Two wildling brothers, accompanied by two shadowcats, with an owl resting on its master's shoulder and a magnificent falcon circling high above.
It was a picturesque scene. Thorfinn and Merek both savored the profound, ethereal tranquility unique to the lands Beyond the Wall. This seemingly carefree journey had the easy, unhurried air of carefree wanderers, yet both men knew full well that their venture into the Lands of Always Winter was bound to be brutal...
The land Beyond the Wall is utterly desolate, undeveloped, and largely unexplored. Sometimes, the unknown itself is the danger. The Lands of Always Winter aren't called the "Forbidden Zone for Men" for nothing. There is no vegetation and no decent food; a normal person here faces certain death. This is truly a cold hell, the land of the dead.
They crossed the Milkwater, following its banks north. The white spray of the river and the snow blended together as they traveled upstream along the gurgling stream. Past the mountains known as the Frostfangs, and circling around the region of Thenn, they finally reached the ice plains. The two clearly took a roundabout path; even though it meant a longer distance, it allowed them to bypass places still rife with tales of ghouls and ghosts. A little extra exertion was far better than a journey filled with constant dread.
White. Everything was white. Aside from white, there were only patches of mottled brown from the scarce vegetation. Continuing north, tall coniferous trees gradually thinned out, replaced by low shrubs, until finally, even grass and bushes were rare to see. The landscape became a boundless white expanse, with nothing but the pale ice and snow covering the ground.
The bone-chilling wind seemed to blow right through you, leaving no spot warm, inside or out.
Even if you asked the strongest of those who live on the Ice Coast, few could survive in the Lands of Always Winter. The most desperate challenge isn't the cold; it's the near-total lack of food. This is a world of ice and snow, and finding sustenance is an extremely difficult endeavor.
How does one replenish the massive amounts of heat lost through the body's activities? It seems there is no way other than eating.
However, even a world of ice and snow is not utterly silent; tenacious life still exists in the cold regions. The marvels of nature are beyond human imagination. Life is here: snow rats thriving beneath the ice layers, and snow foxes skilled at hunting those rats. Being alert, they are the hardest to catch; you can't outrun them on the endless snowy plains. Even a shadowcat is no match for their natural talent when it comes to hide-and-seek.
Unless you can defeat the behemoths—the ice wolves, or the snow bears that occasionally appear here. They are all apex predators, but unfortunately, it's anyone's guess who is the hunter and who is the prey when you encounter them. The only reliable food source they could count on was stocking up while closer to the periphery. So, Thorfinn and Merek were forced to catch and reserve fish and seal meat.
Traveling all the way to the edge of the Lands of Always Winter, they took advantage of the few frozen lakes that still connected to the sea. The two completely transformed into fishermen, stockpiling food. Drinking blood and eating raw meat wasn't the hard part; the difficulty was keeping warm. In this frozen land where your pee would freeze mid-stream, staying warm was a real challenge. Fortunately, they had brought sufficiently thick furs, and the last of the dried provisions they carried from home were just enough to maintain their energy.
Advancing into the Lands of Always Winter was a tough choice. Once inside, it was almost impossible to tell direction. The two brothers had to rely on the birds' instincts to navigate, and after an arduous journey, they finally made their first discovery after entering the Lands of Always Winter.
Deep in the heartland, the terrain was no longer a flat plain; the ground began to undulate. Birds searched the skies for anything noticeable, and after three or four long days, they finally found something.
They hadn't seen an Other, but they had certainly spotted quite a few roaming wights. The dead had all gathered here. Lying prone on a high ridge, they looked down at the handfuls of wights arriving from the south to join the large host of the dead. This was clearly a staging ground for the Others to gather the dead. They were packed together as far as the eye could see 18, with rotting bodies and cold, indifferent blue eyes. They stood perfectly still, without a sound, as if they had entered a 'standby' mode.
The biting, fierce wind howled like a wicked spirit, chilling the heart and startling the soul.
Only after soothing the agitation of Alpha and Lady Owl did the two brothers continue their observation.
Merek: "Did you see that? All those dead men..."
Thorfinn seemed a little stunned. "I'm not blind, of course, I see them."
"Gods preserve us, how many of them are there, packed together like that?"
"Close to ten thousand, maybe. I can't be sure."
The two turned back, scrambling down the slope with trembling limbs, tiptoeing so as not to make a sound and attract the notice of the foul spirits. This was truly a living hell. The dead were gathered here, waiting, as if a single command would be enough to enact their master's will and tear apart anything exposed to their sight.
Merek muttered, "How can there be so many dead men?"
Thorfinn couldn't help but complain: "Too many? Actually, no. Mance gave the order long ago to dig up and burn all the previously buried dead. The gods know how well those blockheads actually followed through. There are always people who pretend to comply while undermining orders, no matter where you go. But it did have some effect; at least Lyra's outreach work was very effective. Most Free Folk chose to obey the command so that their relatives wouldn't be defiled by evil powers."
Thinking back to the huge, enthusiastic campaign of burning the dead when they first arrived at the camp, Morla couldn't help but feel a shiver of fear. Even back then, they found many dead bodies had already disappeared. They must have come here. If Mance hadn't acted early, wouldn't this place be even more 'man'-packed? For the dead to become wights, a vanguard for slaughtering the living, that would be a tragedy beyond words.
