The first sight of Harrenhal was something I would take to my grave. And I don't mean the first glimpse of a single tower off in the distance.
No I mean when we actually came over the hill, and I got to see the entire castle in the distance. It was even bigger than I thought it would be. In this world that George R. R. Martin created, there are many castles of extreme size and unrealistic scale. Harrenhal is the biggest.
I counted the five towers of the structure as I found them. The Tower of Dread, The Widow's Tower, The Wailing Tower, The Tower of Ghosts, and finally: The Kingspyre.
I considered the last one the most aptly named, considering how Aegon roasted King Harren and his entire family alive inside the massive structure with dragonfire. The castle itself didn't have a single one that wasn't touched by dragonfire, and like the books said, the stone had actually melted from the heat.
"You see that Petyr? The largest castle in the world."
The voice was one I was familiar with. It was the voice of a boy that was a year away from being fully grown, although this world would already consider him a man.
"And yet, it is the ugliest." I joked towards the boy.
Ben Rivers sat on a horse, who looked severely mangy, right beside me on the hill. He would one day turn into a man that some women would consider cute, but for now he just looked awkward. He was just under six feet, with blonde hair and green eyes. His features were awkward, but I could see cheekbones and a jawline beginning to peak out through his chubby cheeks.
And as the bandit ambush had proved to the world, he was a warrior through and through, although you would never know it by his demeanor.
"Bah, you oughta see where I grew up! That shit hole couldn't compare to this magnificent structure." He replied.
"Well it's not hard to beat a whorehouse in Stone Hedge." I said as I smiled. The boy, who was actually older and taller than me, was so easy to tease.
"Aye, I suppose it isn't. You ever been to one?" He asked, while my eyes scanned the blackened walls of Harrenhal.
"Never. You?" I asked, and turned to him. My answer was so quick that it was easy for him to tell it was truthful.
His face had changed from the normally flippant and carefree look, to a hardened one. His jaw was clenched and set in place, while his green eyes bore into my red. It was then that I realized he was testing me.
Ben was not an expected companion of mine by any means. In fact, the days old knight was a background character to background characters in my opinion. Someone who would be sent to die on a battlefield within the next two years. But he had taken a liking to me, after he had seen me ride off and single handedly kill the rest of the bandits before any of the other knights had even gotten halfway to the first body.
The Lannister bastard, as that what he obviously was, was easy to talk to and didn't mind riding in silence despite his cheery disposition. That was extremely valuable to me, as I was not a very sociable person. Most of my days were spent planning how to earn a knighthood, and the looming rebellion/war of five kings/the long night was always bothering me in the back of my head.
"Good. I hate those places." The newest knight of Riverrun said as his face changed back to it's normal look.
Obviously a bastard would hate such places. Or at least, any decent bastard would avoid them to prevent the hard life it caused some children to go through.
"Has Lysa stopped swooning over you yet, Red?" I asked with a grin.
Apparently saving the daughter of a Lord was a surefire way to earn knighthood before your time. They'll even throw in a nickname like 'Red' if you do it while covered in the entrails of two bandits you just disemboweled to save said daughter.
Red groaned.
"It's just hero worship, she'll grow out of it." I reassured him.
I knew that Red had initially hung out with me to avoid the young Lady, as she would not come anywhere near me. But I like to think he stayed with me because we actually got along fairly well, and because I treated him like a human being, instead of a bastard as most Lords would. Half the retinue we traveled with treated him worse than they did me.
The young man was talented with the sword at his side too. Not Jaime Lannister talented, but that wasn't a fair comparison.
"One can only hope." Red said as we trotted our horses to catch up to the traveling carts.
I tried my best not to stare at the words that appeared above his head in the middle of the conversation.
Ben 'Red' Rivers:
Companion - Locked
Talents - Locked
Skills - Locked
I swung my head back and let the sword pass through the air where my head used to be before I lashed out and stabbed at my opponent.
Red twisted his body and somehow managed to get his sword back in front of his body to block the blow. I continued my assault and twirled the blade towards his neck using the momentum of his block against him.
Red smacked it away with the armor on his forearm and moved towards me, intending to draw me in close range. I smirked as I allowed him to do so. The last time he had done such a thing did not work out so well for him, as he had woken up staring at the clouds with a sore forehead from my elbow.
I blocked his right hook with my unarmored forearm and immediately went into a superman elbow to knock him out as I did the day before.
And then I was flying through the air on the shoulder of my one and only friend in this new world. When I finally hit the ground, the breath left my lungs as my sword left my hand.
I immediately began wheezing as I tried to suck air back into my lungs. If I had been able to do anything other than focus on surviving in that moment, I would have heard a chorus of laughs mixed with the ooh's of sympathy.
I was on my knees and elbows facing the earth when I finally took that sweet sweet breath of fresh air for what felt like years. It was like drinking a glass of water after a week in a desert, or some shit like that.
"It's about bloody time, I was tired of seeing you two dance around each other. I thought you were more likely to fuck than keep fighting at one point." A slightly familiar voice called out. It was a voice that I couldn't place, although I had heard it before.
