The Aftermath of a Wight

Jon Snow and his giant companion, Wun Wun, had been traveling for several days in the Lands Beyond the Wall. Thankfully, the new god knew exactly where he was going since he wished the precise direction of the ancient stronghold of the Children of the Forest known as the North Grove and deliberately took the route that had them avoid wight swarms the most.

He had to admit, however, that when he wished to know if there were any giant tribes left that still hadn't succumbed to the Army of the Dead, he did not expect the answer would lead him to a hidden, underground forest from the legends that Old Nan used to tell him.

"And yet, here I am," He thought as he approached the cave, spotting a sentinel in the distance. "Then again, this isn't even the 5th strangest thing that had happened to me all month so perhaps I shouldn't be that surprised."

Jon raised an eyebrow when he got closer to the entrance, his eyes looking down. Besides him, Wun Wun growled at the sight. There were at least a few hundred wights crushed, burned, and this time, very dead, all around them.

"Looks like your people have managed to fend off their attacks thus far," Jon said, looking up at his enormous friend.

Wun Wun nodded slowly. "Giants do not fall easily, Snow," He replied in the old tongue, which the former Lord Commander now fully understood. "An icy **** may claim us yet, but the Night King will have to work for it."

"I don't doubt it," The ascended human responded back, using his own guttural tongue so the 14 feet tall being would understand better. "Now let's do our best to help save your people, friend."

The giant veteran of the battles of Castle Black and Hardhome grunted, then walked straight ahead with his long legs, his smaller companion close behind. As they both approached the entrance, however, Jon's eyes widened in surprise. And it wasn't because the guardian that greeted them at the entrance was not a giant.

It was because he recognized him.

"I don't believe it," Jon said, grinning despite his surprise. "Gared Tuttle, is that you?"

"Jon!" The former squire to the Lord of House Forrester said, his eyes widened as well. "You actually came!"

The new god blinked at that.

"It seems I wasn't as specific with my information gathering wish about the North Grove as I could have been," He thought.

Before he could ask what the young man meant, however, he gestured to follow him inside the cave. "Come on you two, the rest of the North Grove Council is waiting."

Wun Wun and Jon exchanged a glance, then shrugged, realizing the answers would be revealed in time and at least they didn't face hostility while entering their stronghold. The three of them walked for a few minutes as the tunnel lead them further underground. Then, they saw a vast cavern just ahead that was, curiously, capable of supporting trees without direct access to sunlight. Jon figured the old magic that saturated the air had something to do with that, as well as the illumination. Then he raised an eyebrow, noticing the village within also had some regular-sized Free Folk and a large bear as white a snow.

By the time he reached the settlement itself, he started to see the giants he knew would be inside, scattered around the large and unusually fertile area. There were well over a hundred and fifty of them, in fact, which seemed to please Wun Wun when he glanced around to look at him. And farther ahead, he couldn't contain his grin when he saw numerous mammoths eating grass and tree bark in their corner of the hidden forest; his mind already thinking of how useful those enormous pack animals might be for both overland cargo and warfare with better tactics, not to mention some armor.

Everyone was looking at Jon with surprise and curiosity in their expressions, which in turn made the new god wonder how they came to expect him. Eventually, they were led to a large hut that had a rooftop tall enough to support the height of giants. But before he could enter, he saw an intriguing creature crouched by the side of the building. Jon blinked, realizing he had never seen the like before, despite everything he had come across beyond the Wall so far.

The inhuman woman slowly stood up and, to his confusion, she started to tear up when she looked at him. And yet he recognized her expression: one of being granted a final measure of hope after feeling lost for a long time. Then, she composed herself and bowed her head in respect.

"Nice to meet you, Jon Snow," She said in greeting, her voice naturally melodious yet clearly somber at the moment. "My name is Spring. The Three-eyed Raven, your brother Bran's Greenseer mentor, had a vision about you on the day he died and that pushed him to send me to the North Grove to await your arrival. You see, after the **** of my twin sister's, Leaf, and the others at the hidden cave I am now...the last of the Children of the Forest," She whispered sorrowfully. "And we have much to discuss."

A/N: As I said previously, while I am basing this part of the story on the events of the Game of Thrones Telltale game, I am also making some modification to the storyline and characters that spawned from that game due to the simple fact that a sequel has yet to be released and my branch started chronologically after the first part concluded.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it since this chapter is kind of crucial setting up the events that highlight the name of this third story arc. Until next time.