Chapter 153 – Understanding

[302 AC – Castle Black – The King's Tower]

Several days after the King-Beyond-the-Wall had accepted the proposal for an alliance, during which the majority of the non-combatants amongst the wildlings had relocated a few hundred feet to the East of the castle with their tents, to make room for the Northern troops and the temple's forces, another meeting was held between the upper echelons of the three factions that had come together for this war.

The meeting this time took place in the King's Tower, which Kinvara, along with Mera, Jaehaerys, and Thoros had taken up residence in. This though, while a clear sign of dominance, was also an action that had been taken to avoid any possible conflict between the two kings.

The King of the North on the other hand had moved into the Tower of Guards, which was the strongest amongst the towers in Castle Black, while Mance Rayder had settled into former Lord Commander's Tower.

The atmosphere in the council room of the King's Tower though, which had not been in use for over a hundred years, was somewhat strained after Kinvara had shared Phenex' plan with those present.

"A breach?", the Young Wolf questioned with a heavy frown, as he stared at the dark-haired priestess with bewilderment and incomprehension.

Mance Rayder though was less restrained in his doubt, as he spoke up in disbelief: "You must be insane! The Wall is everything that stands between us and an endless horde of undead! Their numbers alone would crush us in a direct confrontation!"

His words found silent agreement all over the room, as those present knew that meeting a fearless, undying, and untiring enemy with an extreme numbers advantage in an open field was basically suicide.

Kinvara though was calm, as she faced the accusatory looks of the room: "The Wall cannot be guarded against the White Walker with our numbers, even with the addition of the Free Folk."

"If they decide to send their wights to the Shadow Tower and Eastwatch, before waiting until we send our reinforcements there to attack Castle Black, we will undoubtedly fail to repel them. Their advantage in numbers is too great to effectively guard against them over such a great distance on several fronts."

"Not to mention that the wights are expendable. The White Walkers will not hesitate to sacrifice every single one of their undead soldiers if it will bring them victory. We do not have this luxury, as every one of our warriors is of great value."

"We have to use a breach in the Wall to force them to concentrate their forces if we want to stand a chance of defeating them.", she stated clearly, as she continued, "The temple's forces will be the ones facing them in battle, while your men should focus their efforts on reducing their numbers from positions atop the Wall near the breach and from battlements we will construct around the breach."

"Ha! You want us to cower behind Walls like women and children, while others are facing the enemy?!", a red-haired and bearded wildling beside Mance Rayder hollered after hearing about Kinvara's plan, obviously taking offense at the suggestion of supporting the main fighting force from the back.

Raising her slender hand, Kinvara ignited a flame in her palm without answering the man and slowly brought it down on the wooden table, which immediately started to smoke and crackle at the contact.

Moving her palm back after leaving a still smoking, burnt-black imprint on the table, she held it beside her in the air and addressed the silent Fiery Hand warrior behind her.

"Show them, warrior."

"As you command, Flame of Truth.", the elite combatant acquiesced with a low tone, deep respect in his tone, while he stepped forward and held his bare palm into the fire still burning fiercely atop Kinvara's palm.

His flesh though remained unburnt and unmarred even after several long moments, seemingly completely immune to the all-consuming property of the fiery element.

"Fire is our greatest weapon against the wights. If you or any other warrior can fight amongst the blazing flames I intend to unleash on these undead, you are welcome to join my warriors to face the wights directly.", Kinvara stated calmly with an icy fire burning in her crystal irises, extinguishing the flame atop her palm and setting her hand back down by her side, while the Fiery Hand warrior bowed and stepped back silently.

This time, the men and women present didn't dare to question her strategy, knowing too well that they did not possess the ability to remain unharmed by fire. The mere thought of fighting against the wights while a raging fire burned all around them, made them feel a rising panic, fearful tingles running down their spine.

