Chapter 25

  CREGAN STARK

  The rest of the week passed without much fanfare. Sansa and Arya were particurly unhappy about their father’s decision and protested vehemently against bei behind in the North, though for very different reasons.

  Sansa, despite her dislike for Joffrey, was still rather enamored with the idea of knights, tourneys, balls, feasts, and so forth. She had grown up hearing tales of these things, and did not wish to be left behind in the frigid cold North. Only the false promise of callio the capital after a year had soothed her cries, though Cregan did wonder whether such a promise would e through.

  Arya, oher hand, simply did not wish to be left aloh their mother and wao join him and their father in the capital, and it had taken a promise from their mother to soothe the younger daughter that she would not end her horse riding and swordsmanship lessons.

  And now it was time for them to leave. His wounds had yet to heal, yet he had no choice but to bear the pain as he leaned against the fen the yard, watg the whole retiher up, until a soft voiterrupted his thoughts from behind.

  “You truly are quite stubborn,” and he was startled and as his head snapped back, he found himself staring at a familiar small and slim framed boy, tirely in green colors.

  “Lord Jojen,” he greeted the boy who was looking at him with those green eyes of his.

  “Going to the capital all by yourself, knowing of the dahat awaits you there, I must say I am impressed,” he said, as Cregan’s body tensed up.

  “I told you before, didn’t I? I will not let my family be swept away by his pns,” Cregan whispered back as the young boy looked into his eyes.

  “And would you risk your life for this, carry the great burden of the future on your shoulders all by yourself?” the boy asked as he stepped forward, and Cregan’s lips thinned.

  And that was the biggest question. Cregan knew of the true enemy, of the true dahat lingered beyond the Wall.

  “You have ged much already, yet I ask you this young Lord Stark...” and the boy again looked into his eyes.

  “Are you willing to carry the burden of the entire realm on your shoulders?” and Cregan gulped nervously at that, for which man would dare to nominate himself for such a thing.

  A going against the Three-eyed Raven was just doing that.

  “I thought that the man beyond the wall did not wish for me to ge the flow of the river,” Cregan posed a question of his own, remembering the dream that had e to him when he had id nearly half dead in that cave, with Mance.

  “Why the sudden ge of heart?” he asked, and the boy smiled.

  “As I said, you are quite stubborn,” he said with a chuckle as he turo face the Royal retinue, and Cregan saw the Queen walked towards her massive carriage with her two children, still a gown of bd gold as she mourned for her son.

  Tommen and Myrcel walked besides her, dark clothes as well, with his direwolf Aurora sauntering beside them.

  “You must have noticed by now, how his read influence are rather limited in the South,” and Cregan had indeed noticed this.

  Even in the South, he would sometimes feel the raven’s influend power, but often times it would only be limited to certain days and locations, like arou trees and so forth.

  Unlike here in the North, where the three eyed raven’s power was truly beyond anything he had expected. Dreams, animals, and even interfering with his ability t and skinge.

  That was what had happened in the forest when they had gone on the hunt. Cregan had often wondered why he was not able t and skinge during that certain time, and could think of no other reason, except that it was because of him.

  And so, that gave another expnation to Joffrey’s as. Ohat was even far more sihan, the first one.

  That the Bloodraven had tried to kill him.

  “I have,” Cregan answered as Jojen Reed shrugged.

  “And now, you once mo beyond his reach, having already thwarted one of his major pns to redirect the flow of the river,” and Cregan gulped nervously wetting his mouth as he questioned.

  “Was this all his doing?” he finally asked and Jojen Reed’s eyes focused on the Queen, again who tally gnced in their dire, and Cregaheir eyes meet before the Queen finally entered her carriage as Jojen gave him a cryptiswer.

  “Oen uimates the influend power of our dreams,” and his hand over his e tightened.

  “So, this was his doing?” he questioned again and Jojen Reed.

  “If a King ands a knight to cut a man’s head, who is the real killer here?” the boy suddenly went off in a ta.

  “The King who gave the order, or the Knight who cut off the head?” and Cregan frowned.

  “The King of course,” he answered, but Jojen raised a brow.

  “Is that really so?” he questioned.

  “The knight could have ighe order, perhaps he could have even fought for the man in a trial to save his life,” and there was a question there.

  “There is a much simpler ahen,” Cregan cut in as he turo look at the boy.

  “Both of them are killers,” he answered and Jojen Reed shrugged.

  “Well, that is for you to ponder on. But do know this, that you have made the man beyond the wall rather frustrated, he uimated you and now you have taken many a pawns from his hands,” and at his surprise the boy smirked.

  “I believe you must have missed the hen. Roose Bolton’s bastard was just found dead a day ago, killed by one of his, so called prisoners,” and Cregan stilled at that, for he khe real killer.

  “Quite a blow for the Lord of Dreadfort, for his son died but a few years ago as well, and now the man has found himself without an heir,” and Cregan wao have a sigh of relief.

  “As I said, you are far more stubborn and effective than the raveimated, and now you once again go beyond his reach, so I ask you this Cregan Stark do you think yourself capable of shouldering the burden of the entire world, the burden of defyiiny, fate and prophecy itself,” and Cregan gulped before he answered soundly.

  “I do not know, but I do know that I will do whatever I to protect my family,” he answered and Jojen Reed lips thinned.

  “That is not the ao my question....” and with that the young boy turned around leaving behind the ominous words.

  “Then know this, young master,” and with that he began to walk away.

  “You may have stopped this war for now, but the dams shall not hold for long. War will e. It must, and you must have made your choice by then....”

