The wildlings were upon them.

News came the next morning that they'd attacked Mole's Town, meaning that Castle Black was next on the list. On the ground, they didn't have many men. One-hundred-and-two brothers of the Night's watch, one hundred Starks, one hundred Karstarks, one hundred Boltons, one hundred Cerwyns, one hundred Umbers, and one hundred Mormonts paired with the few soldiers Daenerys and Ysira had brought along.

It was nowhere near enough for the one-hundred-thousand that Mance Rayder supposedly had, but it was difficult to spare men when they were defending each and every castle in the North and all their borders from any southern incursions while still farming every last bit of land they had left to create stocks for the coming winter.

The dragons offered a great advantage. In an open field and even with a forest to shield them, they were no match for fire. Burning them even slightly limited their movements. Burning them whole killed them entirely. The Wall would be lined with archers of all houses shooting arrows bathed in pitch and lit aflame towards the wildlings. Another army would be guarding the outside of Castle Black against any wildlings that came from the south. Those remaining would be within the castle offering reinforcements to those on the Wall, those outside the castle, and guarding the tunnel that had not been sealed.

The only problem was that the dragons were in no mood to cooperate. They'd taken to the skies to assess what would become their battlefield, soaring overhead in the hopes they'd see signs of a wildling camp on either side. The majority of everything was snow, fluffed over the tops of the trees and hiding any footprints they might've seen above. Each time they tried to make the dragons fly over the forest, they refused, barely even tiptoeing outside the edge of the Wall.

"He's fighting me," said Ysira impatiently as they landed on the ramparts, staring down at the forest, nearly concealed with thick clouds. "He doesn't want to go."

"Balerion is resisting, too," said Daenerys worriedly, releasing the reins. She caressed the back of the dragon's growing neck– even just today, they'd had to loosen the straps of the saddle to accommodate their growth. They'd ate a great deal of fish on the way to Dragonstone, at Dragonstone, and on their journey to White Harbor. "Kostilus, ñuha valītsos, iksan petitio ao. Īlon daor gaomagon bisa mijegon ao. Īlon jorrāelagon ao naejot sōvegon mirrī porro." (T: Please, my boy, I am begging you. We cannot do this without you. We need you to fly a little further.)

He growled, shaking his head as if to refuse. Ysira sighed, speaking to Meraxes and Balerion, "Issi ao lanta zūgagon hen skoros iksis hen konīr? Gaomagon ao pendagon iksi daor? Konīr kessa sagon daor morghe vali rȳ bisa vīlībāzma, mērī lī īlon ossēnagon. Se drēje vīlībagon iksis daor bisy. Istiti keligon bisa nābēmagon iā īlon daor maghagon hēnkirī se raegna contra se morghe. Iksā zaldrīzoti. Iksā tolī kraj mirros. Nyke iksin mundagon bona ao gōntan daor emagon uēpkta zaldrīzes naejot gūrēñagon hen." (T: Are you two afraid of what is out there? Do you think we are not? There will be no dead men at this battle, only those we kill. The real fight is not this one. We must stop this attack or we cannot unite the Realms against the dead. You are dragons. You are more powerful than anything. I lament you did not have another older dragon to learn from.)

She ran her hands against Meraxes's scales. "Kesan vāedagon naejot ao sir se vāedar nyke gūrēntan hen Rhāegār, se vāedar ziry gaomagon naejot dīnagon zȳhon riñar naejot ēdrugon. Iā vāedar nyke vāettan naejot aōha muña skori īles iā rūs isse ñuha nesh. Se vāedar ziry vāettan naejot ao skori īlē isse aōha drōma, iā vāedar ao ryptan skori īlē olvie byka. Ziry istin gīda ao se nyke spes kessa gaomagon sīr sir." (T: I will sing to you now the song I learned from Rhaegar, the song he used to put his children to sleep. A song I sang to your mother when she was a babe in my arms. The song she sang to you when you were in your eggs, a song you heard when you were very little. It once calmed you and I hope it will do so now.)

Ysira began steadily, "Drakari pykiros, tikummo jemiros. Yn lantyz bartossa, saelot vāedis..." (T: Fire breather, winged leader / But two heads, to a third sing.)

Daenerys joined her, voice clear, "Hen ñuha elēnī: perzyssy vestretis... Se gēlȳn irūdaks, ānogrose... Perzyro udrȳssi, ezīmptos laehossi... Hārossa letagon, aōt vāedan... Hae mērot gierūli, se hāros bartossi... Prūmȳsa sōvīli, gevī, dāerī."(T: From my voice: the forest have spoken / And the price has been paid, with blood magic / With words of flame, with clear eyes / To bind the three, to you I sing / As one we gather, and with three heads / We shall fly as we were destined, beautifully, freely.)

