The War of the Dawn IV

Daenerys was afraid, remembering the battle a few days ago.

"Rodrik!" She dived Drogon down, seeing Rodrik fall farther and farther. She screamed and her son folded his wings to give him speed. She caught Rodrik's body and flew away.

The gate to the tunnel was open, ice spiders and other climbers were atop the Wall. Five-thousand men stood ready, the other forces began the retreat and she closed her eyes and held onto her lover's waist, feeling his blood seep through the plate armor.

The next day passed by as she continued flying to Winterfell, Rhaegal and Sheepstealer stayed behind with the retreating force as they made their way to Winterfell for the last stand.

Sansa and Arya were with Rickon in the Godswood when they saw the shadow of Drogon pass overhead, Bran sat in his chamber and his eyes returned to normal, his head turned right and for once the greenseer was nervous. "They failed, the Night King and his army took the Wall. Rodrik is injured... Help him." He ordered and Leaf left with three others.

It was in the courtyard that Daenerys landed, Drogon brought them down with his neck and she slid off with Rodrik, she was still clutching him like he would disappear if she loosened her grip anymore.

She saw Sansa and Arya walk into the courtyard, both panicked when they saw the white arrow sticking out from Rodrik's chest and ran to his side. They threw questions about what happened but she couldn't form a word, nothing would come out of her mouth to explain it all.

"It was the Night King." One of the Children approached and knelt to the King of the Vale, "It must come out first," Daenerys watched Leaf wrap a hand on the arrow, pulling it out but Rodrik began to resist and cry out in pain.

"Stop it, you're hurting him!" Arya cried out and Leaf didn't turn to face the youngest Stark girl.

"It must come out or he'll get worse." With a powerful yank, the arrow came out and the head was ice, it shattered the moment it was removed from Rodrik.

Daenerys and Sansa watched Rodrik jolt in pain and opened his eyes, it wasn't the same blue as they had been, his right eye was turning a dark ice color. Leaf shouted for someone to get him inside and somewhere warm, Sansa shouted for the Lords chambers to be prepared.

"Save him," Daenerys commanded of Leaf, the Child of the Forest turned to the Dragon Queen once before running inside and following the servants who took Rodrik.

Miles away from Winterfell, the non-cavalry force was catching their breaths. Thousands were marching and days behind them is the Wall where his father most likely perished among others.

Waymar held Lamentation with a hard grip, the sword was found in the weeks following the taking of King's Landing. His father was so proud to have got the sword of their family back, he gave it to him when he volunteered to stay at Eastwatch and give the army time to escape back to Winterfell.

The King Consort of the North and now Lord of Runestone contemplated on all he's lost since his family left the Vale, two brothers, friends, and now, a father.

He's only got Sansa and their child, he's only got Rodrik, the sound of footsteps was heard and he turned to the Dragon Queens advisor. "I thought thousands of soldiers, a giant, a Wall, and four dragons would have been enough. It should have been enough." He whispered and sheathed Lamentation.

"Jaehaerys will have returned in a few moments, he and Rhaegal and Sheepstealer are covering the rear." Aye, with Rodrik supposedly missing or wounded, the nephew of the Dragon Queen is their only dragon rider.

"Then we best keep moving, Winterfell is still a ways away." His response was cold as he continued walking, his horse dying a day ago from wounds.

In the skies, Jaehaerys was covering the retreat. Daenerys had left with a wounded Rodrik, he sighed and watched from miles away the last hope of their war against the dead.

Two days it's been since the battle, and he is still reeling from it.

Tormund, the man was a beast in battle, he thought that just from his time as his prisoner with Ygritte and the other Free Folk. His girls, daughters are at the Neck, they will never hear from Tormund ever again. A shaky breath left the heir to the Iron Throne as he turned Rhaegal around and continued to fly.

It was still hard to believe, he wasn't thinking when he mounted the dragon and burned the dead chasing them after they took out their force left at the Wall. Now, now he is terrified about just looking down but fought off the feeling, it was no use in doing so.

