Chapter 682: The Land of Eternal Winter

The vast expanse of snow blanketed the earth, the sun having disappeared for an indeterminable amount of time. As Ban Yang ventured further north, every step became more arduous.

"Perhaps if I weren't a wight now, I would have frozen to death," he mused.

Riding his skeletal steed, Ban Yang trailed behind a White Walker with long white hair. He pondered how long he'd been following this creature – a day? Two? Maybe three.

Time had become elusive. Perhaps being a wight had dulled his mind, or maybe the monotonous snowy landscape had numbed his senses. Yet, a driving purpose remained: finding his sister, Lai Anna Stark. This thought revitalized Ban Yang's spirit as he shadowed the White Walker.

At first, the mere sight of the creature filled him with trepidation. But when the White Walker glanced at him, only to disregard his presence, Ban Yang's perspective shifted. He truly grasped his new identity - he was no longer living. The creature didn't view him as a human; Ban Yang had successfully maintained his ruse. Seizing the opportunity, he urged his horse forward, tracking the Walker with renewed determination.

For Ban Yang, wandering aimlessly across the vast icy plains was not an option. He needed a clear objective, and the White Walker was it. He believed that by following this creature, he would eventually find his sister, and perhaps even the Night King.

Lost in these thoughts, Ban Yang's mind wandered to a towering figure from his past, standing outside Winterfell amidst a snowstorm. A wave of melancholy washed over him as he instinctively touched a bulge at his waist. Always one to be prepared, he had brought along an obsidian dagger, rumored to be lethal to White Walkers. If need be, he was willing to sacrifice himself for a greater cause.

But first, he needed to locate his sister Lai Anna and approach the Night King without arousing suspicion.

"The eyes of the Ice Dragon."

After an indeterminate period, the skies darkened, and the biting winds subsided, allowing Ban Yang to gaze upwards. The sky was pristine, dominated by the image of a sinuous Ice Dragon. Its icy blue eyes pointed north, while its tail indicated the south. It was customary for those in the North and beyond the Wall to use the Ice Dragon constellation for navigation, its eyes and tail serving as guides.

He turned his gaze forward, where the sky wasn't dark but rather lit with a myriad of colors, reminiscent of gemstones scattered across the horizon.

"It's breathtaking."

He knew he was heading north, but the map he carried no longer detailed these territories. This was uncharted land, a place never before reached by any member of the Night's Watch in its long history. Only one name was attributed to it: The Land of Eternal Winter, a forbidden zone for the living.

While Ban Yang journeyed into this perilous land, far to the south in the heart of the newly rebuilt Valyrian Empire, the capital city of King's Landing buzzed with life. News of the Empire's establishment had spread through raven and messenger, and Westeros and regions as distant as Pentos and Andalos now recognized the Empire's name in official documents.

The restructuring from the freehold system to an empire naturally required a capital. This question had been debated at length, but ultimately, with the majority of the council members hailing from Westeros, King's Landing was chosen as the political epicenter, while Pentos, a significant economic hub, was designated as the secondary capital.

However, the return of the Emperor on dragonback, bearing the body of the Prime Minister Jon Clinton, caused a stir in King's Landing. The audacity of Dorne was the subject of much debate, leading to speculations of a looming war. Some wondered if the Emperor would set aside his Dornish queen or even strip Prince Oberyn of his military powers.

With Oberyn's forces stationed at the Kingswood, there was an undercurrent of unease among the populace, despite the formidable defenses of King's Landing.

The untimely demise of the Prime Minister on the battlefield meant that the search for his successor was on everyone's mind.