Lynd did not personally escort Reed and his sister to The Wall. Just as they were leaving the Haunted Forest, they happened to encounter a patrol of Night's Watch rangers.
He handed Reed, his sister, and the others over to the patrol to be taken back to Castle Black. At the same time, he wrote a letter for Leaf to deliver to the Sisters of Redemption stationed there, asking them to arrange for someone to escort them to Summerhall.
After making these arrangements, Lynd immediately set off for the Fist of the First Men, eager to meet the elf White Walker—perhaps a survivor from an ancient civilization that existed before the Long Night. He was impatient to finally hear answers to the countless questions that had baffled scholars for generations, such as who built The Wall, and how the White Walkers first came into being.
Since he no longer needed to look after anyone else, Lynd chose to fly straight over the Haunted Forest. It took him less than an hour to reach the sky above the Fist of the First Men, where he spotted the elf White Walker sitting beside the ruins of a sentry post, a bonfire blazing at his side.
The sky was clear and cloudless, allowing the elf White Walker to notice Lynd from afar—and he was visibly astonished to see a man flying through the air.
When Lynd landed, the elf White Walker couldn't contain his curiosity and asked in a deep voice, "How did you, a mortal, manage to wield divine power and soar through the skies?"
"Compared to the White Walkers' ability to raise the dead, my flying doesn't seem like such a big deal," Lynd replied calmly, speaking as naturally as if chatting with an old friend.
"It's not the same! Not the same!" the elf White Walker shook his head emphatically. "The sky, death, and resurrection—those are the domains of the gods. Wights are not truly resurrected; they only seem to be. In truth, they are still just corpses. You must have seen Jon Snow—his condition is true resurrection, a gift only gods can bestow, just like flight."
Lynd countered, "What about Benjen? Didn't you turn him into a White Walker?"
"You've seen Benjen too? It seems fate already entwined us back in that underground vault," the elf White Walker said, looking at Lynd with slight surprise. "Benjen never died. As he neared death, I transformed him into a White Walker—just as my own kin were transformed long ago." He stared at Lynd and added, "I didn't expect anyone could still become one of the Old Ones. I thought the gods..."
The elf White Walker suddenly stopped mid-sentence, as if something prevented him from continuing. He looked up at the sky, an expression of anger flashing across his face, but it quickly faded. He turned and went back to the bonfire, as if trying to absorb its warmth into his cold body.
"Was what you were about to say forbidden?" Lynd walked over and sat by the fire, asking.
"Don't bother asking. You'll find out one day for yourself. After all, you've already transformed this far—taking one more step forward shouldn't be difficult for someone like you," the elf White Walker replied, speaking with deliberate mystery. Then he introduced himself. "My name is Peinan. That's the simplified version in your language. In our own tongue, it would be quite the tongue-twister for humans."
Lynd introduced himself as well. "Lynd Tarran."
Peinan nodded slightly and said, "I know you must have many questions. I'll answer them one by one. And I'll also help you fight against the White Walkers moving south."
Lynd, puzzled, asked, "Why? Aren't they your kin?"
Peinan shook his head. "No. They are not my kin. My people died before the arrival of the Eternal Winter—killed in a conspiracy of the gods."
"A conspiracy of the gods?" Lynd asked curiously. "Can you tell me more about how your people became White Walkers?"
"I'm sorry, I don't remember," Peinan shook his head.
"You don't remember?" Lynd frowned. Just moments ago, Peinan had promised to answer his questions, and now he claimed not to remember the first one.
Peinan sighed and explained, "If I had just awakened from the sacred coffin, I could have answered your questions. But now... the side effects of my transformation are worsening. My memory is rapidly fading. Many memories have already disappeared. Maybe when everything is gone, I'll turn into one of those White Walkers who hate all life."
"How much do you still remember?" Lynd asked, trusting Peinan's words.
Peinan fell silent for a moment, then spoke thoughtfully. "I still remember the arrival of the Long Night and Eternal Winter. I remember our kin in the North abandoning everything to migrate south. We carried out the greatest sacrifice ever recorded, offering ourselves to the gods and praying for a way to end the Long Night. In the end, the gods responded. They gave us a method—one that required us to seek out a mysterious being that only awakens during the Long Night. From that being, we obtained a form of immortality. But it wasn't the immortality we had hoped for. In the end, we became what we are now—undying, yet not truly alive, doomed to suffer forever."
He looked at Lynd and added, "I want to form an alliance with you—to destroy the White Walkers and put an end to my people's suffering."
"Suffering?" Lynd asked, curious. "What kind of suffering?"
"It's impossible to describe—but I can let you feel it." Peinan extended his hand toward Lynd, motioning for him to take it.
Lynd looked at the outstretched hand. After a brief hesitation, he removed his gauntlet and reached out, touching the White Walker's hand.
The moment their skin met, Lynd felt himself sink into an overwhelming emptiness. A powerful hunger for life surged up inside him, wiping out all other emotions until it became the only thing he could feel. That sensation alone sparked a violent urge to destroy all living things.
But that wasn't the worst of it. What truly tormented him was the feeling of being like a furnace, endlessly consumed by searing flames. Even though he had braced himself for it, the pain was so intense that he couldn't help but groan aloud.
The burning agony came suddenly—and vanished just as fast. The moment Peinan let go, it was gone, as if it had never been there.
Lynd gasped for breath, trying to recover from the torment. When he finally did, he looked at Peinan with lingering dread. "White Walkers feel that burning pain constantly? No wonder they hate all life. If it were me, I'd feel the same."
Peinan shook his head and corrected him. "No. The burning you felt was far more intense because of your physical nature. What truly torments me is the emptiness—the overwhelming hunger for life and the hatred it brings. The burning pain, if anything, is what reminds me that I still exist."