"I finally understand now why Mance thinks so highly of you. Your suggestions back then were incredibly impactful. If Mance hadn't pushed through with it, how much more blood would the Free Folk have had to shed in the future?"
Thorfinn chuckled. "Heh heh. Now you know the Others' power, don't you? It's not too late."
Merek nodded earnestly, still muttering, "Not too late, not too late..."
Finding a safe cave, the two brothers hid inside and finally felt a measure of security.
It was then that Merek noticed something. In the field of view of the peregrine falcon circling overhead, an Other appeared. That's right, a genuine Other, not some low-level wight.
Merek noticed its deep blue eyes and the fact that it was holding a spear of ice and riding an undead steed. In its arm, it carried a quiet baby. The baby wasn't crying or fussing, and its eyes still held a pure curiosity about the world. For some unknown reason, the child seemed not to feel the cold at all, nor did it cry out of hunger.
Using the falcon's vision, Merek described the scene: "An Other has appeared. It's carrying a child, looks like a newborn baby. It's alive and hasn't turned into a wight. They didn't stop; they're heading deeper in."
Thorfinn, inside the cave, was incredulous: "A baby? How is that possible? Even adults can barely endure this dreadful weather! How can a child be alive?"
Merek sighed. "It is what it is. And he seems to be a healthy boy, too."
Thorfinn sank into thought, staring at Merek for a long time before finally saying, "Merek, let's split up. You move back a bit to be my backup. I'm going to continue to sneak in."
Merek: "Are you crazy? Are you trying to get yourself killed? If those dead men find you, you'll be torn to shreds!"
Thorfinn smiled. "That's why we need to split up. I need support and backup."
Merek was furious at Thorfinn's stubbornness. "I really shouldn't have come with you. You're utterly reckless. Don't you feel any fear when you look at all those dead men?"
"Of course, I'm afraid. That's why I need to be extra careful." As if sensing Merek's apprehension, Thorfinn continued, "It's fine, Merek. I have to check this out. I'll follow them. With my stealth skills, they won't find me."
Merek: "But if you are found, you're dead for sure."
Thorfinn gave a confident grin. "Fear won't help you survive in a place like this. Sometimes, you have to face death to find a chance to live. I have to go. This is a perfect opportunity, after all—an Other is leading the way. I might have a chance to find their lair and see what's going on."
Merek was stunned. "Did I hear that right? Did you just say... go to their lair?"
Thorfinn: "You heard right. I'm going to follow them. Stay here as a rendezvous point, or move a bit further away, Merek. I'll be relying on you for the way back."
With that, Thorfinn prepared to leave with Alpha. Merek had a helpless look. Thorfinn had done this kind of crazy thing many times, and though it had happened often, he still worried. However, as his brother's support, all he could do was prepare everything.
Merek: "Thorfinn, you must be careful. You know this isn't one of our usual spars. You won't get a do-over; failure means death."
Thorfinn nodded confidently. "You know I can't doubt myself. I'm not looking for death. I'm sure I'll come back alive. Wait for me, and we'll go home together."
Merek sighed. "I don't know where you get this adventurous spirit! Fine, fine. If even Darie can't talk sense into you, I certainly can't. Go on, get going!" Thorfinn was usually level-headed, but when he went crazy, he was crazier than anyone. Merek understood Thorfinn, just as he understood himself.
Although Thorfinn occasionally did things that seemed bizarre and incomprehensible to them, he always ended up benefiting from them. Merek knew his brother's capabilities; after all, a wise man always notices things ahead of others.
Thorfinn gave a comforting smile, turned, and left without another word. Alpha followed in perfect sync. It wouldn't know what Thorfinn was thinking, but it knew it only needed to follow its little master.
Merek watched Thorfinn disappear into the distance and muttered, "Backup? How am I supposed to back you up in this gods-forsaken place? You need to use your head, Merek." As he thought of the unbelievably numerous wights nearby, Merek finally looked to the south, the route they had deliberately avoided on the way here.
That route they had initially abandoned, with its numerous obstacles, would now become their advantage for escape. Could the path they took, no matter how dangerous, be more terrifying than the army of the dead behind them?
For Merek, abandoning Thorfinn and escaping alone was out of the question. Although they weren't blood brothers, they were closer than any. He knew Thorfinn had made him who he was. Thorfinn was both a brother and a benefactor to him. A debt of gratitude must be repaid with effort, and Thorfinn was worth fighting for, even if it cost him his own life. He couldn't be a coward, Merek thought.
"I suppose I should set up some traps. Ha. Who sets traps for the dead? The living have become the prey, forced to flee the pursuit of the dead. I must be mad. Ugh... Thorfinn, Thorfinn. I really owe you..."
Muttering to himself, Merek headed towards the higher mountains near the Thenn region. If the wights rose up, fleeing in that direction might be their only chance of survival.
Just thinking about being chased by this horde of the dead gave Merek a headache. The gods knew what they might gain by risking death to do this. Maybe in the end, they would gain nothing but lose their lives. He really didn't know what Thorfinn was thinking.
After walking for a long time, Merek finally found a suitable hiding spot close to the mountains. For the coming hours, he needed to do everything possible to increase their chances of survival.
Touching the dragonglass dagger and several arrowheads he had found before coming here, he finally let out a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't entirely defenseless against an Other or the army of the dead. Drawing the hand-axe from his belt, Merek walked toward the somewhat sparse woods in the mountains...