Chapter 524 The long night falls

 When the merchant ship entered Whispering Bay, dusk had already fallen.

 Shireen Baratheon stood on the bow of the ship, staring at a castle on the cliff, and asked the knight beside her:

“Ser Davos, is that the Tower?”

"No, Your Highness Princess." Davos shook his head, "That is the Three Towers Castle, the castle of the Cotoin family. The towering tower is much taller and more magnificent than this one."

Shireen nodded, remained silent for a moment, and then said:

"Don't call me your highness anymore...my father has surrendered to His Majesty Caesar and is no longer a king, and I am no longer a princess."

"Yes, Miss Shireen." Davos said.

The collapse of the Great Wall was also a catastrophe for Stannis Baratheon who was stationed in the Shadow Tower.

After exhausting the last remaining army, the king finally recognized the reality, took off his crown, and chose to surrender to Caesar.

Caesar graciously forgave Stannis and rewarded him with a castle in the rainforest.

Although it is far inferior to Storm's End, it still leaves some dignity for the Baratheon family and prevents it from perishing.

Moreover, after learning that Shireen wanted to study medicine, Caesar specially sent someone to send her to the school city.

You must know that the Citadel does not accept female apprentices, but under the orders of the kings of the Seven Kingdoms, they had to bow their heads and accept Shireen as a special exception.

Davos looked at the large patches of gray-black dead skin on the face and neck of the girl next to him, and secretly prayed that the Citadel could find a way to cure the sequelae of greyscale.

The ship continued to move forward, and it was not until the next morning—or it should have been the morning according to the time, although the sky was still pitch black—that they finally saw the torch that burned day and night on the top of the towering tower.

“The nights are getting longer.” Davos looked at the fire in the distance and sighed, “Maybe one day, the sun will never rise again.”

"No." Shireen clenched her fists and vowed, "His Majesty Caesar will never allow such a thing to happen."

 Caesar was a king, not a god. Davos muttered to himself, but did not say these words.

 He didn't want his pessimism to affect the girl's mood.

 Her fate was tragic enough.

 As the large ship entered the harbor, two small sailboats came over for inspection.

Davos took Shireen to negotiate, and soon their ship was allowed to dock.

After hearing the news, Sir Baelor, son of Earl Leyton Hightower, personally came to greet him with his people.

"Dear Miss Shireen, do you want to go to the Tower to take a rest? Or go directly to the school city?"

　　Although the Baratheon family has lost power, Ser Baelor still maintains due respect for Shireen.

 Because he knew that no matter what, the girl in front of him was still the king's cousin according to blood relationship.

 Furthermore, since the king is willing to forcefully break the rules of the school for her, he must also like this cousin.

“I want to go directly to the academy, is that okay?” Shireen never liked participating in social activities of nobles.

 It is not only because of her personality, but also because of the scars on her face that make her feel inferior.

"Of course, please come with me." Belle found a luxury carriage and asked Shireen to sit in it.

 The team left the port and walked through the ancient city along the maze-like streets.

Shireen opened the curtain and looked out curiously. It was dark at this time, the light of the torch could only shine a few meters away, and the entire old town was still shrouded in mysterious darkness.

 After walking for about half an hour, the team finally arrived in front of the school gate.

Shireen stared at the pair of sphinxes beside the door for a long time, until Belle came to take her out of the car.

Bachelors in gray robes passed quickly and cast curious glances at the girl.

“Dr. Nolen, this is Miss Shireen Baratheon. Miss Shireen, this Dr. Nolen is the steward on duty in the city, and she will be responsible for arranging study and life here from now on.”

 “Hello, Dr. Nolen.” Shireen raised her skirt and curtsied.

"Hello, Miss Shireen." Dr. Nolen smiled kindly, "Please follow me."

Shireen bid farewell to Ser Baelor and followed Dr. Nolen forward in the darkness.

They walked through the courtyard, passed the statue of Daeron I, and crossed several stone bridges before arriving at an ancient tower covered with ivy.

After entering the door, several apprentices without necklaces greeted the doctor. Shireen hid her face under her hood and followed the doctor up the spiral staircase.

