"Open the gates!"
The icy gate issued a harsh noise, and a group of fully armed knights emerged from the city.
They were clad in thick furs for warmth, their helmets wrapped with hats that covered many parts of their faces, including their ears and cheeks.
Only a pair of eyes were exposed, their breath turning into white fog in the cold air. The horses snorted, also exhaling white mist.
"This godforsaken North, it's bloody cold."
The knights stepped out of the city gate, and one of them grumbled from atop his horse.
The world outside the city was a vast expanse of white. A heavy snowfall covered everything within their field of vision, frosting everything in sight.
The snowstorm obstructed their view, preventing Lord Lefford from seeing anything further. All he could hear was the howling wind.
"Shut your mouth, Laman."
The somewhat rotund Lord Lefford, riding his horse, glared at the outspoken knight behind him.
Above them, the soldiers of the North standing on the walls of Winterfell glared at them, clearly having heard their words.
They were soldiers from the Westerlands. Duke Tywin Lannister of Casterly Rock had not personally come to the North, entrusting Lord Lefford to lead the Westerlands' troops.
They were now on a logistical mission, escorting a batch of supplies that had recently arrived from the South, departing from Winterfell to the defenses of the Wall.
Laman, a knight of Casterly Rock, was indeed a vassal of the Lannister family.
But now they all had to listen to Lord Lefford of Golden Tooth, who was currently the commander of the Westerlands' troops.
Laman merely grunted and didn't dare to argue. If he truly angered Leo Lefford, no one would plead for him even if he were sentenced to death.
At this time, someone naturally tried to change the subject.
"I heard that King Robert won a victory recently. It seems these White Walkers aren't so terrifying after all."
"Hmph."
The rotund Lord Lefford snorted coldly, but didn't say much more.
...
Not long ago.
The army of the dead had invaded, and a large number of wights had appeared in places like the Frozen Shore, Frostfangs, and Fist of the First Men.
The wildling tribes that had not fled with Mance Rayder, the King Beyond the Wall, had suffered a terrible catastrophe.
And in this process, the army of the dead, like a snowball, gradually grew.
Since receiving frequent reports of White Walker sightings.
And the gap in the Wall had been repaired at a great cost, a small castle was built in a very short time.
King Robert led the allied army's many generals and nobles to the newly repaired Castle Black.
The main force of the allied army was stationed here. The endless tents stretched to the horizon, various family banners fluttered, and the vast army trained hard every day. He planned to ambush the enemy and the White Walkers here for a decisive battle.
King Robert might not have been good at ruling, he couldn't be called a competent king, and many people even described him as a drunkard and a fool.
But when it came to warfare, Robert was brave and good at fighting, a formidable warrior.
"A good commander wouldn't abandon the advantage of defense. We just need to hold the Wall, I believe..."
Robert's younger brother Stannis was still as stubborn as a rock.
Although the two brothers had briefly reconciled, that was when Robert thought Stannis was dead, and the surprise of his resurrection.
Then Stannis mirac
ulously turned the tide, capturing Mance Rayder alive and returning to Winterfell.
But now, the brief warmth was forgotten, and the two brothers were still at odds.
Donal Noye, the Night's Watch blacksmith familiar with the Baratheon brothers, once compared the three.
"If Robert is true steel, then Stannis is pure iron, black, hard, and strong, but also easily damaged, just like iron, it will break before it bends."
"As for Renly, he's like shiny copper, looks pretty, but isn't worth much."
The blacksmith's words were accurate.
Stannis stubbornly opposed his brother's risk-taking, just like a stone. He believed that they only needed to hold the Wall, even with a gap, they could stop the army of the dead.
And Eddard Stark also advised Robert, the snow outside was falling heavily, it was not suitable for an offensive.
But in the end, Robert overruled all objections, personally leading an elite force of knights drawn from the allied armies of the Seven Kingdoms. They bypassed the enemy by the eastern sea, marched through the Haunted Forest, and struck directly at the rear of the army of the dead along the Milkwater River.
The White Walker commanding the army of the dead never expected that the human army would dare to launch an offensive.
And to come around from their rear, catching them off guard.
Because they had intelligence, all the knights smeared their swords with oil before the attack, and the arrowheads of the archers were also soaked in oil.
Then the army charged out and wiped out this army of the dead, which had thousands of soldiers, at a very small cost.
And the leader of this army of the dead, a White Walker with skin as pale as the moon and eyes of cold beauty, engaged in a one-on-one duel with the human king.
He was covered in reflective armor that changed color with movement, somewhat like the armor worn by the Children of the Forest in legends.
His swordsmanship was exquisite, wielding a long sword made of thin crystal shards that emitted a strange blue light.
The White Walker moved extremely fast and was very strong. The elite knights of the Seven Kingdoms crushed the unorganized army of the dead and set them ablaze. Then they surrounded this White Walker.
"Ohhh!"
"Kill him!"
"Kill him!"
The knights of the Seven Kingdoms swarmed, trying to kill this terrifying White Walker.
However, these elite knights couldn't take him down and were instead killed by the White Walker one after another, as easily as breaking dry twigs, without any resistance.
The knights' flaming swords shattered like glass upon contact with the White Walker's icy blade, which was so cold it could shatter anything, including the bodies of the knights.
At this moment, King Robert stepped forward.
He had taken the Stark family's greatsword Ice before setting off, in case he encountered a real White Walker.
"Get out of my way!"
The tall man with a full beard held the two-handed greatsword and roared.
Then he fiercely charged forward and engaged the White Walker in a one-on-one duel.
Clang—
The Valyrian steel greatsword Ice struck hard against the White Walker's icy blade.