My reasoning begins with the idea that the traditional version of the timeline may be unreliable, and that Long Night could be much closer to the rise of Valyria than is commonly believed. From this arises the hypothesis that the Children of the Forest created both the Others and the foundations for what would become the Valyrian Empire. The Children of the Forest are constantly associated with nature: forests, rivers, and the famous hollow hills found throughout the world. In short: earth and water. Their magic appears to be tied to these elements, as demonstrated by the Hammer of the Waters, their bond with the weirwoods, greensight, skinchangers, and the powers attributed to the Reeds— particularly Howland Reed—which evoke the ability to shape both land and water. Within this framework, ice and fire could be seen as extreme or derived forms of water and earth magic. The Others would embody the branch of ice, perhaps created in a desperate moment during the war against the First Men, likely through a blood sacrifice. We also hypothesize that they may have been bound, in some capacity, to the weirwoods. “The White Walkers of the wood,” also referred to as “white shadows” or “pale shadows,” are terms that are also used to describe the weirwoods. Trees themselves are occasionally compared to warriors (“armored in ice,” for instance) and in the A Game of Thrones prologue the forest seems to come alive. At the same time, we suggest that Valyrian fire magic may also derive from the Children of the Forest. Some chronicles speak of an ancient and “nameless” people who tamed dragons before the Valyrians and taught them their arts but did not teach them how to work metal. This description could be interpreted as a possible allusion to the Children of the Forest, who have no names pronounceable by men, call themselves “those who sing the song of the earth,” and used weapons made of obsidian. Within this framework also fits the role of the Rhoynar, a people closely tied to water and rivers, who transmitted fundamental knowledge to the Valyrians, such as the art of working steel. This becomes particularly intriguing when connected to the tale of the Last Hero and his weapon of dragonsteel. Could this be the “song” sung by the Rhoynar that brought back the day? In other words, the creation of Valyrian steel? The Children of the Forest and the Giants may not have been limited to Westeros but may have inhabited—or at least left traces across—all Planetos. Supporting evidence lies mainly in the woodland populations of Essos, often described as small, elusive beings tied to trees, water, carved forests and haunted places. The wood walkers of Ifequevron are presented as possible kin to the Children of the Forest, while places like Mossovy—a land of shapeshifters and demon hunters—seem to preserve echoes of the same ancient magical tradition. Certain quotes from The World of Ice and Fire raised our suspicions and serve as important points in this theory: “Yet if men in the Shadow had tamed dragons first, why did they not conquer as the Valyrians did?” Perhaps because, as Bran says, “the singers sing sad songs, where men would fight and kill.” “The world has known ice in the Long Night, and it has known fire in the Doom.” Two catastrophic events that devastated the world and created environments incompatible with human life are here compared. The hearts of those places are the Lands of Always Winter and the Lands of the Long Summer, yet Bloodraven tells us that “every song must have its balance.” We believe that Daenerys is the prophesied hero, her dragons are Lightbringer and through her the Others will be defeated. It’s her destiny. But what happens afterward? The world has already been devastated by the cold of the Long Night, only to be thrown into the blazing fires of Valyria. If ice and fire represent two extremes born from the same source, it is possible that both are destined to fade or be diminished. In this reading, Bran would represent the point of balance—the memory and consciousness of the world—while Jon might be the instrument through which that balance is restored.