There was a sudden clanking sound from the arched window on the wall, which startled Shireen.

“Don’t be afraid,” Dr. Nolen reassured, “it’s just a bunch of overly active crows.”

Shirin nodded, and by the light of the fire, she saw several black birds flapping their wings outside the window, as if they wanted to rush in.

They stopped outside an oak iron door.

Dr. Nolen knocked on the door.

 “Who?” A rough voice came to mind from inside the door, making no effort to hide his impatience.

"It's me. Open the door, Marwin."

Soon, the door opened and a strong middle-aged man came out.

Shireen subconsciously took a step back, because the man in front of her did not look like a knowledgeable and polite bachelor, but more like a bully on the dock.

 “What’s the matter? Nolen.”

"You have been assigned an apprentice," Dr. Nolen smiled and pulled Shireen in front of him, "Miss Shireen Baratheon, I believe you have heard of her name."

“Damn it!” Dr. Marwyn cursed unceremoniously, “This is against the rules of the city! We don’t accept women!”

"This is your Majesty's order." Dr. Nolen seemed to have expected it. He took out a letter from his arms and spread it out in front of the other party.

 “The king cannot change the rules of the castle!”

"The Cardinal Council of the City has already held a meeting and discussed it." Dr. Nolen said leisurely, "and agreed to accept Miss Shireen as an apprentice."

"Damn you, you cowards!" Dr. Marwin scolded, "Are you afraid of Caesar's dragon?"

"No matter what you think, Marwen. The Cardinal will have discussed and decided that you will be responsible for teaching Miss Shireen."

"You will regret it." Marwyn said, "The reason why women are banned in the Citadel is because they will distract us! This woman..."

As Dr. Marwin was talking, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Shireen’s gray-black skin hidden under the hood. He paused and then slowed down his tone:

 “Okay, count me out of luck, come in.”

"Yes, teacher." Shireen said goodbye to Dr. Nolen, and then entered Marvin's room with a hint of timidity.

There were books and scrolls everywhere, piles on the shelves, on the tables, and even on the floor. Faded tapestries and tattered maps covered the walls. There was a fire burning in the fireplace. Other than that, the only thing. The light comes from a tall black candle in the center of the room. After walking in, Shirin noticed that this candle was unusual. It was not an ordinary candle. The look of the flame was also very strange. It was as white as new snow and slightly flickering with black light. The strangest thing was that under the sound of opening and closing the door just now, it The flame did not fluctuate at all.

"That guy Caesar still owes me a dragon egg! Now he's giving me a girl!" Dr. Marwin muttered angrily, "Okay, don't look at it. It's a glass candle. Don't stare at it for a long time. , the eyes will not be able to bear it.”

"Oh, okay." Shirin quickly averted her eyes, only to find that the afterimage of the candle remained in her field of vision for a long time.

 “Take off your hat and let me see your face.”

"Okay..." Shireen took off her hood obediently and asked with a hint of timidity and hope, "Teacher, can you treat greyscale?"

Dr. Marwin looked at it and shook his head:

"No one knows how to cure greyscale. Removing the infected body is the only way to stop the disease from progressing. Of course, this is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Many people have amputated an arm or a leg, only to find that the disease still appears in other parts of the body. disease.

 Like you..."

"I can't cut off my head if it's on my face," Shireen said.

Dr. Marwin glanced at the girl in surprise, apparently not expecting that this timid-looking little girl actually had the courage to joke:

"Generally speaking, when symptoms spread to the face, they are often accompanied by blindness. Your situation is indeed a bit special... However, greyscale has an incubation period. Maybe one day you wake up and find that you can't see anything. .”

Shireen shrugged and said:

“I can’t see anything when I wake up in the morning. Sometimes I think it’s still late at night. Teacher, I heard that the White Walkers are going south and will bring a long night. Is this true?”

"Who knows what the legend is. However, the nights are getting longer and longer, and the **** sun actually still appears today... Huh? No, what time is it now?"

Shireen was also stunned for a moment:

“I’ve been on the boat all this time, day and night have turned upside down, and I can’t tell the difference between day and night...”

