Eventually, Kray found himself back in the dungeon.To his surprise, Duke Stark didn't inquire about how he managed to drive off the assassin. It seemed inconsequential to the lord; he only cared about the outcome.The uneasy peace between the wolf and the lion remained, though it appeared fragile.Following the incident, Duke Stark issued orders allowing the White Harbor guards to temporarily replace the dungeon guards to ensure Kray's safety.However, Kray heard from Sir Roderick that he might not remain in the dungeon for long. His grandfather, Lord Manderly, the Earl of White Harbor, was leading a hundred knights clad in plate armor toward Winterfell at full speed. This force posed no threat to the royal family or the Starks in Winterfell; it was merely a display of power by House Manderly, a demonstration of strength against the Lannisters. Kray could sense the admiration in the eyes of these guards. Some of them had responded to the call of their liege during the War of the Usurper, marching south. Like Duke Eddard, they were deeply dissatisfied with the Lannisters. However, with Duke Tywin's formidable military strength and vast wealth, they had no choice but to return to the icy lands of the North, cursing their fate.In their eyes, Kray had upheld the honor of his house, decisively dispatching the Lannisters and achieving what they had wanted to do but couldn't. Hence, they held Kray in high regard.In the dungeon, Kray was visited by three guests, the three brothers of House Stark. "Robb, Jon, Bran, what brings you three here?"Kray gestured to the wooden chair in the corner, and the three didn't mind its dirtiness, immediately taking their seats.Glancing at Bran's waist, Kray knew Bran hadn't yet climbed the broken tower."We came to see our Northern hero. Father never allowed us to come see you, but since your guards are stationed here, we sneaked in," Robb said apologetically, scratching his head.The minds of Northern youths were indeed simple. Over this period, the Stark brothers had already considered Kray a true friend."Father says you're a true Northerner, and so do our brothers," the small Bran said innocently.Kray smiled broadly, but his eyes betrayed surprise and contemplation. After becoming a Witcher, Kray's body became highly sensitive to magic. In his view, Bran's body was entwined with thread-like magic.No, this was not normal!The last time Kray saw Bran was at the king's feast. He couldn't be sure whether Bran had always been entangled with these mysterious magical threads or if they had just appeared.But regardless, this was definitely not right. Kray couldn't detect similar threads on Robb and Jon, so it had nothing to do with blood relations. Wasn't this supposed to be a low-magic world? For a moment, Kray doubted if this was even the world of ice and fire. But then he shrugged off the thought; he himself was the biggest anomaly in this world, so it wasn't fair to judge others. However, where there were threads, there must be a source. Kray was eager to find out who dared to challenge his monopoly on magic in Winterfell. How could this be allowed?!
In his mind, he prayed for his grandfather to arrive soon, hopefully scaring off the queen, so he could leave this cursed place as soon as possible.
"I need to make a badge to match my identity," Kray muttered softly. No one caught what he said. Jon asked, "Kray, what did you say?"
"Ah...nothing. Can you tell me what's been happening outside?" Kray quickly changed the subject.
Robb glanced at him, pondered for a moment, deliberately elongated the title, then continued, "Let me tell you, Lord Kray..." He smirked slightly before organizing his thoughts and said, "After you were imprisoned, I heard that our king had a big fight with the queen. That night, instead of going to her, he chose to spend the night with three whores from Winterfell."
Robb clicked his tongue as he said this, clearly hormonal and perhaps admiring King Robert to some extent. Unfortunately, Lady Catelyn kept him on a tight leash, allowing him only to watch, not to partake, much to Robb's regret. "My father told everyone at home not to associate with the queen's people anymore. I also don't have to act with that mentally unstable prince for the lords anymore," Robb added with a disdainful expression.
During those days together, it must have been one of the most humiliating times in Robb's life, Kray understood. "I really didn't expect King Robert to have such a crown prince," Jon said. As a bastard, he had hardly seen or interacted directly with Prince Joffrey, but his intuition told him that there was no hint of stag in the crown prince; instead, he exuded a nauseating lion stench.
"Exactly, Joffrey doesn't resemble our king at all. To be honest, I think he resembles more of a kinslayer and the queen's seed," Robb agreed with Jon, completely oblivious to Kray's peculiar expression.
Sighing inwardly, Kray thought, perhaps that's the reason.
No one would willingly investigate Joffrey's lineage, but unfortunately, he really resembled his uncle too much, devoid of any Baratheon traits. The current Stark brothers, Stannis, and Renly, all had strong affection for Robert. If Joffrey had resembled the young Robert in both appearance and masculinity, they wouldn't have immediately rebelled after Robert's death. It could only be said that it was the adults' fault. Joffrey couldn't decide who his parents were, and his subsequent hysterical behavior was heavily influenced by his mother's upbringing.
"What about Vela?" Kray remembered his sister.
"Ah, how could we have a brother like you..." Robb rolled his eyes at Kray. "Don't worry, Father has already taken her into the main keep. She sleeps with Sansa at night. Rest assured, when Lord Wyman arrives, Father will hand your sister over to him."
Nodding, Kray had nothing to worry about.
Jon reached behind and pulled out a small pouch, using a small stool as a makeshift table to empty its contents.
"What's that?" Kray asked.
"Hehe, see for yourself."
Inside was a small jar, and as soon as Kray opened it, the rich scent of alcohol filled the empty dungeon.
"Jon, Father said..." Robb, the good child, subconsciously frowned, but then he realized how boring he sounded. Besides, he was also quite eager. The two brothers shielded the innocent Bran behind them, not letting him see.
So, in the cramped dungeon of Winterfell, the young generation of the North shared a small bottle of liquor and laughed heartily.