Trials and Tribulations of the Oathkeeper

Chapter 125: The Wars to Come

—Beyond the Wall—

Cave of the Three-Eyed Raven...

Bran continues his training, his eyes glazed white as he experienced more visions of the past. Yesterday he learned the origins of the Night King and the White Walkers with the Three-Eyed Raven: the Children of the Forest—Leaf in particular—slowly drove a shard of dragonglass into the heart of a captive First Men bound to the weirwood tree until it disappears inside his chest, causing his eyes to turn blue. When confronted, Leaf defended her people's actions since the Children of the Forest were at war with the First Men thousands of years ago.

Nearby, his direwolf Summer, Hodor, Meera and the Three-Eyed Raven were sleeping. Deciding to explore more visions, to truly understand the past, Bran drags his crippled self over to the roots and takes hold of them. Gasping quietly, Bran's eyes turned white once again and warged into the past once more, although the surroundings were unfamiliar. Covered in a snowy blizzard, Bran turned around and gasped in shock.

"W-what the...?!"

Behind him was the entire Army of the Dead standing in attendance. Bran cautiously approached them and then among their ranks, somewhat bewildered and amazed they haven't noticed his presence yet. On the other side of the army, he finds the Night King and four White Walker lieutenants on horseback. Before he could react, Bran froze when he sees the Night King staring directly at him. 

He sees me!

In near unison, the entire Army of the Dread turned their decaying faces and stared directly on him. Feeling every gaze of the undead staring at him, Bran turns around before turning back again to see the Night King standing behind him. He recoils, but by then it was too late as the Night King grabbed his forearm.

"AAHHH!" he screams in agony.

Awoken into the present and ending his vision, Bran gasps, sweats and pants heavily before quickly releases his grip on the tree root—the sensation on his forearm stung and burned badly. His loud screams alerted Meera, Hodor, Summer, Leaf and the Three-Eyed Raven from their sleep; more Children of the Forest entered the cave at the level of disturbance.

"He saw me!" Bran shouted. "The Night King saw me! He saw me!"

The Three-Eyed Raven noticed Bran's forearm. "He touched you," he noticed.

Bran pulls back his sleeve, revealing a handprint on his forearm.

"Now he knows where you are. He'll come for you."

"But he can't get in."

"He can now," the old man countered cautiously. "His mark is on you." He turned his attention towards Bran's other companions. "You must leave, all of you."

Meera was the first to act. "Come on, Hodor. Help me with the sledge," she tells him.

"Hodor. Hodor," the large simpleminded servant panicked.

Bran looked up at his mentor. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to," he said apologetically.

The Three-Eyed Raven looked unconcerned at his approaching fate. "The time has come," he said simply.

"The time for what?"

"For you to become me."

"But am I ready?" he asked.

The old man shook his head. "No." Once gaze at Bran and his eyes turned white, forcing Bran's to do the same.

Motionless and flooded with every vision from the past, Bran laid stiff as Meera and Hodor prepared for travel.