"Tell me, what do you all think?" Once everyone was seated, Lynd got straight to the point and asked the Night's Watchmen before him.
The men exchanged glances, but no one spoke up first. All eyes inevitably turned to Old Bear.
Old Bear rolled his eyes, silently cursing these sly fellows for keeping quiet and forcing him to speak.
But given the situation, he couldn't stay silent either. After a brief moment of thought, he asked, "Lord Lynd, are you suggesting we accept the wildlings?"
Jeor Mormont wasn't guessing blindly. Over the past few years, it had become no secret that Dacey Mormont had transported large numbers of wildlings from beyond the Wall to Bear Island. He also knew that most had been resettled at Summerhall, with the rest integrated into Bear Island's population and military.
"Yes," Lynd nodded without hesitation. "That's exactly what I intend."
An uproar broke out immediately. Most of the commanders present were noble-born sons and daughters from the Seven Kingdoms. Everything they had ever heard about wildlings painted them as savage and brutal—beasts, not people.
The other commanders were all Gifted Lands residents whose families had been devastated by wildling raids across the Wall. Their hatred ran deep, and upon hearing Lynd's proposal, they were the most incensed. Had the words come from anyone but Lynd, swords might have already been drawn.
As Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Jeor Mormont had no choice but to speak on behalf of the group. "My Lord," he began, "the Night's Watch has fought the wildlings since its founding. That enmity spans thousands of years. Keeping the wildlings north of the Wall and protecting the southern kingdoms has always been our honor. Now you ask us to let them pass through the Wall. This..."
"Is that the Night's Watch's honor—to fight the wildlings?" Lynd cut him off, looking around the room. He raised a hand, signaling for silence, then said in a calm but firm voice, "Let me ask you all something—why were the Night's Watch and the Wall created in the first place?"
Everyone froze. They looked around at one another, unsure how to respond.
"You can't answer such a simple question?" Lynd's eyes swept across them before settling on Jeor Mormont. "Or maybe you all know the answer—but just don't want to say it out loud. Fine, then I'll say it for you. The White Walkers. The Night's Watch was founded and the Wall was built to defend against the White Walkers. When they retreated to the far north, to the Land of Always Winter, our focus shifted to the wildlings. But now the White Walkers have returned. They're gathering north of the Wall, ready to attack at any moment. What the Night's Watch must do now is return to its true purpose. Every action and decision must center on fighting the White Walkers. Everything else—including hatred of the wildlings—must be set aside."
One of the commanders couldn't hold back and questioned, "But what if this is just another test, like the last time? Maybe they'll return north again. There's no need to let the wildlings through the Wall."
Lynd glanced at the man, then at the rest of the group. "Do the rest of you feel the same?"
The commanders hesitated, then most nodded. Only a few remained still—among them, the commander of Icecrest Castle.
Lynd pointed directly at him. "You. Tell me why you disagree. Why don't you think this is just another test by the White Walkers?"
All eyes turned to the Icecrest commander. He paused, then said, "Lord Willas told me that after this Long Summer, there will be a Long Winter. One that will last a very long time—perhaps even centuries. So the White Walkers aren't just testing us this time. They're truly coming south."
Everyone went silent at those words, momentarily at a loss for how to react.
Willas held a unique position within the Night's Watch. He had never officially joined, nor had he taken the Night's Watch oath, yet he was an integral part of the order.
At first, most saw him merely as a benefactor. But over time, they came to realize Willas was anything but ordinary. He had uncovered ancient secrets about the Wall—and had now become a part of it. Anyone who visited Icecrest Castle and saw Willas would be left speechless by the sight.
Though Willas never meddled in the Night's Watch's affairs, his words often carried more weight than even those of Old Bear. Just like now—once the Icecrest commander quoted him, no one at the table voiced a single objection. Instead, they quietly reflected on the deeper meaning behind what had been said.
After a moment of silence, Lynd spoke again. "When the world falls into eternal winter, the White Walkers will be the enemy of all life. What we must do is unite every force we can against them—including the wildlings beyond the Wall."
Denys Mallister, commander of the Shadow Tower, stood and gave Lynd a respectful salute. His expression was solemn as he said, "If everything is truly as you and Lord Willas have said, and the world is headed for eternal winter, then yes, we are willing to accept the wildling tribes. But what about them? Are the wildlings willing to be incorporated into our ranks and fight alongside us against the White Walkers? From what we know of them, once they cross the Wall, they won't settle down under our arrangements. They'll seize the chance to head south and raid towns along the way. And if that happens, we'll be the ones blamed for unleashing the wildling scourge."
Lynd nodded to Denys Mallister. "I understand the wildlings' nature very well. The wildling tribes under my own rule are no fewer than those beyond the Wall. So no, I'm not asking you to accept them just yet. The Night's Watch must first strike hard—make them feel the pain. Let them see that refusal means death. Only then can they be allowed to cross the Wall."
At those words, a gleam lit the eyes of the commanders. Their earlier doubts faded, and they began to voice their agreement with Lynd's plan. Some even hoped he would stay to lead the fight against the wildlings himself.
But Lynd declined their request. He made it clear that he hoped they wouldn't go too far in their battles. His goal wasn't to wipe out the wildlings, but to subdue them.
He then discussed with them the idea of establishing temporary wildling settlements behind each of the Wall's castles. These settlements were not meant to be permanent. Once the wildlings had been integrated into the Night's Watch, those unable to fight would be taken to Summerhall. They would not remain in the settlements. Lynd also stated he would send people to handle the construction, with all expenses covered by Summerhall.
