The stranger touching my face gave me the urge to shy away. I didn't know this woman as the actual Young Griff had. In many ways I pitied the people I found myself with.
Unknown to them, the boy they had been taking care of was gone and in his place was another from somewhere else entirely.
"I heard what happened. You forgot much after waking up. Tell me, do you know who I am?"
"Septa Lemore," was my slowly spoken answer. "I know you. But I'm afraid to say I've forgotten much of the world around me." It was a strange feeling, like being in the middle of a dark room. I could see the shapes of what was around me but not the details.
"You're a septa. A servant of the Faith of the Seven. You're here to teach me the faith and all its mysteries."
"Indeed." The smile was genuine. "I'm here to help you. Would you close your book and pray with me? Perhaps if the Seven are listening, they'll return what you've lost."
'Would that get me out of here?' I accepted the offer. Before I came to Westeros I was an atheist, bordering on agnostic.
But seeing as I was stuck in a medieval society it wouldn't look good on me for showing that, especially as Young Griff could have been pious as most medieval people were.
Damn, I knew next to nothing of the kid's personality. Well, I did know some things; Young Griff was naïve yet headstrong, he was entitled but worked with his hands, and adored candied ginger like Sansa with lemon cakes.
I needed a bit more than that should they begin to notice something and then decide to perform an exorcism.
Whether that'll work would be a matter of debate, though it wasn't something I was particularly eager for.
"Only if you take the lead. I'm afraid after what happened, I forgot a lot of things, including much of the faith." She looked disheartened by that. "P-perhaps you'll care to teach me once more?"
Her eyes flickered, but she nodded. "If needs be. Come, child. I will teach you again." She lips curled into a friendly smile. "But only if you promise to continue being a good student?"
"I would never intend to displease."
'Though I may find a way intentionally or unintentionally in the future.' If my estimates were correct, the War of the Five Kings would start within four to five years.
In those few years I would need to learn about this world and all the skills that would be required.
There was no way the world would allow me to just spend my time sailing up and down the Rhoyne.
Those around me wouldn't allow me to experience peace and quiet where I could just be myself.
Too many had vested interests in me now that I was Young Griff. I would be forced to play the game of thrones like everyone else.
God help me.
….
I sat on the shore of the river, my knees pressed against my chest.
Two days have passed since I woke up in another body. Two days. It wasn't a dream or anything despite my earlier beliefs. Both those days I had the same thoughts going through my mind.
Thought one: this can't be happening.
Thought two: this is happening.
Thought three: this is impossible.
Thought four: unlikely, but not impossible for it's happened. I just won the lottery of shitty luck.
Sure, I had much to worry about but so far. My problem currently is just coming to grips with finding myself in another world.
Another dimension possibly. I was one of those people who believed in the concept of infinite universes full of infinite possibilities.
With that logic, one of them would have to conform to GRRM's twisted ideas. Maybe it was just a way for my mind to find a way to rationalise what's happened for it is human nature to try and find reason.
That's why I hadn't had much sleep. But in the end it proved not only useless but frustrating, so I decided it wasn't worth the bother.
With no knowledge on how to return or even how I got here, I was stuck in a pseudo medieval world with dragons and magic and politicking only slightly less dangerous than an actual battlefield.
If there was one thing I should be thankful for, it's that I hadn't been thrown into Warhammer 40k. If that was the case I doubt I'd survive the night, not the two I've done so far. A small victory I suppose.
I stared into the river, watching the sun's reflection on the water as it began to rise. It did look beautiful. If I was in the right state of mind I would sketch it out on paper.
Such beauty wasn't something I was used to after spending my whole life in a bustling city . . . when I wasn't shut in my room. I won't have that life again.
Already there was so many things I missed. Electricity and computers and a toilet that wasn't just a hole in the ground.
Toilet paper as well. It was amazing how much was taken for granted until you didn't have it.
That wasn't to mention my parents. I wondered what they would be doing now. Would they know? Would they care? I doubted they knew.
One of the conclusions I had was that I solely transferred my consciousness. If that was true, they would have no way of knowing I was gone.
They'd just see my body and think me dead, not knowing I was stuck in the works of one of fictions most notorious serial killers.
Be as it may, I was stuck here regardless of my opinions on the matter.
Chewing the inside of my cheek in thought, I wondered about myself . . . about my new life. Between everyone, why did it have to be Young Griff? There were so many others I could have been.