Chapter Summaries

Aermir sent Wannian to spy on Lord Sunderland while he flew to Moat Cailin, where he discussed expanding the production of enchanted weapons and armor with Tobho Mott. The chapter left Aermir planning to spend oath points on more smiths and a concealed underground forge.

• Aermir summoned Wannian from Sunderland Island and ordered him to monitor Lord Sunderland, forbidding him from accessing Aermir’s past-life memories.
• Wannian infiltrated Lord Sunderland’s castle with ninety rats to collect information about the lord’s plans and conversations.
• Aermir flew to Moat Cailin and surveyed the renovated fortress before meeting Tobho Mott in the forge.
• Aermir and Tobho discussed the enchanted weapons and armor, including the five hundred weapons already produced and the limits on their production.
• Aermir proposed hiring fifty more smiths with fifty oath points and expanding the underground forge to equip his soldiers.

The Stark children planned a grand feast for Rickon's Name Day, with Sansa using memories of Aermir to inspire the gathering. Eddard agreed to invite the northern lords, leaving Winterfell eagerly anticipating the celebration and a chance to reunite with Aermir.

• Jon, Robb, Arya, Bran, and Sansa discussed Aermir's absence and agreed to make Rickon's Name Day feast unforgettable.
• The Stark siblings traded playful jabs as they planned the guest list, food, accommodations, and entertainment.
• Sansa recalled how Robb, Jon, and Aermir had drenched minor nobles with water and flour, then endured days of punishment from Eddard.
• Sansa guided her siblings toward holding a feast, and Jon and Robb recognized that the idea had come from her.
• Sansa persuaded Eddard to send formal invitations to the northern lords, and the family looked forward to the feast.

Aermir discussed the cost, labor, and timeline for linking the Sunset Sea and the Bite with a passage fed by the Fever River, then continued digging despite the Night King's curse. He traveled to Winterfell for Rickon's eighth Name Day feast, hoping to reconnect with the Stark children while Rickon remained uneasy around him.

• Aermir and his advisers reviewed the Fever River connection, the excavation challenges, and plans to use a few thousand workers to dig from the Bite.
• Maester Torrhen Reed argued that hiring workers would cost about one million gold dragons, but Aermir said their labor would free him to pursue more valuable work.
• Aermir continued excavating and had carved a ninety-kilometer trench after nearly a year, though the Night King's curse slowed his progress.
• Aermir left his usual duties and traveled to Winterfell for Rickon's eighth Name Day feast.
• Aermir looked forward to seeing Jon, Robb, Arya, and Bran again, while Rickon remained uneasy around him.

Aermir arrived at Winterfell with two hundred knights and reunited with Robb, Jon, and the Stark children. He left the procession to join the feast, sharing familiar teasing and affection with his old friends.

• Aermir rode into Winterfell on Sith at the head of two hundred knights, while the knights divided between the great hall and the courtyard feast.
• Robb and Jon greeted Aermir and joked with him about his title, strength, and prospects as a bachelor.
• Arya and Bran jumped onto Aermir, and Arya claimed their habit of climbing onto his back was a cherished tradition.
• Sansa scolded Arya and worried that Aermir was encouraging childish behavior, while Jon and Robb joined the teasing.
• Aermir laughed with the Stark siblings and felt nostalgic for the friendship and playful chaos he had missed.

At Rickon's gift-giving celebration in Winterfell, Aermir shared sugarcane candies with the Stark children and guests. The festivities turned tense when Theon insulted Aermir, who publicly threatened him until Lord Stark had soldiers escort Theon out.

• Aermir gave Rickon candy during the gift-giving ceremony, and the boy thanked him despite remaining wary.
• Aermir's sweets drew mixed reactions from the nobles, while Sansa praised his contribution to the celebration.
• Aermir spent the evening reminiscing with Robb and Jon, leaving Theon Greyjoy on the edge of their conversation.
• Theon insulted Aermir and called him a common wildling, prompting Aermir to remind him that he was a hostage and threaten him.
• Lord Stark ordered soldiers to escort Theon from the hall, and the nobles soon returned to their celebration.

Aermir reconciled with Robb after Sansa and Arya exposed Theon’s behavior, then navigated a tense contest between Sansa and Dacey over dancing with him. He left the dance floor after Arya secured a dance and realized he was still a virgin at twenty.

