The Gods watched with muted desperation as Planetos was being swallowed by the icy fog of the Others' magic.

Life, in its myriad forms, met its unceremonious end. Neither humans, nor giants, nor dragons remained. Animals, plants, even the lowliest of bacteria—all were extinguished in the relentless grip of Stagnation.

Within the chambers of the Pantheon of Gods, resignation hung heavily in the air. The Maiden was the first to acknowledge the bitter truth.

"...once more, we have failed. The magic in our realm grows weaker."

Near the temple's base, she gazed upwards. The once teeming amphitheater now stood mostly empty. Rows upon rows of unoccupied seats, where her peers once sat. Laughing, arguing, fighting amongst themselves. Those were the simple times, and she could never see them again.

"We lost three gods this loop. One was a tribute to the Eternal Flame, one became the Comet which roused the dragons, and one fell to the machinations of the Betrayers."

A murmur of resignation echoed within the chamber as a sense of defeat settled in. But the Dothraki Horse God, defiant and unyielding, refused to succumb. Heavy hooves beat against the marble floor as he declared, "Fools! So lone of us draws breath, this will never be over! We can still try again! We must give it our all to fight the Others and the Betrayers!"

"Hmph. I take your fervent pledge as an offer for tribute?" queried a Yi-Tish God-Emperor, his tone impudent. "Or are you just all neigh and no work, horseface?"

The Horse God flared his beastly nostrils, causing hot steam to rise. He knew he fell right into that one. There ALWAYS had to be a willing tribute, and but nobody wanted to die. However, he could feel the pressure of the others' gods gazes on him. They all stared at him like he was prey; all except R'hllor and ...

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"There's no need to pressure Horse God. I offer myself as tribute to the Eternal Flame." the wise Crone spoke in her raspy tone. Folds of cracked skin drooped over her ancient face, making it impossible to discern her eyes.

Everyone was surprised by this turn of events, but none were as agitated as the Maiden: "But Crone, you can't! We need your wisdom to find Azor Ahai!". Many seemed to agree at this sudden proclamation, and they burst into intense discussion.

But with the swift gesture of raising her wrinkled palms, she calmed them all. "No, you don't children. My wisdom is insufficient. I have tried... thousands upon thousands of times. I have gazed upon a myriad possibilities for the fated hero and his pair... we tried giants, dragons, even wingedmen... out of the humans, Jon Snow was close, Daenerys was closer... Stannis was nearly there, but none came as far as Joffrey. He almost succeded." the Crone could only sigh, as the other Gods too remembered that success just barely eluded them.

"After so many thousands of tries, it seems my wisdom cannot guide us anymore. We can only rely on luck."

She walked slowly, with measured steps, her diminutive elderly figure inching closer to the giant of flames, R'hllor. He was forever locking in the lotus position, in the middle of the amphitheatre. In his hands stood a cracked hourglass in the shape of a golden dragon eating its tail.

"The Wisdom of the Seven, Goddess Crone, are you ready to offer yourself as tribute to the flames, to become fuel for the Hourglass of Kronos and turn back time over Planetos?"

"....I do."

"Your will is true. The fire heeds your sacrifice...."

The ritual was ready, but for whatever reason, flame giant hesitated.

"Any last words... old friend?"

The Crone, somehow, through her flabby and cracked skin, managed to muster a toothy grin. She turned to address the rest of the Pantheon. " I hope luck shines on you, you bunch of old fucks. I hated all of you anyway."

As she burst into a full belly laughter, the white fire consumed Crone's essence.

For the first time since the Long Night, the Gods didn't choose their champion. In their desperation, they let luck decide who the last fated pair would be....

It could be anyone. It could be anything. It could be... a cat and a child?