The Green Men, a sacred organization founded during the twilight of the Dawn Age, were established on the Isle of Faces when the First Men and the Children of the Forest signed a truce. Their duty was to protect the ancient Weirwood carved with human faces that grew on the island.
The God's Eye Lake was immense, teeming with abundant freshwater fish that sustained the surrounding fishermen. Some fishermen traveled back and forth by boat, and the Green Men on the Isle of Faces were not completely isolated from the world. They were few in number, growing food for their own consumption, and when they had surplus, they would trade for iron tools and salt.
Two great dragons visited the Isle of Faces under the cover of night. The massive form of Odahviing couldn't be hidden, and when the Green Men noticed the dragons, they didn't initiate any defenses but instead sent a representative, a Child of the Forest, to speak with Wright.
After the rise of magic, the Children of the Forest from beyond the Wall had mostly stayed in cities with Weirwood trees or at magic schools, but the Isle of Faces was where they spent the longest time.
Odahviing didn't disturb the Weirwood trees. The lakeshore was narrow, and the dragon could only stand with one foot on the beach, the other dipping into the water, its neck craning to look at the distant Harrenhal, which appeared as a small black dot. Wright had told Odahviing stories about Harrenhal, and now the dragon was examining the castle, half-melted by dragonfire.
The beach was lit by a bright magic sphere, and Jon had ventured into the forest to find his true love. Wright and Renly sat on a large rock by the lakeshore, waiting for him.
Not far away, sand and stone were being kicked up, accompanied by low growls.
Renly's dragon, Peytvahaaz, always tried to bite at the magic sphere used for illumination. Wright attached another sphere to its tail, and now the dragon was chasing its own tail, spinning in circles.
"I feel like it's growing faster," Wright said, glancing at Peytvahaaz and asking Renly.
Renly replied, "Maybe you haven't noticed, but I've studied the books left by Maester Aemon, especially the ones he wrote after meeting Daenerys in King's Landing."
"His manuscript is what I turned into a book, and copies were sent out. Did I miss something?" Wright asked, intrigued.
Renly grinned, "According to Maester Aemon, he mentioned in his conversation with Daenerys that the Golden Company used Might to feed the dragons. Mixing it into their food helps them grow faster, and drinking it during battles makes them fearless."
Wright raised an eyebrow, "I've seen that in the Golden Company's intelligence reports. But at the time, I only had Odahviing. I didn't care about the size of the dragons, so I overlooked it."
Renly continued, "Might can be used in battle, but I've been feeding Peytvahaaz potions that restore magic. I've observed that it has some effect. I even asked Peytvahaaz, and it didn't feel any discomfort."
It's good to be able to talk to dragons, Wright thought, planning to try with a few smaller dragons, but he dismissed the idea. To make Strength effective on Odahviing, he'd need a large barrel for measurement, and the cost was too high.
"Leaf!" Peytvahaaz suddenly called in the dragon tongue and stopped chasing its tail, running toward the edge of the forest.
A small shadow, the size of a little girl, emerged from the trees. The child looked at the small dragon running toward her and didn't stop. She pulled a small fruit from her skirt pocket, made of woven grass and vines, and threw it into Peytvahaaz's mouth.
The fruit was small, too small to even fill the dragon's teeth gaps. After swallowing it, Peytvahaaz seemed delighted, bouncing happily behind the girl toward Wright and Renly.
Renly, seeing his dragon run off with someone else, was surprised and asked, "Leaf? What did you give it?"
"Weirwood tree seeds. Dragons don't eat plants, but they like the magic contained within them."
"You're Leaf?" Wright hadn't seen her in a long time, and with the growing darkness, he wasn't sure.
The girl stepped into the light, "I stayed at the magic school for so long, and you still can't recognize me. It's me, Leaf."
"Ha! It's the plant decoration on your head that's changed," Wright chuckled. He always thought the Children of the Forest all looked the same, and it wasn't the first time he'd mistaken Leaf for someone else.
"I know why you've come, and so does the Three-Eyed Raven." Leaf continued, and Peytvahaaz's head leaned toward her, sniffing her.
"Go over there and write your names!" Renly pointed to the sand, giving the small dragon something to do.
