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[Chapter Size: 2300 Words.]
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Cornelia and the others stayed at Castle Black for two days. During this time, she rarely went out in the afternoons, but took the opportunity to observe the training of the Night's Watch and talk with Ser Jeor Mormont or Maester Aemon.
It should be said that she spent most of her time talking to Maester Aemon, a friendly and very experienced man. Of course, perhaps he was only superficially friendly, but Cornelia enjoyed talking to him a great deal.
Finally, at dusk on the second day after her arrival at Castle Black, Uncle Benjen took her father outside the gates, and Cornelia didn't know why they had left. She only knew that her father and uncle had told her to pretend to be sick the next day.
So, on the morning of the third day, she "fell ill," claiming that the climate and temperature of the place were affecting her health. Ser Mormont and Maester Aemon came to visit her out of courtesy, but only made a brief visit to greet her. After a few quick words, they left, as her condition seemed serious and it was inconvenient to receive visitors.
After that, Cornelia refused all visitors and stayed in her room for safety, not leaving it that day. On the morning of the fourth day, when she was about to have lunch, Ser Mormont returned to the house. She exchanged a few words with him in a weak voice but avoided looking at him directly.
Then, in the middle of that night, Cornelia finally left Castle Black. As for the disguise of her "illness," she knew that she was leaving the responsibility to Maester Luwin and Ser Rodrik, who would handle closing the doors and ensuring her safe departure. Maester Luwin and Ser Rodrik had decided to take her back to Winterfell, and for that, they would first go to Nightfort, where they would wait after returning from the north.
As for deceiving Ser Mormont, that was a matter for Maester Luwin and Ser Rodrik, and Cornelia fully trusted that they would handle the situation well.
Ned and Maester Luwin had set a deadline of one month to a month and a half after Cornelia's departure from Castle Black. When that time expired, whether or not they had found the snow-covered valley, they would have to return from the far north of the Wall. Regardless of the outcome, her father and Uncle Benjen would send her first to Nightfort.
Since Uncle Benjen knew of a secret passage under Nightfort that led to the north, Cornelia could return to Nightfort through this passage to reunite with Maester Luwin and the others. After that, they would escort her back home, while her father and Uncle Benjen would return directly to Castle Black, from where they would then go to Winterfell.
Shortly after Cornelia left Castle Black, she found her father and Uncle Benjen, who had been waiting for her for quite a while. Once reunited, they immediately headed north.
This time, they decided to travel at night and rest during the day, as her vision was limited in daylight. If the roads had been easy to travel, there would have been no problem, but the trails in the north were particularly difficult. Even with her keen senses, she could only identify the presence of life around her, and the reality was that, in this land of eternal winter, any sign of life was rare.
In any case, maybe it was better not to encounter anyone.
"Uncle Benjen, we can't go this way!"
They walked all night, and as dawn approached, Uncle Benjen wanted to guide them further north, along the trail used by the Night's Watch. This path showed signs of human movement, but Cornelia interrupted him. She had never been to the north and didn't know where Uncle Benjen intended to take them.
Still, an inexplicable intuition told her that the place they were looking for wasn't in that direction.
Although Cornelia couldn't explain where this intuition came from, it was exactly what made her insist on traveling further north. Something seemed to be calling her, urging her to find whatever it was.
"Everyone goes through here. If not this road, then where else will we go?" Benjen stopped and frowned, confused, as he looked at Cornelia. This path is the safest. The other directions haven't even been explored.
The north was full of dangers. Unlike the wildlings, who had grown up in the region and were perfectly adapted to the hostile climate and treacherous terrain, they did not have that advantage.
Cornelia lowered her head, closed her eyes, and remained silent, as though trying to sense something in the middle of the night. Ned and Benjen looked at each other, unsure of what to do, and decided to wait.
Cornelia's behavior couldn't be analyzed in a conventional way. Perhaps, as she had said, only she could find the mysterious snow-covered valley. Maybe it was something that only she truly understood.
"Let's go this way!"
After a moment, Cornelia raised her head, opened her eyes, and firmly pointed to the right, in the opposite direction to the path Benjen had suggested.
"Are you sure about this?" Benjen asked, casting a suspicious look at the indicated direction. It was a dense, dangerous forest, covered in snow, which made the idea even riskier, especially at night.
But maybe that was exactly it. Maybe the snow-covered valley had never been found because the safe path didn't lead to it.
"I'm sure!" Cornelia affirmed with a nod, looking directly at her father and Uncle Benjen. Though she couldn't explain the reason for such conviction, she felt that something was in that direction.
It was an ethereal and hard-to-define feeling. For someone who had grown up influenced by the practical and rational values of her previous life, Cornelia always found it strange to deal with concepts of gods, ghosts, and supernatural powers. However, she had to constantly remind herself that this world was different. A magical place, where some people could even control animals or other people. So, her behavior seemed insignificant in comparison.
In truth, Cornelia wasn't sure what was stranger: her own power or the ability to control creatures. Or maybe they were essentially the same thing?
In the end, her father and Uncle Benjen decided to trust her intuition and follow the direction she pointed. The north was vast, and time was limited. Instead of searching for a needle in a haystack, it seemed more sensible to follow Cornelia's strange perception. It was a gamble, but one that might yield better results.
However, they didn't walk for long before the day began to break. Suddenly, Cornelia felt her vision darken. She had to lean on the cane she had been using as a crutch since the start of the journey to continue. When they found a suitable place, they finally took a break to rest and recover.
They resumed their journey as night fell. For eight days, they followed the direction indicated by Cornelia, but found nothing.