"Come on, boy, down." He commanded and the dragon gradually made it to the ground where Tyene, Obara, Sarella, Nymeria, and Trystane saw the beast and the future King of Westeros dismounting from his dragon.

Tyene was cold, it was always cold in the North, maybe it was why the Dornish stays in the South. She looked at her sisters and cousin, they were all tired and weary from fighting the corpses.

Truth be told, she wished that the dead wasn't actually dead men and women, she hoped they were just a large army of brutes looking to take over the world. But it isn't, the Night King and his army of corpses are true, it's all true. She thought as she urged her horse to catch up with the others.

"Are you alright, cousin?" Nymeria asked Trystane who looked sick, he was wounded in some of the fighting, protecting a soldier who lost his spear.

"I'm fine... " He whispered to them, they didn't believe it and she sighed and pushed her horse quicker.

"Cousin, your sister, and father will be angry with us if we bring home a corpse instead of a son. Let Sarella heal you." She told her cousin who stopped but after a long moment nodded and the Martells stopped and dismounted.

The Martell army formed the rear flank, along with some of the Stormlanders and Westermen.

Nymeria and Obara helped Trystane take a seat, riding near them were Melisandre who had refused to part with the Crown Prince after bringing him back to life. She saw the man wounded and his family patching him up, the cut was deep and red over his armaments.

"You are better to give him mercy." the Witch told Tyene and her sisters, she glared at Melisandre and spit on the snow.

"He is our cousin, we will help him." She spat at the older woman, Trystane offered her a grateful smile as Sarella began to stitch his wound.

Up the road, Grey Worm and Jorah who joined him continued to lead the Unsullied down the road. Jorah looked at the men gathered and thought they still had the upper hand, the men and once they make it to Winterfell, a perfect defense which should give them some leeway to fight rather than depend on Daenerys and Rodrik's dragons and archers.

He felt helpless during it all, many men did and none more than the Dothraki who wished to fight the greatest enemy as their leader said.

"Grey Worm, are you well?" He asked the commander of the Unsullied who nodded, "Good, these men need their commander." He added and Grey Worm agreed.

"I will fight for our Queen, die for her if needs be." Let's hope it doesn't come to that, killing the Night King should take care of the dead and return many of them to the grave.

Back at Winterfell. Daenerys and Sansa and Arya waited outside the chambers where Leaf and five other Children of the Forest were saving Rodrik, gods, she closed her eyes every time she heard the man scream, at moments it sounded like shattering glass, like what the dead sound like.

"You did this." She was stunned by Sansa saying such a thing, "Tell me why Rodrik is dying, tell me what he did to put himself in danger?" The Queen of the North demanded information from her, Daenerys huffed and narrowed her eyes on the other woman.

"I love him... That's what happened." Sansa's mouth dropped after she said this, "I never thought it possible, but I have fallen for him and now he is going to die." I am cursed, I must be. She thought as she turned to the door and everything became silent.

"What's happened?" Arya asked when Gendry woke her up, the child was sleeping as she couldn't bear to hear anymore.

The lord's chambers door opened and Leaf exited it, her followers were behind her. "We've done what we can, his arms and legs are chained if he turns into a wight. Be sure to give him the mercy when that happens." Leaf said and left to rejoin Bran in his chambers, they are here to protect him... Not save Kings and Queens.

Daenerys and the others entered and saw a shirtless Rodrik laid down, a gapping stone of obsidian plunged where the arrow was. They saw the blue veins crawling up Rodriks throat, his eyes were closed shut and his breathing was getting slower and slower.

Sansa couldn't do it, "I won't take the life of the man who saved us... I can't." The Queen in the North rushed out of the room, Arya began to tear up and shook her head before leaving with her older sister.

Daenerys was left alone in the room, she pulled a chair to be closer to the bed. Silently, she took Honor and held it at the end of the mattress. She took a deep breath and took Rodrik's hand with both of her own, he felt warm but a tinge of cold could be felt as she rubbed across his skin.

