The morning fog at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea on the Wall was thicker than usual, so dense it could obscure a person three steps away.
Tod, a Night's Watch recruit, tightened his black leather armor, but it still couldn't block the biting cold wind—this wasn't ordinary winter cold, but "ice mist" carrying the aura of the cold god, which, after prolonged contact with skin, felt as if it would freeze even the blood.
His hand, gripping a dragonglass longsword, was already numb with cold, and the faint glow of the spearhead flickered in the mist, like a spark that could extinguish at any moment.
"Tod! Don't get distracted!" Old Night's Watch veteran Carter's voice came through the mist, his beard covered in ice shards, the horn in his hand frozen solid.
"Lord Bran's Greensight predicted danger today; keep your eyes on the Ice Field to the north every moment!"
Tod nodded quickly, his gaze piercing the thick fog towards the north.
The sky there was an eerie bluish-white, and the ice mist surged towards the Wall like a tide, with a muffled tremor vaguely audible in the mist, as if a massive creature was moving.
He raised the "cold warning whistle" in his hand—a bronze whistle specially made by The Citadel that automatically sounds when it encounters strong cold energy; at this moment, the whistle was emitting a faint "buzzing" sound, signaling the approaching danger.
On the battlements of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, Night's Watch Commander Thorne was staring at a defense distribution map in his hand, his brow deeply furrowed.
The Wall's battlements had been completely frozen solid by the ice mist, the arrow slits, originally for defense, were blocked by ice, and the soldiers could only chip away at the ice with dragonglass daggers.
With each chip, ice shards slid down the Wall, piling up into small mountains on the ground.
"How many dragonglass arrows are left?" Thorne asked his adjutant.
"Only two thousand, my lord," the adjutant's voice was anxious.
"Last night, the ice mist froze the granary, some of the provisions got damp, and the soldiers can only eat hard, frozen oatcakes, so their strength is depleting quickly."
Thorne looked up into the mist, the tremors growing closer, and all the cold warning whistles on the Wall sounded, their sharp cries piercing the thick fog.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!" Thorne drew the dragonglass longsword from his waist.
"The Wights are here! Archers, prepare, aim at the dark figures in the mist!"
The Night's Watch men immediately took their positions, archers nocked arrows and drew bows, dragonglass arrows glowing faintly in the mist.
Tod stood at the edge of the battlements, his heart pounding.
He remembered the scene of his father's sacrifice on the Wall, gripping his longsword even tighter—he couldn't fall like his father; he had to defend the Wall, defend the civilians behind him.
Suddenly, a massive dark shadow burst out of the mist, accompanied by a deafening roar.
Tod clearly saw the creature: its size was comparable to three elephants, its body covered in half a meter of thick ice armor, with two curved ice horns on its head, spewing pale blue ice mist from its mouth.
With every step it took, the ground froze; this was the cold god's "Ice Field Beast"!
"Fire!" Thorne shouted, and the archers simultaneously released their bowstrings, dragonglass arrows raining down on the beast.
The arrow tips struck the ice armor, emitting a "sizzling" corrosive sound, but only leaving shallow marks on the ice armor, unable to penetrate it at all.
The beast roared, spraying ice mist from its mouth towards the Wall.
The Night's Watch men on the Wall were instantly frozen; some soldiers, even with their spears, turned into ice sculptures and fell from the Wall.
"Its ice armor is too thick! dragonglass arrows are useless!" Carter's voice was filled with despair.
He raised a dragonglass longsword and stabbed at the beast's claw climbing onto the Wall, but the spear was deflected by the ice armor, and he himself was struck by the claw, falling heavily onto the Wall, spitting blood.
Tod rushed over to help Carter up, but saw even more Ice Field Beasts bursting out of the mist—a total of three!
They had clear roles: one rammed the Wall, one sprayed ice mist, and one chipped at the ice with its ice horns.
The Wall groaned under the impact, developing cracks in several places, and the Night's Watch's defense line was on the verge of collapse.
In the Eastwatch-by-the-Sea civilian shelter, old woman Alice was holding her grandson Tom, hiding behind a stone wall.
Outside, the roars of the beasts and the screams of the Night's Watch could be heard.
Tom trembled with fear, clutching Alice's neck tightly: "Grandma, are we going to die?"
"No, child," Alice gently stroked her grandson's head, her gaze fixed on the direction of the Wall.
"The Night's Watch will protect us, and Lord Jon will come to save us."
Her heart, however, was filled with worry—last night she saw that the Night's Watch's dragonglass arrows were dwindling, and the soldiers' faces were growing paler.
If Jon's reinforcements didn't arrive soon, Eastwatch-by-the-Sea might truly be breached by the Ice Field Beasts.