Now purring, Meraxes lifted his head towards the forest. "Māzigon va, ñuha dōna valītsos. Sōvēs!" (T: Come on, my sweet boy. Fly!)

This time, the dragons made it further. They guided them down to the northern side of the Wall, swooping low over the trees. The dragons did not wish to go far beyond the forest, but it was enough that they were willing to move from the foot of the Wall to the edge of the line of trees, anyway. They were ready.

It was late that night when their men outside Castle Black sent a rider to say a girl had come running up with a baby in tow. Ysira dressed herself quickly, wrapped in furs to meet Gilly, one of Craster's daughter-wives and their son, who she'd named Sam. They'd survived the attack on Mole's Town and had come to warn then.

"Please, please don't let them send me away," Gilly was pleading to Samwell. "I know there's no women allowed–"

"There is now," said Ysira, removing her cloak and placing it over Gilly's shoulders. "Come inside, let's get you warm." She beckoned to Daenerys, "Take her to our room, she can have my bed–"

The blast of a horn silenced them all. A second blast came, but no more. "READY YOURSELVES!" A man bellowed on one of the watchtowers. "TO YOUR STATIONS!"

"MAKE HASTE!" shouted another. "PREPARE! UP ON THE WALL!"

"I'll take Gilly," said Samwell nervously. "Princesses, you'll need to saddle up."

They sprinted back to their room, skidding to a halt inside and stripping themselves without even bothering to shut the door, men rushing around in the halls and no one paying them any mind. As Daenerys slipped on her armor, Ysira began to unpin the girl's hair, which had been left in a braided coil around her head. Now, it fell in a battle braid down her back. Ysira slipped into her own armor once Daenerys was available to do the same. She offered her knife to Daenerys and took in hand her spear, in case she did need to throw it from above.

As they emerged, they looked up into the sky to find that there were no longer dark clouds circling above. No, the clouds were a blood orange, from the great fire that would signal to them that it was time for the attack.

Their men rushed around to their battle stations. Robb would be commanding the men outside Castle Black, and trusted the men of the Night's Watch to prepare what they needed on the Wall. The horn was being blasted over and over in intervals, with two blasts each time to rouse every last one from the camps and the cabins within the castle.

"Princesses," said Robb, finding them as they marched out of the gate. Grey Wind lumbered beside him, as did Ghost, who would be following him into battle against whatever wildlings had crossed the Wall in the earlier weeks. "I wish you good fortune in the skies."

"And you on the land," said Ysira. "We cannot help you on this side, Your Grace, for it risks burning Northern men."

"That's alright," said Robb. "Shouldn't be too many on this side. As soon as their numbers begin to dwindle, I'll funnel men up to the Wall to help Jon. May the gods bless you both."

"May the gods bless you all," said Ysira, half-smiling.

They ran to their dragons, who roared and thrashed in anticipation, the men steering clear of them as they made their lines in the snow. Ysira helped Daenerys mount first, letting her lead the way as they took off, heading to the furthest reach of the forest that the dragons dared to fly over.

It was vast, and a great part of it several miles away was burning already as the great fire Mance had promised. Wildlings were sprinting out from the nearest tree line, and Ysira saw several strange creatures amongst them– wooly mammoths being ridden by giants, giants themselves marching beside the men. "Start from the back and work your way forward!" shouted Ysira to Daenerys. "If they start to fire arrows at you, go up into the clouds. Hide there until you can drop down unexpectedly."

Daenerys nodded, shouting to Balerion, "Elēnās paktot, embrot!" (T: Bank right, down!)

Ysira guided Meraxes the other way, lowering him just above the tops of the trees before shouting, "Drakarys!" The flames erupted over the forest, lighting up the wildlings that'd been hiding below. Ysira curved them up around the edge of the forest, and once Meraxes needed a break, pulled him back up until they rounded in a circle to ignite the next strip of timber below.

Daenerys moved herself to the center, extending outwards and alternating the blasts Balerion gave, as if she could see movement below the leaves. Ysira started to guide Meraxes to the end of the forest, where the field cleared for those wildlings who were beginning to get too close for comfort. She could see men were being lowered perpendicular to the wall, held by ropes so they could shoot at the men who had started trying to climb it.

