The Wall was magnificent. There was no other word he could have used to describe the towering structure. It touched the clouds and either way Gendry looked, it continued until it was lost in the distance. It was truly a legendary feat of engineering, ambition, and craftsmanship, unlike anything Gendry had ever seen before.
The Nightfort was an impressive-looking structure in its own right, although it looked more like a castle than a fort. Gendry could easily make out the sentries on the battlements, but what confused him was why they were looking south. Surely the enemy is still north of the Wall?
"I wonder why he's done that," Garlan muttered to himself.
"Done what?" Gendry asked.
"He's wondering why the king took up the defenses of the Nightfort," Oberyn grunted, glaring at the castle. "Damn place is crawling with horror stories."
"Edric, is that true?" Gendry asked, looking over at the young man.
"The Night King, the Rat Cook, Danny Flint, the seventy-nine sentinels, Mad Axe…they all originate from here," Edric answered grimly. "The Nightfort was once the seat of the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, but it was abandoned long ago for Castle Black."
"There must be a reason the king has chosen to defend it," Garlan said, defending his goodbrother. "I'm sure we'll find out once we ask him."
"We also need to ask him why he has sentries watching the southern road," Oberyn added. "And what happened to the gate."
"It looks like there was a battle here not long ago," Garlan said, leaning forward in his saddle as he looked at the gate. "Something has happened, I'm sure of that, but what I'm not sure of is exactly what happened."
"We would know if the Others had broken through the Wall, wouldn't we?" Gendry asked curiously.
"We'd be dead," Oberyn said bluntly. "You, me, your precious Stark girl, everyone north of the Neck."
"You're as harsh as your southern sun, Prince Oberyn," Garlan said, the prince's foul mood finally getting to him after months on the road. "The entire ride north, you've spoken of nothing but our own death and destruction. From what my brother has said about you, you've always seemed like the kind of man who enjoys a challenge. All I've known so far is a man who sounds as if he's ready to run home, back to the safety of his burning sands."
"Or maybe I've become as cold as this northern wasteland," Oberyn countered. "Whatever the case, I speak the truth, Garlan, and I know your brother would agree with me. This is our reality, as fucking horrible as it is."
"There is no need to speak the truth. We all know what it is," Garlan argued, bringing his mount, and the entire column, to a halt just a short distance from the castle. "Do you not think every man here is aware of what's beyond the Wall? Us and that bloody wall are all that stands between death and humanity. If we fail, then not only are we dead, but everyone in Westeros, Essos, and beyond are dead!" Garlan shouted, rising from his saddle. "I have had enough of your black mood. You are a leader of men, dammit, and I expect you to act like one. When you act as you've already given up hope, so will the men. Now, before the king sees us, are you done acting like a petulant, foul-tempered child and finally ready to be the Red Viper once again?"
The entire column was dead silent as Garlan delivered his rant. Even Oberyn, who almost always had a witty counter or a snarky response at the ready on the tip of his tongue, looked utterly speechless that Garlan―gallant, polite, kind, respectful Garlan―had spoken to him in such a manner.
Oberyn's legacy spoke for itself, and Edric and others had been kind enough to warn Gendry about insulting the dornish prince. He was a man who was not only a deadly fighter and fond of poisons but a man who was known to hold grudges for years. If there was any man who could speak to him as Garlan just did, it was Garlan himself. The lord of Brightwater Keep was a warrior of renown and prestige and had earned his respect in the War of the Five Kings several times over.
"Fine," Oberyn said simply.
"Good," Garlan said after a few moments. "Now let's get out of this bloody cold."
The rest of the ride was finished in complete silence. The next time either Garlan or Oberyn spoke was when Garlan ordered the sentries to let them in. When they entered the castle, instead of the king waiting for them, there was Lord Stark, looking a bit older and much more stressed than the last time Gendry had met him in Master Mott's shop. He still wore plaited leather armor, but now he also had on dark gray chainmail underneath and had a massive greatsword slung across his back.
"Lord Stark," Garlan greeted, dismounting. When the reachman dismounted, the rest of the company took it as their cue to do so as well.
"Ser Garlan," Lord Stark said, clasping arms with the man. "Forgive me, Lord Garlan, now, deservingly so."
"Garlan is just fine, my lord," Garlan replied. "We're family. No need for titles."
"Perhaps," Garlan said with a smile, his positivity coming back. "If you don't mind me asking, where's the king?"
Lord Stark shook his head. "Ser Robar suffered a grievous injury during the battle. The maester was forced to take the rest of his arm just below the elbow. The king is with him now."
