บท 21: Chapter 21- Adventures in the North 18.
Author here: Did I make any mistakes in the past chapters? Yesterday, I translated 9 chapters, so it's possible. I finished exhausted yesterday.
[Chapter Size: 3972 Words.]
Chapter that summarizes events taking place in Winterfell; it will be another summary of Jon telling everything that happened in his letter, with some additional information about the illicit actions of Lord Carlen Frotniid.
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Eddard Stark
Northern Kingdom, Winterfell, heart of the realm, 289 A.C., within days of Jon arriving at his camp.
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Ned still remembers as if it were yesterday when he sent soldiers after Jon weeks ago, and no news or results about Jon's whereabouts were heard. Maester Luwin was already starting to report the various letters with the crests of the noble houses of the realm. Ned opened the letters, read various questions about the adventures of little Jon or if he is really his missing bastard son for weeks, as his unusual actions were linked to the name of his bastard son.
News of him in the territories of Tallhart soon caught the attention of the entire North after confirming that there was much truth in the song's story. It was easy for the lords and ladies to connect his missing son, Jon Snow, to the mysterious boy they called Little Jon.
In addition to the questions in the letters, there were people drawing their own conclusions and congratulating him on his famous son, bastard or not. Ned could only smile at this, as all this merit came exclusively from Jon, even though he was sad not to have been more involved in his upbringing and to feel powerless while Jon was in danger.
His search with 200 men may have been in vain, but there were reports from lesser nobles, even in his own territory. Their reports claimed that some farms near Wolfwoods magically began to flourish rapidly, and they realized that their lands had changed. This even prompted some ravens from nobles who begged to send Jon to their lands after finding out that he might be their son. Ned could only shake his head at this.
Ned was now another day in his solar, solving his Northern issues, when thoughts about Jon once again managed to distract the Lord of Winterfell. However, these thoughts were interrupted when a noise made him look at the open window.
A strange gray raven landed on the window and made a noise announcing its arrival. *GLO* *GLO* *GLOOOO!* Lord Stark looked strangely at this bird, which looked into the room and when it saw him, it seemed to have found something it was looking for and let out a happy cry. The Lord of the North stared at this bizarre situation for many seconds until his guard, Jory, entered the solar directly after hearing the raven's shouting; the raven didn't even care about Jory's presence and continued making bird sounds toward Ned, who was still perplexed.
This bird seemed to be celebrating for having done something. Ned Stark had no idea, but the bird had never left the North, and Jon had given it a very difficult task of finding a man like him, only much older and in a large castle that his new master described as Winterfell; Jon just pointed on the map and gave some instructions and mental images.
So the raven was both happy for having found both Winterfell and the man Jon asked to deliver the message. How would this not be a reason for the raven to celebrate? Of course, it was!
Ned saw that the bird fell silent for a while after; the raven, without taking its eyes off him, raised its leg and displayed a rolled-up and tied scroll on it. Jory, seeing this, moved to grab the scroll, but the bird simply fled from him out the window and flew directly to Ned's table, where there were all his scattered documents. *GLOOOO!* *GLOOOO!* *GLOOOO!* The cry was made as a protest by the gray raven, which raised the underbrush again, saying that only he could get this message. Ned understood that only he could pick up the note and couldn't help but think, 'I've never seen a raven so loyal and intelligent for its task; whoever created and trained this strange bird ended up revolutionizing the market of courier ravens, which had its monopoly only in the Citadel.' Calmly raising his hand and gently taking the rolled-up scroll from its thin leg, the raven drew his attention with cries and movements, pecking at some of his documents on the table. 'I understand the message,' Ned said.
"Jory, get some corn from the rookery with Maester Luwin, please."
"Alright, be right back, my lord," he said as he left the solar.
Now, with only him and the strange raven staring at him, Ned shifted his focus to the parchment in front of him, something that made him freeze as he read the first addressed messages.
There were two scrolls, one for him and another for Arya and Bran. But he grew nervous when he saw who sent them, as he wouldn't be, finally a message from Jon was in his hands.
"Jon is also behind this strange behavior, isn't he? He never ceases to amaze me..." Ned couldn't help but comment.
Now, opening the letter with a certain eagerness addressed to him, Ned would finally read something from Jon himself. He just hoped that Jon was safe and healthy, wherever he was.
