parentshiftbook Chapter 1 Meteor
Chapter 1 Meteor
Westeros, Conquest Year 299.
A red comet carved a wound across the sky, its long tail scattering a crimson hue of blood and fire across the world.
Its radiance has grown ever brighter over time, and it is now clearly visible even in daylight.
However, the comet had been visible for over a month, so much so that people in Westeros and Essos across the Narrow Sea had long been accustomed to its presence and had their own interpretations and names for it.
In King's Landing, those in the palace called him King Joffrey's Comet, while the citizens called him the Red Messenger or the Dragon Tail.
In the doctrines of the Seven Gods faith, it is the sword that cuts down the seasons.
Within the Night's Watch, the brothers jokingly referred to it as Mormont's Torch.
The comet has a Dothraki name, Syrac Quea, which means "the star that weeps blood."
So many different things.
When the Red Comet first appeared, Daenerys Targaryen, a descendant of Targaryens, saw it as a sign that Drogo would ride his fiery steed into the Night Kingdom.
As she cremated her husband's body, the bloodline of the true dragon guided her into the flames, whereupon a demonic dragon that had been extinct for over a hundred years was hatched.
Apart from that, the people of this world did not feel any change due to the arrival of the red comet; only the academy sent out white ravens to signify the end of summer.
This summer, lasting ten years and two months, was the longest in people's memory, but most people were completely unaware of it, including the kings and nobles, because the War of the Five Kings, which was sweeping through Westeros, was in full swing.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the sky unnoticed by anyone, a faintly bright meteor flashed by, briefly intersecting with the comet's tail.
Since it was daytime, even the best-eyed lookouts on ocean-going ships would have difficulty observing this sight, unless some idle scholar happened to be carefully observing the sky with a lens from Mill.
Even so, most people who see it probably won't care.
However, by the time the meteor crossed the Narrow Sea and arrived above the Valley of Erin, the light it emitted was no longer simply a reflection of sunlight;
When it reached the central North, a golden-red meteor could be seen with the naked eye flying rapidly northward from Winterfell.
As it flew over the towering, nearly 500-kilometer-long Great Wall of Despair that stretched between the mountains and the ocean, it transformed into a dazzling fireball with a faint trail, plummeting straight north into the depths of the Ghost Shadow Forest.
Meanwhile, inside the Night's Watch fortress known as Castle Black, two brothers dressed in black, one fat and one thin, were descending the steep stone steps to the ground.
One of them is Jon Snow, the bastard son of the Duke of Winterfell, who currently serves as an officer to Jeor Mormont, the Commander of the Night's Watch, known as "Old Bear"; the other is Samwell Tarly, the eldest son of the Earl of Hornhill, who serves Maester Aemon.
They were all wearing black cloaks, the hems of which crackled and sputtered in the strong, cold wind.
Just now, Samwell, on the maester's orders, went down into the cellar to search for maps for the commander in preparation for the upcoming border tour.
A large white wolf was sleeping under the fence of the barn. When the two approached, the wolf immediately got up and followed them, its fluffy tail standing straight up like a dog's.
Samwell squinted at the Great Wall above him, his eyes filled with longing. He felt that the 700-foot-high frozen cliff was so cold and heavy, as if it were the end of the world.
The thought of leaving this icy wall and heading north into the perilous frontier to command the ravens for the Rangers sent shivers twitching through Samwell's stomach.
A few wispy gray clouds drifted across the sky, but the blood-red tail of the comet was still visible.
The brothers in black called this wandering star from the sky "Mormont's Torch," half-jokingly saying that it must have been sent by the gods to guide the old man through the Ghost Forest.
Samwell could sense the discontent from the Black Brothers from this joke; he was always more sensitive to such emotions than others.
"This comet is so bright, you can see it clearly even in daylight."
Samwell held up a stack of books to cover his eyes.
"Forget about the comet, what Old Xiong wants is the map."
Jon spoke hastily, but as soon as he opened his mouth, a gust of cold wind blew through his throat. This time, however, Samwell did not obey him as usual.
Jon felt his arm being pulled.
"Look, it's a fireball!"
He heard Sam exclaim in a surprised voice.
