It was only a few hours later that a Stark soldier came and ushered me into a great hall made of grey stone, named the Great Hall... I'd come to accept that the nobility didn't have the best of naming senses in this world, starting with House Redwyne and their red wine.
But still, the hall was massive, lined with rows of plank tables, benches on either side, and a long table at the head of it on a slightly elevated wooden platform, presumably for the Starks themselves judging by the nature of the furniture there relative to the rather simple and minimalistic tables in the rest of the hall.
There was also a stone seat beyond the table itself, likely for the Lord.
Soldiers stood guard at the main oak and iron doors, and near the long narrow windows that let in dampened sunlight from outside.
Noting the doorways and escape routes out of instinct, I calmly made my way to the front of the hall to find a young man sitting at the centre most seat of the head.
He wore a thick fur cloak over a black leather coat and had dark red-brown hair, accompanied by deep blue eyes like Sansa... who was sitting a ways off to the side, silently sobbing into a piece of white cloth.
I guessed he broke the news of their father's grim fate.
"Hm, welcome, Ser Karl." He started, putting one hand on the wooden table, "I am Robb Stark, the Lord of Winterfell after my father's... passing."
He spoke with a poker face, and he was good at it... but,
"My condolences." I wasn't jaded enough to not even speak some good words over someone's loss, "My time with him was short, but any man who prioritises his family is one worthy of great respect."
He accepted my words with a small nod, "Firstly, allow me to express my deep gratitude for my sisters' safe return, as Lord of Winterfell... You may sit."
Shrugging, I took a seat across from him.
The inside of Winterfell was oddly warm compared to how cold it was outside its walls, leading me to wonder if they had some kind of insulation system installed... no, they did. My ears picked up the faint sound of moving water inside the walls as soon as I entered the castle itself.
Was there a natural hot spring under the land?
"Rest assured, whatever my father offered you for your task, you will have." He offered, interlocking his hands together, "Secondly, I make you an offer."
I nodded curiously, money was never a problem.
If I wanted I could've razed King's Landing and taken all their money to make something, it was mostly about indulging myself... Something I felt I deserved after my time in the Lands Between, why else would I be sent here?
Not to say that life hadn't become much easier after the initial few centuries... or was it a millennium? Didn't matter, the point was, it had never been easy like this... There were always things to ruin my peace of mind and being.
Here... it seemed the complete opposite.
Nothing could bother me.
"I wish for you to enter into my service."
An awkward silence descended on the room.
I raised my brow and grinned slightly, "Oh?"
He had a damn good poker face but... It wasn't something I hadn't dealt with before.
It was subtle, a barely noticeable twitch of his gloved fingers, an incognisable flicker in his stoic gaze, an extremely brief shift in posture... With age, came the ability to read people through their mannerisms.
But most of all, his heart was drumming against his chest and I... could hear it.
He was nervous, but for a teenager, he deserved praise.
"You're not telling me you want me for my skills in battle, are you?" I mused out loud, leaning back in my chair and putting a hand to my chin, "That would be disappointing."
Robb shook his head, "While appreciated, and... notable, I have more warriors under me that can be counted. No matter how strong or skilled, men can be overpowered."
"Men can." I nodded in approval, smiling.
"But you've travelled here from King's Landing, you must know the land well by now... And I saw you note our defenses as natural as a man breathes, earlier."
Oooh, he's got good eyesight, huh?
"It is a pity but Northmen do not interact with the South much, they do not like them and they do not travel beyond the bare necessity." His words were more trained... more carefully picked, more like a noble than the Northern Lords I'd encountered so far, maybe their mother had taken an active part in their education, "Even if you are but one man, the lay of the land through your eyes will be invaluable."
I put my elbow on the chair's armrest, then put my head in my palm, "What if I lie?"
"You could've easily gone for the reward offered by the Lannisters, but you didn't." He answered without a moment's pause, "And if this is some ploy to garner trust, it is a risk I will have to take."
Again, he was very good for a kid... but in my eyes, every human alive was a kid so I didn't make the distinction.
The passage of time was very... numbing.
"What about my pay?"
"If the knowledge you provide is as good as I would like to think, then I believe even a lordship might not be too far out of the question... And the North is nothing if not vast." He offered calmly, face barely shifting.
It was an enticing offer, one peasants would jump at considering all they had to do was provide information for a life of luxury but...
I wasn't a peasant, I'd hunted down the Progenitor of all Drakes, Bayle the Dread, even if he was greatly wounded... and with the aid of Queen Marika, breached Farum Azula itself in a bid for more power.
I'd devoured the Mother of All Dragons, Greyoll herself before turning my eyes to the rest of the Ancient Dragons.
My might had to be consciously reeled in so I could feel something and enjoy myself.
To offer me land for my services was something many in my position would have taken grave offense to.
But... that was boring.
