Alliser could hardly believe it until he saw it all. He knew the Druid and their power were real, so he tried to be respectful, but an army of death... he couldn't believe it without seeing it for himself.
Aermir knew this would happen. That was the main reason he hadn't announced the Night's King's existence. Some of the North lords and all the Southern lords would act like Alliser.
He sighed and said, "Sir Alliser, I understand you're reluctant to believe it. But I assure you, everything I've said is true. Don't you even trust your own people?"
Cotter said, "First Ranger Benjen is a respected man, but what's more believable? Was he attacked by Others, or surrounded by Wildlings covered in paint, mistaking them for others, and then rescued by you, only to be given some grandiose tales to elevate yourself?"
Cotter was short, with closed eyes and a broken nose. He had a widow's hump, and a sparse, coarse beard that covered his acne-scarred face. He wasn't handsome, but he was lean and muscular. Many people underestimated his short stature and paid a heavy price for it.
He had spent many years on the Wall, but deep down he was a follower of the Seven, so he knew nothing about it. To believe that the Others were real was almost blasphemous to him and other believers.
Aermir was annoyed by the dwarf's behavior, so he released some magic that made them feel oppressed. After making sure everyone felt it, Aermir released the magic from them and focused his attention on Alliser and Cotter.
"Do you think I need the Night's Watch sing me hymns? Do you think I'm some muttering soliloquy that needs attention and a crowd to watch?"
Cotter felt like he was being pinned down by a horse. He could barely lift his head. He realized he had made a mistake. He had assumed the Druid would act as respectfully as other lords, but this man didn't care at all.
Cotter had experienced numerous life-or-death battles with Wildlings throughout his life. When a battle began, he had an almost unnatural instinct to know who was stronger and who was more likely to kill him.
He had only experienced this feeling a few times, and always when facing wild beasts such as polar bears, earth wolves, or Shadowcat. In the eyes of those beasts, he was the prey, the target of the hunt, and he could sense something similar, something primal, in the eyes of this Druid.
To him, Cotter wasn't even human; he was prey to hunt. A cold sweat broke out on his back. "I... I'm sorry, Emre the Druid. I didn't mean to say that."
Aermir's voice grew even colder. "Besides calling me a con artist, a swindler, what else does it mean?"
Aermir raised his hand and mumbled something. Then, Cotter's body froze. He was frozen stiff. The torches in the room began to flicker, growing dimmer. As Aermir spoke, his voice grew deeper and deeper, like thunder in the sky. "Do you take me for a magician playing low-level tricks, or a clown from some alleyway?"
His words echoed in the room, filling everyone present with dread. But one man's feelings were different. Bran was almost ready to bow down to Aermir and begin to worship him. Ever since his green dream, he had a clearer perception of all magical things. The man before them was now radiating magical light.
Before, he only knew that the Druid was a powerful mage, because that's what people said, but now he could feel it deep in his bones. Although he couldn't see it, he felt as if he were in a dense hell, and the Druid was the fiery eye of that scorching storm. He felt that he was only inches away from the fire; he could feel the heat emanating from it, but he couldn't see it.
Since Aermir's aura wasn't pressing down on him, Jeor Mormont struggled to his feet. He walked up to them and knelt on one knee before them.
"Oh, voice of the Old Gods, forgive my incompetent and foolish followers. I beg you, they do not know what they are saying. It is not they who are speaking, but their foolish faith. They are good men, indispensable to the Great the Wall. Their oath binds them to obey the commands of the Old Gods, for we all know that it was the power of the Old Gods that built the Wall."
He bent down, knelt on one knee, and said, "Please let these fools serve the Wall for the rest of their lives."
The halo vanished, just as without warning as it had appeared, but the threat in Aermir's tone remained. "Today, thanks to their loyal and selfless commander, two fools have escaped death, but there won't be a second time."
When Aermir announced that Alliser and Cotter had both successfully resumed breathing, Cotter, in particular, could feel his life slipping away before his eyes, just seconds before. In that moment, his faith in the " Seven " shattered. Even after losing his house and being exiled here following the rebellion, he hadn't lost faith, but this moment made him absolutely certain. Even if the Seven Seven truly existed, he was certain they had abandoned them; in the North, the Old Gods were supreme.
His suspicions were confirmed after speaking with the commanders of the Night's Watch's Citadel. If even these weak commanders of the Night's Watch showed him such disrespect and distrust, he couldn't imagine what the lords of Westeros would do upon hearing of the Night's King and his army.
Aermir realized he needed to find one and present him to the lords, but capturing one wouldn't be easy. To do so, he had to stop all his work and search the far north for a scattered group of soldiers, as approaching the main army was too dangerous for him. Aermir entrusted this task to Skadi. First, she had to find some men; only after she did he decide what to do next.
Aermir had much to do. He had to find a wizard to dig tunnels beneath Winterfell to complete the passage, and the armies of the Mountain Clans were beginning to stir. He had to return to the Vale. In battle against the Night's King, Aermir realized he could no longer roam arrogantly beyond the Wall. He had to become stronger. Now, he was nothing before the Night's King, but he had not lost anything.
He learned one thing from that confrontation: the Night's King's arrogance exposed another weakness: Dragonglass. He had to find a way to obtain more of it and continue his alchemical experiments.