Echoes from the Veil

IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTES: SERIOUSLY, READ IT ALL.

With this chapter, I have finally reached a point in the story where I will start adding my first sequence of epigraphs at the beginning of the chapters. You may be wondering what that means. In this case, an epigraph is a relatively short quotation or saying at the beginning of a chapter, intended to suggest its theme and/or relevant setup that will be explored later on during the story.

I have been planning this for a while now but I wanted to share some revelations of my tale and get to a certain point of my plotline before I started so the topics were not too out of the blue. Now, what will they cover? The sequence of epigraphs for Story Arc Seven will focus on providing some hints for one of the topics I get asked out the most: what do the other known gods from this world think of Jon's unexpected ascension and what do they intend to do about it?

We will start getting some details on that front in this epigraph which will cover some communication between two deities of Planetos in the form of a letter. Yeah, you read that right. Don't worry, all will be explained.

Regardless, while I intended to add each section of the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter of this arc, I decided to wait until this point of my outlines because, at the time, I wasn't sure how long I was going to make those initial chapters and therefore wasn't sure how many chapters would encompass Arc 7. But now I know so I can plan ahead better.

Still, this means that I will be making a mild edit at the beginning of the last 6 chapters before this one to add the epigraph I was planning to place in the respective place of the sequence. But since I don't want to annoy you and make you go back to each chapter for all those brief snippets, I will be adding the first 7 epigraphs at the very beginning of this one to keep things simple. I will end up editing it in a week back to just the seventh one as was my original plan but it should give most of my frequent readers the time to check this new update.

Anyway, that's the important announcement. Hope you like both the chapter's content and the epigraph's setup. All the kudos if you manage to spot all the references I will place in both sections. And if not but you are curious, remember that Google is your friend when it comes to unfamiliar words.

Read, enjoy, and review!

To the last of the Prime on Planetos,

Old friend, I have spent a considerable portion of my power to ensure this missive reaches you. And for what it is worth, I hope it finds you well. Though, as you are essentially immortal, I would guess that wellness on your part is something of a given.

Even if the relative impotence caused by your imprisonment fills my words with irony.

I realize that you are probably still angry, even if the Light fills the very core of your essence. That is pleasant to know. Much as your perpetual health, I have come to rely upon your dissatisfaction with me.

It is one of creation’s great constants, I should think.

Let me first assure you that I know what you are up to. I felt the Prophetic Quake and I have tracked its source at the Wall. Furthermore, it has come to my attention that you spoke with the new cosmic player when he was still on Braavos. The winds told me, you might say.

You do not agree with my quest, and I understand that, so much as it is possible to understand someone with whom I disagree so completely.

Might I be quite frank? Long ago, you asked why I was so concerned. It is for the following reason: Once upon a time, Leaf’s human lover and the Lion of the Night were some of the kindest, most promising men I have ever known.

And you saw what became of them.

Wyk, on the other hand, was among the most loathsome, crafty, and dangerous individuals I had ever met. And despite his frightening and terrible powers, he hasn’t been able to prevent the Great Other from meddling in his domain.

Ponder on all this for a time, you old Naaru, and tell me if your insistence on believing in this ascended mortal is based on a logical pattern or emotional stupidity.

Because I assure you, this Jon “Stark” will not be similarly inhibited in the end, not with the Night King’s god stirring at long last and his influence growing. The temptation of unleashing the full might of his new powers will eventually surpass the restraints of his weakened flesh.

One need only look at the aftermath of your ancient enemy’s manipulations on Yeen right after the Doom to see proof of what I say.

In case you have somehow managed to turn a blind eye to that disaster, know that Hrazef , Pantera, and Balerion are all dead, murdered when they sought shelter on Sothoryos. Presumably to prevent them from rising up to challenge his icy champion after overwhelming Westeros.

And try as I might, the Winter Queen remains elusive.

__

As Jon was guided into the jail by Sarella, he noticed that Archmaester Marwyn was in the middle of a conversation with a one-eyed man on the far side of the cell, but they stopped when they saw him arrive and the imprisoned man got closer to his group again. Reaching the bars after nodding in response to the bow of the Higher Mysteries specialist, Jon's eyes widened in surprise when recognized the large man laying down on the bed.