Peytvahaaz listened well to Renly, walking to the side. With its claws at the front of its wings, it began to scratch the sand, leaving deep and shallow marks that gradually formed words in the dragon tongue. But halfway through, it couldn't finish and began to look around, scratching its ears.
Renly was pleased, smiling at Leaf, "Continue."
Leaf looked at Wright and Renly, "The Three-Eyed Raven didn't tell me much, only brought one prophecy: Ice, fire, and blood will merge here, and three will welcome the true queen together."
"Queen?" Wright and Renly exchanged a glance. This was serious.
Wright: "Leaf, you should, by law, women cannot inherit the throne!"
"I know that, but the Three-Eyed Raven told me this. Maybe it's your grandchildren, or maybe it will be hundreds of years from now." Leaf didn't care about who became king.
Renly also asked, "So, the true queen you're talking about, could it be Ygritte or Melisandre? The two of them having children for Jon? A vampire and a human combining, or a shadowbinder and a human combining?"
"From the knowledge I have with Odahviing, vampires can't have children at all! Those parts are just tools for amusement!" Wright thought of Quaithe: "Shadowbinders, on the other hand, can combine with humans, but they must give up their own life. This doesn't fit the prophecy of a queen to be greeted together, does it?"
Wright and Renly turned to look at Leaf, who shook her head.
"What exactly did the Three-Eyed Raven see? Just tell it plainly! These prophets always make riddles!" Wright was somewhat irritated, as he hated people who spoke in riddles.
Renly asked, "Did the Three-Eyed Raven say anything else?"
Leaf replied, "He also told me to warn the Green Men to stay away from here and not to reveal the news about the three of us being here."
Renly said, "So why are you here looking for us?"
"I didn't reveal anything to you, you came to find me yourselves. This island isn't large, with your abilities, it's easy for you both to find me, so here I am," Leaf replied calmly.
Renly became a bit agitated, standing up from the stone. "Jon has the shortest lifespan among the three of us. This means, one day in the future, a queen will sit on the Iron Throne! Does House Baratheon still exist? Or is it the Targaryen getting revenge?"
Wright calmed down. "Renly, maybe it's not such a bad thing. What if the Baratheons can really produce a queen? Besides, the prophecy only said a queen, it didn't specifically mean the queen of Westeros!"
Renly asked, "You're this optimistic?"
"What else can I do?" Wright looked at Renly. "Either I worry about it every day, or we ride dragons and go find the Three-Eyed Raven beyond the Wall, sword at his throat, and force him to explain. Do you think the Three-Eyed Raven will talk?"
Renly still looked restless.
Wright pulled on his sleeve, dragging him back down to sit. "Don't think too much about it. As long as we don't go looking for trouble, and train more with our bodies and magic, maybe we'll live longer than Jon. Then we can show that so-called queen what we're capable of!"
"Ugh!" Renly sighed.
These vague prophecies were the most annoying. If you believed them, they just led to a heap of troublesome issues. If you didn't believe them, then the Three-Eyed Raven might actually have the ability to see the future. Although they hadn't met, Renly had previously liked the Three-Eyed Raven, a powerful mage. Now, he couldn't stand him.
"Jon's back, I'm going now, here, this is for you." Leaf took two small yellow flowers from her head and walked in front of them to try and tuck them into their hair.
Both Wright and Renly had short hair, so Leaf poked the stems of the flowers onto Wright's head, but seeing there was nowhere to place them, she clipped them to his ear instead. She did the same for Renly.
As they watched Leaf's figure disappear into the forest, Wright and Renly exchanged a glance:
"Why do we feel like we've been made fools of?"
"The two strongest mages in Westeros, and this is what we get! Ha!"
Not long after, Jon appeared at the edge of the forest. Jon was quite tall, and the woman walking beside him was of the same height. When they reached the light, Wright and Renly saw her clearly.
Her figure could only be described as enchanting, with waist-length, slightly curly red hair, a fair and stunning face, and especially her red lips, which made one feel an immediate desire. When Wright activated his magic sense, he found that her lips were continuously emitting illusions, casting spells to tempt men.
Luckily, Wright had strong mental control, and Renly wasn't interested in women.
Jon tried to step closer to her, but Ygritte didn't move. The light from the floating orb made her uncomfortable.