She watched one of the giants shoot an arrow directly at one of the watch platforms, breaking open the roof and tossing two archers to their deaths. If one of those arrows hit one of their dragons, they could hurt them badly. With a huff, she turned directly toward the Wall, focusing on where the mammoths made for the gate– the giants needed to be their priority. She drew a deep breath and brought the dragon as far down as she could risk, then blasted the fire directly at a giant and mammoth that were going for the tunnel.

They'd been dangerously close to a barrel of pitch that had probably fallen, and Ysira pulled Meraxes up quickly the moment it exploded, ensuring that her chosen victims were dead. They ascended vertically, riding a current of air that crashed into the Wall. Their men began to shout enthusiastically, cheering her on as she turned her attention back down at the wildlings, who were hesitating at the base of the Wall now that they'd seen her so close. Daenerys was doing very well with the forest, the whole thing having caught on fire– anyone under the trees was either already burning or was rushing out into the open field where they could see them.

Her hands felt like they were freezing against the reins. She could only imagine how poor Meraxes felt– it was time to feed him. She had them dive down again, right at the edge of the trees, and yelled out, "Angōs se kisās!" (T: Attack and eat!)

Meraxes roared in approval, dipping down and grabbing two men in his claws. With his mouth, he ripped up three and bit down hard, chewing and not caring that their hanging limbs were flopping back down onto the heads of the other wildlings. Fueled, Meraxes began to spew fire with more enthusiasm, swooping down over the wildlings who could do nothing to escape their fate.

"Dany!" she yelled, pulling Meraxes up beside Balerion. She motioned for her to fly over the forest, where the trees and fire would protect from any attacks below. "There are still more giants left. Focus on those– they have arrows to match their size."

"I saw," Daenerys shouted back. "I've been worried about getting too close."

"We have to risk it. Together, I say. One of us attacking, the other guarding from all angles. We'll kill them all before we get back to the wildlings."

"I wish Viserys and Vhagar were here," admitted Daenerys. "Three dragons would have helped keep a better watch."

Ysira half-smiled. "I know. I wish so, too. But for now, it's just the two of us. Two heads of the dragon are still powerful. Let's show them that."

They turned together, heading back to the open field. Ysira saw more movement along the ramparts; Robb's men had probably already beaten back the majority of the wildlings south of the Wall. As a unit, they moved against the remaining giants. Ysira and Meraxes picked one up, and Meraxes made quick work of slicing the giant's belly open as he soared up before dropping him from a great height and lowering them both again to guard Daenerys as Balerion incinerated a pair of giants that'd been mobilizing others back to the tunnels.

As a unit, they'd finished the giants off in the matter of half an hour, whereas alone it might've taken them much longer. Once Ysira saw no others emerging, they split again, spanning the length of the Wall and bathing the wildlings in tongues of fire. They zig-zagged horizontally and vertically, catching them by surprise. None of the wildling archers had managed to graze the dragons' hides, all more focused on defending those who were still climbing the Wall against the archers on the ramparts. Behind them, they saw the men of the Wall had dropped a scythe from the ice, which cut across the Wall and obliterated the climbers.

Eventually, the numbers dwindled to the point where the wildlings sounded their own retreat. The forest was crumbling to ash, and granting them no escape. The men on the ramparts began to cheer, prompting both girls to land on the Wall, their men scampering away to avoid being sat on.

Samwell Tarly ran up to them, the dragons roaring triumphantly as if they, too, understood the importance of what they'd done. "How fares the outside of Castle Black?" asked Ysira, breathing heavily and reaching her arm down to accept a horn filled with water being passed around for everyone's parched throats. "How did Robb's men do?"

"They did well," said Samwell. "Jon went down to see them not long ago."

"Call him back up here, please," said Ysira. "There's something I need to ask him. Wave us over with torches when you have him– the dragons need to eat again."

They flew back down to have the dragons feed on the corpses of the wildlings, happily filling their bellies. They did not dismount, in case they needed to fly away quickly. "What are you going to ask Jon?" asked Daenerys, petting Balerion's head.

"Where Mance's camp is," said Ysira. "Robb explained that Mance managed to unite one-hundred warring tribes for this battle. Without Mance, they wager, the tribes go back to fighting each other. They'll go home and won't attack again tomorrow night, and the next night. They know now that we have dragons. An attack tomorrow will be more calculated. The giants could come hidden to shoot arrows at us. This needs to end today. As dishonorable as it would seem to many for us to do this, I think we have no choice. We need Jon to tell us where the camp is and we need to burn Mance Rayder and his remaining men alive."

"Will we saddle him with us?" asked Daenerys. Ysira nodded slowly, and Daenerys blushed. "He'll ride Balerion with me."