"You are the Hound," The secret god said with a raised eyebrow. "I saw you once at Winterfell, during King Robert's visit. Don't tell me you are the sorcerer they have been telling me about."

The scarred man scoffed at that while he got himself on a sitting position. "Don't be daft. You want the fire worshipers behind me. Fuck my luck..." He added, cursing under his breath.

Before Jon could respond to that, he heard footsteps speeding up behind him, and soon, his youngest sister got in front of him.

"So, you are not dead," She remarked, her tone hard to fully discern.

The Hound stared at her, his expression a strange mixture of fondness and contempt. Or maybe Jon was imagining things. His injuries made it hard to read the emotional subtleties on his half-burned face.

"Not yet," He confirmed, his tone gruff. "Your big friend got pretty close, though."

Then he paused. "Is Brianne of Fucking Tarth around here with you?"

"No, I hear she is guarding my sister hundreds of miles from here," Arya informed him. "Why? Didn't have enough last time?"

He scowled at her, which only made her smirk. "Fuck off."

The King of the North and the Trident took the scene in. "I see you know each other. Anything good about him that I should know about, Arya? After all, last I heard, he was fighting for our enemies."

Arya shrugged. "After the Hound left the Lannisters behind, he tried to claim a reward for escorting me to our family, first to Robb and mother and then to aunt Lysa in the Vale. We were too late both times, though I suppose it's true that if he hadn't fought his way out of the Twins with me on his back, I would have probably died during the Red Wedding too," She added somberly.

"I see," Jon said slowly before turning to the Hound with a nod. "Then, thank you for protecting my sister in that dark day for House Stark."

"Get me out of here and give me a bottle of wine to wash down some chicken and we will call it even," The large warrior said drily.

"In due time, I suspect," Jon replied. "But first, tell me, who was the sorcerer that had that message for me?"

At that, the one-eyed man turned to look at his red-haired companion in the cell and he started calling attention to himself.

"That would be me, I suppose," He said while standing up. "Thoros of Myr, your Grace. My friend here is Beric Dondarrion.

Then she gave his sister an apologetic look. "I am sorry we last departed under unpleasant circumstances, Lady Stark."

Arya crossed her arms as she looked at them with disapproval, which made Jon tilt his head in her direction. "You know them too?"

"They are from the Brotherhood Without Banners, and they have been giving hell to Lannister soldiers and anyone else that had been threatening the smallfolk of the Riverlands in the last few years," She replied. "They fed me and gave me a place to rest for a while but then a Red Priestess came and demanded to buy one of my friends from them so that she could take him with her. Hadn't seen him since," She explained, her tone angered.

Thoros threw up his hands in a placating gesture, his body language clearly regretful. "Yes, sorry about that business. We didn't really have the backing and resources of any Lords for much of the war to help defend our people so I am afraid that when they offered us a much-needed pile of gold, it was hard to refuse," He admitted. "Besides, Melisandre of Asshai is a bit notorious among my fellow Red Priests. It didn't seem wise to deny her at the time, especially with Stannis supporting her."

"Wait, that Melisandre?" Jon asked, looking back and forth between his sister and the jailed men. "She was the one that brought me back when I was killed at the Wall."

That was when Beric gave him a sad smile, his gaze full of empathy. "So, it's true. I am not the only one the Lord of Light has revived anymore. My sympathies, your Grace. I know the experience is...most unsettling."

The secret god tensed at that but didn't contradict him. Beside him, he could see Margaery Tyrell getting closer to the bars, a nervous look on her face, as if she was dreading and looking forward to the next few moments in equal measure.

Then she exchanged a glance with the two of them, her eyes lingering on Beric's scars in particular. "So...you have both died and returned to this world," She remarked, her tone hesitant. "How does the other side look like?"