"If you are really kissed by fire though, maybe you will survive the battle, Tormund Giantsbane.", she added with a passionless look at the wildling that had spoken up earlier, causing the man to swallow hard and recoil in surprise as he had never mentioned his name.

"Your god seems to have blessed you with many things, including knowledge, priestess. So why is it that he doesn't fight this war with us?", the redhead questioned defiantly, proving himself braver than most men present.

"He does. You just can't see it.", Kinvara replied softly as her eyes turned fiery for a moment and sudden pressure bore down on the room, making it clear that she would not allow anyone to question Phenex' intentions any further.

"This is our tribulation, our battle to win. The very fact that the Red Temple's warriors and priests are here, is nothing but a grace from the Lord. Do not expect him to also fight your battles for you, wildling.", she ended, her crystal gaze returning right after, while the unseen pressure vanished.

Leaning back in her seat, cautious gazes trained on her, Kinvara closed her eyes, uncaring for the tense atmosphere.

Unbeknownst to those around them though, she magically prompted the bearded High Priest at her side to lay out the plans for the location of the breach and the battlements that had to be constructed using mainly ice and wood.

"As the temple will be creating the breach, we have already chosen a location a few hundred feet west of Castle Black.", Thoros began, and soon the discussion focused on the logistics and troop deployment, though every now and then those present would throw a stealthy look at the quiet, but undoubtedly fearsome priestess.

…

[302 AC – King's Landing]

Shock, wide-eyed shock.

Arya found herself absolutely paralyzed by the happenings unfolding before her eyes, as two of her teachers, namely Ruyu and Than, sparred against the Sword of the Morning in the training field.

When she had met Phenex Firestar a few months back, she had not felt the same aura of power from him that every Feather seemed to just carry around them by simply existing, so she wasn't really prepared for what she was now witnessing.

Ruyu was the one that taught her most often, and until now Arya had never even managed to touch the hem of her clothing during their spars, much less cause the Feather to exert herself enough that she would breathe hurriedly, while she herself could hardly move from exhaustion after their lessons.

The young girl couldn't even fathom the distance between herself and the beautiful Feather, Ruyu's strength being simply too far away from her own to grasp firmly.

And yet, here she stood, her eyes being barely able to follow the three combatants while their Valyrian steel blades clashed constantly, shrill sounds of metallic collision ringing out several times every second.

Arya simply couldn't believe that the coarsely dressed Sword of the Morning was able to hold his own against two Feathers seemingly without effort.

Never in her life had she seen someone move with such grace and precision, Phenex' demeanor displaying nothing but calmness as some of the sharpest weapons in existence passed by his face and body with barely any distance.

A longsword in each hand, the Sword of the Morning danced over the sparring field like a storm of blades. Fluidity and sharpness being joined perfectly in his every movement, as he forced the two Feathers into a corner by himself.

It was only at this moment that Arya finally caught a glimpse of the aura the man had been hiding from her during their first meeting, and it felt like she had encountered a peak she could never hope to overcome.

Phenex Firestar was like the sun and the stars, like the firmament itself. It wasn't just that no one could beat him, but the mere thoughts of opposing him seemed like an impossibility itself, as no one could fight the sun and the stars.

Arya's found herself breathing hurriedly, her limbs trembling slightly and cold sweat running down her back, as she imagined herself being in Ruyu's position.

Her respect and admiration for the Feathers soared at this moment, as she could hardly comprehend the pressure they must be under while fighting the Sword of the Morning, and yet they did not give up or fall back.

They pushed forward with determination and utter focus, trading deep wounds every now and then for the slightest chance to land a blow without even flinching, though never actually succeeding. Their willpower was a never-dying flame, burning alongside the fire of their lives.

Arya knew at this moment that they would never give up. She felt as if she suddenly had understood something about the Feathers, which was that it was their undying will that made them so special.

And she also started to truly yearn to be like them. Able to rise back up no matter what they faced, no matter how often they might fall again. They were warriors without equal, and Arya finally began to understand what it meant to be one of them.