Dr. Marwin stood up suddenly and rummaged through the pile of books.

Shireen realized that the teacher was probably looking for the clock, and was about to help, but at this moment, a long bell suddenly sounded outside—

hdang—dang—dang…

Dr. Marwin stopped rummaging and counted the chimes.

Shireen was also counting silently. When the bells stopped ringing, she said with a stiff face:

"Teacher...did I count wrongly? Is it now...bat time?"

"No. You are right." Dr. Marwin said solemnly.

 The time when the sun goes down is when the sun sets, but today, the sun never rises at all.

 This also means—

“The long night has come,” Dr. Marwin announced, standing at the window.

Outside the tower, darkness shrouded everything, and a few scattered torches flickered like drowned insects.

Dr. Marwin turned around and saw that the glass candle in the room was still shining with a temperatureless light, which was dazzling, cold, and disturbing.

　　——————

 “What are they waiting for?”

On the Jingze defense line, a knight wearing a leather jacket looked at the dark north and asked.

 Three days ago, the army of corpses had arrived, but they had been wandering in circles and did not launch an attack.

Now that darkness was shrouding him, he couldn't see exactly how many corpses had gathered on the opposite side, but judging from the roars one after another and the suffocating stench filling the air, it was definitely not a small number.

 “The zombies aren’t scared anymore, are they?” someone said in a pretending to be relaxed tone.

“Is that thing scary?” Someone immediately retorted, “It’s probably waiting for the army to gather later...”

“Gather it up! Do you think there is also a human army on the other side?”

"The wights may not have humans and don't understand what assembly means, but the White Walkers should be intelligent." Jon Snow climbed to the top of the city, looking at the deep darkness ahead, his brows knitted together, "They are now The quieter it is, the more ferocious the upcoming attack will probably be."

"Jon...my lord," the knight in leather jacket asked, "Have you seen the White Walkers?"

Since becoming Rhaegal's dragon knight, Jon Snow's name suddenly spread throughout the Neck defenses.

Everyone is secretly guessing how a Stark **** can ride a dragon.

Many rumors, both true and false, have emerged. Some speculate that Eddard Stark’s lover is a Targaryen, some say that Jon is actually the illegitimate son of the Mad King, and some speculate that he is the son of Prince Rhaegar and Rhaegar. Anna Stark's **** son.

However, Jon ignored these rumors.

 In his heart, Eddard Stark will always be his father.

Since this matter involved his father's reputation and credibility, he believed that even if he really wanted to clarify the matter, he should seek his father's opinion first.

 But... where is the father now?

"I have seen White Walkers." Jon said, suppressing his inner worry, "They are completely different creatures from the wights, and they are indeed intelligent. Therefore, we cannot take it lightly."

“According to this, the ghouls are really waiting for their companions to gather together before launching an attack together?”

"Maybe." Jon nodded, but then shook his head, "Or maybe, they are waiting for an opportunity."

 “What kind of timing?”

“Do any of you remember what time it is?” Jon asked.

 “It seems that just after bat time...” someone said.

“Yes, it’s past bat time,” Jon said. “Another day has passed, but when did the sun rise last time?”

It was only then that everyone reacted, and their expressions changed drastically.

 The days are too short recently and it is dark most of the time, so many people are used to being shrouded in darkness.

 Until they were reminded now, they realized that after the sun set yesterday, it never rose again!

 “The long night is coming?” someone exclaimed.

"The long night is coming..." Jon said in a complicated tone. "It is said that the coming of the White Walkers will bring about a harsh winter and a never-ending long night. They are the masters of winter and the messengers of darkness... Maybe they are waiting for this. For a moment, wait until the long night comes and their strength reaches its peak before they attack again.”

 “So...the White Walkers are about to attack?”

 “It should be soon…”

As soon as he finished speaking, dense footsteps sounded in the darkness in the north.

The sound became louder and louder, gradually connecting into one, spreading rapidly like an avalanche.

 Later, the whole earth began to shake, as if something extremely terrifying was about to burst out of the darkness.

 “Blow the trumpet!” Jon shouted immediately, “The enemy is attacking!”

 (End of this chapter)