A fireball? How is it different from a red comet?
As Jon thought this, he looked up and followed Sam's outstretched hand; in fact, he could see it clearly without any guidance.
It was a completely different entity from the red comet. Its speed was obviously much faster than that of the red comet, but it was also much closer to the ground. If the red comet was a sharp blade slowly cutting through the sky, then this meteor was an arrow rapidly shooting towards its target.
The arrow's fletching is pale white.
Jon couldn’t find the words to describe it more precisely, and in just a few breaths, the meteor flew over the Wall and headed toward the frontier.
"Oh!" Samwell let out a sigh full of emotion.
"What's wrong? It's just a big shooting star. Are you going to make a wish on it like a little girl?"
Believe me, even if the shooting star were twice as big, your wish wouldn't come true, unless all you wanted was a new pair of boots—I can just give you a pair.
Although Jon felt that the fleeting meteor was indeed unusual, he didn't really take it seriously. He had grown tired of seeing the red comet these past few days, and he was also tired of hearing all sorts of strange legends and mysterious speculations from the Black Brothers.
His mind was filled with the upcoming expedition beyond the Great Wall, both to fulfill his long-cherished dream of becoming a Ranger and to find his missing uncle, Benjen Stark.
Although he is not yet a Ranger.
"You don't understand, Jon."
Samwell licked his lips and said:
"A fireball, destined to fall to the earth, is a rare sight even in the thickest history books of Westeros... Have you heard of the Starfall City of House Dayne in Dorne?"
Jon became interested and nodded in response:
"Of course, I've heard the story of Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Dawn, since I was a child. The instructors at Winterfell have told me more than once that my father, Lord Eddard Stark, defeated him at the Battle of the Tower of Joy and then returned his clan sword, Dawn, to Starfall."
Samwell said:
"That's how it is. Legend has it that the first Dane followed the falling star to the mouth of the turbulent river, discovered the magic meteorite, and built a city there. His family used the meteorite's core to forge the legendary sword 'Dawn'."
"So what? Are you also going to chase after a fiery meteor, forge a sword, and build a castle?"
Jon Snow joked with him.
"If I had that kind of courage, I'd rather just go home and inherit Lord Tali's castle and 'Heartbreak'."
Samwell shrugged and said with a self-deprecating laugh.
It was because of his cowardly nature that Sam was stripped of his inheritance by his father, Randyll Tarly, and sent to the Wall to become a member of the Night's Watch. The Valyrian steel sword "Heartbreaker," which originally belonged to him, would also be inherited by his brother.
Seeing this, Jon couldn't bear to tease him anymore, so he dragged him to report to the Commander-in-Chief.
But Samwell seemed a little unsatisfied, muttering something like he might suggest that the Commander-in-Chief go and take a look, and if they found any meteorite iron, he could have Donald Noy, the blacksmith at Castle Black, try to forge a few divine weapons.
Jon Snow didn't take Sam's words to heart, because he knew that Old Man Bear wouldn't change the marching route just because of some unfounded legend.
Besides, he already has long claws.
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The Night Watchmen on the Wall weren't the only ones to see the fireball.
In the cold and vast hills and forests north of the Great Wall, countless wild people, whether living in groups or wandering, witnessed a meteor falling, but no one could explain what it was.
In this land at the edge of the world, the free people mostly record history by word of mouth, but their ancestors did not leave behind similar legends, let alone know the family stories of a certain southern noble family on the other side of the continent.
Most people were indifferent to this and continued their march toward the desolate ice mountain range known as Frostfang, because their leader, the King Beyond the Wall, Mance Red, was summoning them.
Some people believed this was an auspicious sign of God descending to earth, so they lingered in the same spot, praying and worshipping in all sorts of strange and unusual ways;
A few people were eager to try searching in the direction the star had fallen, but when the shapeshifters donned eagle feathers and observed the approximate location of the meteor from afar, they immediately abandoned the idea.
It is located deep in the Ghost Forest on the edge of the Land of Eternal Winter, where ghouls with eerie blue eyes roam and even more terrifying white ghosts wander. Even the bravest and most fearless warriors dare not linger there.
The only remaining spy also gave up.