Chapter 515 Children of the Forest

When Samwell returned to the ground, the wind and snow had stopped.

It was just after noon, but the sky was dark, and it seemed that night would fall next moment.

Since the collapse of the Great Wall of Despair, the days have been shortening at an accelerated pace, and it may not be long before the endless night will envelope this continent.

Samwell was walking in the snow, but his mind was always thinking about the sleeping giant he had just seen deep underground.

Legend has it that in the distant Age of Heroes, there was a "Fort Builder" Brandon in the Stark family.

This man once drove the giants to build several miraculous buildings in Westeros, including the Great Wall, Storm's End, the Tower, and of course Winterfell.

So, could the giant underground be related to this person?

 Why does the Horn of Winter move differently?

There are also legends that Qiaoman, the king beyond the wall, blew the horn of winter, awakening the giants in the underground and ending the rule of the Night King.

  Could it be said that this Winter Horn can really awaken the giant we just saw?

 Samwell stroked the horn that was still slightly hot, but did not try to blow it.

 The legend is not believable.

 He also didn’t know whether the giant underground was an enemy or a friend.

 It’s even less clear what the price of blowing the trumpet will be.

 The most urgent task is to let the northerners move south and establish a new line of defense in the neck. There is no need to create extraneous problems.

Thinking of this, Samwell returned to the main castle, only to see Mrs. Caitlin anxiously spinning around at the door of the hall.

 “What’s wrong?” he stepped forward and asked.

"Sorry, Your Majesty, Arya is missing." Lady Catelyn said, "This child always likes to run around!"

 Samwell had no choice but to comfort him with a few words.

At this time Sansa took a few steps closer and whispered:

“Your Majesty, Arya must be hiding.”

“Oh?” Samwell glanced at the girl next to him, “Your sister doesn’t want to leave with me?”

 Sansa shook her head and whispered:

"Actually...I don't want to leave...I just don't have the courage of Arya."

"Leaving also requires courage." Samwell said, "The South is not an absolutely safe paradise, and this evacuation is not an escape. There will be more difficult battles waiting for us in the future."

 Sansa was silent for a while and then said:

 “Sorry, Your Majesty, I have caused you trouble.”

Samwell smiled and saw Mrs. Catelyn walking over holding the hand of her youngest son Rickon and said:

"Your Majesty, Arya probably won't be found for a while. The situation is urgent, and I can't waste your time. So, please take Sansa and Rickon with you first."

"Okay." Samwell didn't want to delay. "Be careful. Always pay attention to the north. If you see traces of the ghoul army, evacuate in time. Don't resist."

 “Yes, Your Majesty.”

So, after a brief farewell, Samwell took Sansa and Rickon on the white dragon and headed south.

The sky is dark and gloomy, and the cold wind is howling.

Sansa hugged her brother and huddled behind Samwell, using his broad body to block the oncoming wind.

Looking back, Winterfell grew smaller and smaller until she could cover it with one finger.

 Her cheeks turned cold, and Sansa realized she was crying again.

 “We will come back.” The man’s voice sounded, with a warm and soothing power.

"Yes." She nodded heavily, "I believe that your Majesty, you will lead us to drive away the White Walkers and regain the land."

White Dragon moved very quickly, heading south along the King's Avenue, and soon passed the Tomb of the Ancestors.

Sansa fell into a drowsy sleep. When she woke up, she saw that it was already bright and the three broad rivers below converged together, stretching eastward like silvery satin.

 That's the Trident River.

Sansa realizes that she has left the North behind.

But it was also cold in the south at this time. When I lowered my head and looked down, I could see nothing but a vast expanse of white.

Rickon also woke up at this time. Sansa took out dry food, fed it to her brother, and loudly asked the king in front:

 “Your Majesty, would you like something to eat?”

Samwell turned around and waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need it.

After gnawing on the cold and hard bread, Sansa saw a huge and blackened castle in front of her.

Five tall towers stand on the lakeside, like five black fingers pointing to the sky.

 “Is that Harrenhal? Your Majesty.”

"Yes."

The white dragon flew over the devastated castle.

Sansa noticed that this gloomy castle was much larger than Winterfell. Among the five towers, the shortest one was twice as tall as the tallest building in Winterfell.