I wasn't easily offended, especially if the person was ignorant.
"A good offer..." I spoke bluntly, "But, no. I'll be gone soon enough. Just pay me whatever you think is appropriate for what I've done already."
He briefly considered my words, "Is there anything I might say that would change your mind?"
I didn't reply.
"I see then, very well... The North owes you a debt all the same, if there is anything I can do for you, you need only ask. There will always be a place for you at Winterfell."
Lords were always quite amusing with that image they thought they had to maintain of themselves, but I supposed all humans were like that, their short lifespans didn't let them truly understand that none could stand against time.
I got up to leave but Robb held up a hand to stop me, "Arya tells me you wish to explore?"
"Yeah, where is the little brat?"
"Grieving, in her own way." He offered briefly before moving to the real subject, "The North is vast. You'll find much to see..."
My ears perked up at that, an object of intrigue?
Was he offering me a sidequest?
I loved those.
I would continue to love them for a long, long time.
"Further North?" I questioned with a curious smile.
He nodded, "Much further. I would like for you to deliver a letter."
Booo.
"To my half-brother, Jon Stark, and to the Commander of the Night Watch, at the Wall. I suspect you'll find the journey enjoyable." It was almost odd how easily someone so young could hide his expression, his face would seem like stone to the human eye, "I will reward you further if you see to it that he returns here on your way back, preferably before we march for Moat Cailin."
"Fine, that's good enough." I accepted the mission arbitrarily... I'd think it through after some rest.
I wondered with curious excitement as to what this 'Wall' was, what the Night's Watch was and what it was supposed to be for.
"Very well, I will have one of my men deliver the letter to you when ready."
With that, I took my leave.
Overall, the meeting was fairly interesting.
Robb Stark would make a good Lord for his people... if he got rid of that faint bit of naivete I could sense in him.
When I opened the doors, the corners of my lips curved in response to a faint, relieved sigh.
He didn't need to know I'd heard him.
-
I found Arya late into noon, relentlessly beating away at a straw dummy with a wooden shortsword.
The Sun had begun sitting, casting long twisted shadows past the high walls of Winterfell, and the training yard was empty. Most of the soldiers had taken to their assigned homes in Wintertown, the settlement outside Winterfell, while the lords took to their own accommodations.
Candlelight flickered in the closed windows of the Keep, while the guards manning the walls made small talk amongst themselves, exchanging shifts and what not.
I leaned against the weapon rack, "What did that poor thing do to you?"
Her answer once again reminded me of the stark distance between her and her sister... heh, stark.
"Did you know?"
"By Marika, no." I answered truthfully, "I didn't even consider it till we made it to Moat Cailin... It takes a special kind of retard to do something like this... But he's born from two twins, this should've been expected."
I just figured someone would be smart enough to stop him.
"Right, Joffrey's a bastard... I'll kill him myself."
"I hope so."
It would never not be odd to hear a child so hatefully calm, obsessed with revenge... and so quick to it too... She'd immediately translated her sorrow to anger and then loathing, faster than most adults if I was being completely honest.
"Who's... Marika?" She asked after a long pause, gasping for breath after an intense session.
I smiled wryly and looked at the orange sky.
It was ironic, this situation.
"God-Queen... A frien-..." I shook my head, "No, a woman so obsessed with a righteous revenge that she got consumed by it and turned into the very thing she herself swore vengeance against."
The hornsent were a race that subjected her and her people to unimaginable horror for just being born, and she did destroy them... It was what she became, what she did, after her revenge was complete that forced me to turn against her.
I wondered what she'd think or do if she saw me now, detached as I've become.
I smiled wryly, explaining as briefly as possible, "Be sure that doesn't happen to you... cause I'll have to stop you then."
Arya didn't look my way and keeled over from exhaustion instead.
"My father was good." She mumbled after another pregnant pause.
"He was."
"He was honorable."
"He was." I didn't look her way, content to stare at the slowly darkening sky.
"He did right by people."
"I'm sure."
"...Then why?"
I sighed, "I don't know. No one does... People do stupid things, that's just how life works sometimes."
She didn't speak further, because she'd exhausted herself to sleep.
I just sighed again and looked for the nearest guard.
Kids were quite the handful sometimes.
Death came for everyone, even Gods.
I could testify to that myself.
-
Hope you enjoyed.
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The last week was kinda rough on me personally but you guys are fucking insane.
Once I get sick for any reason, my whole immune system takes a nosedive into the void for some reason, been coughing blood for a week now but I'm improving fairly quickly now, and we should be back to regular chapters unless I literally can't move my body.
I remember my promise, and am writing the promised extra chapter even though you guys deserves way more for your insane support on this book since the goal got, I'm running out of polite ways to put it with what you guys keep doing to it.
I'll try for a triple release if we get to 800 again, somehow.