Mufasa followed Benjen Stark and other Rangers as they explored Beyond the Wall for a while, passing through seven or eight wildling villages.
Finally, they reached Whitewood Village.
Whitewood Village had a giant weirwood tree in the center, its canopy almost covering the entire village. One could imagine how small the village was and how few people lived there.
"Still deserted! Ser Mufasa! I told you long ago, almost all the wildlings have gone to other places, no longer staying in their homes!" A'guda said. He was now under the weirwood tree, his back to a terrifying human face.
"So where is Mance Rayder's gathering point? Do you know, A'guda?" Mufasa asked.
"He won't say until the last moment. But it should be in the east; the west is the Frozen Shore, which cannot be a gathering place," A'guda said.
"Is it Hardhome?" Mufasa asked.
"I, I, I don't know!" A'guda's expression became somewhat flustered. He dared not look into Mufasa's eyes.
"That's right, a shrewd person like Mance Rayder wouldn't tell a child like you," Mufasa muttered to himself.
"Lord Benjen, there are no other discoveries. It's time for us to head back," Mufasa said to Benjen, who was still inspecting in the distance.
"Alright, let's do one last check," he replied.
That night, they stayed in Whitewood Village. The next day, Mufasa and his group began their return to Black Castle.
The journey was peaceful, with no beast attacks, wildlings, or Others.
Until they reached the forest less than a kilometer from The Wall.
Mufasa's mount, Treading Snow Black Steed, seemed to sense something, carrying Mufasa towards a thicket.
"Xiao Xue, what's wrong?" Mufasa patted her neck.
She responded with a whinny. Mufasa didn't understand. It really was annoying not knowing animal speech!
Mufasa discovered a corpse covered in a black cloak in the thicket.
He immediately jumped off his horse and shouted behind him.
"There's a dead crow here! Come quickly and take a look."
Benjen and the others' faces changed drastically. Their already red faces from the cold instantly turned ashen.
Mufasa dragged the corpse over and found a sword fragment still embedded in its left eye. The right eye was open, revealing a blue pupil. From its appearance, it wasn't very old, no more than twenty years of age.
"Who is this? What a terrible death," Mufasa muttered to himself.
"This is Ser Waymar Royce!" Benjen Stark came to Mufasa's side, and after seeing the corpse, he gasped.
"What, he's Waymar Royce, the missing Ranger? But how is he here now? Did he walk here himself? Or was it something else?" Mufasa asked.
"I don't know, but his situation is complicated. Let's take him back to Lord Commander Jeor Mormont and the others to examine!"
Benjen Stark tied Waymar Royce's corpse to his horse, and he led the horse on foot back to Black Castle.
When the others saw the deceased Waymar Royce, their faces were grim. He really was dead. When Gared returned, he had said that Ser Waymar Royce and Will had died Beyond the Wall, killed by the Others. They hadn't believed it.
Later, Gared fled and was beheaded by Eddard Stark outside Winterfell.
"I'm afraid Waymar Royce had already turned into a wight. Look, his eyes weren't this color originally," said a Night's Watch brother who had joined at the same time as him.
"Let's burn him. Only ashes can bring peace of mind; a corpse feels too disturbing," another person said.
"No, we must keep him and wait for him to reanimate. We will let him come back to life again in plain sight, then I will capture him alive and bring him back alive to show King Robert, Eddard Stark, and the other nobles," Mufasa said.
"Ser Mufasa, do you have a way to bring him back alive?" Maester Aemon asked.
Mufasa brought out a black coffin. He told everyone that this coffin could seal evil things. Sealing a wight would be no problem.
"Since that's the case, tonight, none of us will sleep. We'll wait for him to come back to life!"
After the Hour of the Wolf, many Night's Watchmen were still awake, watching the room with great vigilance. There was nothing inside but a single corpse: Waymar Royce's corpse.
Those outside waited anxiously, while on the table inside the room, the previously still corpse began to move again.
He sat up stiffly, then took heavy steps towards the door.
The people outside immediately stopped breathing. They heard footsteps, and then everyone drew their swords.
Mufasa also held a shield and a spear.
The door was pushed open, and a corpse, like a walking dead, stepped out, one intact eye revealing a blue flame, looking at everyone.
"Waymar Royce!" Benjen Stark exclaimed. He wanted to see if the other party still recognized him.
Waymar Royce seemed to hear something. He looked at Benjen Stark, then opened his mouth wide and lunged at Benjen Stark.
Benjen Stark swung his sword at him, striking his shoulder. But it was no use.
Because Waymar Royce was already dead, he felt nothing, no pain. His mouth opened wide, aiming to bite Benjen's neck.
Mufasa used his shield to smash him, knocking his head off course.
"Quick, tie him up with ropes and put him in the coffin," Mufasa said.
A'guda threw out a thick hemp rope, and Aliser Thorne joined him in tying up Waymar Royce.
Finally, Podrick picked him up and placed him in the coffin. Inside the coffin, Waymar Royce was still wriggling, trying to get out.
Only when Mufasa personally closed the coffin lid did the movements inside cease.
"It seems this coffin is useful after all," Mufasa thought.
"We will transport this coffin back to King's Landing in the South. You all should not patrol Beyond the Wall extensively for now. Wildlings are not scary; the Others are!" Mufasa said, looking at the many Night's Watchmen.
All the Night's Watchmen understood the gravity of the situation.
Some wanted to flee, even planning to escape immediately, first taking the fastest horse from the stables, then releasing all the other horses to prevent anyone from pursuing them.
"Support for the Night's Watch will come, won't it? Ser Mufasa, you must give us an assurance!" Lord Commander Mormont said.
Even though he was nearly seventy years old, this was the first time he had seen the dead rise.
"What is the Night's Watch? I don't need to say more. You are the sword in the darkness, the watchers on The Wall, the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men."
"With you, the Seven Kingdoms will not face the threat from the North, so the King and the other lords will never abandon you! I promise you," Mufasa said solemnly.
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