It is a pity that this once the number one castle in the Seven Kingdoms has been destroyed by dragon flames, and now only the charred ruins remain.

At that time, "Conqueror" Aegon used the ruins of Harrenhal to prove to the seven kingdoms that even hiding in the castle could not escape the threat of dragon flames.

After passing Harrenhal and continuing south, you will find the Lake of the God's Eye.

During the Dance of the Dragons, the two most famous dragons of the Targaryen family, Vhagar and Krakhu, fought here, and both fell.

It is said that after the battle, the water of Divine Eye Lake was dyed red with the blood of the dragon.

However, the God's Eye Lake that Sansa saw at this time was blue and pure, just like the eyes of the earth.

 She also noticed that the white dragon actually started to swoop down.

 In the center of Shenyan Lake, there is a small island called Qianmian Island.

 Legend has it that it was here that the children of the forest and the ancestors signed an oath, ending the fight between them.

　　also announced the end of the Dawn Era and the beginning of the Heroic Era.

　　Bang!

 The white dragon landed heavily, and the whole island trembled slightly.

“Your Majesty, do you want to rest here?”

 “You guys wait here for a while.”

 Samwell jumped off the dragon's back and strode towards the center of the island.

There are hundreds of weirwood trees planted on Thousand Faces Island, and each tree is carved with a face. Bright red sap flows from their eyes like blood, as if they are crying silently.

Samwell walked through the woods, knotted tree trunks spreading around him like twisted monsters.

 “Come out, I see you.” He said.

The sound broke the silence in the forest, causing the snow on the treetops to fall rustlingly.

 A pair of alert and timid eyes loomed among the dense branches.

"I mean no harm." Samwell said again, "I am also the king of the First Men, and I respect the oath signed by the First Men and the Children of the Forest."

Hearing this, a figure finally jumped out from the shadows of the woods.

 “Are you Caesar?” The girl’s voice was sweet and high-pitched, with a hint of strange rhythm and a hint of sadness that hit her heart. She was only about one meter tall, covered in a cloak of leaves, and her exposed arms were densely covered with pattern spots like a doe's.

The eyes are large and clear, with a blend of gold and green, and are as long and narrow as a cat's eye.

These are not human eyes.

"Yes, I am Samwell Caesar, king of the First Men, Andals and Rhoynar, ruler of the Seven Kingdoms." Samwell showed a harmless smile, "You are the children of the forest, right?"

 The girl nodded, her messy brown-red hair, twigs and withered flowers swaying on her head.

"Yes, the ancestors once called us that." The girl said, "The giants called us 'squirrel people'. But we prefer to call ourselves 'people who sing the praises of the earth'. Long before you humans set foot in Westeros, we have I have been singing praises to this land in my own language for thousands of years.”

"That's amazing," said Samwell. "Do you have a name?"

"I will have it when needed." The girl said, "You can call me Ye Zi."

“Leaves,” Samwell asked, “why are you here?”

“The monster in the darkness awakens in the north, and we have to go south.” Ye Zi said sadly, “You said you respect the oath signed by our ancestors with us?”

"Yes."

Yi Zi glanced at the man suspiciously and asked:

 “Do you know the content of the oath?”

 Samwell nodded and said:

"I know. The oath stipulates that the First Men own the coasts, plains, meadows, mountains and hills, but the lush forests will always belong to you, the children of the forest. And the First Men will never see a weirwood tree again."

 Ye Zi sighed and said:

“But you still cut down almost all the weirwoods in the south, and only Thousand Faces Island in the Lake of the God’s Eye still has them.”

"The Andals did indeed do something wrong." Samwell said, "As compensation, I can return Thousand Faces Island to you. From now on, the Children of the Forest can legally own this land. No one will bother you again. .”

"Thank you." Ye Zi showed a sweet smile. She jumped a few steps closer and said, "The Green Seer said you are a wise king, and it seems that is true."

Samwell raised his eyebrows slightly and said:

 “Have you seen the greenseer?”

 Ye Zi nodded.

 Samwell continued to ask:

“So, he was the one who asked you to go south to seek refuge?”

 Ye Zi nodded again.

