Before, in the Royal Conclave.
"There are roughly twenty Others worth noting out of the three thousand or so in their army. All of them are veterans of the Long Night, which occurred eight thousand years ago. Fourteen of them are comparable to that of a seasoned magic wielder around the strength of the Kingsguard - we will call them lieutenants."
There was a chilling silence among the Stormguard. Three thousand Others was not exactly music to their ears, but fourteen Others who matched the most formidable group of warriors in the Realm was arguably worse.
Edric continued to explain.
"The lower half of these fourteen are weaker, of course… but not by much. Also, there used to be fifteen of them, but I did slay one of them years prior. Past those fourteen is where the true problem lies, however. The three captains above them are all supremely powerful, and their abilities are quite diverse. You have one who functions as a commander, bolstering the abilities of the wights and Others around him. He is, in fact, weaker than the strongest lieutenants in raw power… but his influence in battle eclipses them all. He also happens to be the second oldest of all existing Others and the Night King's closest subordinate. We'll give him the name of Night's Hand for the sake of simplicity."
"Should he be encountered, he is to be the focus of attack. He would, without a doubt, be greatly defended by a swarm of Others who enjoy the benefits of his magic... so it's better to attack him from afar. More than likely, I'll be the one to put him down."
"The second captain used to be a giant, now turned an Other. Even amongst giants, who reach heights of fourteen feet at the very most, this giant was one of a kind… a giant amongst giants and their king whilst he lived. He rides a mighty mammoth turned Other as well. He stands twenty feet tall and wears a crown of bones - very noticeable. You'll know who he is if you see him."
"Twenty feet tall?!"
There was a resounding wave of disbelief.
"Unfortunately, he also happens to be skilled with the bow. He is fast for his size... and the mightiest of all natural Others in raw strength, edging out even the Night King. An arrow from him carries force that is over half a dozen times greater than that of a scorpion. He shoots them faster, as well..."
Edric's additional information didn't make it any better. Observing this, he smiled slightly, shaking his head.
"Do not dismay too much. His size makes him a large target. Although tough, he is not impenetrable... pelting him with magic arrows is very possible. Even barraging him with magic attacks may stun or make him lose his balance. He shall be named Titan, for obvious reasons..."
"The third captain is second only to the Night King in terms of overall combat ability and authority in the army. We shall call him Champion, for that is who he is to the Night King. His armour is impenetrable unless struck by magic equal to his, his sword is impossibly sharp, he passively strengthens all undead near him and possesses destructive magic which could wipe out a thousand men in the blink of an eye. You could consider him the Ser Arthur of the Night King's army. Well-balanced, he has no clear weaknesses and is certainly someone you are to entirely avoid... unless you are myself, or Ser Arthur."
"It seems almost fated for me to fight him," Arthur remarked. "The Night King's army eerily parallels our own..."
"That is the point, the world balances light and darkness... fire and ice. But, in that, you can be assured that these forces are not beyond our ability to match or even defeat," Edric explained. "If we are equal, then it means tactics and strategy will win the future. We must make the most of our advantages while minimising theirs. For instance... we have dragons, they do not. This is a massive advantage in mobility, even if the undead do not need rest. That also means we absolutely cannot lose any one of the dragons to them, as it will greatly shift the balance of this war. Meanwhile, they have a greater number of formidable combatants and a horde that greatly outnumbers our own forces... which we have to cut down if we are to have any chance of victory."
"We could combine our strength against their captains and lieutenants, cutting them down one by one without losing much time travelling," Arthur nodded. "If the Night King decides to split his forces, that is."
"That is why you being a dragon rider was such a gift," Edric added. "The Night King may be still unaware of this fact... giving us the element of surprise as well. We may be able to make easy pickings of one or two of the captains before the Night King can adjust."
"Back to the Night King's army... I must mention the undead beasts under his banner. Giant ice spiders, mammooths, direwolves, bears, horses - all of which the Others may be riding. These undead beasts do not tire, making them formidable foes and even greater mounts for travelling. The next notable Other is artificial, forged from thousands of years of magic and their ultimate siege engine."
"It stands at an absurd nine hundred and fifty feet, slow, yet each step covers great distances and shakes the very earth under it. It is incapable of unleashing magic of its own, having sacrificed it all for raw physical strength. Its might is unlike anything else in the world, however... there is no stronghold or Wall in this world that can defend against it. It can crush anything under its feet, punch and kick through any defence. There is no magic that can cause it any great harm, either... except for mayhaps my own."
"... Mayhaps?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, even I am uncertain. This weapon, Colossus we shall call it, not only possesses great defences throughout its huge body but also frighteningly quick regeneration. It is a threat as great, if not greater, than the Night King himself."
"... That is not reassuring," A stormguard remarked.
"However, should it fall to the ground..." Edric stroked his chin. "That thing is not getting up without great support. It will not be an easy task to bring Colossus down, but it will still be far easier than destroying it. If it falls, it not only becomes a non-factor for their forces but also a liability."
"The bigger they are, the harder they fall!" Another Stormguard exclaimed.
"... Something like that, yes. Finally, the two Others who reign over the rest."
"... There's two?"
"The Night King is the one leading the charge, and the stronger of the two, the most skilled warrior of all the Others and a cunning, ruthless commander. He is equal in height to me, absurdly strong and fast for his size, with magic destructive enough to turn a city into a wasteland within minutes. There is nothing his blade can't cut through. His armour and natural defences make him entirely indestructible and immune to nearly all magic. Nothing can destroy him as he regenerates any wounds rapidly... nothing except Lightbringer itself, which is the only weapon capable of piercing the core of his existence."
