[Arya's POV]
After the battle was won, Arya rode out to seek Edric… only to find an impossibly steep mountain of ice and the sound of lightning clashing at the very top. The Night King's chilling presence was nowhere to be found. She sensed something else, however… a power that resonated with her own.
They didn't seem to be fighting. If they were, that mountain would be falling apart.
It seemed that Edric would handle whatever it was, but Arya found her curiosity irresistible. Who was this being?
By the time it became clear what they were doing, she deeply regretted it and rode away.
…
It would be quite some time before Edric returned on the back of his dragon. Arya made herself forget about what she had seen and even tried to ignore him but he called for an emergency gathering among the leading figures of the Night's Watch. It would be something important, undoubtedly.
Upon closer inspection, the person beside Edric was akin to a goddess. The ends of her purple hair shined unlike anything else. Despite being covered in a shadowskin cloak, her appearance drew in every eye in the room. Her purple eyes made everything else look even more dull and colourless than it already was.
Her beauty would be one thing, but her power… it felt comparable to Edric's.
Everyone likely thought the same thing when she leaned against him and held his arm.
"First of all, I wish to say that I am proud of you all for achieving victory in my absence. The Night's Watch of old would've crumbled before I would've gotten out of bed… but you crushed them. Swiftly, might I add."
"We wouldn't have lived to tell the tale if you hadn't drawn away the Night King and provided us with the tools, supplies, architecture, resources and manpower to succeed," Jon Snow replied in turn. "This is our victory, Your Grace. It was your caution and dedication to strengthening the Night's Watch that won this day."
"Well said, Lord Commander," Edric nodded.
"... Who is the purple haired lady?" Arya blurted out the question everyone wanted to be answered.
"I'll let you answer that," The woman glanced at Edric.
"Raiden. My greatest benefactor, a goddess and my wife to be." Edric kept it rather short. "Treat her with the same respect as you would me."
That... certainly answered the question.
"Two wives?" Arya questioned.
"Indeed," Edric nodded. "I can have as many as I'd like."
There was a seemingly arrogant disregard for faith and tradition. A look that said 'who would stop me'. Arya doubted the Faith would do anything… except turn a blind eye or make an exception as they did with the Targaryens and their incest.
Edric was a more formidable force than every dragon the Targaryens possessed by his lonesome - he could do whatever he wanted. That thought was a little terrifying. If Edric chose to be more tyrannical or even outright evil…
Arya preferred not to think of that.
With his Other-esque appearance, however, it was a hard possibility to ignore.
"Quite the pivot, Your Grace," Jon Snow remarked. "Was this not possible before?"
"Now, onto more pressing matters..." Edric changed the topic, disregarding Jon's question. He did not press it further. "The Night King has taken Winterfell as his own stronghold and rooted the Tree of the End within it. As such, the effects of winter have spread further south... not only affecting Westeros but also Essos even more harshly. It was likely his intention to cut off everything North of Winterfell and join with the advancing horde in front of the Wall. This has been foiled by our efforts, which puts the Night's Watch in a unique position."
"It stands between the approaching horde of undead and the heart of Winter, which must be destroyed. The horde should take a moon to be within reach... as such, I intend to focus our efforts on taking Winterfell and largely abandoning the Wall for now."
"... That is a bold move, even for you," Jon Snow remarked. "What if the horde finds a way to increase their pace?"
"If it comes to it, I'll defend it myself. We will not need to lumber around supplies or anything at all - simply, I will need all of our best fighters to ride to march to Winterfell. I shall store supplies within myself and drop them off when needed."
"You can simply do that?" Val questioned.
"Indeed..."
"What of the Night King... didn't you defeat him?" Robb inquired.
"Defeat him, yes... slain, not quite. He seemed to disperse his body before I had the chance. As such, I believe he will reform within Winterfell and keep himself there, as it is where he would recover the swiftest."
"Couldn't you fly in with your dragon and storm Winterfell now, while the Night King is at his weakest?" Arya questioned. "This would also cut winter short... and save many lives in the act."
"I did have that in mind. However, I'd rather guarantee our success than risk failure... and that is why we will strike with everything we have. While the Night King will recover in that time, I'll also be able to adapt to the changes in my body and have greater control over my new power."
"Fair enough..."
Edric went over additional details before dismissing everyone from the hall.
"Except you, Arya. I'd like to have a word."
She glanced back, pausing, while the rest left her with Edric and Raiden.
"So... what do you want?" Arya questioned.
"I'd circle that question right back to you," Edric chuckled. "You know, I can feel the emotions of others. The more prominent these feelings are, the easier that is to do... and, well, you are not weak-willed in the slightest."
"..." Arya raised an eyebrow, not knowing what to make of it. "So, what did you 'feel'?"
"Love that I did not earn," Edric didn't beat around the bush, going right for the centre. "It is wasted on me, no less..."
"... You're right," Arya nodded. "And yet... I... can't forget you, no matter how hard I try."
"The heart tends to have a mind of its own," Edric remarked. "I did say I'd make it up to you... so the least that I could do is speak truthfully."
"...?"
"This is my second life. My first ended at the ripe age of eight-and-ten and so... while I was in the body of a child, my soul was very much older and perceived the world differently than I would have otherwise. Along with the logical advantages that a marriage with Daenerys would bring, it also meant not feeling... odd. I could embrace my relationship without as much discomfort."
"To me, you were like a little sister. I couldn't see you in any other light."
"Is that what you meant when you said you wished that things were different?"
"Circumstances made it quite impossible for us to ever truly 'work'," Edric nodded.
"It makes sense..."