There was a long, heavy pause after that question, its implications filling the cold air and Jon wasn't sure how to answer her. After all, the higher deity that turned him into one had grabbed his soul and taken it to that giant tree he called a Pillar of Creation before ensuring his ascension and return instead of letting his soul travel where it was originally supposed to go. But he didn't want to tell her that. At least not yet.

He ended up being saved by another sympathetic smile of the resurrected member of House Dondarrion. "So, it's still too soon after the Lord of Light brought you back for your memories on that subject to have returned to your mind, is it?"

Jon's eyes widened slightly at the connotations in his words but decided to play along. "I guess you could say that. Why? Do you remember anything other than darkness?"

"I do now, and something tells me I have you to thank for that," He declared, his voice soft and comforting. "Nearly a moon's turn ago, Thoros and I felt an invisible wave of buffeting us from the North. That was around the time you were revived, wasn't it?"

The secret god bit his bottom lip in dawning realization, understanding that they were also affected by the Prophetic Quake his ascension produced that R'hllor had told him about.

"Yes," He ended up saying. "And?"

"And, that's when some fragments of my memories started to come back," He said with a fond smile. "Now, you have to understand, Thoros brought me back fairly soon after my demise but...I get the impression that time flows differently on the other side because my memories wouldn't make sense if I was there for just a few minutes."

There was another pause, the one-eyed man gaining a bittersweet look on his face as he gathered his thoughts. Before long, Margaery extended a hand into the cell and held his, which made Jon raise an eyebrow.

"Please tell me," She pleaded, her face solemn.

"Of course, my Lady," Beric replied with a nod. "Although I have to tell you, I don't remember that much, and what I do recall now still feels a bit like a blur. Maybe we are not usually meant to retain our memories of that place if we find a way to come back," He muttered. "But I will tell you what I know."

He took a deep breath as silence permeated the room, and Jon was sure everyone was waiting in anticipation for what he had to say.

"I remember...the kind blue face of a woman, her body almost as tall as the Mountain, picking me up from my body and flying away under the power of her wings," He began, his gaze distant. "I remember being led me to a mighty judge. When I close my eyes, I can still feel his eyes etched upon my soul, the weight of eternity filling that gaze," Beric explained, his fingers interlocked. "I remember being sent elsewhere then, to one of many, many places where I could've ended up but with this...arbiter, convinced I will be better off there."

Then he shook his head. "I remember becoming part of something bigger than myself and feeling proud for it. After that, my memory starts failing, soon after I caught a glimpse of the radiance of the Lord of Light as He was calling me back to this world, insisting that my work was still not done. In the last month, I have tried to strengthen my connection to our Lord with Thoros help, staring into the flames every night to interpret the visions therein and perhaps make sense of my shattered memories."

Then he sighed. "I have delved and searched within and without, and have only been able to come up with a single word from my time there, after that point: Maldraxxus. What exactly does it mean, I do not yet know but I can feel in my bones that it is more important than I can imagine."

Silence return to the prison once he was done. Jon's thoughts were reeling, trying to make sense of his fragmented memories of the afterlife. Given the rare circumstances and the expression on Margaery's face, the secret god was sure that he was not the only one.

Eventually, Jon interlocked his fingers as he stared at his fellow man who defied ****. "That's a lot to take in," He said slowly before turning his head. "Archmaester, Sarella, have either of you ever heard of the word Maldraxxus before?"

He saw them shook their head almost at once but Jon wasn't particularly surprised. It seemed that his ascension had dug for information that wasn't usually accessible by the living in his world.

The Rose of Highgarden ended up taking a deep breath and removed her hands from the bars. Then she gave him a warm smile. "Thank you for letting me know that there really is something waiting for us in the beyond. Recent events have left me...wondering."

Beric Dondarion bowed his head while Jon took that in. Then he shook his head. "As fascinating as this was, we are getting off-topic. Do you mind telling me why exactly were you traveling this far North?"

Thoros of Myr got closer to the bars at that. "Our Lord of Light showed us the Army of the Dead in the flames. We have come to answer the call and fight for the living under the command of the one king who seeks to rally our realm against the true enemy."