I managed to turn my gaze to the man who said it. The first thing I noticed was the expensive armor on the man's frame. Right in the center of that armor was a shield etched onto expensive cloth. A black trout stood on the man's breastplate for all to see.
It was a symbol so renowned that the man never had to introduce himself.
"The Blackfish." I mumbled as I fought to stand, through the pain of my wheezing lungs. A part of me thought that I had broken a rib or two from the takedown.
"Petyr Baelish… You remember me?" The Blackfish asked.
"Of course. You prevented Lord Tully from finding me piss drunk after Catelyn's betrothal was announced. You were also one of the only people who was nice to me upon my arrival to Riverrun." I retorted truthfully. The memories that this body had were only fond ones of the Blackfish. While he loved to piss Hoster off, he still cared for children immensely. Apparently, if the rumors were to be believed, he had squired many peasants and brought them to knighthood.
"Yes, and yet I was not there to stop you from challenging the Stark heir." Brynden replied.
More laughs and snickers rang out around me. Red and I had gained a bit of a crowd with our sparring. Mostly squires, although there were a few knights mixed amongst them. And all of them knew how I had embarrassed myself with Brandon Stark.
"Perhaps it was a good thing." I offered while chuckling a bit. Men, especially those who you might one day travel and kill with, were prone to testing one another through a series of teasing and verbal jabs. I had to show that I could take the teasing with class, and sometimes throw in my own to be accepted.
"You are much more skilled than I remember." The Blackfish agreed with a grin. "Come, walk with me. I have yet to announce my presence." He said while jerking his head in a direction.
I nodded while I bent down to retrieve my sword. There was a foot on it. I followed the body to the face of the man on my sword, ready to fight, only to find that it was Red. He grinned at me, before taking his foot off and walking away to wherever he wanted to go.
I could tell what he was saying with that look. It was a 'good luck' as much as it was a 'how was that ass whooping?'
I couldn't help but smile as I grabbed my sword and sheathed it before joining the Blackfish on the walk. I stayed on his right side, almost side by side to him, but enough behind him to symbolize that I was following him and he was the leader.
He did not speak as we walked through the many many tents that had popped up outside the walls of Harrenhall. While the castle was big enough, and could house every single person that had traveled to the tournament, we weren't allowed to camp inside the wall. Apparently Lord Whent didn't want the rabble getting in the way of all the nobles that were showing up daily.
It sucked for me, because it meant that I couldn't get to the godswood inside without drawing suspicion. And I so wanted to grind my greenseeing ability. It could honestly be so broken, knowing everything I needed to without the use of spies.
Speaking of broken. I thought as I looked to the skill notifications at the top left of my screen.
If the Blackfish wanted to walk in silence, then I would do it while seeing my progress over the past few days with Red.
Skill Level up!
Sword Fighting: Lvl 69
Defense Lvl 73
Offense Lvl 71
Horseback Lvl 35
Archery Lvl 82!
The ability to shoot a bow and arrow.
Accuracy at 20 Yards or closer: 98%
Accuracy at 21-50 yards: 96%
Accuracy at 51-75 yards: 92%
Accuracy at 76-100 yards: 80%
Horseback: 42% (Max range of 75 Yards)
I couldn't help but smile as I saw my progress. A couple of days with Red was helping me grow faster than when I was at Riverrun. Perhaps it was because he was much more skilled than I, even if I took him off guard with some unorthodox uses of strikes.
"You are patient, good." Brynden said, breaking me out of my thoughts with my skills. "I have no use for someone who cannot shut up. Do you know why I bothered to seek you out before I went to see my own brother and family?"
"You are testing me to see if I am worthy of squiring underneath you." I answered, as truthfully as I could. I saw no point in lying, to be honest.
"You are honest, also good. If you are to learn from me, you will not lie to me. I do not care for your other relationships and how you treat them. But with me, you will be perfectly honest at all times, and I will do the same where I can." Brynden replied.
I nodded, but did not respond.
"My brother told you I would test you, did he?" Brynden asked as we neared the gate of Harrenhall.
"Yes. He said you had heard of my martial progression and was interested." I answered as I studied the black walls of Harrenhall.
It was interesting because it was not soot that covered the stone of the castle. I had never considered it, but surely the Lord of the castle would have had the soot cleared. The answer was obviously that the dragonfire had truly blackened the castle through and through. Did the magic of dragons have something to play in that? Weren't they a different color upon construction?
"Ha, my brother was playing games with you. Probably to make sure you do not get too arrogant. I trust Desmond's word more than you know. I sent a letter to inform him that I would be squiring you, not that I was considering it." Brynden clarified. "It is something I pondered for a long time, since you arrived in Riverrun. Desmond's letter just confirmed it."
A part of me got slightly angry at Hoster, but I let it go quickly. I did not care that he manipulated me, I was already out of his grasp, apparently. And I did not know that Desmond had actually sent a letter to the Blackfish. I would have to thank him when I saw him next.
