Interlude: Part 4: A Change in Priorities

A/N: Hello everyone. I have an important announcement to make to go along with the chapter. Here it goes:

After much thinking and taking into account both the benefit of hindsight and the fact I have developed my plans and outlines a lot more by now than back when I started posting here, I have decided that I am going to be doing a slight rebranding of the story. Now, what do I mean by that? Well, for starters, Story Arc 4 has gotten longer than the first 3 story arcs combined. It kind of beat the purpose of the formatting I was aiming for, so I will be dividing it into smaller arcs with their respective names where I find it most appropriate to the flow and to the nature of a particular sequence of chapters.

Now, you may ask, why is that important? The answer to that is that ever since Story arc 3 ended, I have been plotting the development of several interlude chapters from the perspective of other characters that are not really taking the spotlight along with Jon in his current arcs, like that time I showcased the special mission beyond the Wall from the perspective of the sorcerers from the mysterious Order of the Emerald Weirwood from Skagos. So, since I am going to be dividing this big arc into smaller, more fitting ones, that means I want new chapters in between those arcs and some of them will be coming soon. Thing is, for those that don't know, I am also publishing this GOT story in Archive of Our Own and over there, it is a lot easier to post another chapter and set it earlier on in the index without issue than it is with Chyoa.

So, with that in mind, here is what I have decided to do over here: I will be adding said interludes earlier on into the branch where I want them to be, with the exception of this one, which I am keeping here so that you have a chapter to enjoy and not just the author notes to read. For the others, I will be needing to put them as if they were alternate branches for all I know but they won't be continued after that. Just think of them as lost chapters in the sequence that have been rediscovered, or something. As for this Interlude, chronologically speaking, you can place it after what is now the 56th chapter, titled Crossroad of Dreams. That is why there is a reference that it is set at night, while as of the last chapter, it was still morning.

Also, be on the lookout for chapters on the list that have the background color set in blue as that will mean I would have added more scenes, which would make it a noteworthy edit you might want to check out. The first of those I will be working on will be the chapter currently placed as the 75th one, titled Schemes from the Depth, which is the last time we saw Euron.

Anyway, that's about it for now. I will be focusing on this mild rewrite/rebranding and on adding the interlude chapters in between arcs this week. If all goes well, I should have a new chapter set directly after this one last one, chronologically speaking, at some point during the weekend.

Thanks again for all the support guys and gals. Now, with that important announcement out of the way, I hope you enjoy this Interlude. This time, we will be getting an update on what has been going on with Benjen Stark, Bran, and Meera. The setup and changes in the timeline over here, triggered by the domino effect that stems from Jon's ascension will become quite relevant later on. But for now, I hope you like it!

P.S. Also, know that once a character that will show up here starts talking in a language other than English (sorry, the Common Tongue), I will have that portion of the chapter transcripted with what I meant for as direct translations, so, you don't have to use google translate if you recognize the language I used in the chapter but are not fluent in it. Just take it in stride and eventually you reach the translations.

Read, enjoy and review!

Benjen Stark grunted as he smashed the fiery chain on another wight for what felt like the hundredth time. At this point, it probably was.

Everything has been going so well. They had traveled most of the distance from the Cave of the Three-eyed Raven to the Wall. And for nearly 2 weeks of travel through the harsh, unforgiving terrain, they hadn't encountered any forces from the Army of the Dead. They should have been just a few hours from Castle Black by then.

But then, out of nowhere, Bran had screamed in pain as the mark the Night King placed upon him burned hot. His Greenseer nephew turned to look at him, his impassive face surprised all of the sudden.

"They are coming," He had told them. "They are close. But...that wasn't what I foresaw..." He added in a distressed tone. "Our chosen path should have been clear of wights. My visions showed me the Night King would not catch up with me until much later, and south of the Wall. What...?"

He had stopped talking by then, as the loud shriek of the undead echoed across the Haunted Forest. The half-wight, First Ranger of the Night's Watch remembered cursing at that moment and urged his large horse to press on, faster.

It wasn't long before wave after wave of the walking dead tried to swarm them, their shrills and unholy screams scaring his animal into action even further. But it was no use. His loyal companion was a fine steed, it was even gifted by the magic of the Children of the Forrest to improve his wild speed and to more easily bond with the human ranger, despite never having been ridden by anyone else before. But he had been carrying the three of them almost non-stop for days, once they had been convinced they had left the Army of the Dead behind them and Castle Black grew ever closer. Before long, they started catching up, mindless savagery in their movements as they rushed in from all corners of the woods.

"Meera!" He had called out. "Grab Bran tightly and make sure he doesn't fall off! I will try to shake them off our trail."

