Chapter 34

Winterfell, two days later...

“My lady Sansa, a message for you by raven,” Lord Yohn Royce of the Vale presented the latest news to Sansa Stark, Lady of Winterfell and Wardeness of the North.

“I can see that, my lord,” Sansa observed as she sat with her sister, Arya (still posing as Lord Petyr Baelish, also known as Littlefinger), her knight, Brienne of Tarth, Lyanna Mormont of Bear Island, Lord Royce, Lord Glover, Lord Robin Arryn of the Vale, Lady Meera Arryn of the Vale (formerly known as Meera Reed, daughter of Howland Reed), and Lord Cley Cerwin. Lord Wyman Manderly was already back at White Harbor, preparing both to defend it and to host Yara Greyjoy, Queen of the Iron Islands. She was expected there any day now.

“So, it appears that the Night King has ceased his direct assaults upon Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, instead moving his ships and wights a little down the coast to find a weak spot in the defenses of the littoral. He’s likely to gain a foothold, truth be told, that area being sparsely inhabited. Then again, he won’t get that many recruits from his invasion. Again, it’s not highly populated, after all,” Lord Royce read and interpreted the new message.

“Who’s the nearest lord, with the nearest castle up that way?” Lord Robin Arryn inquired.

“That would be Lord Ned Umber, of House Umber and the Last Hearth. I just hope that my brother’s faith in the young lad will prove well-placed. Then again, if he betrayed us now, it would cost him his life and freedom, spending the rest of his existence as a walking ice corpse. That’s not a future that I would embrace, wintry Stark though I may be,” Sansa smirked now.

“Nor will he. The boy’s loyal enough, even if a bit overwhelmed. I don’t need to see the rest of the message to know what to expect. I can see it ... Sandor Clegane, the Hound, set out to warn folks along the coast of the Bay of Seals. Then Cotter Pyke sent Tormund Giantsbane with a small band of twenty men to support the Hound in his quest, not to mention escort him to the Last Hearth to confer with Lord Umber.

“While that’s happening, the Night King will probe the shore with small raids on local fishing villages. He won’t bother with Eastwatch again just yet. He wants a clear way inside the North, bypassing the Wall that he can’t breach. He’s lost too many ships and wights, while inflicting only sixteen casualties on his enemy. The best approach to fighting him will be a pincer now.

“Forces from the Wall, from the Least Hearth, and from Karhold, under Lady Alys Karstark, must all align, with a single chief commander to avoid jealousies and confusion. I suggest Tormund Giantsbane. The man’s led plenty of men and women in battle. Sandor Clegane can be his deputy. The Hound’s a great soldier, but he’s less experienced in high command than the Wildling.

“The Wildlings at the core of such a force trust Tormund more than anyone else alive. Even more than they trust the King. He has the trust of our brother, King Jon Snow. He’s the right man to lead such an army. He is used to women in battle, so won’t think less of Alys Karstark, either, or treat her scornfully. He can’t push the Night King back into the sea, not yet, but he can hold him off and buy time for the rest of the force to be ready,” Bran Stark announced his arrival with plenty of useful knowledge this time.

“How close is the war further south to being finished?” Meera asked Bran while pushing back the lingering pain of his rejection of her in the recent past.

“It’s near conclusion, in fact. Lord Gendry Baratheon has just made landfall near Storm’s End, meaning that Ser Davos Seaworth, Lord of Highgarden, Lord Paramount of the Reach, Warden of the South, and Master of Ships, can continue his own voyage to Dragonstone. He’s already en route there. Also, Yara Greyjoy is about to land at White Harbor. She’ll be there by dusk tonight.