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  CERSEI LANNISTER

  The mood of the part leaving Winterfell was far more somber than it had been, in pared to the retihat had arrived there nearly a month ago.

  Cersei could still hardly e to term with the death of her son and was, a with each passing day she oft wondered about the part she had pyed in her son’s own demise.

  When she had first stepped into this very yard, she had feared that she might not make it out of here alive, she had feared that her ow was somehow known by that crippled Stark boy.

  A, as she stood infront of the carriage once more, wearing a gown of bd gold she wondered just where had that fear e from. And the answer came quickly.

  Dreams, she had dreamt it. Those cold grey eyes of his looking down at her and Jamie, at her children, and so forth.

  Initially, she had ighem, had tried tet abrupt them, but as soon as they had crossed the threshold of the Trident, her fear had grown, and so had the iy of those nightmares.

  And then there was his gaze—that cold, steely gaze. As she helped her precious Tommen and Myrcel, she watched as that wolf of his walked besides her daughter, and the little animal had grown from a pup to the size of a rather rge dog in front of her eyes.

  To this day, she found it rather ominous, with how strahe wild animal behaved around the Stark children, and even amongst them the grey wolf of that boy was eerily strange, chasing after her daughter, following her ands without any training as if she could uand her almost.

  And then she looked towards the yard, casting o g the castle that had taken a son from her, and again she saw him standing there, his eyes as cold and steeled as always as he stood there versing with a young boy green.

  Their eyes met, and again she felt a shiver run down her spine before she finally evaded his gaze and walked up to the stairs of the carriage, and her brother stood there, and offered his hand to help her into the carriage.

  “It seems like your fears were unfounded,” Jamie whispered as he held her hand, and Cersei’s lips thinned.

  “irely. My son is still dead,” she answered as Jamie’s eyes dulled as well.

  “Yet you and I still live,” and then he gnced in the boy’s dire.

  “I think you were wrong. The boy knew nothing,” he whispered, and she shook her head.

  “No. I was n,” she answered as she began to climb into the carriage.

  “The boy knows something, something grave and egregious enough that they are trying to murder him for it,” and she still had no clue who it may be or what secret they were even trying to hide.

  “Where is Robert?” she asked, as suddenly she saw him walk out of the castle, and Joffrey’s death had ged him as well.

  It mad mellowed him, and though she had no hope that the ge erma, or sting he had seemed rather remorseful at the death of his heir. And a for a few nights he had even made it to their bed without being absolutely drunk, though their was nothio salvage here.

  Not anymore.

  His new hand was with him, along with the rest of the Starks, and she frowned as she saw the ck of carriages and tunks, as horses were brought for them.

  And after some words with his new hand, she saw him e towards her as he asked Jamie.

  “Are the preparations plete?” he asked, and Jamie nodded.

  “Yes, yrace. We are ready to leave,” and Robert nodded as she saw the Stark’s wife and daughter hug her sed son.

  “Will they not be joining us?” she asked, looking towards the Tully woman, and to her surprise, Robert shook his head.

  “Noy yet. Ned wants her to stay in the capital to advise his eldest son,” and that was a surprise.

  “And what of his daughters?” she asked.

  “They will e along with their mother. His bastard and the Greyjoy ward of his will be ing with us, though,” and that was rather ing of Eddard Stark to keep his family away from the court.

  Did the man have a suspi about this enemy who had tried to kill his son? And if so who was it? Or was this deliberate?

  There were so many questions, a she cared not for them.

  “Then why is the man, bringing such a rge retih him?” she asked, and she saw her husband’s frustrations.

  “A Prince has just been killed, and someoried to kill his son in his own nds. I won’t begrudge the man, the want to keep himself and his family safe, and it is ner thainue you have for yourself,” he said dismissively, as her lips thinned.

  “I am the Queen,” she cut in and Robert shook his head.

  “And he is to be the hand,” and then she saw Robert look around, before his eyes nded on the boy.

  “BOY!” he shouted as his words reverberated across the clearing, and it was obvious who he was calling, as Stark’s sed son perked up at the King’s call.

  “e here,” the King ordered, and the boy walked upto Robert, his e still in hand, and as he came up there, he gave Robert a small bow

  “You called for me, yrace,” the boy asked and Robert nodded.

  “Yes, I did. I wao tell you that you will be riding in the carriage with the Queen,” and they were both surprised by it.

  “Why, Yrace. I will be fine on the horse...” but Robert cut in.

  “The master has told me of your wounds, and I wish to make good time on the journey back. So, you will ride in the carriage with the Queen,” and the boy g her and seemed a bit nervous.

  “I appreciate yenerosity yrace, but I will be fine on the horse...”

  “I have made my decision, boy, and you will accept it as such. I will not have you put your life in danger again,” and with that he turned around towards Jamie.

  “See to it that the boy rides in the carriage, he is still rec, I will not have him reopen his wounds because of some idiocy,” and Jamie nodded after a g her.

  “As you wish ynce,” and then he walked away, leaving the boy standing there, and she stared into his eyes.

  Perhaps it would be her first time sitting down with the boy, who oft teo vanish into the shadows, and her eyes narrowed as she looked him up and down, and she decided that this would perhaps be a good opportunity to find out just why was someone so eager to kill the boy.

  And, more importantly, whether he truly knew about her secret or not?

  “I....” the boy opened his mouth, but she cut in before that.

  “I will be waiting for you Stark,” and then she gave her brother a nod.

  “Don’t let the boy wonder around, we are to leave soon....”

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