Game of Thrones: The Stark Shard

"Are you ready for your archery practice, Robb?" asked Ser Rodrick Cassel, the master-at-arms of Winterfell and father of Jory.

"Yes, Ser Rodrick. I'm as ready as I can be," I replied, taking the bow with my offhand.

"I hope your skill with the bow remains the same even though you don't remember much, milord."

"I hope so too, Ser," I replied.

The night before, I spent sketching different insects that could help me excel as an archer. While I performed all my duties and practices the previous day, my insects continued to work to replenish the energy I had expended. The energy gradually increased, and though I didn't have as much as the day before, it was enough to try out my idea: modified flies to deduce wind speed, trajectory, and direction. These flies would serve a role similar to modern sniper spotters, providing distance, wind direction, and other factors influencing where the arrow would land, ensuring my shots wouldn't miss.

I hope that with the maester's teachings on engineering, I could provide the necessary information to a blacksmith to construct a composite bow usable at great distances and superior to common ones. A long-range crossbow would suffice if I couldn't create such a bow.

I could become the greatest long-range assassin Westeros had ever seen using these flies. If I used a venom-producing insect, whether lethal or paralyzing, I could order them to mark my arrows with these poisons, killing my enemies with the bow range without them knowing my location.

I closed my eyes to focus and sent the flies to land on the practice dummy's head. Opening them, I positioned myself 15 meters away. I took a deep breath and tried to mimic the few archery videos I'd seen in my previous life. I raised the arrow and nocked it, exhaling slowly, aiming slightly above the dummy's head and adjusting my body to the left, as the flies indicated the wind was blowing to the right.

When I released the arrow, I watched it fly disappointingly, embedding itself in the ground about 5 meters from the dummy.

Taking a moment to observe the arrow, I noted the information provided was accurate; had it continued in the air, it would have struck the dummy's head directly.

"Hahaha, Robb! Trying to imitate Bran with that shot? Maybe we should call for the maester to keep teaching you in the library," Theon called from the field entrance, having arrived for his daily practice.

I frowned, trying to calm my annoyance. Theon was a character I didn't care for; all his actions until his death were driven by selfishness, and though he gave his life for Bran, it didn't absolve all his previous sins. Yet the Theon before me was just a teenager obsessed with women and martial practice. He still needed to do something to earn my disdain.

"You're quite the jester, Theon. I suppose your charisma attracts women, not your gold," I retorted, grabbing another arrow.

"Women adore me, Robb. Maybe you'll understand when you grow up a bit more," Theon chuckled.

"If you give gold to a monkey, Theon, it will dance."

"Enough, both of you. You're here to practice," Ser Rodrick shouted, showing his displeasure, though he couldn't hide his smile at my responses.

"What about a wager, Robb? I bet you a gold dragon that you won't hit the target for as long as it takes me to finish my practice," Theon said, preparing his bow and arrows.

"Fine, let's bet. Now shut up and let Rodrick instruct me. I don't remember how to use a bow," I said, turning to Ser Rodrick.

"Very well, milord. Let's begin the practice. The first mistake I noticed was your stance. Place your feet shoulder-width apart. Your dominant foot should be slightly behind the other for good stability," Rodrick commented, assuming the position himself.

"Is this right, Rodrick?" I asked, mimicking him.

"Yes, milord, just like that. It was good to take the bow with your offhand, but the string should be drawn with your right hand. Extend the bow forward and aim directly at the dummy. Remember to keep your elbows straight but relaxed," Rodrick said, demonstrating the actions as he spoke.

"And how do I aim properly, Ser?" I inquired, following his instructions and focusing on the flies' information.

"The most important part of using a bow is hitting the target, obviously, milord. Stare directly at the target and use your index finger to aim. Align the arrowhead with the target. Take a deep breath and release the string smoothly," Rodrick said as he did the same and released the string. The arrow flew through the air and struck the dummy square in the chest.

"Thank you, Ser. Now it's my turn," I thanked him for his guidance and followed his steps precisely.

Releasing the string smoothly, I watched the arrow fly straight toward the dummy's head, piercing it with a single shot.

"Well done, milord, an excellent shot," Rodrick praised, patting me on the back.

I glanced over to where Theon was practicing, and with a smile, I called out, "Hey, Greyjoy! Looks like you owe me a gold dragon," pointing my finger at the dummy.

Theon, surprised, followed my finger's direction and let out a whistle of surprise.

"That's how it's done, Robb. I'm thrilled your accident didn't render you useless. Although the bastard might still outshoot you," Theon said, not forgetting to jab at Jon.

Rodrick stepped forward, clearly intending to give Theon a piece of his mind for speaking ill of a Stark, but he stopped when I shook my head.

