It had been a few days since the feast and thankfully the day hadn't led to any violence. There was some tension that I could notice between the guests, but that was expected.
In that time I had finally found a jeweler, which hadn't been that hard as it seemed like I could literally find any sort of shop imaginable just a short way away from my clinic. Well, it wasn't really a clinic anymore; it was a full-fledged hospital with a school attached to it.
It also had an ICU which was pretty pointless when I was in town but came in handy when I wasn't around. It only had about a dozen or so beds for now.
Tyrion had made himself very useful in managing everything and it seemed like he was having fun while doing it.
Anyway, the jeweler had been pretty fascinated when I showed him my design of a pen and explained its working. He said that he would get working on it immediately and I had commissioned two custom-made ones.
He had refused to accept any payment so I had made a deal with him: he could keep the design and make as many as he wanted to sell them, and the hospital and school I had built would get an endless supply of free pens for as long as either existed.
He had agreed immediately.
With nothing to do for the moment, I made my way to the castle cause I was a bit bored.
I came across a scene as I was passing the courtyard that gave me a sense of déjà vu. Jon and Robb were teaching Bran how to shoot a bow although he missed by quite a margin. He was quite bad at it.
I heard Jon say some words to help him aim and look towards the balcony where Ned and Catelyn were watching, giving him encouraging smiles.
"Well, which one of you was a sharpshooter at nine?" Ned called down.
When out of nowhere one arrow struck dead center and Arya came out of her hiding spot with a bow and a cocky smirk on her face and ran away.
'Oh dear… I guess it's time then.'
I made a U-turn and started walking back towards the clinic with a million different thoughts in my head.
I was a bit concerned, not by the fact that the main plot had started.
That I was expecting to happen any time now. I had no clue about the dates or anything, but the Stark children starting to look like exact copies of the show's counterparts was a big giveaway.
What concerned me was the fact that the scene was frame by frame the exact scene that I remember watching all those years ago.
But that shouldn't have been possible.
Not to be quite narcissistic or anything, but I was quite a big deal around these parts and I was quite sure I had created enough ripples to have changed most of the main plot, especially during my little ego trip in King's Landing.
That was quite concerning to me as it implied that certain events were still going to happen the same way as they did regardless of my presence. Well, I wasn't sure yet, but considering how the actual story went, one could understand why I would be concerned.
I reached the clinic but didn't go inside.
I just walked up to Fenrir and scratched behind his ears.
"Wake up boy, we got work to do."
He woke up without much fuss; he knew it was important.
I climbed up on his back and nudged him towards the exit of the town.
It wasn't like I was in a hurry and we left the city.
We didn't really go very far and were just loitering around and I didn't have to wait for long and
I saw Ned along with a couple of his men and his sons riding somewhere and came towards me once they spotted us.
"El what are you doing here?"
"Nothing much just taking Fenrir out to stretch his legs, don't want him to get fat."
I got a growl for my comments.
"What are you guys up to? You look like you left in quite a hurry."
"We received word that a deserter of the Watch had been caught. We were on our way to deliver justice."
Yeah, that's about what I expected. "Wow, pretty morbid. Do you mind if we join you? Don't really have anything better to do at the moment."
"Very well."
And just like that I was part of the group. I mainly hung around with Jon and Bran.
It didn't take long to reach the place.
It was all set up just like I remembered, it seemed like a place where executions took place.
At least the ones that were important enough to happen outside the castle itself.
Pretty soon the man was brought forward with hands chained. I believe his name was Gared.
Muttering the whole time:
"White Walkers"
I saw the White Walkers"
"I saw them. I know I broke my oath. And I know I'm a deserter. I should have gone back to the Wall and warned them, but... I saw what I saw. I saw the White Walkers. People need to know. If you can get word to my family... tell them I'm no coward."
That was my cue.
"Do you mind if I ask him some questions, Lord Stark?"
He looked confused for a moment before he nodded.
"Gared was it, so you say you saw some White Walkers?"
"Yes my lord."
"What did they look like?"
"Tall and gaunt, with flesh pale as milk. Its movements made no sound as if it could glide on the snow. Its armor appears to be carved from ice. Its sword is translucent, a shard of crystal so thin it almost seems to vanish when seen edge-on. It was their eyes that were the most haunting. Blue eyes that seemed to glow and so so cold. They emerge silently from the shadows, on all sides of the clearing. Five of them... six... seven... their strange swords shimmering in the moonlight."
"Fascinating and where do you say you saw these White Walkers?"
"We were hunting down some wildlings a few day's ride north of Craster's Keep."
Ok so far so good. Next part was a bit delicate, I didn't want to openly challenge the execution, but I needed to at least let everyone in the North have some idea of what was coming.
"Say I could convince Lord Stark here to let you keep your head on your shoulders for a bit longer, would you in exchange take me to the place where you found the White Walkers?"
That's when shit went south and he freaked out and was able to push off the knight holding him and tried to run away again. At least that's what I thought he was trying to do.
"No no no don't make me go back there"
He didn't get far and everyone got their swords out.
Instead of stopping he just ran face first into the first sword he saw.
'Ok I did not see that coming.'
Everyone stood there in shock for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. Ned was the first to recover, barking orders to his men to check if the deserter was still alive.
I walked up to the body, already knowing what I'd find. The man had managed to impale himself right through the neck. There was no saving him now.
I knelt by the body, confirming what we all already knew. "He's gone, Lord Stark," I said, my voice low. "Whatever he saw out there... it terrified him enough to choose this over facing it again."
Ned's face was grim as he nodded, his eyes scanning the shocked faces around us. "Aye, it seems so."
I stood up, brushing the dirt from my knees. "We might want to have this conversation a bit further away," I suggested quietly, nodding towards the boys and the guards.
Ned understood immediately. We walked a short distance, far enough that no one could overhear us. Once we were alone, he turned to me, his eyes searching my face. "Do you believe what he said?"
I paused, choosing my words carefully. The weight of what I was about to say hung heavy in the air. "Well," I started, "he was either telling the truth or insane enough to believe he was. But I can tell you for sure, he wasn't lying."
Ned's eyebrow raised, a mix of skepticism and curiosity on his face. "And that's enough to make you want to investigate?"
I shrugged. "It's intrigued me enough that I plan to check it out."
Ned looked at me skeptically. "You'd journey north of the Wall based on the ravings of a madman? In search of fictional creatures?"
I leaned in, my voice low and serious. "All stories have some truth to them, Lord Stark. And tell me, do you really believe your ancestors built a wall of ice 700 feet tall, stretching from coast to coast, that's stood untouched for 8000 years just to keep out some wildlings?"
Realization dawned on Ned's face. "Are you saying... the White Walkers are real?"
I held up my hands. "I'm not saying anything definitive. What I am saying is that I'm going to find out for myself."
Ned calmed a bit, his brow furrowing. "What do you suggest I do then?"
"For now, don't do anything drastic," I advised. "Just keep what we've discussed in mind when you receive news from the Night's Watch. If you start calling the banners over this or try to tell others, I don't think they'll believe you."
"Wait for me to come back. I'll look around, try to get some irrefutable proof that they're back. Then we can see where this goes."
"Very well," Ned nodded. "When do you plan on leaving?"
"I have some things to take care of first. Possibly tomorrow or the day after." I glanced over at Bran, whose face was frozen in shock. "For now, you might want to talk to your sons."
Ned followed my gaze, his expression softening with concern.
'An execution was bad enough, but watching a man kill himself... That sticks with you.'
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A/N: If you wish to read ahead you can find 8 more chapters on my Pa treon