Dorne, Sunspear.
When Prince Doran heard the news that the Red Viper, Oberyn, had died in a trial by combat, he wanted to send troops to King's Landing to demand justice.
But when Oberyn returned to him alive and well, Prince Doran was so shocked he nearly stood up from his wheelchair.
"Oberyn, is it really you? Or is this your ghost?" he asked.
Oberyn looked somewhat pale, as if recovering from a serious illness, but he had body warmth and cast a shadow.
"Brother, I didn't die! Lancelot simply created the illusion of killing me in front of everyone," Oberyn explained.
"So that's it! It seems the legendary Golden Lion King, Lancelot, is no simple character!" Prince Doran mused.
"Since you're back, rest well! Dorne... no, House Martell will not participate in their war this time," the Prince continued.
"That won't do, brother. Even if we don't send troops, we must contribute. Dorne has plenty of warhorses and swords; we can provide mounts and weapons to the coalition of the Seven Kingdoms," Oberyn insisted.
Some of the Dornish lords were already disregarding House Martell's commands, perceiving Prince Doran as weak and Oberyn as cruel, neither fitting the image of a wise ruler.
"Why have you changed after one trip to King's Landing? By all rights, you should hate House Lannister," Prince Doran asked.
"Because I brought back a method to bring prosperity to Dorne."
The Red Viper had obtained the technique of drip irrigation from Lancelot. With this technology, the Dornish could grow food and vegetables in the desert.
As a Prince of Dorne, Oberyn naturally understood that their family's vendetta was insignificant compared to the interests of all of Dorne.
After witnessing the drip irrigation method, Prince Doran agreed that this technology was a godsend for Dorne.
Consequently, he approved Oberyn's plan to supply weapons and horses to the coalition. Furthermore, he decided to send his two sons: one to King's Landing and the other to the Wall.
Lancelot left Gao Shun and Zhang Liao at Winterfell to continue training the troops, while he led the rest of the army toward the Wall.
Passing the Last Hearth, Lancelot left behind another detachment. He had to consider whether the Wall had enough space for the entire army to encamp.
After all, it was too cold there. Too many people and insufficient food could lead to freezing or starvation. They might freeze to death in the heavy snow before even seeing a wildling or a White Walker.
Upon arriving at the Wall again, Lancelot successfully took command.
First, he held a meeting with the high-ranking officers of the Night's Watch.
"By the King's decree, I am appointed as the Vanguard Commander of the Seven Kingdoms' Coalition, which means I am the commander-in-chief on the front lines. The Night's Watch will also answer to me. Any objections?" Lancelot asked.
He scanned the faces of the Night's Watch officers.
"Let me see the King's decree!" Lord Commander Mormont said.
Lancelot had Podrick hand over the decree.
After reading it, Lord Commander Mormont sighed. The Night's Watch had always been independent, with little involvement in the affairs of the Seven Kingdoms.
Yet, they defended the Seven Kingdoms and accepted recruits from them.
"Fine, the command is yours, General Lancelot. Tell us, what should we do now?" Lord Commander Mormont asked.
"Naval forces will arrive on both the east and west coasts of Westeros. The western fleet will land at Bear Island, which will serve as a secondary command center. The eastern fleet will land at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, establishing another secondary command center there."
"I will remain at Castle Black to oversee operations, while repairing the other Night's Watch castles and sending envoys to communicate with the wildlings beyond the Wall," Lancelot explained.
"Aguda, Ygritte, step forward!"
The only two wildlings under Lancelot's command stepped out. They had been following him for a long time.
"You are familiar with the situation beyond the Wall. I'm sending you as guides to lead three thousand troops to scout the area. If you encounter wildlings, exchange intelligence. If you encounter wights, kill them. If you can't win, run," Lancelot ordered.
Lancelot dispatched Lu Bu, Loras, and Robar Royce beyond the Wall, while the others began repairing the abandoned castles along the Wall.
Lancelot didn't ask for much; repairing seven castles would suffice.
Adding those seven to the three currently intact, they would have ten operational castles.
Beyond the Wall, Aguda and Ygritte guided the army through the Haunted Forest.
"Why aren't we walking in a straight line?" Loras asked.
He watched as Aguda and Ygritte consistently led them on a winding path and couldn't understand why.
"Only idiots walk in a straight line. Besides, who knows how many traps are in the Haunted Forest, you fool!" Ygritte scolded.
"You!" Loras blushed and was about to retort. But suddenly, he thought of something, fell silent, and followed quietly.
"Ahead is Craster's Keep. Although it's called a keep, it can't compare to the castles of the South. But he's a wildling too; we can ask him about the situation," Aguda said.
On a small hill surrounded by an earthen dike lay Craster's Keep. To the southwest of the dike was a small gate, beside a stream winding northward.
The owner, Craster, was the child of a ranger and a wildling woman from Whitetree. His father had been punished for breaking his vows, and his mother took him back to live beyond the Wall.
Craster traded with both wildlings and the Night's Watch. Though not a good man, he was safer for the Night's Watch than other wildlings.
Rangers on patrol often stopped by for a meal or to shelter from danger.
When the large army arrived at Craster's Keep, his wives and daughters hid in fear. Several large, fat white pigs ran out of the open pen gate.
"What's going on? What's going on?" Craster rushed out holding a cleaver, only to see a mass of people. In his line of sight, he saw at least over a thousand fully armed soldiers.
"Are you Night's Watch?" Craster asked.
Then he spotted the two guides, Aguda and Ygritte.
"You two are wildlings. You're from the Kissed-by-Fire clan. Which tribe are you from?" Craster recognized Ygritte by her red hair but couldn't place Aguda.
"We're all wildlings, all one family. Why bother distinguishing tribes?" Aguda replied.
"Craster, we're not here to raid. We're here to ask for information. Has anything happened beyond the Wall recently?" Aguda asked.