In front of Arya, the candle waited. Carefully placed in the wildfire. It was enough to light it... and run.
But her feet wouldn't move.
Her fingers wouldn't obey.
Silence surrounded her.
The signal hadn't come.
The entire plan revolved around a single moment: certainty. And now, that certainty had vanished.
The city above her was collapsing. A roar from a wounded dragon. An impact. Fire. Debris. Silence.
Was it now?
Was it too late?
Too soon?
Were Jon and Daenerys alive?
Had the Night King arrived?
She had no way of knowing.
No one knew.
Only her.
Then, in the midst of that doubt, she heard it.
A voice.
Distant.
Ancient.
Barely a whisper, as if it emerged from the stones themselves or from some buried corner of her memory.
No tone.
No face.
Just a phrase.
"Burn them all."
For an instant, Arya remained motionless.
Heart beating forcefully.
Mind trapped.
The echo enveloped her like smoke entering a wound.
Was it real?
Was it hers?
Was the city speaking to her?
Or was it the weight of fear, of fire, of history itself?
The Mad King's madness reappearing in a Stark?
A warning?
An order?
She remembered her father's face.
Syrio's words.
The list of names.
The path traveled.
Everything she had done.
Everything she had lost.
Maybe this was the end.
Maybe her destiny was not to survive, but to be the hand that destroyed everything... so that others could live.
But... what if it wasn't the moment?
What if she activated the candle too early?
Would this be the opportunity to defeat the Night King?
She took a step toward the candle.
Her hand trembled.
"Just do it."
"Do it and run."
"End this."
But she didn't.
She closed her eyes.
Breathed deeply.
There was no certainty.
And without certainty... nothing else could burn.
She took her bow.
Secured the dragonglass arrows on her back.
And began to run through the tunnels.
The plan had failed.
Or maybe not.
Maybe it wasn't the moment yet.
Maybe there was still an opportunity to use the wildfire... but not like this.
Not blindly.
Not without knowing.
If she failed now, there wouldn't be a second time.
So she chose to wait.
Choosing not to destroy everything... was also a way to fight.