This was a surprise to Eddard; Rickon had become Druid, and Aermir decided to teach his other children. Aermir said, "We need as many wizards as possible. Our future war is coming, and we may need everything we can."
Deep down, Eddard was truly pleased; with all his children becoming powerful Druid, his family would have a perfect foundation, and with Aermir's support, no one could challenge them; at least for the next century, his home would be safe. He snapped out of his reverie and said, "I believe everything you've said is true. When I summon, the people of the North must come; most of them will come with all their might, but House Ryswell, House Dustin, and House Bolton will likely remain inactive. As for the lords of the South, I know you've told me they won't give us real support, but I think we should still try to gain as much as possible."
Aermir smiled sarcastically, "I never expected them to give us real support, I've told you that before, but I never said we didn't expect their support. I needed them to refrain from action at least until we defeated the Night's King, and to provide us with at least two or three tenths of their forces, but the situation has changed, and that's not enough."
Aermir recounted his experiences and the origin of the verdant pillar of light to Eddard. Aermir sighed and continued, "That's why we need more people and their support. I don't think we're strong enough. I underestimated the Night's King and the Others. I don't have enough power to face him, at least not now. No ordinary person can face the Others. Without magic, you can't even hurt them. He has 20 Others in his dreams, and probably more. Each one is more powerful than thousands, because they can also bring the dead back to life."
Aermir sat in his chair, his fingers beginning to tap rhythmically on the table beside him. "We need more magical weapons and soldiers than I planned."
Eddard looked bewildered. "I'm confused. Didn't you say ordinary soldiers couldn't hurt them? Can you provide magical weapons for the entire army?"
Aermir shook his head. "No, of course not. I could only prove enough for my army, and maybe yours, but that battle wasn't a complete victory for me. I learned something too. Dragonglass —we need a lot of Dragonglass. We'll use it to make spears, daggers, and arrows. That's one of their weaknesses. Do you know where we can mine it?"
Eddard nodded vigorously after learning they had a glimmer of hope. "Yes, Dragonstone is full of them, but it's under Stannis's control. We need to make contact with him."
Aermir wrote something on a piece of paper, then summoned a Crow. He sent a message to Caygan, instructing him to send some Crow Guard to Dragonstone to gather intelligence. Aermir needed to know Stannis's background.
The next day, as Druid, Aermir walked among the Night's Watch. Jeor Mormont accompanied him. They spoke of the Free Folk and how they wished to make a pilgrimage to the Fist of the First Men because his magic had caused a spectacle. After some negotiation, Jeor granted their request, provided they did not bring weapons.
Just as they were talking, a hooded guard approached Aermir from behind, pulled out a dagger, and stabbed him in the neck.
"For the House Blackthorn!"
An unnatural sound rang out as the dagger touched his neck. The blow threw Aermir off balance, causing him to fall to the ground. Aermir vigilance had been lowered due to his two defensive buffs being constantly active. He was furious at his own careless and arrogant behavior. What if the assassin wasn't this idiot, but a real assassin wielding a magical weapon? He might have been seriously injured, or worse.
Jeor punched the young man and drew his Valyrian steel sword. He began to shout, "Grab him!" He pulled down his hood and turned to his sidekick. "Is he one of ours?"
One reason this blow had such a profound effect on him was the sword. Valyrian steel was no longer sufficient to dispel Aermir's spell, but it could still weaken some of the magic's power. The crack in his wooden neck healed on its own, returning to normal.
Aermir stood up and stood before the young man; his eyes were filled with hatred. If he could, he would tear Aermir to pieces with his teeth. "I am Alaric Blackthorn, son of Sir Raynard Blackthorn!"
"The House Blackthorn... They're a fanatic family from the Three Sisters. So you're one of the people I sent." The young man began to struggle, but was held down by two men who shouted profanities, "You heretic, you tree bastard! I'll kill you. I'll kill all of you! What have you done to my father!"
"Your father?" At this moment, Aermir suddenly realized. "Oh... you mean that idiot who tried to kill me when the lord of the Three Sisters surrendered?" Aermir let out a hearty laugh, "Like father, like son. He once thought of doing the same thing." Hearing Aermir speak of his father in this way, the young man became even more furious, foaming at the mouth and feigning madness.
Jeor slapped the man hard across the face, smashing his mouth open; blood splattered to the ground, mingling with the snow. "You are not Night's Watch. You are an Oathbreaker who attempted to assassinate the Protector of the Kingdom. Take him away. He will pay for his crimes."
Just as the two were about to drag him away, "Wait!" Aermir raised his hand and said, "Commander Mormont, if you'd like, I'd be happy to punish him myself."
Jeor thought for a moment, then nodded approvingly to Aermir, but added, "He is a traitor to the Night's Watch. He must be punished with death." Aermir lowered his head. "That was also my plan, but I want to punish him the same way his father did; for that, he needs to be taken to the Temple."
Jeor said, "We'll send him with the next batch of criminals." Aermir walked up to Alaric and said in a voice only he could hear, "Your father lost both legs in the mutation experiment, and he's still alive, begging me to kill him every day."
Aermir wanted to leave, but wanting to make an example of them, he infused his voice with magic, making it audible to everyone. "I allowed your name to continue, while you were nothing but defeated dogs. If you were the victors, you wouldn't treat the defeated with such courtesy. Therefore, I will end the House Blackthorn and create a new family based on a new name. From this day forward, there will be no trace of your family on the Three Sisters. I will erase them from all the records I possess."
Hearing this, Alaric grew even angrier, as the man dragged him away. Aermir continued his mutation experiments. He still hadn't succeeded in mutating others. They usually died within months or immediately lost their limbs, but he knew that failure was the mother of success.
He kept trying and finally made a breakthrough. He remained hopeful because he was able to achieve some small goals, such as what he had given to Caygan and Harrick, but true mutation was impossible for others, at least not yet.