"I came to retrieve you because you are a Lord as much as you are a squire. You will act as such." The Blackfish said as we passed the guards at the front gate into Harrenhal proper.
I almost sighed, as he said that, but thought better. "Let's go make a good impression then." I said.
Life under the Blackfish was not what I expected. Honestly, I expected to be cleaning all three sets of his armor everyday, before he beat me with a sword for an hour, and then having to clean his armor again.
In reality, he encouraged my sparring with Red, a much younger man that could keep up with me. He wanted me to practice my martial skills as much as possible. From the conversations we had, I never really expected to spar with the middle aged man. In fact, I got the impression that my squiring might be a farce, or an excuse to give me knighthood and a small bit of legitimacy as a Lord. I hadn't worked it out yet to be honest.
As it turns out, Brynden was still Castellan of Riverrun at this point in his history. This also meant that he and Hoster were still very close despite their constant arguments. I had no idea where he had been since I woke up in this body, as he hadn't been in Riverrun. I was under the impression that he was already Knight of the Bloody Gate by this time, but that was apparently wrong.
So my earlier assessment of getting underneath Hoster Tully's thumb was obviously wrong. I would be attached to Brynden
Why would the Blackfish do this for me? I wasn't too sure. Maybe he thought that I would forever be grateful to Riverrun?
Once he heard that I was entering the archery contest, he practically forced me to the archery fields as soon as we got done eating breakfast.
"Fucking hell." The Blackfish breathed out as he saw me bullseye from 80 yards. And when he moved me 20 yards to the right the result was the same.
"I told you I was good." I said as I shrugged.
"You've actually got a shot at winning this…" Brynden mumbled.
Compared to Raventree Hall, the weirwood tree of Harrenhall didn't compare. Although it was alive and well. In fact, there was one main tree, and also some saplings that were trying to take root and grow also.
The garden of Harrenhal had the weirwood placed in the back corner, a perfect place for someone like me who wanted to practice his greenseeing ability in secret.
I took a look around lazily. It was after supper and the stars shone above through the black sky. I could hear the partying still going on inside and out of the city, but nobody was in the gardens. At least I hoped not. I was about to sit down on the roots of the weirwood before I thought better of it and walked around to the backside and sat down so that nobody would see me if they walked by.
I expected to have some time to activate the skill, or to at least have to learn how to do it, as I had yet to. Hell no.
When I sat down and my back hit the bark of the weirwood, everything changed.
Just like when I had activated the 'Gatherer' mutation, my vision was filled with inky black smoke. It stayed like that for a moment before I felt it. Suddenly, gravity shifted and instead of being on my ass with my back against the rough bark of the weirwood, I was standing up.
When the smoke began to part, much like the curtains would at the beginning of a play, it didn't take me long to figure out where I was. I was about fifty feet into the air, standing on one of the ruined towers of Harrenhal, and although it was dark, I recognized the array of tents camped on the outside of Harrenhal. The most obvious tell was the massive stadium that had been erected for the events of the tournament.
I suppose my subconscious selected this vantage point? I pondered as I looked around.
One thing I didn't consider was how the sky was still dark, and since I couldn't go into the past yet, I couldn't make the sun rise.
I continued to look around, and many questions popped up in my head.
For example, how the fuck was I supposed to move? Could I just walk?
I took a tentative step on the tower that was underneath me. I don't know why I was afraid I would fall through the floor. Mid step I gained the courage and put my full weight on the stone. It held and I paused there for a second as I took a deep breath and gained some confidence.
In a fit of courage, I jumped. Sure enough my feet landed on the stone again. I smiled as I made a few small jumps.
Can I walk through buildings now? Isn't this just astral proj…
I fell straight through the stone beneath my feet and I couldn't help but cry out in shock. Instinctively I tried to find a purchase with my feet. All of a sudden I stopped as I landed on the floor.
"Yes! Harder! Fuck me like my husband doesn't!"
My worries of how to move through walls and falling was gone, immediately replaced by confusion. I looked to the source of who the fuck was saying such things, and boy was I shocked at what I found.
Lady Whent was currently being bent over her bed by a handsome twenty something year old knight. How did I know this was Lady Whent? Well I have been dining at her tables since I arrived in this blackened pile of useless castle. The knight was another that I had seen around, constantly flirting with Lady's and their daughters. Perhaps he was of noble blood, but I wouldn't know.
All I knew was that Lady Whent was getting her wish, and that young knight was railing her like she wanted.
Suddenly I felt awkward being in the room without either of the two of them seeing me. Well truthfully, it was awkward regardless. It didn't help the Lady Whent apparently loved dirty talk during sex.
I wonder, can I fly when greenseeing?
I jumped, and imagined the world moving past me. I shot through the stone above my head as if it didn't exist and continued into the air.
About twenty feet above the tower I willed myself to pause. The world was beneath me, but nothing was holding my feet. I couldn't help but smile as I let out a holler of triumph.
I always wanted to fly after all.