He opened the letter and began reading.
[ - To the Protector of the North, Lord Stark and a Loving Father.
Father, I bet you've heard reports from the south, reports in which I am involved. I am currently in FrostRoar, in the territory of the Glovers, and while strolling through the city, I found a bard in a square giving a performance. Can you imagine how surprised I was when he started playing and singing a song about me? I was shocked to say the least with the ballad of my time in Icehill in the southwest of the realm, as I had no knowledge of it. I handed a golden dragon to the bard as thanks.
I came to the city to buy some things for the abandoned forge I found in the middle of Wolfswood, and you know what else I found there? Giants! Yes, 4-meter tall men, they really exist! I was afraid at first, but I needed the forge in the place they were using to populate. I know it's strange for an 8-nameday-old child to want something with a broken forge, but certain things happened to me, and I have knowledge in this craft now. I want to forge and do alchemy, another area I also have knowledge in now. I will be in isolation for the next 4 moons or more, as besides wanting to work for a while here, one of the giant she-wolves is pregnant, and she would blame me for the rest of her life if something happened to the pups during the trip north. So, I made a deal with the giants, and they are a much more peaceful people than I imagined, who prefer to eat fruits than meat, as long as you don't provoke them, they are quite friendly. We soon turned our differences into friendship; they left the other side of the wall to seek shelter in the woods but seem to want to follow me north again, so I am taking care of them now since I still intend to go to the wall, so I must prepare them too.
I came to the city of FrostRoar and bought some of the materials needed for the isolation of the coming months. I went to the first blacksmith, but he soon judged me as a poor boy and didn't pay attention to me, as I was poorly dressed and a child. Of course, I left after that; I felt like punching that face. Father, I don't know why, but lately, my blood easily explodes, and I seem like an uncontrolled wolf; I feel my body burning with a cold and boiling sensation at the same time, strange, isn't it? I can't explain. When I left, I found that bard right after; I continued my way through the city and found a novice blacksmith with a sad story. His name is William, who had to flee from the Vale Arryn to seek shelter in the north because his family fought with a larger house, vassals of Jon Arryn, and were killed in the confrontation. I offered him 4 moons to stay with me for gold coins, and he accepted; it was even too much for me, an 8-nameday-old child to build armor for 5 giants, so I offered him a job as an extra hand. Leaving the blacksmith to prepare for the journey and say goodbye to the rest of his family in the city, I went to a leather shop and bought more material that I needed. You must be wondering how I got money for all this; I can understand that an eight-nameday-old child with gold coins in his pocket is a bit suspicious, but I didn't steal, I swear! I swear by all the old gods. I have some special skills and can command animals like the Wargs of legends and see their memories. Not only that, but I can also detect metals in the ground, whether beneath it or on the surface of a considerable area.
So, it was easy to find lost coins in the Wolfwoods left by some hunters or patrols over the years. I also found a box with a thousand gold coins at the location where I found the forge, but they are coins without the current seals because they are very old, thousands of years old, can you believe?
Since I won't use these coins to go to the Wall later, I plan to reforge them with the current seals and distribute them to the city orphanages. I saw the children in that place and saw how hard life is in the realm; maybe I can help them. At least, in their hands, it will be more useful than in mine, as I'm sure it will go unused when I reach the Wall.
However, my passage through the city did not go without turbulence. I came to the last shop where I am now writing this letter, but when I entered, everything turned into confusion.
I encountered a 12-nameday teenager demanding a refund for a dying bird lying at the bottom of the cage. It was one of the most beautiful birds I've seen. I accessed its memories to see what was wrong, and I saw that the same teenager demanding a refund was the one responsible for the bird's condition. He tortured it for fun, resembling the gruesome stories of the Boltons and did the same with many animals!
Father, this drove me crazy. I really wanted to kill that boy after the experience. I saw how he tortured the animals and how he reveled in their screams of despair. My blood once again took over me, and I didn't even notice that the others perceived my intention and the boy himself, who, in turn, demanded that his guards cut off my hand just because I looked at him with murderous intent.
As they were coming toward me, I was already planning to kill them with a dagger I have hidden. The surprise element of the setup would give me that chance, and nothing would stop me from killing the snobbish sadist. I know it's not honorable, and I look like a monster, but my hand was at stake at that moment, along with my burning blood.
