"
"Do you think they'll let you build a bridge anywhere? Even if they did, they could just throw a boulder at us as we start crossing, and we'd lose dozens, even hundreds, of our men for no reason."
"That's what another Vale lord said."
"Can't we command the Druid to help us? He can always create a large rock; he must be able to control it too."
"As if I would help you bastards," Robert said, now mocking the king.
"If we drown, he won't help us. The only reason he'll help us is to demonstrate the power of the Old Gods. Didn't you see his magic didn't affect the Citadel? He could only open the gate with a mechanism, Ned. Don't you really know who he is?"
"Of course, I won't help you without something in return," Lord Stark said sternly.
"My king, I don't think he'll be able to play both sides."
Lord Stark's tactic was clever. If the king had asked more directly, he wouldn't have had the chance and would have been forced to lie.
A while later, Bo came to me and told me what had happened at Pyke Castle, but not much of it. For the next two weeks, we made no progress. We had several small skirmishes, but they would always drop a boulder to interrupt our advance. I sent Bo and Erebus out to scout every day, but we got nothing useful. But today's intelligence was different. Erebus spotted a hole they were using to dump garbage from the kitchen island. The hole was only 1 meter wide and 60 meters below the ground.
The kitchen was on its own island, connected to the main Citadel by an archway. A plan began to take shape in my mind. Even if we couldn't reach the bridge structure on the main Citadel, the worst-case scenario was that if we captured the Kitchen Island, we could burn it down and starve them.
I told Lord Stark about my plan, and he fell into deep thought.
"It's a bold and reckless plan, but if you can climb all the way there, sneak into the Great Citadel, and lower the bridge, the plan can succeed..."
After careful consideration, he came to the same conclusion as me.
"The worst-case scenario is that we can burn their supplies. How many men do you need?"
"If there are too many of us, it will attract too much attention; I'd rather just bring Harrick and Caygan."
"You have too few people. There are only two of you. Can you open the city gate?"
"If I could use my spells more freely, I could. If I brought more people, it would be disadvantageous for me. I can't use my magic."
"Since we're on this topic, why don't you blow up the city gates?"
"These walls and gates have powerful protective shields, created by someone far more powerful than me. I can create shields, but they only last for an hour. If I sacrifice one person, they can only last a day at most. But these magic circles are very ancient and are beginning to weaken. In their prime, they must have been far more powerful."
"You mean the stories of the Heroic Age are true?"
I think so.
I took a deep breath and said.
"My lord, I have something to tell you that I've never told anyone before. When I say I was sent by Old Gods, you might think I'm using a god's name, but that's not the case. You might even think I'm crazy, but that's the truth. A god directly bestowed this power upon me. I don't know if it was Old Gods, but it certainly was. That god said the world had lost its balance, and I was sent here to restore it. That's all I know."
Lord Stark looked at me for a moment, said nothing, then downed his drink in one gulp and took a deep breath. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then gave up, poured himself another drink, and downed it in one go. After gathering his thoughts, he spoke.
"I don't know if what you're saying is true, but one thing is certain: you're not an ordinary boy. You're exceptionally gifted, beyond the ordinary. I know you can kill thousands, and you can also use your power to heal this land and its people. I don't know if you're a gift or a curse from the North, but I want you to know that if you try to harm the people of the North, I will fight you with all my might."
"I've always told you, my lord, this land is my home, and I want the North to be the greatest kingdom. I don't know what God meant by losing balance, but until I find the true reason, I will continue to fight for the North."