On the Wall, Thorne led the Night's Watch in their final resistance.
He wielded his dragonglass longsword, striking at the beast's eye—the weakest point in its ice armor.
The longsword pierced the beast's eye, and pale blue blood spurted out.
The beast let out a painful roar, its head thrashing wildly, throwing Thorne off the Wall.
Fortunately, the adjutant grabbed his arm in time, preventing him from falling.
"My lord, we can't hold on!" The adjutant's voice was tearful.
There were fewer than a hundred Night's Watchmen left on the Wall; most were either frozen into ice sculptures or killed by the beasts, and the rest were wounded.
"The ice mist is getting thicker, our visibility is getting worse, and the beasts are still attacking!"
Thorne looked at the Ice Field Beasts below, his heart filled with despair.
He remembered Jon's parting instruction: "Eastwatch-by-the-Sea is the eastern gate of the Wall and must not fall."
But now, the gate was about to be breached, and he was powerless.
Just then, he saw a flash of orange-red light appear in the mist—it was holy fire!
"R'hllor Warriors! Reinforcements are here!" a Night's Watchman shouted excitedly.
Thorne looked up to see dozens of R'hllor Warriors in red leather armor charging out of the mist, the tops of their holy fire staffs glowing golden, and their dragonglass spears, blessed by holy fire, radiating an orange-red light.
Lena, the captain of the R'hllor Warriors (who had trained with Melisandre), rushed to the foot of the Wall, pointed her holy fire staff at the beast, and golden holy fire shot out, striking the beast's ice armor.
The ice armor began to melt under the effect of the holy fire, revealing the flesh beneath.
"Brothers of the Night's Watch, attack the melted areas with dragonglass weapons!" Lena's voice came through the mist.
Thorne immediately ordered: "Everyone, concentrate your attack on the beast's abdomen and eyes; the ice armor there has been melted by the holy fire!"
The Night's Watchmen rekindled their fighting spirit.
Tod raised his dragonglass longsword and thrust it into the abdomen of one of the beasts; the spear easily penetrated, and the beast let out a mournful roar, blood gushing from its abdomen, freezing instantly upon hitting the ground.
But the number of beasts was too great, and there were only dozens of R'hllor Warriors, who were quickly surrounded by the ice mist.
Lena's holy fire staff was frozen by the beast's ice mist, unable to release holy fire, so she could only resist at close quarters with a dragonglass dagger.
Tod saw an R'hllor Warrior struck by a beast's claw, his body flying out like a broken kite, his heart filled with anxiety—they needed more reinforcements, they needed Jon to arrive.
In the common room of Castle Black, Jon had just received Thorne's urgent raven; the letter contained only a short sentence: "Eastwatch-by-the-Sea under attack by three Ice Field Beasts, defense line breaking, urgent reinforcements!"
He abruptly stood up, the hilt of longclaw clutched so tightly his knuckles were white, his eyes filled with anxiety—if Eastwatch-by-the-Sea fell, the army of Wights could breach the Wall from the east, pressing directly into the North.
"Immediately assemble the troops!" Jon told his adjutant.
"Two thousand cavalry from the North, plus five hundred R'hllor Warriors, will ride with me to reinforce Eastwatch-by-the-Sea!
Leave five hundred Night's Watchmen to garrison Castle Black to prevent a sneak attack by Wights!"
The adjutant left to carry out the order, and Jon quickly walked to the stables.
His warhorse, Ghost, was already saddled and pawing the ground impatiently.
He swung onto Ghost, gripped longclaw, and silently thought: "Thorne, hold on, I'm coming."
The Northern cavalry and R'hllor Warriors had assembled outside Castle Black.
Jon raised longclaw and shouted: "Depart! To Eastwatch-by-the-Sea!"
The force of two thousand five hundred men, like a black torrent, galloped towards Eastwatch-by-the-Sea.
The wind and snow on the road grew fiercer, and the ice mist continuously encroached upon the contingent; the soldiers' armor was covered in ice shards, and the warhorses' speed gradually slowed.
Seeing this, Karl, the captain of the R'hllor Warriors, led the priests in forming a "Holy Fire Formation."
Golden holy fire formed a barrier around the contingent, dispelling the surrounding ice mist and gaining time for the troops.
"How much longer until we arrive?" Jon asked the scout beside him.
"My lord, half an hour at most!" The scout's voice was weary.
"But the road ahead is frozen by ice mist, making it very difficult for the warhorses to walk; we may need to dismount and proceed on foot."
Jon nodded: "Everyone dismount, proceed on foot! R'hllor Warriors clear the path ahead, cavalry provide cover from the rear, we must reach Eastwatch-by-the-Sea within half an hour!"
The soldiers immediately dismounted, trudging through the snow and ice.
