The three-eyed raven's body was as rigid as a sculpture.
Deep in Lynn's consciousness, the ancient, vast voice had vanished completely.
In its place was a deathly, blank silence.
The room was terrifyingly quiet. Only the occasional snap of a log in the hearth reminded them that life still existed here.
Winter's three little heads seemed to sense the stagnant atmosphere.
They stopped their play, turning in unison to stare at the raven on the floor, low growls of warning rumbling in their throats.
"What, cat got your tongue?"
Lynn's voice shattered the suffocating silence.
He didn't look at the raven. Instead, he idly scratched the fine scales under the jaw of Winter's central head.
His movements were relaxed, as if admiring a newly acquired trophy.
"Or perhaps, I should be more explicit."
Lynn's gaze finally shifted from Winter.
It landed heavily on the raven, which dared not move a muscle.
"That altar beyond the Wall. That so-called dragon egg. It wasn't some accidental discovery."
"It was a trap you set."
"Bait that had been waiting there for gods know how many years."
The three-eyed raven's body trembled almost imperceptibly.
"You knew the dragon egg was there, but you couldn't take it, and you certainly couldn't hatch it."
Lynn continued peeling back the layers of the Three-Eyed Raven's deepest secrets.
"You possess the vast memories of the Greenseers, but this current vessel has only half the blood of the dragon."
"Because Brynden Rivers was a bastard."
"You weren't confident you could wake it with blood magic."
"So, you needed a pawn."
"A pawn who could complete the task for you."
Lynn gave a mocking smile.
"Unfortunately for you, I became the variable in your eyes—the most suitable pawn."
"And Maester Aemon, an old man with the purest royal blood, became the necessary sacrifice in your plan."
"If you were truly his uncle, you wouldn't have chosen to sacrifice him."
"But you were luring him all along."
"From that alone, I can determine you are not Bloodraven!"
"You guided everything, step by step."
"You guided me to find the egg. You guided Maester Aemon to make his sacrifice."
"Your goal was simply to bring this dragon back into the world."
Bloodraven remained silent.
But the look in his blood-red eye was no longer one of shock.
It was the terror of being completely exposed.
"Dragonfire destroys magic."
Lynn's voice turned dark.
"Especially the ancient, fading magic woven into the Wall."
"Why did Silverwing refuse to fly over the Wall? Because she felt the repulsion of that magic. She also sensed the Night King waiting for her to cross."
"All it takes is one ice javelin to bring a dragon down. Then, using ice magic, turn it into an undead dragon, and use it to breach the Wall!"
"And you, Great Greenseer, you grew impatient."
"You needed a key. A key to destroy the Wall's magic ahead of schedule."
"This dragon is one of your keys."
Lynn paused, his gaze sharpening further.
"And the Horn of Winter is your second key."
"You lured me toward the Fist of the First Men. On the surface, you offered me a choice. But in reality, no matter which path I chose, the result would be helping you breach the Wall."
"Get the horn, blow it, the Wall falls."
"Get the dragon, use its fire to burn away the Wall's magical foundations, the result is the same."
"You bet everything on me."
"A fine calculation indeed."
After Lynn finished speaking, the room fell into a long silence again.
Indeed, this was exactly what the Night King had planned in the other timeline. When Daenerys flew north, Viserion was killed and turned, becoming the key to bringing down the Wall.
Winter seemed to grow impatient.
The smallest head on the right, the one with red eyes, suddenly spat a small puff of black smoke mixed with sparks at the raven on the floor.
Startled, the three-eyed raven flapped its wings and hopped back clumsily.
And in that moment.
The ancient voice finally sounded in Lynn's mind once more.
Only this time, it held none of its lofty majesty. Only a dryness that could almost be called "weakness."
"...We can cooperate."
Lynn raised an eyebrow.
"Cooperate?"
"Yes. Cooperate."
The three-eyed raven's voice grew urgent.
It had finally placed Lynn on equal footing—perhaps even higher.
"Everything you said is correct."
"I admit, I tried to guide you. To use you."
"But I bear no malice."
Bloodraven spoke quickly, as if afraid Lynn would leave to burn his physical body in the next second.
"We share a common enemy!"
"The Night King is merely a puppet! A walking corpse I pushed to the stage!"
"The truly terrifying thing is what created him!"
"It is the Great Other lurking in the deepest reaches of the Land of Always Winter! It is the darkness itself!"
"That is the Long Night that ends all things!"
"I need the power of this dragon. But more than that, I need your power!"
"A power unbound by fate, capable of seeing through all mists!"
For the first time, a note of pleading entered the Three-Eyed Raven's voice.
"Help me, Lynn."
"No... help us."
"Together, we can stand against the Great Other. We can end this eternal war."
"I can tell you everything I know. The secrets buried in the river of time, the true gods that exist, and the essence of ancient magic!"
"We can be the guardians... of this world."
Lynn listened quietly.
He didn't answer immediately.
The terms the Three-Eyed Raven offered were tempting.
The knowledge and secrets held by an ancient monster who had lived for thousands of years were invaluable.
But Lynn knew better.
To bargain with a tiger was to risk being eaten.
He looked at the humbled raven on the floor, then at the three-headed hatchling by his feet, so dependent on him.
After a long while.
He spoke slowly.
"I can consider it."
"But first, I need to see your sincerity!"
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