"Did we win?"
"Eddard."
The snowstorm seemed to retreat along with the army of the dead. After a night of fierce battle, the sky finally began to brighten.
The brilliant sunlight tore through the darkness, piercing the clouds, and spilled onto the silent battlefield by the Green Fork.
Robert Baratheon, the king of the Seven Kingdoms, lay on the scorched earth burnt by dragon fire, unwilling to get up. Beside him, Eddard Stark, the beleaguered Warden of the North, also lay on the ground.
Not far away, Stannis Baratheon, the noble Lord of Dragonstone and the king's own brother, held a long sword with a chipped blade, watching with furrowed brows as a medic bandaged his wounded hand.
Four of his fingers on his left hand had been gnawed off by a wight in the recent battle.
If one looked closely, they could see the veins on Stannis's forehead throbbing. However, Stannis was as stoic as a stone, biting his lip and not making a sound.
The medic bandaging his wound admired the lord's astonishing willpower.
Tywin Lannister, Warden of the West, was also somewhat disheveled. His lion armor was covered in blood, and his golden cloak was torn.
The Lord of Casterly Rock staggered on the spot, then was supported by his family's knights. He was panting slightly, and a rare look of confusion appeared in his eyes.
"My lord."
Then, the Lord of Casterly Rock still maintained his dignity, and with the support of his family's knights, he climbed onto his horse.
Not long ago, during the most intense part of the war, Edmure Tully, the heir of Riverrun, who had feigned death on the battlefield amidst the chaos, realized that the war was over.
Then Edmure smeared some blood on his face, took advantage of the opportunity when no one was paying attention, quickly got up, supported himself with the hilt of his sword, and put on an exhausted and shaky appearance. The soldiers of Riverrun who were looking for him wept with joy.
The surviving descendants of House Frey also found the body of their ancestor who had committed suicide by jumping into the ice on the frozen surface of the Green Fork. However, by this time, old Frey's body had already cooled.
The surface of the Green Fork was suddenly filled with the wailing of the Frey family's filial sons and grandsons.
Perhaps it was because the surface of the river was not frozen solid enough, or perhaps it was because the Night King's brief retreat with the army of the dead caused a slight rise in the temperature of Riverrun.
The frozen surface of the Green Fork loosened a bit, and with the populous Frey family gathered on the ice, there were a few too many people. Without any warning, an ice-breaking accident suddenly occurred.
These wailing Frey family filial sons and grandsons, along with their ancestor's body, fell into the icy river.
The sudden change once again caused chaos on the banks of the Green Fork, and people extended their hands to rescue the fallen members of the Frey family.
Unfortunately, due to the wide surface of the Green Fork and the serious ice-breaking, temporary boats were found for rescue, and many people were rescued ashore, but in the end, there were still more than a dozen people and the body of the Frey family's ancestor who were washed away by the river, disappearing without a trace.
On the banks of the Green Fork, the cries of the Frey family became louder, and even a bit more genuine.
After the victory of the war, there were still many messy things.
Eddard Stark, lying on the ground, heard the king's words and shook his head slightly.
"Don't celebrate too soon."
"This is only a temporary victory, Robert."
Eddard Stark lay on the ground, his voice somewhat weak.
"The White Walkers will return."
The army of the dead was only temporarily repelled, perhaps to gather more strength, or perhaps for other purposes, but Eddard did not believe that the White Walkers would give up and stop at the Neck.
"A temporary victory is still a victory."
Robert, lying on the ground, took a few deep breaths, then sat up from the ground, dusted off his body, and looked very optimistic.
At this moment, a dragon roar suddenly came from the horizon. A huge figure spread its wings and appeared in everyone's field of vision. Viserys, who had gone to chase the army of the dead, finally returned.
"Roar—"
The dragon let out a roar, and its huge shadow enveloped the ground. Then Balerion descended from the sky and landed in front of Robert Baratheon.
Boom—
The dragon landed with a loud noise, and the rolling waves spread out.
Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark, who were sitting on the ground, were choked by the dust, and the soldiers of the allied forces in the distance were also affected.
"What does the prince want to do?"
A noble loyal to Robert Baratheon saw this scene and immediately became nervous, such as his two missing Kingsguard, but they didn't dare to come closer, after all, that big creature was still there.
And more soldiers of the allied forces chose to watch coldly, sitting on the ground with their weapons, not even standing up. Without the command of their own lord, they would not step forward to help.
"That's Viserys."
Tywin Lannister, who was supported and sitting on horseback, looked at the young and heroic dragon rider in the distance.
But the distance was too far, and he couldn't see Viserys's face clearly.
And in the center of the storm, the two people most affected by the dust were coughing continuously.
"Cough—"
"Phew."
Robert spat out some dust somewhat awkwardly, and Eddard Stark was no better.
Then, when the dust settled, they finally saw the huge creature in front of them. Balerion's crimson eyes were coldly scrutinizing the two little guys below.
It knew that they had a grudge against Viserys. It didn't know why Viserys stopped it from killing them. Otherwise, Balerion would have eaten the two of them in one bite when it landed just now.
But at this moment, a clear voice came from above the heads of the two men below.
"Lord Robert Baratheon of Storm's End."
"And Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell."
Viserys sat high on the dragon's back, with the Sword of the Stars at his waist. He wore a helmet of Valyrian steel, his face was not clear, but his voice came from under the armor, calm without much fluctuation.
"I've heard of both of you a long time ago, but I didn't expect our first meeting to be like this."
Viserys's words sounded sarcastic, but there was no such implication in his tone, but rather calm.
He indeed had long admired the two men, but he didn't expect to meet them in such a situation and with such an identity.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
Then, without waiting for the two men to speak, Viserys unbuckled the leather belt of his dragon riding gear.
Then he stood up from the dragon's back. His silver armor shone in the sunlight, a sight that countless knights dreamed of.
"My name is Viserys Targaryen."
Then the young dragon rider jumped down from the dragon's back with ease, landing heavily on the ground.
Boom—
Dust flew in layers from the center, and the person in the middle slowly stood up.
He swept his gaze over the two men in front of him, then said calmly.
"I'm the one who came to kill you."