"Or Meraxes with me," offered Ysira. "If it makes you uncomfortable. Meraxes was rather warm with him yesterday and he's large enough to saddle two now."

"No, I can take Jon," assured Daenerys. "It's only that he... well he's very good looking."

Ysira smirked, leaning back in the saddle. "Jon more your type than Robb would have been?"

"I'd say so. He's so quiet, like Quentyn. I realized, when your brother joined us, that I preferred men like that. But I did not think I would find another. Jon is brave and good with his sword, he's creative and committed... if he were legitimized, I would consider him for my husband."

"He doesn't seem the type for royal life," considered Ysira. "I don't know if he'd be willing to live in the capital or if you'd have to join him in the North. Remember, you are Viserys's heir."

"Not for long," noted Daenerys. "I am sure the two of you are going to have at least as many children as Jaehaerys and Alysanne, only you won't be so negligent."

"Well, for now, we don't have those children. We've yet to know if we'll be able to have them. I suppose, if anything, Jon might like Dragonstone. You could live there until you come to some sort of compromise. He may fare well with the cool ocean breeze."

Daenerys let out a giggle, covering her cheeks. "Gods, we've just been in battle and I am thinking of things like this."

"No better time," said Ysira. "You know, my admiration of and attraction to Viserys grew each time I saw him after training, after battles. It's the blood of the dragon in you that finds this the right time."

When the torches notified them that Jon had reached the Wall, they flew up and relayed their plan. He was in agreement, though his brothers seemed worried that if they left alone, they'd not come back. They weren't worried about that.

Jon was saddled with Daenerys, who led the way with his guidance to where Mance's camp lay, in a stretch of forest neither side had burned. Jon pointed out Mance's tent, and they converged on it first, incinerating everything in a mile radius until the wildlings began to retreat even further north, due towards the Fist of the First Men. It was no assurance that Mance was dead, but given that Jon did not recognize him and no one stayed to try and fight, they suspected the deed had been done– either now or during the battle.

They flew back to burn the bodies of their fallen, a handful of men from each house that had offered them. Among them was Pyp, the shy friend of Jon who hadn't known how to fight. Maester Aemon spoke over the pyre for those of the Night's Watch, "They came to us from White Harbor and Barrowton, from Fairmarket and King's Landing, from north and south, from east and west. They died protecting men, women, and children who will never know their names. It is for us to remember them. Our brothers, we shall never see their like again."

The brothers chanted, "And now their watch is ended."

"And now their watch is ended," agreed Maester Aemon.

Robb stepped forward to speak over the pyre of the men from the Northern houses. Daenerys and Ysira were glad to find that none of their men had perished. "House Stark, House Karstark, House Bolton, House Cerwyn, House Umber, and House Mormont answered the call in this time of need," said Robb clearly, holding his sword over his heart. "They were willing to come here knowing they may never return home. They offered their swords and shields to the Wall because the North alone has always understood its importance. They fought valiantly and we thank them for their service."

"And now their watch is ended," said Jon quietly beside him. Their men stepped forward to light the pyres, the remaining group standing in silent vigil. Ysira saw Jon step away after the funeral, carrying alone the body of a wildling girl, presumably the same one he'd fallen in love with. Her pyre burned alone beyond-the-Wall, as close to where she was born as he could manage.

They stood guard the entirety of that night, anticipating another attack. It did not come. Nor did it come the night after, or the night after. Robb began to send men home in intervals, to ensure they'd still have something in case Mance had lived and ordered a second round of battle. Daenerys and Ysira flew over to find the camp deserted. The burnt forest hid no man from their eyes, assuring them that the wildlings were not hiding in the bushes. They'd left, and there lingered only one man they'd captured, someone named Tormund Giantsbane. Finally, Ysira sent Viserys a letter saying that they were going to start making their way back, though their battle was not at its end.

As they were leaving, Maester Aemon gave both Ysira and Daenerys a warm hug, asking they pass it along to Viserys. Daenerys wished Jon luck for what was to come, promising they'd remain in touch, as the second-biggest battle was yet to happen. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, asking him to remember his options, and he shyly bowed his head to her, quickly changing the subject to say that he'd soon send Samwell to the Citadel to figure out how to kill the White Walkers– all they knew now was that dragonglass worked against them.

They rode back to Winterfell, the dragons with full bellies and now newly pleased with the North. Upon arrival, they found letters and surprises waiting for them, the most notable being that Rickon Stark had returned. Robb had been delighted to see his littlest brother, who informed them that he'd accompanied Bran to go and find the Three-Eyed Raven. He and a wildling that served the Starks, Osha, had been traveling back little by little, and were finally arrived. Ysira saw Lady Catelyn's eyes well up with tears, not understanding what Rickon meant by the Three-Eyed Raven in its entirety, but glad to have one of her little sons back again.