But the commander of the guards saw my intentions through the window and entered a little before I executed my plan. He looked at me in astonishment, and I believe he recognized me as soon as he set his eyes on my face. He seems to be a man very familiar with you, father. Since the man was very respectful afterward, and apparently, this respect is directed toward the man you are. I don't know his story with him, but I intend to ask later.
In the end, we argued, and I handed over a gold coin to buy the dying bird and spent another 7 coins to buy all the other 50 birds in the shop. One of these birds is the little raven that was sent with the letter, and if you are reading this message, it's because he really found you. Know that what he just did was an almost impossible task. I asked him to find an older man than me, but the appearance was similar, and I only showed Winterfell on the map of the North. And it's a raven that has never flown in the north, so please treat him well.
Returning to talk about the events, even though I gave a golden dragon to the boy, he accused me of stealing that money, and I ended up interpreting some Nordic laws about baseless accusations. His accusation was slander that should be judged by the predominant house or Lord Stark himself, as the boy has kinship with the local power. However, I am not writing for that; I have already scared him so much, and as much as I wanted to make him pay for everything he did, I still can't do anything to him.
Father, the real reason I am sending this letter is that in the memories of the bird I caught, I saw men talking about human trafficking in the city, and Lord Carlen Frotniid and his house are involved. He himself opens the entrance for kidnappers or his own patrol to pick up children on the street and in orphanages, even offers work to common people outside the city walls to capture them through third parties to not show suspicions to him. I heard about a base in the north of the city, near the twin mountains and on the side of them a small lake, 600 meters east of the northern part of the lake, there is a fortification between a forest. They use it as a filter for where the slaves will be sent, and I'm afraid to say that Ser Jorah Mormont is involved in this.
I saw your letters from Bear Island, and I saw him personally in the city talking to Lord Frotniid. I could send this accusation letter to the Glovers, but I doubt they would believe the words of a boy, and I bet you also doubt, father, but it doesn't hurt to ask Lord Glover to send someone to investigate.
Now, with this confusion, I'll have to leave the city. I plan to recruit this commander they call Ducken. He is a decent man and has nothing to do with the confusion; I fear he might be unjustly accused if he stays. He would be the kind of man you would like to have in the castle, but I'll steal him from you, sorry HEHE.
And even if I can't solve this human trafficking scheme, I'll handle it myself, father. I'm not strong enough now, but I can be stronger in time, when I return from my seclusion.
I don't know how to tell you this, but I almost died 4 or 5 times in the farm battle, and it's one of the main reasons for my isolation. I want not to depend so much on luck and external help, like my animals. So, even if the Lords can't do anything, I will end these vile acts myself, I promise.
I'll be away for a few months and won't go out into the world, and I can only say I miss you, father, my little wolf Arya, and the kind Bran, but don't ask me to come back, father. It's all I'll ask of you; I have things to do in the North, and I have to do them alone. The giants gave me a clue about what I need to do; they are here because they were attacked recently, and their tribe was decimated beyond the Wall. They don't give many details, but I see fear in their eyes, giants afraid of a dark thing beyond the wall, father... They call it cold darkness, what attacked them represents death itself in its blue eyes. They told me that these things are killing all living beings on the other side of the Wall, so I know I have to go to the Wall, and there I will know my next step. When the snowstorm attacked me, I ended up in another place magically, and with a voice guiding me, I found a sanctuary of the gods. There, the gods gave me motivation, and now I have my own battles.
So, I wish you all the best with you and our family. I want the North to prosper with you and leave the realm for Robb to be a good ruler, until the day we meet again. I asked the raven to stay with you until I could take a little time to write a letter to your bastard son. Goodbye, father, and I love you very much.
A silence settled as Ned finished reading the letter. Ned felt tears streaming down his cheeks; he could only cry. The most powerful man in the North was now letting his conflicting feelings out: there was pride, love, tenderness, sadness, anger, and hatred for all those who wanted to harm his boy, and the main feeling, concern. His son is doing things an 8-nameday child should never do.
Just one moon ago, he and the boy were in this solar talking about Jon's behavior with the theft of a servant, and now Jon was venturing alone through the lands of this kingdom with extraordinary things, giant wolves that are the symbol of our house in flesh and bone, with giant men, which he described, and I see no reason to doubt his words. Getting into many troubles on an unprecedented journey. Now, he wrote about having knowledge of alchemy and forging armor, something he was never sure Jon was ignorant about.