She recalled times when it seemed as if he would intentionally distance himself from her. With this context, the reasoning became clear. He acted more as a guardian than a betrothed...
"That is no small secret to share," Raiden remarked.
"I'd rather Arya have the truth of it, rather than being clouded by uncertainty," Edric replied.
"What am I to do with it?" Arya questioned, shaking her head. "Curse fate? All of this time, I blamed you... I blamed myself. I thought I wasn't good enough..."
"Nothing was ever your fault," Edric affirmed. "If anyone is to blame, it would be me. I had the power to end our betrothal moment I was King... and that is what I should have done, rather than stringing you along. My honour and ties with the North would have taken a blow, but... it would have saved you... this."
"This?" Arya felt a rush of emotions. "Many of my worst days were because of you... But so were just as many of the best. You understood me better than anyone else, you gave me confidence when I lacked it. The person I am today would not be without you."
Arya took a deep breath, feeling her eyes swell.
She saw it all again, Edric carving his way through the lists until he unhorsed Ser Loras with a thunderous blow and took the wreath upon his lance. Riding past the crowd and all the ladies who fawned over him... all to place it in her lap.
"My happiest day would always be with you... How could I ever take that back? Even if I magically could twist fate and undo it all, I wouldn't."
Edric's eyes widened slightly, mayhaps in surprise. He closed the distance between them in a single step, his shadow looming over her, before wrapping his arms around her in a soft embrace.
"I had hoped that you didn't feel so strongly about me..." He admitted. "Matter of truth, I sought to make you forget about it, but it seems that I'd have better luck growing wings."
"Why do you always want to push me away?" Arya sniffled. "What excuse do you have now, you bastard?"
"..." Edric managed a laugh. "It's... the future just seems uncertain. I'd rather you didn't get involved with me if it was going to be short-lived."
"Is something going to happen to you?"
"Mayhaps... I imagine stabbing my heart with a magical sword and charging it with my own soul would come at a steep price."
"You're right..." Arya stepped back, wiping her tears. "You never loved me the same way that I loved you... and it's understandable. Forcing you to do so wouldn't lead to anything. If you are truly dying, you should spend the last of your days with your family."
"Even if we are not married, I'd still consider you as such." Edric withdrew a blade from his chest and presented it to her. A blade reminiscent of Needle, only larger and thicker. "I made this for you, and a set of armour to go with it. If you intend on fighting... you'd best do it well."
She took the blade. It was extremely light, and very clearly perfect Edricarian Steel.
An armoured wooden mannequin appeared to the left, emerging from a purple portal.
"I believe I got your measurements just right..."
"... Is that why a crow latched onto me once?" Arya raised a slight eyebrow.
"I think that was me, yes," Edric chuckled.
"It seems that I wasn't merely popular with the birds," Arya remarked.
She had noticed ravens, crows and the like observing her quite often throughout the years.
"I suppose we're at least a bit even on the stalking bit, eh?" Edric smiled slightly. "I did notice you being a little nosy earlier. How much did you see, exactly?"
"More than I would've liked."
"You had no care of anything around you," Raiden remarked, glancing at Edric.
"I was in a certain kind of mood. To be fair, if you cared enough, you'd have tossed me a few leagues to the side."
"... That's precisely what I'll do next time."
"Anyway, Arya, if there is anything that you need from me, do let me know."
"Any requests that I might've had are ill-fitting," Arya shook her head.
"... I see," Edric nodded. "Well, I'll be leaving this with you. I have to take a closer look at the state of the North."
"Farewell, Your Grace."
"See you around."
[Edric's POV]
"She's blossomed quite brilliantly," Raiden remarked. "I'd imagine she is one of the more powerful vision wielders in your Realm."
"It would not surprise me," I nodded. "She always had a strong will."
"I thought that our circumstances were unfavourable, but I've realised that she had a far shorter end. If she were older, would you have turned to Daenerys?"
"... I don't know," I replied. "And there's no use in speculating on it."
"True enough."
I closed my eyes and saw through my network of birds. Winterfell was covered by a mist. Everything around it was freezing cold to the point where I wouldn't be able to even see it without my vessel dying off. Bear Island, the Dreadfort, Karhold, the Last Hearth and even White Harbour had been taken...
The Night King hadn't wasted a single moment.
Wights roamed in every major hold north of Winterfell. Many notable figures had been turned into Others... living relics of my failure to protect them. I shouldn't have flown to the Night Queen...
Then again, would I have survived the stab to the heart otherwise?
The royal army had passed the Crossroads Inn and was approaching the Bite. Meanwhile, a host of undead was gathering at Moat Cailin. They would not give entrance to the North without a fight. More concerningly, I discovered something that had slipped by my network.
The Night King's champion had flown past atop a mount similar to his master's... passing Harrenhal. Even at Viserion's greatest speed, I wouldn't be able to catch him.
How many artificial 'dragons' does this bastard have?
I immediately sought out Arthur.
"Edric?"
"Make haste for Storm's End... don't waste even a moment."
"Yes, Your Grace."
As I ordered, he didn't waste any time.
If there were two of these undead creatures flying about already, what were the chances that there were even more?
I couldn't reach Storm's End in time, but... Winterfell was another question.
It seemed like playing it safe wasn't in my cards.
"Raiden... are you prepared to fight?" I inquired.
"Of course," Raiden nodded. "Since we... connected, I do feel that I've gained more power."
"... I see," I nodded. "Find Arya and Jaime. There's no time to waste."
"Would they make enough of a difference to warrant risking their lives... or being burdens?"
"I believe so."
The Tree of the End...
I was more than motivated to burn down the core of the Other's magic and end this conflict once and for all.