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The Campaign beyond the Wall, the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion, and the Peace of Hardhome.

"...I was not as much as interested in marriage or in a family, as far as I remember, too many intricacies and too much complications, but then I saw Hirma playing with Anarawd and Pryderi, smiling and laughing without a care in the world, dreaming of some good times, I told myself it is worth it, they are worth it and so I will continue to fight House Stark and the Night's Watch and even the whole of Westeros even if it means I will be defeated in the end, but like a spider I shall persist until I win...as I told Leaf before, I refuse the fates the gods whoever they were had set for me, I will even fight them myself if it means I can give a better life to them" - Diary of Rhodri Map Merfyn

"...Wildlings, we always thought of them as men that wouldn't know a cavalry charge and would prefer to charge and charge again at us, but we were wrong, these wildlings are of a different breed..." - words of then Lord Umber of Last Hearth when he accompanied the then Lord Stark in the campaign against Rhodri.

It will be a year when House Targaryen managed to have their ships of supplies and men land on Eastwatch-by-the-Sea instead of landing them into Hardhome, and as much as possible the fighting had already started before their support of the Night's Watch and the North had arrived. Not wanting a repeat of the defeat at the Frozen Lake, Brynden Rivers delayed Rhodri's forces with skirmishes and use tactics that the other Wildlings beyond the Wall were familiar with, it did bought some time until the expedition finally arrived, led by Edwyle Stark and also by the Lord Commander Ser Duncan the Tall, there were some Riverlander houses, Vale houses, Crownland houses who joined the expedition.

"...As we advance further away from Castle Black we felt a sense of unease, as if we were being watched, every twittering of the birds and the chirps of squirrels was...unnerving...some of the men began to pray to the Seven, some of the Northmen began to pray to their gods of trees and stone..." -an account of a Bracken Man-at-arms.

The North and the Night's Watch cannot ask for more from the Iron throne as it was also during this time that another Blackfyre was being plotted once more, so they would have to make do with the Lord Commander of the King's guard as proxy of King Aegon V and a part of the might of the Seven Kingdoms to fight against the incursions of wildlings, they marched out of the Wall subduing some of the Wildling tribes near its periphery and making their way to Hardhome. Rhodri, his scouts, Skinchanger Wayfinders had reported to him that the forces of the Iron Throne numbered around Five and Forty Thousand and he was able to secure some alliances with some of the rising petty kingdoms south and west of the Haunted Forest and have them delay the expedition until further reinforcements from the Thenn Valley arrived.

"...I would have to lead them to believe that our capital is nearby and not further North, it seems they believed that our capital was at Hardhome, I can't let them destroy that city, I have invested too much there, the Giants and the Mammoths take time to assemble as much as possible I can only try to use Fabian tactics to delay them and buy some time until reinforcements from the Valley had finally arrived..." - Diary of Rhodri Map Merfyn.

The First battle of the Campaign beyond the Wall was at a nearby wildling settlement of Jorrik's hall, despite explicit orders from Rhodri to not engage and only delay while at the same time destroy anything that can be used by the expeditionary forces, his impetuous brother, Gwain Map Merfyn charged his Caterans, Gallowglasses, and retinue of Mormaer towards the vanguard of the Iron Throne's expedition, they chased the vanguard that is until they were met by the main force and Rhodri had to force march his men to rescue his brother before he was trapped and there the South firsthand saw the armies of the True North, different from what the Night's Watch often fought as much as the armies of the Seven Kingdoms insist that it was a victory for them one can say that Rhodri had merely rescued his brother and that his army had retreated in good order with some of the Gallowglasses leading a rearguard before also retreating with minimal casualties.

Cateran Crossbows

"...They were disciplined almost as close to that of the traitor Blackfyre's newly founded Golden Company, crossbowmen arranged into three ranks would fire repeated volleys from their crossbows, first rank would kneel after firing, then the second, then the third, they would do so repeatedly, it was as if there was a never ending hale of bolts, and should we come near to them they would retreat towards the pikemen behind them" - account of one of the Vale Knights.

"...As the Wildling army retreated in good order, which was not what is expected, it was this tall, armored groups of men, which we now learned are called Gallowglasses, sell swords, foreigners who may have been influenced by the Southern virtues of knighthood, stood against us, wielding two-handed swords and axes, and charging down hill with their battle songs they struck some of the horses down with their throwing axes, and javelins before hewing down the riders with their great swords and axes, they fought with wild abandon cutting a huge swath of both cavalry and infantry, one of them slew Ser Marq Stone of the King's guard and almost would have slew the Lord Commander himself if not for a lance of a Ser Hunter of the Vale saving him..." - Lord Edwyle Stark on the Battle of Jorrik's Hall.