"Right!" She had shouted over the noise of the wights, her weight shifting above the horse, presumably to better be able to grab his charge.

Once that was done, Benjen urged his steed to go even faster with his legs and started swirling his chain. The magic the children had used to make sure its tip would erupt into flames when the dead were near string as he had expected. And so he had started to smash the wights that got too close to them with his tip.

He wasn't sure how long he spent on that, but it must have been close to an hour. It didn't make much difference as the swarms kept coming, no matter how much he thinned their numbers at the vanguard. Making a quick calculation, he realized that by then, they had to be just a few minutes away from the exit to the Haunted Forrest. If the magic that kept the speed and endurance of his steed held for just a little longer, they might have been able to get some help, assuming there were archers patrolling the Wall above Castle Black. And once the gates were opened, the enchantments that blocked the Wall from the Army of the Dead would prevent them from following. Of course, that also applied to him now, despite what the Children did to save him. But if he could at least get Bran to safety then it would be worth it...

"Benjen!" Meera screamed in alarm. "The Night King is behind us!"

The former First Ranger felt a deep chill of dread climbing through his spine. He swatted the closest wights yet again with his flaming chain before turning back to look.

And there he stood before his own lieutenants. The ancient enemy of humanity walking over the flaming corpses of the servants that Benjen had defeated, one of his frost spears in hand, enchanted by unholy magics.

Soon...he pointed his weapon at them.

The half-wight let out a foul curse and spurred his horse on, trying to increase its speed as much as he could. But he realized that it was too late and he was proven right when the spear started flying towards them with extraordinary speed.

"JUMP!" He roared above the sounds of battle as he did exactly that.

Meera listened to him and reacted on the spot, heading down with Bran in her arms, just as their fine mount was speared clean through by the icy weapon. Benjen grimaced as the creature laid there in agony, its **** rattled echoing through the land. But he realized they couldn't stop...they were so close now.

"Take Bran and run!" He yelled to the loyal bannerwoman of House Stark as he grabbed his chain. "Castle Black is near, I will slow them down as long as I can."

Meera rushed to obey but before she could start sprinting their path was blocked by a wave of wights...they were completely surrounded now.

"By all the hells," Benjen cursed, feeling like a cornered animal.

But then, the unexpected occurred. All of the wights froze in their tracks, the savage swarm halting its advance. The wind blew as the dead became like statues, chilling their bodies further and not just from the cold.

"Errr, what are they doing?" The heir of House Reed asked in confusion, her tone rattled. "Why aren't they attacking us anymore."

Bran raised his head then and Benjen noticed he was staring at the Night King approaching. "Because they have done their part," He said in a sage tone, sounding convinced.

Benjen took a deep breath, grabbed his dagger from within his clothes, and despite suspecting it wouldn't be enough but knowing he wouldn't be able to get too close anyway, threw the obsidian weapon at the King of the White Walkers with as much accuracy as he could manage.

The Night King merely moved his palms in front of his face and pressed as if to clap, just as the dagger was near. The motion stopped the projectile in its tracks. When he let the weapon fall into the ground, his face was the essence of indifference.

Benjen swallowed. "I am so sorry Bran...I have failed you."

Bran took a long moment to respond, just as the Night King moved forward with a slow but inexorable pace, resembling a predator that knew he had his prey beaten. The former First Ranger looked down and saw that's Bran's eyes had turned pale white, like they do when he is either warging, connecting to the Weirwood web, or...experiencing visions. A few seconds later, his gaze turned back to normal.

"Not yet you hadn't," His nephew responded with confidence. "Be strong Benjen. And tell Jon that...things have changed but his time will still come."

Before the half-wight could ask what he meant by that, the Night King made a gesture with his blue hand and Benjen suddenly fell to his knees against his will.

"No!" He shouted, shocked. "The Children were supposed to have prevented your magic from controlling me! How are you..."

At that moment, he broke off when he noticed the Night King was actually smiling slightly. It was the very first glimpse of actual emotion he had seen on a White Walker, as his form was outlined in the darkness of the night by the flames behind him.

Then, just as suddenly, he regained control of his body, and reacted by getting back on his feet, his chain gripped tight. But before long, the leader of the Army of the Dead opened his mouth and a sound that resembled ice shattering came out. And somehow...Benjen understood the words.

"आप वहां खड़े हैं क्योंकि मैं इसकी अनुमति देता हूं। क्योंकि मुझे डर नहीं है।," He boomed, his voice crackling.

Benjen didn't need to be forcibly frozen after that, his body's reaction to listening to their ancient enemy speak in a strange language and actually been able to understand him took care of that for him. The former First Ranger swallowed once more but couldn't help but respond to him, his mind crying out for answers.

"What do you want from us?" He demanded.

