It took another two weeks for Bran and the maesters to get to Brandon's Rest. After ensconcing them all in the Great Hall, Bran went to the intel building to discuss the end of the invasion with the whole intel team. Tyrion rattled off the numbers, noting that there is some roughness to the estimates. "Eleven thousand dead, 5000 wounded among the Westerosi forces. 340,000 dead and 10,000 captured among the Zonian forces. It is thought there are still a small number loose in the Wolfwood. But we have forces tracking those down." He shifted his focus to the naval side of things. "We have captured almost 200 of their ships and freed nearly 600 wind-user enslaved people. Those have been housed, fed, treated, and have sworn allegiance to Westeros. Our combined naval forces sank more than 800 of their ships. To our knowledge, none have escaped back west."
Tyrion continued, "Of the 10,000 captured, 15 have high-ranking positions, including the leader and one of his top mages. Our intel has named the leader Jun Wei and the mage Hao. If you would all follow us, Ming is about to start questioning Jun Wei." The group was ushered into a large room where Ming sat across from Jun Wei. Two translators were giving a blow-by-blow translation of the interrogation to the group.
Jun Wei had awakened on one of the wind trains going north. He was bound and gagged, and his eyes were covered. All of his items and gear were gone, and though he could probably still cast something, in this position he thought it unwise. When the vehicle stopped, he was hustled outside. After a short walk, he was placed in a chair, and his blindfold was removed. He was outside, and Hao was in a chair next to him. A sound made him look up, and the dragon Drogon was quite near him; then the dragon blasted a couple of sheep with fire. He could feel the heat and smell the burning flesh; the experience of being so close to death shocked him. Hao, next to him, cried out in fear. After watching the dragon consume its toasted dinner, they were force-marched into the town and into cells. Jun Wei hung his head in the cell; his resolve withered away inside him.
Ming began the interrogation by asking mundane questions about the goals of the invasion and the orders that had been given to Jun Wei. Jun Wei ignored them and refused to speak. Ming then transitioned into denigrating Jun Wei's tactical skill during the invasion. Jun Wei's ire rose, and he snarled at Ming. Ming added that among the prisoners they had captured, Jun Wei was seen as a fool and a failure. Jun Wei's bravado forced him to answer back, calling Ming a traitor and spitting his accusations right back at Ming. The translators were beginning to have trouble spelling out exactly what was being said. "Some regional idiomatic expression of distaste," one said. Ming flatly stated to Jun Wei that the Westerosi were much better at war and tactics and that if Jun Wei wished to live, he should offer full compliance to the interrogation. His life was forfeit to the young god-king for his failures, and only the Westerosi could offer him life. Of course, he could choose death by dragon fire if he felt no reason to keep breathing. Perhaps each day he could watch the dragon feed again? "No," Jun Wei said; he had no wish to be a meal for that beast. "Then answer," Ming countered. Slowly, slowly, the story of the Zonian invasion fell from Jun Wei's lips. The orders given, what he knew of the further plans, and the numbers he suspected would be used. After an hour of further questioning, the interrogation ended.
The group went back to the conference room and discussed what they had learned. After Bran took suggestions from the room on the way forward, he gave his plan. The Zonian pallisade fort would be converted into a staging ground for the counter-invasion troops. He sent a raven to the wall with commutations of the sentences of all those in black. They each had a month off to rest and prepare themselves, and then they were to report to the new staging area as soldiers and trainers. Their service would now include a complete counter-invasion, and then they would be free. Recruitment for new soldiers would begin in earnest, with pay raises and retirements included. A force of over 100,000 needed to be recruited, and arming and upgrading all ships must begin. Bran looked at each face in the room and said, "This needs to be completed yesterday; we have no real understanding of when the Zonians will come again!"
Well rested the next day, the maesters began their study of the doors. They had brought several assistants to help in their study. They began by perfectly sketching the runes beside the doors. They studied the composition of the wood and iron the doors were made of. Sometime later that day, Jon Snow carried his brother up the small stairs into the room. Bran was seated back in his chair, and he queried the maesters about what they had learned so far. The older of the two maesters answered, "See this star-like rune? It is very probably the 7-pointed star of the Seven. Little is known for sure exactly who those seven were, but that they were here before the first men came is known. These doors are made from Weirwood and star metal. They will last many thousands of years exactly as they are now. We will have to try and decipher these runes to have any idea of how to open these doors." Bran nodded.