The second surprise came in the form of the very tall Brienne of Tarth, who'd pledged to bring Lady Catelyn's daughters back safely. She reported having seen Arya with the Hound, but had been unsuccessful in returning her, given a misunderstanding about a Valyrian steel sword given to her by Jaime Lannister to bring the girls back. Ysira was surprised to hear he'd kept his word to Lady Catelyn. Brienne had fallen to her knees in front of Lady Catelyn, apologizing profusely for Arya having slipped through her fingers. With tears streaming down her face, Lady Catelyn had told her that it meant the world to her to know that Arya was alive at all.

The letters were what interested Ysira the most. The first told them that Jon had been elected as Lord Commander and was going to be working with Tormund Giantsbane to have some wildlings cross the Wall; Robb would need to start preparing land in The Gift and speaking with his vassals. The second letter told Ysira that the issues with the Faith Militant were mounting in the Crownlands, Cersei now imprisoned alongside Queen Margaery. She was told of the Tyrell army moving towards the capital to defend Queen Margaery and Ser Loras from the Faith, which gave her the opening she needed to move on them. Their first targets would be Casterly Rock and Lannisport.

From the North she sent ravens to her allies. To her uncle in Dorne, she said to ready the Stormcrows and Second Sons. To concoct a plan with Tyrion to get them into the Rock and attack from within. Her mercenaries, she trusted, would fight as dirty as the Lannisters would. Robb could spare only a few men, but helped her write a letter to the Riverlands to ensure his Uncle Edmure prepared his men to march with them. She herself informed Lord Royce and then Yara Greyjoy of the plan, promising the latter that Daenerys and Balerion would help from above for them to take the Lannister Fleet.

Ysira intended to move on Highgarden next, which had her decide where to place her men. Her mercenaries, the Northerners, the Ironborn, and the Dornish would be coming to take Casterly Rock and Lannisport directly. It would be enough with their three dragons. With Robb's recommendation, she'd placed Greatjon Umber in charge of the Northern vanguard. Her uncle would lead the Dornish and Yara herself would lead the Ironborn. She hoped that Tyrion's knowledge of Casterly Rock could get them in and allow Ysira and Viserys to both fight on the field to inspire their men. That way, they could keep the dragons circling far above to intimidate the Lannisters, yet not use them unless they absolutely had to.

The Knights of the Vale– led by someone of Lord Royce's choosing– as well as the men of the Riverlands and Stormlands (led by Edmure and Gendry— assuming Viserys had Gendry now as Lord of Storm's End), and the majority of the Unsullied (led by Grey Worm, Obara and Nymeria) would be creating a blockade along the edge of the Crownlands, to prevent them from rushing over to support the Westerlands and to stop food shipments coming in from Highgarden. The remaining Unsullied would join those already at Dragonstone and use their fleet to form a blockade along Blackwater Bay.

Ysira surmised she could leave Casterly Rock and Lannisport in the hands of Tyrion and his cousin Janei Lannister– a woman said to be more clever and at the same time open-minded than her other Lannister counterparts– until they formally decided what to do with both. If Tyrion proved near-useless, Ysira and Viserys would take their mounts and descend on the Rock from above. But if he proved useful, she'd consider placing him on the Small Council.

That way, as soon as the Westerlands were secure they could turn their force onto Highgarden, though she'd send the Ironborn and the Dornish Fleet to Dragonstone to aid their own fleet's blockade. She wasn't sure who she wanted to hold Highgarden, given Mace and Loras Tyrell were both finding trouble in the Crowlands, but she imagined her uncle could keep it for the time being, until they found someone to place at the seat.

Either way, they'd have taken nearly every last kingdom by then and starved the capital, ensuring the smallfolk would turn on the Crown. They'd shift their attention to King's Landing and that would be the end. Ysira sealed her final letter to Viserys, telling him the plan and that they'd be heading back to Dragonstone soon.

Ysira kissed the envelope, sighing to herself. Viserys was right. They were almost home.

-

A/N: Will update again in a few days y'all! Going out for a fun weekend with some friends I haven't seen in awhile and I'm not taking my laptop. I am honestly so proud of myself for how much this fic has dragged on to be honest, I don't think I've put this much effort into a fic in a fat minute lol. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! So so excited to show you what I have planned for the rest of the story. Comment for more!