The Night King tilted his head as he stared at them with his eyes as cold and blue as the heart of winter. "उनसे? अवसर और उत्तोलन।," He responded. "तुझे से ही? मेरे लिए एक संदेश देने के लिए लेकिन केवल जब मैं ऐसा करूंगा।."

"You can understand him?" Meera asked after she couldn't take it anymore.

"Somehow, yes," Benjen replied with unease in his tone. "Probably because I have become half-wight."

"वास्तव में। बच्चों की शक्ति आपको मेरी सेना में पूर्ण रूप से शामिल होने से रोकेगी।," The ice demon confirmed. "लेकिन चिन्ता भीत-निर्माता वंशज" He added with a tone of voice that shifted its sound from ice-shattering to merely the windswept might of a harsh snowstorm, in what he assumed was his equivalent to calming down. "मैं अब उन्हें मारने नहीं जा रहा हूं। मेरे पास उनके लिए एक नया प्रयोग है।."

"He...claims you two are more valuable to him alive than dead," Benjen told his companions. "At least for now. And he wants me to deliver a message."

They remained silent for a moment for a long after that. But then, Bran raised his chin. "What is the message?" The Greenseer asked.

The Night King turned to him for a moment but said nothing, which made the former First Ranger frown.

"Perhaps he could only understand my words in the Common Tongue because I am half-wight?" He thought.

"What is the message," Benjen ended up repeating.

The supreme leader of the Army of the Dead looked back at him. "आप अपने दूसरे भतीजे को बताएंगे कि थ्री-आइडेड रेवेन मेरे साथ है और अगर वह उसे फिर से जिंदा देखना चाहता है, तो वह हमें ढूंढेगा जबकि वह अपने नए ड्रैगन की सवारी करेगा," He threatened, his words catching the last living brother of Ned Stark off-guard.

"Wait, Jon has a dragon now?!" He couldn't help but blurt out, shocked.

Before his companions could comment on that, other White Walkers moved in from the trees, the air growing colder in their presence. Meera tried to shield Bran with her body on instinct but the lieutenant didn't harm her, just overpowered her with their inhuman strength and one of them gripped her tight before flinging her over his shoulders, despite her shrieks.

The Night King did the same with the crippled Bran, although the Greenseer seemed a lot calmer about it. Benjen didn't have any obsidian left and was unable to stop them. He still tried, however, rushing with his chain to attack.

It was in vain, however, because he just did another gesture and his body collapsed on the snowy ground.

"We will be fine, Benjen," Bran assured him as he groaned. "He is telling the truth. He needs us alive for now."

That didn't exactly make him feel much better. "Why?!" He shouted, the rest of his limbs paralyzed.

The Night King turned to regard him with a long, deep stare. "भविष्य बदल गया है। और हमें इसके साथ बदलना होगा।," He proclaimed.

And after that ambiguous statement, he turned back around, his charge helpless around that monster's shoulders.

"एक महीने में आपके हाथ और पैर मुक्त हो जाएंगे। मुझे तब तक किया जाना चाहिए जब मैं तीन आंखों वाले रैवेन से जो कुछ भी चाहता हूं उसे निकालने के लिए।," He declared without bothering to look at him. "फिर उसे संदेश दें।."

Just like that, he kept going, his army following while Benjen's limbs remained completely still.

"This...will be a long month," He thought in discomfort. "Good thing I don't need to eat anymore."

His eyes could stikl move however and that fact sunk in when a tear flowed down his cheek.

"Bran...Ned...Lyanna...I am so sorry," He whispered in despair. "I have failed."

And with that, he allowed his face to slam into the pile of snow.

Kingdom of the North: The Neck: The Hidden Godswood.

Further south, at the swamps of the Neck, Howland Reed was kneeling before a Weirwood tree. He had told his people to move their floating keep to the location of the Hidden Godswood, a sacred place known only to the Crannogmen. There, six Weirwood trees that had grown to thrive in the swamps and feed on their waters stood in a semi-circle, their carved, red faces staring back at the Lord of the Marches.

He had come to pray to the Old Gods for his boy's soul, having recently learned from his letter that Jojen had foreseen his own **** on his journey and left his last instructions and wishes for him to read. Now, he took a moment in silence to grief, away from the daily activity of Greywater Watch.

Soon, however, a raven landed on the clearing, between him and one of the Weirwood faces, and started staring at him with a penetrating gaze. Before he could decide to scare him away, though, the bird open its beak and spoke.

"I don't have much time," It squeaked, its voice sounding more than a little eerie as he stood up in shock. "So, listen carefully. Be mindful of your surroundings and of the messages of Jojen's letter. The time may come when the revelations are up to you and you alone. And if that's the case, you need to pay attention to the outside world to know when to act."

