Chapter 703: The Black Necklace

"Benjin Stark."

The Night King successfully tamed an ice dragon and, riding atop it, departed through the blinding snowstorm.

Meanwhile, Benjin Stark had retrieved his steed, Redyellow. Not long ago, he had sent it away, resolute in his decision to assassinate the Night King.

Regrettably, the assassination attempt failed. The Night King was not unprepared, and Benjin nearly exposed himself. Had it not been for his sister, Lyanna, intervening at the last moment, Benjin might have already met his end.

The loyal old horse hadn't gone far. When Benjin found it, it was still lingering not far from the army of the dead, seemingly waiting for its master's change of heart.

Upon seeing Benjin again, Redyellow excitedly left hoofprints in the snow, trotting over to nuzzle its master with its grotesque head.

"I'm sorry," Benjin murmured, gently stroking Redyellow's mane, apologizing to the old friend he had just sent away.

But then, a cold, raspy voice of a woman echoed from behind him.

Lyanna Stark, who had saved Benjin's life just moments ago, appeared amidst the snowstorm. Her face was cold, her skin pale as moonlight. Her blue eyes flickered with a fiery glow, and she still wore the emblem of the direwolf on her chest.

Lyanna looked much the same as she had in life, her Stark blood evident. Aside from her excessive pallor, she looked as she did before her death, certainly better than she did afterward.

Lyanna had died in childbirth at the Tower of Joy. The hot climate of Dorne had not been kind to her remains. Her brother, Eddard, had carried her body from Dorne and then transported it all the way back to Winterfell. By the time she was buried, her body had decayed so badly that vast amounts of seafood and abalones were needed to mask the stench.

However, after she and the past Kings in the North were resurrected by the Night King, her skeletal remains transformed into a body made of ice crystals, restoring her to her former appearance.

Including her father, Rickard Stark, and her brother, Brandon, they all looked as they did in life. However, after interacting with them, Lyanna realized that, unlike her, they seemed to lack consciousness and were entirely under the Night King's control.

From that point on, Lyanna acted cautiously, never revealing her secret. She left multiple signs, hoping her brothers, Eddard and Benjin, would notice.

The Stark brothers did not disappoint. Eddard noticed the subtle hints left by Lyanna, believing she retained her memories from life.

Subsequently, Benjin volunteered to search for Lyanna in place of Eddard. After all, Eddard had his own family and children and was the pillar of the Stark family, while Benjin was alone.

In the end, Benjin found his sister just in time.

Because Benjin had gone to find Redyellow and Lyanna had waited for the Night King to leave on his ice dragon, they were now at a location far from the army of the dead. The heavy snowstorm around them ensured that no one could see them.

"Lyanna!"

"Benjin!"

The siblings, who had been separated for so long and even faced death, embraced tightly. Now that both had become part of the undead, there was no barrier between them.

Reunited after so long, they had much to share. Benjin recounted his journey after leaving the Wall, including his ambush and death at Whitetree village, his resurrection as a wight, his encounter with an ice dragon, and finally seeing Lyanna.

Lyanna, in turn, shared her experiences after her resurrection.

The Night King had come to the crypts of Winterfell and resurrected the past Kings in the North, including some recent members of the Stark family. It seemed to be related to the strength of their bloodline.

Some of the past Kings in the North did not awaken, and while Lyanna wasn't a particularly significant member of the Stark family, she too was resurrected. She speculated that there might be some criteria for selection.

From the moment she opened her eyes, Lyanna Stark had all her memories from life. After the crypts of Winterfell collapsed, she followed the ancestors out.

"Father and Brandon don't have their memories?"

Upon hearing this, a look of disappointment crossed Benjin's face.

Lyanna, always sharp-witted, had noticed the difference between herself and the others. She had discreetly approached her father and brother to test them, but to no avail.

"That's right," Lyanna confirmed, her face calm.

She had been alone among the army of the undead for years, with no one to talk to, surrounded by the dead. That she hadn't gone mad was a testament to her mental strength. She had long accepted the reality of her father and brother's state.

"But, Lyanna, why do you have your memories?"

Benjin, though slightly disheartened, quickly focused on the main issue.

Lyanna didn't hesitate. "It's because of this," she said, unfastening a necklace from around her neck and handing it to Benjin.

The necklace was unremarkable, with a metal chain and an irregularly shaped black oily stone as its pendant. It seemed ill-suited for a beauty like Lyanna Stark.

"It was a gift from Rhaegar," she revealed.