"What exactly happened?" Prince Oberyn asked, joining the conversation.
"Prince Oberyn," Lord Stark said, a touch of apprehension in his tone.
"Lord Stark," Oberyn said, keeping his voice neutral.
"The enemy managed to find a way around the Wall," Lord Stark said, answering Garlan. "We're still not sure about how they did, but we do know why."
"You were able to drive them off, from the looks of it," Prince Oberyn said.
"Why did they have to sneak around the Wall?" Gendry asked. "Why did they just go under it?"
"Gendry, isn't it?" Lord Stark said. "It's been a while, lad, since Tobho Mott's shop."
"A lot's changed too," Gendry agreed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."
"No, you raise a good question, but let's move this conversation to the mess hall. Del here," Lord Stark jerked his thumb towards a waiting soldier, "will make sure your men have bunks and food. Fortunately, and unfortunately, we have a few open beds."
There was a chorus of agreements as the lord of Winterfell led Gendry and the others to another building set off to the side of the courtyard. The interior was nice and warm from the fire roaring in the back, but what caught Gendry off guard was the weirwood in the center of the room and the group of small humanoids assembled around it.
"Sorry, I should have warned you that the Children of the Forest have sort of made the mess hall their home," Lord Stark said apologetically. "If we sit off to the side and don't disturb them, we'll be fine. They lost some of their friends in the battle and are still in mourning. They're a small race, both in size and number."
The four men sat around the table, with Gendry sitting next to Lord Stark and Oberyn and Garlan sitting across from them.
"Lord Stark, what's happened here?" Garlan asked. "We noticed the sentries and the gate."
"It's best if I just start from the beginning," Lord Stark said. "When the war started, it was much easier than we thought it would be. The first gate held for roughly three months, and with the enemy so exposed, we were able to unleash hell on them from the top of the Wall. arrows, oil, and dragon fire destroyed hundreds every night. Any that tried to climb up the Wall were swiftly sent tumbling to the ground."
"Did they only attack during the night?" Oberyn asked.
"They did because that's when they're strongest," Lord Stark said. "The king had a feeling that something was off, and he was proven right when the first gate was finally broken, but the enemy didn't flood into the tunnel."
"Why's that?" Gendry asked.
"Because there was an enchantment on the Wall that kept wights and White Walkers from crossing under the Wall, but they could still pass around it and over it," Lord Stark explained. "Simple logic told us that they would try to break the enchantment somehow, and if they needed to get inside the castle to do so, then they would probably find some way around and attack us from the south."
"Hence the sentries and the gate," Garlan said.
"Exactly," Lord Stark answered. "They struck and struck hard. Thousands of wights and two White Walkers attacked us. The first Walker came right through the front gate, destroyed our shield wall, but was put down by the king and Lord Tarly. We were hoping that its death would stop the battle, but it turned out only to be a diversion. The second Other came over one of the walls, tossed aside some of our best warriors, and was able to put a hand on the Wall before it was finally destroyed by the Green Man, who killed it with his dying breath."
"Its touch destroyed the enchantment, then," Prince Oberyn said. "Now the wights and Others can come through the tunnel."
"They can," Lord Stark nodded. "They sacrificed two of their kind and many wights to do so, but they got what they wanted."
"What about the dragons?" Oberyn asked. "You have two of them? Why couldn't they stop the Walkers?"
"When the Others attacked us from the south, the rest of their force was just standing out in the open north of the Wall," Lord Stark replied. "Robb believed that he could continue to weaken the enemy force north of the Wall while also defending the castle from the south. So, Daenerys was north of the Wall and Jon was helping the castle. Jon was pulled out of position both times the Others entered the castle. The enemy would flood one area with wights, draw the dragon there to help, before the Other would enter the fight."
"Did killing the two Walkers help at all?" Gendry asked.
"Immensely," Lord Stark said. "Lady Daenerys reported seeing hundreds of wights go down randomly around the time the first Other was killed. The destruction of the second Other destroyed the wights attacking the castle. If we project those numbers along the entire length of the Wall, the enemy lost thousands of wights."
"So we truly have to cut the head off the snake to win," Garlan said grimly. "Besides the battle in the castle, have there been any sightings of the Others?"
"Just once, after their slaves broke through the first gate," Lord Stark answered. "Jaime Lannister saw them on the edge of the treeline before they disappeared again. There's been no sighting since."
Garlan nodded. "What's the king's plan now?"