A cold light flashed in Samwell’s eyes:

“So, he already knew that the Great Wall of Despair would collapse?”

Yi Zi subconsciously wanted to nod again, but when he saw that the other person's expression was wrong, he stopped awkwardly:

“Well, I understand your anger. But even if we tell you in advance, the Great Wall will still collapse, just in a different way. You can’t stop it.

Just like the Trident River, it always flows eastward into the Narrow Sea. Although it meanders along the way, its direction cannot be changed. "

 Samwell nodded expressionlessly and continued to ask:

“So, has the Green Seer told you where the story ends? Will humans defeat the Long Night? Or will the White Walkers rule Westeros?”

 Ye Zi nodded, shook his head again, and said:

“The future is always elusive, like an unformed river with thousands of possible changes along the way. And…”

 Speaking of this, she looked at the man with a strange look:

“Furthermore, according to the last green seer, there are some terrible changes in the future that even he cannot predict, because of a certain person..."

Samwell could naturally guess from the other party's expression that the Green Seer should be talking about himself.

 So, he changed the topic:

"Do you know the origin of the White Walkers? I'm talking about the real origin, not the legend."

Ye Zi said:

“I asked the greenseer the same question, and he said the White Walkers were a hoax.”

 “Scam?” Samwell thought thoughtfully, “What do you mean?”

"He didn't explain any more." Ye Zi said, "It seemed like he was afraid of something."

 Samwell was silent.

Ye Zi said again:

"The last Green Seer is dead. But the new Green Seer is in King's Landing. You should know him. Maybe you can get the answer from him."

Samwell knew that the other party was talking about Bran Stark, so he shook his head slightly and said:

 “To be honest, Ye Zi, I don’t trust these prophets.”

Yi Zi blinked his big innocent eyes, tilted his head, and said doubtfully:

"You are still telling me so much? I have served the Green Seer for a long time, until the new Green Seer went to your human castle, and I could not follow him."

"You are different from him." Samwell smiled, and then stopped worrying about this issue, "By the way, Ye Zi, have you seen this armor?"

As he spoke, he unbuttoned his cloak, revealing the bronze armor underneath.

Armor from the Royce family—

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　)

 Time is like running water, washing away everything.

But Samwell still clearly remembers the scene when Earl Bronze Yohn gave this armor to him in the temple of Tianji City.

 Also later on Blood Reef Island, the biting chill spread from the bronze armor, competing with the power of the Red God hidden in the giant sword [Dawn].

 This gave Samwell a chance to avoid the fate of becoming a puppet of the gods.

 So this armor has always been worn by Samwell, even though he is now almost invincible and does not need armor for self-defense.

"I've seen it." Ye Zi took one look and nodded immediately, "It is the armor given to the Night Watch Legion by the gods. There are seven sets in total. But most of them are lost."

“Gods?” Samwell demanded. “Which god?”

"They are the ancient gods." Ye Zi said, "Oh, you humans now call them the old gods."

 Samwell seemed to understand something. A certain mystery that had been bothering him for a long time was finally answered at this moment.

 He once thought that this bronze armor was a gift from the God of Cold, but many things that happened later were contrary to this.

So, he had another guess.

Now it seems that if the son of the forest in front of him is not lying, then this guess seems to be the truth.

Humistically, as the spokesperson of the old gods, the Green Seer, also known as the Three-Eyed Crow, should have no ill intentions towards him.

Thinking of this, Samwell felt that after returning to King's Landing, he really should have a frank talk with Bran Stark.

 Perhaps we can get more answers.

“Ziye, are you willing to come to King’s Landing with me?”

Ye Zi was stunned for a moment, a trace of hesitation and confusion flashed in his golden-green eyes.

 But in the end, she still shook her head:

"It's better not to do it. You humans like killing and hating too much, but we just want the forest."

 “Okay, then goodbye, Ye Zi.” Samwell didn’t force it.

 “Goodbye, Caesar.”

After the king left, little heads popped up in the woods. They jumped out of the shadows and came to the leaves, communicating in an ancient language they couldn't understand.

Chirping, chirping, squeaking.

 The woods of Qianmian Island suddenly became lively.

 (End of this chapter)