At the end of the meeting, he said he would gift the Night's Watch a supply of weapons specially crafted to fight wights and White Walkers. He would also deploy a squad of Sons of the Harbinger to the Wall to assist in the battles. However, he stressed that the Sons of the Harbinger would not take part in any conflict against the wildlings. Their mission would be solely to fight the White Walkers and the wights.
After reaching an agreement with the Night's Watch regarding the wildling tribes, Lynd took no further part in the planning discussions. He refused all offers of a send-off, quietly leaving the hall and crossing the courtyard to head outside the castle.
At that moment, Maester Aemon was still standing not far from Neltharion, quietly asking his assistant about various details of the lava dragon's physique.
"Lord Lynd, have you finished your discussions with the Lord Commander and the others?" Though his eyes were poor, Maester Aemon's hearing was sharp. He immediately recognized Lynd from the sound of his footsteps.
"Yes, we're done," Lynd replied as he walked up beside him.
"You're planning to accept the wildling tribes, aren't you?" Maester Aemon said, as if he already knew.
"Mm." Lynd nodded. "But not yet. Only after a few battles." He glanced at Maester Aemon. "The battles to come at the Wall will be fierce. It's too dangerous for you here. You should come to Summerhall for now—"
"My lord, you forget—I am also of the Night's Watch," Maester Aemon said, shaking his head. He turned back toward the Wall. "I, too, have a duty to remain and defend it."
Lynd didn't try to convince him further. Instead, he stepped up onto the dragon, settled into the saddle, and prepared to depart.
Just then, Maester Aemon spoke again.
"Lord Lynd, if my kin on the continent of Essos..."
"Maester Aemon, you don't need to worry. I give you my word—Daenerys will be part of the force that fights the White Walkers, not an enemy."
With that promise, Lynd gestured for the assistant maesters to help Maester Aemon step back to a safe distance. Then he gave the command for Neltharion to take flight.
After the lava dragon took to the sky, Lynd didn't head south to Summerhall right away. Instead, he turned and flew toward Icemark Castle.
Icemark wasn't far from Castle Black—only three castles separated them—and Lynd soon arrived in its skies. Unlike at Castle Black, however, he had the lava dragon descend directly into the central square within the castle walls.
Thanks to Willas, Icemark Castle had the largest standing force of any garrison on the Wall—even larger than Castle Black. In addition to the 1,000 members of the Night's Watch stationed there, 3,000 soldiers from Highgarden had been sent specifically to protect Willas. Altogether, there were 4,000 men stationed at Icemark, over a thousand more than at Castle Black.
However, the men from Highgarden were not part of the Night's Watch and followed only Willas's command. As such, they didn't reside within the castle itself. Instead, they had built a town outside Icemark, where they stayed under normal circumstances. They only entered the castle during special situations—and the commander's departure from Icemark happened to be one of those times.
When Lynd and the lava dragon landed in the square, the nearby Night's Watch members scattered in a panic, retreating far from the dragon. The Highgarden soldiers, on the other hand, immediately took to the high ground, raising their bows and aiming at Lynd. At the slightest sign of movement from him, they would've launched their assault without hesitation. There was not a trace of fear in their response, even in the face of the dragon.
Lynd swept his gaze across the drawn bows, letting it linger briefly on the Highgarden soldiers, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.
Their reaction was unusual. Despite facing a terrifying dragon, they showed no sign of fear—almost as if that emotion had been stripped away entirely. It reminded Lynd of the Silent Men and Holy Sisters who had undergone the many trials of the Redemption Sept.
"Stand down! Drop your weapons! It's Lord Lynd Tarran—Lord Lynd Tarran!" At that moment, the Highgarden commander recognized Lynd by the lava dragon and his distinctive Banished Knight armor, and shouted to his men.
The tension in the air dissipated instantly. The archers lowered their bows, though they didn't return their arrows to their quivers, remaining on alert.
Lynd didn't bother with them further. He dismounted and walked straight over to the deputy commander of Icemark.
"I need to see Willas. Take me to him," he said.
The deputy commander hesitated for a second, then gave a nod and led Lynd through an ice tunnel to the inner depths of the Wall, via a frozen passage beside the main keep.
Along the way, several Highgarden guards remained posted. Each was clad in heavy armor, towering in stature and built like seasoned warriors hardened by countless battles.
As Lynd passed them, he could feel their eyes watching him carefully, appraising him as if gauging the level of threat he might pose.
Before long, Lynd reached the very heart of the Wall: a vast, hollowed-out ice cavern.
At its center stood a towering ice pillar, stretching from the floor to the ceiling. To an outsider, it might have appeared to be nothing more than a massive block of ice—but Lynd could see it for what it truly was: a rune pillar. Complex layers of arcane symbols were etched across its surface, tightly wrapped around it from the inside out. The runes above were connected to those below, forming a seamless and unified system.
But the most striking thing wasn't the pillar—it was Willas, sealed within it, serving as the core of the entire rune structure.
At that moment, Willas was completely encased in the ice. There was not a single visible opening. A normal person in such a state would have been long dead, yet Willas was alive—and clearly in no distress. It was as though the cold couldn't touch him, and breathing was no longer a necessity.
Lynd's first thought on seeing this was of the White Walkers.
"You've arrived, Lord Lynd." Willas spoke before Lynd could say anything. But he didn't use his mouth—instead, his voice echoed through the chamber by way of vibrations in the surrounding ice.
Lynd approached the pillar, staring at Willas within. "Lord Willas, I wasn't expecting to find you in a state like this," he said.
"I'm doing well—better than anticipated. You don't need to worry," Willas replied, having already discerned Lynd's thoughts. Not wanting to dwell on the matter, he added, "You've come to see me today. Is it about the White Walkers? Or the Three-Eyed Crow?"
"Neither," Lynd shook his head, fixing his gaze on Willas. "It's about Euron."