"Are you Ygritte?" Wright asked.
"Lord Wright, Lord Renly, hello, I am Ygritte." She spoke politely, but didn't bow. Instead, she toyed with a beast horn in her hands, her eyes scanning both of them.
Wright was sure Jon had taught her these words. It was hard for the wildlings from beyond the Wall to change their customs so quickly.
"I've seen a few live vampires and fought them in the Bay of Crabs. Your strength is about the same as their leader's. Why betray your kind to seek out Jon?" Renly asked casually as he sat up straight, his feet planted firmly in the sand, hands resting on the stone, ready to channel magic through the sand for an attack at any moment.
"Jon saved me."
Ygritte slowly explained how she became a vampire, why she traveled south, and how she fell in love with Jon. If what she said was true, she had completely spilled the secrets of the vampires.
Life beyond the Wall was boring. Most of the people's energy was spent on hunting and dealing with harsh weather. Whenever they had a little free time, it was spent on reproduction. Prey was not just edible animals but also other tribes and resources, and they spent their entire lives focused on these few activities.
Ygritte was part of the Wildling reconnaissance team in Rattleshirt. For a while, the prey in the north began to increase, reportedly coming from the far north. The tribe's people thought their lives would improve, but as winter arrived, the temperature dropped lower and lower, snow buried their homes, and the ice on the lakes grew thicker, making life even harder.
At this point, plundering the resources of other tribes became a way to survive. After several battles, the tribe Ygritte belonged to suffered heavy losses and was absorbed by a larger tribe. The leader was known as Tormund Giantsbane.
Despite the larger tribe, they still couldn't withstand the harsh weather. Until one day, a tall young man appeared from the heavy snow, bare-chested. He claimed to be from a race higher than humans, capable of using magic, unaffected by the cold, and immortal! Tormund and several powerful warriors of the tribe fought him, but they stood no chance.
The hardships of survival led them to compromise. The vampires chose the strongest warriors of the tribe, including Ygritte, and all willingly transformed into vampires. The remaining human relatives of theirs became food for the newly transformed, hungry vampires.
However, life as a vampire was not as pleasant as expected. After being brought back to the vampire gathering place, Ygritte found vampires freely mating. A few fought for power, and under the leader's tacit approval, they killed each other, with the defeated being devoured by their companions and reduced to a pile of ash.
Wildling men and women alike were required to hunt, and Ygritte, being a strong warrior, gained a certain status and even took several lower-ranked vampires as lovers.
After another migration, Ygritte discovered that the White Walkers were actually allies and could even command the vampire leaders. The legends of the White Walkers were also spread in the Wildling tribes. Ygritte had only become a vampire to survive, not to exterminate humanity.
They were discussing how to develop their tribe, how to breach the Wall, and how to deal with the troublesome Wright. Intelligence was the thing they lacked most north of the Wall. The Night King contributed magic, gathering all the White Walkers and vampires, and after sacrificing dozens of strong tribesmen, they managed to open a small rift temporarily, sending six vampires south of the Wall.
The six were all from the Wildlings and couldn't blend into human society in the short term. At first, they only gathered information in the outskirts of the North, learning for a full year before starting their activities southward. During this time, they used the spider caves of the Wall to send messages written on paper, carried out by spiders.
The other four were scattered across the continent. Two went to Tyrosh to monitor Wright, but before long, their whereabouts were discovered.
The remaining three started stirring up trouble in various places, with Ygritte in King's Landing gathering information. Not long after, she encountered the Priestess of the Lord of Light, Melisandre, who had come looking for trouble, and that led to the events with Jon.
Renly: "All your vampires are dead now! Do you know that?"
"I know," Ygritte said, her expression unchanged.
Wright: "Do you know about the magic array in the Wall's spider caves?"
Ygritte shook her head: "That's the Night King's domain. We vampires don't know much about it."
Wright: "What about the Holy Son?"
Ygritte: "The better the magical talent, the stronger they become after being transformed into vampires. The strongest among us were Skinchangers. And the Holy Son is the child of Dragon Queen Daenerys."
"Do you know Daenerys's child is gravely ill and will most likely not live beyond two years?" Wright laughed.
"Ah?" Ygritte looked surprised.