As per custom, Fili sent a raven ahead to give word.
Although the Old Bear had a talking raven by his side, it wasn't the same as the communicable species before him.
Amidst the tense atmosphere of the Nights Watch, the soldiers of Harrenhal arrived before Black Castle in a massive swarm.
Because Roman Rivers feared an emergency, the Heavy Cavalry and Heavy Infantry were all fully armored, surging forward like a silver tide.
"What does Harrenhal want? Are they here to provide support?"
"Could they be here to seize The Wall?"
"This place is freezing; why seize it? To bare teeth at the Wildlings?"
The Old Bear ignored the idle gossip, his attention fixed solely on Roman.
On Roman's side, something unexpected happened; he felt his body becoming uncoordinated, a feeling that grew stronger the closer he got to The Wall.
"What's going on? Is the magic of The Wall affecting me?"
Enduring the discomfort, Roman dismounted and walked before the Old Bear.
"Commander Mormont, a pleasure to meet you. I am Roman, here on behalf of Lady Helaena to aid the Nights Watch."
The Old Bear looked at the pale Roman and shook his hand. "A pleasure. Maester Aemon told me that Harrenhal had produced a young and promising heir; I assume that is you."
The Commander looked at the crates of supplies behind Roman and said, "Give my regards to Lady Helaena."
After brief pleasantries, Roman quickly directed men to move the supplies.
The items Harrenhal brought this time were different from before; not only had the quantity doubled, but the quality had also changed drastically.
Winter clothing, basic food, various canned goods, a wide variety of ironware, and various herbs.
"These... were produced by Harrenhal?" The Old Bear found it hard to believe.
He had taken over supplies from Harrenhal a year ago, but never had it been so extravagant; even luxury items like glass were brought out in crates as if they cost nothing.
"Harrenhal is indeed very different now. You have governed the territory well, Ser Roman."
"I don't deserve such praise; I am just a child supported by Lady Helaena. Now, could you please brief me on the recent situation at The Wall, Commander?"
The Old Bear nodded and began leading Roman on a tour of Black Castle and The Wall.
Meanwhile, Fili released her raven to scout the surroundings; Roman had told her to be careful of Wildlings sneaking across.
Roman listened to the Old Bear's introduction while looking up at the awe-inspiring Wall.
So tall, so wide—how could the Nights Watch, with its current meager force, possibly defend such a behemoth?
Come to think of it, it was already quite a feat that only a few Wildlings had slipped through under such defense. The structures Martin built were so grand, yet the manpower was ridiculously low.
Roman couldn't help but feel a sense of absurdity; Harrenhal was the same, which was why Roman had to go to such lengths to recruit people.
At the end of the tour, Roman couldn't help but remark to the Old Bear, "As a vital facility for defending against northern enemies, is it really okay for The Wall to be manned only by non-regular military forces? How would you respond if a great enemy appeared?"
The Old Bear was well aware of the Nights Watch's weakness, but there was nothing he could do.
"We can only take it one step at a time."
Later, the two took the Counterweight Elevator to the top of The Wall, where Roman's discomfort grew even stronger.
Standing high and looking into the distance, the land was a vast expanse of white, with only a few high peaks visible. Roman felt as if the snow were flowing, and he sensed countless eyes watching him.
Roman's mind grew increasingly muddled, and he gradually found it hard to stand steady. The Old Bear noticed the abnormality and, thinking it was a fear of heights, hurried over to support him.
Just then, Roman focused his mind and finally found the source of his discomfort.
It was a pair of inhuman blue eyes, staring directly into Roman's own.
The Night King, leader of the White Walkers, was looking at Roman. In that instant, they both returned to that misty scene.
Just like Roman's dream from years ago, but now the Night King could touch Roman; he reached out, wanting to seize the dragon before him.
At that moment, the magic within Roman's body finally went out of control.
He snapped awake from the dream and brushed off the Old Bear. "Don't come over! Everyone, stay back!!"
Roman ran frantically toward an empty stretch of ice on The Wall. The Old Bear tried to rush forward to stop him, fearing Roman would fall off.
But in the next instant, the Old Bear saw White Flame and lightning burst from Roman's body.
However, Roman did not allow this energy to explode on The Wall; otherwise, The Wall would collapse before the Night King even arrived.
Roman channeled the energy toward the sky, instantly igniting the air above The Wall.
It was evening, and the sky had already darkened. The sudden fire and roar atop The Wall instantly caught everyone's attention.
The soldiers were terrified by the changes above, but only Fili sensed it—this was Roman's doing.
The girl wasn't worried about Roman's safety because she felt her connection with the surrounding creatures grow tighter, and Roman's magical aura became even thicker.
As Roman's Apostle, she was beginning to be affected.
The magic burst above lasted only a dozen seconds, but the dissipating heat still left the Old Bear and the guards drenched in sweat.
"Ser Roman, are you alright?!"
The Old Bear tried to help Roman up, but was stopped. "I saw the White Walkers; they are gathering in the north. It's time to prepare!"
"But the White Walkers have been gone for thousands of years. How could they appear now?" the Old Bear countered.
But Roman held out his right hand, White Flame and lightning dancing in his palm.
"If a being like me has appeared in Westeros, why can't the White Walkers emerge from the Land of Always Winter?"
Seeing the Old Bear's look of disbelief, Roman said, "Commander Jeor, you forget that dragons were still soaring over Westeros just over a hundred years ago."
It wasn't that the Old Bear didn't understand these things; his duty as Commander of the Nights Watch was to defend against Wildlings and White Walkers. It was just that the White Walkers had been gone for millennia, so everyone's focus was entirely on the Wildlings.
Roman remembered that dragons were closely linked to the magic of Westeros; without dragons, magic began to wane, and the winters in Westeros grew colder.
"Could it be that the Night King has noticed my existence?"
Roman wasn't worried about the Night King coming for him; there was magic within The Wall, and White Walkers and wights could not approach.
As long as the White Walkers didn't get a dragon, it would be a long time before they could break through The Wall.
If the Seven Kingdoms united, the White Walkers wouldn't actually be that hard to deal with.
But the difficulty lay in the fact that Westeros was destined not to unite; even with a great enemy at the gates, some vermin would still choose to line their own pockets.
They wouldn't feel fear until the blade struck their own faces.
Seeing Roman sink into solemn contemplation, the Old Bear said, "There is no proof yet of the White Walkers' appearance, but the Nights Watch will begin to monitor news in that regard. Thank you for your help, Ser Roman. The Hean Family will always be our friend!"
Ignoring Roman's protests, the Old Bear insisted on taking him down to Black Castle to rest.
At that moment, the Old Bear discovered that although Roman's fire and lightning were terrifying, as long as he had no intent to kill, the White Flame was merely a warm flicker that couldn't even burn others.
Once they reached Black Castle, Fili couldn't help but rush forward to check if Roman was injured.
After a careful inspection, Fili still held onto Roman tightly, fearing he might encounter another mishap.
Facing the nervous and uneasy Nights Watch members below, the Old Bear dismissed them to eat in the name of the Seven.
As for the Harrenhal soldiers, they were relieved to see Roman and Jeor unharmed; they knew very well what that White Flame was.
At night, the group stayed at Black Castle, and Fili, under the pretext of checking Roman's body, lingered on his bed.
"Fili, I suspect your true purpose isn't as simple as an inspection, is it?"
"Hehe~ Lord Roman, you didn't refuse either."
Looking at the giggling Fili, Roman turned back to continue writing his report to Lady Helaena.
Suddenly, Roman's head was cradled by a pair of small hands.
"Fili? What are you..."
"Lord Roman, what are these two bumps on top of your head?!"