"Do as we've done for the past few months," Lord Stark said simply. "We'll continue to fire on them from the top of the Wall and there are plenty of murder holes and defensive positions above the second gate where we can drop arrows, rocks, and oil on them in the tunnel. All the while, our men can rest and recover and we can begin thinking about the end game."
"Which is what?" Prince Oberyn asked.
Lord Stark hesitated, something that was noticed by all three men, before finally answering.
"For reasons that would take too much time to explain, the Others are drawn not only here, to the Nightfort, but also Robb himself," Lord Stark explained grimly. "Robb has not committed to this plan, but it may be our only option. To defeat the Others, we would have to use the king as bait to draw them into the castle before somehow trapping them and killing them."
"Hopefully it doesn't come to that," Garlan said.
"Hopefully," Lord Stark said, looking up as a soldier slipped through the door and addressed the small group.
"Forgive me, my lords, but the king is free to see you now," he said quietly.
"Thank you," Garlan said. "Gendry, Prince Oberyn."
"Garlan, do you mind if Gendry stays for a moment?" Lord Stark asked.
"Of course," Garlan said easily. "Thank you for the talk, my lord. It was very helpful."
Lord Stark only nodded as the two men left with the soldier, leaving Gendry alone with the lord of Winterfell.
Gendry shifted slightly, wondering what the lord of Winterfell wanted with him. He knew that he wasn't trouble, but what if he had somehow found out about what happened at Winterfell? Did he know how Gendry felt about his daughter? A thousand thoughts raced through Gendry's mind, and none were good.
"You look like him, you know," Lord Stark said finally. "Your father."
Gendry released a quiet sigh of relief and nodded. "I know. I've been told that."
"He was a good, albeit flawed, man," Lord Stark continued softly. "He was headstrong, stubborn, and had a temper that raged like the storms of his homeland. He could be unpredictable at times and gave Jon Arryn many headaches. But he was also strong, brave, and as loyal a friend as you could have. He would be the first person to defend a friend against any and all slights. He cared deeply for his friends and those he loved and would do everything in his power to protect them. Unfortunately, his love was like a double-edged sword."
"What do you mean?" Gendry asked curiously. He had occasionally wondered about what kind of man Robert Baratheon was. He had heard from different men, and all seemed to agree that he was a good man, but had his problems. Now, Gendry was getting to know his father from the man who was his best friend.
"Robert loved my sister, Lyanna," Lord Stark explained. "What happened to her, well, you know the lengths Robert went to get her back."
"He rose in rebellion," Gendry answered.
"He did, such was his love for her," Lord Stark said. "When I saw my old friend again in Winterfell a few years ago, little did I know what Lyanna's death had done to him. He tried to fill the hole in his heart with food, drink, and women, but to no avail. He plunged the realm into debt trying to find the happiness he believed Lyanna would have given him."
"Is that why I was born? He was just attempting to replace Lyanna Stark?" Gendry asked. He wasn't angry, but a little disappointed. He knew that his father didn't care about him, or he would have acknowledged him in some way, but hearing that his mother was nothing but a distraction for a night stung.
Lord Stark grimaced. "As I said, your father was not a perfect man," he said, trying to lighten the blow. "Do not judge him too harshly. King's Landing is a viper's nest, and Robert had probably been bitten so many times that he was numb from the poison."
Gendry nodded slowly. "Would…would he be proud of who I became?"
Lord Stark smiled slightly. "You certainly know how to wield a hammer, so that would have made him happy," he said before becoming a bit more serious. "I can't answer that for you, Gendry. Robert was not the same man I grew up with when I joined him in King's Landing and I do not know you well enough to say whether he would be proud or not."
Gendry looked down at the table, trying to keep the disappointment from his thoughts. He had been hoping that at least Lord Stark would have an answer to that question, but he was wrong.
"Gendry," Lord Stark said, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I wish I could give you a beautiful lie, but I can't. What I can say is that he'd be proud that you're here, fighting for what's right, just like I am." the older lord smiled. "If he was here now, he would have poured the two of us some ale and launched into one of his war stories. How he defeated three armies in a single day, or how he emerged from a brothel during the Battle of the Bells and nearly slew the Hand of the King, Jon Connington. Or he would have told you his favorite story, of how he faced Rhaegar Targaryen in single combat and caved in his chest with his warhammer."
"He was a great warrior, wasn't he," Gendry said.
"In his youth, he was without peer," Lord Stark nodded. "He was a good man, Gendry, but I think that you will be a great man soon enough, a man Robert would be proud of."
"How do you know?" Gendry asked curiously.
"Who do you think raised the king?" Lord Stark replied simply, with a hint of a smile.