• Robb defended Theon, but Sansa and Arya told him how Theon had mistreated Jon and spread rumors about Aermir, leading Robb to regret trusting him.
• Aermir and Robb shared a toast to true friendship as the evening’s tension faded.
• Dacey invited Aermir to dance, and she and Sansa argued over who would claim the dance.
• Aermir bargained with Sith to let Arya play with her for half an hour, and Arya announced that Aermir had promised to dance with her.
• Aermir danced, then claimed he was drunk and tired to leave without openly rejecting Sansa or Dacey.
• As he left the dance floor, Aermir reflected that he was a twenty-year-old virgin.

Dacey Mormont and Sansa Stark's archery-range rivalry escalated when Lady reacted to Dacey's axe throw, prompting Dacey to transform into a half-bear. Aermir Drasil stopped the confrontation, while Arya noticed the two women's hidden feelings for him.

• Dacey challenged Sansa to throw axes, and Sansa knocked Dacey's axe off course with an arrow.
• Dacey threw an axe toward Sansa, and Lady roared at the perceived threat.
• Dacey transformed into a half-bear while Arya blocked Nymeria from joining the fight.
• Aermir arrived and calmed Lady and Dacey, ending the confrontation.
• Arya noticed Sansa and Dacey's interest in Aermir and grinned at the prospect of romance.

Dacey and Sansa openly acknowledged their rivalry for Aermir’s affection, while Aermir began to recognize their feelings for him. In Winterfell’s crypts, he followed Rickon and tried to learn why the boy had grown distant, but Shaggydog attacked; Aermir subdued the Direwolf and prepared to speak with Rickon.

• Dacey and Sansa challenged each other over who understood Aermir and declared their intentions to win his affection.
• Aermir realized that Sansa and Dacey both loved him and began to see them as women with desires of their own.
• Aermir followed Rickon into the crypts and found him playing with Shaggydog and an ancient sword.
• Aermir asked Rickon why their relationship had changed, but Rickon hesitated and tried to retreat.
• Shaggydog attacked Aermir, who used his Bark Armor, earth magic, and a domination spell to stop the Direwolf.

Aermir reassured Rickon after Shaggydog attacked him, then learned Rickon feared him because he could see Aermir’s blue magical aura and believed he was the Druid, not Aermir. After proving their shared memories and binding Rickon to secrecy with Oath Magic, Aermir discovered Rickon could see mana and distinguish magical auras, then began explaining the truth about Emre the Druid.

• Aermir calmed Rickon and explained that Shaggydog was asleep, then spoke with him about Lika and the pain of losing someone loved.
• Rickon told Aermir he believed he was the Druid because he saw a powerful blue light around him instead of the green light he associated with his family.
• Aermir realized Rickon could see mana and recalled that Rickon had only gained this sight after Aermir left Winterfell under his own identity.
• Aermir reminded Rickon of their shared memories, then made him swear secrecy through Oath Magic before revealing a secret.
• Aermir tested Rickon’s sight with an unformed Fireball Spell, but Rickon recoiled from its dangerous aura, so Aermir dispelled it and apologized.
• Rickon identified Bo’s aura as blue and Erebus’s as green, and Aermir began explaining the truth about Emre the Druid.

Aermir asked Catelyn Stark to let him become Rickon’s guardian, and she agreed to consider it if Rickon consented and Ned approved. He then turned to investigating the magical presence in Winterfell’s crypts, hoping it might lead him to the sacred sites tied to the Order God.

• Aermir decided to seek Catelyn’s permission to become Rickon’s guardian, while preparing to take Rickon away if she refused.
• Aermir told Catelyn that he wanted to guide and protect Rickon, and she agreed to consider the arrangement if Rickon agreed and Ned approved.
• Aermir resolved to gather talented allies to help him find the sacred sites mentioned by the Order God.
• Aermir suspected Winterfell’s crypts might be connected to the sacred sites and went below to investigate their magical presence.
• Aermir used the incantation "Tegon Modocalcinum" to summon a humanoid earth elemental in the crypts.