Ned stood up and walked to the window, looking down at the courtyard. He saw Robb and Theon running with their antics, Arya in a bad mood walking on the other side of the castle. His Jon should be like the children in front of him, but he had thrown himself into the world and was showing at the same time that no matter what challenges the world is throwing at him, he will overcome them and bring glory to himself, all when he is just a bastard by status.
Ned let his tears flow throughout; his son/nephew was now going through all the hardships, and even though circumstances put him on the ground, he shows that he can still rise and keep moving forward, something Ned can't help but be proud of. The boy has acquired magic that Ned has never seen in his stories, and there are many witnesses to these facts. The Lord of Winterfell knew that with the blood of both kings in the North and dragon kings, he has the most powerful blood in the world. The boy who should be living in a court or even as the heir to the Iron Throne in a different scenario was now proving his worth as he ran through various dangers.
Jory entered the solar at that moment and was shocked at the sight of Lord Stark crying at the window; he had never seen such a vision before. Ned looked at him and said as he wiped away some tears, "Summon Maester Luwin and bring him here if he's not busy; we have much to talk about." Ned said calmly, and Jory quickly left the room, leaving only some grains for the raven, not wanting to provoke the anger of his lord, seeing him in such an emotional state. Ned looked at the raven that had been staring at him all the time and fed the bird with the grains Jory brought.
When Jory returned with Luwin, Ned handed the letter to Luwin and asked Jory to stay. Jory was curious about the letter, and his curiosity grew even more when Luwin had a perplexed look as he read more of the letter. Luwin returned to his lord with conflicting eyes. "My lord, I really don't know what to think of young Jon; everything he's going through is things a child shouldn't be involved in. He has the wolf in his blood like his siblings, no doubt, I just didn't understand the part about feeling ice and fire at the same time..." He said calmly, trying to make sense of the last part of the speech.
But the Lord of Winterfell gave a sad smile and said nothing, thinking again that his nephew really has the blood awakened from both lineages in his veins, or at least now, in terms of blood, Jon has the most powerful blood in the world and he is the only one. His lineage will be grand for the future; so, all these stories of Jon with magical powers may be real, Ned couldn't continue to be so skeptical after all the reports and more reports coming.
Jory read the letter too and found himself equally with conflicting feelings. Ned didn't know, but in Jory's mind, Jory was thinking about how he treated Jon less than two moons ago, looking at the child with disgust and disappointment for stealing, and now the boy was handing out gold coins, when he was caught stealing copper? With these descriptions, he couldn't help but wonder if there was more to the theft than was reported.
"Send a letter to Lord Glover to conduct an investigation, Maester Luwin, and Jory, send some Stark men to join the investigation and prepare for battle in the coming moons!" Ned Stark declared and looked at the raven that was relieving its hunger on the table, and added. "Any visitor or merchant who knows about young Jon from FrostRoar, in the territory of the Glovers, appearing in WinterTown, I want them sent to me immediately!" He ordered. "Yes, Lord Stark!" "Yes, my lord!"
"Now, Jory, have the guards summon Arya and Bran to my solar!" He asked, and Jory left immediately, and Luwin followed. A few moments later, Bran entered with a guard and soon left, leaving only Bran and his father. "FATHER! Did you call me?" Bran exclaimed and asked cautiously. "Yes, my son. There is something I want to show you and your sister. Let's wait for her to arrive." "Alright, father," said Bran childishly, and noticed the raven enjoying its food on the table and looked curiously. "Father, why does this strange raven look so funny on your table?" Bran laughed at the comment. But the raven didn't like it and looked at Bran, who was a little startled by a *GLOOOO!* from the raven; it was as if the raven had been offended by the comment. Then it seemed to grumble a bit while returning to pecking at the grains on the table; Bran was speechless about this strange raven. "Well... This raven belongs to your brother Jon..." Ned said calmly, and the raven even let out a cry confirming. Bran was happy with the mention of his brother Jon and even more enchanted with this raven; as a child, the boy was fascinated by the bird. But soon, his thoughts were interrupted by Arya entering the solar, and Ned was sure his children would be delighted with the second scroll that Jon sent with the raven, addressed directly to his boys.
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