Chapter 76

Bran trembled with terror as the conversation between Bahamut and the Three-Eyed Raven unfolded, the uncertainty of fate and the shifting future left him in a state of profound fear. Breaking the uneasy silence, Bahamut turned his attention toward the direction where the Three-Eyed Raven had vanished.

"Lord Stark, prepare your men to march towards the Wall. We are going to let the Wildlings into North," Bahamut declared.

Nervousness etched across his face, Eddard inquired, "Lord Hand, may I know why?"

Bahamut shifted his gaze towards Bran before responding, "If we let the Wildlings remain beyond the Wall, they will become more of a nuisance than help."

Suddenly, a smile spread across Bran's face as he witnessed a sudden change in his fate, a transformation not lost on the others. Bahamut, aware of Bran's revelation, approached him with a smile, walking toward the young Stark. "You already know what's going to happen next," he remarked, extending his hand toward Bran.

With a slow and deliberate motion, Bahamut gripped Bran's hand. The Starks, initially bewildered, couldn't contain their joy as Bran, who had been crippled, began building strength, attempting to stand. Slowly but steadily, Bran rose to his feet, a triumphant smile lighting up his face.

Catelyn, overcome with emotion, couldn't hold back and embraced Bran, tears streaming down her face. As Catelyn and the others marveled at Bran's newfound strength, they turned to find Bahamut gone, having left with Aithusa to the North before they could show expression of gratitude.

Eddard wasted no time, immediately ordering his men to prepare for the march towards the Wall. Meanwhile, Bahamut soared towards the Wall with Aithusa on his back, troubled by the enigmatic identity of the Old God, unaware of the formidable adversary that lay ahead.

Beyond the Wall, the Corpse Queen returned to the desolate lands of bitter cold. She harbored a hatred more profound than anything else, particularly now towards Bahamut, who had defied her offers and dared to attack her. Her disposition was now tainted, and she cared not for anything related to Essos or beyond. Her singular focus was now on Bahamut, and she desired him either alive or dead. She knew that she was the only one capable of fulfilling this purpose, having felt the immense strength of Bahamut firsthand. His defiance and immunity to her lies about the past revealed that he could not be swayed by the usual means of manipulation that mortals succumbed to.

The Corpse Queen's origin surpassed being merely the wife of Azor Ahai or her involvement with Westeros; she belonged to an ancient race long forgotten. This race once ruled the world with unparalleled power and harbored a deep-seated hatred towards the blood of dragons. Her strength was a direct result of carrying their bloodline—the Bloodline of the Old Ones, the beings who intricately carved faces into the weirwood trees. They were a superior race to even the Children of the Forest and were the true cause behind the Long Night and the devastation that befell both land and sea.

The Old Gods, beings worshipped in the annals of time, belonged to an ancient race that once ruled the world many millennia ago. This superior race surpassed both the green men and the Children of the Forest in their dominion. They possessed the extraordinary ability to transcend time and manipulate the forces of nature during an age when mortals were mere cave dwellers. Revered as the most beloved entities of the natural world, they left an indelible mark on the course of history.

Their prowess extended to the use of mind control, psychic warfare, and psychic evasion, posing a formidable challenge for mortals. Their existence became ingrained in legends, manifesting in places like K'Dath, a city nestled in the grey waste beyond the Five Forts, believed to belong to the Empire of the Dawn. Similarly, Carcosa stood beyond the realm of mortal men, on the very edge of the known world. These legends also spoke of ruins and an underground city on the mysterious Island Leng, as well as an ancient city constructed in the bitter cold lands by an unknown race, believed to be the Old Ones.

The remnants of their civilization lingered in the echoes of time, with these enigmatic beings leaving behind traces of their existence in places shrouded in mystery and steeped in ancient lore. The Old Gods, with their profound influence, continued to be a captivating force in the collective imagination of those who pondered the mysteries of the past.