"We cheat death from its rightful victory! No one can defeat us! So we are glad to plunge feet first into Annuen!" -Gallowglass death charge song.

Gallowglasses in Battle.

The Second battle of the Campaign was the battle of Antlers edge it was there where Lord Commander Ser Duncan slew a good brother of Rhodri, Gorm Map Biagr who was leading a cavalry charge against the vanguard of the Royal campaign, it was a defeat for Rhodri who was said to have been trying to hold off the Northern advance from his right flank and upon hearing of the death of Gorm had called a retreat which was once again done in good order, it seems this emboldens the Royal Campaign as it led them to push further and deeper which became their undoing as it led to the Third battle of the Campaign, the Battle of the Fist of the First Men, it was said that Rhodri Map Merfyn was inspired of a spider trying to make its home upon two separate branches of trees, it was that during the third try to which the spider finally succeeded, it was also during this siege that the song Men of Hengledd begun to be sung.

Battle of the Fist of the First Men.

"...They say that this is the end, that the kneelers will destroy everything we have built ourselves, nay, tis' not, Rhodri began to teach us a song which we sang with him, we sing of the True North and we sing of its people and what it shall be even at the end of time..." - account ofDruid Morarr Map Gwaihir.

"...The Wildlings fought with their pikes, when it was broken they fought with their short swords or hatchets, when it was broken they fought with their fists and teeth, now I as a Northman could say now there's a man I will not hesitate killing..." - an account of a Stark man-at-arms.

"...their charge downhill with their pikes at the ready, led by those Gallowglasses threw us off guard, we thought they were going to hole up at the defensive position of the Fist of the First Men, that was until we heard singing and the opening of gates it was a surprise when they came out with shouts of 'Hengledd gu ambragh!' 'True North until the end of time!' and the roar of trumpets being sounded, their brazen charge killed the Night's Watch Lord Commander Brynden Rivers, and west of the Fist came the reinforcements from further North and Giants! Giants! We have no choice then but to retreat..." - account of Lord Commander of the King's guard, Ser Duncan the Tall.

A Fourth battle of the Campaign will not be fought on a battlefield but on a tent as the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion finally erupted and Ser Duncan was being recalled back to King's Landing, and it seems Rhodri was not blind to events south of the Wall as he met with Lord Edwyle Stark and Lord Commander Ser Duncan the Tall, offering peace. The Peace of Hardhome was then agreed, it forbade Rhodri to expand westwards towards the Frozen Shore as well as Southward towards White Tree and further south close to the Wall, King Aegon V will recognize Rhodri and his heirs as Kings beyond the Wall, his son Anarawd was to be given as hostage for a period of ten years as well as for Rhodri to provide men to fight the battles of King Aegon V in the south, Rhodri agreed to this despite having won a spectacular victory for even if he fought until he won against the Lord Commander Ser Duncan and Lord Edwyle Stark, he knew that once the Blackfyre's were defeated in their fourth rebellion it wont be long until the full might of the Seven Kingdoms will be turned to them once more and he does not know if he could win in the long run so he agreed with the conditions of the Peace, and it was during this talks of peace where the Seven Kingdoms were introduced to the existence of Giants and Children of the Forests which they once believed were gone from existence.

"...There was a melancholy in the eyes of the Child of the Forest known as Obsidian Iron as she tells of their plight and how it was the people of the True North that prevents the coming cold from the Lands of Always Winter, there was a resolve in her eyes despite the sadness as she looks proudly onto the party of Rhodri and the giants..." - account of Lord Edwyle Stark at the Peace of Hardhome.

"...Rhodri, son of Merfyn, King beyond the Wall, arrived at the agreed meeting place outside of Hardhome on the back of a mammoth being led by Giants! On his head was not a crown expected of a king but a cow skin cap which was worn on the side of his head with three feathers on the side, he was wearing mail and leather which was covered by a black and green patterned cloak. The man had shaved his beard only to the point that he would not look like the typical wildling, he had a sophisticated and civilized air in him and his words were careful although pointed as was expected of a wildling. He introduced the giants on his group, Mar Wun Weg, the creatures kin, Mag Tun Weg, and Wun Wun Weg, 'there are a hundred of them further in the Vale of Thenns' he answers my query, when I followed up on as to why he didn't use them on the early battle 'oh I intend to use them in battle, I just believe that our situation is not so dire so as to require their services' me and Lord Edwyle Stark was surprised at the remark to the point that I was laughing, truly the wildling king before me is a man to watch for, he did not think that his two defeats were dire enough to call for the aid of Giants in the next battle that we will fight in if possible" - account of Lord Commander of the King's guard, Ser Duncan the Tall.