The journey was long, tedious, and exhausting. Traveling at night and resting during the day only worsened the fatigue. Still, the journey was surprisingly calm. They didn't encounter wildlings, beasts, or ghosts. Although Cornelia didn't feel the cold, her father and uncle suffered from the freezing northern winds, enduring bravely for eight days.
They didn't come across any living creatures along the way, which, in some ways, was fortunate. An encounter with a wildling tribe could have been catastrophic.
Despite the relative calm, it was impossible not to feel frustration after so many days without results. Although Cornelia had an inexplicable feeling that seemed to intensify over time, she began to question herself.
Was this "intuition" just an illusion created by her own mind? What if the snow-covered valley didn't exist at all, and it was simply the product of an absurd and inexplicable dream?
And because of a daydream, had she insisted that her father and uncle accompany her on an adventure through such a dangerous land as the north?
But they had come this far, and turning back now wasn't an option. There was no reason to go back. Only two possible outcomes remained: either they would find the Snowy Vale within the agreed time, or they would have to return empty-handed when time ran out.
There was no alternative.
Fortunately, on the eve of the twelfth day, Cornelia experienced something she had never felt before. An inexplicable force took hold of her, so intense that it could not be ignored. It was different from anything she had ever experienced, making it clear that it was not just the product of her imagination.
With absolute certainty, she told her father and Uncle Benjen about her intuition. However, since it was almost dawn, they decided it was not wise to continue. If the place they were looking for was indeed just ahead, it would be better to wait, regain their strength, and proceed carefully during the night.
Even if Cornelia's premonition was correct, the snow-covered valley she had seen so many times in her dreams seemed far too strange. Added to this was her inexplicable telepathic connection with the place.
What if it was a trap?
They needed to be extremely cautious. After all, no one knew what awaited them beyond this point.
So they decided to stop where they were and rest for the entire day. Until then, they had usually left before nightfall, walking slowly at first to spare Cornelia, then picking up the pace after sunset. But this time, they waited until night had fully settled before starting their journey.
With the certainty that the Snowy Vale was near, they proceeded even more cautiously, carefully watching their surroundings for signs of danger or ambush.
But the crossing was surprisingly calm.
Finally, they arrived at the snow-covered valley, a place Cornelia had never visited but that seemed strangely familiar to her. No incidents occurred along the way. Everything was so peaceful that, for a moment, they almost forgot they were in the dangerous land beyond the Wall.
"Is this it, Lia?" Ned asked, standing at the edge of the cliff, looking down at the dark, snow-covered valley below. Despite the apparent tranquility of the place, something made him uneasy. It was a feeling he couldn't explain.
Because it was too quiet.
According to Benjen, the land of eternal winter was known for its relentless snow and the cold wind that never ceased. Yet here, around the valley, even the wind seemed mild.
"This is the place I've been dreaming of for five years. I have no doubt," Cornelia replied, staring down at the bottom of the valley. A few nights ago, she and her father had contemplated the landscape of the Wall, and that snow-covered valley was almost at the same height as the Wall itself.
The darkness below was dense. Not even Cornelia's sharp sight could reach the bottom. The depth of the abyss was impressive and terrifying.
"Now, the question is, how do we descend? Should we go around and find a safer path? Or just go down?" Benjen asked, massaging his temples as he stared at the bottomless cliff in front of him. He tried to scan the surroundings for a route, but the dark sky and low visibility made any attempt difficult.
Was descending the only option?
The cliff was dangerous, but if there was no other way, he and Ned could try it. But what about Cornelia? Despite her martial skills trained since she was five, she was still a ten-year-old girl.
Benjen sighed deeply. "May the old gods and the new bear witness, this is not prejudice. But in the end, women don't have the same physical strength as men."
"There's no need for that."
Cornelia, however, shook her head calmly. Although she couldn't see the bottom of the valley, she felt incredibly familiar with the place. She knew that this snow-covered valley formed a basin-shaped depression. The cliffs around it were much steeper than the flatter terrain in the center.
Cornelia took a few steps forward, approaching the edge of the cliff. Slowly, she crouched down, extending her right hand and pressing it firmly against the frozen ground. Closing her eyes, she concentrated all her energy, channeling it into her palm.
After a few moments of absolute silence, a faint noise broke the stillness. Ned and Benjen, alert, saw something extraordinary: enormous blocks of ice began to emerge from the cliff, forming a solid structure.
"Ice bricks," Benjen murmured, still in disbelief.
They both stepped forward to get a better view. Those large ice blocks extended like steps down the cliff face. The structure continued beyond their night vision, disappearing into the bottom of the valley. Still, the continuous sound of the steps forming echoed everywhere.
Ned and Benjen stood frozen, unable to express what they were feeling. They knew Cornelia had special abilities, but they had never witnessed anything so impressive. The depth of what she was capable of seemed to finally reveal itself.
"Let's get ready to go down, Father, Uncle Benjen!"
Cornelia slowly rose, her hands trembling slightly from weakness. On the outside, she appeared calm, but in truth, she was exhausted. The effort had been much greater than she let on.
Despite years of training, Cornelia knew her limits. She knew better than anyone what she could and couldn't do, and she understood that if she had been in Winterfell or Castle Black, what she had just done would have been impossible.
The truth was strange, but undeniable: something about the Snowy Vale seemed to amplify her abilities. The mere fact of being there seemed to unlock a power she could never have accessed elsewhere.
If she had tried the night before, she would have failed.
But that night, in that place, at that exact moment, everything aligned. She had to be there.
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