Howland was speechless at what he was hearing. He had yet to deliver his son's final, written goodbyes to the people of his keep. As such, there was no way for one of the skinchangers in his employ to have learned of the content of Jojen's last message, never mind wargs from elsewhere across the Neck. That could only mean...

"Bran...is that you?" Howland asked in a small voice.

The raven was silent for a long moment as if the Greenseer behind it was focusing on something else at the same time. But then it turned to the Lord once more.

"I am...sorry for your loss," The possessed bird added although he couldn't determine the exact emotion behind that tone of voice. "I will do my best to ensure Meera comes back to you alive. May your blades stay sharp, Lord Reed. You'll need them. And do not forget your son's words."

With that, the raven flew away, the connection seemingly broken. Howland took several deep breaths as he tried to calm his racing heart.

"Believe me, I don't think I am likely to forget that," He muttered to the empty clearing.

When no one responded, be it man or beast, the leader of the Crannogmen turned around and headed back to Greywater Watch.

"It is time to start preparing for the second war-like dance, it seems," He thought, his fist clenching. "Thank you for the warning, my son."

A/N: For those that are wondering, I used the Hindi script for the White Walker language the Night King used. Not that I am trying to imply I find the Hindi language demonic or anything. I just found the written form of it quite mysterious and badass at times, especially when putting the words on bold and underlined. So, if I offended anyone with that, my most sincere apologies since that wasn't my intention.

Anyway, Bran has been captured alive. Seems like the Night King has had a change of heart with his immediate priorities. For those that want to know what I actually meant to have him say in English, here is a translated transcript:

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"You stand there because I allow it. Because I do not fear," He boomed, his voice crackling.

Benjen didn't need to be forcibly frozen after that, his body's reaction to listening to his ancient enemy speak in a strange language and actually been able to understand him took care of that for him. The former First Ranger swallowed once more but couldn't help but respond to him, his mind crying out for answers.

"What do you want from us?" He demanded.

The Night King tilted his head as he stared at them with his eyes as cold and blue as the heart of winter. "From them? Opportunities and leverage. "From you? To deliver a message but only when I will it."

"You can understand him?" Meera asked after found her voice again.

"Somehow, yes," Benjen replied with unease in his tone. "Probably because I have become half-wight."

"Indeed. The power of the Children of the Forest will prevent you from fully joining my army," The ice demon confirmed. "But do not worry, Wall-Builder descendant," He added with a tone of voice that shifted its sound from ice-shattering to merely the windswept might of a harsh snowstorm, in what he assumed was his equivalent to calming down. "I'm not going to kill them now. I have a new use for them."

"He ... claims you two are more valuable to him alive than dead," Benjen told his companions. "At least for now. And he wants me to deliver a message."

They remained silent for a moment for a long after that. But then, Bran raised his chin. "What is the message?" The Greenseer asked.

The Night King turned to him for a moment but said nothing, which made the former First Ranger frown.

"Perhaps he could only understand my words in the Common Tongue because I am half-wight?" He thought.

"What is the message," Benjen ended up repeating.

The supreme leader of the Army of the Dead looked back at him. "You'll tell your other nephew that the Three-Eyed Raven is with me and if he wants to see him alive again, he'll find us while riding his new dragon," He threatened, his words catching the last living brother of Ned Stark off-guard.

"Wait, Jon has a dragon now ?!" He couldn't help but blurt out, shocked.

Before his companions could comment on that, other White Walkers moved in from the trees, the air growing colder in their presence. Meera tried to shield Bran with her body on instinct but the lieutenant didn't harm her, just overpowered her with their inhuman strength and one of them gripped her tight before flinging her over his shoulders, despite her shrieks.

The Night King did the same with the crippled Bran, although the Greenseer seemed a lot calmer about it. Benjen did not have any obsidian left and was unable to stop them. He still tried, however, rushing with his chain to attack.

It was in vain, however, because he just did another gesture and his body collapsed on the snowy ground.

"We will be fine, Benjen," Bran assured him as he groaned. "He is telling the truth. He needs us alive for now."

That did not exactly make him feel much better. "Why?!" He shouted, the rest of his limbs paralyzed.

The Night turned to regard him with a long, deep stare. "The future has changed. And we must change with it," He proclaimed.

And after that ambiguous statement, he turned back around, his charge helpless around that monster's shoulders.

"Your arms and legs will be free in a month. I should be done textraxting what I needed from the Three-eyed Raven." He informed him without bothering to look at him. "Deliver the message then."

Just like that, he kept going, his army following while Benjen's limbs remained completely still.

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Well, that's it for now. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them down below and I will reply as soon as I can. Until the next chapter and thanks again for reading.