At Winterfell's training ground, Ser Rodrik Cassel, the instructor, demonstrated attacking techniques with a sword against a wooden post. The three young men, Theon Greyjoy, Jon Snow, and Robb Stark, all wore black half-armors with wolf-head insignias and practiced the movements with dull practice swords, mimicking the instructor's actions.
Asha Greyjoy and Sansa Stark, both girls who had just finished their sewing lessons, stood at the edge of the training ground on the second-floor walkway, watching.
"Ha!" "Ha!" "Ha!"
"Are you all starving? Put some force into it!" Ser Rodrik called out. "The enemy won't spare you just because you're too weak!"
"We've been at this for two hours, when is it going to end?" Theon spoke up.
Jon responded, "My arms are sore; I can barely lift them."
Theon, being the oldest, was also the most outspoken, always talking the most.
"Robb, how about you?"
Robb Stark didn't respond. He suddenly stopped swinging his sword and stood still, looking up at Theon and Jon.
"My badge is vibrating!"
Ser Rodrik Cassel, hearing this, walked over to check, and Theon and Jon followed Robb's side.
Robb's badge, just like the family sigil, was a direwolf's head. It was something everyone admired but merely as decoration. It had been made by the kingdom's Archmagr, Wright Baratheon, using precious Valyrian steel. But they had never known that the badge could vibrate, so they were all surprised.
The vibrations of the badge grew stronger and louder, making a sharp "clink, clink" sound as it struck Robb's chestplate.
Robb stood frozen, unsure of what was happening. When his father Eddard had given him the badge as a child, he had only said it was a pretty ornament made of Valyrian steel, never mentioning it could move.
"I'll go find the Lord," Ser Rodrik said quickly, turning to leave for the inner city to find Eddard.
The "clink, clink" sound continued as the badge vibrated without stopping. Robb reached out to grab the grey-black wolf head badge.
"Don't!" "Stop!" Jon and Theon both shouted.
Robb's hand gripped the badge, but nothing dangerous happened.
Eddard Stark and Ser Rodrik emerged from the castle, followed by Maester Luwin. Seeing his father, Robb let go of the badge, and it once again struck the chestplate with its distinctive "clink, clink" sound.
Eddard looked at Robb, took the badge in his hand, and said, "When Wright Baratheon gave me the badge, he said that it would vibrate when there were magical fluctuations nearby. It vibrated when I first held it, but after that, it never moved again. I thought it was broken, so I didn't pay it any mind. I just assumed it was a decoration."
Everyone felt relieved. It turned out the badge had always had this function, but Eddard had forgotten about it.
"However, now that it's still working, it means there must be magical fluctuations nearby."
A soldier rode up on horseback, dismounted, and bowed to Eddard, saying:
"A couple of carriages have been spotted outside the city heading toward Winterfell. The banners on them bear a golden crown with a stag and flames coming from its antlers."
The guard didn't recognize the banner, but Eddard and the others did.
"A few weeks ago, I received a letter from King Robert. He mentioned that Wright Baratheon would be visiting the North, but I didn't expect him to arrive so soon," Eddard said, habitually pulling out his dark watch and checking the time.
Maester Luwin commented, "Whenever we travel between King's Landing and here, we usually take the King's Road, but if we take a fast ship from King's Landing to White Harbor, the journey would be much shorter."
Wright Baratheon's reputation had already spread throughout the kingdom, and even across the Narrow Sea to Essos. At the age two ten, he had fought on the battlefield, used magic to break a siege, killed dozens of enemies, and become the kingdom's Archmagr and participated in royal meetings. He had even been awarded an honorary tittle from the Citadel. However, some still considered magic to be nonsense, a way for King Robert to glorify his brother.
The children were all excited at the prospect of meeting the legendary mage.
The steward, Vayon Poole, asked, "Do we need to prepare a welcoming ceremony? He is the king's brother and a member of the Small council, after all."
"No need," Eddard replied. "I know Wright Baratheon well enough. He doesn't bother with formalities and often travels alone without even a bodyguard."
"No bodyguard?" Robb asked, puzzled. He had been taught from a young age that every noble should have a guard for protection and display.
"The bodyguards he takes with him probably end up needing protection from him," Eddard said with a slight smile. "Come on, you all go change and tell your mother that we have a guest. We'll go meet him at the gates."
Wright sat in the carriage, watching the scenery pass by.
The North was vast. The Reach, the Westerlands, the Stormlands, and the Crownlands combined were almost equal to the size of the North. However, the climate was much colder here. Aside from the Wolfswood and two other large forests, there were few wild animals and dense woodlands, mostly open plains. The population was small.
It wasn't until a few years ago, after Wright's agricultural reforms, that Maester from across the North began helping the farmers cultivate the land. Now, along the main roads, there were more farmlands, mills, and inns.
Winterfell was older than even Storm's End, with a history spanning over 8,000 years. It had been built directly on top of a natural hot spring, making it more comfortable to live in than most of the North. It had been House Stark stronghold since its construction, and today, with clear weather and no snow, one could see the full scale of the castle.
The ancient bell tower within the castle had, a few years ago, been replaced with a large mechanical clock, driven by the Citadel's influence.
Before long, Ser Davos Seaworth and his sons arrived in a carriage, entering Winterfell. The city guards had already received word and guided the carriage directly to the inner gates.
Wright Baratheon jumped down from the carriage, his thin golden noble cloak fluttering in the wind, standing out against Eddard and the others' thick winter attire.
"Lord Eddard!"
"Wright, aren't you cold?"
"I'm fine, but my wife, Nymeria, and her sister, Tyene, are ill. They're from Dorne and aren't used to this weather."
Nymeria and Tyene were bundled up heavily. Wright went to support them as they slowly made their way off the carriage. Tyene clutched a teddy bear in her arms, both women pale and with blank eyes as they greeted Eddard.
The children behind Eddard also greeted, clearly aware that this wasn't the time for casual conversation, as it would be quite rude. Asha and Theon cast nervous glances at Wright, recalling the time they'd seen their uncle, Victarion Greyjoy, turned into an ice sculpture by Wright.
Wright sensed the pendant on Robb's chest. A flash of white light appeared on his hand, activating the mechanism in the wolf-shaped necklace. The wolf head emitted a burst of white light and ceased vibrating.
The group then understood that it was Wright who had turned off the necklace's vibration, not that it had broken.
"This is Ser Davos Seaworth, the Onion Knight, and his sons. My brother, Stannis, specifically assigned them to handle my journey."
Davos, along with his sons, bowed to Eddard. The two had never met during Robert's rebellion, as they had continuously missed each other, but they had fought together in the war against the Greyjoys, and exchanged greetings.
At first, Eddard had assumed the men were just hired drivers by Wright, mainly due to Davos' plain appearance, his slim build, and his thick winter coat and hat that made him hard to recognize. It was a trait common to smugglers — an unremarkable face.
Ashara leapt out of the carriage with a cheerful "hey", still full of energy despite being Dornish, likely influenced by her Stark bloodline. She was wrapped in a black fur cloak and wearing a white fur hat, looking like a bundle, with only her black hair and the hilts of two swords visible from behind her neck.
"This is my mage apprentice, Ashara," Wright introduced, mainly to Eddard.
Asha greeted the group, and Eddard was momentarily lost for words, unsure how to respond. Wright subtly prompted him with small gestures.
"Let's head inside to warm up. My wife, Catelyn Tully, is having the servants prepare dinner," Eddard said, feeling slightly flustered. He quickly gestured to the guards to bring over some bread crumbs and fine salt.