"He is what I am to you - my equal in nearly every aspect, if not stronger in some. Do not entertain fighting him at all if you can help it... for it will end in a certain, swift, death. He is my foe to overcome."
"... How would I fare against such a foe?" Arthur asked, out of curiosity.
"You'd be able to keep up with him for a time, but as exhaustion takes hold, he would cut you down..."
"If we joined our strength, would we be able to overcome him?"
"Unlikely," Edric shook his head. "Not without Lightbringer..."
"It all comes back to the Red Sword of Heroes, huh... then how are we to win without it?"
"Where there is a will, there is a way," Edric spoke with a reassuring tone, inspiring confidence in his men. "Although the way is not clear as of now, as we fight our best fight, the fog will clear and open up more possibilities and opportunities."
"I see..."
"Now, the second of the two is the Night Queen, and mayhaps the main reason why both the Night King and Others exist till this day. She possesses no notable combat ability and does not leave the Others' homeland at the End of the World, yet her magic is quite unlike anything else. You could consider her the 'Mother' of the Others. My knowledge regarding her is... obscure. The Night Queen is capable of reviving fallen Others and granting blessings which empower them - that I am certain of. She follows the Night King, yet he does not entirely command and control her like the rest of his forces."
The Night King's fragment, which Edric had taken, oddly lacked almost any knowledge of the Night Queen. It seemed purposeful.
"Mayhaps his Eternal Grace should pay her a visit and convince her to our side..." One Stormguard jokingly remarked. "She might need some warmth in her life, after all."
"That... would not work, right?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"Certainly not," Daenerys added.
Even though it was intended as a joke, Edric recalled a certain part of his status sheet.
[Charm 200 (MAX): Diplomat V - Your silver tongue can charm the hardest hearts and open the most barricaded of doors. Romantic V - No woman can deny thy charm.]
Was the Night Queen above his maxed Charm? He was uncertain, albeit leaning more so on the confident side. The true question was whether or not she could provide enough impact to shift the tides of war. If she could... it was an avenue worth exploring.
[Edric's POV]
Viserion soared past Castle Black. As of now, the Night King's army seemed to be very easily in the hundreds of thousands, if not nearing a million. His horde was split into two, one giant force marching slowly for Castle Black led by the Colossus and Night's Hand, who aided with Colossus' speed and a considerably smaller one led by Champion and Titan, sliding across the frozen over Shivering Sea on strange boats made of ice.
The Night King himself was nowhere to be found, fading from my surveillance of birds and other animals. However, I've lost sight of much of the west past the Wall, which signified that he would likely be there... separated from his captains and his lieutenants, from what I've seen. An interesting choice.
Was his goal to cross the Bay of Ice and into the North by himself? Without Lightbringer even I couldn't stop him...
It's mayhaps precisely what I'd do in his shoes, advance on my own instead of waiting for the slow Colossus to reach the Wall.
Hell... It's what I'm doing right now.
If he can cross the sea without breaking the Wall's barrier, he'd be able to invade Bear Island and then descend upon Deepwood Motte. From then on, the path to Winterfell would be all too clear... with an enhanced undead horse, it would not take more than a day or two from that point.
Were the two armies just a distraction?
Worst of all, I lacked a consistent view of him. And, since he was alone and blended so well with his surroundings, it would be difficult and time-consuming to locate him.
Which force do I target first... the Night King would be the obvious choice, if not for the fact that I couldn't slay him by myself without great sacrifice. Without me, the rest of the Others would collapse the Realm, and the Night King would be reborn before long anyway.
The fleet sliding across the east? Champion and Titan made for great foes - even if I had both arms, I might not be able to overcome them both singlehandedly... let alone with one arm. Colossus and Night's Hand, along with most of their lieutenants? I likely lacked the strength to tip over Colossus because of the blood I served to Viserion... but the Night's Hand... is another matter. Even so, it was risky to soar in there by myself.
Lastly, the Night Queen, who could restore the Night King... and the warden of the Tree of the End, the very source of Winter.
To fly all the way there was a great gamble that would take up much precious time... but it could lead to a crippling blow to the Other's power.
I closed my eyes, focusing my Green Sight on the End of the World.
...
Through great effort, I managed to see the Tree of the End directly. The lands were... different from the Night King's memory. Before they were frozen over entirely, but now... the ice was warmer. The crystals that once hung from the giant tree's branches were gone. Why was it that the lands directly north of the Wall were colder than the northernmost point of Westeros?
Did the Night King...
"I did not expect to see you poking your nose here, Herald of the Storm. What a surprise..."
A voice called out behind me. I had no doubt as to who it was.
"It is as you see. The Tree of the End is no more, its root of power seized by the God of Night and Terror reborn."
"... Reborn?" I questioned. "You mean to say that the Night King became Winter itself... and the Great Other?"
Although it was true that I was considerably more powerful than any other Edric at this point because of all the magic at my disposal, any progress that I made, the Night King seemed to enjoy just as well.
I drained the storm magic in the Stormlands and imbued it with myself earlier... and he seems to have done the same, in his homeland.
"It is a hopeless battle; you should embrace the ice in your heart and submit to it. At the very least... You would live in the new world."
"How considerate of you to bring up such a suggestion," I chuckled. "But, I believe it is you who should reconsider your stance, not I..."
"Oh? Do elaborate."
I slowly turned to face her.