"Enough, Theon," I said firmly. "Jon is a Stark, no matter if he was born on the wrong side of the bed. You will give him the respect he deserves."

Theon looked surprised, perhaps because the original Robb never defended Jon so quickly, maybe not to offend Theon, or perhaps due to Catelyn's teachings, but I wasn't the original Robb. Jon is a Stark, the only son of Lyanna Stark and Prince Rhaegar, and I wouldn't let Theon or anyone else treat him as less.

I needed to change Jon's situation. Not only did he not deserve the hate people had for him, but having his support could help me with many plans. Jon wasn't just a fantastic fighter; he also had a blood relation with Daenerys. If I didn't communicate with her before the conflict began, I would need an in with her, whether I decided to act for or against her.

My family needed to be united; there was no need or time to waste with disputes that could affect the future.

---

Entering Maester Luwin's study prepared me mentally to return to school.

At least I had the advantage that the Common Tongue was English, and I could already read and write it correctly.

The maester mentioned that one of the first topics he would teach me would be High Valyrian and Braavosi, which would be very helpful in the future.

"Good morning, Robb," greeted the maester, indicating I should take a seat beside him.

"I hope you're ready, Robb. We'll start with the Common Tongue; once I decide you've mastered it enough, we'll move on to the other languages and other subjects," continued the maester.

"When you finish this lesson, I want you to take these books to practice and let me know when you've finished reading them," said the maester, handing me four books: one on the Age of Heroes, another on Westerosi history during the Conquest, one on basic human anatomy, and finally, a book on common food plants in the North.

Taking the books and thanking the maester, I sat down, and we began the lesson.

"I want you to write and say aloud each letter of the alphabet," the maester instructed.

Without waiting for further instructions, I began my task, clearly showing I already had the necessary knowledge to proceed to the next part.

"How can you do this so well, Robb?" asked the amazed maester.

"Since I lost my memory, maester, I've been reading a lot in the library. I've also taken books to my room to keep reading before bed," I explained.

"Ah... So that's where the books I couldn't find were. And here I was about to talk to your father about the supposed theft," chuckled the maester.

"Haha, I'm sorry, maester. I'll be sure to let you know next time I take books," I said, embarrassed.

"Yes, please do so next time, Robb. But I've noticed the missing books were on medicine and common North fauna. Are you interested in those subjects?" the maester asked me.

"Of course, maester. I hope to become an expert in them shortly."

"Interesting, milord. It's good that I already included them in the curriculum we'll use," said the maester as he took notes.

"Let's continue then. Since you already know about the Common Tongue, we'll start your studies on High Valyrian."

"Understood, maester," I replied, preparing my quill and ink to take notes.

As the maester began the lesson, I thought about how to surprise him with my learning ability. Thanks to my multitasking ability, I could pay attention to his teachings while thinking about ways to cheat to learn faster.

I planned to create mosquitoes that secreted neurotransmitters and hormones so that when I controlled them to bite me, they would transmit these substances to my body. I would also need to create other insects to counteract or eliminate these extra substances in my body, as I recalled reading about the dangers of drugs that increase these. By studying and using animals to check this safety, I could use them to facilitate my learning more efficiently.

I hoped that by noticing how easily I learned, I could gain my parents' confidence to travel across the North in the next two years. Many of my plans depended on having a larger number of insects, and the easiest method for that would be to travel and collect as many natural insects as possible around the North. In addition to increasing my insect count, I could eliminate different people who would be dangerous in the future. Much depended on my ability to carry out my plans, and I didn't want to fail in the future.

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Yay, a new chapter! As you can see, we witness the birth of the best archer in Westeros. One of my original plans before writing the first chapter was for Robb to use his insects to achieve perfect aim. I intend to equip him with a quality bow in the future (after much trial and error, given his lack of knowledge in making a professional bow from the present time), with the goal of turning him into a nightmare for his enemies. They'll know he's out there somewhere, but he'll be so far away when he picks them off one by one.

Also, I've decided to do a timeskip soon (one more chapter where he talks with his dad about something important) and when thats done, the prologue will be over. I've explained his powers and provided examples of different things he can do with them. Besides, I don't want to delve into him learning High Valyrian or Braavosi; I lack knowledge of those languages, and I prefer not having to fact-check everything lol.

I'm planning a one- or two-year timeskip, during which he continues learning from the maester/obtaining biomass and creating more modified insects.

There will be a couple of flashbacks after the timeskip clarify some important details.

I hope you enjoy this fic as much as I do!

See you all tomorrow! Or maybe I'll be in a good mood and drop another chapter in a couple of hours.