Aermir explored Winterfell's crypts with earth magic and found a massive carved door that held the source of the pulsing magic, but he lacked the mana to reach it. He kept the discovery from Lord Stark and decided to excavate toward the door alone, slowly and cautiously, while balancing his other responsibilities.

• Aermir used Elemental Vision to survey the collapsed crypts and found that they extended deep beneath Winterfell.
• Aermir descended through the earth with Air Bubble and Merge with the Earth, but his mana dwindled as he followed the growing magical presence.
• Aermir found a huge metal door carved with dragons and a direwolf holding a crystal, then turned back because he lacked the mana to reach it safely.
• Aermir decided not to tell Lord Stark about the door or risk a large excavation that could destabilize the ground beneath Winterfell.
• Aermir chose to excavate alone and reinforce the soil as he worked, expecting the task to take more than two years alongside his other duties.

Aermir asked Eddard Stark to let him foster Rickon at Moat Cailin and train him in magic and swordsmanship. After Eddard learned that his wife had approved, Aermir encouraged Rickon's dream of becoming a Druid and taming a dragon, leaving the boy eager to begin an adventure.

• Aermir told Eddard that Rickon could see fluctuations in magic and explained how he had discovered the boy's talent in Winterfell's crypts.
• Aermir asked Eddard to let him foster Rickon at Moat Cailin, promising to teach him magic and swordsmanship.
• Eddard hesitated over Aermir's age and warned that his wife would oppose the request, but Aermir said she had already given her blessing.
• Aermir and Eddard spoke with Rickon, who eagerly imagined becoming a powerful Druid and knight like his brothers.
• Rickon asked whether becoming a Druid would let him tame a dragon, and Aermir replied that they would first have to find one and then could try.

Aermir went hunting with Robb, Jon, Bran, and Rickon on his last day in Winterfell, while Theon was left behind after Aermir refused to go with him. Around the campfire, Bran tried ale to prove he was grown, but spat it out and was laughed at by his brothers.

• Theon apologized to Robb and asked to join the hunt, but Aermir refused to go if Theon came, so the Stark siblings chose to leave Theon behind.
• Aermir secretly used Dominate Animal to calm the horses around Sith, and Bran eagerly asked how he had done it and whether he could learn.
• Rickon hid his knowledge of Aermir's identity as Emre the Druid by pretending he was laughing about Shaggydog.
• After the hunt, Bran tried to drink ale, but Robb caught him and allowed him only one sip after Aermir signaled that he should.
• Bran spat out the ale and asked why anyone drank it, prompting Robb, Jon, and Aermir to laugh at his attempt to prove he was grown.

Aermir and the Stark brothers shared a playful wrestling match after Jon explained that he had already sworn to join the Night's Watch. Later, Aermir searched Winterfell’s library for clues about the Night's King and the Others, hoping to prepare for the coming threat while remaining bound to the Wall.

• Jon told Aermir that he had dreamed of joining the Night's Watch since childhood and had already sworn his vows.
• Aermir teased Jon about dying a virgin, and Jon lunged at him; Robb, Rickon, and Bran joined the ensuing wrestling match.
• Aermir studied Winterfell’s books and scrolls for information about the Others and the Night's King.
• Aermir feared that his earth magic had connected the Night's King to the land and that the curse might let him cross the Wall.
• Aermir found conflicting legends about the Night's King’s history, powers, and the Others’ possible weaknesses, but could not tell which accounts were true.

Aermir expanded Moat Cailin’s agriculture, trade, weapons production, and magical research while developing a new port and outfitting the Crow Guard. The chapter ended with him wearing an enchanted feather cloak that raised his speed and strength to match Harrick’s.

• Aermir improved Northern farming with canals, irrigation, aquaculture ponds, and potatoes, and worked with Tobho Mott to produce Damascus steel weapons and composite bows.
• Aermir continued experimenting on imprisoned murderers to create a Magic Heart or permanent bodily magic, while his efforts to make vodka and clear glass remained unsuccessful despite spending 110,000 gold coins.
• Aermir completed Moon drift port, prompting House Manderly and Lord Manderly to protest the new port and stirring regional tensions.
• Aermir crafted enchanted feather cloaks for the Crow Guard, carving runes into feathers shed by Bo and Erebus to grant wearers greater strength, speed, and concealment at night.
• Aermir finished a cloak for himself and found that his speed reached 19 and his strength reached 18, matching Harrick.