"No... You don't get to leave me, not after what we've done together. I can't let you go after having you for such a short time." She started to speak, she took her right hand and brushed Rodrik's cheek. "We need you. Your daughter needs you. Your people need you... I need you." She told his unconscious body.

Rodrik opened his eyes and found himself back in the Eyrie, it felt like a summer day and it was strange for him.

He remembered the battle on the Wall, the dead army and White Walkers and, and the arrow piercing his chest. He felt his center and nothing was there, no wound or any sign of Sheepstealers flame.

Where was he? It was the question he asked himself as he entered the silent and empty courtyard. He reached the halls and started calling out to anyone who would listen.

"Joanna? Colemon? Is anyone there... " His voice echoed and he continued to walk until he made it to the throne room and sitting on the Weirwood chair was someone he knew had died, he interred the man in the Arryn crypt himself, "... Father."

"Hello son, it has been a long time." It was his father's voice, he let out a shaky breath and stepped back, his father got to his feet, "We have a lot to discuss, my son."

Outside of the dream-like sequence, Sansa was trying to keep pace with Robett Glover. "My Lord, please stop and think about this." She tried to persuade the Lord of Deepwood Motte to stop and when he did, the man gave her a hard stare.

"And what, your grace, is there to think about?" the older man asked her and she was unable to speak, "The living couldn't stop the dead, why should we even try? We should run South as South goes instead of waiting to die." She understood his sentiment but couldn't do such a thing.

She fought hard to take back her home, she became a warrior to do so and so had her sister. Rodrik is in a state of being dead and alive, they cannot run from Winterfell.

"And what will stop the dead from going South as South goes? The Night King won't stop until all of Westeros is cloaked in his shadow." She said to Lord Glover, "When Jon and the other army gets here, we will make our stand and defeat the Night King or die in the attempt, stand with us, my Lord... For your daughter's sake." She added and the old man stopped and put down his head.

Eventually, he knelt and unsheathed his sword, "If we die, so does my girl... But the same fate may befall us if we run, no, you have my sword, my Queen." She was glad and having the man say that made her feel better about herself and the situation they face right now.

The horns blew and that meant a portion of the army has arrived, "See, good fortunes, at last, Lord Glover."

Back within Rodrik's mind, the King of the Vale got face to face with his father, the former Hand of the King and Lord of the Vale.

"Am I dead?" It was a fair question to ask, his father shook his head and nodded it too.

"Yes and no. That decision is yours to make, son." He choked and hugged his father, Jon Arryn patted his boy on the back with a chuckle, "I know what you've faced, what you had to do. You shouldn't give up because of that, Rodrik." His father told him and he didn't believe so.

"I've been fighting for so long, I don't know if I can lift my sword anymore." He was honest, his father always pressured honesty in his home, even from the King.

"But how many will suffer if you leave, your death will be felt by many... Can you truly give up on my granddaughter?" Never, he could never give up on Joanna. Rodrik Arryn took a deep breath.

He wanted to stay, with his father and all of his friends and family, even Robin, his false brother.

Jon Arryn laughed loudly throughout his hall and he gave a confused look at his father, "Oh, my boy, when the Seven call for you, we will all be here, waiting for you." Behind his father, many reappeared, Robar and Andar Royce, Lyonel and Lyn Corbray, Robert, Ned, Denys, and Elbert, lastly was a young woman who resembled an Arryn she smiled sadly and folded her hands. "We'll be cheering for you, Rodrik, fight on for those who cannot." His father told him and escorted him out of the hall, closing one door.

"Father, I am sorry I failed to protect the Vale." He had to say it, had to speak it. Jon Arryn looked at his son and shook his head.

"You have made me very proud, Rodrik, I am at rest knowing you have done me proud."

His father's final words opened the King of the Vale's eyes and jolted awake, Daenerys was shocked and overjoyed when he looked at her. She jumped into his arms and wrapped her own around his neck, crying her eyes out.

Three days later, Jaehaerys and the rest of the army made it to Winterfell. The final battle was approaching.