Chapter 19: Chapter 19 : Bran's Awake
"Damn, another miss," Bran cursed under his breath. His mother had told him not to swear, but he couldn't help it. No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to hit the target. The bow and arrow just weren't made for him.
"How is Arya so good at this?" Bran pouted, pulling another arrow from the quiver before resting it on the bow and taking aim.
Just as he was about to shoot, he suddenly heard a sound. He looked around but saw nothing. He was alone in the training range—his father, his two sisters, even Jon, had already left for Kings Landing and Night's Watch.
Rickon was the only one left for him to play with.
Ignoring the earlier sound, he pulled the string of the bow again, taking aim, only for the sound to return.
Once again, there was nothing there. But this time, he decided to check where the sound was coming from. As he ventured further, it led him to a dark corner of Winterfell he didn't even know existed.
Hesitantly, he moved forward, only to see a bird sitting on top of a barrier in the shadows.
A raven.
A Three-Eyed Raven.
The moment Bran looked into the raven's eyes, he felt his consciousness fading. Light-headedness assaulted him.
"What… what's happening to me…?"
"Wait… who are you?"
"No, wait—"
"Wait—"
Bran shouted, and that was when his eyes shot open. He jolted upright, his breathing ragged, and found himself in his bed, surrounded by two people.
He looked into the face of his mother, who had been sleeping next to his bed but suddenly awoke with a start at his outburst."
'Bran…' The moment she realized who had made the noise, her eyes widened in shock at seeing her son awake.
"How are you? Are you feeling any pain? Do you need food? Wait a minute, let me call Maester Luwin." She almost stumbled, too overwhelmed by the sight of her son waking up.
Even Maester Luwin had been unable to determine what kind of fever Bran was suffering from. At one point, his body had started heating up uncontrollably, and he no longer woke up after falling asleep.
At first, they thought it was just a normal fever, but after her husband left, Bran's condition had worsened. She had prayed to the Seven for hours to protect her son, sitting beside him day and night.
"Gods be good," she whispered, checking his temperature. He was normal now. "Wait here, I'll call Maester Luwin" She hurriedly stood up and rushed out.
Bran was still struggling to process what had just happened. Once Maester Luwin checked him and declared him healthy, Catelyn Stark finally sighed in relief.
Just as Maester Luwin was about to leave and complete his sleep, Bran, lost in thought, suddenly spoke.
"Maester Luwin…"
"Yes?" Luwin responded. Catelyn tensed, fearing that her son was in pain.
"Are there any books about the history and faiths of Westeros?"
"History and faiths? Why do you suddenly need that?" Both Luwin and Catelyn looked at Bran with puzzled expressions.
"I just want to learn a bit about history, that's all," Bran replied.
Both Catelyn and Luwin exchanged looks, their expressions tinged with concern before Luwin nodded.
"I'll have someone bring you the Gospel of the Seven."
"No."
Bran's sudden response startled both of them.
"Pardon?"
"Not just the Seven. Bring me all the books about history and faiths—all faiths from Westeros and Essos too." Bran's tone was firm, making the two adults exchange concerned glances again.
"Do we have them?" Bran asked again, his urgency growing.
'Yes, but it's a ponderous read. You won't find it to your taste. I'll bring you—'
But before Luwin could finish, Bran interrupted him.
"No, I want to read it. What's the name of the book?"
—
"The Lineage and History of Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms," Grand Maester Pycelle said as he pulled out an old, dusty book from his study, placing it on the table with some difficulty.
'Why did Jon Arryn want to read this book?' Ned Stark asked as he flipped it open, only to find tedious descriptions of noble houses and their members.
The book contained detailed records of the members of all the great houses—their appearances, birth dates, parentage, and even places of birth.
Seeing its contents, Ned Stark already felt repulsed. He turned to the Grand Maester. "Did Jon Arryn say why he wanted to read this book?"
'No, my Lord Hand. And I never thought to ask him.' Pycelle shrugged, clearly unbothered by it all.
Unlike in the main story, where Ned Stark was bogged down by council duties, delaying his investigation into Jon Arryn's death, here, he had begun investigating immediately.
He wouldn't voice it, but he knew he wouldn't have been able to do this if he had followed the council's calls all the time. Thor's advice had been valuable.
So, after the very first council meeting, he had gone straight to Pycelle and obtained the book.
'Did Jon say anything more? Any last words before his passing?' Ned Stark asked, already resigning himself to reading the book despite his reluctance.
'Hmm… he kept saying one thing. He repeated it over and over. He said, "The seed is strong."'
'The seed is strong… What does that mean?'
'I'm afraid I know no better than you do, Lord Stark,' Pycelle said with another shrug.
Ned Stark wanted to voice his suspicions about Jon Arryn's murder. However, remembering Thor's warning to trust no one, he held his tongue and took his leave.
As he walked to his chambers, a thousand thoughts clouded his mind. The most pressing was whether he was wasting his time. Should he focus on preparing the North for winter instead of chasing a dead man's secrets?
But he couldn't shake the feeling that he owed it to Jon Arryn. That man had been like a father to him. He had chosen to protect both him and Robert when they were mere wards. When the Mad King demanded their heads, Jon Arryn had gone to war to protect them.
If there was any truth in Lysa's letter, then he would find out who had killed his father in all but blood—and get him the justice he deserved.
—
'One, two, three, four…' Thor's deep, resonant voice echoed in the open balcony. 'Keep the rhythm in mind. Remember, you don't have to move on every beat, but the beat will help you track your footwork initially.'
Ned Stark saw Thor training his youngest daughter, Arya, in swordsmanship.
'Why am I not swinging the sword? It's not swordsplay if all I'm doing is moving around,' Arya complained.
'Foolish child. Half of swordsmanship isn't in the sword but in how you move. A stationary target is a dead target. You have to be nimble on your feet, keep your balance, and shift your weight properly to deliver strong and true strikes,' Thor said firmly.
"Exactly, I couldn't have said it better myself." Suddenly both of them heard Ned Stark spoke from the side. Thor already knew someone was there but he just didn't knew who.
"Oh not you too…" Arya whined.
"Thor's teaching you true Arya. One must learn how to crawl before walking. Foot and pasing is the foundation of swordsmanship. Listen to him." Ned Stark said making Arya grumble but back to his training. She was holding the sword but only for show, her current job was nothing but move around and get use to that while holding a sword.
"I thought you don't do Swords." Ned Stark suddenly looked at Thor with intrigued.
"Oh he did, just didn't wanted to teach me." Arya immediately protested from the side.
"Oh, then how you convince him ?" Ned Stark asked with amusement no his face.
"Easy, I'm to let him alone and not disturb him outside our training hour unless it's an emergency." Arya repeated why Thor drilled in her as a payment for teaching her.
"Shush, don't make let you do the same training on mud." Thor glared, putting Arya back to work.
"Thought you don't do swords ?" Ned Stark smile at his youngest daughter and then turn to Thor.
"I learn all sorts of weapons while growing up, hammer just happens to be my favorite." Thor replied off handedly. Ned Stark once again wondered what was his background since, it can't be anything less than a son of a lord Paramount. Maybe even Royalty the way he acts sometimes around others.
"Good, you'll gonna need that for the Tourney." Ned Stark said, not hosting his suspicions about Thor's background.
"What Tourney ?" Thor turn his head towards him with confusion.
xxx
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