"I see," Jon responded, his stare measuring them. "Well, given how hard it can be for some people to wrap their minds around this grave threat, it's good to have capable recruits that truly believe in this fight to come. But what of the Brotherhood Without Banners? Aren't the bulk of your men still in the Riverlands?"

"They are," Beric confirmed. "But you have pretty much accomplished most of what we set out to do a few days ago when you broke the Siege at Riverrun and then **** the Lannister-Frey forces that survived your dragon's rampage to flee. There is still much work to be done to rebuild the Riverlands but the leaders and I have come to believe that it will be easier to accomplish that with you as our king instead of direct control from the Iron Throne."

"And so," The resurrected member of House Dondarrion said, "we have come to pledge the services of the Brotherhood to your kingship, as long as you can promise to send aid to our damaged lands at the earliest opportunity."

The King of the North and the Trident contemplated his words for a moment, then turned to Margaery as an idea came to mind. "Very well. I am expecting large shipments of food to set sail from the Reach in the coming days. I will instruct some of my bannermen on both coastlines of the Riverlands to distribute some of the crops they will soon receive to the areas with smallfolk that the Brotherhood had been trying to defend from Lannister raids. Aside from that, I am scheduled to get a lot of gold from the Iron Bank of Braavos now that we reached a...mutual agreement the night before. I intended to use much of it to purchase a lot more supplies in order to feed my domains and expand the winter stockpiles. I will make sure your villages get some of that amount as well. And of course, I will be increasing my military presence in the south of the Neck as soon as possible in order to deter more enemy invasions. Does that sound acceptable for now?"

The one-eyed man smiled widely. "Very much so, your Grace. As soon as we send word to the other leaders of the Brotherhood, our swords will go where you tell us."

"Good to hear but not need to sound too amazed," Jon remarked. "In naming me his heir, my brother Robb left the Riverland in my care too, not just the North. That means I must take my duty to look after those lands and their peoples very seriously."

"And are we glad to hear that," Thoros said, his own grin growing.

Then Jon moved to get the keys and opened the gate to the cell. "I don't have much time here to coordinate all this with you but we will speak more after I return from my battle against Ramsay Bolton's forces. In the meantime, I will ensure you can move freely around White Harbor and give you access to the rookery so that you can start sending messages to the Riverlords, informing them that I have accepted your pledge and the Brotherhood will be able to reinforce them. Perhaps you could start by providing fresh troops at the Siege of the Twins, where we are currently keeping the Freys cowering like rats," He added, smirking a bit at the thought.

The three of them headed out of the jail and bowed their head to him in respect, even the Hound did, although his eyes lingered on Arya at that point. She crossed her arms.

"I am a bit surprised," His sister admitted. "When was the last time you fought for anyone other than yourself?"

Sandor Clegane looked down at her with a solemn look. "I fought for you, didn't I? And besides, you don't know what I have gone through since last we met."

Arya bit her bottom lip for a moment. Then she nodded slowly. "True enough. Well, why don't you tell me over some wine? My round. It's the least I can do, given how we parted ways."

Jon raised an eyebrow at that and wondered what was the story there, especially after the Hound gave her the barest hint of a smile. But then, he heard the doors to the jail open wide and he turned to look.

Samwell gave him a friendly smile. "Good to see you again Jon. But you should really come with me now. Wynafryd, the heiress to House Manderly has returned to New Castle. And she really wants to finally meet you."

A/N: Well, that's it for now, a bit shorter than the last few chapters but I hope the mysteries and possibilities within got some of your intrigued.

The next chapter will pick where the last of the section of the 7-part epigraph left off. It's all one sequence, broken in parts. I just compiled the list for the currently posted chapters on the arc for your convenience. So, the 8th epigraph will she shorter...but also quite revealing. More on that then.

I hope you enjoyed this new literary experiment of mine everyone. Been waiting most of the year to get to this point. And of course, you are more than welcome to speculate as much as you want in the comments below. And in other exciting news, the Battle of the Bastards is just a very few chapters away now.

Until next time guys and gals, see ya!