Silver Stag

They're Here

Prowling the streets alone, Theon came across a particularly large and fearsome wight. It towered over him, its eyes glowing with an unnatural light in the darkness. For a moment, Theon hesitated, wondering if this might be the one to finally grant him his heart's desire.

Without thinking twice, he lunged forward, sword raised high. The wight swung its massive fists at him, but Theon dodged and weaved, striking back with all his might. The fight raged on for what felt like hours, both combatants locked in a dance of death.

Finally, just when Theon thought he had gained the upper hand, the wight landed a devastating blow, sending him tumbling to the ground.

As the wights closed in on him, their jagged teeth glinting in the fading light of day, he knew that his time had finally come. He had been a traitor to the Starks, and now he would pay the ultimate price. He could feel it coming, the cold embrace of death closing in around him like a shroud.

As he lay there, helpless and broken, he closed his eyes and waited for the end to come.

But it did not come. Instead, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching, heavy and deliberate. Slowly, he opened his eyes to see Jaime Lannister standing over him, a look of mixed shock and disgust on his face.

"No!" Theon shouted, trying to push Jaime away. "I don't deserve to be saved! I am beyond forgiveness!"

But Jaime refused to listen. With a fierce determination in his eyes, he fought off the wights, one by one, protecting Theon with his life. When the last wight fell to the ground, defeated, Jaime turned to Theon, his face stern.

"What in the Seven Hells are you doing, Theon?" Jaime asked, his voice low and measured.

Theon recognized the look in Jaime's eye - it was the same look he had seen in his own reflection countless times before. It was the look of a man who had given up, who had lost all hope and sense of purpose. And yet, here was Jaime, standing tall and fighting for him, when Theon had long since given up on himself.

Theon struggled to find his voice, his body aching from the injuries he had sustained. "I... I wanted to die," he whispered, tears streaming down his face.

Jaime knelt beside him, his expression softening ever so slightly. "You don't have to do this, Theon," he said gently. "There's still hope for you. You can still make things right."

Theon laughed, a harsh and bitter sound. "Hope? What hope is there for me? My family is almost gone, my kingdom is gone, and I am nothing but a shell of a man. No, Jaime. There is no hope left for me. Only death."

With those words, Theon closed his eyes again, ready to embrace the end that had eluded him for so long.

"Get up," Jaime said, his voice firm and commanding. "We need to get out of here."

Jaime knelt beside Theon, his face grim with determination. "You're not going to die here," he said, his voice low and urgent. "Not today."

Theon laughed, the sound harsh and pained. "I don't deserve to live," he whispered. "I betrayed the Starks, I betrayed my own family. There's no forgiving me."

He could only imagine the look of betrayal on Robb Stark's face when he had turned against him, the pained cries of Sansa as she was taken captive. The memories haunted him, taunting him with visions of all he had lost. And yet, despite it all, he knew he did not deserve forgiveness. Not from anyone, especially not from himself.

But Jaime refused to listen. He tore strips of cloth from his own cloak and bound them tightly around Theon's wounds, his movements quick and efficient. "We can win this war," he said. "Then you can try to make amends."

Theon shook his head, his vision blurring as the darkness crept in at the edges. "It's too late," he protested. "I've seen the things I've done...the people I've hurt..."

"I know," Jaime said softly. "But you can still make it right. You can still fight for what's good in this world."

Theon looked into Jaime's eyes, saw something there that gave him hope. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for redemption after all. Maybe there was still a place for him in this world, despite everything he had done.

One day, Davos Seaworth came to see him, when he was atop the Wall, contemplating throwing himself over. He understood better than most. Davos, who had once been a smuggler but had found purpose in serving Stannis Baratheon. The old man had alwys spoken kindly to him, even when others had turned their backs. And now, he offered Theon something that seemed almost too good to be true - a chance to redeem himself.

"Even if you don't wish to be forgiven," Davos said, "there are still things you can do that are worthy of forgiveness."

Theon scoffed, but deep down, he knew there was truth in those words. He had no right to live, but perhaps, just perhaps, he could find some purpose in dying for a cause greater than himself. And so, he agreed to join the fight against the Night King, to stand alongside Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen as they mqrched towards certain doom.

"Listen, Greyjoy, I know what you did. I know how much pain you caused. But this...this isn't just about you and me. This is about the living and the dead, the whole damn kingdom. We need every able body we can get to fight against the Night King and his army of monsters. You may think you deserve to die, but I say you owe it to your fellow men to keep fighting."

Theon felt a spark of hope ignite within him, small and fragile as it was. Could it be true? Did Jaime really believe he still had value, even with everything? He opened his mouth to protest, to refuse, but then he thought better of it. Perhaps this was his chance to make amends, however small.

"Alright," he croaked out, his voice barely audible above the wind. "I'll live. For now."

Jaime nodded curtly and offered him a hand up, pulling him unsteadily to his feet. As they stood together, facing the looming threat of the White Walkers, Theon realized that perhaps there was still some redemption left for him in this world after all.

And so, Theon continued his journey through the land of the living dead, driven by his quest for death but ultimately guided by his will to survive.

In the bustling city of King's Landing, Tyene Sand stood on the balcony of an abandoned home, overlooking the Blackwater Bay. She sipped tea made from rare Rhoyne flowers, savoring the sweet taste and the power it brought her. Upon her return to Dorne, she had been studying the ancient water magic of the Rhoynar, learning how to harness its power to create illusions that could deceive even the most discerning eye.

And so, when the White Walkers had brought their army of wights to the gates of the capital, Tyene saw an opportunity to turn the tide of the battle in favor of the living.

Tyene's plan was simple yet brilliant. With the White Walkers and their armies of wights threatening the realm, she knew that the living were no match for the mindless beasts. But what if she could create illusions of people where there were none? What if she could make the wights see and attack their own kind, thinking they were fighting against the living? It was a risky strategy, but one that might just give them the edge they needed to survive.

She began to weave her magic, creating illusions of soldiers and knights where there were none, making it seem as though the living army was far larger than it actually was. The wights, unable to distinguish between reality and illusion, attacked the phantasmal figures with all their might, while the real soldiers took advantage of the distraction to strike down the actual wights.

As the battle raged on, Tyene's illusions grew more elaborate and convincing, causing chaos and confusion among the ranks of the undead. The wights attacked each other, thinking they were fighting against their enemy, while the living army made quick work of them. It was a strategy unlike any the kingdom had seen, and it proved to be incredibly effective.

It was a slaughter. The illusions fought with all the skill and ferocity of trained warriors, and the wights couldn't tell the difference between reality and fantasy. Within minutes, dozens of wights lay dead, their bodies nothing more than piles of frozen flesh and shattered bone.

Tyene smiled, satisfied with the results. She had created an entire army of illusions, each one stronger and more convincing than the last. And with the power of the Rhoyne magic flowing through her veins, she knew she could keep the wights at bay for as long as necessary.