Chương 15: Chapter 15
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A fortnight had passed since Bran had fallen from the tower. The King, having enjoyed the Starks' hospitality, begins his journey back, taking with him Lord Stark, who has been appointed Hand.
Theon stays with Robb, whom his father has appointed to rule Winterfell under Lady Catelyn's regency, but Greyjoy doubts she will even leave her middle son's bedchamber to eat, let alone help his heir rule the North.
Jon Snow was leaving with Eddard Stark, not to King's Landing, but across it, to the far north, to join the Night's Watch and take his vows.
Theon didn't know why Snow was so eager to join the Watch. He had tried more than once to talk him out of it with Robb, but the bastard was stubborn.
Perhaps, Greyjoy thought, if I were Lord of the Iron Islands, I could offer Snow my service. He would make a good weapons master or galleys captain.
'No, nonsense. A noble wolf would never make it on the Iron Islands.' - another thought came to mind. - 'And I have nothing to offer John, for soon I shall be gone, no longer the heir of my father, Lord Baelon.'
He was tired of living in Winterfell, and his father was in no hurry to leave.
He stood in the courtyard and watched the royal retinue slowly make their way out of Winterfell. Next to him stood Robb and his grown direwolf.
Horse hooves clattered and Lord Stark appeared on horseback. King Robert rode beside him, laughing at a joke.
The Lord of Winterfell stopped and turned his grey eyes in their direction.
- Robb, I leave Winterfell to you. - Robb nodded gravely. - Theon...
Stark was silent for a moment, but soon, with a smile, he continued:
-You are forgiven. But don't do it again. - He said the last sentence without a smile.
-What did Greyjoy do that even Eddard Stark was offended by it? - Robert asked, shifting his gaze to me and then to his friend.
At those words, the heir to the North blushed, but Theon smiled a broad smile.
- I'll tell you later. - Stark grunted and led the horse forward. - My lord, we must go.
-Yes, yes, but be sure to tell me what Greyjoy has done! - Robert said cheerfully as he followed Stark.
An hour later, the royal cavalry disappeared from the horizon. Theon watched them go and headed for the hedgerow, where he could rest and think about something. Like his plan.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''"'
- K-books! K-books!!! Y-y-your c-books suck!
As the parrot flew over the bookshelves and shrieked loudly, it prevented Greyjoy from concentrating and quietly reading an interesting book.
It had been a full week since the king and Lord Stark had left Winterfell. Robb was swamped with business and unable to communicate much with Theon. As Greyjoy had predicted, Catelyn Tully was consumed with caring for her son Brandon. Not that Theon blamed her. It was normal for a woman who loved her children, whether she was a noble lady or a common peasant.
Robb was always accompanied by his direwolf, Grey Wind. With grey fur and eyes the colour of molten gold, he was already taller than the average wolf, and he was frightening to behold. Theon was afraid to imagine how the direwolf would be treated when he reached his standard size.
Robb's pet himself treats him calmly, allowing him to approach him. Maybe the beast senses that the Greyjoys aren't afraid of him. He had a similar relationship with the other Stark direwolves.
He glanced at the parrot flying on the ceiling and sighed irritably. Lately he'd been having strange dreams involving a parrot... or rather, he felt like he was the parrot. It was maddeningly frightening and made Greyjoy fumble his pet. The inhabitant of the man-made world was frightened by unexplainable things, and what was happening to him was clearly some kind of magic that was rather difficult to explain.
He began to search for answers, digging through hundreds of books with at least a hint of a description of magic. And he found it.
'I'm a warg.' - Greyjoy thought. - 'People who can make mystical connections with animals and control them, if you believe that septon from the Andal invasion who described them.'
That he had magical abilities both pleased and alarmed him. But how to use them? Is there any way to improve them? Could he take control of more than one animal? What would that entail?
Too many questions and so few answers. Theon's First Men blood had clearly awakened, for he had awakened the abilities of a warg.
Suddenly, the parrot sat down on one of the bookcases, almost dropping a couple of books. He tilted his head curiously and cackled:
-What are you doing, you idiot?
There was an irritated hiss and a rustle, causing Theon to stir and rise quietly so he wouldn't be heard.
-Damned bird. - Someone whispered, sending curses at Cicero. - Where did this unknown creature come from?
Greyjoy cautiously moved closer to the voice and hid behind the monolithic bookshelves that sheltered Theon. He tilted his head cautiously forward and saw a figure crouched with his back to him. Dressed in a dirty cloak with a deep hood, he was trying to make out something. When he realised what the unknown man wanted to do, he almost had a heart attack. That bastard wanted to set the library on fire!
He took a few quick strides to the unhearing arsonist and knocked him out with a leg kick, the position was quite good. Theon decided to knock him out, since he had no weapon....
He looked at Cicero and gave him a command:
-"Call Robb. Tell him the library was about to be burned. - The parrot said nothing, but bowed his head in acceptance. With a flap of its wings, the bird flew out of the library tower through the window.
It was good to have a parrot that was intelligent and could talk. I just wish it had a softer temperament.....
'''''''''''''''''''''''''"'
-What did the prisoner say? - Theon asked Robb.
Currently put in charge of Winterfell by his father, Stark was grim. His face had been devoid of cheerfulness of late, and now it was a stony expression without a single emotion. Despite his mother's appearance, Robb had inherited something from the Starks.
- His name is Hugor Hill. And burning the library wasn't his primary purpose...
-Hughor Hill, Theon interrupted him. - A rather ironic name for a criminal.
Robb, who had noticed it himself, nodded to his friend. Robb could call Theon a friend now. He had saved his brother from being killed.
