The wall of the tree-kin enclave was 14 feet high and 300 yards long. It had been upgraded since the first wall was built. It now had a walkway along the top, allowing archers to shoot down at enemies while still having cover. The ground in front of the walls had three terraces. The first was about 600 feet from the walls to the first slope. The gravel road and the main track were on this first terrace. There was a stone-built switching station out towards the slope, used to switch trains from the main track to the siding tracks. The siding was on the second terrace down and featured a very gradual slope at both ends to allow loaded or waiting trains to clear the main tracks, allowing other trains to pass. This terrace was 1000 feet deep and had a great many cut trees stacked up on it, waiting to be shipped out. There was also a gantry for loading tree logs onto flatcars. This second terrace was long enough for two fairly large trains and their cars to rest on. The third terrace had been built to hold the upper two terraces in place during rainstorms, so its front had been constructed of well-laid stone.
The troops dug a deep ditch below the third terrace, and they filled it with spikes and sharpened poles. A wall was built above the ditch from logs that hung outward, to make climbing it difficult. It was buttressed from behind to hold its place. The 4 wind trains and the steam train were in place to make a second and third wall in front of the tree-kin gates. Two trains were on the lower siding terrace and three on the top terrace. The steam train, with its three flatcars carrying 6 large guns, was in the middle, in front of the gates. Logs were added to the front side of all the train cars and flatcars to make them more defensible. Slots allowed the big guns to have free rein over where they shot. Archers had a short wall above the cars to shoot from behind. When these improvements were made, it became clear that the best way to attack this defense was to come at it from the sides, so two walls were added at either end. These walls were 14 feet high and were attached to the ends of the train cars. There were walkways on top to allow archers to defend them. An extra-strong gate was in each of those walls so the road could still be used. Above these side walls, the cliffs surrounding the tree-kin enclave had been set up to hold troops and archers to defend against climbers and other enemies that might attack the end walls. As the two end walls were completed, three wagons full of supplies, gun corps members, and fire arrows arrived. 70 cavalry troops accompanied them.
To man these defenses, they had nearly 9,000 troops, 4,000 archers, and fire-arrow users. There were nearly 1000 volunteers and a smattering of cavalry, sand-kin assassins, and gun corps troops as well. These would face 24,000 Zonian troops, along with another 10,000 sailors and ancillary Zonians. It was going to be a difficult and decisive battle, so Brienne, Hassan, and the mending Bronn set about drilling the troops on all possible outcomes and actions to be taken. Drena and her men were called back to Deepwood Motte to help defend it in a pinch. They left a few men on Sea Dragon Point to keep watch and operate the balloon.
It took the Zonians nearly 3 months to cover the distance to the tree-kin enclave. Fall was setting in, and harvests were happening all over the north. The nights were definitely growing colder, and the leaves were beginning to turn and fall. The Zonians had lost several hundred men to starvation as all game in their path fled before them. The dangers of the Wolfwood injured many; these were left behind. The group from Fort #3 encountered these abandoned Zonians and quickly dispatched them. The group from Fort #3 drew closer and closer to the main body of Zonians; they held back just enough to avoid detection, but their scouts began to bring back descriptions of the enemy army's rear. The Bravvos mercenary captain began asking the women what their plan was when the fighting started, but no answer was forthcoming. The wolves were less constrained than the troops from Fort #3; they began killing stragglers and scouts on the enemy's main body's flanks.
At last, the main body of the Zonian troops reached just outside a mile from the tree-kin enclave. They set up camps, and their fires and smoke could be seen from the tree-kin walls. When their scouts returned with reports of the changes at the tree-kin enclave, Jun Wei ordered ladders to be built. Several days were spent constructing various methods to circumvent the defenses now in front of them.
At Brandon's Rest, Jon and Qotho were both recovering quickly, and Drogon was also showing signs of healing from his injuries. Tyrion asked Jon about the possibility of using Drogon in the fight around the tree-kin enclave. Jon said he wasn't sure it would be a good idea, since the mages could counter Drogon so easily. Tyrion said, "Jon, this is the decisive battle for the defense of Westeros; please, if it is possible, help the tree-kin and our troops."