Arthur twirled the swords fluidly, his movements precise and calculated as he advanced against the remaining wildlings. With a smirk, he dodged and blocked each attack as if engaged in a fierce dance.
One of the wildlings tried to hit him with an axe, but Arthur dodged easily, spinning to the side and delivering a blow that knocked him down instantly. "Is that all?" he said as the wildling fell. "Are you guys that bad or am I that good?"
A second wildling charged with a furious yell, wielding a spear, but Arthur met him with an amused smile. "Look, I'm not going to get tired of doing this," he commented as he dodged the attack and, in a swift motion, took down the opponent.
"You bastard!" snarled another man with an axe, advancing towards him. "Do you know what I'm going to do to you, foreigner?"
"Hmm, seems like a pretty long list," replied Arthur, deflecting the attack and hitting the man with a direct blow, ending the fight. "But unfortunately, I'm not a fan of empty promises."
In a matter of minutes, all the wildlings were on the ground, dead or incapacitated. Arthur stood up, shaking some snow off his shoulder, and sheathed his swords with a smooth motion. The men dressed in black watched him in silence, with expressions of respect and admiration. To them, the ease with which he dealt with the wildlings was surprising, as if he were handling nothing more than a training session.
One of the men approached, his eyes still wide, and bowed subtly. "Thank you for saving us, sir. Can you tell us your name? And... where did you come from?" He seemed intrigued, observing Arthur's strange clothes and his dark blond hair. He didn't look like a wildling.
Arthur studied the men for a moment. They all wore swords and leather armor – nothing to indicate any kind of advanced technology. The environment and materials made him suspect that this world, whatever it was, was not as modern as his own. He decided to improvise. "My name is Arthur Wayne. I come from a distant land. I was caught in a storm at sea and... well, I ended up lost here."
The men exchanged glances, but it seemed they believed his story. Not only did he not have the appearance of a wildling, but his presence and skills gave him a certain imposing aura. Moreover, his posture and clean, well-groomed hair conveyed an air of nobility.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Arthur," said the man leading the group. "I am Dorian, of the Night's Watch. These are my brothers, and we were on patrol when we were ambushed. We are currently beyond the Wall."
Arthur grimaced slightly. "Night's Watch... Wall..." he murmured, the words arousing a strangely familiar feeling, but he didn't know why. It was as if he had heard it somewhere before, but the memory was vague, a shadow in his mind.
Dorian continued, "If you like, you can accompany us back to the Wall. We can introduce you to the Lord Commander as thanks for saving us."
Arthur nodded, pleased with the proposal. "Seems fair. Let's go." He took a few steps and then motioned to Ragnar, who was hiding near a tree. The wolf pup came running towards him, and the rangers raised their eyebrows at the sight of him, surprised.
"A wolf... You carry a wolf pup?" asked one of the men, observing Ragnar with curiosity, but not realizing that the animal had an unusual touch to its appearance.
Arthur shrugged, picking Ragnar up. "Let's just say we're both helping each other out here. He follows me, and I take care of him."
The men didn't question further and started walking. Arthur followed beside them, Ragnar trotting alongside, attentive to his owner and new companions. Unable to contain his curiosity, Arthur began to talk about his first week in that cold land, telling them about the creatures he faced and the cold that didn't seem to affect him as much as it did others. The rangers listened attentively but exchanged glances frequently, almost as if they regretted inviting Arthur to accompany them – his enthusiasm was incessant.
Eventually, the rangers reciprocated, telling him about life beyond the Wall. They explained that they were part of an order dedicated to protecting the kingdoms of the South from the threats that inhabited that region. They spoke of the wildlings, the dangers of the forests, and the constant ambushes they faced.
"The Night's Watch is the barrier that protects the Seven Kingdoms from what lives here," Dorian said seriously, gesturing around them. "What you saw today was just one example of what we face. The wildlings are relentless, and we are not the only ones who roam these lands."
Arthur listened attentively, absorbing the information. Throughout the conversation, the words "Seven Kingdoms" aroused an even stronger sense of familiarity, but he couldn't remember where he knew those names from. It was frustrating, but he decided to keep his doubts to himself for now.
After several hours of walking, they finally reached a clearing, where a colossal structure rose before them. Arthur stopped, stunned, observing the Wall. The construction was gigantic, a barrier of ice that stretched upwards as if trying to reach the sky. He was silent for a few moments, admiring the imposing wall.
"This is... gigantic," he said, almost speechless, observing the Wall with a mixture of fascination and confusion. "I have the strangest feeling I've seen something like this before."
Dorian looked at him, confused. "You've seen something like this? The Wall is unique, there's nothing like it in the whole world."
Arthur just nodded, still trying to process the sight. He knew that structure was familiar to him somehow, but he couldn't explain why. Ragnar let out a soft growl beside him, as if sensing Arthur's tension. He smiled at the pup and, after one last look at the Wall, turned to the rangers.
"Alright," he said with a smile. "So, how about taking me to meet this Lord Commander?"