Jon walked at the very front of the contingent, the faint glow of longclaw illuminating the path through the mist.
He recalled the scenes of fighting the Others at Winterfell, remembered those who sacrificed themselves to protect the North, and his conviction grew stronger—he could not let Eastwatch-by-the-Sea become another Winterfell, he could not let the common people of the North suffer again.
Half an hour later, Jon finally heard roars and sounds of battle coming from the direction of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. He quickened his pace, passing through the thick fog, and saw a heartbreaking scene: the Wall's fortifications were cracked in many places, the Night's Watch and R'hllor Warriors were stubbornly resisting, three Ice Field Beasts were still attacking madly, and the stone walls of the civilian shelters had been frozen white by the ice mist, on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
"Charge!" Jon yelled, raising longclaw and rushing towards the nearest Ice Field Beast. The Northern cavalry and R'hllor Warriors followed closely behind, their dragonglass weapons and holy fire staffs glowing in the mist, like a beacon of hope, illuminating the battlefield of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea.
Jon's longclaw pierced the eye of an Ice Field Beast, and light blue blood splattered onto his armor, instantly freezing. The beast let out a painful roar, shaking its head wildly, trying to throw Jon off. Jon clung tightly to the beast's ice horn, pushing his feet against the beast's head, and plunged longclaw deeper. The beast's movements gradually slowed, and it finally crashed to the ground, its body turning into ice shards under the effect of the dragonglass.
"It works! Dragonglass can kill the beasts!" Jon shouted, jumping off the beast's corpse. "R'hllor Warriors use holy fire to melt the beast's ice armor, and the cavalry and Night's Watch attack the weak points with dragonglass weapons!"
Lena heard Jon's command and immediately adjusted the Holy Fire Formation. The R'hllor Warriors formed a circle, their holy fire staffs simultaneously releasing holy fire. Golden flames, like a large net, enveloped the remaining two beasts. The beasts' ice armor rapidly melted in the holy fire, revealing the flesh beneath, even their beating hearts were visible.
"Attack the heart!" Thorne led the Night's Watch towards one of the beasts, their dragonglass spears densely piercing the beast's heart area. The beast let out a final roar, its body swaying before collapsing, blood gushing out and forming a pool of ice on the ground.
The last beast, seeing its companions killed, tried to escape but was surrounded by the Northern cavalry. Karl led the R'hllor Warriors to block its path with holy fire staffs. The holy fire ignited the beast's tail, and the beast thrashed around in pain. Jon seized the opportunity, plunging longclaw into its neck. The beast crashed to the ground, completely losing its life.
The battle finally ended, the battlefield of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea was a mess, with the corpses of beasts and ice shards piled beneath the Wall. The Night's Watch and soldiers lay on the ground, panting heavily. Tod walked to Carter's side, helping the injured veteran up, his eyes full of joy: "We won! We repelled the beasts!"
Carter smiled and nodded, but couldn't help but cough, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth: "Lord Jon arrived, and it's thanks to the holy fire and dragonglass. Without these, we would have become ice sculptures long ago."
Jon walked to Thorne's side, looking at the cracks in the Wall and the injured soldiers, his heart filled with guilt: "I came late, making you all suffer."
"Not late, Lord Jon." Thorne shook his head. "You brought not only reinforcements but also hope. Moreover, we have verified that the 'holy fire + dragonglass' tactic is effective, which is crucial for the subsequent fight against the cold god's Wights army."
Melisandre's messenger arrived at this moment, bringing r'hllor powder and anti-cold medicine: "Lady Melisandre said that the Ice Field Beasts are just the vanguard of the cold god; there are more Wights and beasts to come. She asks you to reinforce your defenses as quickly as possible and prepare for a bigger battle."
Jon nodded and immediately gave orders: "First, treat the wounded soldiers, using r'hllor powder and anti-cold medicine for their wounds. Second, repair the cracks in the Wall, reinforcing them with dragonglass ore and r'hllor oil. Third, inventory the provisions and dragonglass weapons, and immediately request aid from King's Landing for any shortages. Fourth, send scouts north to closely monitor the movements of the Wights army."
The soldiers immediately sprang into action; some carried the wounded to medical tents, others repaired the Wall with dragonglass ore, and some inventoried supplies. The battlefield of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea gradually returned to order. Tod stood on the Wall, watching Jon's busy figure, his heart filled with admiration—this was the leader of the North, the hero guarding the Wall.
At dusk, the reinforcement of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea's defenses was largely complete. The cracks in the Wall were repaired with dragonglass ore and r'hllor oil, and the surface was covered with a layer of pale golden wildfire runes, which could effectively resist the erosion of the ice mist; the granary was moved underground and protected from moisture with r'hllor powder and weirwood fiber; the soldiers' armor was all coated with r'hllor powder, and their dragonglass weapons were re-blessed, glowing with an orange-red light.