Lynd fell silent for a long time. Then he changed the subject. "That mysterious being—the one that only awakens during the Long Night. What is it? A god?"
"No. It's not a god," Peinan replied at once, then added with a trace of confusion, "I don't know what it is. I only remember that it lies at the center of the Land of Always Winter. The Long Night began with its awakening. Eternal Winter follows in its wake—wherever it roams, winter follows. R'hllor considers it his eternal enemy."
Lynd immediately asked, "R'hllor is one of the gods, right? If that being is his eternal enemy, then why did he allow the other gods to conspire against your people—forcing you to offer yourselves to that thing and become White Walkers?"
"R'hllor falls into slumber during the Long Night. He's not present among the gods at that time," Peinan explained.
"Then why did the gods conspire against your people?" Lynd pressed, still not understanding.
"I don't remember." Peinan shook his head in confusion. "I only recall that we were undertaking something great—something glorious. If we had succeeded, our people would have achieved true immortality. Not the kind we ended up with as White Walkers, but the kind that made us equals to the gods. Maybe that's why they betrayed us. Maybe we touched upon something forbidden."
Lynd furrowed his brow. He spoke with quiet reflection, "From what you're saying, the gods sound like beings with immense power, but still driven by emotion and desire—anger, joy, jealousy, fear. What separates them from the Old Ones? Is it just a difference in strength?"
"I can't answer that. I'm neither one of the gods nor one of the Old Ones," Peinan said, glancing at Lynd with envy. "But maybe one day you'll be able to answer that. After all, you're already an Old One. One day, you may even become a god. And if that day comes, I'll probably already be gone. So, please… come to my grave and tell me the answer—if I still have a grave by then."
Lynd didn't reply. After a long pause, he asked, "At that time, had the Eternal Winter already reached the continent of Sothoryos?"
"The continent of Sothoryos?" Peinan hesitated briefly, then realized which land Lynd meant. "It had come close, but hadn't reached it yet. We believed it would eventually spread south to that continent—maybe even engulf the entire world. That's why we turned to the gods. That's why we sacrificed."
"Even Sothoryos is no longer safe?" Lynd frowned deeply. He had always assumed that the Long Night's extreme cold would only affect Westeros and Essos. But hearing from this ancient being that the last Eternal Winter nearly reached Sothoryos as well made him realize his migration plans might need serious revision.
Lynd asked, puzzled, "Why didn't you become a White Walker alongside your people and head for the Land of Always Winter? Why were you lying in a crystal coffin in some ancient ruin on the continent of Sothoryos instead?"
Peinan explained, "Because I realized it was all a conspiracy of the gods. So before I fully transformed into a White Walker, I hid myself in the Eternal Holy Coffin, sealing myself away to escape the gaze of both the gods and that mysterious entity. Under normal circumstances, I should have awakened after the Long Night ended. But I underestimated the power of the sacrifice. Even inside the Holy Coffin, the transformation of my body continued. Eventually, my body changed so completely that the coffin no longer recognized me. It ended up sealing me permanently—until the god-hater appeared, destroyed the coffin, and released me."
Lynd looked at him in confusion. "Euron—the god-hater you mentioned—how did he even know you existed? And how did he know how to destroy the coffin? If it were that easy to break, shouldn't someone have done it long ago?"
"Those are the same questions I've been asking myself," Peinan said with a helpless smile, shaking his head. "Even in my time, the god-haters were incredibly mysterious beings. No one knew what they were thinking or what their goals were. The only thing that was certain was that they were enemies of the gods—and their life's purpose was to destroy them."
"Destroy the gods? So he freed you because he hoped you knew how to do that?" Lynd guessed.
"Yes," Peinan nodded.
Lynd pressed further. "Do you actually know a way to destroy the gods?"
"I do," Peinan confirmed. "I know of one method."
"Does it have something to do with the City of the Dead—Stygai?" Lynd asked.
"The City of the Dead… so that's what it's called now?" Peinan paused, then said, "When we built that city, we named it the City of Shadows. Yes, the method I know is indeed tied to the City of Shadows."
"Can you tell me what it is?" Lynd asked, intrigued.
Peinan hesitated slightly before answering, "It's quite simple, really. Use the ancient sacrificial ritual of the City of Shadows to summon the Lord of Black Stone."
"The Lord of Black Stone?" Lynd looked at him with confusion.
"In the ancient days, when the gods still walked the earth, the Lord of Black Stone—who comes from beyond the stars—wanted to claim this world. So he separated a piece of his body and cast it into this realm, forming what we now know as black stone nodes—preparations for his eventual arrival."
Peinan tossed a few more branches into the fire and continued, "But the gods discovered the Black Stone Lord's plan. So they left the world and ascended to the sky, transforming into stars to block his path. The black stones he left behind weren't destroyed. They remained in this world. Over countless ages, some were damaged, others had their power drained—but their core function never changed. If you find a black stone that still holds power and complete the ancient sacrifice, the Lord of Black Stone can be summoned into this world. And when he comes, he will destroy the gods of his own will."
Lynd thought for a moment, then asked, "Was this method something your people created, or was it passed down from even earlier times?"
"It was passed down," Peinan said. "Many among my people knew it."
"That kind of knowledge should be taboo to the gods. How could it have spread so widely and survived for so long?" Lynd's thoughts drifted to his last memory of Euron, and he added, "Is it possible this method is also a part of the gods' conspiracy? A trap, meant to lure in those who seek to destroy them—like the god-haters?"
Peinan froze for a long moment, visibly taken aback. A contemplative look slowly crept into his eyes.