It was up to a couple of shouldermen to untie the tongue of a failed assassin. Eddard Stark never employed an executioner. But his grandfather, Rickard Stark, had a few skilled tongue-tied men in his service. One of them still served in the Stark Guard, having survived Robert's Rebellion and the Ironborn. He was advised by Rodrik Cassel and Robb quickly gave the executioner the job.
Perhaps he had overstepped one of the principles his father had instilled in him, but at the moment Robb didn't care. He only wanted to know who wanted his brother dead.
- Yeah, I noticed that, too. But the problem is, that bastard came here to kill my brother Brandon. - the heir to the North clenched his fists in anger, but exhaled and continued. - He says the orderer posed as Prince Joffrey. - That name made his teeth gnash. Oh, how Robb wanted to strangle the little Baratheon who had dared hire an assassin to take his brother's life.
-Out in the open like that? - Theon wondered. - I'm afraid it's not that simple, Robb.
- It doesn't matter now. - He dismissed it. - We have to tell Mother what happened. No one has told her of this incident on my orders, so as not to worry Mother.
They walked towards the exit, Robb grim-faced and Theon pensive, with a couple of guardsmen behind them.
-Theon. - Robb glanced in Greyjoy's direction. -Thank you. You saved Brandon's life. I'm in your debt.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''"'
They stopped near the Barrows of the First Men, which was not far from the Dustin lands. The sun was just beginning to rise, and the whitish morning mist had to give way to the golden rays of the sky.
Robert decided to take a little rest from his night's ride along the royal road. A temporary camp was set up.
He and the king set out on horseback to talk privately. Robert had been out of sorts lately, as if he'd learnt some unpleasant news. Eddard Stark was right.
- What are those hills, Ned? - Robert asked him, looking round at the unnatural hills that adorned the many glades.
-These are the Mounds of the First Men, my lord. - replied the Lord of Winterfell.
-Are we in a graveyard?
-The barrows are all over the North, sire. - Eddard answered again and looked around. In the distance he could see rows of white tents and many flags flying, tucked into the hard ground. A crowned stag neighboured a running direwolf. And next to it was a lion on the prowl, which was rather out of place in Stark's opinion.
'Robert's son, Prince Joffrey bears the crossed crest of Baratheon and Lannister. Too much honour for lions, the queen must have encouraged his son to do it.'
-I wish we could ride on, just you and me! - Robert declared. - Oh, those glorious days when we were young.....
-And then we went to war.
-Yes,- sighed the king. - We had to become lords and kings. We never fully felt what it was like to be young...' There was sadness and sorrow in Baratheon's voice. But it faded immediately, giving way to mirth.
- I also remember when you and I used to go out to the inns! - Robert laughed. - And you remember that servant-what was her name? Biss? Bess? You know, your bastard's mother.
-Bess,' reminded Eddard, whose thoughts had taken on a sombre hue after the king's last words. - And she was yours.
-Bessa, that's right! - Robert remembered. - She had such tits...' He seemed to wrap his hands around the air like an imaginary breast. - Seven, guard Bessa and her glorious tits!
Eddard had the sudden thought that the maid his son had slept with was named Bessa... perhaps it was a mistake to name his heir after his friend?
Robert let out a long laugh after his words, but noticing that Stark's face was grim, not showing his thoughts, he said sympathetically:
-Come on, Ned. We've been to war. You're too hard on yourself.
- Let's not talk about it, sire. - The Silent Wolf said firmly, with a frosty coldness in his voice, casting a searing glance at the king, and the king dared not say anything else. He had only seen Eddard Stark like this since the news of his father and brother's deaths. Then the dragon dynasty was overthrown.
No matter what anyone said about Robert's mind, one thing he realised clearly was that without the help of the Northmen, their rebellion would have been unsuccessful. The northerners were too good warriors and they fought well.
He sighed and pulled out a small note that had come from King's Landing.
- A dragon whore married to a Dothraki Khal. - Robert said hatefully, throwing the note on the table.
- Shall we send her a gift? - Stark asked, taking the note in his hand.
-A knife, and a sharp one at that.
- She's only 14 years old. Do you really want to kill an innocent child? - Stark asked, defiantly, without fear of the king's wrath.
- This innocent child will start spreading her legs and giving birth to dragon offspring. And then come with a stinking horde of Dothraki to Westeros, along with his cursed brother, the Beggar King, to put him on the Iron Throne.
- The Dothraki will not cross the Narrow Sea...' Eddard argued doubtfully, unsure of his own words. And the reason for this uncertainty was told by Robert:
- There are many houses in Westeros that are discontented with my rule.
- Even if they cross the Narrow Sea, we will defeat them. They are savages, capable only of taking tribute from toothless Free Cities without a serious army. They have no discipline, no tactics in battle.
-Even so. - the king was still not satisfied. - Some kingdoms can rebel. The Dornish or the Ironborn, sensing the weakness of the Iron Throne.
- The Dornish will not do that. They didn't when Grigor Clegane killed Elia Martell. - Robert frowned, sensing the hidden reproach in his friend's words. - And the Ironborn will not rise. Baelon would not risk his only son.
-He sent him off to war before he was twelve, Ned! Do you think the old Kraken cares about his offspring?
Lord Stark had nothing to say to that - Robert was right about that. Balon Greyjoy didn't care about his heir. Theon had even sent a few letters to Pyke, with the Winterfell lord's permission, but all he got in return were short, dry letters that told little.
-I don't want to talk about it, Robert. Let's get back to camp, I think your queen is waiting for you.
-That Lannister? Me? The King laughed outright. - Ned, you say that sometimes... she'll be glad if you and I get lost somewhere and never come back. Come on, let's go. - and pulling on the reins, turning his horse round, the King of the Seven Kingdoms hurried back with his friend.
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