Jon stood on the Wall, looking towards the North Pole. The ice mist there grew thicker and thicker, and more dark figures could be faintly seen moving. He knew that the attack of the Ice Field Beasts was just the beginning, and the cold god's Wights army would arrive very soon. This battle would be far more difficult than he had imagined.
Thorne walked to Jon's side and handed him a cup of hot mulled wine: "My lord, drink something to warm yourself. The soldiers are all resting; tomorrow we still need to continue reinforcing the defenses."
Jon took the wine glass but did not drink, only looking at longclaw in his hand: "Thorne, do you think we can hold the Wall? the cold god's power is growing stronger, and the number of Wights is increasing. Our allied army is still on the way, and there might not be enough time."
"We can hold it." Thorne's voice was firm. "We have holy fire, we have dragonglass, we have a leader like you, and we have the civilians behind us to protect. As long as we are united, there is no Wall we cannot hold. Moreover, Queen Daenerys's dragons have evolved, and Drogon and Rhaegal's dragonflame can destroy the cold god's ice barrier. Once the allied army arrives, we can take the offensive and defeat the cold god."
Jon nodded, his confidence gradually returning. He thought of the dragon evolution fluid brought back by Arya and Illyrio, of Daenerys's promise, and of all those working to fight the cold god. His heart was filled with determination: "You are right, we can hold it. For the North, for Westeros, we must hold it."
Just then, Bran's Greensight warning came again. The secret message brought by the raven read: "the cold god has assembled an army of one hundred thousand Wights, including five Ice Field Beasts and the resurrected Ice Dragon remains. They will arrive at the Wall in three days, targeting Eastwatch-by-the-Sea and Castle Black."
Jon clutched the secret message, his eyes filled with solemnity. He turned to Thorne and said: "Notify all of the Night's Watch not to rest tonight; continue to reinforce the defenses. At the same time, send ravens to King's Landing, asking Queen Daenerys and Lord Tyrion to accelerate the allied army's northward movement. the cold god's full assault will begin in three days."
Thorne took the order and left. Jon stood on the Wall, looking at the ice mist in the North Pole, silently thinking: "Daenerys, Illyrio, Arya, you must come as quickly as possible. The Wall needs you, Westeros needs you."
Night fell, and torches lit up on the Wall of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. The wildfire runes glowed golden in the night, like a warm barrier, blocking the ice mist from the North Pole. The Night's Watch and soldiers were still busy. They knew that the battle in three days would decide the fate of the Wall, the fate of Westeros. But they were no longer afraid, because they had holy fire, dragonglass, the power of unity, and the determination to protect their homeland.
In the deep night at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, the medical tents were brightly lit. The Maesters of The Citadel were treating the wounded soldiers, applying r'hllor powder to their wounds and using anti-cold medicine to alleviate cold infection. Old woman Alys brought Tom to the tent, delivering hot oatcakes and hot water to the soldiers: "Thank you for protecting us; these are our small token of appreciation."
A young R'hllor Warrior took an oatcake and said with a smile: "No thanks are needed; this is what we should do. Once we defeat the cold god, you will be able to return to your homes and live peaceful lives."
Tom looked at the holy fire staff in the warrior's hand, his eyes full of curiosity: "Brother, why does this stick glow? Can it defeat the Ice Field Beasts?"
The warrior raised his holy fire staff, the flame at the top glowing golden: "Of course it can. This is holy fire, the bane of the cold god. When you grow up, you can also become a R'hllor Warrior and protect our homeland."
Tom nodded vigorously, his eyes full of longing. Alys watched this scene, her heart full of hope—as long as there were such warriors and such children, Westeros would not be swallowed by the cold god.
Jon stood on the Wall, looking at the busy figures below, his heart filled with emotion. He remembered his father Ned's often words: "The Wall is the first and last line of defense for Westeros." Now, he finally understood the meaning of this sentence—the Wall was not just a physical barrier, but also a spiritual one, a hope in the hearts of all who protected Westeros.
In the distant Arctic ice field, the cold god's Wights army was moving rapidly. The roars of five Ice Field Beasts echoed in the night sky, and the resurrected Ice Dragon remains spread their huge wings. The ice mist surged towards the Wall like a tide. The shadow of the cold god drew closer and closer, and the moment of the decisive battle grew nearer and nearer.
But Jon was no longer afraid. He clutched longclaw in his hand, looking at the wildfire runes and dragonglass weapons on the Wall, looking at the Night's Watch and soldiers beside him, his heart filled with determination: "Cold god, come. We are ready; we will hold the Wall, we will defeat you, and we will bring true peace to Westeros."