Aermir ordered Berus and Artio to use dominated beasts to punish Gerion Lannister for leaving the road through the Mist Forest, killing his men while sparing him minor injuries. Gerion escaped the forest with only a handful of his men, leaving most of his party dead or captured.

• Bo told Aermir that Gerion Lannister had reached the Mist Forest and strayed from the designated route.
• Aermir instructed Bo to have Berus and Artio surround Gerion’s party with dominated wolves and bears, killing everyone except Gerion and giving Gerion minor injuries.
• Gerion and his men became lost in the mist and were surrounded by wolves and bears.
• The beasts overwhelmed the Lannister soldiers in a bloody battle, while Gerion fought and suffered a bite to his arm.
• Gerion and a handful of survivors fled the forest, but most of the men who reached the plain were caught and dragged back into the woods.

Aermir sent Jorah Glover to gather people and directed them toward the forest, where wolves and bears attacked Gerion’s fleeing men. Gerion survived and encountered Aermir in his form as Emre the Druid.

• Aermir ordered Bo to leave the laboratory and told Erebus to gather people from the temple.
• Jorah Glover received Erebus’s message, gathered around fifty or sixty people, and led them southwest through the forest.
• Jorah and his group saw wolves and bears drag most of Gerion’s fleeing men back into the woods, while a few escaped.
• Aermir’s eagle landed before Gerion and transformed back into human form, revealing Aermir as Emre the Druid.
• Aermir watched the terrified survivors and considered how they could warn others about the forest.

Aermir subdued Gerion Lannister and his men after Gerion confronted him over the attack in the forest, then forced Gerion to acknowledge that his own disregard for the warnings had endangered his party. After healing Gerion’s arm, Aermir left Jorah Glover to escort him to the temple and said he might return in a week.

• Jorah Glover arrived and found Gerion kneeling before Emre the Druid after surviving the forest attack.
• Gerion angrily accused Aermir of ordering the wolves and bears to attack, and Aermir struck near him with lightning before trapping him in a stone hand.
• Aermir knocked Gerion’s men down with a gust of wind and told Gerion that he had caused his men’s deaths by entering the warned-off forest.
• Gerion admitted his thirst for adventure had killed his men, and Emre the Druid healed the wound on his arm.
• Aermir asked Jorah Glover to care for Gerion and welcome him to the temple, then said he might return in a week.

Aermir spent a year exploiting the Sistermen’s secretive, piratical culture to provoke them into attacking his merchant fleet. The united Sisterman forces sailed for Moon drift port, unaware that Aermir had learned their plan and was waiting to use a hidden asset against them.

• Aermir acquired fifteen merchant ships through Torrhen Reed and Jory Flint, but struggled to fund larger vessels and other investments.
• Aermir used disguises and songs to spread resentment toward the Druid and tempt the Sistermen with the wealth of the ships sailing from Moon drift port.
• Sisterman factions united twenty-five warships and roughly one hundred raiding vessels, claiming they were attacking Lord Drasil’s ships because of Emre the Druid.
• Aermir held back his mysterious naval asset until the Sistermen attacked his shores, while Erebus and his kin watched their fleet depart.
• With Wannian and Jilim’s help, Aermir had learned the Sistermen’s plan, and their fleet sailed toward Moon drift port.

Aermir hosted a feast for the northern lords while arranging a staged shipwreck to provoke the Sistermen into attacking his ships. The ships burned alongside part of the Sistermen fleet, and Aermir prepared to use false survivors as witnesses as his trap against the Sister lords advanced.

• Aermir learned that nearly all the northern houses would attend his feast, while House Bolton sent Ramsay Bolton in place of its lord and heir.
• Ramsay arrived at the gathering, accepted bread and salt, and unsettled Aermir with his cold, empty eyes.
• Aermir watched through Erebus as the Sistermen attacked his five warships and his crews set them ablaze, causing ten raiding vessels and one Sistermen warship to burn as well.
• Roland Longthorpe beat his spymaster and demanded to know why the ships carrying supposed riches had been burned.
• Aermir's staged shipwrecked sailors reached Moon drift, while a messenger rode toward Caron Bay with urgent news.